Organization: Emory University - Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.fnord-l
Date:         Thu, 28 Jan 1993 12:04:53 EST
From:         LIBWCA@EMUVM1.BITNET
Subject:      Re: Nitrous Oxide--no laughing matter
              28 Jan 1993 11:07:20 -0500 from <odailey@N2O.MAYO.EDU>

On Thu, 28 Jan 1993 11:07:20 -0500 <odailey@N2O.MAYO.EDU> said:
>There has been much on this newslist which i for one have
>found to be somewhat objectionable.  Personally, i think
>it was a mistake to let this sort of unrestrained nihilistic
>chaotic rambling to go unmoderated for so long!  It starts
>perhaps, with Martin Luther or Copernicus, but it ends up
>with Robert Mapplethorpe!
>
>The last straw, for me, was the irresponsible and scurrilious
>casual reference to the anesthetic gas, nitrous oxide, commonly
>referred to in the popular parlance as "laughing gas".
>
>This sort of casual drug reference is just the sort of thing
>which encourages our young people, many of whom are currently
>reading these messages through the terminals they are provided
>with at their local university or community college, and this
>is happening at a time in there lives when some of them are
>very impressionable about such things as casual sex and illicit
>drug use.  I find this very frustrating, given my background in
>research into the psychology of human drug addictions.  My
>research indicates that much of our drug problems are due to
>incorrect socialization practices, such as what I am seeing on
>this newslist.
>
>I call for the moderator to step in at this point and help
>alleviate some of this serious, serious problem.
've sent it twice... something strange is afoot.
>

I must agree with Mr. Dailey.  In particular, the references which I
continually make to weasels are deeply offensive to me.  It hasn't
been widely reported in the mainstream press, but weasels suffer a
higher rate of addiction to laughing gas than any other mammals of
the genus Mustela.  Furthermore, weasels all over the world are
reading this right now, chewing on sparrow heads and laughing their
little brains out.  I call on the moderator to step in and stop me
at once, lest some unfortunate weasel fall prey to the hunter's
snare.
Another thing which I, for one, find offensive is the frequent and
abusive use of the word "furthermore".  Some of you may recall the
previous paragraph, were the work was used, scandalously, with an
initial capital letter.  "Furthermore" is creeping into more and
more of the posts on this list, just as it crept into this sentence-
the very beginning of this sentence, mind you- almost without my
knowing it.  If morality is to be preserved, the word "furthermore"
must be completely banned; and not at some undetermined point in the
future.  Right now.
We've seen, in recent days, several references to butterflies doing
unspeakable things to caterpillars.  Many fine, upstanding,
productive butterflies struggle every day with the horrors of
caterpillar addiction, and I don't appreciate the taking of this
serious social problem as an opportunity for sophomoric jocularity.
Be warned, Majcher.  Clean this list up, or I will.  I have munitions.

Cuthbert
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