Quick Vote, Shoddy Count

[jaxon41]

Jon is mighty anxious to keep Don Laird on the List, announcing a
three-to-one "for" vote and chastizing Mike for his undemocratic (read,
dictatorial) methods.  Hey, last time I looked it was Bob, Karen, Connie &
me--plus Mike--voting against allowing Don Laird access to our most private
ramblings on the Condition of Mankind and the Universe in General.

I have nothing PERSONAL against DL, and that's precisely why I don't think
he should be on our List.  Most of the other folks I either know or remember
being at UT in the early Sixties, but not DL.  He, no doubt, is a nice guy &
it's probably my loss that I don't know who he is.  But that ain't the point
here, is it?  The point is that we must have parameters for who can get on
the List and who can't.  Otherwise, let's just drop all barriers and let
EVERYONE sign up--the whole world, including the FBI & Homeland Security!

I've already gone through this "admission policy" thing with Mike--re Mack
White, a cartoonist friend who expressed interest in being on the List--&
Mike explained to me, in reasonable terms, why people that few of us
ghettoites KNOW have to be excluded.  So now listers are expressing outrage
that we're an elitist in-group that badly needs new blood, Don Laird being
the case in point.

This is nonsense.  There's lots of people who've been in Austin for several
decades, who most of us know, and who would make interesting Listers besides
DL.  Yet they are not allowed to join; enuff is enuff--unless they're people
who are bonafide ghettoites and want back on, eg, Travis, Walli, Chet,
Hersh, Ramsey, and others who gave up because of the sheer volume of prattle
on the screen each day.  Given a choice, I think most of us would prefer
that these people subscribe rather than strangers like DL. Jon is his
leading advocate, so I rest my case.  jaxon