various goodbyes--another word from our sponsor

[Vaska Tumir]

Chris writes:

[snip]

>At any rate, I'm not intending to open this up for conjecture.  I prefer
>to keep the speculations, along with any further flaming, off-list.  OK? 

Not at all, Chris: after sending me a very bitter and self-righteously whiny
UNSOLICITED mesage to "leave [you] alone" [?] and then another one "to go
away," you have some cheek indeed to pose here *and* publicly as a mediator
and a voice of reason.  Please take a few deep breaths and do us all a
favour by stopping your various behind-the-scenes games and moves rampantly
hypocritical.  Acrimony, and I don't think this will be news to anyone, gets
out of hand when it is "managed" in such sneaky ways as you propose.  Maybe
THAT's one of the major reasons why there's so much tension and intolerance
around here -- and not just from time to time, but erupting consistently
like a dormant but still regularly active volcano.  Keeping things out in
the open might defuse the tendency of that "invisible" hostility to
accumulate and do its harm....  

Remove the screen afforded by the off-list attack mode, and who knows, it
may even allow us to know and understand one another better.  Or with fewer
illusions, at any rate. 

Vaska

P.S.  Nor is Chris the only person on this list who delights in what I
regret but do not apologize for calling semi-sicko off-list behaviour --
towards those whom they haven't met.  Is that the excuse, perhaps?  Wiser
heads than mine will no doubt come with the right answer....