Musket, old bean, you just called Keith a fool.

of course there are racists and homophobes on mudcat and everywhere else. keith takes them too seriously. nothing he writes on mudcat is likely to convert them into nice people. plus -some racists and homophobes and serial murderers are nice people. jus they have this tendency to indulge in homphobic racist and homicidal behaviour.

i remember one time a guy called Divis, from northern Ireland claimed some sort of connection with people who had shot and murdered English soldiers in NI. and of course some yanks , who would have frothed at the mouth if you used the word nigger, thought shooting brits ...well bad form, but entirely understandable. racism is a funny thing.

Anyway Keith was going crazy at this guy for months - and finally he pissed off. and I kind of missed him. I remember Oliver who went under the name Ard Mcha reckoned Divis was a fantasist - and because of my rather scatty sense of humour that I was a bit anti irish.

so what I say is this - don't make a fuss if someone says something that repels you. you joined the internet to meet other people. have they all got to be mr.normal with 2,3 kids and a job and a wife and car. treasure the diversity of the people you meet on mudcat.