Horizon

[Fluks, H.W.]

I can't help involving myself in this discussion... Just a few notes.

William Price wrote:

> Then he says, what can you expect from someone who 
> can’t spell. Same fallacy: my spelling ability 
> doesn’t prove or disprove my statements. Worse, the 
> most Mr. Rosa can make from the evidence is that I 
> can’t type, not that I can’t spell – or 
> that my spell check isn’t working. That’s irrelevant, too.

When you write a letter that is meant to be read by hundreds of people, you
can be expected to put some effort in the readability of your text. That's
just a matter of respect from the writer to the readers.

> Sixth, Mr. Rosa insinuates, both in his first reply and again 
> in his second email about this, that my statements 
> can’t be true because I didn’t sign my name to my 
> email.

I don't recall exactly what Don's point was, but my personal view is that I
prefer letters to be signed by real names. A name like "HorizonHse" looks
like a pseudonym. Even if the sender can be reached by e-mail, it still
gives the impression that he wants to hide something. Putting your real name
in the "sender" line, and/or in the signature, takes away this impression.

> A number of people, including Mr. Rosa himself, were 
> able to find me and send me emails. Except for Mr. 
> Rosa’s email, they all shared similar experiences 
> they’d had with Mr. Rosa at various events.

Of course, all the hundreds of people who did *not* have similar experiences
didn't have a reason to write to you in private mail!

> Seventh, Mr. Rosa implies that I can’t be right about 
> anything I say because everyone he talked with about it 
> agreed with him.

Yep, you're right there. He uses phrases like "We all know, that...". Don
Rosa is human, and makes mistakes from time to time.

> I remember talking with a fan who’d 
> bought a copy of the duck family tree poster, autographed by 
> Mr. Rosa, for quite a bit of money – it’s one of 
> his most prized and best loved possessions. He thought, when 
> he told him about it, that Mr. Rosa’d be pleased, but 
> just the opposite happened. Mr. Rosa was furious that 
> whomever had it previously sold it to someone else.

You can't judge his reaction if you don't know the background. Maybe Rosa
*gave away* this poster as a *personal gift*. I know *I* wouldn't be very
pleased if I saw something on sale that I gave away shortly before. It's
like the receiver didn't like the gift.

--Harry.