Re: Pirates of Silicon Valley

[cturley2@aol.com (Cturley2)]

To Bev with her post and thoughts - I reply noted as -> +

"Tom, I convinced Joe to come back to this board (so that everyone could be
together), because you have been very helpful to me and I didn't think you
would annoy him."

-> + I wasn't trying to annoy him.  It's just that the simply thought or
contact of me within Joe's comprehension - unfortunately - has in the past for
years now and most like will forever - annoy him in general with anything.   I
thought my thread and post on his original post - made it clear to all - that I
did honor his desire that I never use any of his comments with his post, in
anything I offer to my site visitors.  As far as I'm aware at the present time
on this - I haven't done such.  I asked Bruce Baker in an email for his
permission to use his post and he replied with a polite but respectful - NO.


"If you want to reprint something, you should ask the poster, not just take it
when it becomes a quote. Even if it isn't required legally, it's a simple
courtesy. It doesn't take much thought to figure that out."

-> + Thanks for the advise with that.  I'm well aware of it.   I do my best to
show as much simple courtesy to anybody - as I possibly can be allowed to. 
I've done my best to show such to you and
put out a strong effort to do the same towards Joe - with no success.  Some
people just seem to return towards you in the same way and some don't.  I've
gone out of my way in the past year or so with trying to respect Joe and not
infringe with his efforts, but he consistently will post some crude character
assination comments and attempts to the public - simply to try and humiliate me
in the publi eye on this newsgroup.  Sure I'll come back strong when he does
this.  I always have. I don't consider myself as trash and don't like being
treated like trash in public by Joe with his harsh, personal attacks on my
person and efforts.  I may be a Rev. and have been for over the past 25 years
but, I'm not the sort to turn the other cheek - when I'm slapped in public and
simply smile at the person who slapped me.

Let me ask you this Bev...how would you have responded with a post - had Joe
said to you and about you - what he posted and said about me.  He's entitled to
his thoughts and personal perceptions of me, but certainly there has never been
any constructive reason, benefit or logic in his long past and current record
of the things he spews to the public with posts to this newsgroup about me. 
Let's see, he's labeled me as a toothless moron, an insane pirate, a thief, a
liar, represented outragous allegations galore about my past actions within
this Apple II community to dozens of people in email campaigns, face-to-face
trashings over me and none of any of what he says has ever been encountered
between he and I on any person to person level and never has been based on any
sort of valid proof on anything with his personal experience or first hand
knowledge with me.  It's all based on his on personal assumptions about me. 
Everything he utters against me anywhere is merely the result of an obsessive
hate and paranoia compulsion he fosters towards me. He's had this personal
dislike towards me from our one and only personal meeting back at the last
Apple Expo West - we meet each other at. It's been continual with him towards
and over me for half a decade now.

To be honest about it all - he scares me.  I have friends tell me I should be
careful that he's going to flip out some day and come over to my home and blow
me away in a fit of mad rage derived from some inner fantasy he's developed
that I'm out to destroy him and his business.

I've never had any such desire nor done anything that might cause such a thing
towards Joe.  But, there is nobody on this Earth that can ever prove to him
otherwise and dozens of others that's he befriend and campaigned to them
against me.  If you could only read some of the emails he's sent to my friends
over the years, you'd be shocked at the contents and comments, efforts and
energy he uses.  Rest assured they aren't the sort of emails he'd ever send to
your friends about you - attempting to convince them to disconnect totally from
me - promptly or face sure destruction of their reputation in the Apple II
world.   

Well, many of them sent me copies of the email he sent them, I read it and have
kept them all over the years.  Nearly all of those people are still my friends
today and most of them lost much respect for Joe over his sending them emails
to urge them to disconnect from any sort of contact or relation with me for
their own best interest.  They lost even more respect - they had for him with
the additions of his uncalled for and over done public put downs about me in
every way a person can be put down in public.

No way will I just sit back, grin it away and not let it bother me.  I'm a
human with the same feelings we all have.  I don't like being hated with such a
vingence and have it splashed before the entire A2 public over and over again
from Joe.  I don't really want to respond in the same way he does towards me in
his public posts and personal character attacks, but, I've never in all of my
53 years let anybody treat me as Joe has without an equal response in my own
style - back at that person.  And, I never will.


"Joe's comments reflect the feelings of many of us who work so hard for almost
no money and little thanks. It's a constant battle which we must deal with
(mostly) alone. A lot of good work gets lost simply because it becomes a  "why
should I?" along the way."

And, do you think I make any money or got that many thanks with my efforts over
the past few years?  No...I make no money with any of my efforts in the Apple
II world and I don't get to many thanks either.  I've never ordered Joe Kohn in
public posts and comments to others about him -  to never use anything I'm
connected with, have said or posted to the public.  When I can do it I try to
give others what they express they want and need, with help, advise or whatever
else I can offer them without causing any harm to others in doing so.

I've never coveted anything I provided to the Apple II users in the many past
years I've given all I could give to them all - freely - because I enjoyed
giving whatever I had to offer them with their needs.  Sure, I'm no Saint. 
Never claimed to be anything close to such.  I've made many stupid mistakes and
reacted in haste over things and I regret doing it.  I'm not perfect.  None of
us are!

But, I'm sorry, I'm not going to just sit back like some pacifist, enlightened,
cosmic muffin and 
be slashed at from all angles and manners by Joe Kohn or anybody else - without
just reasoning and simply take it, ignore it and do nothing in return.

That's really all I've got to say on all of it.  I trust I've made my points
clear over everything to everybody now.  Let's please end it now and get on
with other things of a constructive nature for others that seek it.

Sincerely,
Tom