CRJ200 CAPT IS TOLD TO IGNORE MEL NOTE REQUIRING A VALVE TO BE OPERATIVE IN ORDER FOR THE SYSTEM TO BE DEFERRABLE UNDER THIS MEL.

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DURING ROLLOUT; WE RECEIVED A PAX DOOR STOW CAUTION MESSAGE AND AN OVERBOARD COOL FAIL STATUS. WHEN WE GOT TO THE GATE WE ADVISED THE FLT ATTENDANT NOT TO OPEN THE DOOR UNTIL WE CHKED THE PRESSURE AND ASKED THE RAMP PERSONNEL TO CHK IF THE OUTER DOOR HANDLE WAS OUT. IT WASN'T AND THE PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL WAS 0 SO WE INSTRUCTED HER TO OPEN THE MAIN CABIN DOOR. SHE DID SO WITHOUT EVENT. I CALLED MAINT AND EXPLAINED WHAT HAD HAPPENED. HE SAID HE THOUGHT THAT WITH THE 2 ITEMS IT WASN'T DEFERRABLE; BUT HE WANTED TO RESEARCH IT. HE SAID A MAINT REPRESENTATIVE WOULD COME OVER. THE MECHS TRIED TO FIX THE DOOR SENSOR BUT WERE NOT SUCCESSFUL. AFTER TALKING TO MAINT CTL; THE MECHS WERE GOING TO DEFER BOTH ITEMS. I NOTICED THAT THE LAST LINE OF THE MEL STATED THAT WE HAD TO ENSURE THAT THE OVERBOARD EXHAUST SOV IS OPERATIVE. SINCE THE OVERBOARD EXHAUST SOV WAS GOING TO BE SECURED OPEN; I POINTED OUT THAT IT WAS NOT OPERATIVE AND THAT I DIDN'T THINK THAT IT WAS DEFERRABLE. THE MECH AGREED. HE RELAYED THAT TO MAINT CTL. LATER WE RECEIVED A FAXED E-MAIL FROM THE FLEET MGR; STATING THAT THE LAST SENTENCE OF THE MEL WAS ONLY AN ACR Y NOTE THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DELETED AND THAT WE COULD DISREGARD IT. THE MECH BROUGHT THE EMAIL AND SAID; 'I WANT YOU TO READ THIS. I'M NOT GOING TO SAY ANYTHING UNTIL YOU ARE DONE.' AFTER READING THE EMAIL I DISAGREED ABOUT THE NOTE; AS DID THE MECH. I TALKED TO MAINT CTL AND THEY ALSO SAID IT WAS ONLY A 'NOTE' BY ACR Y AND COULD BE DISREGARDED. AFTER TALKING WITH PLT GROUP SAFETY REPRESENTATIVES; I WANTED TO SEE THE MMEL ON THE DOOR. MAINT SENT IT TO ME. IT WAS DATED XX/XX/2005. MY MEL SECTION WAS MORE RECENT SO I QUESTIONED THAT FACT. I WAS TOLD AGAIN THAT THE 'NOTE' WAS ADDED BY ACR Y AND THAT THE MMEL TOOK PRECEDENCE. AFTER CONFERRING WITH MY PLT GROUP SAFETY REPRESENTATIVE AND THE ON-SITE MECH; WE WERE ALL IN AGREEMENT THAT THE FLT COULD BE CONDUCTED SAFELY. WE DID COMPLETE THE FLT WITHOUT INCIDENT. I DO QUESTION THE FLEET MGR AND MAINT CTL WITH WANTING TO DISREGARD MEL NOTES. AS A LINE PLT AND ONLY HAVING OUR UPDATED FSM MEL'S AS GUIDANCE; WHAT NOTES ARE WE ALLOWED TO IGNORE AND WHICH ONES CAN'T WE?