Now now..
To clarify I believe he said the thread was rather lengthy not the posts, Freudian slips.. they happen to the best of us.
I remain quite heartened by the "A gentle reminder thread" as a good example of the fleet as a community's heretofore underused capacity to constructively debate, compromise and solve vital issues.
Granted there were some glaring examples to the contrary but the majority of the participants worked together to try and reach a compromise and were willing to alter their positions accordingly.
So I feel that there may have been some feelings of wasted effort on the part of the participants because the leadership chimed in here and there on the thread stating that our debate was of great interest to them, and that they were very nearly close to a decision. The implication is that our debate might effect the outcome of that decision. Thus the participants were spurred to debate their positions with even greater vigor in hopes of influencing that outcome.
Then, come to find out that the decision reached is far more accommodating/radical than the original proponent of the change on the thread originally proposed let alone the rest of us who participated.
Then a gentle admonition is made that such a lively and constructive debate- which IMHO was more positive than negative- is unnecessarily superfluous to the decision-making process and "only" ought to be brought to the attention of those who're actually in a positin to effect that change. If that be the case, why encourage the debate in the first place by stating your interest in it? (makes a weighing motion with both hands and shakes his head) I'm sorry fellas but you can't have it both ways.
You can either make your position known and invite support or contention scary as that my seem. Or you let the debate run its course and step in to moderate if things get too ugly.
I'm sorry to play Devil's advocate here but I cant abide a double standard (implied or otherwise),be it intentional or unintentional merely for the sake of operational convenience. This is an amazing community and I vehemently believe in its potential to continuously better itself.
