Let me welcome you to the CMF.  Just so you know, there are a few rules and regs for our community.  They're designed to make the community a better place for everyone.  The simplest interpretation of all of the rules is "Treat each other with respect".  While we don't want to do so, we will enforce these rules through discipline and accountability, up to and including banning, if necessary. 

We may have site staff who help patrol the posts and topics on this forum. These individuals are servants to this community, and are giving of their time and energy to help make this place a great place for fans to hang out.  They are also human beings and are as much in need of Christ as you and me. If you have a problem or have caught something you feel is in direct violation with the rules of The Tourniquet Discussion Zone, please email the board administrator: scott5minutes at gmail dot com.

Here are the rules.  This list may change, but all board members are expected to abide by these rules.

• NO VULGAR LANGUAGE OR PROFANITY
This includes inappropriate words, inappropriate sexual references and other vulgar statements, including letters replaced in certain words with '$' or '!' and the like.

• NO THREATENING, ABUSIVE OR HARRASSING COMMENTS, OR PERSONAL ATTACKS
This includes racist and sexist comments, as well as other forms of abusive behavior.  Any person attacking another forum member, will receive a warning and have their message removed. Any future incident thereafter, will result in that member being removed from the forum.  DO NOT ENGAGE IN “FLAME WARS” OR EXCESSIVE CONFRONTATIONAL POSTINGS. DEBATE IS IMPORTANT, AND ENCOURAGED, BUT USERS SHOULD NOT GO TRY TO “PICK FIGHTS”.

• NO SLANDEROUS OR LIBELOUS POSTS
Knowingly making false claims about a company, organization or individual is prohibited.

• NO INSTRUCTIONS OR PARTICIPATION IN ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES
This includes any activity that may be considered illegal under the laws of the United States and its territories. Any perceived threat to the security of this site will be dealt with quickly by the administrators.

• NO DISCUSSION OF OR CHALLENGE TO OUR EDITING/MODERATING POLICIES ARE ALLOWED ON THE PUBLIC AREAS OF THE FORUM
If you disagree, or want clarification as to why a particular topic, post or individual was removed, you must private message the moderator in question or email scott5minutes@gmail.com.  Tourniquet Discussion Zone moderators and administrators will NOT respond to any inquiries or challenges of these rules or decisions in the public areas; however, we will respond to private messages and email inquiries to the best of our abilities.

• NO ADVERTISING OR PRODUCT MARKETING IS ALLOWED. NO COMMERCIAL ADS ARE ALLOWED.

• NO SPAM ALLOWED.
Do not post the same message in every topic with different titles, but with the same message. Only post your message into the topic it most relates to.  SPAM, here, is defined as any topic that is posted multiple times. Content is irrelevant. It is also defined as any topic that is without significant quality of content, which is determined by the admins and mods. Multiple threads that are LQC may result in your posting priviledges being suspended or revoked. It may also result in you getting a nasty little identifier to label you as a spammer.

• DO NOT POST FALSE INFORMATION.
Users who choose to deliberately post false information will lose posting privileges.

• NO SINGLE TOPIC PREACHING/POSTING.
This board is not for the promotion of your personal crusades, preoccupations or agendas.

• MEMBERS ARE TO RESPECT THE DESIGNATED TOPIC AREAS WHEN POSTING.  POSTS DIRECTED TO A SPECIFIC PERSON CAN BE CONSIDERED OFF TOPIC, AND MAY BE DELETED.
You may reply to a statement within a thread by another poster, but please keep private conversations limited to email and private messages. Those who post messages not relating to the topic area will have their threads closed or the posts deleted.

• PLEASE LEAVE THE MODERATION TO THE MODERATORS.
If you are not an administrator or a moderator, please do not do their job. Private message one of them if you see a post that needs attention.

• DEAD HORSE TOPICS ARE OFF LIMITS.
Dead Horse topics are topics that have been discussed ad nauseum and are ultimately divisive. These topics are not to be discussed during any period of time when they are a Dead Horse. The list of Dead Horse topics can be viewed in the Rules and Regulations forum.

• FORUM RULES AND GUIDELINES ARE NOT UP FOR DEBATE.
This is not a democracy, but rather a private forum. Please do not argue with staff when enforcing forum rules and guidelines. Anyone who has questions about enforcement of the rules should contact board management.

• WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO DELETE ANY POSTING FOR ANY OR NO REASON WHATSOEVER.
You remain solely responsible for the content of your messages, and you agree to indemnify and hold harmless, CMF and their agents with respect to any claim based upon transmission of your message(s). We reserve the right to revoke your membership to the forum or disable your posting ability for any or no reason whatsoever.  The management of this community also reserve the right to reveal your identity (or whatever information we know about you) in the event of a complaint or legal action arising from any message posted by you.

• INACTIVE ACCOUNTS MAY BE TERMINATED.
If you do not post for more than 30 days, your account may be terminated, and you will then need to re-register in order to post.

• INACTIVE THREADS MAY BE TERMINATED.
From time to time, old threads will be either archived or deleted. If you do not see a thread for a topic you’d like to discuss, please start a new one. Resurrection of old threads is not encouraged.

The staff of this board take these rules and discipline very seriously. We don't like to use discipline, but we will when necessary. We will take every step necessary to ensure that discipline doesn't have to happen.  No single staff member can make the decision to discipline a user.  If you are being disciplined, it's because your case has been reviewed by staff, and they have determined that there is enough of a reason to impliment discipline.

If you are disciplined, please do not take it personally. Our purpose in discipline is not to publicly shame you or bring you down.  Instead, the purpose is to drive you to the Cross.  We work as hard as we can to extend grace to our members, and if a disciplined member shows a genuine attitude of repentance, they will be welcomed back gladly. On the other hand, if you choose to use your discipline to undermine the ministry of the band and this board, we will look into harsher methods of discipline, up to and including contacting law enforcement. We do not target anyone, but there are rules in place that must be followed. No one, including the board staff, is exempt from the rules posted here. We are accountable to you, to each other, and to our ruling board of elders.

The core goal of the CMF is to provide a Gospel-Driven Heavy Metal Community.  If you are a Christian, we ask that you conduct yourself in a manner that will reflect Christ to your fellow posters and the world at large. If you are not a follower of Christ, we ask that you treat your fellow posters and their beliefs with the respect and deference that you would expect in return.  We also hope that you will ask other members about Jesus and learn about the Good News He has given us all!

IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THESE RULES, OR WANT TO REPORT AN INFRACTION OF THE RULES, PLEASE PRIVATE MESSAGE AN ADMINISTRATOR OR MODERATOR, OR EMAIL SCOTT5MINUTES@GMAIL.COM. THE RULES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. PLEASE CHECK BACK REGULARLY TO KEEP YOURSELF APPRAISED OF THE RULES.