I was very pleased to discover this mailing list and to be accepted as a
part of it.  As a moderated list, I believe it is in some sense the
'property' of the owner/moderator and can take whatever form and do
whatever things desired by the owner/moderator.  In view of the effort
involved in moderating a list, I respect that privilege, and accept that
I am a 'non-voting' guest here.

Notwithstanding any of this, nor other opinions and contributions by the
list participants, I enjoy it immensely and read it daily, if I can
arrange it.  I will continue to do so if no changes whatsoever are made.

But, there _are_ things I see which I'd rather not.  And there are
threads I'd enjoy which receive short shrift or which are ignored
altogether (in my short-lived experience with this list, so far).  I'd be
happy to share them with you (all) if requested.

But one thing which I'd rather see more of in almost every way is a
laissez faire kind of tolerance of the contribution of anyone who cares
enough to make one.  The broad outlines of the subject matter are pretty
well defined.  Any prohibitions can be stated explicitly in the list
every now and again, as a refresher, to keep folks more or less on track.
And the moderators are entitled to have their say when and wherever they
wish!

I, for one, truly enjoy, and especially appreciate the differing opinions
and perspectives which have become accessible with the advent of this
marvelous 'universal' medium (the Internet or Web).  I understand that
there is a distinct trend for 'netizens' to withdraw into private 'rooms'
to avoid the incursions of those whose opinions differ, or whose
standards conflict.  This is both understandable and not unexpected.

But society depends upon a general level of mutual acceptance and
cooperation, and it's success depends on how cooperative and accepting of
one another the body-politic is.  There is a place for private 'clubs',
even cults, perhaps, but I would argue that the greatest benefit occurs
when the society is open and 'civil' in the best sense.  So I would hope
that any changes in this list occur in that direction.

I joined this list hoping that I could successfully acquire a player
piano (probably), at a reasonable price.  Unintended, I find I am
enjoying many of the other things that just come up in discussion.  I am
sure others come to this list with differing agendas.  In a spirit of
openness and acceptance, we can all fulfill our objectives and multiply
our enjoyment without stepping on other's toes or bruising sensibilities.

And we can do it without narrowing the focus or excluding anyone.

Best wishes,

Richard Danzey