A couple of points.
This subject of golf course architecture, the history of such and people that take it so seriously so as to portray themselves as be all and end all authorities on what is correct, right, or error and wrong, causes too many over zealous personalities. They seem to become unstable and irrational. It is a f**&king hobby gentlemen, not a crusade!
To that end, we have people that have become doyens and YABB Gods -and what not- because they have posted volumes of material, wit, wisdom, foolishness, sanctimonious piety, and psuedo-intellectual horsehockey, etc. OF COURSE I INCLUDE MYSELF!!!
I also include Tom Paul, and Tommy Naccarato, and all the rest, you know who you are!
I have gone once to the dark side to post a still unknown jerk's idea of a joke, and IP address and name or false name of the perpetrator in an effort to warn others off of his malicious idea of a joke. So, I'm not pure on this matter.
But, this thread is really causing me to think I have overstayed my time here. The most important thing here to be gleaned from the above threads is VIOLATION OF PRIVACY!!!
The fact that a moderator can read IM's (and apparently has) is enough to make me want to quite right here and now. Especially when one of the moderator's (Tommy) has always been one of the most passionate and zealous participants in the site. He can't help himself that he loves the subject so much, and has so much of his time invested in "sharing" his considerable knowledge. But, THAT IS NO EXCUSE FOR ANY VIOLATION OF PRIVACY. It suggests that he and others feel like they somehow own the site and its subject matter. If he reads IM's to see what folks are saying on the back channel, then a pox on him.
But, now we have Barney JakaB, John Kavanaugh yammering that he can/might somehow have been entertaining himself with reading what goes on in stated "private IMs". Kavanaugh, if that is your idea of jokster, provacatuer, bomb thrower, contrarian, bullshitter, then go F yourself! You are the equivalent of a discourse terrorist. That sort of provacatuer proclamation is cancer and will kill this otherwise entertaining and generally informative website that has on the surface fostered many friendships, sharing of good times, exchange of interesting knowledge, and intellectual lubrication about a subject that has a specific community of interest that is unique.
I'm a bit to worked up to go on here, and I hope folks take these revelations to heart. We always hurt the ones we love, or some such. Is this the end stage of what has been a wonderful ride through an interesting subject via Ran's brilliant effort to create a discussion site, and now has become effete?
