Allow me to share today's activities

On Thu, 13 Nov 2003 10:26:51 -0800, "Holger Stephan"
wrote:

On Thu, 13 Nov 2003 08:03:51 +0000, - Barnyard BOb - wrote:
ONCE AGAIN???

What are you smoking, Holger?????
RAH has NEVER ACCEPTED ANY SUCH RULES as long as I've been here from any
Net Nazis.

It is not at all about Net Nazi rules or to restrict free speech. And I
have yet to see an Internet discussion group (be it on the newsnet or a
mailing list) with such a rude attitude from day 1. That is established by
a few who get a kick out of assaulting others. Then they find some
followers on that playground.

It doesn't have to be that way. RAH is really the most aggressive place on
the Internet I stop by regularly. I've heard from numerous others who
agree and a good part turned their back on RAH because of this.

You like it that way and it comes to no surprise you use displaced
references to the right of free speech and Net Nazis to defend your
habitat.

**** using my name? You had to know I would meet you eye to eye about
this latest turd of yours. I'm not much on pious bull**** and I don't
think others here generally are either. So.... Proceed at your own risk.

No, we're not meeting eye to eye, meaning in person, and that may be part
of the problem. We wouldn't be half as rude if this was a real discussion
in person.

BTW, what is that veterans talk about? It is not needed to respect you as
RAH member. Especially you with your vast aviation knowledge and your
excellently written postings that I do enjoy to read. At the same time you
are the archetype of notorious attacker, and that's why I referred to you
earlier.


- Holger


Holger, you speak the truth. The thing is, it did not use to be that
way here. Many years ago, this was a group where civil discourse
occured and disagreement was just that: a disagreement, not a personal
attack.

That all changed with the advent of a few guys who could not voice
their opinions without loosing the flames in incredibly derogatory
ways.

I don't remember now who was first, but Paul Lamar, Craig Wall and Jim
(Captain Zoom) Campbell kind of exploded onto the group in spectacular
fashion years ago and things have gone downhill ever since.

It's really too bad.

None of those guys post here anymore. Craig Wall was so vitriollic
that his access priveleges got snubbed, for a while, by his employer.
He came back a while later but apparently didn't like what he saw here
anymore so he stayed away.

Paul Lamar was nearly incoherently argumentative about the subject of
auto engine conversions. This is a man who worked as an engineer for
the Jim Hall Chaparal sports car team. A team that broke all kinds of
new ground for innovative car building. You'd think that a guy with
that kind of background would be the kind of guy who would be
intrigued by innovation in experimental aviation. But no. One of
Paul's more infamous predictions was that the V configuration produced
vibrations that would turn the cranshaft to dust within (fill in the
blank here for hours) time. I don't remember the figure, but I think
it was under 500. Of course that turned out to be a false
prognostication, as did his arguments that auto engines would never
ever be able to cool properly no matter how big a radiator you hung on
the frame. The cylinders were too close together, the passages too
small etc etc. These comments too, from the automotive engineer,
turned out to be false. Auto engines cool just fine with proper sized
radiators and proper airflow through them.

Paul eventually left the group, apparently convinced we were not worth
"saving". Ironically, he went on to form an e-mail group devoted to
the conversion of the Mazda Rotory engine to aircraft use. That
engine, he thought, held promise, unlike the piston engines.

And then there was Jim Campbell. I wish I had kept his original
posting to this group. It was so wierd it literally made my hair
stand on end. It was a rant about truth (whatever that was, because
he didn't exactly say) in the tone of a religious fanatic. I
dismissed it immediately because it was obviously not from earth.
Others dismissed him publically in this group and paid the price when
he attacked them with the threat of lawsuits. That was before people
who know him posted information to the effect that he was a blowhard
and none of his lawsuits based on what people said in this group would
stand up in court.

They were right.

But now RAH was gripped with a malaise of bitter attacks and counter
attacks that escalated to the point where it was hardly worth logging
on anymore, there was so much erupting going on. It was actually
depressing. Jim finally left, although I suspect he keeps an eye on
things.

With his departure though, the sun did not come out and warm us all
up. By then, people had gotten spurred so often, they kept up the
regime of personal attacks. Anyone blundering in with an innocent
question was often savaged with flames and accusations, never to be
seen again.

At some point Bill Phillips appeared and introduced himself with a
number of really good essays and comments. Then something happened to
him and he began a series of personal attacks that he claimed he did
just for the fun of it. He was retired and spent a lot of time here
and as the attacks became more vicious, people responded in kind.

At the risk of raising BOb's ire yet again, he is one of those persons
who seemed to learn to fight here at the end of a short chain. There
are times when a newbie shows up here with a question that would seem
a juicy target for a BOb barb, and he treats him gently. But most of
the time he is as you see him, lashing out at those he disagrees with.

I believe there is a lot of interesting information available in this
group. Over the years I've copied and brought home many many pages of
replies and information.

You can take the high road and respond to those who appear so out of
control in a courteous manner without attacking the man behind the
words. Or you can take another road and just ignor him. A fire
without fuel eventually dies.

I do feel badly for those who lurk but do not enter for fear of being
blasted by the few who consider it their right and duty comment with a
flamethrower.

Corky Scott