Dear Matthew, This discussion is a defence of YOUR right to suggest to another member of the list that they consult page 26 of volume two of the SAG series, which contains the information they need. You may suggest that someone buy Janet Melville's excellent book on the van der Merwe clan. You do have the right to point out to others that those books give very good value for money. You may and should recommend useful sources to other members, even if they are services that must be paid for. I very strongly recommend that South African genealogists PAY TO JOIN the Genealogical Society of South Africa (GSSA) and its electronic branch (eGSSA). I also recommend paying for other genealogical sites, books, CDs, data, photos, and services because they help you to move forward quickly and easily. Please do not tell me that I have 200 "free minutes" on my phone. They are prepaid minutes, and I paid for them. The phone companies should not use my money to make themselves look good. Equally, GSSA and eGSSA should not use our annual subscription fee money to make themselves look good because they publish "FREE INFORMATION" on their web sites. Free information that they would not be able to publish without our money, says Richard Ball. How is that free, if we have to pay for it? Above all, do not burn Galileo's books and research papers and put him in house arrest because he dares to express a view that the Holy Roman Catholic church disagrees with. Equally, do not silence Francois Greeff because he dares to express an opinion that Hendrik Louw and Richard Ball disagree with. Freedom of speech is one of the cornerstones of progress. My original argument was that GSSA, eGSSA and Ancestry24 should work together instead of in opposition to each other. Now they tell me that I am dividing the genealogical community because I suggest co-operation. Regards, Francois _____________ Francois Greeff, 36 Aston Road, London, SW20 8BE, United Kingdom Phone: 0044 20 8123 4224. Mobile 0044 79 6372 2345. Skype: Greefffrancois. Greeff Family Web Site: www.Greeff.info -----Original Message----- From: Matthew Fritz [mailto:matthew@fritzfamily.co.za] Sent: 09 December 2011 18:45 To: south-africa@rootsweb.com Cc: <south-africa@rootsweb.com> Subject: Re: [SOUTH-AFRICA] "Getting something for free" I honestly thought this mailing list was for helping each other out with finding information on our ancestors or the ancestors of others. Seriously though, and I mean this with all due respect, get over yourselves and get back to the point of this mailing list. Please, for my sake and the sake of the others subscribers to this mailing list, take this fight and debate offline. Kind regards, Matthew Fritz On 09 Dec 2011, at 8:27 PM, "B J Venter" <twyfelpoort@gmail.com> wrote: > Francois, > > Your very apt description of yourself > > "And you waste your time picking on an inconsequential little idiot like me" > > prompted me to add all e-mails from you to my black list. > > Your ravings contribute anything to the science of genealogy. > > To Richard Ball who is one of the unsung heroes of Genealogy, I would like > to say BRAVO! > > > Barend Venter > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to SOUTH-AFRICA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to SOUTH-AFRICA-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message ----- No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 2012.0.1873 / Virus Database: 2102/4669 - Release Date: 12/09/11