StephenM wrote:
Some might consider it breach of etiquette to critique one's neighbors.
And some seem to believe that freedom of expression applies only to
themselves.

I did not mean to imply that. (sigh.... I was trying to gentle)

I would rather see that expression take the form of constructive dialogue.

IMO, Rob's statement was not constructive.

Rob is a **** stirrer, no question about it - but it's worth noticing
that he seems to expect us to live up to our own highest standards, and
he's inclined to wax impatient when he perceives that we've forgotten
what those are, or when he thinks we've become too lazy or too "busy" to
do more than pay lip service to our principles.

I've found that even when I don't agree with what he says, it's worth at
least asking: "What would lead him to say /that/?"

I suspect that "constructive" is a fairly subjective catagorization, and
that a gentle general discussion is an iffy proposition in a large forum
with a multitude of (sometimes very strong) opinions and very different
life experiences. If I had to choose one over the other, I think I'd go
with constructive.

FWIW, I think robatoy /was/ trying to be constructive, but if you see it
differently why not ask him (directly) where he's coming from? You might
also find it interesting to ask to what extent he considers himself a
stakeholder in the conduct of US politics...

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto Solar
DeSoto, Iowa USA
http://www.iedu.com/DeSoto/