Bailey Manuscript Brouhaha

It would have been enough, in fact more than enough, at least in my mind ... had the Mudflats people simply said,

It appears that a manuscript we have been working on for over a year has been distributed well beyond what we intended when we sent it to our publicist. Several outlets, news organizations and blogs included, are writing about one or another aspect of the book we hoped to publish.

Those we know have had access to the manuscript, either through their publishing stories about it or through their statements that they received it from one or another individual, will be contacted by our attorneys and asked to cease and desist and also asked to reveal from whom they received a copy and to whom they themselves distributed a copy.

In the meantime, we ask for our readers' patience while we determine our next best course of action to publish this critically important manuscript.

Now, wouldn't that have been better?  The high road, people, the high road.  You only get a chance to take it once.