WOW what a thread !!!
I have read most of it.
I've given up. It's mostly degenerated into a bunch of shouting. Very few people here really even know what they're shouting about anymore.
I am lucky enough to call Mick Strider my friend
I have learned a lot from him about knife making and about life
He is generous beyond anyone I know
Nobody here has said that Mr. Strider isn't a good friend to his friends. Several posters have commented on just what a good friend he can be.
Nobody here has said that Mr. Strider isn't a generous man. Several posters have commented on his charity.
Those things are not at issue.
What is at issue is his service record, some aspects of his past but more specifically what he has said about them in the past, his verasity, and his character. Those are things that he has to decide if he values.
He is part of a small knife company that supports thier families by making high quality knives.
...
in my opinion (yes it is bias) we make a quality product the best we know how(when I say we I mean Mick and Duane) I am just the guy who gets to sell the knives.
Nobody here has questioned Strider Knife Company or any of the other employees or their products either. Other Strider Knives employees have been scrupulously left out of this discussion. Strider Knives themselves have been widely praised as well-designed, well-made, and combat-worthy.
will I address any of the "questions" about his past?......no
And you shouldn't have to because he, himself, should. And he should do it with a credible presentation of the facts backed by unaltered, complete, and credible documentary evidence. Until he does that, these questions will linger. Allowing them to linger obviously causes division in the knife community which is a disservice to the community.
Has Strider Knives EVER bad mouthed another knife company directly or indirectly? no
That is nobel. But, as I have said before, you can say what you want to about Spark, that he is a dirty, rotten scoundrel for bringing this up if you like, but that doesn't take the charges off the table. The charges are based on apparently-credible documentary evidence, not on Spark's personal character. So, attacking Spark's character does nothing to errase the accusations or to clear the cloud of doubt they raise.
If you don't like Spark, well let me give you a hint: Spark is "all in" at this point. Disprove his charges with factual, credibility, verifyable, documentary evidence and answer his questions completely with independently verafyable answers, and you will bankrupt him right here and now.
But when he and his defenders dodge and distract and evade and deflect and obscure, it only adds credibility to Spark's charges with every word you type because it implies that there are no answers to the charges because they are true.
This is a bad and annoying situation for Mr. Strider and his friends. I know that. They view Spark as an annoyance. Well guys, he's all-in now. This is your opportunity to wipe him out and be done with him for good and al you need to do it is to lay down a Royal Flush. You do have a Royal Flush... don't you? You haven't been bluffing us have you?
