A wonderful and thoughtful oldtime Wikipedian pointed out to me that I was getting a bit blunt in my emails yesterday about WP:OFFICE.
I apologize for that.
Here are the main points I want to empahasize:
1. This policy merely extends longstanding practice, previously not questioned, becuase I did it myself.
2. Nothing about this policy changes anything about our NPOV policies for any article in Wikipedia. WP:OFFICE in no way implies that some articles or some people are given any special treatment in the handling of their biography.
3. WP:OFFICE is intended to be used only temporarily as a courtesy in certain highly delimited circumstances. In some cases, this will be cases involving a threat of legal action, but in other cases it may be simply as a courtesy while we sort something out.
4. In all cases, we will communicate the maximum possible information in the shortest possible time period, subject to legal constraints and also time constraints.
5. Danny has, in my own opinion, formed in long experience, excellent judgment.
6. In some cases so far, WP:OFFICE was used for a longer period than I would have liked, due to various circumstances. I'm sorry about that. However, I remind everyone that Assume Good Faith is absolutely important to our community.
I am frankly shocked and saddened to see some of the accusations I have seen in this thread, but it is always and everywhere my intention to respond with kindness even to the most dishonest provocation, and I'm sorry I was snippy in some of my responses.
--Jimbo