Roger and fuzzies,
 
I honestly didn't mean to start a thread of "Attack and Defend Bob C."
My intent was simply to point out that derogatory remarks are not
conducive to objective discussion.  I observed silently a recent thread
in which Mr. Church participated and I witnessed the posts degenerate
into him maligning and insulting the second party (who, I might add,
remained dignified and respectful throughout).  Unfortunately, much
useful knowledge was lost because of nothing more than his evident
inability to refute an argument without becoming abusive.  I was hoping
a repeat of that incident could be avoided this time.  Bob Church has a
wealth of knowledge that we could all benefit from, if only he knew how
to share it instructively instead of destructively.
 
Since you felt the need to defend his tone, however, please allow me to
point out the flaws in your argument. :)  You stated, "Shoot, *I* lack
the disciple to feed my ferrets entirely on homemade foods.  And I'm
mature enough to admit it and not be insulted by the statement.  That
does not mean I lack the intelligence or the ability[.]"  This is true,
BUT (and it's a big BUT lol) you left out the rest of Bob's comment ("or
perhaps the basic ability, to safely maintain their ferrets on a homemade
diet") which DOES in fact flat-out state exactly what you said it did NOT
imply.
 
Furthermore, you completely ignored the second comment of his that I
found to be inflammatory rather than objective.  Why is that?  Could it
be that his statement, "As far as I am concerned, if you can't have your
preconceptions challenged without getting angry, you are too immature to
debate anyway" was such an inflammatory comment that you couldn't bring
yourself to call me "touchy" for objecting to it?
 
What you did was use partial quotes out of context to make a point.
Unfortunately, you also seem to have entirely missed MY point;
"DEROGATORY REMARKS ARE NOT CONDUCIVE TO OBJECTIVE DISCUSSION."
 
I was not offended, nor did I take personally, what Bob said.  I am
simply VERY interested in learning more about the topic and feel that
a MUTUALLY RESPECTFUL atmosphere is the best environment for an open,
honest dialogue.
 
As a matter of fact, I began acclimating my own ferrets to live feeding
months ago, as evidence from other sources convinced me it's worth the
effort.  So far, I have one ferret who eats nothing but homemade food,
three who eat raw meat as well as kibble (credit this to the wonderful
shelter they came from, not my own accomplishment), one who will kill and
stash mice but won't eat them, and five who would rather starve than eat
anything other than kibble (stubborn little cusses lol).  Admittedly not
a total success, yet I feel we are making progress towards the goals of a
healthier diet and more natural lifestyle.
 
Ok, I'm done beating the poor dead horse LOL.  Thank you for taking the
time to express your opinion and listen to mine.  Please feel free to
email me privately if you wish to continue this discussion.
 
Joli
[Posted in FML issue 3946]