You know, I read through that thread to get a bead on what the point of contention was between the two of you (Hobo and Fozzy). And after reading it, here are my thoughts.
Hobo never said he wanted to see Michael fragged…he made a reference, maybe a thoughtless one, to being a victim of fragging in reference to having the assignment he had. Nothing more. And while I would have never made the statement myself, I can see where the thought process was – soldier gets assigned a duty that might be looked at with disdain and contempt from other soldiers and might possibly put him in the sites of retaliation by said soldiers. Is it right? Hell no. But as honorable as our armed forces are, everyone knows that individuals can and will be something different at times. Look at the guys that were charged for the crime? Michael was given what appeared to be an honorable detail, but can you honestly say that there wasn’t another soldier or two that MIGHT have looked at it differently and thought ill of Michael?
In other words, I can see his point – what if someone else saw it differently and wrongly assigned blame to Michael because of the duty he drew? But, I can also see your point in that even a reference to it might stoke the fires of a worried parent. I would feel the same way in saying to Hobo “do not even SUGGEST such a thing.” So, was it an open mouth, insert foot moment? Sure, I believe that. Hobo has had a few of them.
But nowhere in that thread did I see Hobo indicating he actually wanted to see Michael harmed. Not once and not in any way.
And I will take it a step further and state that had Michael not made the ultimate sacrifice in his service to this country, that thread would have been long forgotten as just a minor dust-up between a couple of posters, which happens a lot, really.
Look, I know you two disagree. And I have nothing but respect for your son and for you and Bunny for being the parents of such a fine young man. I hold Michael in high honor myself, just as I hold all our soldiers that fight and die for our freedom. But with Michael , it is a little more for me. My name is also Michael and names are very important to me. There is an old story about a man that dreams of his grandpa, who he was named after, asking him “what are you doing with my name?!” That’s always a story that I have taken to heart. So, while I have never met Michael Phillips, I am honored to share his name and I have enjoyed every link you have sent to me about your son since he was taken from you. And while I have never experienced the pain and anguish you are going through, I do understand that it’s an absolute b!tch in a cold, cruel world. I would never diminish his memory or your right to grieve over his loss, by suggesting you put it behind you. Even once you are past the grief, you can never put it behind you. It is part of you now and will forever be so.
But this anger and vitriol between the two of you has gone way over the line here. I’ve pleaded to Hobo…let it go. I’m pleading to you the same thing, let it go. This fight needs to come to an end and all parties need to move beyond it. I count myself as a pretty fair moderator, even if I stand opposed to the mindset of someone like Hobo. And I believe that when I have dropped a ban on someone, it has always been because it was warranted. Dejanh absolutely had it coming because of his comments last week being utterly tacky and disgusting beyond belief. But it is my opinion that Hobo has done no such thing. Yes, I can see your point about the thread back in ’07 being a sore spot. But I do not see any malice in it; only a careless comment tossed about before considering the ire it might raise, even if the intention was not to do so. And yet, with Michael’s death, I absolutely can see how the meaning behind his post back then took on a different meaning.
However, and this is the most important part of the equation, it does not change the fact that his original intent was still not malicious and I cannot agree with you on that aspect.
Again, let it go – let go of the anger. This is just a messageboard – in the end, it’s words on a screen, nothing more. Everyone here, Hobo included, grieved for your son. Everyone here is going to bump heads at one time or another. But don’t let a careless comment from a couple of years ago become something that it was not ever intended to be.
