Mom always said "If you can't laugh at yourself - then you have no right to laugh at others", and believe me - I get a few laughs everytime I look in the mirror (if I can reach that high).
I'm glad you were amused at the news and didn't take it personally. I know I left myself open to an attack but that's okay - my only goal was to get a few laughs. If someone can get a few laughs on my account, then lets rumble! I love a good battle (all verbal of course)!
As for your lengthy and frequent posts - shorten them up a bit, forget all the self-serving links to your site, and hopefully find something positive in FTEL and maybe people will begin to respond. There are a lot of great stories here - just keep digging!
The attacks, whether you intend it or not, are very personal. These folks have put a lot of effort and time into researching this company. You come along and kick it when it's down and are nowhere to be found when it's flying high.
We all know that FTEL is a small company that lost money last year. The company is run by solid management that has been around a long time. This is not a new company - it is 17 years old! They were profitable for many, many years before they lost money and they were smart enough to change direction when they saw the markets taking a turn. Did they fail at certain business ventures or did they dump them when they appeared to present too little profit. Will it return to profitability soon? All indicators say yes! Is it risky? Yes! But when it flies, it will soar!
Someone once said "never make fun of another man's dog". I have a real dumb wiener dog and my neighbor laughs at him all the time. I like my neighbor a lot but when he laughs at my dog he may as well be laughing at my kid. I want to belt him in the mouth. Why? Because it was my decision to get the darn thing. He lives in my house with my wife and kids and he has the run of the place. We love the dog, in spite of all his shortcomings, and we know he is far from perfect. He is small and stupid but I don't care, I'll live with my decision.
Why would I keep something that has no return potential? That is where me and my neighbor differ. His idea of the perfect dog is very different than mine. He wants a big, macho dog and all I want is something that doesn't take a big dump! My kids get to play with the dog, he barks when a stranger approaches and he is always happy when I come home. He is fairly well behaved and rarely craps in the house. Since that is all I wanted in a dog I think he is a good dog. My neighbor doesn't see that yet. (I think he sees it on Saturday when he is in his yard picking up his dog's giant dumps - he is just unwilling to admit it!)
I realize this analogy may appear silly and the first rule of investing (unlike the first rule of wiener dogs) is don't fall in love with your stock. The similarity here is that we see a benefit of ownership that you (and my name calling neighbor) have yet to grasp.
Keep digging, open your blinders and maybe you will begin to see something more than what is on the surface.
Good Luck!
- Pat |
