I think the point that Big Dave was making is that he, as well as probably the majority of the forum, would rather everyone just stuck to discussing issues and not get personal with attacks. When people get personal, things go downhill fast, and it gets in the way of a meaningful discussion.

If someone can't handle having their views challenged, my opinion is they don't belong in the threads where controversial issues are discussed. Or at least they shouldn't take it personally when someone challenges their views and just move on.