Subject: Walt Whitman said it better than I can.

From: "Perry E. Metzger" <[email-masked]>
Date: 18 Oct 1998 16:54:40 -0400

O Captain! My Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is 
       won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and
       daring:

          But O heart! heart! heart!
             O the bleeding drops of red,
                Where on the deck my Captain lies,
                   Fallen cold and dead.

O Captain! My Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up-for you the flag is flung-for you the bugle trills;
For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths-for you the shores
       a-crowding;
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces
       turning:

          Here Captain! dear father!
             This arm beneath your head;
                It is some dream that on the deck,
                   You've fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still;
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse or will;
The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and
       done;
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won:

          Exult, O shores, and ring, O bells!
             But I with mournful tread,
                Walk the deck my Captain lies,
                   Fallen cold and dead.

---

From: Vijay Saraswat <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 19 Oct 1998 07:19:20 -0400 (EDT)

Date: Mon, 19 Oct 1998 04:28:52 -0400
   From: "vinton g. cerf" <[email-masked]>

   [...]
   No, for me, Jon is not like Whitman's captain, and
   I will be eternally grateful that Jon inspired us
   all to do better than we thought we could. That 
   inspiration will last beyond his lifetime and beyond
   yours and mine.

If I remember aright (high school was, ahem, a while ago)
Whitman's captain was Abraham Lincoln.

---

From: Vince Fuller <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 19 Oct 98 8:59:12 PDT

> I wondered how long it would take for people to try to canonize Postel the
> then use this to drive home flawed, paternalistic, insular and monopolistic
> policies.
> 
> I was not disappointed.

And neither was I, nor I expect the rest of the community, unsurprised by
the promptness of your crass spew. Congratulations, Karl, you've truely
outdone yourself in what appearst to be a paranoia-inspired effort to besmirch
the reputation of a true Internet hero. Of all people, he least deserves this
sort of posthumous crap. I try to avoid posting on NANOG because of the
extremely poor signal-to-noise ration, but this time, I can't just sit and
watch this.

I did not know Jon well but have grown to respect him, his dedication, and
his judgement during my 16+ years of involvement with the deployment of
various pieces of the 'net. I felt honored when Jon first greeted me by name,
not so many IETF's ago; it made me feel that I had finally "arrived" after
being a "newbie" in the Internet community for so many years.

Jon Postel did more for the Internet community than virtually all of the
combined wannabe "experts" that inhabit this foul domain known as the NANOG
list. The varied accusations of arrogance and monopolistic intent are simple
lunacy, apparent to anyone who has even taken a cursory glance at all of
the hard work that Jon put in, all in the name of "doing the right thing".

I hope that wherever Jon is now that he is still able to observe the
blossoming and growth of the seeds he planted even if he is no longer able
to actively tend them with such dedication. That crop will nourish and
outlive not only all of us but will provide essential sustinance for many
generations of "netizens" yet to come.

Thank you and bless you, Jon.

	--Vince