I agree. Being ready to express a different opinion, and being ready to listen to and consider a different opinion, is part of respect. That is basically what this is all about, it seems to me. There are aspects of the Pace history which used to be taken for granted but have rightly been questioned and challenged in recent years. At one time it was accepted that Richard Pace (m. Rebecca Unk, d. abt 1738 NC) "must have" been a great grandson of Richard and Isabella Pace. Ruth Clark was scrupulous in pointing out that there is no proof of this, and consequently none of us can prove descent from Richard and Isabella. Another point which was once accepted but has more recently been questioned, is the supposition that George Pace married the daughter of Rev Samuel Maycock. It appears that some who subscribe to this list dislike the questioning of things, and would like to go back to accepting everything that was once claimed. When I started posting to the list about Sarah Maycock, that apparently was misinterpreted to mean that I agreed with that "don't-ask-awkward-questions" attitude -- which obviously I don't. The more questions, and the more open discussion, the better, in my opinion. I think you are right that people may be reluctant to ask questions or to say what they really think. As you say, some of us have thicker skins than others. Some, if they get a rather sharp response in public, may feel upset and may say no more for fear of being upset again. We should all perhaps bear that in mind, and speak more gently to one another, even if we are disagreeing. My 2p. Ellen Janders 45 <janders45@hotmail.com> wrote: I don't know what's behind this thread, but I have to declare myself in favor of respect also. Respecting others is not only important, it is the polite and civilized thing to do. But I hope that we don't equate disagreement with disrespect. I come from a scientific background where it is common and expected that one's interpretations and conclusions will be challenged. It is through the process of challenge and debate followed by refutation or confirmation that the boundaries of knowledge are extended. I think that this applies to genealogy as well as to the scientific disciplines. I can recall no instances of disrespect on the Pace list, though others may have detected some that I missed. Perhaps I am a bit more thick-skinned than some. I fear that the greater danger is that we will err on the other side. That is, we may decline to disagree in public for fear that someone might be offended, even though we might sincerely disagree with the opinion or conclusion being expressed. This is just a point of view from someone sitting out on the periphery of the circle. I now feel obliged to point out that I mean no disrespect to anyone in suggesting that some of you folk may be just too darned polite. Joe Anderson ==== PACE Mailing List ==== To subscribe or unsubscribe send email to PACE-L-request@rootsweb.com with the one word message: subscribe OR unsubscribe For digest mode, use PACE-D-request@rootsweb.com Send instant messages to your online friends http://uk.messenger.yahoo.com