Spark crossed a line

Spark is the custodian of Bladeforums and rarely makes appearance. However, what happens here is ultimately his decision.
He is kind enough to ignore a lot of foolishness, and we should appreciate that.
Spark, is still a person and is still free to write opinions as he wishes. If you don't like them, you can write your side of the story, but to disrespect the owner of the house is bad form.
 
dizos said:
One would hope that an owner of a forum can remain neutral
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Walking Man said:
Spark is the custodian of Bladeforums and rarely makes appearance. However, what happens here is ultimately his decision.
He is kind enough to ignore a lot of foolishness, and we should appreciate that.
Spark, is still a person and is still free to write opinions as he wishes. If you don't like them, you can write your side of the story, but to disrespect the owner of the house is bad form.
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Well put, Walking Man. People who say Spark abuses his status as the owner of this site should be be thankful the site is even here for them to be able to make that criticism. Spark has as much right as anyone else to speak his mind. As soon as he starts banning YOU for speaking YOUR mind, then you can use that weak argument. Until then, be glad you even get a voice here.
 
Hi cstorr2004 :) ,

I was one of the many who had never heard about the Strider "stolen valor" scandal until it was brought up here recently.

At that time I had never heard of either the Usual Suspects Forum or the Badlands Forum. I did make some comments here early on that were unfavorable regarding Strider's history.

I saw posts here that indicated that some members of other forums were no longer welcome there...after they made posts here that were not in favor of Strider.

I personally attempted to join the Usual Suspects forum in order to see what the others were saying. I have been refused admittance.

Blade Forums has remained open for members, even new members who had obviously come here from other forums, to express themselves freely on the issue. Only a very few who became especially abusive and Off Topic have been asked to desist.

Edited to add this: Any Lurker and new members who don't know what we are talking about should read the first 15 posts in this thread...

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=453852

And for further info check under the "Phonies and Wannabees" section at the P.O.W. Network site....

http://www.pownetwork.org/

Steve
 
stevetexas said:
Blade Forums has remained open for members, even new members who had obviously come here from other forums, to express themselves freely on the issue. Only a very few who became especially abusive and Off Topic have been asked to desist.

Steve
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Yep, that's what I was trying to say. You said it better. The point being that all are welcome to post here without being kicked out. Spark should be afforded the same right to post what he wants, especially if it's public knowledge or fact.

edited to add: I too had never heard about some of those facts that were brought up concerning Strider, so I'm glad they were brought to light. It doesn't mean that I won't own a Strider some day. Maybe I will. But at least now that I have all the facts, I will weigh them all before making that purchase...
 
[Cross forum attack removed - Spark]

I would like to think that there is a standard of NOT letting convicted FELONS have access to weapons, training, befriending LEO, sychopantically making friends in high places to influence their judgement, opinions due to monetary gains, income infusion etc.....

I have not posted there for several years and it has not afffected me or my business, success, relationships in the least.

In fact I have a better quality of friends, associates, colleagues, contemporaries than before.

Do the right thing, it's easy to do the wrong thing.....
 
I read all of Sparks post and I was/am outraged! I AM a Combat Infantryman, Op. Just Cause 89-90 Panama
Op Desert Shield/Storm 90-91 Saudi/Iraq. Mick Strider has dishonored himself, his name, his Country and ALL of the Combat Veterans, present and past. I have been there, check my records. I can think of nothing short of a child molestor, worse than a been nowhere, done nothing, punk a$$ wanabe dropout, fake Vet. He had better hope I don't see him anywhere, EVER. RANT OVER
 
First and only warning - do not make this a cross forum war. No discussion on the ownership or management styles of USN, Badlands, TacticalForums, or anything else - if you have a problem with those guys, take it up with them. If someone has a specific problem with my behavior in bringing this matter to light, be my guest and address me directly. Otherwise, please respect my wishes and do not turn this into a multi-site, flame fest, free for all.
 
Naturally,
that needed to be said, just as I had to say my bit.

I will try to put a clamp on my mouth now. I pray that some others will also.

Steve
 
We're running in circles anyway. Everything that needs to be said, has been said before.
As long as no evidence pulls Strider from the phony list at pownet - I don't see anything to discuss. Of course that won't keep the horde from attacking Spark...
Let them, it only makes them look weak and helpless. :o
 
stevetexas said:
By refusing to confront the actual evidence that has been presented at Blade Forums and at P.O.W. Network, Strider and his supporters tacitly admit that the allegations are true.
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THAT'S hilarious.

You ASSUME that no one is addressing these things with the people/parties that COUNT.

You, Bladeforums and Mr. Spark are not in that category.

What the supporters.... okay, scratch that... what *I* tacitly admit is that my time is better spent writing paragraphs to entities other than this site. People and organizations that matter.

Has anyone noticed how many CHANGES the pownetwork.org posting has been through? How it dwindles down and gets smaller exponentially? How all references to "forged DD214s" has been removed. How references to "never been a Ranger" has been removed. How all of Lance Harris's stalkery-talk has been removed... same for Kevin McClung's.

Any of you noticed that? No. Probably not. Because it doesn't "fit" with what you want to see/hear/believe.

Just beacause Mick, et al., doesnt consider this venue worth wasting their time on, doesn't mean the issues aren't being addressed.

To the person who started this thread, it was conceptually the right idea and I know you had the best intentions. However NOTHING will get resolved on this forum... or any other for that matter. FORUMS and their OWNERS are just.... not.... that.... important. So, Mr. Spark, "crossing the line" doesn't mean a whole lot... until or unless it gets to a litigative factor. Your heart is in the right place... but it wont go anywhere. Save your energy, and your friendships. It's NOT going to be ironed out here. "Here" is way too insignificant.

Spark may want all of you to belive that y'all are Judge, jury and executioner... just like he did back in 1999 with MadDog.... whom he relentlessly smeared... but then offered $200+ worth of FREE BF subscription to a couple of weeks ago if he would help him on his "newest" crusade against Strider et., al. (**disclaimer... not sticking up for MadDog... I think he's a jerk - sorry Parker). But LOOK at this! Each time these attempts to search for "truth, justice and the american way!" come into play.... the common denomination is that the "victims" have all hurt Spark's feelings in some way.

Odd. Isn't it?

Seven years from now, maybe Spark will email Mick and offer HIM a free subscription to BF too, if he thinks Mick has information he needs on his newest "campaign".

All these things make the world go around. But rest assured, you will not find the "answers" here. You will find them in more important venues.

And Spark will find a new "crusade" tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. Someone posted in this thread that this is "done...overwith...move on". Well it's not. Not by a longshot. But the fallout will happen behind the scenes. Not here, or in any forum for that matter..... for the people looking for the entertainment, hits, or ratings... prepare to be disappointed. Your curiosity will NOT be quenched.... at least not here.

"Here" is not that important. And neither are any of "us".

m1
p.s. No insult meant to Stevetexas by the quote. I share your wonderful State, and respect you as a neighbor, even if our opinions don't mesh.
 
I just went to P.O.W. Network and saw something I had missed in the past. They say that Mick Strider has made claims that he received the Purple Heart from the head of the CIA; interesting.
 
Like it or not Michelle, the facts remain that your buddy made claims that don't add up.

You can hem, and haw, and distract all you'd like, but the lies are his responsibility alone. If he's going to prove everyone wrong, it'd be really really easy to do so. I'd be the first one to step up and apologize if he produced verifiable documentation backing up his claims, especially the "I was suppossed to be sentenced to Somalia" one.

You'll have to pardon me, though, if I don't hold my breath. Or take his word for it. Or yours. As for the POWNetwork's removal of information, well, good for them. I notice that the hard documentation about Mick Strider's lack of service record stayed up. All 11 months of hard-core Special Operations time. And the AWOL time. And the lack of special schools. And his final rank as E-1. And the lack of combat time. So yes, the parts that were unsubstantiated are gone, good, excellent. They shouldn't have put up anything they can't back up.

That doesn't mitigate one whit any of the lies Mick's been caught in though, does it? Nope, didn't think so. And if here is so "insignificant" then I guess that makes your involvement less than insignificant. So why are you wasting your time? If it doesn't matter, why are people asking questions? Answer: because it does matter to people. The fact that this stuff keeps coming up over the years shows that people do want to know what the real deal is.

It's a shame I had to be the one saying that "The Emporer has no clothes" but it doesn't change the inconvenient truths of this matter. So, take all the shots at me that you want to, because it's pretty obvious you are grasping for any straw you can get ahold of, and the facts of the matter back up what I'm saying, not your story.
 
ill disagree with michelle. i dont think sparks thread on strider was malicious, and i read the beginning with the counterclaims.

what i think was malicious, was what followed. it took on a very hostile tone throughout. rightly or wrongly.

im not on anyone's side here, as i said i like strider knives and i like bladeforums, and will continue to support both.
 
Michelle, though the P.O.W. Network doesn't say that he was never a Ranger, it still does state that he claims to have been a Ranger, not that he was one. You would think that after this length of time that they would have been able to prove it, one way or the other.
 
Michelle they may have changed some things as you say. Although the DD214 dates thing may not be mentioned per say, the site still has both forms posted and both show different dates so it is all still there for anyone to see.

Also, it seems plain to me that Spark can not only dish it out but take it as well and better than the majority of others I've dealt with but he wants that stopped so I'll end it there. I don't find him sensitive to his feelings at all. In fact just the opposite.

I missed the purple heart thing also Keith. Thanks.

STR
 
Michelle said:
THAT'S hilarious.

You ASSUME that no one is addressing these things with the people/parties that COUNT.

You, Bladeforums and Mr. Spark are not in that category.

What the supporters.... okay, scratch that... what *I* tacitly admit is that my time is better spent writing paragraphs to entities other than this site. People and organizations that matter.

Has anyone noticed how many CHANGES the pownetwork.org posting has been through? How it dwindles down and gets smaller exponentially? How all references to "forged DD214s" has been removed. How references to "never been a Ranger" has been removed. How all of Lance Harris's stalkery-talk has been removed... same for Kevin McClung's.

Any of you noticed that? No. Probably not. Because it doesn't "fit" with what you want to see/hear/believe.

Just beacause Mick, et al., doesnt consider this venue worth wasting their time on, doesn't mean the issues aren't being addressed.

To the person who started this thread, it was conceptually the right idea and I know you had the best intentions. However NOTHING will get resolved on this forum... or any other for that matter. FORUMS and their OWNERS are just.... not.... that.... important. So, Mr. Spark, "crossing the line" doesn't mean a whole lot... until or unless it gets to a litigative factor. Your heart is in the right place... but it wont go anywhere. Save your energy, and your friendships. It's NOT going to be ironed out here. "Here" is way too insignificant.

Spark may want all of you to belive that y'all are Judge, jury and executioner... just like he did back in 1999 with MadDog.... whom he relentlessly smeared... but then offered $200+ worth of FREE BF subscription to a couple of weeks ago if he would help him on his "newest" crusade against Strider et., al. (**disclaimer... not sticking up for MadDog... I think he's a jerk - sorry Parker). But LOOK at this! Each time these attempts to search for "truth, justice and the american way!" come into play.... the common denomination is that the "victims" have all hurt Spark's feelings in some way.

Odd. Isn't it?

Seven years from now, maybe Spark will email Mick and offer HIM a free subscription to BF too, if he thinks Mick has information he needs on his newest "campaign".

All these things make the world go around. But rest assured, you will not find the "answers" here. You will find them in more important venues.

And Spark will find a new "crusade" tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow. Someone posted in this thread that this is "done...overwith...move on". Well it's not. Not by a longshot. But the fallout will happen behind the scenes. Not here, or in any forum for that matter..... for the people looking for the entertainment, hits, or ratings... prepare to be disappointed. Your curiosity will NOT be quenched.... at least not here.

"Here" is not that important. And neither are any of "us".

m1
p.s. No insult meant to Stevetexas by the quote. I share your wonderful State, and respect you as a neighbor, even if our opinions don't mesh.
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Darlin', mark my words, there is gonna come a time when you are sorry that you defended Mickey Ray.

Steve
 
Spark, I read your entire post and all the replies that followed. I read it, but didn't participate.

I only have one comment. I agree with everyone that says that you have a right to post what you did. The only criticism I have is that you let the post go on for so long. If you really just wanted to get the "facts" out to the public in one easy to locate location, you could have made your post a sticky and not have it escalate into a giant free-for -all.

I think maybe you did use your position in an inappropriate manner when you let your thread go on for so long. This is just one person's observation and opinion. ;)

rjd
 
Keith Montgomery said:
Michelle, though the P.O.W. Network doesn't say that he was never a Ranger, it still does state that he claims to have been a Ranger, not that he was one. You would think that after this length of time that they would have been able to prove it, one way or the other.
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Huh?

02/14/2007

I have received several phone calls about this guy in the last few days.
........ As he apparently did serve with 2/75, he has the right to call himself a Ranger. As President of the 75RRA I have no other choice but to support this and only this
statement. The rest of the story sure sounds like BS to me. ...

Crabs

Rangers Lead The Way!
Stephen C. Crabtree, President
75th Ranger Regiment Association
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I've contacted Linc German as well. He wont commit to ANY of the other BS related to this garbage until the investigation is complete, but he states, for the record, Mick WAS a Ranger.

If you dont know who Linc is, then that means you are not NEARLY as interested or invested in the truth as I am.

Pownetwork.org is still getting their ducks in order on this investigation. Please don't hold any discrepancies that they havent cleared up against them.... (i sound like a friggen turncoat with that last sentance, huh?)

m1
 
That's just great NOW we have a woman passing MORAL judgement on men and running interferance for a convicted felon.

SHE needs to be on SPRINGER ....
 
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