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I really hate to be firing a shot this late and especially since it’s beginning to look like the attacks on people like Susan, Georgia, myself, and a few others have begun to settle, at least temporarily. However, it has taken me several days to look back through two years of saved mail to refresh my memory but that research has shown my initial thoughts correct.
I cannot find an instance of the people who regularly actually answer questions and regularly provide factual information to the members of this list, attacking another member for an off topic post. There have been suggestions of taking a prolonged dialogue off of the list.
Likewise, I have yet to find any substantial contribution to the list by those who seem to be the self appointed topic police, and are sitting like Big Brother, watching, and waiting to pounce on someone for a post that they personally do not agree with.
While I agree, that there are some items that belong on the tech list and some that belong only on flyin, I disagree with anyone trying to tell me or anyone else what I might talk to another person about at a flyin and that is essentially what has been happening here for several days. On the other side of that, I do recommend that extended personal exchanges, whether on topic or off, be conducted directly rather than through the list.
As for the off topic, or even on topic, messages that I don’t want to read; I have a delete button. I don’t own a motorcycle, I am not going to Sun & Fun, I do not need to read 46 different versions of how to install a voltage regulator, discussions on wheel fairings do not interest me, I really don’t care much about a movie that is a promo for one airport, etc, etc. Guess what I do with those? I do however value those considerably more than I do the personal attacks that have been getting far too frequent in the last year.
Spook, as far as I can tell, you followed the rules. You labeled your post about the movie as off topic, you noted that it might not be of interest to everyone, and you kept it short. No harm, no foul.
Susan, I applaud both you and Jason for your efforts to provide other avenues of discussion and I may join your list also, as I have Jason’s, but I feel a sense of ownership of and to this list and I think that rather than running away to a different list, I will stay and defend this one. We have allowed the Big Brothers to silence too many already.
A little tolerance and patience, combined with some discretion will bring this list back to the dignified level of discussion that it occupied not so long ago.
I know the flak is coming, so bring it on. I will calmly and politely discuss almost anyone’s thoughts; just remember, I have a delete button and I know how to use it.
Tommy
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