Let's see: thus far, I have Lane Core, Jr, asking for an apology; Diane asking for an apology on behalf of the entire forum; and an Inbox filled with both vitriolic and "attaboy" email.

Let's take these one at a time.

Lane,

One of the things that you miss is that much of what I write is SATIRE. 'Yumor.

(Actually, most Doomlits -- D. Scott Secor over in CSY2K is one of the few exceptions -- have no sense of humor when it comes to Y2K, so you're not alone.)

I am the Rush Limbaugh of Y2K; I shine the light of truth on ignorance and have fun while I do it.

If I have offended you, of COURSE I apologize here and now. Publicly. That wasn't my intent.

(I can't resist: given that the entire utilities thing was a fiction, though, I should think that merely explaining it as such would also cause anyone with an IQ greater than their shoe size to realize that my reference to YOU was probably also a bit skewed, but hey; what do I know?)

But, there you go: I apologize.

Diane,

I also apologize to you for using the forum in the manner that I did. Believe it or not, I have nothing against you or this forum; you simply won the toss of the coin. I had considered posting it in CSY2K, fully knowing that once Milne picked up on it -- as, predictably, he did -- a@a.a would probably have cross-posted it here anyway. Perhaps I should have done that, not that the end result would have mattered a great deal. :)

On the experiment itself and the vitriolic/attaboy email in general:

This was not a lark or a Lone Wolf Oneshot. Those few paragraphs were a month in the making. Further, I had the help of several other people (some of whom, incidentally, work in utilities, and who thought it was the grandest joke they'd seen in a while). Solely to protect them from that same vitriol, they shall remain nameless.

The groundrules were inviolable: it would contain deliberate, easy-to-identify errors to mark it as a hoax to anyone willing to do a mere Web search on the VRZ number, if nothing else. It would not contain any specifics. Further, I emailed copies, prior to posting it publicly, to dozens of others with a clear warning: this is a hoax. Help me "out" this thing in the unlikely event that it should spin out of control (which I highly doubted, but I didn't want to take any chances).

And -- most importantly -- I would release it immediately prior to the most recent edition of State of Y2K, and immediately "out" it (and myself) a few days afterward. The thing was released with a self-contained death warrant; it would only "live" for a few days at most.

I don't think you realize the depth of the disgust which exists on the part of some people (particularly the aforementioned friends in utility work) toward places like this forum ... and especially toward self-appointed authorities like Lane, Rick Cowles, Roleigh Martin and Gary North. I had to keep THAT out of it, too. They wanted me to make the tale MORE realistic and then rub noses in it with gay abandon after the "outing." I refused to do it. I had a fixed point to make -- and I made it in spades.

No one will touch that well-made point (just as no one seems willing to address the FACT that Win95.CIH "Chernobyl" hammered hundreds of thousands of computer systems in Asia on April 27 ... with minimal disruption overall; but that's another digression).

It's much easier just to attack me, isn't it? :)

(Can anyone here say, "I'm a hypocrite?")

I decided that the point made was worth the opprobrium which I KNEW I'd receive, because it begs the question: how many of the "insider's stories" which have appeared here and elsewhere were written by bored trolls?

That point has been made, and I've cause more than a few Doomlits to begin thinking again (as witness some of my email). Y2K is RIFE with Urban (and Seaborne, if you're into the Coast Guard) Legends -- some of which HAVE EVEN MADE IT INTO CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT THEY'RE COMPLETE FICTION.

If you people would be honest with yourselves, you'd admit that the REAL source of your malaise is that I am being proven right with each passing day -- and you are being proven WRONG (I apologize for pointing THAT fact out, too, but it needs to be pointed out).

Nothing really bad happened on July 1st. Some of you were secretly hoping that it would, too, weren't you? Nothing bad happened on April 1st or February 4 or January 1, either. The Jo Anne Effect is a complete bust.

THAT is what drives you crazy, not moi in specific, people. But instead of admitting it to yourselves, you take your frustrations out on the nearest convenient target, be it me, CPR, the Debunking Y2K Webboard, or who/whatever else is the appointed Target Of The Week.

But I do apologize for using this forum as I did and I shan't appear here again. Be well.

-- Stephen M. Poole, CET (smpoole7@bellsouth.net), July 06, 1999

Answers

More empty promises from a lying huckster. Toad.

-- h (h@h.h), July 06, 1999.

[applause]

-- Andy Ray (andyman633@hotmail.com), July 06, 1999.

Andy Ray is Decker wannabe, slimy snake

-- gag (on@oily.perverts), July 06, 1999.

If only this post were true! You wouldn't know the truth if it slapped you upside the head! You, Sir, are still an ASS!

-- FLAME AWAY (BLehman202@aol.com), July 06, 1999.

Poole,

That's your idea of an apology? It sucks! It's no apology at all, merely an attempt to continue to justify a despicable act which you still feel no remorse for. If I were the judge in a case against you I would stare you right in the eye as I read you the riot act and sent you off to cool your heels in the pokey. You show no redeeming values at all. You show no concern for truth, honesty, morality or ethics. You are bottom of the barrel trash, and seem proud of it. It is the grossly dishonest acts of people like you, and those that were in collusion with you on this, that turns the rest of us against you. It is nothing less than a psychopathic disregard for rules of any kind. You can't argue the issue on it's merits, so you resort to lies and deception. I knew you were misleading people about the whole Y2k scenario, I just never knew how low you would stoop to try to win some rediculous point. You are not a Christian, and should remove any reference to Christian principle from your sick web site.

-- Gordon (gpconnolly@aol.com), July 06, 1999.

My sincere intent had been to read this and thank you for being man enough to apologize. But this isn't an apology, just more empty gloating. I'll let others draw the obvious extra conclusion implied above.

-- BigDog (BigDog@duffer.com), July 06, 1999.

If it quacks like a Decker, squawks like a Decker, smacks like a Decker, regards like a Decker, smells like a Decker, it must be Andy Ray.

-- Dicker (Pecker@Bicker.Decker), July 06, 1999.

Who is Poole and why does anyone read or care about what he writes?

Not me.

"I do apologize for using this forum as I did and I shan't appear here again."

If you go back on your word in the quote above, then you owe the forum an apology Poole.

Mike ==================================================================

-- Michael Taylor (mtdesign3@aol.com), July 06, 1999.

You're still a liar. No one can ever believe anything you say again. The fact that your WWW site consists of smears and innuendoes, without any actual facts to back up your "no big problem" stance, could be passed off as a mere difference of opinion. But perpetrating a deliberate hoax puts you into the illustrious company of the daytime trash TV shows that pre-arrange their guest "confrontations", journalists that fabricate stories to win prizes, and other similar giants of the journalistic craft. When the Y2K story is finally over, yours will be at the top of the list of weasels, liars, and lunatics who inhabit the "Y2K Bunk Board". What a glorious legacy you leave!

-- Steve Heller (stheller@koyote.com), July 06, 1999.

Hmmmmn.

let me summarize here: we have one poster, a self-appointed expert on embedded systems and electronic control in general based on his commercial knowlegde of systems by working in the broadcast industry. He deliberately attempts to create a fraudulent story - and it takes "a month" of specific, directed effort to create that story.

Further, he KNOWS that the fraud will have a "lifetime" of no more than "a few days" before it is proven to be a lie.

Okay - the story got posted, and it was determined to be a lie almost immediately. Sounds like the accumulated knowledge base here works pretty good.

This means that of 145,000 odd posts by many thousand anonymous users (and a few live ones!) - one was a lie. And that one was found out very quickly. And that ONE LIE was determined to be a lie independently, and the news was spread quickly to other readers.

Which "proves" that the remaining 144,999 stories, antedotes, and reports are true.

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), July 06, 1999.

No asshole, I wouldn't have re-posted it. If you had half a brain, you would see that I don't post every syllable that rolls off Milne's keyboard; just the ones that are DOCUMENTED with EVIDENCE of y2k disasters in the making, usually in the form of URLs from major news organizations. Furthermore, your original post did not fool me for minute, as it lacked the ring of truth. It came off as just another troll playing under the bridge. Sort of like Decker's posts.

But by all means continue having fun playing your little game you little prick, in a few months you will find that the joke's on you.

-- a (a@a.a), July 06, 1999.

Steamy Poo, if this is what you call an apology, don't ever agree to do an acceptance speech, okay?

-- OutingsR (us@here.yar), July 06, 1999.

You assume that I bought into your thread like a bluegill biting into bait. But the truth is I haven't yet come across a thread that made me exclaim "oh no! we're doomed!". Nor has there been a thread that makes me exclaim "whew, thank goodness we'll all be fine". So don't lump me up into the rest of your "journalistic expiriment" data just yet.

The truth is out there somewhere but people like me won't get it until long after January 1, 2000. So until then I don't assume to know the future.

Stephen, you lied, plain and simple. What you hoped to do was to prove how nuts everyone has become over Y2K. Well so what? Maybe some people are born over sensitive or maybe even gullible. So what? Is it your intention to start a new aryan race that weeds out those inferior qualities in humans? Maybe your little "expiriment" was more data for CPR's FBI list. Hmmm?

Well anyway your a treacherous soul. Any man who deliberatly uses deception in a public environment should be looked upon with disgust and disdain. Are you so callous as to believe that what you did was just "a little white lie"? You talked about your conscience, both on your web page and on the original hoax thread. And yet you admit you spent much energy on planning the hoax so that it was believable.

And THEN you turn around and nod your head in affirmation; "YEP, those nutty doomers sure are gullible, they'll believe anything you tell them".

I didn't believe what you posted in your hoax thread and I sure don't believe what you wrote above about being sorry.

Face it Stephen, your just not believable anymore. You muddied your own character and I KNOW you don't care. You won't be back to the TB2000 forum. You had your fun, you proved your point that some people aren't as savy about the world in general as some others. Now you can live your smug little life and tell all your acedemia cronies what a gas it was to play God, though just for a day.

But your never going to be a leader Cess Pool. You just don't have what it takes. I know people will never follow you, nor take your opinion very deeply in regards. Because your associates, "friends", co-workers and peers will never trust anyone but themselves much less an unhappy little man like yourself. And the people here at the forum, and people like us in the world, will never trust you long enough to follow you because you willingly burn your bridges before you cross them.

Your a typical meglomaniac and sociopath. Maybe next time you can toss a lit Molotov cocktail into a crowded bus and watch how the people panic like sheep. After all that was your point right? Proving what a swell guy Stephen Poole is and how utterly stupid and gullible "they" are. Misplaced aggression you say? No, I think this time it was placed exactly where it should be placed, you blathering sociopath, right on your shoulders. Don't think you can always wriggle out of guilt and responsibility with a quick apology right before you slink away into the shadows. Sorry my friend, but as my father always says, you never ever get away with anything .

You say your a Christian? Yeah sure bubby, whatever.

Got scruples?

(PS: "Let he among you that is without sin cast the first stone"

Sorry to burst your "holier than thou" bubble, but, I'm not a Christian. I'll damn well cast the first stone and make it count)

-- Jack Gordon (TrnityTest@aol.com), July 06, 1999.

cesspoole backed up again

-- phew (pinch@nose.hard), July 06, 1999.

I do apologize for using this forum as I did and I shan't appear here again

I do apologize for using this forum as I did and I shan't appear here again

I do apologize for using this forum as I did and I shan't appear here again

I do apologize for using this forum as I did and I shan't appear here again

I do apologize for using this forum as I did and I shan't appear here again

I do apologize for using this forum as I did and I shan't appear here again

I do apologize for using this forum as I did and I shan't appear here again

I do apologize for using this forum as I did and I shan't appear here again

I do apologize for using this forum as I did and I shan't appear here again

I do apologize for using this forum as I did and I shan't appear here again

I do apologize for using this forum as I did and I shan't appear here again

I do apologize for using this forum as I did and I shan't appear here again

I do apologize for using this forum as I did and I shan't appear here again

I do apologize for using this forum as I did and I shan't appear here again

I do apologize for using this forum as I did and I shan't appear here again

I do apologize for using this forum as I did and I shan't appear here again

I do apologize for using this forum as I did and I shan't appear here again

you wrote it, now do it you p

-- not buying your bull (you@ass.com), July 06, 1999.

Poole will go down in history as the Milli-Vanilli of Y2k.

-- R (Riversoma@aol.com), July 06, 1999.

Lets all face it, the original post was not exactly Orson Wells "WAR OF THE WORLDS". As I recall the Troll alert was out with the third reply (by "Will Contiune" by the way)

Fourth post was even better:

Wow guy, you're good! [not]

We all better tell Phillips that they need to work on their numbering/naming schemes, because they overlap quite a bit with their consumer electronics gear.

For example, the VRZ262AT is a stereo VCR. Hmm, the VRZ262-Q7 is some sort of power gizmo?

I don't think so.

Jolly

-- Jollyprez (jolly@prez.com), June 29, 1999.

________________

I think mr poole is patting himself on the back a lot for something that did not cause much Y2K fuss, but did raise real ethical questions.

mr poole (as in cess)

Keep the faith

-- helium (heliumavid@yahoo.com), July 06, 1999.

Gee, Poole. That apology reminded me of the one our President gave last year. REAL sincere. He calls himself a Christian, too.

-- none (none@none.none), July 06, 1999.

Poole, your 'apology' lacks contrition and remorse. I can almost hear you chortle as I scroll through the boasting.

Keep practicing, Poole. Keep practicing your apology, OK? You will certainly need it, when one day, you *will* find yourself in front of your Maker. You *will* need to be able to reconcile what you did (as a self-proclaimed Christian, no less), and 'justify' your actions to Him much better (and with way more conviction) than you have for us in this post.

You'll have to come up with something better than what you gave us.

Keep practicing. Somehow, I believe God is *not* amused by such antics.

-- Wilferd (WilferdW@aol.com), July 06, 1999.

What a bunch of bullshit! Couldn't get further than a couple of paragraphs. If it took you and several others all that time to make it up, I wonder if any of you can tie your shoe laces?

-- sue (deco100@aol.com), July 06, 1999.

From Stephen Poole's "apology":

[snip]

If you people would be honest with yourselves, you'd admit that the REAL source of your malaise is that I am being proven right with each passing day -- and you are being proven WRONG (I apologize for pointing THAT fact out, too, but it needs to be pointed out).

Nothing really bad happened on July 1st. Some of you were secretly hoping that it would, too, weren't you? Nothing bad happened on April 1st or February 4 or January 1, either. The Jo Anne Effect is a complete bust.

THAT is what drives you crazy, not moi in specific, people.

[snip]

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=00122f

"Significance of States Fiscal Start"

Take a look on that thread for the link called "For the record: Your July 1st predictions, please".

-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), July 06, 1999.

I hope the door hits you in the butt on the way out.

See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya!

-- nothere nothere (notherethere@hotmail.com), July 06, 1999.

Sue - that was my point up above: a "credible lie" is very difficult to create and maintain. An "incredible truth" - such as what "midwestern mike" reported about the y2k reporting problems and potenital coverup on Thursday last week - takes only minutes to type down. And the "incredible truth" remains a telling lesson.

As does this lesson. There are 145,000 lessons in this forum - one has been shown to be that false stories are quickly discovered.

Also - that one false story - no matter how spun - does not invalidate the training in the remainder.

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), July 06, 1999.

"For the record: Your July 1st predictions, please"

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=000wgU

-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), July 06, 1999.

< July 1 - Canada Day, right? That's when Canada celebrates July 1.

July 4 - that's when US celebrates July 4.

Guy Fawkes Day - that's when UK celebrates a guy getting "fawked"...

Do you guys see a pattern here? Holidays tend to get celebrated on the date they are scheduled? >>

____

Hey - I was right!

-- Robert A. Cook, PE (Kennesaw, GA) (cook.r@csaatl.com), July 06, 1999.

To the Known Liar: Stephen Poole CET;

You call THAT an apology? What a condescending piece of horseshit!

Your elitism surpases even that of Bill CLinton and the other Liberal Socialists running us into the Grave. I guess if you can't beat 'em join 'em eh Poole?

Comparing yourself to Limbaugh is one of the greatest bits of hubris I've ever heard, and second only to the Presidents finger waving apology for the Monica scandal. You shine NO light on anything Poole except your own self-importance. You sir are not fit to be mentioned in the same sentence with Rush.

You are an arrogant asshole filled with yourself and you deserve no acceptance of your so-called "apology" from anyone.

You sir do what you say you hate, you DO the things you accuse "doomers" of doing and exalt yourself for your wit and cunning.

You are an elitist piece of shit. Conservative or not (I doubt it), you share the same camp with all liars and tyrants in my book.

You should work for Gore's campaign. I hear they need a good sheister to make shit up on George W.

Take your sorry ass off this forum. You make us all sick.

-- INVAR (gundark@sw.net), July 06, 1999.

Well, I won't miss Poole. He thinks he's smarter than he is, and the fact that he still maintains that his fake post accomplished his goals is laughable proof of that.

I hope he has enough integrity to keep his promise to be gone. He is not helpful. He is harmful.

-- Dog Gone (layinglow@rollover.now), July 06, 1999.

It would be nice if Mr. Poole were to document some of those "fictions" he claims made it into congressional testimony. I don't doubt that at least a few have crept in, but I'd like to know which ones they were, specifically, and see the documentation. Unsupported generalizations are useless here.

Mr. Poole challenges Rick Cowles's credentials and knowledge. Again, documented support is needed here. Mr. Poole is an electrical technician--certified, of course. My (admittedly outsider) understanding is that such a position is rather low on the food chain. Mr. Cowles, on the other hand, has 22 years of experience in the electric power industry (from plant floor to boardroom, as he likes to say); was Y2K director for Digital Equipment; was a director of embedded systems research for TAVA; etc. And Cowles did see through Poole's unconscionable hoax immediately. Certainly at first blush it would appear that Mr. Cowles's credentials beat those of Mr. Poole all hollow. One might have to concede the bigger ego to Mr. Poole, though. (That's OK, he once pretended in one of his little newsletters to know more about economics than did either the Princeton Economics Institute or Dr. Ed Yardeni. The training for electrical technicians these days must be a wonder to behold. For the greater glory of God, no doubt.)

Finally, Mr. Poole and his assorted disgruntled friends in the power industry might like to challenge the research of TAVA and ABB. Again, documented refutations of TAVA and ABB findings would be most appreciated; I'm always looking for good Y2K news where the power industry is concerned. Argument by assertion (a logical fallacy that Mr. Poole seems inordinately fond of) doesn't cut it. Neither do malicious hoaxes.

-- Don Florence (dflorence@zianet.com), July 06, 1999.

P.S. For those who missed the June 30th Bloomberg News story, check out the thread entitled "Tava/Beck Outages Quote Accurate." Note what Cameron Daley, chief operating officer of TAVA, is saying; note, too, that TAVA has worked with over 100 U.S. electric utilities on their embedded systems. (TAVA is also doing embedded systems remediation for GM, among several other giant American corporations; I had the chance to see some of their statistical findings last August.) As for ABB and the report prepared some months ago by Dr. Klaus Ragaller, see my thread "ABB Report," which probably is now in the archives under power industry or whatever.

-- Don Florence (dflorence@zianet.com), July 06, 1999.

I think everything that can be said pretty much has, so I won't add my feelings of disgust, but I will point out something that adds to Poole's lack of credibility.

In this thread: http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a- fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=0012qF Poole states:

"I'm anything but a utilities expert. But by visiting a few Web sites and spending about an hour familiarizing myself with the subject, I was able to learn enough of the lingo to have easily fooled those who are experts, had I wanted to."

Then in this current thread he states:

"Those few paragraphs were a month in the making. Further, I had the help of several other people (some of whom, incidentally, work in utilities, and who thought it was the grandest joke they'd seen in a while..."

So, first he claims he spent about an hour familiarizing himself with the subject (enough so as to supposedly fool the experts) then he turns around and says that the post was a month in the making and he had help from several people, some of which work in utilities.

Those statements are further evidence that he is a liar or that he is so stupid that after researching the subject it took him a month to write it plus he had to have help. I choose all of the above.

-- Weed Whacker (none@avail.able), July 06, 1999.

That's hitting the nail on the head Weed Whacker. Good Job!

Christian hell! Can you say pond scum?

-- Cary Mc from Tx (Caretha@compuserve.com), July 06, 1999.

Cesspool,

You are a manifest and confessed LIAR. What you penned as an apology bore NO resemblance in even a minor degree to contrition. It was a vindication speech. As amatter of fact, for anyone to see, the boasts of what you did in here are still to be found on your web site. This is EVIDENCE that you are not in the least apologetic any more than a thief who claims to be sorry that he stole and yet, still keeps the stolen property. Yup, that's Poole's brand of repentance.

Think of this, moron, no matter what I have written, right or wrong has EVER received such a response from an ENTIRE forum. I have never yet seen such a display of revulsion and disgust at one's behavior.

You are a lamentable and pitiable creature.

You richly deserve what you receive here. Too bad that your family will not deserve the catstrophe becuase you refused to prepare. Let's hear your apology to your kids, then, as you explain to them why daddy had such a big brain.

-- Paul Milne (fedinfo@halifax.com), July 06, 1999.

More lies in Poole's remarks after posting a copy of this on the Debunking forum:

Tuesday, 06-Jul-1999 21:12:52

209.214.108.12 writes:

Actually, the reason I cross-posted it here is because I don't trust Diane Squire any farther than I could throw her. She has altered other posts to suit her tastes, and I figured she could do the same to mine.

In fact, she's the primary reason I had stopped spending much time over there in the past few weeks (ie, since Yourdon left).

If I wanted to be "arrogant," "inflated" and "filled with self- importance," I certainly wouldn't have wasted ANY time over there to start with, because very, VERY few people take that forum seriously to start with.

-- Stephen

Stephen M. Poole, CET

-- long nose? (poole@is.pinocchio), July 06, 1999.

Stephen,

That was lame, as apologies go. Even Decker did better... sorta.

Just because you CLAIM something is so, doesnt mean it is. Especially coming from you!

Dust off you mirror, Stephen, and take a good hard look at your life and what it stands for. And what it doesnt. Or not. Your choice.

Diane

Links...

A Public Demand for a Public Apology from Stephen M. Poole

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 0012v9

Was this posted before? Sorry if it was, but this guy is a real ring- dinger (Cess Poole that is...)

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 0012qF

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), July 06, 1999.

The man is as good as his word.

Nuf said.

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), July 06, 1999.

Let this thread be the virtual epitaph of Mr. Stephen M. Poole, CET.

-- Elbow Grease (LBO Grise@aol.com), July 06, 1999.

Mr. Poole, I have one question and one comment.

Question: You made WHAT point in spades?

Comment: The comparison between Y2K and the Chernobyl virus is horrifically stupid. Even for you.

-- Peter Errington (petere@ricochet.net), July 06, 1999.

I vote that CET be forever banned from this forum!

-- Watcher5 (anon@anon.com), July 06, 1999.

"Mister Poole! How rude! How rude!" -- Jar Jar Binks

-- Randolph (dinosaur@williams-net.com), July 06, 1999.

Poole,

What you posted here is a non-apology that Bill Clinton himself would be proud of. It's people like you that give Christianity such a bad name in today's world. If I never see your name on another post on this forum, it will be too soon.

-- Nabi Davidson (nabi7@yahoo.com), July 06, 1999.

Hosed these out from the Vomitorium. (If Andy Ray can call this forum the Hysterium. . .)

Steamy Poo got a response to his "apology" from his buddy, cpr --

http://www.InsideTheWeb.com/messageboard/mbs.cgi?acct=mb237006&MyNum=9 31302614&P=Yes&TL=931301303

Said good bye to the hooples Eh?? Be sure to wash up good before dinner, Tuesday, 06-Jul-1999 19:10:14

Nailed them all good.

I hope they get the message that people are indignant over the doom thing.

I'm seeing it everywhere on forums now about "forget that doom stuff,, we'll get through this."

cpr

Cpr, Steamy's buddy, recognized the "apology" for what it was. An attempted "nail" job.

-- OutingsR (us@here.yar), July 06, 1999.

My, my. Your apology holds as much water as the 'original' lie. Which one was the original anyway? Lost track. Slink away Poole and take your like-minded companions with you....your so called apology rates right up there with, "the dog did it". So does your intellect.

-- Will continue (farming@home.com), July 06, 1999.

Oh lookie, it's cpr....trailing soap bubbles from his ears, left over from his time spent in the Corps. Maybe Poole will help him get those soap shavings out of his eyebrows, better concentrate on removing the sock from his left nostril first, Puddle-boy!

-- Will continue (farming@home.com), July 06, 1999.

Ahem. . .

Mr. Poole,

In my humble opinion, one of the most valuable quotes from your above treatise was the following:

"I don't think you realize the depth of the disgust which exists on the part of some people (particularly the aforementioned friends in utility work) toward places like this forum ... and especially toward self-appointed authorities like Lane, Rick Cowles, Roleigh Martin and Gary North. I had to keep THAT out of it, too. They wanted me to make the tale MORE realistic and then rub noses in it with gay abandon after the "outing." I refused to do it. I had a fixed point to make -- and I made it in spades."

Perhaps it might be worthwhile for you to explain to the above mentioned disgusted parties that many people who frequent this forum are here in the hope of gaining legitimate knowledge about why (or why not) they should take steps to protect people like their elderly grandmothers--very likely widows living alone in the coldest places in North America (with the dog and maybe the cat)--who can barely SEE, let alone by candlelight.

Would your friends be willing and able to honorably come to us and explain--in the most simple terms--why there is no reason to worry about our grandmothers this Winter?

If they can provide sincere, educated responses they will be heard. (Yes, indeed, on this very forum.)

-- confused (it's@so.confusing), July 06, 1999.

That was the lamest apology I've seen in a long time.

Poole, please consult Miss Manners. She will enlighten you about the customary format of the standard apology. Your mother should have taught you that it's not an apology when one uses the words "I apologize" merely as a springboard by which to launch into a reiteration of grievances. If you can't say "I'm sorry" then you truly ARE sor-ry!

You continue to excuse your antisocial behavior on the basis that it proves that people are gullible. If people had in fact been gullible, it would have been even less excusable. But the fact is that your hoax was debunked immediately in both forums where it appeared. I would be interested to know under what circumstances you would have declared your test a failure.

Here's the thing: being prepared cannot be wrong. We are preparing for a possibility of hard times. No matter what actually does happen, it will always be true that there had been a possibility of hard times. It's the stakes, not the odds.

It's OK with us if you don't choose to be prepared. Really, it is. What's not OK with us is for you to tell us that we shouldn't prepare. Your credibility here, as an admitted liar, is totally shot. We also aren't likely to put much stock in your opinion in the future when you appear under a different handle, since your ability to reason is missing, and that just can't be fixed with a makeover.

Got facts?

Y2K, ` la Carte by Dancr near Monterey California

-- Dancr (minddancr@aol.com), July 07, 1999.

This may well be one of the funniest threads to appear in a long time. Mr. Poole shows you all to be fart-catching, Doomer Rubes with his little ruse. Does he receive a thank-you for pointing out the obvious? Of course not. The Doomer micro-brain is not capable of understanding humor.

Did the Doomer leaders (Milne and North) swallow this hoax? Hook line and sinker. Are any Doomers now examining the intellectual veracity of said naive leaders? No - they attack Poole instead. Anyone surprised? Not me...

"... I believe we'll start seeing [disruptions] by this summer, and I believe they'll continue for at least a year. As many people are now aware, 46 states (along with Australia and New Zealand) will begin their 1999-2000 fiscal year on July 1, 1999; New York (and Canada) will already have gone through their Y2K fiscal rollover on April 1, and the remaining three states begin their new fiscal year on August 1, September 1, and October 1. We also have the GPS rollover problem to look forward to on August 22nd, as well as the Federal government's new fiscal year on October 1st.

There is, of course, some finite probability that all of these rollover events will occur without any problems; but there's also a finite probability that pigs will learn to fly."

-- Ed "I'm A Flying Pig" Yourdon

"So, of course I want to see y2k bring down the system, all over the world. I have hoped for this all of my adult life." -- Gary North

"Do I wish to see the present Federal governmnet completely disemboweled? Yes, absolutely"

-- Paul Milne (fedinfo@halifax.com), July 05, 1999.

-- Y2K Pro (2@641.com), July 07, 1999.

For the record, I am not enthralled with Mr. Poole's hoax. You can find my thoughts posted on Debunker. Furthermore, this thread was his apology... dragging me into it is just more gratuitious personal attacks. In point of fact, I am one of the few posters who has the backbone to challenge BOTH optimists and pessimists. This forum would greatly enhance its credibility and value if more individuals considered arguments on their merits... and not on the personality of the author.

Regards,

-- Mr. Decker (kcdecker@worldnet.att.net), July 07, 1999.

Poolenocchio,

We are searching for a list of "Poolenocchio" candidates. The only qualification is of course, to lie.

This will dwarf the Flying Pig...

br14

-- br14 (br14@bout.done), July 07, 1999.

Good riddance Poole.

I once had some respect for your opinions, now I fail to see why. You, in your high and mighty infinite wisdom, yelled "Fire" in a crowded theater full of nervous people. Then you gloated when a few of them acted instinctively and twitched. To what end? To save us from ourselves?

No thanks. I'll take the laughter of all of society for my preparations before I'll listen to a sanctimonious group of self- interested morons like you and the pricks at DeBS site. You make me embarrassed to consider myself a Christian.

WWJD?

Probably kick you square in your miniscule balls, Poole.

-- ariZONEa (not_soon_enough@poole.com), July 07, 1999.

Y2K Pro,

You are no better than Poole. You too lack any sense of decency regarding truth, integrity, morality, or ethics. I think we all knew that about you anyway, but it is enlightening to have you spell it all out so clearly with your above psychopathic post. I'm sure Poole loves you like a bosom buddy. You deserve each other.

-- Gordon (gpconnolly@aol.com), July 07, 1999.

Another good thread not to read!

Didn't read it, didn't read it, nyah nyah.

(Maybe save it out on a little 3 1/2 inch floppy somewhere lazing on a beach 20 years from now.) Bye.....

-- jor-el (jor-el@krypton.uni), July 07, 1999.

Another good thread NOT to read. Amen!. I was foolish enough to read the silly apology and even sillier to read the pissing contest that everyone suited up for. God God, all of you remind me of frat rats in college; one fraternity insults in another, and then in a fit of righteous indignation, they all go over to the piss on the offending fraternity's lawn. As this goofiness progresses, they think up more insulting ways of retaliating, and saving their honor.

I've never read one of Poole's posts until today. I was curious to see what all this apology business was about. I'm sorry I looked.

-- gilda (jess@listbot.com), July 07, 1999.

I've never been to this forum nor have i ever responded in a forum of this sort. I am preparing for a MAJOR disruption in society at the turn of the century and have to-date, spent better than $30000.00 on my prepping.(Including having a well dug at a considerable cost). However, i felt inclined to respond to all this and put in mky two- cents. I don't know who Y2K-Pro is but apparently most, if not all of you in this forum, don't like him/her. But he/she makes a good point, i'm sorry to say, and that is, i've been looking for something to validate all of my preparations to my friends and family. They think i'm off my rocker! I have spent literally hundreds of hours on the net and am convinced of big problems but on the dates that we are suppossed to see these problems, the "guns" who we have put some faith in can't seem to give us clear answers as to why nothing "Big" has happened yet. Is this what it will be like on 01/01/2000? I am NOT afraid of looking foolish because i can use virtually all of what i have purchased but my credibility for anything later on in life will be shot. i read them all everyday; Hyatt, Y2knewsire, hamasaki, north, westergaard, cowles, martin, lord, yourdon(not any more), beach, etc., all far more intelligent than myself, but thus far, nothing earth shattering. So, here i am. not looking for TEOTWAKI, but, what?

-- abc (mrmtgman@aol.com), July 08, 1999.

Poole,

"I am the Rush Limbaugh of Y2K; I shine the light of truth on ignorance and have fun while I do it."

That's your whole problem in a nutshell. Every utterance from the fat mouth of Rush Limbaugh is an outright lie, and if you can't tell the difference then it's no wonder people hate you. You might be having fun doing this, but keep in mind you are talking about the possibility of real danger to our lives - asshole!

-- @ (@@@.@), July 08, 1999.

abc,

You might find the following thread useful:

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=00122f

"Significance of States Fiscal Start"

-- Linkmeister (link@librarian.edu), July 08, 1999.