From: "John Smith" on Sun 3 Jul 2005 21:06

Len:

I finally figured out why they truly hate you here!

You are getting there, sort of...it's actually deeper than that.

You have made a statement that cw is ridiculous and protested by never
getting an amateur license--now there are tens of thousands or even
hundreds of thousands who have joined you--I see them everyday--they
refuse to get a license because of the code...

See the classical reducto ad absurdum response of Hans Brakob. :-)

Most of the commentary by the "regulars" (nearly all Pro-Code
Test Advocates (PCTA) amateur extras is predictable and worded
in the classical "league-speak" that has washed their brains.

They are few and NONE of the are, in any way, "representative"
of the "amateur community" despite what they exclaim. NONE of
them (Brakob included) accept any contrary commentary and each
feels that their tight clique must remain sound...regardless...

The "reply" that is a classic reduction-to-the-absurd of Brakob
is just one style of highly-negative response to "outsiders"
(those who do not think as the clique does). Heil stresses
the "personal involvement" as if he is a moral arbiter of all
but that is his only remaining retort and the glass of the retort
is cracked. Miccolis is firmly entrenched into a mindset of
amateur radio of days prior to his existance...a condition
that may have been caused by way too much rereading of ancient
copies of QST enshrined in his basement. Kelly is basically a
blustering Philly Tuff Guy who don' take nuttin from nobody!
Flint is one of the truer products of league pre-conditioning
("brainwashed" in familiar terms) but, to her credit, defends
the Newington barricades vigorously. Robeson is the emotional
wreckage of an exploded loose cannon littering the imaginary
battlefield. Jeswald ("Dan/W4NTI" who apparently changed
his surname) acts the southern-fried good-ole-boy and is little
more than a braggart, nasty when drunk.

There have been others, but the above coterie (perhaps 'cotillion'
of ancient debutantes/dilettants) makes up the "representative"
body in here. Each is a Special Interest Group of One. They
purport to be the "Voice of Amateur Radio" yet all speak
solely for their own particular desires and each holds to an
intimation that they are the proper role model for others.
["all must do as they did to be as good as they"]

Thousands of others interested in radio have come on various
scenes before I did. THEY are the ones that pushed forward for
the no-code-test Technician Class license creation. Such was
created. The God-fearing morsemen all sounded the Hue and Cry
with the "death of amateur radio (without the beloved code test
to show the "dedication and committment to the amateur
community")" on their lips. At present, the "lesser-class"
licensees in U.S. amateur radio (Technicians) amount to 48.43%
of all individual licenses as of 2 Jul 05. That was achieved
in a scant 14 years. Had the Technician classes not existed,
U.S. amateur radio licensees would have shrunk to less than
60% of its current size now. The intrinsic appeal of morse
code ("try it you'll like it!") is nebulous, more vapor than
substance.

Amateur radio - as the olde-fahrts knew it - IS beginning to
shrink. Without change, it WILL die out...but after the olde-
fahrts do. The olde-fahrts are Holding Back The Dawn, fearing
the sunshine of new ideas like vampires trembling at sunrise.
At best, their "new ideas" exist in the "new band" trials at
600 meters...the old 500 KHz maritime distress and safety
frequency that was. "CW" of course. All is morsemanship in
the ARS (Archaic Radiotelegraph Society)...that "cutting edge
mode" exemplifying "keeping up with the state of the art."
"Bang the Carrier Slowly" would be an alternate title.

... that is why they hate you, you were a man before your time my
friend!

Not really. I disturb their self-image of expertise and
elitism. I challenge their brags with some experience in HF
and VHF and UHF and microwaves communications. That is the
breaking of illusions they harbor, a sort of mental
Krystalnacht of theirs and they feel persecuted, seek
vengence and retribution for disturbing their fantasies of
glory, honor, and nobility. [I pop their balloons]

Others have been the pioneers of NCTA-ism. They were before me.
They deserve the credit, not me. I'm simply outspoken and on
the other side of them. They can't handle it...the league
hasn't instructed them on how to handle such humans...they
revert to middle school taunts, acting like middle-aged
children. Tsk, tsk. :-)

And, your protest is being voiced by a strong majority today.

The PCTA hear not. The olde-fahrts holding back the dawn
hear not. They will resist until the last code key is pried
from their cold, dead fingers. They WERE "operators."