trb@masscomp.UUCP (08/04/84)
This from Howard Hill ihu1e!howardh: >Mr. Arndt: >I recently read your submissions in net.motss and was amazed, disgusted, >and disappointed by your submissions. Such vituperation and profanity >is something I prefer not to be exposed to. >... >I debated saving a number of your recent submissions and mailing >them together with a cover letter to Mr. Olsen and other key people >at DEC. I decided against this because this would have an adverse >effect on the entire USENET community at DEC. However, you should >be aware that someone else may do just this. >... I am far far far more offended by Howard Hill than I will ever be at Ken Arndt. Ken Arndt offers us his own ideas with his "vituperation and profanity" (as Hill puts it). Hill merely threatens Arndt with real and underhanded threats. I certainly can't recall any contribution of note from Hill over these netwaves, and even if I could, it's no excuse for his threat to screw Arndt. I have, in earlier days, been both threatened and screwed by opponents on both USENET and ARPANET. In one case, abuse trickled down from Vice Presidential level at BTL and WECo, VP level being five levels of supervision up from me. If you're going to be outspoken, it goes with the territory. Thank God it's just morons that bitch at managers rather than assassination attempts. It is, of course, often true that managers are not in tune with the goings on of such forums as these, nor do they always share our political interests, nor do they always care to defend freedom of expression. All they want is peace and quiet, not moral or intellectual integrity. Consider, moral and intellectual integrity does not a powermonger make, nu? In other words, it doesn't matter whether Ken Arndt's opponent is right, it matters whether the opponent wants to throw mud at DEC in order to quiet Arndt down. Threats are particularly disgusting creations. Low effort, high annoyance; often very effective. Let's say I don't like Howard Hill so I call him in the night and threaten him or his house or his family. Does it matter whether his opinion is good or beautiful? No, it only matters how much of a pain in the ass I feel like being. I'm surprised to see threats in this group, of all places. So Arndt's behavior is a little divergent. I would think that came with this territory. If you're so damned right and you care so much, it should be trivial to uncover Arndt for the fool he is by controverting his points right here, if you think it's necessary. I think his colors show without my elucidation, so I don't post rebuttals. Whining to his mommy shows extremely low class. I don't know Arndt, but I get the impression that he's the kind of person who speaks up when he sees something wrong. I'd rather have one Arndt around than ten toadies spewing back the company line. Too bad most managers don't see the value in that. I don't agree with most of Arndt's opinions, though I sometimes enjoy reading them. Mostly, I read them at 19.2K baud. Sometimes though, he hits the nail on the head, though often in a rather sarcastic way. I'll take Ken Arndt, grossness and all. If you guys want to ignore him by not following up his netnews, be my guest. I never followup to Arndt's ravings. But if you suggest that we take low blows at Arndt or anyone else around here, I will hate your guts. (There is very very little in this world that will cause me to hate your guts.) I'm not real impressed by all you supposedly open minded folks who are calling for the slaughter of Ken Arndt. And in particular, Howard Hill, I spit in your face. Now you can be disgusted at me too, you vermin. Andy Tannenbaum Masscomp Inc Westford MA (617) 692-6200 x274