[Fot] previous message

[Michael Porter]

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....