In article k.net, "Dwight
Stewart" writes:

"Larry Roll K3LT" wrote:

This may be so, but it is an imperfect system being
directed by people with imperfect wisdom and
questionable motives. I say questionable because
their motives, for the most part, are entirely
self-serving.


Can you can show me one law in this country that wasn't advocated by
people with self-serving motives? Laws, by their very nature, tend to serve
the interests of at least someone. In reality, the only reason you're
pointing to this is because people are now advocating the change of a law
you happen to like (the code test requirement). And, of course, you would
like everyone to believe your position in all this is not at all
self-serving.

Dwight:

Which it isn't. The only outcome I desire is to preserve Morse code testing
in order to preserve the continued growth in the numbers of new hams who
have been exposed to training in this mode, in the interest of getting some
percentage of them to get to the point where they can effectively use it
OTA.

And it is my right as an American Citizen to make an
attempt to preserve this requirement. I am not
challenging your right to do the opposite, even though
you seem interesting in squelching my own efforts. What
are you afraid of?


I'm afraid of your motives in all this, Larry. I don't like the words I
hear from many advocating the continuation of the code testing requirement.
Those words often reek of bigotry, elitism, and discrimination against other
Americans.

One of the classic NCTA whines. Us horrible old PCTA's want to keep
Morse code going so that we can continue to demonstrate the dominance
of the white, middle-class, American male, who represents 5% of the
world's population yet consumes 25% of the planet's resources, and is
responsible for racism, bigotry, famine, disease, poverty, ethnic cleansing,
global warming, destruction of the environment, homophobia, halitosis,
and every other bad thing you can think of. Yawn! However, I guess that
works for you NCTA's, in the absence of any truly valid reason for the
further dumbing-down of licensing requirements in the ARS.

Are you comfortable with some of the things said by those with
your position? Are you comfortable with some of the things you've said (the
garbage about a dumb downed America, your superiority, and so on)?

Don't look now, Dwight, but America *is* dumbed-down. It has been made
that way by a liberal, socialist media that continuously mocks traditional
values of morality, integrity, ingenuity and hard work, and makes it a virtue
to be dependent on government for cradle-to-grave life support. It is truly
an international conspiracy to deprive America of it's greatness.

(snip) HF access is different, and it is here that the
Morse/CW mode offers benefits and advantages
which can be exploited to the benefit of all radio
amateurs -- but only if they know how to do so.
Therefore, the testing requirement remains current
and valid -- forever.

Since it appears only a small minority of hams use Morse/CW on a regular
or routine basis,

And it is my desire that the ARS continues to have at least that "small number"
of CW-using hams among it's ranks. I don't think that's too much to ask.

a testing requirement obviously does not benefit "all
radio amateurs."

Well, it certainly doesn't benefit those hams who can't be bothered to
learn a useful communications skill. However, considering the nature of
the ARS in today's electronic communications reality, where the typical
teenager with a computer and a cell phone has truly global communications
capability in his pocket, ham radio still serves as the ultimate backup
system which can effectively employ numerous modes of communication,
including the most basic form -- Morse/CW. I don't want to see that
valuable capability become obsolete merely because of the indifference
of those who don't wish to make the effort to learn the Morse code.

In addition, the testing requirements are not there to
exclusively benefit Amateur Radio operators - they also exist to facilitate
the goals and purposes of Amateur Radio.

And it is my belief that unless we preserve code testing, those goals cannot
be fully achieved.

Therefore, any testing requirement
must be judged within the context of each of these. The code testing
requirement fails in each regard.

Just the opposite is true. However, as previously stated, you are not
qualified to make any judgment against the code testing requirement,
since you have not gained practical operational experience in this mode.
You have not had that mode's unique benefits and advantages proved
to you over and over again through years of daily OTA use. I have.
And I didn't go into ham radio as a CW "lover" by any means -- in fact,
I was a dedicated NCTA at the time. I came across to the other side
due to my own experience with Morse/CW, and thus became a True
Believer. Moreover, while I now consider myself to be primarily a
digital mode operator in my OTA experience, I still continue to be
convinced of the value of CW when I use that mode after using
PSK-31, RTTY, or any other digital mode. It's all good, and I believe
that we hams need all of these resources at our fingertips. However,
the only way we'll "have" CW is to know the code, and that's the rub
for you NCTA's.

I'm reasonably sure you'll ultimately get your way, since that's the
direction this country is going in general -- down the tubes.

73 de Larry, K3LT