<html><head></head><body><div class="yahoo-style-wrap" style="font-family:Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;font-size:16px;"><div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"><p class="ydpb4f0b40bMsoNormal" dir="ltr" data-setdir="false"> </p><div><p class="ydpc2e1c825MsoNormal">Hi all,</p>
<p class="ydpc2e1c825MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="ydpc2e1c825MsoNormal">Can we enjoy the wonderful intellectuality and energy of this?<span> </span>Can we see brilliance in the opinions we
disagree with, and erudition and a magnificent opus of work from people on both
sides of this debate?</p>
<p class="ydpc2e1c825MsoNormal">That last includes you, Hal, who I seem to be going against
here, and know my hat is off to you for all you have done. But I don’t see putting
a lid on all expression and passion by fiat as being good in this or very many
situations.</p>
<div>I also have a dog in this fight. I think there are unspoken
assumptions that both sides may tacitly accept as true but which are actually
in play.<span> </span>Economists, at least those of
the Austrian persuasion, see their discipline as the study of things that aren’t
apparent to the eye. That new Sports Stadium will certainly be good for the
economy, right? But is that statement true?<span> </span>Does the time spent on name changes really mean
there will be less time spent watching or saving Birds? Will the public spend
more or less time actually getting to know Steller if his name is not on the Western
Blue Jay? (I'm against that name change). Would a public controversy
hurt the image of birders and consequently, birds? We don’t know these things,
but we must not assume the “common-sense” position that assumes there will be less
time and that the controversy would be damaging, or that Steller will be forgotten, that those things are true or even knowable. I personally believe a robust
controversy in birding that spills out
into the public domain could be just what the Doctor ordered to break the
widespread perception that it would be embarrassing to call oneself a birder and that birding is not an acceptable pastime the way something
like watching Football is. (I encounter
this perception at my store all the time.)</div><div><br></div>
<div dir="ltr" data-setdir="false">I may have tipped my hand a little bit but I am not a partisan. I love all of you folks! Thanks to everyone who chimed
in!<span> </span>We don’t need to break up over this!</div>
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<p class="ydpc2e1c825MsoNormal">Thanks all,</p>
<p class="ydpc2e1c825MsoNormal"> </p>
<p class="ydpc2e1c825MsoNormal">Ed Newbold </p></div><div><br><br></div><p></p></div></div></body></html>