Howdy-Ho Chaim Yankel!  :)
   No one has hijacked this echo!  There's a time for fantasy,
   and there's a time to recognize the so-called "real world."
   In light of Kit Ballantyne's emotional exit from this forum,
   perhaps a review of what transpired here is in order:
   Copyrights
   ----------
   Kit Ballantyne posted erroneous information about copyrights
   and consumer rights.  Several people attempted to correct his
   mis-representation of the facts.  It was even suggested that
   we leave interpretation of the law to the real-life lawyers.
   But Kit insisted on advancing his mis-interpretation of the law.
   He failed to respond to any of my questions which clearly pointed
   to the logical flaws in his argument.  And he refused to acknowledge
   or accept the opinion of Disney Customer Service on this matter.
   Piracy
   ------
   Kit argued that someone who legally purchases videos for the purpose
   of reselling them is a "pirate."  When I pointed out that he was
   mis-using the word "piracy" he became belligerent and offered a
   definition that made it clear that he understood the correct usage.
   Oddly enough, he then revealed that he, himself, is in possession of
   a videotape that is _NOT_ available to the public-at-large, and which
   may, in fact, be an unauthorized release.  Read: _pirated copy_.
   Pirates of the Caribbean
   ------------------------
   In a strange display of "synchronicity," the above topic was being
   discussed simultaneous with a conversation about changes being made
   to the "Pirates of the Caribbean."  These changes are partly the result
   of consumer protest by a religious faction with which Kit Ballantyne
   and others strongly disagree.  Many people expressed their feelings
   about not wanting to see any changes; Kit was among the most vocal.
   Kit (and others) also expressed dis-satisfaction with the way that
   Disney is being managed.  And they made _political_ statements about
   a group of people acting on their religious beliefs.  This is not
   unusual for the Ballantynes.  They've been involved in similar
   controversies in the Freemason and Mormon echoes.  I think it is
   only fair to point out that Kit brought a lot of this upon himself.
   Maybe after he's had a chance to consider the facts, he will return.
   Collecting for Fun and Profit
   -----------------------------
   Finally, there's this discussion about collecting and trading
   in Disney products and whether or not it is somehow "immoral."
   I'm absolutely certain that many of the people who complain
   about "collectors" have their own collections, be they coins,
   teddy bears, Barbie Dolls, postcards, GIFS, animation files,
   or what have you.  On this subject, Kit Ballantyne offered an
   argument that was rife with contradiction.
   First he says:  Disney wants to "create a gap of a certain number
   of years between releases of the film so that they can show it
   to a new generation every 7 or so years."
   Then he says, "We have a whole generation of children that can't
   watch "The Little Mermaid" on home video because their parents
   were scooped by people who want to sell them for $150."
   IF Disney shared Kit's concern, why wouldn't they release more videos
   to the retail market?  Can you answer that for me?
   Kit basically asserts that his interpretation of reality is the
   correct and only interpretation, and when confronted with evidence
   to the contrary, he chose to depart the echo rather than admit error,
   but not before again attacking someone in an emotional post.
   It's obvious that we are coming at this discussion from different
   levels of education and different levels of maturity.  It seems
   that a general lack of understanding based on personal biases
   and too little information has resulted in emotional response.
   But cooler heads will prevail.  No one has "hijacked the echo."
   If anything, Fact has won out over Fantasy.
   Best Wishes,
   Pinocchio  ;-)
--- PPoint 2.00
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