Morse code is not used in communications of any consequence in the
western world.


B.S. Hams use it quite often. Who cares about emergency workers..
But saying that, I could care less if they do away with it or not.
It's not
that big a deal to me. But.....I still refuse to stand by and watch
people
that are totally ignorant of the subject spew their drivel. 5 wpm?
Hell, they might as well do away with it.... 5 wpm is nearly useless to

anyone in the real world. I can do 55-60 wpm on a good day.
I can do 30-40 wpm in my sleep. Sheesh. Code is simple to ones
who don't have a mental block, or some other kind of learning problem..
Even I use it less than I used to, but I'm damn glad I *do* know it.
It
can and will come in handy at one point or the other. I've personally
assisted in an marine emergency on the ham bands, with the coast
guard involved, and the boater had to switch to CW cuz his batteries
were too weak for fone. If I was a lazy dumbass like most of these
rabid
"non-coders", they might have well been shark bait later that day.
But being I was capable of handling the mode, all was groovy in the
world.
Testing for code is testing for code. Nothing more, nothing less.
If they drop code testing , fine with me. Just don't try to convince me
the
new op's are as capable of operators as the ones that do also know
code.
Cuz, they ain't. Case closed. They will always be slightly inferior as
*operators*. Notice, I didn't say *hams*.
MK