-------------- Original message --------------
Steven L. Rubenstein:
Silverback wrote:
but it is banned by NOR, unless a cite can be
provided where someone else
has used those very same words in subject at hand.
This is still completely wrong. There is no requirement that someone else
has used the very same words. To follow this understanding of NOR would
mean that editors can't write anything, but can only edit together collages
of quotes -- this makes a mockery of the NOR policy. Paraphrasing does not
violate NOR. Period. Your position here will have only one consequence:
to make it harder to write good articles. Why would you want to do that?
I agree if you are referring to the intent of NOR. But in practice people can be very
pickyune. BTW, it is not my position, quite the opposite, I oppose the position, it is
just my observation of practice. Note that poor skyring, has not been allowed to use the
word "republic" himself, but had to find a quote in order to use the word.
Unfortunately a local consensus can take owership of a word, select a less common
definition of the word, label it POV, and deny its usage. A good example is the word
"regime" on the Iraq pages, if you are familiar with that dispute.
-- Silverback