John,
For what it is worth, and as already stated by John Dewey and Greg Drumond, I completely support your original decision on the discourses and your current one concerning Dr Koenemann. This recent exchange can be separated into two components; the presentation of an idea challenging accepted wisdom (albeit in a confusing manner) and the personal opinions and insults from the person delivering it.
 
On the first point I am now reasonably certain that this idea has little if any merit but I am very pleased to see the high level of academic debate it has engendered. It has rekindled my interest in the finer points of stress and strain theory as understood and used by Earth Scientists and I will be seeking further information on the topic. On the second point I think Dr Koenemann has shown a propensity for an offensive and misleading style on this and other lists (e.g. iMechanica). I don't think further contributions from him on Geotectonics will yield any significant insights into his ideas or stress and strain in general. No doubt more information and experimental verifications will be appearing on his website in the near future so his ideas will still be available for analysis and discussion.
 
Keep up the good work and I won't be cancelling my subscription, even if Dr Koenemann is allowed back on.
 
Regards
 
Tim
 

________________________________

From: Tectonics & structural geology discussion list on behalf of John Whalley
Sent: Sun 27/03/2011 19:18
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Debate and insults


I must apologise to all remaining list members for having been away from my post when this all began on Friday and so not in a position to take immediate action. I hope that if any of the members who did unsubscribe are your colleagues, you will encourage them to rejoin. 
 
I was able to take action last night and currently Dr Koenemann is a member of the list but is not able to post. He is able to read messages. After his message from a week or so ago, that contained offensive comments concerning other list members, he and I exchanged private emails and a telephone conversation. The result was the posting of his "discourses". My decision to open the list to them, whilst perhaps not universally welcomed was supported by many members both in messages to the list and sent to me privately. I stand by that decision. However, in the light of subsequent events I need to make it clear that the discourses were first sent to me privately before being posted to the list 24 hours later. Thus I maintained a loose editorial oversight. I'm sure I need hardly add, I did not receive any prior notice of the "combined replies" message. However, prior to that message, I had already received discourses 5 and 6 which should have taken care of the weekend, when I was away from email. 
 
It does seem that, in spite of his protestations, debate is not what Dr Koenemann desires. In this instance, as previously, the expression of contrary views results not in discussion but in insults and wildly intemperate language. I do not intend to restore Dr Koenemann's posting rights, he not only overstepped the bounds of reasonable comment as permitted by JISCMail but betrayed the trust that I placed in him. I leave to him the decision as to whether he wishes to remain on the list as a listener.
 
John Whalley
 
 
 
John S Whalley, Geoscience Programme Manager
List owner - geo-tectonics 
  (http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/geo-tectonics.html)
Tel +44 23 9284 2247                                Fax +44 23 9284 2244
School of Earth and Environmental Sciences                              
University of Portsmouth
Portsmouth, PO1 3QL, UK                Email- [log in to unmask]