🚀 go-pugleaf

Linda,

If this was intended as purely a lesson in what it feels to be attacked
unfairly ... it worked.  But was it justified?

What exactly are the publishing requirements for USENET?  Personally,
I am far more tolerent of typing/spelling/punctuation errors on replies
or quick comments than on original, allegedly well thought out posts.

That said I rarely engage in grammer flames, and when I do it is to
point out that perhaps the poster isn't quite as brillent and perfect
as sie is making hirself out to be.

The original post was made by somebody who was presenting herself as 
an academic and was asking us to make use of her book in our classroom.
If I were a professor and received it in the mail, it would have gone
into the garbage.  But this is USENET.  

I do think we ought to try for half-way decent grammer/spelling/punctuation
in our posts, esp. in a situation such as the original poster.  None-the-less
I don't care for grammer flames.  Had Mr. Maas' post been email instead...
Well I would have chosen different words.

The point of MY post was that this IS USENET and while I would object to
a.f.rush-limbaugh type flames in these groups, a relatively thick skin
should be cultivated here and your response was a bit strong. ( <sigh>
It was you who were accused of being hysterical wasn't it?)  And
I think it has been demonstrated that the comment about editors was 
off-base in more ways than one.

(long off-topic thought process about whether the problems faced by
Kurds/Arabs in Israel/Blacks in Rhodesia(sp?)/... would have been
recognized if certain members of those groups hadn't engaged in terrorism)

OYAH I think at least some of the response to you were a bit much as well,
I hate being in the middle.

Now, if the below quoted post was an honest attack on me...

mamacoon@ix.netcom.com(Linda Berris) writes:
>In <4pkf0q$lt0@corn.cso.niu.edu> system@niuhep.phys.niu.edu writes: 
>
>>Granting that "hysterical" has unpleasant connotations, I would
>>have to say that I took your reply as a bit ?overly-agitated?
>
>Oops...watch that punctuation, or your friend Steve will have to get
>rough with you...

Steve can kiss my *ss.  This is USENET, I am not presenting myself
as an academic, the purpose of the question marks is fairly clear.

>>"intolerant"?  Compared to alt.fan.rush-limbaugh this is a love-fest.
>
>Hmmm...a group with which you appear to be familiar.  

Obviously since I cited it.

>Why am I not surprised?

I am cut to the quick.  My argumentation was very low-key thus
you can not be "not surprised" because of that, thus you must think
I am a follower of the bloated one. (Generally I do not engage in such
personnal attacks, I prefer to attack his less than towering intellectual
arguments, but somehow it seemed appropriate here)

If you get it do a search on posts from morphis.

>>>attempt at subtle humiliation.  
>>
>>"subtle"?  You must have a different dictionary from mine.
>>Just a standard USENET cheap shot.  I will not 
>>debate what noble motives were behind it, not being a net.mind-reader.
>
>But you a certainly familiar with USENET cheap shots, as is evident
>from your post.

clearly as I was able to spot them, <sigh> I was going to get all noble and
argue that I personally did not make any cheap shots, but there in front
of me is one I aimed straight at Steve.

>>How long have you been hanging out on USENET? (not meant as an insult)
>
>Ah yes, you fellows never really MEAN to insult us, 

"'Why?' is a question, it doesn't mean I think you are wrong."

I was genuenely curious as to how long you had been on USENET, I wanted
to get a better gauge on your experience and your motivation for your
posts.  If you are a newbie then regardless of whether it changes your
opinion you need to be appraised of the realities of USENET so you can
make an informed choice about how to deal with various behaviours here.
If you are experienced, well then you have made a decision and if I had
time I might want to discuss that decision with you... believe it or not
I am concerned about abuse on (as well as "of") USENET.

>How ARE things in the old-boys-club these days, by the way?

<sigh> what response to make?  Ignore it? Ask "Have you stopped beating your
husband?"  ?  Suggest you go over to info.wisenet or misc.kids.breastfeeding
(or alt.fan.rush-limbaugh though I haven't made any posts really relavent to
this type of thing) and ask them whether they think I am a member of the
old-boys-club?  My home page doesn't help much (but if you care:
http://www.physics.niu.edu/~morphis)

>Linda Berris

good luck,
Robert