One can practice free speech without being rude and offensive about it. According to my observations, it's the blatant rudeness that gets a post deleted, and sometimes gets the thread closed or removed.

Mudcat, especially in the BS threads, has become a much less attractive place these days--and the nastiness seems to be bleeding over into the music threads.

I know a few people, good folk musicians who have been around for awhile and have a lot of knowledge and experience to contribute, who no longer come around because the place has become too rude and hostile.

Don Firth