We have had these "tiffs" before and, if I remember correctly, some also involved Susan. We survived and maybe we learned something. We should always show respect for one another, but I wouldn't suggest any "rule change" yet. From my standpoint, there's nothing wrong with lively exchanges unless they get chronically out of hand. Herman _____ From: oe-bounces@lists.wedgeblade.net [mailto:oe-bounces@lists.wedgeblade.net] On Behalf Of David M Dunn Sent: Tuesday, September 18, 2012 7:50 PM To: Order Ecumenical Community Subject: Re: [Oe List ...] A good reflection on Romney On Sep 18, 2012, at 4:56 PM, "Herman Greene" <hfgreene@mindspring.com> wrote: I'm sorry, I want to distance myself from this message. What Susan said to me didn't bother me. I think I agree with others that this is not the place to carry on a political debate, but it is a place to dialogue. I would be happy to hear Susan's thoughts if she wants to share them. This passionate little maelstrom that we just fell into is one of the reasons that the 'listserv' technology doesn't serve us as well as the quality of our dialogue requires. The kind of careful and thoughtful clarification of perspectives and search for one another's truth requires something closer to face to face communication (like an online meeting) or at the least, an online shared dialogue space (like a 'wiki' that provides for a stream of comments) where we can see contributions appear in real time and all of the preceding contributions. (Facebook comments are the example of the running stream, but not the example of a safe, private space for collegial dialogue.) It would be fascinating and illuminating to see of we could discover the images of fact and value (recalling Boulding) that lie behind the different perceptions expressed here about the meaning of this moment in history. David David Dunn 740 S Alton Way 9B Denver, CO 80247 -- dmdunn1@gmail.com 720-314-5991