[TheForge] Knife insanity

[TodEstesRN at aol.com]

Well, I got pissed and bored at work last night with too many storms to fly 
around and sent a letter to Ms. Fiandaca the reporter that is worried about the 
neighborhood cutlery.  Sorry to say I did not spend a lot of time proofing 
it. (or this one either) Durn it looked better at 0400 this A.M. though.  I 
failed to mention that during the home invasion a 15year old amputated one arm and 
partially amputated the other arm as well as 4 deep lacerations to the torso 
and legs of his 28 year old attacker when the 28 year old failed to leave the 
house after breaking through the door. Chinese swords more than just a 
decoration in this Korean household.
Dear Mr. Estes, 
Thanks for your important and well thought out comments concerning the story 
we did on the man who was operating a business manufacturing and selling 
medieval weapons, in a residential area of Garfield, New jersey.  Input from our 
viewers is incalculably valuable in determining what we are doing right and, 
sometimes, what we are doing wrong. 
This story generated an abundance of response, some in agreement with the 
views you expressed. 
Since our story, Mr. Licata has been cited for operating a business in a 
residential area and he will plead his case before a judge next month. 
Thank you again for your thoughts, we here at WCBS-TV will continue to try 
and achieve the standards for reporting excellence you expect of us.
Sincerely, 
Cheryl Fiandaca 
-----Original Message----- 
From: todestesrn at aol.com [mailto:todestesrn at aol.com] 
Sent: Friday, May 14, 2004 4:49 AM 
To: cfiandaca at cbs.com 
Subject: Complaint about Fiandaca, Cheryl 


Sent by Tod Estes at May 14, 2004 4.49 am 
Ms. Fiandaca 
As a Member of the Artist Blacksmiths Association of North America I take 
offense of your story about Mr. Steven Licala who is a Bladesmith.  You stated 
that he is producing the deadliest of weapons. When in truth more people died 
yesterday in motor vehicle accidents than people who were killed by ancient 
weapons in the past five years.  My primary job is Flight Nursing.  I personally 
have only seen 2 injuries from ancient weapons in 11 Years. One was a 
Bladesmith that lost his eye while polishing a blade with no eye protection. The other 
was a case of self defense during a home invasion. I am sure that more 
injuries have happened nationally however I think that we can both agree that very 
few of Mr. Licala's customers would attempt to utilize his weapons. In fact If I 
paid $800 dollars or more for a knife I would be loathe to use it in any 
manner. Mr. Licala's hobby and artwork is in the oldest form of toolmaking also 
known as Bladesmithing. To become proficient in his hobby 
 he has spent numerous hours learning history, metallurgy and basic smithing 
technique. From your photo is is clear that he is an accomplished Smith with 
perhaps hundreds of hours at the craft.  From the surprise of his neighbors he 
seems to have been courteous in the practice of his craft. A single smith may 
take 12 hours or more to complete a simple knife. This is not a mass 
production in any sense of the word. You may have not heard that price of steel is 
skyrocketing making Smithing an increasingly expensive hobby. The price of 
consumables and tooling is not cheap either. I cannot fault anyone for wanting to 
regain lost capital or even to make a profit from his hard work. From the tone of 
your piece you inferred that he may be in zoning violation. I think that Mr. 
Licala is operating no more than a one man hobby shop no different from the 
amateur woodworker selling what he makes at his home. Please feel free to 
contact me through my E-Mail. Tod Estes

Time enough for sleep in the grave.
Tod Estes.
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