[AT] On Topic: to be or not to be

[Greg Hass]

I have been a lurker on this list for many years. At one time, I made 
frequent posts, until I got caught up in that Walt thing. After many 
nasty remarks from him I quit posting for a year or so. After things 
calmed down I decided to try posting again. The very first post I sent 
Walt came down on me with both feet, including a nasty note sent 
directly to my E-mail. I again quit posting, as I don't need that kind 
of aggravation in my life. After a time Walt was kicked off this list, 
so I tried again. First post I got blasted off the earth by someone and 
two of his buddies  chimed in to say anyone who knows this guy knows he 
is usually right. I exited the list again and have been just a reader 
for several years.   About a month after I quit posting, I was thinking 
about it, and realized I had replied to a post from the Farmall   list, 
and that the bad reply came from one off their most respected members. 
The thing that burned me was this was his first reply to the list in 
almost two months. I have not replied to any list since, which has been 
several years.

  I have missed posting to the list, and have probably been upset with 
the wrong list; however Walt was on this list.  For the last quite a 
while, the list has been quite civil; however there was  a fairly long 
stretch when there were people who seemed to like to find something 
wrong with many people's replies and seemed happy to point out to them 
they were wrong. Myself, I don't really think there are any wrong 
replies, just different ways of doing things. I also like to think the 
people of this list are smart enough to know what will work for them and 
what won't. I also feel that people can decide for themselves what is 
safe and what isn't . I have always felt that I know a little about a 
lot of things but not a lot about any one thing. At this point I guess 
my question is, should I start posting again? I don't want to sound 
critical about this list, because it is the first thing I look at each 
day, however I would like to feel that if I do post again it would be 
taken at face value as just an opinion and not dissected to see if every 
word I said was correct or if statement I make is 100% correct. I hope 
I'm not sounding too fussy, but would like to be accepted as one of the 
gang such as Farmer was; boy, how I miss his posts. So what do you think 
gang; shall I rejoin the living or not?                                 
                                                                         
                                                                 Greg 
Hass, in the thumb of Michigan