Hiding Behind A Screen Name

[Project Healing Waters]

I thought this was pretty clear: http://ozarkanglers.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7564

I am Ken Morrow. Many of you know me pretty well.

This is my fly fishing blog: http://ozarksflyanglers.blogspot.com

This is my Myspace Page: http://www.myspace.com/silvermallard

This is another of my Myspace Pages: http://www.myspace.com/projecthealingwaters

I am the Regional Coordinator for Project Healing Waters for the states of MO, AR, and OK. I am a member of SMFF and MTFA. I'm assisting in teaching the fly fishing class at MSU with MTFA. And I put together the CAMP game fundraiser for SMFF and arranged most of the donations for the SMFF Mini-Conclave at Jolly Mill with Dave and Emily Whitlock. I have taught seminars for Bass Pro Shops, appeared on Hunting Across America on the Outdoor Channel, and was a regular guest expert on Hunting the Midwest radio show for awhile. My articles have been published in a number of magazines, I was the Ozarks staff columnist for FAOL for a number of years, and they appear on a great many fishing and hunting websites and FFF newsletters across the country. I am a former member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America. Before I became permanently disabled, I was the National Ad Sales Agent for Outdoors Yellow Pages. I never charge for my writing. I am a disabled veteran and only do volunteer work. I have endorsement relationships with TFO, WilliamJoseph, Scientific Anglers, Okuma, and Elkhorn (on the fishing side of the house). My blog is globally syndicated with Google, Google News, Google Blogs, Yahoo! News, My Yahoo!, Bloglines, and a host of other news feeds and blog services. It is read by over 1,500 people each week from about 20 different countries and in an average of 8 languages, with an average of about 3,000 page views and an average time on site of 12 minutes. I accept no advertisements.

I lived in Branson from 1998 to September of 2006 and have fished with many of the folks on this board more than once or twice, including Leonard. I have seen Leonard catch good numbers and sizes of fish away from the chutes and even away from Taneycomo. But deceptive marketing tactics and aggressive self-promotion have gotten Leonard cross-ways with a number of people. I do not night fish. I don't enjoy it. I used to fish quite regularly with Brad Wright, and Chuck Gries's son sold me my first fly rod when he was just a boy...in 1998.

My opinions are my own. They are not the property of nor reviewed for approval by Project Healing Waters, Education Outdoors, TFO, WJ, SA, Okuma, Elkhorn, Bass Pro, Backcountry Outfitters, SMFF, MTFA, FFF, TU, the Southern Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers, or Lilley's Landing. I don't have to agree with you to like you. I don't have to like you to treat you fairly or do something nice for you. But I do have know you're capable of such things yourself if you want me to respect you.

There has been a LOT of smoke blowing and beating around the bush here this Summer. Like me or hate me, I don't play games. I speak my mind, I do what I do because I want to, and I take responsibility for both the good and the bad. And it's not my fault if people don't read introduction posts or profiles before making assumptions about posters. But for a guy who has known me for quite some time to accuse me of "hiding" or being deceptive is a pretty cheap shot. And for anyone to try to insinuate that my stating my opinions and observations truthfully is a discredit to PHW...well, let me ask you this:

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR DISABLED VETS, WOUNDED WARRIORS, OR PROJECT HEALING WATERS LATELY?

Because I'm a volunteer and have been putting in somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 hours per week on PHW all summer long and financing its introduction to the Ozarks mostly out of my own and my wife's very shallow pockets. We have received one donation to date from Capital City Fly Fishers, who run a PHW program at the VA hospital in Columbia, MO. And the national organization receives a LOT of support from TFO and Orvis. Just yesterday, Elkhorn agreed to a wholesale purchasing arrangement with PHW that will help us and our veterans and soldiers to acquire the gear we need at a price we need it at. To date, the fly anglers from around here who have been of assistance to PHW are:

Larry Wegmann, Kim Shultz, Mike Davis, Wilma Morrow, Russ Doughty, Dennis Slane, Brian Ellis, Sharon Yoker, Capt. Paul Sodamann PhD, Darin Rohrer JD, Wayne Patton, Bruce Ritter, Larry Murphy, Jerry Kemple, Ralph Eichholz, and Paul Rone. We also got a helping hand from Holly Neill of the James River Basin Partnership. Oh...and I should mention Rocky Hollow Lodge down in Bull Shoals, Arkansas. They do some things for us I cannot mention publicly, but that are WAY above and beyond!

How's that for "full disclosure?"

[Phil Lilley]

I'm tired of putting fires out on the forum.

This is about fishing.

Either get along or find another forum.

That's goes for everyone.

[Murdoc]

Well said Phil! Fishing Forum!! If you have a problem with someone leave the rest of us out of it. Take it up with them in private.

[Chief Grey Bear]

How's that for "full disclosure?"

Sounds more like a self pat on the back to me.

And BTW my family makes yearly contributions to the DAV.

[Danoinark]

I certainly don't have all the inside knowledge of why there are beefs between certain members of the forum of late. Its not my place to know but after being asked to help moderate and admin this particular site unfortunately I have had to read all of the posts in order to do my job. What irritates me most of all is that these disagreements are being aired in public. Isn't it more logical, practical and less personal to try to resolve these arguments outside this venue? This certainly would keep other posters from having to pick sides, which they do, and keep comments from these members from hurting feelings and or further escalating the situation.

I know Phil is pulling his hair because of this situation and obviously the morale of the forum suffers. I would urge everyone to be calm and think before you write. Please don't air dirty laundry on OAF. I would hope that no one would ever have to be censured for something that was said, but really didn't mean.

Now I have had enough. Thread is closed.

Dano