Here's my short list of rules for this NG, which I will try to follow:

1) criticizing posters' ideas, logic, facts, etc., is completely appropriate,
but ad hominem arguments, name calling, etc., is inappropriate;

2) political comments unrelated to food history (as important as they may be
otherwise) are inappropriate here;

3) civility should be our basic operating value (although I understand that
we're all tempted to violate this on occasion).

For those who violate the above, my response will be to ignore their comments.

Andy Smith