[A Jovial Cad]

Yes, let us all "come now," to a basic set of facts, and some old home truths:
Ivan offers unsolicited advice to Jovial, in a post that does not concern him, *per se*. He makes the usual snarky threats of the randy among us--see previous posts--and throws down a gauntlet. That gauntlet is picked up, and answered. Ivan replies by posting "reply" after "reply" after sad "reply" that largely consists of what passes for, these days, the King's English version of dry wit and slobbering, comedic obfuscations, all in the service of a lousy cause...
Hmmmm...it appears to me now that it's little wonder how easily the events at Yorktown eventually panned out. Such "opposition" amounts to not much at all, at least by these standards...

[MadIvan]

Careful, old boy, your temper is showing. The only thing you offered in reply to my throwing down the gauntlet is a tired, tepid series of posts in which you proclaim how amused you are. Or how you can continue on this vein forever, which is a veiled threat to bore me to death, presumably.

It does concern me, as it is a friend of mine you chose to attack. I do not regard the definition of friendship as being so flexible as to stand idly by when one can render assistance. However I should note, I do not regard the definition of intelligence as so flexible as to accomodate you under its umbrella. Nor are the terms "good sense", "taste", and "character" so malleable.

Be that as it may, you may drivel on all you like about how "ineffective" it is...but apparently you're paying attention to this, to the exclusion of everything else. Which as I said, is fine - containment is useful, after all. :)

Ivan