Content Policies
I make every effort to be accurate, and publish only verifiable fact (or qualified opinion) in nonfiction and news pieces. My fiction work, for obvious reasons, follows no such standard. Although I always attempt to avoid unnecessary offense, I afford much greater weight to accuracy and ontological truth than to political correctness. In cases where I must choose between offending somebody and misrepresenting reality, I will choose to offend.
Changes to news pieces and factual corrections to opinion pieces will be annotated as such, and credited to those who reported the error when applicable. Corrections of grammar, style, and spelling errors, as well as minor edits to improve clarity, will generally not be annotated. Sometimes, particularly during a major news event, a post may state that it is being updated as information becomes available. In these cases, edits will occur without note until the post is finalized.
My presentation of information will be colored, to some extent, by my own political and social biases. I do not deny it or attempt to hide it. Unlike many media outlets, I share my biases openly and encourage my readers to engage in critical discussion of my work.
Unless otherwise indicated, Off on a Tangent marks time according to the Eastern Time Zone (ET; UTC-5) as defined by law in the United States, including daylight saving time (UTC-4) from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November.
The views expressed on this web site are mine and mine alone. They do not necessarily reflect the views of my employer (Web.com), my religious community (the Catholic Church), or any other associations or organizations of which I am a member.
I do not receive or accept any payment, goods, or services from any company, association, charity, political party, or political action committee to write on this web site. Potential conflicts of interest are noted whenever they arise.
Style Rules
Effective June 2, 2012, Off on a Tangent is published according to the University of Chicago Press’s Chicago Manual of Style (16th Edition) with the following caveats and clarifications:
- The Chicago style requires the use of the serial comma (the comma before ‘and’ in a list). Even if it didn’t, I would use it anyway. The serial comma ensures clarity and better mirrors the spoken form of the American English language.
- Singular possessive nouns end in ‘s, even when the last letter in the noun is also an s (e.g., James’s girlfriend). This is the preferred usage, and it is recommended (though not required) in the Chicago style.
- American politicians will be identified with a party abbreviation and, if applicable, their state or district. The Chicago style allows this style only for members of Congress, but Off on a Tangent extends it to all elected representatives at any level of government. In addition, Off on a Tangent adds the district, precinct, or ward name when applicable.
- Current common party abbreviations in Virginia are Constitution (C), Democratic (D), Green (G), Independent Green (IG), Libertarian (L), and Republican (R). Candidates and officials without party affiliation will be indicated as Independent (I).
- Examples of this usage include: President Barack Obama (D), Representative Frank Wolf (R-VA 10th), Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), and Loudoun Supervisor Ken Reid (R-Leesburg).
- In news-style reporting of election results, candidates will be listed alphabetically by last name.
- The Chicago style includes a number of guidelines regarding ‘gender-neutral language.’ I follow the majority of these guidelines as a matter of practice, but I will not shy away from using masculine pronouns in the generic sense for effect or when the ‘gender-neutral’ alternatives would detract from the natural flow of a piece.
Most content on this site published before June 2, 2012, was published according to the Modern Language Association’s MLA Style Manual, although some older legacy content pre-dating standardization on that style was written in other styles (or in no style at all).
As time permits, I am slowly bringing old content into compliance with the Chicago style.
User Participation Rules
All visitors may view most content, view or post comments, contact me directly, and more.
I allow comment postings to be published by users on my website because I like to know what my readers think. These postings are not necessarily permanent. Future site migrations, technology upgrades, and/or policy changes may result in the removal or replacement of the discussion system. Comment content, being secondary to my original content, will only be ported to updated systems when the effort involved is trivial.
After one month from the date of a particular post, comments are automatically closed. Comments that have already been added will remain visible, but new comments cannot be added. This is done to reduce spam.
Comments are the property of their authors. By submitting a comment on this web site, users grant non-exclusive publishing rights to Scott Bradford Creative Enterprises for any purpose, and license to all under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License (the same license for the vast majority of Off on a Tangent content).
In addition, users making participating in discussion must follow these guidelines:
- Discussion posts must relate to the associated content item (if applicable). Stay on topic!
- Discussion posts must exhibit merit. Criticism and argument are fine, but I expect constructive criticism and intelligent argument.
- Discussion posts of an advertising or “Spam” nature are prohibited.
- Discussion posts including personal insults, unbased accusations, or clear falsehoods are prohibited.
- Discussion posts in violation of Virginia and/or United States law, or posts encouraging the violation of Virginia and/or United States law, are prohibited.
- Impersonation of the editor/webmaster is prohibited. Only the editor/webmaster may post with the usernames sbradfor, sbradford, scottb, scottbradford, Scott Bradford, etc.
If I determine that any post violates these policies, it will be removed. On rare occasion, I may allow a post to remain with only the offending portion removed. Such posts will be clearly marked as edited.
If a particular user regularly abuses comment privileges, that user’s comment privileges on Off on a Tangent may be temporarily or permanently disabled. Comments in violation of Virginia and/or United States law may be reported to the appropriate authorities.
I will never remove forum posts or punish users merely for disagreeing with me; on the contrary, I welcome a good debate! These rules and the consequences for breaking them are merely intended to maintain civility, which is oft-lacking in public discourse today (including on this site when the comment/forum policy was more lax). Constructive, intelligent discussion and debate is both permitted and encouraged.
Privacy Policy
Pretty simple. Anything you post here on Off on a Tangent isn’t private. If you want something to stay private, don’t post it on the Internet.
As mentioned above, posting comments gives me full (non-exclusive) license to that comment and allows me to distribute it under the site’s Creative Commons license. I also reserve the right to publish emails submitted through this site, though I will redact the name(s) unless permission is given to publish it.
Advertising Policy
Off on a Tangent is funded, in part, by advertising revenue from services including Google AdSense, InfoLinks, and TextLinkAds. Advertisers contract directly with those services, not with Off on a Tangent, and advertisers exert no editorial control whatsoever over the content on this site except within the ads themselves.
Off on a Tangent generally opts-out from publishing political and religious advertising.
Recognized Holidays
Off on a Tangent commemorates various religious, civil, and cultural holidays with special images and/or statements. All Roman Catholic holy days of obligation, all U.S. federal holidays, and several other days are marked in this way. When holidays conflict with one another, religious holidays take precedence over personal holidays, and personal holidays take precedence over civil and federal holidays. This is the complete list of holidays being recognized this year:
Religious Holidays
Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (recognized on 01/01/2013)Celebrating Mary, mother of Jesus Christ and, therefore, mother of God. More…
Day of Prayer & Penance for Life (recognized on 01/22/2013)Celebrating the dignity and worth of every person, from conception to natural death. More…
Ash Wednesday (recognized on 02/13/2013)The beginning the forty-day penitential & prayerful season of Lent. More…
Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion (recognized on 03/24/2013)Remembering Christ's entry into Jerusalem and the beginning of Holy Week. More…
Holy Thursday (recognized on 03/28/2013)Remembering Jesus's last supper and the institution of the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. More…
Holy Friday (recognized on 03/29/2013)Remembering Jesus Christ's suffering and death on the cross in remittance of our sins. More…
Easter Sunday (recognized on 03/31/2013)Celebrating Christ's resurrection and triumph over death and sin. He is risen, alleluia! More…
Feast of the Ascension (recognized on 05/09/2013)Celebrating Jesus Christ's ascent, body and soul, to the Father's side in heaven. More…
Pentecost (recognized on 05/19/2013)Commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit; the birth day of the Christian Church. More…
Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe (recognized on 08/14/2013)Remembering the life of my Patron Saint, a martyr who volunteered his life for another. More…
Assumption of the Virgin Mary (recognized on 08/15/2013)Celebrating Mary's assumption, body and soul, into heaven by the power of God. More…
Solemnity of All Saints (recognized on 11/01/2013)Honoring all saints, known and unknown, who have gone before us into eternal glory. More…
First Sunday of Advent (recognized on 12/01/2013)Beginning a season of penance and prayer in preparation for the coming of Christ. More…
The Immaculate Conception (recognized on 12/08/2013)Celebrating Mary's preservation, by God's power, from the stain of original sin. More…
Christmas (recognized on 12/23/2013, 12/24/2013, and 12/25/2013)Celebrating the humble birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, in Bethlehem. More…
Personal Holidays
Our Anniversary (recognized on 05/28/2013)Melissa and I were married May 28, 2005. We still like each other. Happy anniversary to us! More…
My Birthday (recognized on 10/28/2013)Today is the anniversary of my birth. Twenty Internet points for guessing my age! More…
Civil & Cultural Holidays
Chinese New Year (recognized on 02/09/2013 and 02/10/2013)Celebrating the beginning of the new Chinese zodiac year. Happy Year of the Snake! More…
Flag Day (recognized on 06/14/2013)Celebrating the American Flag as a timeless symbol of our liberty and freedom. More…
Patriot Day (recognized on 09/11/2013)Remembering the September 11, 2001 attacks and the victims of terrorism. More…
Election Day (recognized on 11/05/2013)Get out there and vote (if you are eligible). It is your opportunity to shape your government. More…
Pearl Harbor Day (recognized on 12/07/2013)Remembering the Japanese attack that brought the U.S. into World War II. More…
U.S. Federal Holidays
New Years 2013 (recognized on 12/31/2013 and 01/01/2013)Celebrating the changing of the calendar year. May God bless you and keep you in 2013. More…
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday (recognized on 01/19/2013, 01/20/2013, and 01/21/2013)Celebrating the legacy of Rev. Dr. King and the ideal of racial equality. More…
Presidents Day (recognized on 02/16/2013, 02/17/2013, and 02/18/2013)Celebrating George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and all U.S. presidents. More…
Memorial Day (recognized on 05/25/2013, 05/26/2013, and 05/27/2013)Remembering the brave soldiers who have died to protect our freedom. More…
Independence Day (recognized on 07/02/2013, 07/03/2013, and 07/04/2013)Celebrating U.S. independence from England, as declared July 4, 1776. More…
Labor Day (recognized on 08/31/2013, 09/01/2013, and 09/02/2013)Celebrating the important contributions of the American worker. More…
Columbus Day (recognized on 10/12/2013, 10/13/2013, and 10/14/2013)Remembering the arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Americas. More…
Veterans Day (recognized on 11/09/2013, 11/10/2013, and 11/11/2013)Honoring military veterans and thanking them for their sacrifice. More…
Thanksgiving (recognized on 11/26/2013, 11/27/2013, and 11/28/2013)Giving thanks to God for our family, friends, health, possessions, etc. More…
