Well, a couple of people in whom I have confidence have said that Goalie Bob is indeed a service member and in Iraq. Therefore I wish to apologize to Goalie Bob for suggesting he might be a fraud. However, a few comments are in order and I hope that interested parties would read them carefully:
1. Deleting my post is childish. I doubt that Goalie Bob is that fragile and I am sure he is able to stick up for himself.
2. On boards like this, anybody can claim to be anybody. I rather doubt that there are many personal interactions relative to the number of posters and messages. Therefore I look to the post to see if it has the ring of truth. His has indicia that indicate a fake. These could also be caused by being rushed or reacting emotionally but they are there.
3. My interpretation was that he is talking about receiving DBS in Iraq ("how much more distant can you get?)". I didn't know that was even technically and legally possible. He says "I have tryed [sic] Satellite...." Well, what are E* and D*?
4. Notwithstanding all of this, his status in the military does not give him any special knowledge or authority regarding DNS. I don't accept when people play the "Murtha Card." I have several years of military service. Does this mean that my opinion is more important that that of someone who got out after his first enlistment? That Hillary Clinton should just shut up? I think not.
5. Goalie Bob wanted to go on a anti-Rupert rant and that is fine. Except that he has his fact wrongs (e.g. regarding the "settlement" and "ethnic" programming) and makes the same silly comparison with buying a newspaper that has been tried and debunked a dozen times.
6. More worrisome is his descent into a left wing diatribe. Dissolve the NAB? It's a private organization. Where the hell does the government get off dissolving a private organization? Iceberg and the gang would raise unshirted hell if the government decided to "dissolve" satelliteguys.com. Retirement = Social Security? No doubt GB will turn down any military pension and live on that. Healthcare for all? (read: government controlled health care) Does Goalie Bob think this is what the military fights for?
7. He negligently slams the Commander in Chief, who has nothing to do with any of these issues. He suggest bribery (the judge?) with no evidence. He throws around the term "monopoly" without any understanding of what that means.
8. Perhaps GB is just having a bad day. I'm all for cutting military members some slack but just because you wear the uniform does not make you right, informed or clear thinking. Nor does it entitle you to free satellite TV from a private entity. If you enter the fray of ideas, you must be prepared to be challenged. There are any number of professions (nurses, teachers, fire fighters) that we could declare "off limits" to criticism. Is that the type of society you want?
9. I will be anxious to see his congressional campaign get underway. If military experience is the big criterion, perhaps we can declare John McCain emperor and be done with it. If he wants to make "putting a boot up NAB's ass" the keystone of his candidacy, I think he's going to be in trouble.
10. I understand personal friends of GB rising to his defense but I have contempt for those posters who jumped on the bandwagon of "defending a soldier" just to make themselves feel important.
In summary, I did not attack a military member. I challenged a person whom I (reasonably so) thought to be impersonating a military member.
