On Thu, 26 Oct 1995, Irene Wanner wrote:

> Is there another list where those of you who want to debate intelligence,
> education and politics could do so?

The only replies to Irene's question (so far) have been unsupportive.
However, I strongly agree with the view implied by her question.

Yes, there are other lists and newsgroups that would be better suited
to these discussions. There are thousands and thousands of mailing
lists and newsgroups, each devoted to a particular topic.

The topic on Tweeters is birding. Just because a few people think
these social and political debates belong on Tweeters doesn't mean
they do.

Then, on Thu, 26 Oct 1995, Steven Coles wrote:

> I've seen a number of communication channels (clubs, magazines) destroyed
> or nearly so by participants claiming their special aspect of the subject
> is the only legitimate topic within the wider subject. At it's best,
> inclusive (diverse) discussions help broaden us all.

Irene did not suggest narrowing the discussion to some special aspect
of the wider subject. She did not, for example, suggest that Tweeters
should be only about bird photography, or bird migration, or brood
parasitism, or speciation in South American piculets.

I agree that diverse discussions help broaden us all. That's why
there are all those thousands of other mailing lists and newsgroups.

I respect Irene's courage in raising this issue, especially on
Tweeters, where the (apparently) accepted topic has strayed so far,
and where a few outspoken participants are so vehemently opposed to
the idea that the topic should be limited to birding.

Randy Deardorff
curlew at eskimo.com
Seattle, Washington USA