MOTA's Law

The rule enacted January 6, 2008, by the ValiantFans.com messageboard administrator which
declares any discussion immediately over and the topic is locked, preventing further posting.
After several years of Valiant messageboard discussions reaching a point of diminishing returns,
it was concluded that the unmistakable sign of the "end of discussion" can be easily identified
as the point where ManofTheAtom references "the goat" in whatever point he's trying to make.

To prevent unnecessary continuation of any discussion which is in a downward spiral,
MOTA's Law will be enacted for the preservation of the remaining sanity of all participants
and innocent bystanders. It is anticipated that MOTA's Law may be extended to cover situations
where any discussion has reached a point of ludicrous statements and repetitive debate positions,
regardless of whether user ManofTheAtom is a part of that discussion.

In the event MOTA's Law is enacted due to the actions of someone other than ManofTheAtom,
it will be referenced as MOTA's In-Law, indicative of the relationship to similar discussion tactics.

Graphical representations for MOTA's Law or MOTA's In-Law will be:

MOTA's Law       MOTA's In-Law
              

As the topic spirals downhill, an initial graphic may be used
to demonstrate the impending doom of the topic, prior to it
being locked and/or sent to Topic Oblivion.



By rule, ManofTheAtom has LOST any argument which requires
the evocation of MOTA's law (even if he believes he was winning).

This rule is derived from the better-known "Godwin's Law" of online discussions.