i've followed this thread with interest, i started it after all. just to be more precise:

as an "audience": i'm the guy at your realtime gigs, i don't play, i listen, enjoy, applaude, sing along.

as to "get to know us": been here 16 months, i know you.

Mudcat is no better/worse than any other place in this interesting world, a moderately large sack of shit with gems of various sizes scattered throughout. whether i would be one of the turds or one of the gems will remain an unanswered question. Sturgeon's Law applies to everything.

the responses have simply confirmed what i've come to know about this place, and frankly, the crap to gold ratio is too far to the side of crap, sorry. this is a situation ALL of us have created.

i've seen thread after thread about rudeness, malice and so on. did you ever wonder about YOUR part in this? if you do not speak on what you know to be wrong, if you do not act to restore balance, YOU ARE TO BLAME, too.

to those of you who listened, answered mildly, even apologized... thank you. it reminds me of the gems hidden by the nonsense. please keep faith with that, and with yourselves. remember always that sanity and right are not statistical.

as to the rest of you... one of you said "love it or leave it"...

the correct position is "love it and nuture it"

but to those who feel they're right in their malice, who feel so sure that because they are part of a majority...

listen, thou, for i speak sooth... there is nothing that can be done or said to you that is WORSE than the lives you lead, you are better off dead, so you are allowed to live out the lives of punishment you've made for yourselves.

shine on, gemstones, peace upon thee and those you love

for myself, i've chosen "leave it"