Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2004 00:22:18 -0400
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
From: Elspeth Kovar <ekovar at worldnet.att.net>
Subject: [WSFA] National politics on this list
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

Stop.

All of you.  Now.

There are plenty of places online for people to talk politics if they want
to -- and plenty more where people talking about politics have poisoned the
place.  The 2000 election resulted in a significant increase in such and I
don't see it getting better anytime soon no matter who wins this year.

Unfortunately, in these days there are very few groups or places where
everyone who has access can manage to discuss divergent political
viewpoints openly, reasonably, with education, wisdom, and civility.  The
WSFA list isn't one and isn't likely to become one.  There were useful
things that could have been said to heal a breech but anything said now
will only add to it: in less than a handful of messages things have been
taken past that point.

So unless folks want to start fights, create bad feelings that are going to
last far after all of this is over, cause damage that can't be repaired,
and not convince anyone of their views anyway I strongly suggest that
everyone think long and hard before writing anything more, on or off the
list.  And "anything" involves reasons, justifications, arguments, or
anything else for what has been said or for continuing.

Elspeth