Art, I'm truly surprised at your reaction to this thread. When I first joined Mudcat I was (like most I gather) a little timid at posting anything outside the realm of guitar chords or what kind of mandolin to buy. It was reading YOUR postings that convinced me that a little ascerbic humour would not be immediate grounds for expulsion.
This thread has followed a pretty predictable line for any non-musical-somewhat controversial Mudcat discussion. It's been funny, educational, passionate, edgy, and in general all the things that make the "music only" folks throw out an insult or two and then run for the hills. Among all our community you are the absolute last person I would have expected to use the term "this quite useless thread". My first introduction to the "non record making Art" was the infamous "Condom thread", and in this one here you've made reference to "screwing" and "Dahmer!" Something doesn't add up.
Many folks here have gotten some of their personal styles tweaked, (and sometimes in a pretty heavy-handed way)but they usually bounce back with a better argument, and so it goes until everyone loses interest and goes on to some "Is Dylan folk?" thread. You imply that the "thread shouldn't even have been started", and that just seems so inconsistant with what I've read in so many of your postings.
When you say "her religion bugs the hell out of me", but that they're nice people "when they're not talking religion", who would disagree? The problem for some obviously is that when people come to the door (repeatedly) and ONLY talk religion, who sees the "nice?" I guess like you, "it bugs the hell out of them" and they react.
Art, I've grown to have a tremendous amount of respect for you (and your tongue-in-cheek approach to the things we have little control over)and I'm well aware of the high esteem you've earned from the Mudcat, so questioning your reaction to this thread is a might scary.(makes me feel like a new-comer again) Even while thinking about this I've noticed folks have jumped in saying "sorry Art", and it's sorely tempting to just "erase and forget it". However, one of the things I've learned here is "think it over, and if it's what you really feel - say it." If ever I've met a community that can deal with a "live and let live" philosophy, it's this one - and that includes the posters in this thread. Strikes me they were only asking the same courtesy from their visitors.

If you're still talking to me, lemme tell you about the great "postal Massacree" of Kingston Road. Our "mailing problem" seems to have begun and ended with the little red mail box immediately in front of our house. Now any intelligent person would take the time to go to the post office 2 miles away and let them affix their Govt. approved stamps to packages and then send them. Not us. Much easier to put on (what we thought was proper) postage stamps and walk ten feet. I won't go into details (too boring) but I may have blown a couple of festivals this summer, as well as having stuff not get to you and a couple of others. It's infuriating, and I have to go to the central office in a few days, where , if I'm lucky, they may find the missing packages (about eight in all) if I'm lucky. You'll get your album. I just may not be alive by the time it happens>
Rick