Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site reed.UUCP
Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!harvard!talcott!panda!genrad!decvax!tektronix!reed!suki
From: suki@reed.UUCP (Monica Nosek)
Newsgroups: net.religion.jewish
Subject: Re: another don Black type
Message-ID: <1168@reed.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 25-Mar-85 15:50:31 EST
Article-I.D.: reed.1168
Posted: Mon Mar 25 15:50:31 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 2-Apr-85 20:21:00 EST
References: <894@eisx.UUCP>
Reply-To: suki@reed.UUCP (Monica Nosek)
Organization: Reed College, Portland, Oregon
Lines: 69
Summary: Large grains of salt

In article <894@eisx.UUCP> sms@eisx.UUCP (Samuel Saal) writes:
>While we are watching out for things in other nets which disturb our
>sensibilities, I thought people might be interested in this little
>gem. Please understand that it was from net.flame and take large number
>of grains of salt while reading this.
>
***Here inserted a transcript of a message I posted to
net.flame***
>
>This is the entire posting including some of the header stuff;
>it is unabridged, unedited and fully inflammatory.  Anti-semitism
>does not begin when they are trying to kill you.
>
>
>-- 
>Sam Saal ..!{ihnp4}!eisx!sms
>
>Vayiphtach HaShem et pee ha'Atone.

Mr. Saal:
	It's odd that you should advise taking my flame with a
grain of salt and then accuse me of anti-semitism and of
making death threats.
	Yes, take this with a grain of salt.  Better yet, let
me tell you where the gist of that message came from:
	Bill Houts, my close personal friend and confidante,
wrote a variation on several hymns he'd sung as a child,
substituting the word "Cheeses" for "Jesus".  While he was not
trying to "blasphemous", he did get several nasty flames from
the net.religion.christian folks, one of which read in part:

	"Hey, Bill, why don't you write a snappy little ditty
about Moses or Abraham and dump it in n.r.j.?  I hope you get
roasted right here like you deserve to."

Since that flame languishes in Bill's mbox and I don't have
access to it, you'll simply have to accept on faith my quoting
it, although I'm sure it's very close to the original.  In any
case, the message sent to Bill was from a Christian who took
great offense at Bill's humor, and I think it's obvious that
when this person suggested that Bill write something to put in
n.r.j. he was making reference to the fact that he found
Bill's verse highly anti-Christian, and that Bill could find
out how offensive he really was by inflaming n.r.j.  To my
knowledge, Bill has not done so, because Bill is neither
anti-semitic nor stupid enough to take up a rabid flamer on
his suggestions simply to take a dare.  
	I'm sorry that you found my posting to net.flame
offensive.  To all readers of n.r.j., I'm sorry for any
misunderstanding.  But I think that Mr. Saal is 1)a little
quick on the trigger and 2)aiding and abetting bad feelings.
Thanks for accusing me of anti-semitism, Mr. Saal.  You've
made my day brighter.  And special thanks for equating me with
Don Black.  This is sarcasm, by the way, Mr. Saal, lest you
quote me in full again.  But yes, that particular flame should
be taken with mines full of salt.  And perhaps before you go
calling people anti-semitic and inflammatory you should take a
closer look.  
	I'm honestly sorry that you were hurt by my flame to
Bill.  Here at Reed we have a thing called the Honor
Principle, which governs community life.  It says that anyone
causing embarrassment or discomfiture to any other member of
the community has violated the Honor Principle.  Since you've
been discomfited, I guess you could Honor Case me, if you were
here.  But here at Reed we rarely make accusations without
getting all the facts.
		
			Monica