Richard, Ron, Butch and others,

It is always fun to see a knew ham either on the air or on this list. 
Richard, I hope the hobby turns out to be as fun for you as it has for most 
of the rest of us all these decades.

Ron and Butch,

You guys hit the nail right on the head.  It is indeed a societal problems. 
Ron, Butch knows this for the most part, but I was in the ministry for 40 
years, both traveling as a guest speaker in churchs around the country, and 
then later I pastored in two different churches.  I met Butch on 75 meters 
when I was an assistant pastor in western Colorado back in 78 or 79. 
Anyhow, what you guys both said about society degrading sure is true and I 
hate to say it, but it is even true in many, if not most, churches.  They 
have become mega businesses.  I've been attending a new church with my 
family for a year now and don't have one person I can call a friend.  To 
this day, people still are afraid of blind folks it would seem.  I've 
preached hundreds of times in probably a hundred different churches and 
being a guest speaker, everyone want to talk to me after church.  As a youth 
pastor in one church, an assistant pastor in a couple of different churchs, 
and then the head pastor in a couple of churchs, people always treated me as 
a normal person.  Become just a walk in member and if you are lucky, if 1 
out of a hundred other members will either shake your hand or say hello. 
I've been a Bible teacher, youth pastor, as I already mentioned, counselor 
and therapist, and started out when I was 20 years old as a social worker 
and I get right down bumbed out thinking about the American life as a kid 
born and raise in Des Moines, Iowa compared to now.  In those days, I never 
locked my bike at school and the first time I did, the teacher found out and 
made me remove the lock.  So I put it on my locker and got in trouble for 
that.  I was told it was against the rules to lock your locker.  Try that 
now and see what happens; leaving something unlocked I mean.  My dad had a 
tool shed with hundreds of dollars worth of tools, even for those days in 
the fifties, and we never once locked it and never had anything taken. 
Hells Bells, I lock up everything now.  So, it most certainly isn't an 
exclusive ham problem I guess but it makes me sad to think the hobby has 
come down to this level we see today.  I'm even more disturbed about our 
country.  Shoot, let me live with the red necks any day; at least they know 
how to live, haha.  Butch, I am writing a followup message you will find 
interesting so look for it tomorrow or the next day.

Phil.
K0NX