I guess I'm bothered by the whole idea of establishing a set of rules for the administration of Mudcat. It's the same legalistic philosophy that is pervasive in most the posts from Shambles. In general, we believe that the intelligence and good will of our participants will keep things pleasant and peaceful here. When things get out of hand, Max and Jeff and I use a variety of tactics to bring things under control, including the occasional use of volunteers Max has chosen because he thinks they are people with good judgment. We operate under the rules of common sense.

Some people don't believe in conmmon sense, and they believe that every act will go astray unless it is governed exactly and specifically by law. They believe that law is always superior to intellect and judgment. We've never operated that way here. I know it makes the legalists very uncomfortable, but that's the way we do things.

So, Mudcat is an experiment in operating things under the flexible principles of judgment, intelligence, trust, and good will. I suppose it would be nice to have an experiment in legalism, operating all things under the impartiality of law. But you really can't have both at the same site.

-Joe Offer-