THE ROBERT W. WHITAKER ARCHIVE

I was thinking about the clash Alan B. and I just had, and it reminded me of the time Peter felt insulted by what I had said about him. He gave me hell and told me he was not about to kiss my arse and just take it. Actually I had been using my rough humor and he took it wrong.

This time I was disappointed and tired and gave Alan B. hell once too often. He told me he was not about to just kiss my retail section and just take it.

Then he, like Peter, decided to come on back in.

This makes me a bit proud. Commenters are very nice to me and try to keep up my spirits, but you are also not afraid to take the old man on nose-to-nose.

If I step over the line, drive me back. Our whole problem is that we live in a world that is so desperate to see eye-to-eye that they simply will not take on "authority figures" nose-to-nose and fang-to-fang.

Alan B. and Peter, both rough characters, decided I was worth coming back in for. I would rather have the grudging respect of a fighter than the worship of a thousand syncophants.