X-Message-Number: 17415
Date: Wed, 29 Aug 2001 12:12:17 -0700
From: Jerry Lemler <>
Subject: What I Will Not Say

     Having read Joseph W. Morgan s misinformed and misguided posting (17405)
this morning, for a moment I thought about writing an inflammatory
response.  I
confess, I almost did it. 
     I would have suggested that prior to posting his erroneous remarks, Mr.
Morgan should have at least read our book, Journey to Noah s Ark,
(<http://www.lakemoor.com/>www.lakemoor.com).  Had he done so, (it s an easy
read, and it s got a lot of good pictures), he would have noted the multiple
disclaimers contained therein.  He, no doubt, would have realized we journeyed
to the Ararat region of Turkey merely as curiosity-seeking tourists and
amateur
explorersnot as scientists or theologians.  The book itself (largely authored
by myself), is not a scholarly treatise.  Rather, it s a small coffee table
manuscript.  
     I thought about informing Mr. Morgan how our party was anything but a
rag-tag bunch of weirdos.  Ron Leadbetter has been a lead attorney in the
General Counsel s office of the University of Tennessee for nearly three
decades, and virtually any time there is a major NCAA investigation into the
University s athletic programs, he s the point man.  I would have told Mr.
Morgan that private investigator Barry Rice has extracted nearly as much
useful
information on behalf of alleged capital murder defendants as Paul Drake.  Not
particularly wishing to brag, I felt I owed it to Mr. Morgan to have informed
him how my son, Lieutenant Russell Lemler, (currently stationed at Ft. Sill,
Oklahoma), was a high school senior on the tripthe same academic year he was a
National Merit finalist, executive editor of his school s newspaper,
co-captain
of the tennis team, Chairman of the Honor Council, and recipient of the Webb
School s highest honor, the Chapman Award.  Two months prior to departing for
Eastern Turkey, Russell had been given early acceptance to the United States
Military Academy at West Point, while two months after returning, he was
officially nominated to be a cadet by Senator Fred Thompson, Senator Bill
Frist, and Representative John Duncan Junior.  I probably wouldn t have cited
Russell s numerous Academy accomplishments so it s not likely I would have
listed how he graduated number six in an original class of 1,210 cadets.  I
also would not have discussed his selection as Brigade Operations Officer, his
playing on the Varsity Tennis Team, how he was a state (Tennessee) finalist
for
the Rhodes Scholarship, or the fact that he placed number one in his field
artillery branch, and graduated with the Academy s highest achievementbeing
designated a Distinguished Cadet.  I contemplated saying all of this, but in
the end, thought better of it, and declined.  
     What I will ask of Mr. Morgan is, if you aren t signed up with Alcor (or
any other biostasis purveyor), who is the wiser between you and me?  I rest my
case.   

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