Well, Rog, I guess I just don't get it. Seems to me the Mudcat was doing fine before you ran off, survived your departure, and is doing fine since you have come back. Don't take me wrong. I am glad you are back, because you are a valuable contributor. But the Mudcat survives just fine with or without you or me or anyone except Max. Now if I can just figure out what you are saying here, I will be fine.

I am trying to understand. Please believe that. But I am compelled to ask a question. Why is there a need for you, or anyone, to say that just because the participants in a debate, for the most part, felt that an intense debate on a sensitive issue (that has spawned several genre's of music) felt that it was valuable and went well but in your opinion that was not a fact. I believe that you said, "saying it doesn't make it so". Well, for the most part the players felt it was so, and quite frankly I tire of the constant attempt to change that. I would reiterate. If you are not comfortable with the topic, stay out. I don't blame folks that do this. In fact I applaud them. I think Bert's response was the exact correct one. He didn't feel comfortable so he went to "another room".

As for your "crying" over the post of the horrible scenes of the conflict, I understand. I have seen these scenes in other venues. But I need you take take off your "feeling" cap and put on your "intellectual" cap for a minute. You have debated with the best of them in some earlier threads. I have seen it, and been very impressed by it. I know that you know what demagogery is. It is easy to come up with stories of experiences to make any point. But we were faced with a person who sought to put forth the view that we were all out of line for discussing an issue because we had no way of relating to because we hadn't experienced it. She sought to make this point because she had seen this horror. She made no cogent arguments in support of anything that we were debating. Just a "shame on us" for even talking of this thing. I never sought to insult her, rather point out that this wasn't germane to the discussion at hand. The only point made by her post was something that all sides were in agreement on. We all agreed that there were horror stories, but the point is?????

I will restate it again. The events that spawn the feelings, and hence the music are fair game here. If a thread makes you uncomfortable, you are doing the right thing by moving on. But if you engage in the discussion, then your views are open for rebuttal, at times fierce rebuttal. If your response to that is to run off, we will miss you. But this community will survive just fine thank you. It is much bigger than any of us.

Now send the damn checks. Max, I will send another in a few weeks. That is a tangible way to express ones concern for the future of our village.

Big Mick