Borasky, Rumson, and list etiquette

As will be abundantly clear, I was really upset about the circumstances
behind losing Gordon Rumson from the tuning list. I'm not sorry for
anything I said (though I _would_ wish I'd proofread better so that the
post had a full complement of prepositions!), but after further
reflection I do want to add some thoughts.

I don't want to start a long-term feud with Ed. He and I both have
strong feelings about public schools, which we can either debate or not
debate in, say, tuning-challenges (a list "challenged" because the guy
it was formed for hasn't shown up!).

I can, however, imagine my own "hot button" being pushed if someone on
the tuning list had a signature tag reading, "People who claim to value
personal liberty actually want to destroy everything of value in the
world." And, since it _is_ the TUNING list, it is fair to request that
any such extraneous hot-button tags be omitted.

But such a request might best come in other ways than a public
thrashing. The first avenue might be to write the person off-list:
"Hi. I'm on the tuning list. I've enjoyed the substance of your posts
there, but your signature tag distresses and distracts me. I respect
your sincerely held positions on matters outside the subjects of the
list, but would you please consider omitting them from your posts to
the list? Thanks!"

If that fails, one could post to the list, "May I request that signature
tags of a political nature be omitted from posts?"

(In deference to Ed's very clear wish in that regard, I will do my best
not to include them as I did in protest this morning).

JdL