I'm out, then. Writing is an inherently political act.
When someone posts a query for critique and people comment about perceived problems with the overall idea for a novel, I cringe. Usually I even agree with the apparent problems being pointed out, but a query review is not the place to tell someone to revise her entire story arc and completely rewrite her novel.
Likewise, if someone were to post a query for or pages from a novel with a strong political message (which is unusual, despite the assertion every picture book about potty training and bodice-ripping romance is somehow political), my own politics would have nothing to do with my assessment of the query or writing. At most, I might silently opt out of commenting on something I disagreed with to the extent I did not want to play any role in helping it come to fruition.
It makes little difference whether I think Patrick's decision is a good one, since it is his to make regardless. But FWIW, I think it's probably necessary to keep the unique level of civility this place can claim intact.
