Greetings fellow bird lovers,

Forgive me for being presumptuous, but is Michael Muller a combination of
Michael Waller and Martin Muller (or have I missed a new tweeters member)? I
for one am flattered, hope Michael isn't too upset ;)

I certainly share Michaels sentiment about the tone of some of the postings
re: millennium celebrations. I too have had the pleasure of working with
Seattle City Councilwoman Sue Donaldson and found it hard to believe she
would have called something "ridiculous" without getting the facts first.
Like Michael my sensitivity to less-than-accurate quotations in newspaper
articles has been heightened after the recent Wall Street Journal debacle.

This makes me all the more impressed when faced with reporters who do try to
get their facts right (recent examples: Jane Hadley and George Foster, both
of the Seattle PI). George even contacted me to ask for permission to quote
my tweeters posting, prior to sending it to his editor. A much appreciated
courtesy.

After reading the postings to tweeters containing the quotes by Sue
Donaldson, I sent her a copy of my original tweeters posting, discussing the
long-term study of bird kills at a TV tower in Florida (posted on May 20, I
believe), after allowing that her remark might have been quoted out of
context. After reading Michael Waller's report, I am so glad I didn't jump
all over Ms. Donaldson for something she didn't say.

The art of doing background research before drawing conclusions. So
difficult when the subject matter at hand is dear to ones heart.

Martin Muller, Seattle
MartinMuller at email.msn.com