On Tue, 3 Apr 2007, Oldak Quill wrote:
Most rules have exemptions. If that takes anyone off guard by our rules having exemptions, I'd be surprised. Just make it clear by placing it near the top or giving it a section header.
If I was a newcomer and I stumbled on the guideline, and I did notice the exception, my reaction would be "oh, I guess if you're very experienced at this stuff and you know exactly when to use it, you might get away with making an exception". I certainly wouldn't conclude that an exception could be properly used by a new user, at least unless it said something like "even non-experienced users may remove unsourced material...."