I expect this to be my last comment in this thread, and on this subject, as well, at least in public. If anyone wants to continue discussing specific issues with me, PLEASE move it to a PM. Feel free to include others if you wish, but it's rarely a good idea to air private grievances in public.

Luke You are welcome here, as is everyone. You have made contributions that I at least consider valuable, and I would like to see you continue.

Spinny, I never said I wanted you to leave either. You are another of the currently active members, and you are helping shape the current face of the forum.


As Barb pointed out, this forum is in a state of constant change. The way it is now, is not the same as it was a year ago, or will be year from now.

When I came here, the list of "active members" (those who logged in daily) was entirely different. So were the conversations. If you remain an active member here for very long, you will notice a similar change.

The point I'm trying to make to all of you is this:

Everyone deserves to be happy. The founding fathers of the Republic we call the United States of America considered it to be one of the core rights of all people. They ranked it right up there with Life & Liberty.

Knowing this, my advice is that we, as individuals, need to decide what makes us happy. We also need to decide what makes us unhappy.

If you walked into a restaurant and found the food good, you'd probably come back. If, after visiting that establishment for a period of time, the food changed and you no longer liked it, you'd probably quit going there.

You might come back from time to time to see if things changed, or you might not. No one would be telling you not to come back, nor would you be asking for a refund on the many fine meals you enjoyed up to that point.

It is a decision, a highly personal one, that each of us has to make. "Am I happy?" If yes, Great! If no, then "What will make me happy?"

If I own the restaurant, then I can make decisions based on my customers feedback. I can keep some items on the menu, and take others off. I can try new recipes, or stick with some old favorites.

I do not, however expect the customers to start demanding that I fire the cook, or change the seating arrangements.