Thanks all, public and private. In a way, though, perhaps I am also getting at something more than just the preposition thing, though my argument was mainly linguistical. My reply to Shoshannah:
Thanks for sparing us a long screed – by reducing it to just personal bitching, I suspect you kept the main points of your argument.
What interests me about many of your posts is your readiness to leap to assumptions. You are actually unlikely to find many people in this world who care more passionately about rules than do I – but I prefer rules that are negotiated openly between rational human beings, not handed down as second- or third-hand mantra. I have a pretty good ‘grip’, and a key part of that is keeping in mind the thoughts of Cromwell, beseeching another group of ‘educated, intuitive and intelligent’ people to just consider the possibility that they are wrong. Maintaining that core of humility underpins rationality. I believe your approach is fundamentally irrational, which is why I find your spoutings so disagreeable.
I cannot know your circumstances, as you cannot know mine, which is why I gave my use of ‘real life’ a heavy dose of irony by use of SelloType™. But your arrogant assumption that people being killed (for reasons that I would suggest have a lot to do with just such a failure to negotiate as described) around you gives you some sort of special insight into “TRUTH” is deeply sad. From such closed minds, blood flows as it has throughout mankind’s history.
