Jamie+M

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No one here or on any other board will ever doubt your fishing knowledge. I've been reading about you in The Fisherman as long as I can remembner. That says something about your fish-catching ability. I've always been surprised at how willing you are to share information. That says something about your character.

However, it is too bad that you feel that everyone is "the enemy until they prove otherwise". That's a tough way to go through life. I don't know you, but if that's your attitude I'm going to assume that somewhere along the line you've been stabbed in the back. It's too bad you assume I'm the enemy, because I'm a pretty good person.

In my experience, people in general are OK, and this goes even more so to the fishing and boating community. Marc Z and I didn't start fishing seriously until we wre in our 20's, and we've gotten TONS of help from people just like the ones on this board.

You say "the snake always wins", I wouldn't be too sure of that. It may seem like that in the short-term, because those who push, shove, and take short-cuts will win in the short-term. In the long run, however, it's how you play the game that matters, and virtue IS its own reward. And most people, I think, would rather play by the rules than cheat.

My Dad, one of the truly great men of all time, always says "let a smile and a handshake lead your way through life". That's not a bad philosophy. You say you don't need a lot of people, that's fine. But you might be better off giving some of us the benefit of the doubt before you assume I'm the enemy. People are a little better, I think, than you give them credit for.