From: JROSSI@EAGLE.AAMRL.WPAFB.AF.MIL
Newsgroups: rec.music.synth
Subject: Re: Wendy Carlos, where are you???... revisited
Date: 15 Oct 92 14:01:00 GMT
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.9210151515.AA13992


I don't want to waste any more time with this, however, there are several
things I want to set straight.

First, I already apologized for the posts, since some people were genuinely
offended.  With all sincerity, I can say that I was not trying to offend
anybody.  Sometimes I make somewhat caustic remarks which incite people to
retaliatory posting, but I do not do so to deliberately offend.  I guess that
many people believe that the comments I made concerning Carlos' were somehow
meant to offend.  They weren't..  

Secondly, I don't have any idea where so many people get the idea that I am
somehow opposed to transexuality, or (to extend these comments to address the
bulk of personal e-mail I have received on the topic) to homosexuality,
or any other sexually prefrential behavior.  Maybe, many of you should try
to re-evaluate your own prejudices and pre-convictions.  Actually, I am a
bit surprised I am writing this post with some degree of decorum.  My normal
inclination would be to push the issue to some absurd conclusion in order to
make a point about censorship in the name of political correctness.  However,
it appears that many people here, want to read things into my net.persona
that aren't really there.  Arrogant, smug, pompous, insubordinate, bombastic,
etc., may all be acceptable descriptors of my persona, however, things like
homophobic, narrow-minded, anti-gay, bigoted, provincial, or intolerant do
not describe me at all.  If you care to look at the original posting, Carlos'
gender change was never mentioned in a way which was intended to reflect my
opinion of such elective forms of behavior.  I don't care what gender Carlos 
happens to be at any particular time.  Because I mention something, does not
mean I have an objection to it.  This seems to be my major oposition to
the politically correvct police.  It is possible to mention a gender change,
even in relation to a negative trait of an individual, and even to draw
a ludicrous parallel between the change and a negative trait, without presuming
causality or without indication of an opinion of the gender change.  I guess
I can see how this works in some peoples' minds, but I didn't intend it
that way.

Anyway, one final comment on my politics.  As I previously stated, I am
a Libertarian.  I tend to personally be pro-choice on abortion issues (some-
thing which the Party has yet to come to grips with), I favor gay rights up
to the limit that they dont oppress anybody else's (including, BTW, extending
gays the opportunity for military service [that is to say, so there isn't any
missunderstanding, I favor the admission of gay individuals into the military]).I am very much in favor of free speech (something quite a few of you seem
rather eager to suppress), rights to bear arms (although I don't personally
have any firearms), and the undeclared right to privacy.  Most importantly,
I draw the distinction between personal liberty and civil liberty (meaning I
do not believe in abridging an individual's rights in order to appease any
group).  Oh, yea, I also favor drug legalization.

Again, I am sorry for again wasting space on this issue.  I didn't have either
the time or inclination to reply to all the personal e-mail I received on
the subject.  In the future, I will try to remain on the music topic.

John
Newsgroups: rec.music.synth