This is among the reasons I declined to respond after my last reply in this
thread.
I decided shortly after I joined this list and had observed the dynamics for
a while that anything other than the mildest political commentary was a
short fuse, nevermind the stated policy of the list. After re-reading the
various posts, it finally penetrated my think skull that that 'debate', to
put it kindly and therefore somewhat inaccurately, had long since veered
away from anything like safety in the woods, Nat'l Park policies, or the
philosophical approach to man's role in the environment and had instead
become thinly disguised political chest-thumping. I enjoy the uniqueness of
this list to much to participate in, or even be an observer of, its
devolution into the same kind of drivel and blather that can be found on far
too many other boards, lists, sites and editorial pages.
Doesn't matter if you're preaching to the choir or arguing with the fence
post, you're still wasting your time.

It's still Friday here for another 30 seconds... : )

Cya,
Robert

----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark Edwards" <bhs73@SPYMAC.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Friday, August 20, 2004 7:19 PM
Subject: Political Bears....

> Folks,
>
> I didn't feel too badly being in the middle of it, as the bear stuff kept
> going around, but when I realized I was waxing political, I took too long
> to remember to cut it out.
>
> Spent the day hiking at 10,000 feet.  Moose and deer, but no bears there
> today, but I did have time to think and am certainly going to cut the
> politics out right away. Boy, its hard to walk away without responding :-)
>
> I can't apologize for what I think, or how I feel, but I do know it
> doesn't belong, so, back to the bears, or better yet, Vanagons! <g>
>
> Mark