John, John, John!

Now I can clearly see why after awhile, when people attempt to engage in some sort of dialogue with you, they are usually reduced to countering your exasperating and illogical arguments with statements like John, are you for real??? etc.

After this latest outburst towards me (and sooooo many others), I had to think twice about whether or not to respond. But just like you, I cant seem to control myself but I hope (for the protection of whats left of my sanity) this will the last time I address your inane assertions.

I doubt KJ is dismayed by my support of his posting, for I assume he knows my support of his essay is genuine, and my responding thoughts are completely consistent with things I have said in the past.

As for your statement: Your agreement to this is really news to me, Frank, considering that one of the complaints I have taken issue with and which you have attacked me forThis is quite perplexing to me, John. When exactly have I attacked you? I have tried my best to remain open to your posts, but Id finally run out of tolerance after you claimed YOU were being treated unfairly by a few (ha!) detractors! Other than that (and even within that one) where have I attacked you? While I certainly dont agree with a number of posters here, I challenge you to find an instance where I have engaged in any sort of name-calling or other kinds of personal attacks on you or anyone (at least until now).

You continue You may have noticed in here that certain of the contributors, including Frank, will not tolerate any teacher being criticised or called to account for his suspicious claims WHAT?!?!? Exactly when have I employed such language as will not tolerate? In fact, you and I first began our exchange as a result of James Crosss posting about his experiences at Gannan. If you recall, I expressed a desire to empathize with him, but found it almost impossible to do so based on his muddled, mysterious and selective claims.

And you continue on: However, for as long as you [Frank] refuse to accept, in principle, that there can possibly be anything wrong with teachers' claims...Ive NEVER said anything of the kind! (And again, please tell me exactly where I claimed such rubbish?) Your problem John (among so many others) is that you seem to take offense when many of us try to keep an open mind regarding some FTs emotional postings, but at the same time, you want us to wholly embrace all that you carry on about around here. Amazing!

Finally and I save this one for last because it is truly the most offensive aspect of your post is that in the past week or so, you and I have exchanged a few private messages, in an effort to respectfully better understand one another. You asked me to keep our private messages private, and I agreed to do so. I have not violated that trust. But now, you are bringing up issues and thoughts I shared with you privately, and you dont even have the decency (or sense of fair play that youre supposedly so dedicated to preserving) to quote me properly, or accurately! Shame on you!

Heres the best example of your crime: [Frank] You have openly said to me that whilst you believe it is right for schools to be treated to fair play, such fairness must not appear on this forum. Why not? Why should schools be denied fair play at the complaint stage

That is not AT ALL what I said to you PRIVATELY, John. What I said was that you keep demanding schools be treated with fair and balanced representation of the facts, (after receiving a private lecture from you about the legal justice systems in the UK and the US); and I countered that while schools are entitled to defend themselves, it is not necessarily the responsibility of plaintiff as it were. When FTs feel cheated, burned, conned, etc., they are often not in the state of mind to offer a completely objective and unbiased account of the school or situation. That is the job of a school rep (or defense attorney as it were ) to do so. I went on to say that I feel this forum is primarily for the use of FTs, and it is up to the readers to determine if they believe the plaintiff, or not. We do not ban schools and/or their representatives from defending themselves here. But if you notice, rarely do they seize the opportunity to do so.

As I said to you PRIVATELY John, no one signs some code of professional ethics or disclosure before making a post here. Its an open forum, warts and all.

As for your being torn apart by so many... Did you stop and consider that the reason so many people want to tear you apart (poor, little you!) is perhaps because you have consistently appointed yourself as judge and jury regarding many FTs posts. Most of us simply ask more probing questions when we are unclear about a posters motives and claims. You seem to always take it so much farther, declaring people to be almost fraudulent and/or vindictive liars. It is this constant posture of yours that conjures the wrath of so many folks around here.

John, since youve seen fit to grossly misquote me from private messages (after YOU requested that our PMs remain private) shall I offer some of your best pearls of wisdom publicly for others to read and admire? Unlike you, I wont need to misquote your statements in order to pump up my own feelings of victimization or superiority (as you have done here in spades!).

Since you -- in such a fair and balanced way -- accused me of attacking you, I will finally take the opportunity to do so now John, you are an insufferable, self-inflated bore! You have violated my trust for the final time. Bye bye!