In article , Dave Heil
writes:

William wrote:

PAMNO (N2EY) wrote in message
...
In article , Mike Coslo
writes:

William wrote:
Mike Coslo wrote in message
...

William wrote:

(N2EY) wrote in message
...

In article ,

(Brian Kelly) writes:
Mike Coslo wrote in message
...

Talk
about off off topic! Ooop! Not allowed to say PCTA are off topic.
My bad. So sorry.

What the heck, Brian? If you post something, and someone disagrees
with
it, is THAT what you mean by not being allowed to have a different
opinion?

I think that's exactly what "William" and "Lenover21" mean, Mike. If you
express a different opinion, they think you're saying they cannot have
their own.

When you tell someone that their opinions are invalid based upon
whether they hold an amateur radio license, then that is exactly what
you are doing.

Not at all!

Anyone can hold whatever opinions they want.

Whether those opinions carry any validity depends on the facts of the situation
and the thought processes which generate the opinion.

For example, someone today may be of the opinion that the Earth is the center
of the universe, and that the Sun, Moon, planets and stars all revolve around
the Earth.

Such an opinion can be shown to be almost completely unsupported by the facts.
It's still partly valid, because the Moon does revolve around the Earth.

Proving that the rest of the opinion is unsupported by factual evidence isn't
saying a person can't hold the opinion, or that the opinion is "invalid".

Of course, if a person wants to be taken seriously by others, or wishes to be
considered rational, that person is under the obligation to recognize facts
when presented.

Have you ever done that Jim?

I don't think I've ever written that a person cannot hold whatever opinions
they want. I may have stated that if they want to be taken seriously and
considered to be rational, they cannot hold opinions that are provably not in
accordance with the facts.

Hold on, "William! Len's opinions can be invalid because they simply
don't jibe with fact or they can be incorrect because he has no base of
experience in amateur radio.

A person can still hold opinions that have no basis in fact, however.

As for off topic, yourself and are the ones
complaining of messages being off topic.

Yep. Even though they go off topic even more.

Please allow me to set the record straight. You PCTA

Who is "you PCTA"?

are constantly
on Len for bringing up radio related experiences, but since they were
not precisely amateur experiences, you have told him that he is off
topic.

So what? Is it not allowed to point out that something is off-topic?

Where have I ever said that off-topic posting is not allowed here?

Is it not permitted for someone to tell Len that his repeating the same stories
over and over is boring?

Most of all:

When have I, or anyone except Len, ever told anyone here to "shut the hell up"?

So when you stray to space exploration, B&W movies, bad math,
and lust for movie stars, he beats you over the head with your very
own "Off Topic" drum.

Len will "beat over the head" anyone who disagrees with any of his opinions.
That's been shown here time and again.

And you hate it.

Len goes off-topic more than anyone here, and has done so at greater length
than anyone. And has been doing it for years.

Are Len's classic sphincter post and the one about the proximity of
Russian Bear bombers his way of beating himself over the head with his
"off topic" drum?

Don't forget the classic "feldwebel" post.

You mean like folks who blame all the problems of the ARS on the code
test?

Who are those people? Name them.

Start with the Board of Directors of NCI. Then list the membership. Oh
wait! That isn't possible.

Sure it is - just not by an outsider.

I blame the problems of the ARS on the following, in order of
importance:

Amateurs, ARRL, FCC, Morse Code Exam.

You're kidding, right? I see one of the major problems as those who
claim they'd like to become a ham but who don't want to bother learning
some part of the material required to become one. Aside from easy, no
additional code test upgrades, the gains made in licensing overhaul are
reversing themselves.

Reminds me of the "parade of victims" that NPR features each day.

When?

Daily.

I listen to NPR frequently, and I've not heard any such "parade".

Not a parade in the usual sense. But day after day NPR features
someone or some group with problems that only the government will be
able to solve.

Is that wrong?

Like those who'd like to have a General or Extra ticket but who don't
want to pass the 5 wpm code test?

I never realized that we had so many problems until I started
listening to NPR.

Then they've taught you something.

Then I realized that most of those people with
problems would not have problems if they had stayed in school, didn't
have sex out of wedlock, tried to raise children as a single, one
earning or no earning parent, ...

It looks as if you're saying that if people tried to raise children as
single parents or if only one or none of the parents in a marriage work,
they wouldn't have problems. I'll assume that isn't what you really
meant. Is it also your view that everyone who has had sex outside of
marriage has problems and becomes a victim?

Perhaps.

I think what's being said is that people whose spouses have died, run away,
been abusive, been imprisoned or who simply cannot function as adults for one
reason or another should not expect any help.

Finally, I'd like to take issue with your use of the term
"broadcasting." I do not have cable or satellite television.

I don't either. I give the money to our local public radio and TV stations
(WHYY).

I do not see Fox News.

Fox isn't available?

Nor do I see CNN. So broadcasting it is not.

According to your way of thinking, if you had no television set, the
three major networks wouldn't be broadcasting? Do you have any idea of
the number of households with either cable television or DBS satellite
television?

What's the point?

I do have ABC, CBS, NBC, and PBS broadcasts. Two are decidedly
socialist and/or anti-American.

Why? Because they dare to question The President?

You know, "William", I'm a staunch Republican. Even I can't agree with
that statement. Treat yourself to Dish Network or Direct TV this
holiday season.

I wonder how "William" would react to the film "Manchurian Candidate" (the
classic original, not the remake").

73 de Jim, N2EY