Why do they call Rhodesia Rhodesia?

["Sigel, James J" <james.sigel@xxxxxx>]

...is among many other grand cosmic questions out there.  So speaking of
cosmic questions, Kevin me pal, you asked and I'll reply as concisely as I
can.  I'm not interested in starting a new soap opera, but since you asked,
here are my opinions on the matter for all to see.  I've got nothing to hide,
and I stand by everything I've said before and by what I'm about to.

>Mark is a good guy, Jim.
>A really good and honest guy.  Really.

He might be.  That very well may be true - to his "friends" and anyone deemed
worthy, i.e., Liberal it may be true, but to me, it's fiction.  What sort of
"good and honest" guy aims all of his hostility at people he doesn't like?
What sort of wonderful guy places himself on a pedestal above everyone else
and doesn't even hide his arrogant superiority out of respect for a public
forum?  And if he's such a model person, what about those of us who have been
blasted, insulted, and heralded as Satan Spawn because we made the fatal
mistake of disagreeing with him?  Me, Mc, Jeff, Leslie (was it Leslie?), etc,
etc; the list goes on.  Go back several years; I had a decent relationship
with him on this list when we talked music.  That is, until I disagreed with
him a couple of years ago.  I think the topic was teenagers and how out of
control it seemed they were getting.  You and I went a few rounds too.  Ring a
bell?

>Just as I listened to Scott when he told me that you were a 'good guy',
>I would hope you would listen to both of us when I (I'm sure Schrade would
>agree) say that Mark is a good guy.

Thank you Scott, that was very nice of you to go to bat for me.  But you see,
Schrade owes me anyway - I saved his life back in Nam.  But seriously, it's
commendable of you to go to bat for Mark too, I really do thinks so.  That's
why I think you're a good guy as well; you stick by yours.  I can relate
because I do the same.  But again, see my reply above.  He might be a good
guy; I've just never been privy to it.  And what do you mean by "listen to
both of us"?  Scott hasn't contacted me to defend Mark.  Do you mean someone
else?

>>Like most people here, I was rather surprised by Jeff's hostility
>>towards Kevin and Scott, but dude - I KNOW why he went after you.
>
>No you don't.

Regarding Mark and Jeff - I know enough.  I've spoken to Jeff several times
during his hiatus, and I've had enough experience with Mark to know what bug
is up Jeff's ass.  I know you're gonna say Jeff says one thing but means
another and watch out, etc, but after being viciously attacked by Mark, having
my reputation damaged by Mark, having covert insinuations and all out assaults
on my character by Mark, I got a pretty good idea WHY Jeff is as bitter
towards Mark as he is.  Remember, the bulk of Jeff's anger is aimed at Mark; I
think you and Scott got blasted because you are friends of Mark.  Obviously
there's lots more going on there, but don't lose sight of the forest through
the trees.

>He doesn't deserve what you've dished out on him over the many months

Nobody does; unless they ask for it.  And if you took the time to tell him to
lay off me, he wouldn't get it.  Simple equation.  But who speaks for me?  I
believe that I DON'T DESERVE what he's dished to me.  He'll deny this before
God Himself, but any/every reply or comment I've made in regards to Mark over
the last couple years, has been on the defensive.  Do you remember his baiting
me so he could win a bet?  Yeah, real nice guy.  According to his own public
spin on it, he made a "tidy sum of money" by provoking me into an argument.
Again, great guy.  Do you remember me getting blasted by him because I posted
a reply to a lister here who asked Mark to cease his political agenda?  I
posted a "get the digest, you can scroll past it" - that was IT!  The next
day, Mark called me every friggin' name in the book.  How about this latest
episode?  His snide reply to my post, sparked a reply out of me in which my
latest crime was to refer to him as a "whiner" - and the reply from him?  Can
you honestly tell me that it was justified because I called him a whiner?  No,
you can't (you might try), just as you can't see that Mark makes his own bed.
He is not an innocent little lamb.  Lets not forget Mark's penchant for
attacking the peripheral elements of a person:  he has attacked my wife,
insinuated he might alert my employers for using company email to argue with
him, he's insulted my friends and family.  This is the lowest level of "list
participation" and a level I refuse to stoop to.  Check the digests, Mark is
guilty of all of these things; things I am NOT guilty of.  And, I've said it
before, I'll say it again - I don't like bullies and Mark simply picked the
wrong person to mess with.

Kevin, you are on Mark's A-list, so you've never been attacked by him and when
you've disagreed with him, he's argued his points to you with respect.  And
understandably, you aren't objective enough to see both sides equally.  I
appreciate your talking to me with respect and as you can see, I am not such a
bastard because I can reciprocate that respect even during a disagreement.
You gave me a chance to DISCUSS and converse which is something Mark never
gave me.  Not once.  I disagreed with him, only to find what a prick I am in
Mark's following review.  He attacked me from the day I disagreed with him on
that political issue, and he's been fucking with me ever since.  Don't be so
naove to think that poor Mark is a victim yet another time; it's not reality
Kevin, and it's not fair to anyone he's ever insulted, let alone me.  And with
me, you get what you give; always.  But, I digress too.  Last I heard, Mark
doesn't play in The Who, so why does he get all of this press???

Jim in Colorado