[Harp-L] Knowing Before Speaking; Was Swan Song

[Aeskow@xxxxxxx]

--that's unfortunate.  i confess that somehow i've missed all
of this intrigue.  but i think that banning people from lists
is a sad thing, since it implies that we've all somehow failed
to make this work.  i don't know the history, or the reasons,
but when we get to the point of shutting people out, we are
all diminished.  a shame.


----
Garry Hodgson, Technical Consultant, AT&T Labs

Be happy for this moment.
This moment is your life.


You know what's an intriguing new idea going around?
Knowing what you talk about--get this part--BEFORE you talk.
Pretty radical, but you might consider trying it if you ever get a free 
"moment."
After explaining to us, in a soothing monotone, that you know absolutely 
nothing about the subject, you clear your throat and begin to lecture on it.

In a strange way, I admire the raw nerve of it, but the reason it's 
especially dumb in this situation is that it assumes the word of a liar to be fact.  
Which, again, would be a same-old same-old thing-- except that it's a profound 
insult to the people who run this list.  Come down from the ivory towers of 
AT&T and find out what's true and what's pure fiction.  The fact is that the 
people who run this list donate much more than endless hours of work--they also do 
a huge amount of self-questioning and soul-searching before giving even the 
creepiest of Harp-L'ers the mildest of sanctions.  Of COURSE banning people 
from lists is a sad thing.  And maybe it does imply that "we've all somehow 
failed to make this work."  If so, may I ask how much work you did to "make it 
work?"  OK.  Then why assume that these other people--the ones who actually DO 
struggle to make it work--can't always make this list, or this life, perfect for 
you?  It's also "a sad thing," I guess, that we need prisons--I mean, like, 
they SEPARATE people.   But I don't think you'd enjoy yourself so much in a 
world without them.

And believe me, contrary to what you may have read under the ever-changing ID 
names--and, possibly, ever-changing identities--of the same damn guy, the 
list supervisors he so blatantly lies about did everything humanly possible to 
keep the list open to everyone--myself included.  You owe them a huge debt of 
gratitude for being able to pick up on the generous wisdom of the very talented 
players, writers, harp-builders, newbies and everyone else who, in a way, 
"live" part-time in a kind of "virtual town" called Harp-L.  Not the casual 
disdain of a guy on the sidelines.

Peace and Respect, and Proud to be on "The Enemies' List,"
Johnny T