I am writing to protest the use of the term "bat-shit insane" when referring to other posters on this forum, because it is just not politically correct.
While it is true that some of the people being referred to using that term are, in fact, insane, adding the modifier "bat-shit" is in my opinion derogatory, and unfair to bats. I used to do a lot of spelunking (caving) in my youth, and as a result had many interactions with bats. While it is true that bats DO shit, and do so *often* given their voracious eating habits, I have never seen any bats that I would characterize as insane. All of the bats I encountered, in fact, seemed not only sane but amazingly aware of their environment, and of me. Even when I had made the mistake of entering a cave at sunset, just as all of the bats were leaving the cave to feed on insects, not a single bat ever hit me. True, hundreds of them would sometimes fly by me and come within inches of me, but their bat-squeak radar was so good that none ever struck me, or even grazed me. I consider this *very* sane behavior, and so I implore posters here to stop using the term "bat-shit insane" in their posts. It's offen- sive to bats. I, too, have been guilty in the past of using this derogatory term, but I'm going to try my best to not use it in the future. I will stick to more acceptable terms that focus on the insane person himself or herself, and do not cast aspersions on other sentient beings. For example, I think that the following phrases are acceptable: * A few bricks short of a load * Five cans short of a six-pack * Not firing on all cylinders * Four quarters short of a dollar * Has a screw loose * Lost his/her marbles * Hasn't got both oars in the water * One wave short of a shipwreck whereas the following terms are derogatory to 1) bugs, 2) rabbits, 3) monkeys, and 4) hamsters: * Is Bugged Out * Should be in the Bughouse * Mad as hatter * Mad as a monkey on a trike * The wheel is spinning, but the hamster's dead Less offensive, but still pushing the PC envelope are the following, because we all like pizza and a few people like fruitcakes, so we don't want to associate them with insane people: * An olive short of a pizza * Nutty as a fruit cake And this last one is absolutely unacceptable, because I like boobies a lot, as long as they are not old and saggy. Besides, I've never seen one with a 'hatch,' so the phrase doesn't even make any sense: * Belongs in the booby hatch Thank you for your cooperation. Comparing insane people to bats is really unfair to bats.