> There are many reasons to put the message you're responding to first, such as
> 
> * It encourages the recipient to *read* the original message before
> reading the reply. (Not that this usually works!)
> 
> * It encourages the sender to reduce the message they're replying to
> down to the relevant bits. Thus saving bandwidth and brevity.

so, the netiquette of replying after the original is to encourage the two
items of netiquette detailed above? hmmm...

greg