Bill Babcock wrote:
>You're right--once a sailor always a sailor. I occasionally forget
>myself. Of course you can hear worse on the evening news, but that
>doesn't make it OK.
>
>
>
You know, when you let others control what you can say, you let them
control what you think (that's not my notion--it's embedded in
psychology and law and the earliest political documents of this
country). The _intent_ of Bud's complaint is to create self-censorship
in others, so that they will conform to _his_ notions of propriety.
M'self, I find that more offensive than the rawest of language. I wrote
him, privately, and said that he had no authority, moral or otherwise,
to be an arbiter of what others can or should say. And, he has no such
authority--except as ceded by others to him.
I still think that. He doesn't express that he's offended. He simply
declares that the speech is unacceptable.
So, Bud: who died and made you deputy plenipotentiary commissioner of
the thought police? And, like most incompetent authority, I would remind
you that the very first thing you did was to _blame the wrong person_.
Others may, for the sake of comity, yield to your complaints about
language. Be assured, however, that I won't be one of them. :)
Self-censorship is pernicious.
Cheers.
--
Michael D. Porter
Roswell, NM
Never let anyone drive you crazy when you know it's within walking distance....
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