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Re: Meteorite Collecting

kwilson@ix.netcom.com writes:

<< Am I confused?  I thought this was a forum about the collection, and
 scientific value of meteorites and their study. >>

If there is one thing that has occurred to me about this list in the year or
so
I've been following it, it's that it is NOT a forum about any one aspect or
approach to meteorites.  It seems that a week does not pass without a 
listee bemoaning the fact that some topic or some discussion/argument
does not fit in neatly with his/her own personal idea of what the list
"should" ideally be.  There is no possible way that a list can be a perfect
forum for everyone.  The question becomes: should this list have extensive
"rules" to determine what posts are acceptable?   Who decides?
Whose rules?  It seems to me that there are two choices:
1)  leave the list open to all thoughts - scientific, astronomical,
collection-oriented,
conservation, philosophical, historical, buy/sell, personal - EVERYTHING.
2)  try to distill the list down to a specific, narrow forum wherein all post
by 
the same "rules".
I don't think the second approach is possible, and I also don't think it
is ultimately beneficial.  As long as everyone has the option to follow what
they like and ignore what they don't, why do we want to silence ANYONE?  Is
one keystroke
(ignore/delete) really too much trouble these days?  Life must be pretty
cushy. Remember, every post which is "acceptable" to one member is probably
useless/boring to someone else.  There are a number of members with extensive
scientific backgrounds, who are really "into" the chemical aspects of
meteorites.  
I personally have the collective scientific prowess of the Spice Girls, so
when I read the posts which get quite technical, my eyes tend to glaze over,
and I start 
thinking about who won the American League batting title in 1948.
(Ted Williams....)   But I certainly defend to the DEATH anyone's right to
discuss that stuff - it just doesn't happen to "push my buttons".  Should I 
announce that those topics should be "off-limits"?   Hardly.
Certainly we should all try to be civil and respectful, and sometimes
discussions
DO get a little heated and a little vindictive, we're mostly all guilty
occasionally,
but is it really worth "throwing out the baby with the bathwater"?
I vote for complete freedom - even with all the warts, it's a hell-of-a-lot
better
than censorship, even if that censorship may be well-intentioned.
Gregory
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