[AT] Back
David A. Laughead Jr.
daljr at bright.net
Wed Nov 10 09:39:51 PST 2004
Glad to see you back Farmer!!
Now you can help me to setup and use the new Hobart Stick Welder I just
bought for tractor repairs!
I couldn't resist it was on sale for $199.95 at TSC. With 235 amps it outta
weld anything I need it to do.
;)
Dave Laughead
Arcanum, Ohio
----- Original Message -----
From: Robinson <robinson at svs.net>
To: Antique tractor email discussion group <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 2004 9:59 AM
Subject: [AT] Back
> I want to make this statement with a warning then I am ready
> to drop it. It is the end of my part of political discussion and it
applies
> to supporters of BOTH political parties.
> OK, I walked away and figured I would take a few days to cool
> down. Guess what, I haven't cooled down. The more I think about it the
> angrier I get. I don't know what has been said since I left as I signed
off
> right away. Spencer did cc his list message to me. Spencer is a nicer guy
> than I am. When you do things that are that much of a slap in the face to
> him as some of the spiteful crap that a few guys sneak in on this list he
> mostly just suffers in silence. He puts a LOT of work and money into
> maintaining this list and yet "some" of you repay him by "intentionally
and
> knowingly" breaking the few rules he laid down. What is the point??? This
> party politics crap is just the most obvious part of it. What is the
> point??? Do you really honestly think that by posting your politics that
> you are going to convert somebody? No way in hell. What is the point??? Do
> you honestly think that you are contributing something of value to the
list
> that the majority of the list wants to see? Surely you can't think that.
> What is the point??? Like I said Spencer is a nicer guy than I am. I own
> 12 public list totaling around 2,000 members and I can tell you without
> hesitation that members on my lists that intentionally post stuff
> specifically forbidden (almost always politics) very suddenly find that
> they are no longer members. There is a lot more work to maintaining a busy
> list than most might think and the right of "free speech no matter what",
> does not apply to a list that I operate and work on everyday. The majority
> of list members appreciate a "clean running" list. I never, however;
> challenge a discussion that is just off topic, even way off. This list has
> gone down in membership because of the reasons Spencer outlined. Last I
> looked it was down to about 200. Much less than half of what it once was.
> One of my simple little list will soon be three times larger than this
one.
> I absolutely do not tolerate party politics or any kind of bigotry on my
> lists and their membership just keeps growing. Most thinking people don't
> want it.
> I have decided that I am going to come back on the list. I
> have almost a decade here and I have decided in my angry stubbornness that
> I am not going to be crowded out. I am though going to have a new mantra -
> "on the ATIS antique tractor list we don't do politics". A couple of you
> might say that this isn't my list and you are right. It is Spencer's list
> and he can even remove me if he chooses. It is however my list too just
> like it is your list but it is also the list of all of the other members
as
> well. Like I said I have almost a decade invested in making a lot of good
> friends (and a couple of enemies) on this list. I may start making a few
> more enemies because as a concerned long time member if "any" of you keep
> posting party politics don't expect to sneak it in. Expect to find me "in
> your face" and calling you to task openly demanding to know what silly
> pompous brain fart made you think we (the rest of us) want to see it.
> Spencer got so disgusted not long ago that he even threatened to pull the
> plug if you recall. Didn't soak in at all did it. The same will apply at
> Portland. Yes, you have the right to free speech but I have the right to
> most loudly and uncivilly declare that I want no part of it from either
> side and I am going to start doing so. I had almost decided to just forget
> about Portland but I do plan to be there and in full stubborn mode. If
> anyone starts spouting their party politics in my face I may just become
> very unpleasant to be around. I do not need your leadership in political
> decisions whether I agree with you or not. I personally read, listen and
> otherwise study and make a carefully analyzed decision on my vote. I, and
> most others do not appreciate the open implication that if we disagree
with
> your narrow position even a tiny bit then we must be complete fools. Most
> of you that think I need your advice would vote for Godzilla if he ran on
> your party's ticket. I don't call that thinking.
> The number of nice emails I received surprised me. Several
> indicated that they were on the verge of leaving the list because of this
> crap. Several have asked me to start an antique tractor list. I don't want
> to do that. It would be a simple thing to do but it would never be ATIS.
> There is no reason that we (the majority of list members, not necessarily
> always the most vocal) can't take hold of this list and turn it around by
> refusing to tolerate offenses as a group instead of just waiting for
> Spencer to just handle it for us. We can also help it by not jumping on
the
> "me too" band wagon just because someone said something political that we
> agree with when we know deep inside that it just doesn't belong here. I
was
> talking to a list member at a show this summer and he said "you know
> _________ is generally OK but gosh I wish he would drop the politics.
> I have no intention of letting the few political zealots take
> over this list and ruin it to the point that the plug gets pulled because
> of them and thus depriving me of the many good friends I have made here.
If
> that means that I have to become the unofficial list bully so be it. Be
> warned.If you don't like it get over it. This list is too important to too
> many of us to let the lack of self control of a few destroy it for
everybody.
> I meant what I said when I said that several of you owed
> Spencer an apology. I hope that he received some.
> You have "my" apology Spencer if this is too far over the
line.
> BTW Spencer, Thanks.
>
> OK, I'm done. Is anybody doing anything tractor-wise?
>
>
>
>
> "farmer"
>
> I am the list owner of the following public email lists:
> Allis_Chalmers
> Budget_muzzleloading
> Cheap-Shelters
> Cheapcomputer
> Cheapcritters
> CheapPower
> FrugalFunWoodworking
> FrugalRuralLiving
> NoNonsenseHorse
> Smallfarmshop
> truck-blab
>
> Some are pretty quiet, some are very busy. Member counts range from 32 to
570.
> All are on Yahoo Groups and can be found with a search at:
> <http://groups.yahoo.com>
>
> Also a newly created one called "100 Acre Farming" targeting folks who
> operate farms from about 75 acres to 150 acres. Those are not iron clad
> numbers. Midwestern farms in this class require a full line of farm
> equipment unlike much smaller farms but have only a little in common with
> the much larger farms common today.
>
>
> Francis Robinson
> Central Indiana, USA
> robinson at svs.net
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> AT mailing list
> http://www.antique-tractor.com/mailman/listinfo/at
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