Dearest Tweetsters,

It is with no little chagrin that I discovered that Don has been banished
from this remarkable resource. He's been in my top five since day one.
Actually, my heart dropped a bit. You see, I had grown accustomed to
checking the digest at least once a day (BTW, what is going on with Siler's
site?). Like many, my routine is to scroll by author and topic. The only
time I passed on a Baccus post was when he got into an extended,
interminable rant on some ethical/philosophical issue. Although I found that
I was almost always in agreement with his positions, I simply didn't have
the time to take it all in. In virtually all cases, the intensity, passion,
and accuracy of his perspectives have been an inspiration to me. I deeply
appreciate the way he is able to combine passionate ethics with scientific
reasoning. Needless to say, it has been these qualities that are apparently
so intimidating to some. Sometimes I've wished he'd lighten up, but then
that would have been asking him to be someone else. I've always thought of
Don as a point man, a warrior in a phalanx to protect and enhance what is in
fact a sacred inheritance that we all share--nature's creation, which is for
me the most compelling evidence of the Divine that I can find. So though
I've never actually met the man, I feel a bit of debt to him.

So, count me among those who would encourage Dan to reconsider (if Don's
interested in reinstatement). He has shown quite a capacity for tolerance in
the past. I hope that my own tolerance levels have been elevated by reading
the great diversity of views expounded here. Ironically, my formerly rigid
and entrenched opinions, while still strongly held, seem less precious that
they once were, thanks in part to exposure to all the ideas seen here.
Actually, I'm a bit surprised to find small currents of compassion moving
through me for those who have felt so attacked by Don's "take no prisoners"
style. Seems to me folks could lighten up at both ends, try to be a little
less thin-skinned. After all, this is just email, fer chrissakes. While
increased tolerance is important to me, I realize there is no point in
insisting that others share that value, least of all Don, or Dan.

Meantime, fall raptor migration is coming in the Cascades. Eyes to the
skies!

Joe Mackie
jmackie at cc.wwu.edu
Bellingham