Return-Path: Resent-From: cbmvax!uunet!PICA.ARMY.MIL!protin Resent-Message-Id: <9106181630.AA16731@relay1.UU.NET> 25 May 90 8:18 EDT To: lojban-list Subject: apology to eric tiedemann Date: 25 May 90 01:24:29 EDT (Fri) From: cbmvax!snark.uu.net!lojbab Message-Id: <9005250124.AA03958@snark.uu.net> Resent-Date: Tue, 18 Jun 91 10:26:57 EDT Resent-To: John Cowan Status: RO X-From-Space-Date: Tue Jun 18 15:48:45 1991 X-From-Space-Address: cbmvax!uunet!PICA.ARMY.MIL!protin This is a public apology to Eric Tiedemann for remarks that I made in my 'angry diatribe' of a few nights ago. I apologize for saying or otherwise implying that Eric had said either that 'Yary Hluchan's questions were in some way inappropriate for lojban-list', or that 'all people should direct questions to one person'. Eric said neither of those things, and has made it clear to me that he did not intend his statements to be interpreted that way. I was unaware that Yary and Eric knew each other previously, and that the offer to 'screen questions' was intended more along the lines of an off-line briefing, rather than a screening for inappropriate remarks. I also failed to note the significance of Eric's use of the words "feel free" intending to convey this as an option and not a request. On the matter of electronic media distribution, there apparently was some miscommunication between me and Eric regarding what I intended as materials for him to use with the New York class. Eric has made it clear to me that he was acting honestly and in line with what he understood my intentions to be. To reduce the likelihood of future misunderstandings on the issue, the new issue of JL12 (which will go to all of you who are level 1 or higher) has a (longer and) more refined statement of the policy and, more important, the reasons for the policy. The policy is open to change if people come up with convincing reasons for such change - it will be specifically discussed at LogFest. For now, suffice it to say that there is no intent to withhold information from people - it is more a matter of what is practical given our resources and schedule. I'm hoping that this apology will serve as a model for the future when people say things that impugn someone's character or their motives for activities promoting the language. A lot of people are investing considerable personal effort and emotion into the Loglan/Lojban project, and occasional outbursts are inevitable. Hopefully, I will set a better example of avoiding these; at least I'll try to be more careful in the future. However, I'm prone to 'off the cuff' statements that may be offensive to some, and I expect to be called on them (what you see in JL and LK has often been reviewed by at least two other people before publication). I also view my role as leader of the Lojban effort as being a 'civil servant' of the community, with the emphasis on 'servant', though hopefully a bit more civil. I have to be a bit more careful than most to think about the 'political implications' of any statement from me 'as leader'. This is difficult when I'm on this net - I have a long-distance-bill time clock hanging over me that prevents me from thinking out what I have to say. Thus - please do not take statements that I make on-line (or at least those in reply to someone else and therefore probably done on line without sufficient thought) as 'decisions', 'policy', or even as anything more than my spur-of-the-moment reaction. Disregarding my personal remarks in my diatribe, I would still like to see more discussion of the basic topics of the language on this list. We add new people to this list all the time, who need to be brought up to speed, of course. But more important, a demonstrated understanding of the basics is essential to being credible when discussion moves to more advanced topics. I can't be the one to initiate basic questions. And I'd rather answer questions only when someone else can't, such as when they involve the illogical reasons why we did some things in the language design. In the hope of polite, but productive discussion in the future: lojbab = Bob LeChevalier President, The Logical Language Group, Inc.