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December 18th 04, 11:43 PM

In article , PAMNO
(N2EY) writes:

Subject: K0HB Supports Terrorist Use Of GPS Net Against America
From: PAMNO (N2EY)
Date: 12/16/2004 6:26 PM Central Standard Time
Message-id:

In article ,
(Steve
Robeson K4YZ) writes:

Subject: K0HB Supports Terrorist Use Of GPS Net Against America
From: PAMNO (N2EY)
Date: 12/16/2004 4:26 AM Central Standard Time
Message-id:

In article . com, "K4YZ"
writes:

"The Shrub"...?!?!

Yes.

Hardly.

How? It's a nickname. If President Clinton can be called "Slick Willy",
then
President Bush II can be called "Shrub". Or "W".

One of the most important freedoms we enjoy is the freedom to publicly
criticize and disagree with public officials, including the president.

Remember too that *he* works for and answers to *us*, not the other way
around.

Point taken.

It's an important point when any disagreement with or criticism of Our
President is considered unpatriotic and possibly even treasonous.

So...is it "treasonous" to advocate the elimination of the morse code
test?

This nation has bandied-about it's "Don't Tread On Me" attitude
for since the fifties yet has gotten into the practice of tucking tail and
running when it get's slapped around a little bit.

What *are* you talking about?

Did this nation "tuck tail and run" from Korea?

Yep.

Then what are all those troops there for?

Hint: There has NOT been any "end" to the Korean War since 1953.

But, you, having served there, know that? Or did you "negotiate"
that long-running Truce?

We pushed the Koreans back to the Yalu and then let the Red
Chinese push us back. We then pushed THEM back again and started the
"appeasement game".

A lot of us don't see it that way. You might consider the history of Korea
before 1950 to get the big picture.

Tell us all about that, wise and experienced veteran of foreign wars
(and the Avenging Angle, too, since the scene around the Yalu
MUST have been one of his "seven hostile actions").

What form of government is in charge of Viet Nam today?

One that our country is pretty friendly with.

All due to the "good will inherent to amateur radio licensees?" :-)

It's important to look at the history of Vietnam:

Before WW2, it was a French "colony". But the French could not defend Vietnam
from the Japanese, and during the war Japan controlled Vietnam. There was a
resistance movement during WW2, opposing the Japanese invaders.

Vietnam was not liberated by Allied forces during WW2. After the war, the
resistance movement folks and many other Vietnamese wanted an independent
Vietnam. Their leader, one Ho Chi Minh, saw himself as the Vietnamese
equivalent of George Washington and even approached the USA for support. But
the USA and others supported simply giving Vietnam back to France, not caring
what the Vietnamese people wanted at all. The policy was that independence
was OK for British colonies in 1776 but not OK for French colonies in 1946.

So the resistance movement became an independence movement, and went elsewhere
for help. Spurred on by the success of Algerian independence, they managed to
push out the French in 1953. But the UN imposed an artificial division of the
country, which the North Vietnamese simply ignored.

The USA and others got involved in large part to counteract the supposed
"domino effect", "preventing communist expansion" that would supposedly spread
all over the world. Yet when the US left and the South Vietnamese government
collapsed, Vietnam did not become a takeoff point for further communist
expansion.

While the US originally sent "advisors", LBJ expanded the war into a much
larger conflict - based supposedly on the Gulf of Tonkin incident.

How many Vietnamese civilians died or were injured in the war? Were all of
their deaths justified? Was there no other way to handle the situation? Is it
possible that LBJ made a mistake?

Cut to the chase. Did Vietnam abolish the morse code test for their
radio amateurs or is it still mandatory?

Does Vietnam have history questions on their amateur radio tests?

snip

It makes our lives easier. Of course in the mean time we LOSE basic
skills that, in the absence of those assets, will be necessary.

That loss is avoidable.

Sure it is...IF you want to take the time to learn the skills and use
them once in a while.

Agreed. Which is why public policy should support such things.

So...radio amateurs in the USA must continue to test for morse
code ability because it was the first ever communications mode in
radio?

Of course. Without that morse code test we would live in a
dictatorship, ruled by nastypeople.

snip

Perhaps we should ground all nongovernment aircraft bigger than a certain
size,
so that a 911 style attack could never be repeated. We could also outlaw
certain fertilizers and the rental of trucks bigger than a pickup, to avoid
another Oklahoma City.

And perhaps just keeping better tabs on what we have and how we use it
will do.

Apply that to the GPS situation.

Does one have to include a morse code test for a GPS license?

:-)

It's amazing how the grant of an amateur radio license makes everyone
an absolute EXPERT on socio-political questions of the day, especially
those who've never ever served in their country's military nor done any
communications other than amateur radio.

Powerful stuff that morse code. Pass one code test and one is a major
player on foreign policy and what ails human beans. :-)