In message <[email protected]>, Johnette McDuffie <[email protected]> writes >Tom Piercy - >If I have misunderstood your comments - I apologize for it - but if my >understanding is correct, then I wish to tell you how INAPPROPRIATE your >comments were to me. Thanks for your response, Johnette. A much more measured and rational response than the hate mail that came into my personal in-box (this is not the place to repeat what was said). However, since you obviously do feel upset at what I said I'll try and put it in perspective. >I for one found A.J.'s comments very welcome and appropriate. >My ancestors fought in wars - that's research worthy - and those that are >fighting today. YES, today is set aside to give tribute. >Delete it and move on if you don't like it. I have. >We have freedom today to research records and such, due to those who are >willing to stand up. Indeed. Interestingly, the most positive response I have seen here has been from Mike Pate. Perhaps it is not surprising that it is from someone who is himself an ex-serviceman, knows what he is talking about and who has paid his dues. I cannot match him for years of service but have spent long enough in a (by today's standards) tiny World War 2 submarine above and below the surface of the North Atlantic, as well as in conventional warships, to feel that I too have paid my dues. Like Mike, I was lucky - I survived. Many didn't. >And that comment "It would be a shame to lose genuine PATE researchers >because of political spam"; I don't even see where that fits in. Is it the phrase "political spam" that you don't agree with? "Political" - "The term is generally applied to behavior within civil governments" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics ). The original post said "This day we honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and liberty." This is true only, so far as I know, in the United States. Not in Australia or New Zealand, who celebrate Anzac Day, not in the UK (Armistice or Remembrance Day), not in Canada, and not in any of the other countries where the wonderful PATE clan is found. We all have our own days when we honour our fallen. To hold just one nation's memorial day over another's is surely as political as one *can* be. Perhaps I should have said "nationalistic". Or perhaps you disagree with my use of the word "spam". Back to Wikipedia. "...the use of electronic messaging systems (including most broadcast media, digital delivery systems) to send unsolicited bulk messages": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam_(electronic) We all subscribed to this list in order to help each other research the PATE name and lines, not to receive nationalistic (political?) postings unrelated to PATEs. I appreciate that sometimes in our enthusiasm we go off-topic. When we do start an off-topic post it is courteous to head it OT. I really cannot see how the initial post was other than off-topic. In the early days of Rootsweb, before it went under the wing of Ancestry, it was operated by volunteers and funded by voluntary contributions. I was one of those contributors. We all worked together, across the world, in this wonderful international co-operative venture. Many people across the world helped me with my research; I hope I gave them as much help back. I appreciate that things change (at my age I am all too aware just how fast they change!) but it would be sad if this were lost just because one nation tried to impose its values and way of life on everyone else. Let's leave that to the Jihadists. A few years ago I was a member of a list (not family history related) which had a few members who insisted on posting off-topic nationalist messages. That list now no longer exists, just because of the actions of those few members. I have sympathy for those who wish to share their nationalist sentiments, but there are plenty of web sites, bulletin boards and lists dedicated to these. However, it seems to me to be thoroughly unfair to the likes of Joel - and the others who work so hard for the PATE list - to clog the list with nationalistic off-topic posts. It seems thoroughly unfair to those early pioneers through whose initiative we are able to share our PATE information. It also seems like a kick in the teeth to Ancestry who charge us nothing for this service and ask only that we "Post only information appropriate for a given topic. For example, if you're posting on the "Lansing" surname board, you should be writing only in reference to a "Lansing" connection." ( http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/rootsweb/community_guidelines.html ) <snip> Best wishes -- Tom Piercy Rothwell, Northants, UK.

Tom, I would be happy to remember and honor the soldiers from the UK, Canada, New Zealand, Australia or any other country who died defending freedom. Americans and the British have stood side by side in many wars now, and my relatives have fought in most. I would love to hear stories of your service. Thanks for your service. Remind us when your Remembrance day rolls around. Lloyd Pate   ________________________________ From: Tom Piercy <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Tue, June 1, 2010 3:41:21 PM Subject: Re: [PATE] Memorial Day In message <[email protected]>, Johnette McDuffie <[email protected]> writes >Tom Piercy - >If I have misunderstood your comments - I apologize for it -  but if my >understanding is correct, then I wish to tell you how INAPPROPRIATE your >comments were to me. Thanks for your response, Johnette. A much more measured and rational response than the hate mail that came into my personal in-box (this is not the place to repeat what was said). However, since you obviously do feel upset at what I said I'll try and put it in perspective. >I for one found A.J.'s comments very welcome and appropriate. >My ancestors fought in wars - that's research worthy - and those that are >fighting today.  YES, today is set aside to give tribute. >Delete it and move on if you don't like it. I have. >We have freedom today to research records and such, due to those who are >willing to stand up. Indeed. Interestingly, the most positive response I have seen here has been from Mike Pate. Perhaps it is not surprising that it is from someone who is himself an ex-serviceman, knows what he is talking about and who has paid his dues. I cannot match him for years of service but have spent long enough in a (by today's standards) tiny World War 2 submarine above and below the surface of the North Atlantic, as well as in conventional warships, to feel that I too have paid my dues. Like Mike, I was lucky - I survived. Many didn't. >And that comment "It would be a shame to lose genuine PATE researchers >because of political spam"; I don't even see where that fits in. Is it the phrase "political spam" that you don't agree with? "Political" - "The term is generally applied to behavior within civil governments" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics ). The original post said "This day we honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom and liberty." This is true only, so far as I know, in the United States. Not in Australia or New Zealand, who celebrate Anzac Day, not in the UK (Armistice or Remembrance Day), not in Canada, and not in any of the other countries where the wonderful PATE clan is found. We all have our own days when we honour our fallen. To hold just one nation's memorial day over another's is surely as political as one *can* be. Perhaps I should have said "nationalistic". Or perhaps you disagree with my use of the word "spam". Back to Wikipedia. "...the use of electronic messaging systems (including most broadcast media, digital delivery systems) to send unsolicited bulk messages": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam_(electronic) We all subscribed to this list in order to help each other research the PATE name and lines, not to receive nationalistic (political?) postings unrelated to PATEs. I appreciate that sometimes in our enthusiasm we go off-topic. When we do start an off-topic post it is courteous to head it OT. I really cannot see how the initial post was other than off-topic. In the early days of Rootsweb, before it went under the wing of Ancestry, it was operated by volunteers and funded by voluntary contributions. I was one of those contributors. We all worked together, across the world, in this wonderful international co-operative venture. Many people across the world helped me with my research; I hope I gave them as much help back. I appreciate that things change (at my age I am all too aware just how fast they change!) but it would be sad if this were lost just because one nation tried to impose its values and way of life on everyone else. Let's leave that to the Jihadists. A few years ago I was a member of a list (not family history related) which had a few members who insisted on posting off-topic nationalist messages. That list now no longer exists, just because of the actions of those few members. I have sympathy for those who wish to share their nationalist sentiments, but there are plenty of web sites, bulletin boards and lists dedicated to these. However, it seems to me to be thoroughly unfair to the likes of Joel - and the others who work so hard for the PATE list - to clog the list with nationalistic off-topic posts. It seems thoroughly unfair to those early pioneers through whose initiative we are able to share our PATE information. It also seems like a kick in the teeth to Ancestry who charge us nothing for this service and ask only that we "Post only information appropriate for a given topic. For example, if you're posting on the "Lansing" surname board, you should be writing only in reference to a "Lansing" connection." ( http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/rootsweb/community_guidelines.html ) <snip> Best wishes -- Tom Piercy Rothwell, Northants, UK. ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message