In a few moments a post will be coming to the list from its holding queue in
'review' status.  Ordinarily a post like this would be stopped.  This one
isn't, and here is why.

The listmothers are, despite some misgivings, unsubscribing Betsy Riedel
because she has overstepped the guidelines one too many times.  Here are the
grounds for our decision.  We have previously tried to communicate with her
privately to no avail.  We have chosen to publish this last post of hers to
the list so that it will be on permanent record in our archives.  We are not
willing to spend any more of our time and energy dealing with the negative
fallout from her posts.  She communicates frequently with us to complain
about the lack of professionality on the list, but for some reason she will
not unsubscribe herself.  From what she says to us we can not fathom why she
has chosen to stay subscribed since by her own account she learns next to
nothing here.
 
We do not want to start a Lactnet thread on whether or not a list run by
unpaid volunteers should be allowed to have guidelines for etiquette, nor
about this particular subscriber.  We want to keep Lactnet focused on
helping mothers and children with breastfeeding.  Please, please, please do
not send responses to this post to the entire list.  If your response weighs
heavy on your heart, feel free to share with the listmothers at
[log in to unmask]   If you feel the list will be unable
to meet your needs without the participation of this subscriber, there is
always the option of unsubscribing yourself.  No one has ever been coerced
into staying on Lactnet.  Write to the [log in to unmask]
address if you need help finding the living room exit door.
 
After posting hostile and personal posts that were offending numerous others
including the listmothers, this subscriber was placed on review status,
meaning that the only three posts per day of hers that have gotten through,
are the ones which, in the judgment of the listmothers, are not outside list
guidelines.  While bemoaning the tendency of 'others' to post frequently,
which she has in e-mails to us attributed to their not having any real work
of their own, she has posted more frequently than most, and it creates more
work for the listmothers since we have to keep track manually to see that
she does not go over the daily limit.  She also repeatedly complains to the
listmothers about subscribers who know 'next to nothing' about what they are
writing about, who have axes to grind, while never being willing to consider
that she might have an axe or two of her own.  She accuses the listmothers
of running a list that is far less professional than (never specified) other
lists she subscribes to.  When questioned publicly on a recent post which
seemed to us to hint at an attitude not consistent with the respectful
treatment of all mothers, she denied having written such words, even when
her own post was cut and pasted into queries put to her asking she clarify
what she meant.  Her response to that post was not approved by the
listmothers, and she was given the chance to edit it so it would not
overstep the Lactnet guidelines.  To that, she replied that editing a post
to suit the listmothers is censorship.  

We are allowing what will be her final message here simply to show what we
have had to deal with over many months, and why we are no longer willing to
put up with it. 
 
Lactnet is open for anyone to subscribe to, but it is not now, nor has it
ever been, a free-for-all chat room complete with asbestos suits and
flamethrowers.  Censorship exists here, though there are next to no
subscribers who have ever been put on review status because fortunately
nearly all of you are capable of minding your own manners.  We would like to
point out that the person who up to now has benefited the most from being
censored is Betsy herself.  After having read her upcoming post, we think it
will be obvious why we believe this is the case, and why we have chosen both
to stop shielding her from herself and to unsubscribe her from Lactnet,
effective now.  

I am the one who is sending this post now, but it was not written on the
spur of the moment.  This situation has been long in the making, and this
last straw just put it into motion.  

Rachel Myr
For the listmothers

             ***********************************************

To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]

The LACTNET email list is powered by LISTSERV (R).
There is only one LISTSERV. To learn more, visit:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html