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Sorry it has taken so long to reply. It is unfortunate this thread became as ugly as it did. Everyone is an expert at something, and all of us have a passion for things we aren't experts in. The great thing about FreeRepublic is that it seems to have a very large mixture of both. Unfortunately, that mixture doesn't always mix very well. I think that is why so many threads on FreeRepublic end up just like this one. The trick is to not take it personally. But of course that is exactly what I did when you tried to get USNBandit booted as an fraud. I don't think there is any need for an ROE thread any more specific than the one listed on the homepage of this site. In the impersonal world of the internet, there is bound to be a certain amount of arguing by people who would probably behave with a lot more maturity if they were speaking face to face.

With regard to ANNOYING MAN, every profession is faced with the same problem. Imagine being a doctor who is constantly "informed" by his patients what the correct treatment is. Or the stockbroker who is given investing advice by his clients. Or racecar drivers who have to explain that being good at X-Box doesn't really mean you are ready for the track. Or football coaches who are told in no uncertain terms why all their decisions were wrong...etc, etc, etc. And in almost every case, the "ANNOYING MAN" is someone who has absolutely no practical experience in the subject they are offering their opinion in. I have been the ANNOYING MAN many times in my life. I'm a type A personality fighter pilot. What could be more annoying than that? But again, that is part of what makes this site so great. I can be the ANNOYING MAN to any number of experts. I can spout my opinion to my heart's content. I can take hits from them, and toss a few back. And then I can step away with no real damage done, and maybe just a little new knowledge. If all people are looking for is information, they can go to Goggle. If you want to discuss and argue about that information you come to a site just like this.

By the way, I flew in a large exercise today off the coast of North Carolina. We had four Harriers join us. I thought about this thread and had to laugh. Of course, they did great (they were on a strike mission). They made it to the target area and back again without engaging a single bandit. And that is just the way it should be.