Re: [GreenYes] Respect in Speaking

["Wayne Turner" <WAYNET@cityofws.org>]

I am simply amazed at the maelstrom of email activity that has ensued as a result of Muna's ostensibly benign remark.  While I don't condone 'name-calling', it is not unfortunate that sometimes our passions and emotions emerge when discussing ideas that we feel strongly about.  To ignore the context is to ignore half the message.  To ignore the entire message is to choose to remain unenlightened.  There is some level of significance in everything that is said.  Take from the message what you can and never deny the sender the freedom to speak.  I've cetainly detected nothing uncivil or malicious in anyone's comments.  If you want to see a real verbal brouhaha, check out any of the Yahoo message boards!  This listserv is like a charm school compared to that.

From another perspective, I sort of liked Muna's anaology of President Bush as 'shrub'.  It made me vividly recall Thudbutt's question in the movie 'Hook' when Peter Bannister (aka Peter Pan) landed four-square in NeverLand: "Hey!  Who's the shrub?"  I like this analogy because it suggests that the world of 'lost boys' is looking to the US for Peter Pan, someone they see as a mother/father figure.  Instead, they see us giving them a 'shrub', disguised briefly in a tangle of vines.  I can only hope that all us 'lost boys' will give Peter Bannister (aka Bush, shrub, etc.) one helluva workout like the lost boys in NeverLand did and get Peter Pan back.  Then, maybe we too can say, "Oh, there you are Peter."

Kind regards,



B. Wayne Turner
City of Winston-Salem
Utilities Division
phone: (336) 727 8418
email: waynet@cityofws.org

>>> "JOSEPH K MALTESE" <jkmaltese@prodigy.net> 01/22/02 09:26PM >>>
Like you, I've begun deleting all email from certain authors who, at least
once, used this site for off subject posturing.  I may have missed many good
messages for the sake of my silent protest.  Unfortunate, isn't it.

Two quotes come to mind -

"The truth of an argument is often lost in the heat of its defense"
"Against stupidity, the gods themselves contend in vain"

Maybe we can get back to sharing our concerns about the environment we ALL
exist in.

Thanks for your astute observations.

Ken

----- Original Message -----
From: "Angela BRANTLEY" <BRANTLEY@ci.monterey.ca.us>
To: <greenyes@grrn.org>
Sent: Tuesday, January 22, 2002 12:41 PM
Subject: [GreenYes] Respect in Speaking


> Since Sept. 11, I no longer read anything from Muna Lunakai.  It's my
choice to do that even though there may be value in the emails sent.  The
reason is that there were some difficult and insensitive statements made way
back then and rather than write a rotten message back, I choose to just
ignore the emails as I choose to be around good and interesting people in my
everyday life.  I just disagree with Muna's method of communicating his
political viewpoint.  I strongly hope that we search for constructive truth
and that we speak OF others as if they were standing right in front of us in
a one on one conversation.  Basically:  Would you say it if he or she were
standing right behind you?  With that guiding rule, I work to bring out the
best in people and myself.
>
> Angela Brantley
> City of Monterey
> City Hall
> Monterey CA 93940
> brantley@ci.monterey.ca.us 
> 831-646-5662
> FAX - 831-646-5686
>
> "If at first you don't succeed...sky diving is probably not the sport for
you!"  Author Unknown
>
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