When selectively taking words out of context, any meaning can be attributed to them, for example,

Stan Caplan was relying on "gullible retail shareholders" to vote him in

As you were fully aware, my gratitude was conditional on it being preferred to some unformulated scheme to maybe do something one day but only if others paid and organized it. A subtle difference that could so easily be overlooked, just like the omission of "if" from the above statement of yours.

Nothing new there as a ploy, but it beats watching grass grow, I suppose.

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Be well