Dick Carroll; wrote:
. You know as well as anyone, better than most, that almost the
only
"enforcement" we've had on the ARS for many years
prior to Riley's appointment WAS the code test.

Now, a 'difficult' (for that type of individual) test which
discourages,
yea, FILTERS him from active, open participation is a poor
excuse for monitor vans and well trained and equipped crews.
But it's what we had.

Now we have Riley and a 5wpm code test. Soon only Riley. When
he goes, I
for one believe the ARS will follow his exit, not far behind. By
that time
there
will be far more than adequate evidence that the ARS is no
longer a viable
self- policing entity, staffed with conscientious people willing
and able to
conduct themselves in a manner commensurate with the priveleges
granted,
most of which will shortly be summarily withdrawn.

Dick,

EVERY time there has been change of any real sort in ham radio, there
have been cranky olde fartz like you preaching "end of the world" doom
and gloom ... and every time it has not come to pass ...

Witness:

conversion from spark to CW;
conversion from AM to SSB;
introduction of packet radio and other "new-fangled @^#%$ computer
thingies";
the introduction of the no-code Tech license;
restructuring 3 years ago;

and many others I'm sure I've omitted.

The point is, the world (and ham radio) is NOT going to end ... despite
your rants that it is.

Actually, on the contrary, if these changes hadn't happened and we were
still stuck in the spark era (i.e., if cranky olde fartz like you had
stopped
the progress of ham radio over the years), we WOULD be in danger.

If you want to see what presents the biggest danger to the future of
ham radio LOOK IN THE MIRROR ... the enemy you fear is yourself,
with your backward thinking, unwillingness to accept progress, and lack
of tolerance for newcomers (unless, of course, they've suffered through
the same fraternity hazing rituals that you had to endure, lo those many
years ago and think in exactly the backward, narrowminded ways that
you do).

When you're done looking in the mirror, you can look a your cronies,
Larry, Dave Heil, and the whole list of like-thinkers... they are also
part of the enemy you fear ... for they think and act essentially the
same way as you do.

THERE is where the REAL danger to the future of ham radio lies ...
in people who are so married to/stuck in its past that they despise
any thought of change, progress, and the newcomers that it will
bring (unless the newcomers are acceptable "clones" cast in your
own image).

However, those newcomers are the future of ham radio ... for us older
guys will surely die, and if there aren't younger folks to replace us ham
radio will die with us. It's up to us to WELCOME and ENCOURAGE
them ... their ways will not be the ways of the past ... things change and
nobody can freeze time. But insulting, berating, demeaning them, and trying
to keep them out is not the way ...

Think about these things long and hard before you look yourself in
the mirror again ... without some reflection, reconsideration, and change
in your ways, you may not like what you see ... the enemy that is YOU.

(Try to be *completely* like Scrooge ... go through the change, don't stay
stuck in the first part ...)

Carl - wk3c