Hey, Koko, have you gotten to the episode where the guy sues his friends for posting pictures of him in New York, in a bathrobe, with the rose in his teeth, on the internet? I think they called it Defamation of a Character.

Seriously, folks, I think letiole is right on here. MileageGod was an abberation and, as I recall, several FlyerTalkers (who obviously cared enough about the quality of the board to become vigilante moderators in a time of emergency) jumped in to warn Randy, post-haste, and the matter was dealt with.

In everyday Life on the Boards, I think we (in general) enjoy a very high level of intelligence and civility which has led to, and continues to lead, to the development of a unique and wonderful community of adventurers, worldwide. It has added a a whole new and exciting dimension to my life in my declining years.

Certainly there are some posters whom we just like more than others, and certainly there are times when some persons (of an undisclosed gender) whip out their measuring sticks and start playing one upsmanship, but, alas, folks, that is just the nature of the beast. Go into you company lunchroom during football, baseball.........season. How much difference does any of it make in your real world?

If something truly bothers me enough to think about it after I read it, I simply e-mail the poster concerned and as politely and diplomatically as I know how, express my thoughts. It has always worked for me. If they don't have an e-mail address, in my mind they don't really exist, so I completely disregard anything they had to post.

Yes, there are people who will come and go for their own reasons and that's is just the way it is. If it is someone for with whom I have developed a friendship, I will continue to maintain that relationship off the boards. Otherwise, I look joyfully forward to the new friends I will meet in this wonderful place.