[at-l] Co-opted credit

[Phil Heffington <phil.heffington@oc.edu>]

I've been a dual lister on both this and WF's list until the latest bumping
binge by WF.  I decided to take my name off his list before he had a chance
to exclude me for not writing a second letter about Sattleback on his form.

I have a couple of questions which I would like some information about
before I write to WF and express my complaint.  Isn't the "2,000 miler"
designation conferred by ATC, and ATC alone?  There is no other official or
semi-official organization which gives this recognition, is there? 

I decided to do a little surfing at WF's website and see what is going on
there and noticed his definition of a "2,000 Miler" liberally uses phrases
like "We use the term..." or "Our Policy..."  or "We assume...", etc.,
without making any mention of the ATC.  He then gives the ATC definition
almost verbatim without crediting them, while adding his own plug for his
new and improved "Avery Society" for those who are especially honest under
his definition.  He did have to put in a cloaked dig at the ATC without
mentioning them by stating in his own definition for thru hikers that
although 4,000 have claimed to have done so, that "the actual figure is
probably less, since many make the claim but have not actually done it".

I don't spend a lot of time worrying about the idiosycracies of WF, but
isn't he being a bit dishonest about the 2,000 miler designation with his
implication that (1) the "we" he is talking about is anyone other than
himself (please don't bother with the editorial "we" explanation), and (2)
that he has anything to do with the designation in the first place.
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