My posts were deleted and the thread was locked, even though I was being reasonable.

I just noticed that some of my posts have vanished... I even got a notification confirming the total post count next to my username has dropped.
I'm honestly confused—about 14 or 15 of my posts just disappeared into thin air.

On top of that, my thread was pulled from the main forum because someone claimed it was too vague.

I'm not sure how else to ask this, but what on earth is going on??
Am I under some kind of sanction I wasn't told about, or have I been assigned a moderator I haven't met yet?

I haven't insulted anyone, I haven't attacked anyone, and I don't think I broke any rules... unless I did something wrong without realizing it.
Could someone please clarify, moderators?

vividfox9, you've had a total of six posts removed this month by four different mods. You aren't under any official sanctions; these are just standard moderator procedures.
As for deleting the thread, we'll have to wait for a mod to handle that.

I deleted it during her third iteration just a few days ago; someone else took down the first one.

The thread was attracting nothing but trolls rather than any actual debate. As for the subject itself—the European Union doesn't even possess functional armed forces; they basically only exist on paper. Any real interventions are carried out through NATO as a military alliance. An "EU intervention" isn't really a possibility, since there’s neither an agreement, a legislative framework, nor the political will for it. That whole idea is mostly just talk for the Alternative.

William Bennett53 said:vividfox9, you’ve actually had six posts removed this month by four different mods. You aren't banned or anything; it's just standard moderation stuff.
We'll just wait for the moderator to clear this thread out.

I honestly feel a sense of relief reading this announcement.
To be honest, I have to say I’m feeling pretty uncomfortable with how posts are being deleted around here.
I honestly don't get it. I can't wrap my head around why someone would delete a post that doesn't contain any profanity, insults, or threats.
If anyone’s feeling offended by my comments, honestly, that's just part of the territory. We’re allowed to see things differently here; if we don't, this whole place loses its purpose.

In the end, things should turn out fine, William Bennett53, especially since you clearly know your stuff. That said, please allow me to offer a bit of honest feedback regarding how carelessly the moderators handled that assessment.
There are so many instances where people just let their emotions take the wheel. Even though the moderators are part of this community, their job is much tougher because they have to stay completely neutral during the decision-making process. They’re allowed to have their own opinions, of course, but if they make a call, they really need to back it up with solid arguments.

northernsailor8 said:I actually deleted her third version within a few days; someone else took down the first one.

The thread was basically just attracting trolls without any actual substance. As for the topic itself—the European Union doesn't even have functional armed forces (they only exist on paper). Any real intervention happens through NATO as a military alliance. There’s no such thing as an "EU intervention" because there isn't the agreement, the legal framework, or the political will for it. That whole idea is mostly just talk for the Alternative crowd.

I hope I'm not being disrespectful by thanking you for that recognition, moderator northernsailor8...
Was this decision made following the precedent of how other moderators have handled things, or did you just decide to shut it down based on your own judgment?

Let me explain my side...
The thread actually started off quite well. Within just a few hours, it had about 400 views and a dozen posts.
A discussion doesn't mean much if we don't have enough colleagues who possess a critical mind and the ability to see what really matters.
And maybe it didn't fit the moderator's vision, but with the poll added, things were moving along just fine, which the comments showed...

The accusation was that the topic was vague. That hits a bit hard for the author's ego, but don't worry, it doesn't hurt that much.
We can move past all that, but by whose standards are we going to decide what is vague and what isn't?!
Looking at the current threads doesn't offer much reassurance, and honestly, some of them could use a grammar check for people typing entirely in lowercase and such.

But let me explain regarding the closed thread...
Sure, the European Union doesn't have an army, but they're going to need to establish some kind of usable military force because the geopolitical situation is incredibly messy.
For instance, NATO includes Turkey, which is currently in a tense standoff with Russia over the crisis in Syria.
The NATO treaty states that if even one member is attacked by a third party, all other NATO members will step in to defend them.
Lately, there have been several political signals coming from NATO headquarters toward Ankara, seriously requesting that they de-escalate, otherwise certain articles might be interpreted in a way where a provocative Turkey finds itself facing an attack alone, without help from the rest.

So why create an EU Army?
The Americans foot most of the bill for NATO. They hold massive influence within that alliance.
Europeans have been dealing with a crisis since the Arab Spring began in 2011. We're paying the price today with the arrival of over a million refugees, both from the Middle East and elsewhere...
And what can Europe actually do?
Keep coast guards stationed on Greek islands to stop small boats from smuggling people looking for asylum and a better life?!
We don't need an EU Army for that...

The fact that another 5 million people are waiting to enter Europe—regardless of whether we need the labor—is information that makes many European leaders break out in a sweat...

What would be the best solution?
Creating a European expeditionary force.
With what mission?
To stabilize the areas bordering and undermining Europe's internal security, which threaten the continent's borders and invite blackmail.
How would these corrections be carried out?
By sending in professional crisis management experts...

Right now, we're just relying on whatever happens.
No, we have to make a choice to prevent that. We have to manage these relationships if we don't want those relationships to unravel us...

Please, let's reopen the discussion...

William Bennett53 said:vividfox9, you've actually had six posts taken down by four different mods this month alone. You aren't banned or anything; it's just standard moderation stuff.
We'll have to wait on a mod to handle deleting the thread.

I used to have 1,900 posts... then this thread opened and I was down to 1,886...
More of them got wiped, Grey..

Can we consider staying silent on a topic as a way of admitting that starting the thread was actually okay?

With a headline like USA military intervention – NATO Expeditionary Force in North Africa and the Levant and a poll asking Do you support a USA military intervention in North Africa and the Levant? it’s a non-starter. My colleague already covered why, given the current state of USA military capabilities.

If you want to discuss the actual formation of functional USA military forces, try this thread: because we aren't going to be building international war machines here in the Politics sub.