[meteorite-list] Taking Offence - A Repost

From: bernd.pauli_at_paulinet.de <bernd.pauli_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Sun Jun 13 17:26:44 2004
Message-ID: <DIIE.00000020000022F3_at_paulinet.de>

Hello Gregory and List,

I've been sitting here at my computer for quite some time now,
brooding, considering, reconsidering, and feeling very uneasy
after re-reading this post many times:

I once wrote:

" ... , I am taking offense to your harmful comments
and the way you twist other list members' comments."

Gregory then responded:

"And Bernd is about as nonpartisan and imperturbable a member as the list has.
 Isn't there a "line" of common decency SOMEWHERE, past which a member
deliberately forfeits his own "good standing"? Sadly, it seems not to be the
case. Thanks for the post, Bernd - I'm sure everyone else feels the same
way too, but there seems to be a curious reluctance to publicly express it.

Well, it is easy to go off but hard to clean up the mess. Were there reasons
why I exploded? Yes, there were! Is it a justification to go off on someone
like I did? No!

I was neither "nonpartisan" nor "imperturbable" a few days ago and I blundered
when - though by mistake - I sent Gregory's private comment and my response
to it to the list.

When I told my Pauline (my wife :-) that Gregory wanted an apology, she said
without hesitating a second: " Whatever he did, you've made a mistake. Yes,
I think you should apologize!"

As you can all see it took some days to sink in but the message finally arrived
at the bottom. So, Gregory, please accept my sincere apologies for my having
gone over the line of "common decency".

The only one who dared at least "hint" at such an "uncalled for" reaction was
Dave Andrews, who wrote at the end of his mail "probably said too much
already". No, Dave, you didn't! Thank you!

I may be one of the major contributors to this List but this doesn't - and above all -
shouldn't give me the right to attack and flame list members in such an unqualified
manner.

Feeling much
better now,

Bernd
Received on Sun 13 Jun 2004 05:26:43 PM PDT