[tomato] The nastiness goes on....and on...and on <sigh> DELETE IF NOT CONCERNED

Kuczwanski@aol.com (Tomato@GlobalGarden.com)
Thu, 4 Mar 1999 08:11:18 EST 

The nastiness does go on and on, but I don't  think it is caused by Thomas.
In fact it was Margaret Laute who, in response to Thomas' initial post on his
experience and how he thought mycorrhizae could help someone's particular
problem, immediately characterized his entire post as "spam."  She could have
just deleted the message, expressed her concerns privately, or suggested that
commercial messages are generally not welcomed on mailing lists, but she chose
the more inflammatory word.  The choice doesn't suprise me--this comes from
the woman who once told me when I, not knowing Whom I Was Conversing With,
dared to diagree with her opinion on what she chooses to call "terminator
technology" that she was happy to be nearer the end of her life than the
beginning because people like me were alive!  I have since been reminded
several times that disagreeing with Margaret L. is not showing her the immense
respect she deserves.  I came to grow tomatoes, not to praise Margaret.  Not
that Margaret doesn't deserve praise, I just don't know her outside of the
gardening lists.  From what I've seen, I don't want to know her.   

Then we have the traditional "other shoe" - Chuck.  Someone on the list even
went so far as to say that no one anywhere should ever eat any tomato without
giving thanks to Chuck.  Chuck, as is often the case, went farther than
Margaret.  Without a single question or clarification, he implied that
mycorrhiza in general and Thomas' product in particular was snake oil, a
fraud, a rip-off, a con game waiting for a sucker.   When Margaret and Chuck
were reminded that there are others on the list and that their behavior is
hardly welcoming to newcomers, Chuck avoided direct response but implied in a
post apparently intended to be directed to another Margaret that he was well
informed on the subject of mycorrhiza, had seen it  and used it before and
found it wanting.  In a private e-mail to me, he recently said that Thomas
could not possibly know anything because he misspelled "tomatoes".   On this
list, it was obvious Chuck didn't know what he was talking about since, after
being pressed to explain his slander of Thomas, he consistently posted as
though he believed it was the same thing as manure.  Privately he has admitted
that he knows nothing mycorrhiza, which he spelled "microwhatsis", and that
the seed company that he works for has provided him with ads that are the
source of all he knows.  Thanks for the belated and incomplete disclosure of
your financial interests, Chuck.   It sounds like Chuck doesn't have 50 years
of experience; he has one year of experience 50 times.  

The situation reminds me of the joke about the young girl saying to the old
man, " You must have seen lots of changes in your many years."  At this he
responds, "Yep, and I've been against every one of them."  

Catherine, you, too, could have just hit delete.  But Thomas post, while very
long and not concisely written, did not include the information about which
you object until the very end, and then included specifics like spore counts
that are important in determining the nature and value of the product.  It
contained information which could be valuable to those of us that want it, and
not even read by those not interested in mycorrhiza.  It was clearly labled,
after all.    Is the list mislabeled?  Is this not really the tomato list?  Or
are we only interested in Margaret and Chuck worship, after all.

Linda Kuczwanski




In a message dated 3/3/99 10:51:42 PM Central Standard Time,
cvinson@mindspring.com writes:

<< Once again, Mr. Giannou is treating us to his treatise-pitch for the
 mycorrhiza products he is attempting to sell over the Internet.
 
 Far be it from me to disparage anyone's efforts to make an honest dollar,
 but I do take objection to the onslaught of sales pitches from Mr. Giannou,
 especially as he seems to have added a new wrinkle: knock any and all
 competing VAM products. Shame.
 
 On the other hand, perhaps I should not have posted a good word on behalf of
 one of his competitors that Mr. Giannou now has taken upon himself to
 "unmask" as worthless.
 
 Catharine/Atlanta, zone 7b >>