Posted by BillP on May 10, 2001 at 10:58:46:
Hi All:
I'm not a California diver so I have not posted here before, but you seem to have a very fine board. There certainly is a lot of good information here. Unfortunately not ALL of the information is "good". I'm posting now because one of your board members brought it to my attention that my name was being bandied about here and MHK is attributing "quotes" to me that I don't recall making. MHK has then gone on to use "my" quotes for a "trap" to use like a blunt instrument to bludgeon a fellow diver with insults. I have taken exception to this use of my name and "my" quotes by MHK and have asked him to please make the appropriate clarifications. He has not responded to my requests except to say that he will not respond. He will not provide the source that he is "quoting" me from and he will not correct his inaccurate characterizations of what "I" said.
MHK insisted that he was quoting me directly when he said here that red blood cells (RBC's) "mutate" and that effects caused via RBC's couldn't be long term because RBC's only last for about 180 days and they "rejuvenate". As I said above, and as I told MHK via email, I don't recall ever making any such statements. While I DID say that the average RBC lasts about 180 days I don't recall ever saying that their long term effects were limited by this life span. And it would be incorrect to claim that individual RBC's "mutate" or even "rejuvenate". Such statements should not be made without some SERIOUS qualification and explanation as to what exactly is meant, otherwise they would be wrong. MHK says that I made the statements, so I guess MHK is saying that I don't know what I'm talking about. I don't believe that is true.
MHK originally said he was quoting me from the "techdiver" mailing list, but when I pointed out to him that I have never posted to that list, he changed his source to "another" still unnamed list. He continues to claim that I uttered "every syllable" of the "quotes" and he could "cut and paste" my words from the original source even after he has been informed that I denied making the statements. MHK continues to claim that he has the sources where I made the statements, but he continues to refuse to PROVIDE those sources for my review and clarification. IMHO, when you persist in making claims after you have been notified that they are inaccurate, you go beyond the point where you have a misunderstanding or you've made a simple mistake and you enter the realm of irresponsibility or even intentional falsehood.
I have contacted MHK repeatedly by email in an attempt to resolve his mischaracterization of my statements on this board. I do realize that he has been very busy with the Farnsworth search, he must be distressed over the recent loss of Steve Berman, and he is making preparations to leave for Akumal Saturday. But despite all of that he still had time for an involved discussion on GUE vs. IANTD and deep air, so I think he had the time to respond to my multiple requests. I attempted by email to let MHK resolve this issue, but he has refused to respond appropriately to my messages. So here I am.
Michael, you have attributed statements to me that are inaccurate and misleading. You then used "my" words to attack a fellow diver. I object. You made the claims quite publicly here on this board (and you're fond of pointing out how you speak to a "wider audience" than the participants in a thread). I would now like for those "quotes" to be clarified just as publicly on this board. CAN you provide the sources where you quoted my "every syllable" so I can clarify them, or would you like to now retract your claim that I ever made the statements- and apologize?
Are you going to admit your mistakes or are you just going to continue to ignore my requests or even start another round of baseless abuse?
Bill
BTW, the title of this post was not intended to call anyone a liar or an idiot. This post is about how MHK inappropriately used "my" words to call someone else (and maybe even me) a liar and an idiot.