Sometimes saying what needs to be said isn't nice, but that doesn't make it any less important to say. You all judge some on this list for doing the exact same thing you are. If everyone would be less quick to jump on the flogging bandwagon, perhaps more constructive conversation would be possible. We have lost a very well informed and educated voice on these forums now, and thats a terrible loss. I admire and respect people with a passionate view on a subject even if I don't agree with their opinion. Sometimes the right thing to say is not the easy thing to say. She had every right to say what she did as everyone else did to sling childish insults back. One line "snips" are the trademark of a teenager, not adult discourse on an important and passionate subject. Yes, everyone is here to provide information and support. Yes, everyone has differing opinions on what that means; however, I find anyone who won't speak their truths as theybelieve them to be morally bankrupt and not worth my time. We ALL have a voice and be damned if anyone should be told not to use it. If you feel like defending claw mutilation, be my guest, but how dare anyone try to silence the opposing opinion. Yes, some words spoken may have been harsh in this debate, but those harsh words flowed freely from BOTH sides of this argument, not just one. Susan made a mistake in sending the email to the group and not an individual. I believe we've all done that at one time or another. And as for what she said in it, what's said in a private email between two people is none of anyone's business, including the people on this list. If any of you care, go back and read through the progression of the emails. They did start out much more civil, and just degraded as the conversation continued, but I can assure you one thing..you'll find just as many (if not more) people of the opinion that claw mutilation and intentional exposure to non-curable viruses is not a good situation, regardless of how well the intentions are. Like I said, I live 30 minutes from where Angel Wings used to be. I know how good intentions go.
Let me also address briefly the issue of personal declawing/mixing. I just read an email from Diane R. about her decision to declaw. Look, as I have stated freely, I think declawing is horrible, but I don't think Susan or Glenda or anyone else on this list was personally attacking *individuals* that are put in tough places with tough decisions to make. If you're forced to declaw, or if you're forced to mix (I mix my two positives with my negative because they were together for a year before I found out) then that's a personal decision. Susan's and Glenda's, and yes, i'll say my, issue with that was this was a SHELTER, a non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing and helping otherwise helpless animals, making these choices across the board. There's a big difference there and in an individual owner having to make tough decisions. It sounds like (and I'm just stating fact here, not passing judgement on the open forum) that the shelter in question declaws across the board (with the exeption of FeLV/FIV+) every time a cat comes in the shelter. Same for mixing. They mix every positive cat that comes through, regardless of which diagnosis they have. That was the concern. Not individual choices that have to be made. Diane R. was in a tough spot, and had to make a tough decision. I don't know that I would have made a different one if I were in her place. -----Original Message----- From: Kat To: [email protected] Sent: Wed, Sep 26 10:12 AM Subject: Re: list matters Yes, this is their list too - but there are ways of saying things to better get your point across for consideration versus inciting a riot by throwing flames! And while I don't have a specific quote, I believe that's exactly what Rev.Martin Luther King,Jr. was trying to teach us about tolerance and how to make changes effectively. I might have joined in the discussion with my experiences, but not under the current judgemental/jump all over/boy-that's-stupid/intolerant replies that have been going on. Kat (Mew Jersey) On Wed, 26 Sep 2007 [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2007 09:51:15 -0400 > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Reply-To: [email protected] > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: list matters > > And let us also remember, that when you say its our list, that "our" > includes Glenda and Susan as well. I believe, as Dr. Martin Luther > King, Jr. once said, “We will have to repent in this generation not > merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people, but for > the appalling silence of the good people. I don't think anyone here > has the right to try and silence anyone else on this list. We all > have opinions, and we're all entitled to share those opinions whether > you like them or agree with them or not.  I'm relatively new to the > group, I'll admit, but you lose your fundamental credibility when you > start trying to silence certain people because you don't agree with > them. Look, I think many of us, some of whom are too shy to speak > out, are horrified at the thought of a shelter declawing all their > cats and mixing positives. So I don't think its fair to single out > Glenda and Susan. Opinionated they may be, but they have every right > to voice that opinion, just like the people who defend toe amputation. > ________________________________________________________________________ Email and AIM finally together. You've gotta check out free AOL Mail! - http://mail.aol.com
