ABURKE = DELETE

[Csubstance@aol.com]

In a message dated 11/4/07 6:13:53 PM, Cbgord@aol.com writes:

<< However I object to blaming this problem we have as an  online community 
on 
our list administrator and attacking him for "sitting  on his can" and doing 
no 
work. That's not the problem. We simply have not taken  up this issue up in 
such a way as to even approach a collective decision  (however we try to do 
that) on what we want to do about this problem other than  grouse about it or 
repeatedly advise each individual subscriber to delete his  posts. >>

11/5/07

I agree with Craig.

For the past five or six years, I've now and then wrote the above in a 
Subject line.

Once a new person here is predicatable, then the rest of us can either 
engaged him or ignore him (as I advise and choose to). Every list and blog I know of 
has one or two snipers going after the essence of the list or blog. I think 
some of them are paid to do that kind of work, because it wastes peoples' time. 
Others just do it out of cookiness.

But there is no reason to demand that the people who have supported this list 
for the past decade. We began here in 1999 after I was suspended from my 
teaching job in Chicago and sued for a million dollars for publishing CASE in 
Substance. It's better to suffer a few fools than to lose the value of the list's 
openness. 

I recall, years ago, there was a person here for a time who has a theory 
about property rights and government that was based on some kind of equity for all 
"Inhabitants." At first, the posts were reasonable, then they swept out into 
la la land. The only mistake made here (in my opinion) was that she was exiled 
from the list, rather than ignored.

Having been censored on another list that's being promoted from the other 
side of this debate, I also know that those who don't take a very broad view of 
the First Amendment here may ultimately be sorry.

As to the personal attacks on Monty, he's faced down far harsher. The ten 
seconds it takes to DELETE materials is worth what is provided when that's done. 
Every few months, if I have the time (and I have a full professional and 
personal life, so that's rare) I enjoy reading the posts in question here. They 
give me a read on the one-liners of the other side. Just about every idiot 
talking point is there, almost as if Karl Rove's DNA was in full view here.

I like that. It's like having the enemy's battle plans in front of you the 
day before the fight starts.

George N. Schmidt
Editor, Substance

www.substancenews.net

<BR><BR><BR>**************************************<BR> See what's new at 
http://www.aol.com</HTML>