Much cut out but for this one:
I have always disagreed with a skill test in
Morse being a condition for HF phone. I have never heard an argument for
that that makes logical sense.

The FCC Charter Part 97 sez:
§97.1 Basis and purpose.
The rules and regulations in this Part are designed to provide an amateur
radio service having a fundamental purpose as expressed in the following
principles:

Only (d) is quoted as follows

(d) Expansion of the existing reservoir within the amateur radio service of
trained operators, technicians, and electronics experts.

So until the military abandoned Morse Code (recently), having a trained pool
of operators proficient in Morse was a national asset. Certainly was true
during WWII and the Korean war (in which I sent and received volumes of
Military CW traffic), even into the cold war this was true. Sounds logical
to me, how about you. Remember we are not arguing about who is right, but
what is right -- OVER

It had an additional attraction to those Hams entering the military -- a
Ham proficient at morse could get a cushy chair at a radio (sometimes).
Or more often --- a not so cushy job in a rain-filled fox hole!

Now days - having "trained operators, technicians, and electronics experts"
can be a great national asset when the Big Kahuna hits -- ala 9/11 but big
time. And Lord forbid we ever have to mobilize a "Citizen Army" again, but
if we do -- you can bet ye olde bottom dollar, hams who can operate,
maintain, and repair electronics will be in high demand.

Things have changed, so I would now agree that CW skill is no longer
necessary (as a test), but we need to test so that we know those entering
the Amateur Radio Service know the International and FCC rules and regs,
enough technical knowledge to competently operate transmitters, and quite a
bit more so we don't end up with a free for all on the Amateur Bands which
for the most part has been up to now -- characterized by courteous, skilled,
and knowledgeable operators. We need to ensure this proud tradition
continues. We don't want a CB band or FRS band on the Ham Spectrums.

Don't bother to tell me that the Ham Renegades (0.01%) are representative of
the community as a whole.