I just feel the need to say, and speaking only for myself, that I would never consider posting any private mail for public view, PM or home-box, in entirety or excerpt, positive or negative, with name or in anonymity, without the express permission of the sender. For me to do so would violate my own personal ethics and, in my eyes, seriously damage the trust and integrity of this board.

Please note: not a petition, not a response, not a request...speaking only for me. I value my private correspondence, for both friendship and stress resolution, and don't want to feel that inhibited in any way...that's all.

Whit has made an important point here, by making his practice clear. Other recipients of PM's may have other views -- but in fairness to the sender of a PM, the sender ought to be able to know clearly what he/she can expect from the recipient.

I believe I have already specified my views as recipient, and as I recall wwh and dr. bill have also done so.

Sorry ; "faldage" and dr. bill -- who would never be mistaken for each other!

The only kind of PM I would make public would be ones intended to hurt. I do not believe poison penmen are entitled to hide nastiness by using PM. I haven't received any such messages, but it is clear that other members have been genuinely pained by them. I am far from perfect. I have made posts I now regret.
But I have never wanted to hurt anyone. "Primum non nocere" should be our motto.

Although I had sworn off publishing on AWAD, I have decided to return, but to do so only as an outsider, not permitting myself to become vulnerable to harm again. I feel that I live in a "funhouse," filled with crooked mirrors that distort reality so that I cannot tell who anyone really is, to say nothing of who I myself am. Seeming friends have abandoned me, others whom I had not cared for have extended aid, so how does one dare trust one's own judgement? I am here again to enjoy words and wit, and nothing more. I shall not read any PMs, thus eliminating any problems. I shall do my utmost to check my feelings at the door and enjoy all of you again, but without succumbing to the temptation of wanting to know any one of you beyond a name on a screen.

Geoff

I would never consider posting any private mail for public view, PM or home-box, in entirety or excerpt, positive or negative, with name or in anonymity, without the express permission of the sender.

The operative phrase, to me, is without the express permission of the sender.

I agree whole heartedly with that ... now for the caveat ... I do know, however, that the recipient of a letter owns the letter and may publish it abroad as they like ... but it is not something I would do without permission of the sender. If I am wrong here about who owns a missive I hope one of the legal eagles aBord will correct me. And although I write "letter" I mean correspondence of all types, PMs, Emails, etcetera, et.al. and that ilk!
My Dad, a newspaperman for over 50 years, told me when I wrote my first letters (way back in the 1930s My Gawd but I'm gettin' old!)
"Never write anything you don't want to see on the front page of The New York Times."
Advice that stood me in good stead when I was a teenager writing to my "boyfriend."

Happy birthday to me. Happy Birthday to me. Happy Birthday, Happy Bithday, Happy Birthday to me! (unabashed solicitation for felicitations anytime as the celebration continues for the rest of the month!)

Later Edit This is meant as a general statement of *my feelings and no criticism of anyone is implied or should be inferred, *Please!* (hopping off with foot in mouth..again!)

Dear Geoff: Glad to see you posting again. I have always enjoyed your posts, and hope to see more of them.

Dear wow: many happy returns. When I was small I used to get my ear pulled once for each year, plus one to grow on. I would not dare pull your ear.

Good Grief, Geoff's back.

Great!!!

an open letter on being a good neighbor:
http://www.openletters.net/000904/wagner000906.html

an interview [crossthread alert; doping]:
http://www.openletters.net/000626/wagner000630.html

a nother open letter, to Martha Stewart:
http://www.bigdumptruck.com/letters/1.htm

i was going to respond as PM-- where i could say in big letters-- this is tongue in cheek
re:, others whom I had not cared for have extended aid --What! you don't like me?
well i hope you do now! i am glad you're back.. and that Wordwind is back and any one else who has slipped away..

What she said. Precisely.

tsuwm, I'm trying to connect the three letters via their content, and I'm getting close...

The first letter ends *appropriately with "... a breeze had knocked it down".

Geoff - Good to see you back in the neighborhood!

I am here again to enjoy words and wit, and nothing more. I shall not read any PMs, thus eliminating any problems.

Well, Geoff... then I shall have to WELCOME you in public! I've not encountered you before (I'm a newbie) and don't care to get into the nitty-gritty of what has already passed, but I'm very pleased that you've decided to join in again.

Hev

"no longer a stranger..."