Jim Devine wrote that pen-l is my living room. No. My living room is a mess, filled with papers and books. Then he said, > But I wish he'd hold back a bit. In the case of Gerry, holding back > wouldn't have hurt much since (1) Louis and Doug were very good at > deflecting his efforts to create a flame-war and (2) others on pen-l were > responding appropriately. I got one post applauding my action and another denouncing it. I agree that Louis and Doug had shown admirable restraint. I had been communicating with Jerry, asking him to make some positive contributions rather than try to provoke others. The number of posts about Jerry was increasing substantially. People were not shunning him as Jim said they should. Sadly, I would not want people to have to shun Jerry. He does a fine job on ope-l. I appreciate his comments there and wish that he had used his mind to a positive effect on pen-l. If he ever wanted to return to pen-l, I would welcome him back with open arms, if he would forget his bad feelings regarding Doug and Louis. Someone else said that Doug and Louis are more than capable of defending themselves. Indeed they are. But I do not think that we would benefit from that sort of exchange. I do not unsub people lightly. I have unsubbed about one person every couple of years. I may have received more letters of dissent than praise for my actions. I am not sure. -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University [EMAIL PROTECTED] Chico, CA 95929 530-898-5321 fax 530-898-5901
