This rule does not apply when the independent clauses are very short. Only Scott Plaid would ignore such an important point.
Daniel
Yes, I considered this when I first replied, but you’re ignoring two important items. First, while the clauses are reasonably short in terms of words and letters, the actual ideas contained were so boring and clunky that any perceived brevity disappeared when the sentence was actually read. Only a comma could have helped this horrible sentence from collapsing under the weight of its own dreariness. It’s disappointing that you could have missed this. Second, and more critical, I couldn’t find anything else wrong.
So, I must still insist that I can’t take the charge seriously and will not consider myself Scott Plaid based on the evidence provided.