I don't often post to the FML although I read every digest from start to finish almost every day, and have done so for the past five years (#2540 was my first issue). It has always been a great source of information and, when I needed it, comfort and understanding from a huge number of FML subscribers. I can't count how many times I was brought to tears over people's heartfelt support over my ferret troubles. On January 10 of this year I posted an innocent message asking how to best warm and comfort one of my ferrets (Pippin) who is rather old and has several medical conditions. While this message generated (as usual) an overwhelming amount of support and suggestions, there was one person on this list who took it upon him/herself to assume a complete understanding of Pippin's life and situation, as well as automatically (and incorrectly) assuming that my query was more to soothe my own psyche rather than make Pippin more comfortable. This person's two paragraph diatribe appeared in the FML the day after my own. At at no point did this person ever email me and ask for additional information before making all of these false assumptions and personal attacks on my integrity; it was a soap box oration against me based purely on supposition extrapolated from my single posting on January 10. The message stung me primarily because of the automatic (and 100% false) assumption that I was being cruel to my ferret in order to make myself feel better. It blew my mind that such callousness and cruelty could come from someone on the FML. It doubly shocked me to know that Listmaster Bill allowed this personal attack on me that came completely out of left field. I composed a response to the person who attacked me and submitted it to the FML, but it was rejected by Listmaster Bill on the basis of "attack(ing) the person instead of the facts". Clearly this is a double-standard; the person who attacked me had almost no factual information, made claims that were completely false, had no supporting evidence, and was clearly attacking me personally -- yet this post was permitted. I'm not disagreeing that my rejected response was rather acerbic but at the very least my rejected response contained concrete, factual information in it. Just about my entire view of the FML is now tainted and this entire experience -- both with the person who attacked me and with the double-standard policy in effect -- has left a putrid taste in my mouth. I am no longer confident that my innocent postings won't be met with bile and hatred, nor do I feel the assurance that equal standards are applied to all members. If personal attacks aren't allowed on the FML (a policy which, incidentally, I wholeheartedly agree with) then the original hateful response to my initial query should not have been allowed either -- yet it was and I'm not permitted to respond to it. There's a fly in the FML ointment and it bothers me that it's not being appropriately addressed. Hateful people are being permitted to post personal attacks, but the targets of those attacks aren't allowed to respond. That's not right. So, to everyone except one or two people, thank you for your support over the years and good luck with your endeavors. Unless something truly remarkable happens I'll be canceling my subscription in a couple of days (more or less to see if Listmaster Bill allows this to be posted). I'm hoping to find a more fair-minded forum elsewhere, hopefully one with less hateful people and true equality amongst all of its members. If anyone has any suggestions to that effect, please email me. Thanks. With love, --Steve, Bubo and Pippin [Moderator's note: I'd feel quite sorry to see Steve leave. We did exchange a few quite civil e-mails over this and it's a shame we were unable to come to an acceptable agreement regarding these posts. BIG] [Posted in FML issue 4393]