On 22 Jul 2004 00:57:58 -0700, (Fred the Red
Shirt) wrote:

Now Mr Rasimus, I gather from your writing that you are a literate
man of at least moderate intelligence. You have indicated that
you are older than myself, that you work for the Smithsonian and
you read the Washington Times. Few people outside of the DC
area (and not a whole lot there either) read the Times so I figure
you live in the DC area.

Now Fred (I hesitate to use first names after you have been so
courteous, but also feel uncomfortable with whether or not "the Red
Shirt" is your entire last name or should be hyphenated. So, I'll use
the familiar.)

You aren't doing your homework, and that seems exceptional because in
other posts you've clearly demonstrated an ability to use Google and
maybe even Nexis.

Thank you for the compliment to my literacy and the moderation of my
intellect. I am, indeed probably older than you. Nearly as old as
dirt, having grown up shortly after the invention of fire.

But, you haven't paid attention at all regarding the remainder. I
don't work for Smithsonian. My books are published by Smithsonian
Institution Press. I'm a retired military tactical aviator and have
done freelance writing for computer magazines and teaching of
political science at my local college. I've got no employment
relationship with the Smithsonian.

Further I don't live in the DC area and I don't read the Washington
Times. I read the Colorado Springs Gazette, the Denver Post and the
Wall Street Journal.

I would guess that over the years you have heard at least as much
Senate 'testimony' as I have. You must have listened on one or
more occasion when people 'testified' by reading prepared speeches
and were then 'questioned' by Senators whose questions were themselves
also speeches.

So please, don't expect me to believe that you hope that when
someone testifies befor the Senate they are speaking literally.
You know better. Don't expect me to believe that you cannot tell
when a speaker shifts between general statements to specific
anecdotes and back again.

"Literal" testimony is fact. The opposite of literal is figurative.
General statements or specific statements of fact are literal.
Anecdotes are literal as are statistical data.

You're smart enough, and you're experienced enough. It is odd that
you do not seem to have expected others in the newsgroup to be
similarly endowed with those attributes.

I only observe the evidence. Many in the newsgroup are more amply
endowed than I. Some, regretably, regularly emphasize the contrary.

I might suggest that you Google my name and find out a bit about me.
Or query my name on Amazon.com and see what the books are about.



Ed Rasimus
Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
"When Thunder Rolled"
Smithsonian Institution Press
ISBN #1-58834-103-8