howdy,
I stand by my post earlier (I really do feel that everyone here should be accorded a right to express when they've been offended), but I just wanted to make sure, LoriO, that you realize that I did not mean to compare **your post** to someone making offensive racial jokes at a dinner party. I was trying to illustrate what happens when people are not permitted to say when something offends them, in response to Snap's post; I was not trying to imply that your post somehow comparable to that situation, and for the record I don't think it was in any way.

I'm sorry that some people seem to be feeling that this is not a welcoming community. I have on occasion been irritated by what I perceived as judgmental or self-righteous posts, but overall I think the level of maturity, wisdom and respect on these boards far exceed what I have seen elsewhere, and I even apply that to the people who have offended me in the past. I will try to be more sensitive in my posts in the future, and I'm sure others will too.

But maybe I'm a weirdo because I didn't find the "controversial" post that was removed to be horribly inappropriate; perhaps it could have been worded a bit more gently, but it belongs to the category of speech that I believe we should protect here.