abusive e-mail from Litch

[R. Michael Litchfield]

> Gee, I've never been reprimanded by a sysop before... 

You should do it more often, good for the blood.

> Near as I can tell, I am faulted by several for posting "private" e-mail 
> to the list.

Not exactly. What you are being castigated for is your failure in curtesy. It
is the commonly accepted standard that prior to posting E-mail someone sent
to you privatly to ask thier permission or at the very absolute least, to
notify them that you are doing so.

> My view is that if you put words in writing and send them to someone, you have 
> no voice in what they do with those words.

That is hardly consistant with the general opinion of the people familier
with the net that the author has at least SOME interest in what is done
with thier words. The pre-eminant consideration (at least in my mind) is
context, if the reciever fails to include the whole of the message, or even
the preceding mesages in a long series of correspondances they can twist
the writers words into meanings utterly foriegn to the original intent.

> My purpose was simple.  The sort of effect such e-mail has on people is a 
> "chilling effect" on their participation.

A valid concern, one even worth addressing in a public forum. But email is
fast and asking permission takes little time. The sender may decline and you
may then begin to consider posting thier mail after you have informed them
that it is your intent to do so.

> I don't believe that there has been a "lynch mob" on this list.  Those who
> has suggested otherwise are asked to re-examine their remarks on how mild
> Litch's notes allegedly were.

To the best of my memory the mail I have sent, while more caustic than
I usually use or even more than was absoloutely called for was hardly of such
overwhelming evil as to merit the reaction I have recieved. It was, in my best
estimation, relatively minor. 

> I have a sincere desire to get along with the people on this list; including
> Mordraut, who is all but a brother to me, including Pug, even including Litch.
> But in my life I have had occasion to learn that "getting along with" is not
> synonymous with "passively accepting abuse from".

Who says you have to be passive in your acceptance. Learn to use a mail filter,
flame back, remove yourself from the mailing list, or take it public by 
following the accepted protocal. 

> I believe that my conduct has been appropriate for the circumstances.  For
> any inconvenience to anyone, and specifically to Mr. Litchfield, from the
> length of my lines of type, I apologize; I shall endeavor to do better.

You are still failing, but you are at least getting better.

> Viscount Galen of Bristol

-Michael