The Mailbox

I thought I'd share some of my e-mail with you.

How nice that nobody has had any argument or criticism of my opinions and ideas! Not a single one. This is really quite amazing.

There were, however, some doozies of ad hominem attacks.

There was the accusation that I am not really a human being (I'm a fictional character), have no heart, no brain and very little education. And there was that rather ungentlemanly remark, possibly comparing me to a farm animal. I was told I'm "rude" and "harrassing" someone who is only trying to help our neighborhood.

But still, no one found fault with my reasoning. They merely shifted the discussion to my scurrilous nature. (That's a poor argument. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.)

I can assure you all that I am medically homo sapiens, including all the usual internal organs. My educational level is about average compared to my correspondents.

It was argued that I should not publish independently, and particularly under a nom de plume, a device that has been used widely throughout literary and political history, going back to the Bible. For example (not that I dare compare myself with any of these luminaries) there are George Sand, O'Henry, Mark Twain, Lewis Carroll, Lemony Snicket and the incomparable Alan Smithee. The best selling Primary Colors was published by "Anonymous" a few years ago. Unsigned writing by political dissidents and plain old gossips has been a tradition from Addison and Steele to Cholly Knickerbocker. There are numerous good (and bad) reasons for concealing one's identity.

I had no idea when I started this blog as a temporary lark that it would turn out that attempted bullying and venom from the president of the neighborhood association would give me serious pause about revealing myself, which I had fully intended to do after a few posts.

This MPCA leader says, (emphasis mine): "I personally think the idea of a blog is wonderful idea for the neighborhood, but only if it is managed in an open an honest manner, where the manager of the blog is known and accountable to the Board and where all comments are clearly associated with their author and, as a consequence, the authors are accountable for what they have to say. I have received a number of communications from other MPCA members expressing this same view (and, in particular, a sense of concern about anonymous postings for which no identifiable person is responsible). Sunlight is a remarkably good disinfectant and people who are standing out in the open for all to see tend to act more responsibly than those hiding behind masks."

This is really interesting thinking. Apparently he believes MPCA members should submit all material to the Board for approval prior to publication. I guess that would include a letter to the editor of the newspaper or a flyer for a lost dog. "Accountable" (repeated twice) has a rather chilling ring to it. It refers to myself and the comment of others. What is truly ironic is the "sunshine as disinfectant" reference, which originally came from Chief Justice Louis Brandeis, in championing the rights of ordinary citizens to keep officials and governing bodies honest by having them operate in the open. Brandeis' legendary judicial rulings were the foundation of our "open government" laws and the Freedom of Information Act. He would no doubt be mortified to learn that his remarks were being twisted to suggest that a private citizen heel to the demands for approval of an elected board, even though it is a quasi-official, all volunteer and voluntary membership outfit.

(What Brandeis really said was "Publicity is justly commended as a remedy for social and industrial diseases. Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants; electric light the most efficient policeman.")

As to whether "a number of MPCA members" have said negative things about this site, that is another distraction, known as the "Bandwagon Fallacy." (If a belief is popular, then it must be true.) And who are these unnamed members? Why aren't they out in the sunlight? I guess when the Anonymous Shoe is on the Other Foot, it's a different story.

The lecture continues: "The MPCA is a private, not for profit, corporate entity, is governed by its articles of incorporation and its bylaws, and its members accede to those rules." Prior to that there was some irrelevant gibberish about how government may regulate slander, false advertising, etc. Whatever rules members accede to have nothing to do with this website. The MPCA, like any other entity, may censor its own publications. That's all.

There was also a red herring about my using the MPCA directory for "personal or commercial gain" and "violating a trust" because I sent an email to the neighborhood when I announced this blog, which is clearly not for commercial purposes. It has no advertising, nor does it sell anything. My purpose is to inform, to entertain, to persuade, to stimulate conversation and to provide a platform for communication for everyone who wants to speak out, including the MPCA president and Board.

But I did not get the addresses from any directory. I simply copied them from an MPCA email header -- which some may recall, was immediately re-sent to the entire group in a "reply all" by the very same writer who now points the finger at me with the above accusation of being self-serving. This takes irony to new levels.

A final communication ended in what is commonly described on message boards as a "flounce", and with a comic twist:

"Those things being said, the MPCA Board and the path committee have strongly suggested that there be no further communications with you in any form. Consequently, to the extent that you email me or any of the other members of either body in the future, your email will be deleted unread. If you wish to come out of the cold and engage in constructive discourse with civil society, my telephone number is listed below. I will be happy to take your call". So there!

For the record, I never originated any email to either body. I only replied to a couple of mails sent to me by the MPCA president, but when he responded to me, he added CC's to a lot of other people, which I never even noticed. (Gmail is a little sneaky.) Some of them responded to me and I wrote them back. That's all.

Other mail: I was told I have too much time. I don't agree. I think I am lucky to have whatever time God gives me. I don't think a person can have too much. But what this person suggested I do with mine was a bit strange: "plant something or pick up pinecones" I cannot imagine why I would remove pinecones from the woods. They are not trash. They are part of the ecosystem. (It is illegal to remove them from a National Park.) Now if she had said go pick up beer cans from the roadside, I would have thought that was a good idea. She urged me to do good for Memorial Park. The obvious answer is that this site is intended to help the park. I try to do other good things, and I hope I see the writer there too. She is welcome to post her comments, using her real name or an ID. Comments will not be edited as long as they follow the rules. I welcome opposing opinions.

All the email has not been negative. I have gotten lots of good feedback and suggestions for topics. I appreciate those. Most important has been the useful information and tips, which will show up in future entries. Keep them coming. I am glad to have you read and comment whether you agree or not.