I was generally pleased that a potentially hot topic, declawing, was -- I
thought -- handled pretty well.  No huge flame wars.  In fact, while I
wouldn't call the last couple of issues dull nor without varying opinons, I
thought posts were rather civil.
 
But there are some pretty strong reactions voiced in this issue to these
very posts I just said I thought were acceptable, so maybe I'm clueless.
I'd like to briefly state one of the guidelines I use to decide if a post
goes over the edge.
 
Foremost, I consider a post which attacks *people* rather than facts to be,
quite likely, inappropriate.  For example, it's fine to say you disagree
with John Doe's position on, say, chocolate toxicity because your ferret ate
a whole bag but lived.  It's NOT fine to say you disagree with John Doe
because John is a stupid jerk who wouldn't know a dead ferret from a live
one to begin with.  Well, unless John Doe works for CA F&G, but then I'd
probably reject the post because it's redundant.
 
Now, OK, I exagerate there, but I think I make the point.  In other words,
it's not a crime to disagree - that's how we all can learn.
 
Some of you have suggested that I'm a little too liberal in approving posts
and the inevitable result is bickering that drives people away.  Well, I'm
willing to alter my guidelines a little based upon your collective input,
but I absolutely will not be placed in a role where every post is carefully
screened for any hint of discord and you're delivered a perfectly sanitized
(but thoroughly brain-dead) document every day.  I'm convinced that even
attempting such a feat would open an entire different set of problems yet
not provide a positive benefit in the long run.
 
Please remember that this medium is often ambiguous.  People's writing
styles vary greatly as do people's backgrounds in which to place things in
context.  There are subscribers of all ages on this list, subscribers whose
native language is not English, plus, I'm sure subscribers have different
idiosyncratic areas of hypersensitivity.  As does your moderator ;-)
 
Of course, it's often obvious when a post is too commercial, too vulgar, too
insulting or too off-topic.  I hope I eliminate those.  But when a post is
more questionable, I often remember that this list is here to help our
ferret friends and hope that my acts of inclusion helps more than my acts of
omission.  Sometimes I guess wrong, but I hope I'm getting better.
 
A few days ago, an FMLer sent me a story entitled "Birds of Feather Should
Work Together".  I think next time I feel I should spout off I'll just
repost that.  But for today, thanks for listening!
[Posted in FML issue 1865]