I have something to say about Louie. Please take a few moments to read this. THANX.

Boom

I must say, NOT having been born Yesterday ... if I haven't seen it all ..... it's CLOSE!

I feel we ALL make bad decisions/ wrong choices, at certain point(s) in our lives. It comes with being Human, driven by Emotion. While I have always tried to hold myself to a certain set of self-imposed Standards, I am certain there have been times when I have failed miserably BUT the Key is TO KEEP TRYING to live up to these Standards and to make right the things I can.

If we lower our standards/ ethics, we slowly become complacent and mundane. Personally, I have just come thru the most trying 2 years of my Life but as I look back I can honestly say that in a strange way, these trials & tribulations have somehow made me a better person BECAUSE of that certain set of standards. I've had to say Good-Bye to several things I held near & Dear. I suppose it IS True however in my opinion, the old adage SHOULD be modified to read, "Adversity CAN build Character - Fact is, it can MAKE or BREAK a Person."

The more one gets on in years, the more the things that are of REAL Importance become crystal clear. Speaking solely for myself, this has nothing to do with posessions, Wealth, Assets etc. It has EVERYTHING to do with INNER PEACE. The closer one gets to the Finish Line, the more "Stuff" becomes MEANINGLESS. I find myself looking Inward, in preparation for that unavoidable Day that We ALL will be made to face.

I find myself scanning my Memory, looking for any & every one I may have hurt during my lifetime. Having very fresh wounds, enduring the Death of a 28 Year relationship, watching my biological Father pass away as well as my Mother's very close brush with Death due to a Doctor's Mistake (Negligence ... not paying attention for 1 split second) along with other relatives & friends - including my closest, most Loyal companion in the form of a strapping, 8 year old Dog to the ravages of a very aggresive, malignant form of Cancer known as Lymphosarcoma.... somehow, ALL of this has brought everything into Perfect Perspective.

I find that I have become much more tolerant of people yet still have a very low tolerance for Stupidity. I certainly am no one's "Judge". Ultimately each & every one of us, barring sudden, unforeseeable, life changing or ending "Events," will reach such a point finding ourselves in such a mindset.

And such, I now come to the point I want to make regarding Louie.

I am NOT naive enough to believe that he has had a sudden change of heart. Conversely, I have NO REASON TO BELIEVE HE HASN'T either. I suppose I am in, what would be best described a "Show Me" Mode. Since he approached me humbly with a very sincere air of Compunction about him, he has (of his own accord) made "Good" with the likes of Mojoman, aija, BgMan and others, including ME!

He FREELY approached me FIRST and asked NOTHING in return and I think you ALL should be made to know this. I want to state publicly that thus far his ACTIONS have evoked a new-found sense of Respect for this Man but KNOW THIS, I am no Fool and will be watching him closely.

In conclusion, I ASK that should ANYONE have a problem or a grudge/ grievance with him, NOW is the Time to be MAN enough to approach him and tell him as he wants to make good with any & EVERY ONE he may have offended in any way. If YOU have any issues with Louie, now is the Time to forever put it to rest. Contact him, say what you have to say and let yesterday be forever gone.

He has NOT asked me to write this nor has he asked me to be reinstated but thus far, having seen what I have/ knowing what I know to be True, I hereby state to Louie, I will trade with you any day ALL day so long as you follow the SAME EXACT "Common Sense Rules of Coin Swapping" that everyone here does.

It's a beginning and I applaud you Louie. ANYONE having a problem with LOUIE or anyone else you've traded with, PLEASE be man enough to work this out and to learn to Forgive, for one day the shoe may quite well be on the other foot with any one of US asking Forgiveness. In order to be forgiven, one must first learn & know how to forgive.

Should anyone have any opinions or Grievances, NOW and right HERE is the place to air them or forever hold your tongues. I commend you , Louie, for trying and asking nothing in return. Anyone have anything to say - SPEAK UP!

Thank you, one & all, for taking the time to read and consider these words. The rest is on YOU!

BOOM

Boom

In case you are doubting what I have written, here is Louie's latest PM to me. Read for yourselves.
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I will try my utmost to be worthy of your very kind words. I do not think I am ready to get into the swaps just yet because I want to have the time go by wherein those people who read your words and still have a gripe with me but not yet have come forward, will do so.

I got to get square with each and every one of them. So far a good start with Bgman, Mojoman, Ajia and you. Perhaps in the future, after I read all of your instructions on participating in the swaps and making darn sure that I live up to all of them, then perhaps I may ask to enter your swaps.

I still am a bit leery of entering them because there may be some people who will make some bad comments to you about letting me in. I do not want to cause you any more problems than I have in the past. Lord knows I have made sort of a mess of my life in the past but I am trying my darnest to correct and hope that those people will have it in their hearts to live and let live.

Again, many thanks for your kind words. I will not let you down. Louie.

ajia

Boom (& Louie),

Without rehashing the details on a trade gone bad, let me just say I have very mixed emotions in regards to Louie.
I think back and am still bitter about the time it took, the stories told, having to get BOOM involved to settle the dispute even though he really had no reason to.
In the end, I was 'made whole' monetarily, but the time & effort put in by me & in the end Boom will forever be a sore spot.

I have heard other make deals with Louie without an issue, which I think is fine. The issue is how he handles himself when there is an issue, not when there are no issues.
Would he continue to avoid his resposibilties to make good on the deal?
Or has he changed & would be willing to make things right, right now?

I don't know, only Louie knows.

Would I trade with him 1-on-1? No.
Would I accept him in a BOOM sponsored swap? Yes, but not for too much.
Would I tell anyone NOT to trade with Louie, no.
Would I warn them if asked, yes.

I do believe he is getting on in age, maybe realizing his mortality, and realizing what's most important in life, and it's not coins.
I also remember his wife having to take medication. I do hope she, and Louie are doing well.
Just because things didn't go well doesn't mean I hate the guy, or I wish bad things for him.

That about sums up my feelings about Louie, for whatever it's worth.

dcamp78

As I stated before, I recently had a trade with Louie and it was a smooth transaction.
I'd trade with him again.

Thanks Louie!!!

hiyosilver

BOOM, I thank you for posting this and wanted to say that Louie would have been my 1st. swap when I became a member here.

While I was the first to send him some Nice Morgans ( 2 different packages), I never saw his end of the swap.......after several PM's and e-mails over the course of a couple MONTHS, he finally 'fessed up that the swap would not be completed since he had traded to someone else what we had discussed.

Only after I told him this swap would be posted on the forums did I finally get back MOST of my coins minus the air-tites they had been sent in....and of course, somehow, the best coin I sent him had been replaced with a fugly lower grade POS!!

I returned his coin and had to wait for my last coin to be sent back to me......it was but, it had suffered mishandling and came back a couple of grades lower due to this.

In short, I lost time and money sending him packages and returning his crap coin only to have my coins returned in less then the same condition they had been sent to him.

So, I couldn't care less what he does to make it right after all this time....I for one am done with him.

In Az. , Manuel

mojoman

Boom

Thank you hiyosilver. THAT is very INTERESTING. I never knew this.

Boom

On a positive note I would like to state that Louie has made things right with me and we ( he & I) can forever close the proverbial Book on our personal swap.

Louie, I applaud your effort to do the right thing and would not hesitate to swap with you, One on One, in the Future, so long as we are clear regarding all detail beforehand.

Thank you.