What this Forum is about ......

[Bill Marsh]

Dear Pierre,

Thank you for your kind words. Like anyone else I can get excited about events and Uncle Bill is kind and generous enough to allow us the full espression of free speech. Sometimes I can be inappropriate and get caught up in my own rhetoric.

But Pierre, I do respectfully disagree with one point: This forum is not about knives. Not at all.

We all know the mystical presence these HI Khuks engender, a mystery of steel, brass, wood or horn, silver, leather --- and spirit.

Something much deeper and more important than just knives.

Something that binds us members of the Forum, of the Cantina together. People from all over the world. Different races, educations, rich or poor, religions, nationalities, personalities, castes, skin colors, languages, males and females.

Something that brings us together. We are concerned when one of us has to sell his Khuks. We buy them but offer to sell them back at the same price when our brother gets back on his feet.

We care when one of us is ill.

We trust each other to keep our agreements. I just traded three khuks for a kothimoda katana. I mailed mine to him at the same time he mailed his to me. We trust that the other person will keep their word.

We care desparately about the kamis and their fears about the Maoists. We offer financial support for them, even some of us who I feel can ill afford to do so.

We pray for each other.

And we do disagree with each other -- not all family members get along.

BUT NO, this forum is NOT about knives, NOT about khuks, NOT even about Himalayan Imports.

It is about friends --- a brotherhood that transcends.

I am proud to be a member of this family and to call the members of this cantina my friends.

Bill Marsh

 

[sams]

Bill, good post........... My reply is that the nature of the product, khukuris, the audience should have or want to have a Asian view. This incompasses many issues, religious, martial, and social connecting. I never thought it should be a place to discuss jibberish, socialize to escape from boredom. There are many more forums for that.

Political veiws are very challenging. Again, the nature of the tool [khukuri], is not for gardening. I suspect a good majority of posters are veterans. I had both index fingers cut to the point that amputation was considered. It wasn't from holding a rosary.

I am American, and tolerate other veiws, opinions, and races. I am happy to speak to many nationalities about our policies. I have worked overseas on numerous projects. But I know B#@* S*@#.

So IMO this forum is to express oneself with respect to others, and to disagree with kindness. I have read your many posts, and you have always been informative and courteous. I hope to follow your lead.All the best to you and others in the cantina!!
Sam

 

[munk]

What wonderful words. I had an image once, that internet friends and communities were another thing never figured by the experts, the doomsayers, (yes, me too) and great good would come of it. I never guessed the Berlin wall would come down, and when it did, clearly God knew things I did not.



munk

 

[not2sharp]

This forum is about the knives provided by Bill and the wonderful team at Himilayan Imports. We have little else in common. We are from all walks of life, from many different age groups, and we hold to very different religious, and political, affiliations.

But, if these knives give us common cause to discuss these other areas, then we should by all means take advantage of it. Where else are we going to benefit from such a diversity in beliefs and experience? HI knives do not use themselves. They are used by people around the globe, and we need to understand a little about each other in order to advance the main subject.

n2s

 

[Rusty]

Something like the above.

Just maybe we've figured out if we listen, then we learn. Teach each other, whether we understand at the time the lesson we teach one another or not.
What happens here is difficult to define, but easy to understand with an open heart.

( OK now Rusty, you said it well enough, now shut up before you blow it! )

 

[Pierre]

If at least, there is one positive point about how this all discussions started, it is that my perception of what the forum was intended for, does not appear to be the most obvious one. I therefore stand corrected and will keep in mind what the majority of us think of this forum the next time I decide to answer a post!

Bill, every point you stated is a valid one especially the last one and I can agree with you. On the other hand, for those of us who are not interested in politics, could we then agree that "politically motivated threads" should be clearly identify so that we do not have to waste time reading them. May be using a specific smillies in the post subject before the title would be the answer. I suggest

In any case, this was an interesting experience!

 

[Singularity]

If this site is not about Khukhuris, then I guess I am not interested. I do not want to read more of this political stuff, because if I read more of it, I'll end up muslim, pro palestinian, communist, and totally anti-american. My HIKV is cured!

I am out of here.
Adieu.

 

[Bill Marsh]

I talked with a trainer at Sea World where killer whales were taught to jump over a rope high out of the water. I asked the trainer how they learned to do this. He said that they placed a rope on the bottmom of the tank and that when a killer whale swam over it, they would reward it.

I asked if there were killer whales that did not want to jump over the rope? He replied that a few did not want to.

I asked if he tried punishment, maybe witholding food to gain the cooperation of these whales. He said, "No, we have to be in the water with these animals and we don't want to be in the water with an angry, hungry killer whale!"

"Well what do you do?" I asked.

He said, "We think that these killer whales are good animals. they just do not belong here. So we open the gate .... and let them go somewhere else. It is their choice."

 

[treelander]

my.02=

This is a great place. I have yet to see any members behaving badly. Everyone is polite and civil. It should not be a replacement for friends with skin on...but it is possible to make life long friends using this medium.

This site is about great blades. Those of us here probably are a lot alike. Guns, blades, conservativism, patriotism....they all kind of go hand in hand. BUT...I don't have to agree with anyone here on anything besides the blades. And that is the premier subject...

 

[Bill Martino]

And one more time.......

Blues is a super moderator. I don't know what authority and power he has nor what I have but my guess is since he is a super moderator and I am a moderator he would have more horsepower than me -- AND -- he saw fit to NOT to delete or censor this thread and NOT to ban anybody because he didn't like or agree with what they said..

This does not susprise me since I've had the good fortune to meet Blues in person and speak with him at length. He is indeed a defender of the constitution -- and so am I.

It is of the utmost importance that we allow each man to speak his piece regardless of what position he might take. This is free speech. We don't have to agree and we don't even have to read the posts.

We can say, well, this is just a forum and it's supposed to be about knives so we can censor as we like and it won't matter. BUT IT DOES MATTER. This is how freedoms are lost: We censor the HI forum. Then we censor Bladeforums. Then we censor the net. Then we move to newspapers. We then listen on the streets and censor there. Finally, that thing we called free speech is gone. Let's get rid of the first amendment and then go to work on the second. And that's how it's done.

If there is anybody here who does not understand or disagrees with my position let me know.