Chuck,


Karen has done a good job of getting under your skin, and you have been
just
as good at attacking her and trying to get under her skin. Your "shred
of
civility" in your discussions with Karen might show a touch more tact
than
Karen, but not much.


I have found that anyone who posts controversial OT threads just so
they can
use these "cut and paste" articles as a vehicle to make personal
attacks
suffer from some serious issues. Do you disagree?


*******

Karen seldom comments on OT threads. She gets angry when people discuss
boats and boating. Notice that she keeps her comments on the techinical
issues as short as possible, dismisses anybody with whom she disagrees
with a nasty insult, and then uses her presence in the thread to write
6-10 paragraphs about the poster she's truly obsessed with.

I agree that people initiating OT threads solely for the purpose of
starting
a fight, rather than fostering discussion, are suffering from some
problems as well.

Some of the previously chief offenders in the insult and uproar
category seem to have toned it down a bit, lately. No point to name
names, folks who have observed the same thing I have observed will have
a good idea what person or persons that comment refers to.

The worst current problem in the NG seems to be that as soon as one
particular party comments on an on-topic subject, a group of
non-boaters (and or boaters who aren't here to ever discuss boating, at
all) hijack the thread and begin posting forged messages, (applauded
and encouraged by KSmith), writing long, vicious attack posts, and
effectively ruining the discussion for anybody who doesn't want to sort
through the
exchanges between Harry and his obsessed nemesi for 6-8 posts before
finding maybe one or two more actual comments on the subject at hand.

If a person cuts and pastes an anti-war, anti-Bush, or pro-war,
pro-Bush whatever item into the NG, he or she deserves whatever crap
results in the thread.

It's regrettable that petty personal arguments, bickering, and feuds
invade every single thread on any subject these days. The
schidt-flinging, non-boating, troublemakers should have the decency not
to screw up the on topic discussions with unprovoked personal attacks
on the participants. My two cents worth, here- you can have the soap
box back now.