Dearest Tweets,

Alright, it's time for me to wade in here and let you know how much I
appreciate each and every one of you firing off on this issue of the WORD.
(BTW, the Beatles said, "Say the WORD....LOVE.") I can't help it--that's
what pops in here. And somehow it's specifically germaine.

My first response was simple delight that I could get so much stimulating
entertainment while monitoring such a lively discussion, nay, fractious
debate. I want you all to know, on both (many?) sides of this "fuck" deal,
that I have been chuckling, even guffawing, out loud. I'm cheering some,
feeling empathetic for others. I confess that the original post from
Wallis Bolz gave me a quick hick-up and I believe I sensed a collective
listprocessor-wide convulsion. I thought, "Watch the fur (feathers?) fly
on this one!" And of course I haven't been disappointed.

While I'm not compelled to detail my conviction that these issues of
censorship, free distribution of info on birding (or whatever), and
personal ego fragility are always inextricably linked, I WILL take a
simple and uncomplicated stand for the right of anyone to express
themselves in their own unique way without insisting that they watch
their tongue or be banished from the medium. To suggest that there is or
should be some collective standard of propriety on something as inherently
fluid as a listprocessor is sadly delusional. And it strikes me as being
just damn silly that everybody's skin is so thin. This latest wrinkle
about Cozens packing up the Seattle RBA reminds me of the rich kids I
sometimes found myself playing with as a boy--how they'd take their toys
and split when they didn't get their way. I suppose that's a personal hit
if your skin is permeable. Did I get it right that someone else is
bootlegging it onto Tweets anyway? Is this what someone meant by "flipping
the finger?" Right on! Somehow it's all too much, almost intoxicating.
Thank God there's still the dependable Cowbird thread, the Tri-colored
Blackbirds, and the occasional Pseudoscorpion to keep me sober. And I bet
the Sullivans are gumshoeing some obscure corner of the state and we'll
hear about here in a couple of days.

I just want you to know I'm here for it all. And if I lose interest
there's always DELETE. All I've got is my personal perspective and I notice
that the folks who consistently have the sharpest info and insights re:
birding and related ecopolitical issues, potential sites, etc. that I
consider valuable resources for my fledging birding avocation, are the
same folks that can step in and out of the fray in this language debate.

All I can say is, "Hey, everybody! Stick around! If it's too disconcerting
take a deep breath, grab your bins and look to the skys. But be sure to
get back here and let me know what you're seeing up there."

Fondly,

Joe Mackie
Bellingham
jmackie at cc.wwu.edu