At the risk of drawing this out even further, I will respond to Kasey, who wrote:
"Kakki/Sarah, I think the reason you are being accused of saying people are anti-American is because of the information you post. Both of you give specific links to and on information you present here. It's to hard to argue against the information so instead people choose to argue against you. It takes the focus off the links, and information you provide." Kasey, I must respectfully disagree with you. I see quite a lot of people engaging with both the information and the arguments that Kakki, Sarah, and others have been providing with it. I don't see those who disagree running from information that is "too hard" to argue against, but in fact, doing precisely the opposite. Perhaps some members, including myself, stated that they believed Kakki had said or implied they were anti-American because--rightly or wrongly--they actually believed that she had. Sometimes a cigar is really only a cigar. Kakki has since clarified her position on this fully and thoughtfully: a clarification for which I am most grateful. Have these discussions at times turned personal? Yes, some more than others. However, when flawed and imperfect *people* are making arguments and advancing interpretations (and that includes all of us), it may be difficult if not impossible to separate them from the thought processes they engage in to do so. Frankly, I think criticism of those thought processes, in a public forum in which these individuals and others have freely chosen to participate, is fair game. However, I also think that certain basic rules of civility should apply in all our discussions. If those basic rules have at times been broken, then we can and should do better. The JMDL is, I'm absolutely convinced, one of the most informed, articulate, and stimulating discussion lists on the entire Internet. What I have learned in my 6-plus years of membership could fill a small library. And, while my mind has seldom been changed in the areas of my most basic core beliefs, I have always been educated and enlightened, even in these areas. Suffice it to say that my views *have* been changed on other subjects, based on what I've discovered here. In all, I hope very much that our discussions of all things pertaining to the life and times of Joni Mitchell will continue, bringing richness and bold new ways of viewing our world to all of our lives. With respect, Mary P.
