Ok, Dis, I think I gotcha now

I think what you're saying (in simplified terms) is that, even though many of us see the board as a safe haven from the outside world, it is ALSO a public representation of the MAA community whether we like it or not. It's like the difference in speaking to a friend on the phone or speaking to that same friend over CB or Ham radio. The radio is public and therefore a public face MUST be presented no matter what subject is being discussed. That about right?

I get it and I agree. I just feel that Furby's only mistake is that he's treated this place as a safe zone in which he can feel free to discuss anything. I hate to see him get ridiculed and slandered for that as so many here have done (*cough* AP *cough*).

-BB