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Subject:Re: I apologize to the list From:"Walker, Arlen P" <Arlen -dot- P -dot- Walker -at- JCI -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 29 Oct 1997 08:27:02 -0600
I feel obliged to apologize to Eric and to the entire list.
You shouldn't; there's no need.
I had no idea those enterprising degree war-mongers (degree-war
mongers??) would find a way to turn a legitimate inquiry and response
into yet another iteration of a very tired holy war.
When the unknown engineer invented the wheel, I'm sure the idea that it
would be used to torture folks as the main component of the rack was
likewise not in mind. And the fact that someone incorporated it into a
torture device is not the fault of the inventor. Had you not made the
comment, something else would have set it off.
Anything can and will be used to spark "yet another iteration of a very
tired holy war." This particular one is a piece of the certification
debate, and the reason it keeps coming back is because some people have a
real bee in their britches over the topic. Ever watched the (US) political
debates on television? The moderator asks a question, and the politician
launches into his favorite speech, which is only tangentally related to the
question. The fact that the speech is irrelevant isn't the fault of the
questioner.
But I toss this thought into the fray - how many 'whirlers refrain,
out of fear of opening the gates to war-mongers, from contributing
their excellent opinions and experience to a legitimate thread?
I'm afraid many hold silent ... and that is a shame.
Is it a shame that *many* "hold silent?" I don't know. I've heard the claim
before, but never saw any evidence that it was the case. Judging from the
fact that most of what gets said isn't worth the saying (and, before you
ask, I include myself in this statement as well) I'd doubt it. I figure
what goes unsaid splits into roughly the same proportions as what gets
said.
And one other thing. You're pointing the finger of blame in the wrong
direction. If someone decides not to say something, then they, not the rest
of the world, are responsible for their decision. If my point of view goes
unheard because I don't speak it, the responsibility is mine, not yours nor
anyone else's. Yes, it's convenient for me to blame someone else for my
decision. But convenience isn't truth.
Have fun,
Arlen
Chief Managing Director In Charge, Department of Redundancy Department
DNRC 224
Arlen -dot- P -dot- Walker -at- JCI -dot- Com
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In God we trust; all others must provide data.
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Opinions expressed are mine and mine alone.
If JCI had an opinion on this, they'd hire someone else to deliver it.
