Suggestion:

Maybe it is best for people to stop attacking Alex and to stop
attacking VK Walsh -- which in some cases seems to be trying to get
that person to see what being attacked feels like.

I don't know anything about VK Walsh, whether the person is a flame
baiter, or whether the person is normally a kind soul who posted on
a really off day (and perhaps should have held the post to think
about before sending), or what. I DO know that sometimes i have sent
something I later wished I hadn't when I realized I happened to be ill
and fevering but hadn't noticed beforehand. Then i look back and kick
myself when i see what I'd written. It is best to not do anything
hands-on that is difficult or to write or try to think when fevering;
advice can have mistakes and messages can be nasty, but the world isn't
perfect and people often don't know they are sick when an illness is
in its early stages, so on that score others need to extend some
understanding, too. I'll bet every single person here has experienced
that from both sides with a range of people! (So, it pays to see both
sides.)

Here are the IMPORTANT things:

1. Both of them, just like all the rest of us, are ONLY HUMAN. Now, I
know that some people don't like that phrase, but it best explains what
I am saying: that every single blasted one of us makes mistakes and has
made mistakes, and when we damn the mistake of another -- especially
one that does not alter our own lives -- perhaps we'd be better off
realizing that we've done things that are every bit as bad though
different. (If you want to damn the mistakes of people who do affect
us personally learn the actual records (not claims) of politicians and
honestly go after them all you want verbally on your own time; their
pasts and actions DO affect you.)

2. Both of them had ferrets' welfare in mind, even though that wasn't
necessarily tackled in the best way for one.

3. The WAYS to make situations safest are important. The attacks on
the people are overboard.

4. The RATES are important (as is timing). People are speaking here
about a long ago ferret escape in which the attacking dog was a
different dog, and the second dog was agitated upon seeing what was
occurring. Many, MANY years later, under extenuating circumstances
which occurred due to miscommunication among people the second dog --
for her first time ever -- attacked a ferret, unfortunately, severely.

5. A few people assumed the worst without even asking what precautions
had been put into place after the fact to prevent a recurrence.
Alexandra and Dann are NOT the sort of people who would fail to add
precautions.

So, PLEASE:
PAX ON LIST, PEOPLE!

The discussion is becoming too heavily attacks on individuals rather
than constructive discussions of the many ways to prevent or decrease
problems.

There is not one of us here who hasn't learned something the hard way,
including about ferrets, so how about sharing -- including your own
mistakes and solutions -- and learning instead of going after someone
else, please?

I 'LL GET IT STARTED: If you have a ferret who likes to trip you (which
seems to sometimes be to get "forgive me" treats, then give the ferret
a time out instead of a treat each time. One of ours, Meeteetse, who
always did that caused me to fall backwards once, with her neck being
stepped on as i totally lost balance. She lived but formed a hematoma
and could never be scruffed again because it would return. Yeah, I
screwed up at first, but I learned and that is what matters. This one
comes to mind because Hubble has begun trying that technique so we are
working to break him of it.

SO WHO LEARNED WHAT FROM YOUR OWN FERRET MISTAKES?

Now, back to the real world here at home where Pivot is playing with a
Zube Tube...

(Yeah, I shouted a bit.)

Sukie (not a vet)

Recommended ferret health links:
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/ferrethealth/
http://ferrethealth.org/archive/
http://www.afip.org/ferrets/index.html
http://www.miamiferret.org/fhc/
http://www.ferretcongress.org/
http://www.trifl.org/index.shtml
http://homepage.mac.com/sukie/sukiesferretlinks.html

[Posted in FML 6090]