Shimmy, you can start up threads as a forum member, but to create an entirely new section (which is what you need to do in the case of an off topic area), you need to be a mod or webmaster. Even if Karma wanted to do it, he couldn't. Starting up an offtopic thread within a topical section is just bad form and Karma wouldn't do that anyway.

Karma, he was definitely out of line and I don't see any reason why an off topic section cannot be created. Have you tried sending private messages to the rest of the forum membership to get their opinion? I'm sure that if you were to find a large group of people who want it and were willing to e-mail the Nazi... errr... forum mod all at the same time, he might see the light and start up the section.

I say a bunch of you give the mod an e-mail blitzkrieg.