David:

No where in amateur radios mission statement is anything mentioned about a
purpose to be "amateur museum-ists."

CW will stand or fall upon its own merits. If there are amateurs who wish
to collect ancient forms of communications (african messages drum, indian
smoke signals, message arrow, morse code, etc) they should do so on their
own.

John

On Sun, 21 Aug 2005 14:14:53 +0000, David Stinson wrote:

wrote:
.... We can confine any public
discussions on WT Docket 05-235 to that and avoid personal
squabbling such as demonstrated by Robeson and Jeswald...or not.
Your choice. But, "ya gotta know da territory!" first... :-)

A careful reading of my post
(and it was written carefully, just because of this)
will show that I did not aim it specifically at you,
though it was easy to imply, I suppose. I said
"people like" those he mentioned.
Though I do admit your first post within the tread read
"tart" to me, so I added a little lemon to mine, as well ;-).

I don't know you, Mr. Anderson, any more than I know
Steve, but it's a good bet you have both halo and horns
at the same time, just like everyone else on UseNet.
Some have more one than the other, and at different times.
But we can discuss this issue despite harps and pitchforks.

I believe that Morse Code deserves preservation on two counts:

1. It has proven simple, practical and useful for 160+ years.
That *you* have not used it, or that I have, is irrelevant.
A very great many have, and successfully, over a long time.
Bicycles are also "old technology," but that does not
invalidate them as a simple and reliable means of transportation.
A large fraction of humanity uses them, because they
do not have the luxury of expensive automobiles and gas.
Continuing within the context of such a society
(or what an more wealthy society can certainly become,
as anyone in South Africa can tell you):
One must practice and develop skill in using a bicycle,
if he wants to get around faster than walking.
If one is unwilling to do the work and take the occasional
fall needed to become a proficient bicycle rider,
then they must accept walking.
It is foolish and futile
for those who have chosen to walk
to curse those riding bicycles and the bicycles themselves.

It is also foolish and short-sighted to take for granted that,
once one has an SUV, that the need to ride a bicycle
will never come again. On such a day,
If *all* have forgotten how to ride,
than all of us shall walk.
If even a few are rewarded for remembering how to ride,
they can teach the many.

2. Historic preservation.
There are some who place no value on spending assets to
preserve touch-stones of humanity's progress.
Most of us do, which is why we spend money and labor
preserving "obsolete" ships, aircraft, telephones,
steam engines, etc. All of them take money and work
to preserve. Morse Code has been at least as important
as the development of the telephone, radio and even
the internet, having been the first "real-time" means
of knitting-together the globe. I submit that is a
valid reason to incentivize its preservation,
and that my proposal is an inexpensive, efficient
and reasonable means of doing so.

73 Dave AB5S