DG: exactly.....a very blurry gray line.....  would a committee telling us what is or is not acceptable help?  How can any group of persons presume to set and enforce a set of "standards" of behavior regarding something so vague and undefined as "offensive/non-offensive" speech?  Each of us draws that blurry line in a different spot and what offends person A may not offend person B.  Just how careful must we be?  

I'm a proponent of civil discourse and find insulting language counterproductive to the goal of the free exchange of ideas.  However, I think it's MY responsibility to tell others when and why their comments are offensive to me; and to do so in a civil fashion.  I think the imposition of "speech police" would exacerbate any problems rather than help solve them.  I'd rather see an effort to help individuals develop the skills to deal with such problems themselves.   regards, Gary