Certainly you are correct. Every bad situation cannot be improved.
But my highest priority is not ensuring that everyone speaks very nicely and politely to each other. That's superficial nonsense. I care much more about the substance of what people say and do. And I strive to accomplish something once in a while, as I have done over this past year, notwithstanding the efforts of another TalkBoard member to bog us down needlessly.
The people who suggest that needless delays and other obstructionist behavior go with the territory should try enduring it themselves. See how much fun it is to have one person -- yes, just one -- constantly throw obstacles in the path of everyone else. This is neither name-calling nor snarky. It's just the truth, and no one has yet contradicted it.
Bruce