NJDavid: please stay out of what's left of my mind. Your analysis fits mine almost exactly. History is a great teacher...

Having said that, I also agree to quite some extent with kazman. Many of the aspects of the evolution (it's that other popular tenet I don't fathom) have been evident. Our membership grew considerable post-PiP. We evolved but we still had the spirit of a community. The adventures of PuddingGuy certainly expanded our membership expotentially and we still retained a good bit of our community spirit. People came and people went but it was quietly (does anybody know whatever happened to Ricechex/Beth in SAN?). Fading away as opposed to being driven away. I would hope we can all see that distinction.

And not all evolution is good evolution. The first one that popped into my mind was the deformed frogs in Minnesota ( http://www.pca.state.mn.us/hot/frog-latest.html -- Blondebomber probably has better resources on the subject). And I believe FT has its own sort of deformity. If we simply accept it (ozstamps) to remain among us, our FT evolution changes by losing people who helped make FT different AND better.

For, as a community, we are telling them that we are willing to trade value for ozstamps.

I don't remember my genetic evolution too well (ok, I didn't pay that much attention tropicalflyer please correct me and thanks for your kind offer), but ozstamps is a radical variant that transmutates the course of an evolutionary path.

The other analogy is that FT has a cancer and, left untreated, the patient will die. Of this I have personal knowledge.

I came to FT for information. I stayed because the providers of the information became my friends, part of my ohana (family) and part of my daily life.

I couldn't care less if FT evolves and grows and people come and people go. I don't care one wit whether you chose to ignore posts of some people or flame or get terribly greedy and go in pursuit of miles and points at the expense of the FF programs. FT is a different experience for ALL of us.

But when we as a community value ozstamps more than those he has driven away, the evolved community that we built holds no real value at all.

It is long past the time for ozstamps to go. Our hosts could care less. Apparently, so does the community...

Now excuse me. I must call Indurain and figure out what we are going to do on this fine sunny day in the Valley of the Sun. Also need to return phone calls to PremEx and Catman and I think the Dantos can expect a call from raeban to see how Helen's trip to Italy was...

FT will go on. But who cares?

[edited for clarity (sorry, not brevity!), to fix formatting, and familial peace]


[This message has been edited by onefreeman (edited 03-03-2001).]