I used to be such a kid. Man. I'm learning, as my years count higher and higher, that I don't know as much as I like to make people THINK that I know. And that's a need in me to feel empowered, knowledgable, useful. I'm human. Don't sue me.

I also used to be pretty hot headed when my opinions and ideas were challenged. I was likely to get pretty riled when someone bruised my ego or told me how to live my life or when and where I could speak.

One of SSMB's first posts in this thread was about the lack of diversity and input from others. And I thought to myself, as I read it-- is there anything I can add to the topic? Do I have anything constructive to add?

I didn't. So I kept my opinions about the topic to myself and kept on reading-- 'cause you can learn when you read.

Until bbwolf and SSMB asked out loud about Private Messages, this was a topic I was lurking in with no intention of commenting. And, bbwolf and I got a leeeeeeettle bit off topic. And in doing so, I also yanked in g42.

And I'd like to apologize for doing that to SSMB. Didn't mean to trivialize your topic with silly banter-- I'm just making friends, or trying to. My sincerest apologies.

But I'm not responible for the current flame war. I'm a happy, sexy beast and that's someone else's problem.

Before you folks blast each other again, remember that the point of joining a forum is to communicate openly. If your opinion is more important than someone else's feelings, or if your feelings are more important than someone else's opinions, you're in the wrong place.

Be colorful. Be yourselves. But don't expect to enjoy yourselves here if you waste time telling each other to shut up or to change. And don't even take each other semi-seriously. Your people, and these are ideas in personal liberty-- not that important in the abstract, and "nothing to get hung about."

When we're lost in the woods, we all wipe with the same leaves.