The Art (w6obb) of Domination

“I really am a strong personality, and it is not unusual for me to dominate other people.” This is a quote from THE ART OF TALK by Art Bell, published by Paper Chase Press, 1998.

So is this what artie did to ‘rid’ himself of his Amateur Radio headaches? And just how did he do it?

After a month’s long hiatus, during which he may have taken the back seat, perhaps trying to wait out the solution to all the thorns in his side (Hams), artie stepped forward to solve his Ham woes.

For awhile artie hung with the Little People on 3.678. He was accepted, welcomed even. Ahh, but another thorn in artie’s side; he was not worshiped, nor the leader (though he tried a coup). After month’s of being left to their own devices, The Little People had formed a fairly cohesive ‘group’ of their own; they had a format, and each had a role with Glenn Thurman kn6z being the glue. So artie wisely moved on (as was predicted in The HamFanz Grudge Report as early as July 2, 2007 http://hamfanz.blogspot.com/2007/07/art-bell-w6obb-retires-again.html).

Now 3.720 is ‘his’ and it is pre-stocked with the chosen. (A sub-cult of the Cult of the Loop?). The elite, Hams that artie enjoys talking to, AND who could be manipulated, bought (in one way or another), or blackmailed into complying to artie’s domination. The starting line up for 3.720 consists of: Jim Watkins ki6gu, Scott Barris, w6edv, Bill Houlne wb6bnq, and Jim Southwick n7js. (With w6wbj and w6txh dropping in just because they cannot resist it once in awhile, but not to the point of vexing artie!) Most are former acquaintances/enemies, or Hams that artie himself alienated in recent years.

But how exactly did artie ‘dominate’ all these Hams, bend them to his whim, to accomplish the forming of the 3.720 Elites? Does no one else think it odd that in about one month’s time:

-ki6gu left 3.840 something he swore he would never do
-n7js shut down his online tuner, thus 3.840 would have a much diminished audience, and there would be few recordings of the anti-artie rants floating about?
-w6wbj STOPPED all jibes, insults, verbal and written attacks on artie?
-w6wbj and w6txh seem to have stopped jamming the Elites

Well I think it is strange! Though I know that numerous phone calls, emails, and chats initiated by artie were the starting point, or the basis of arties domination of these Hams; I cannot help but wonder what else was involved.

I think a LOT more than calls and emails went on behind the scenes. Did he threaten some with litigation (w6wbj, k6txh)? Did he somehow ‘buy off’ the materialistic Rev n7js, into closing a tuner that had been his second hobby for 5 years? Did he offer ‘friendship’ and trips to Pahrump to the lonely ki6gu?

“When I decide to do something, I insist it be done my way. No exceptions. And if there are other people involved in what I am doing, they must conform to my direction”, still another quote from THE ART OF TALK by Art Bell, published by Paper Chase Press, 1998.

It would seem that Hams do not read books, which is really too bad, as THE ART OF TALK is nothing but an artie manual. Or they do not mind, or actually prefer, being ‘dominated’ and manipulated by artie...