David,

You wrote: “I won't dignify any of your comment that's in line with ‘in general it’s too dark to tell red from blue’. Your going way too far off the mark with such comments.”

I’m sorry you feel that way. I resorted to an “undignified” simile because my more direct and “dignified” point was unavailing. So forget my example of obscuring the difference between colors when light is removed – it’s essentially the same to argue that gravitation and force, or geodesic motion and force-induced accelerations, can’t be distinguished when conditions necessary for their discrimination are made problematic.

“Again, just as on Scruffy's blog, you appear to have a problem recognizing that there is a distinction between gravitational waves and tidal effects. While they have some relations, there are significant differences.”

I recognize that you’re hypothesizing something that’s supposed to be distinct from tidal effects. But let’s be clear: You’re referring to a hypothetical principle (the energy-bearing gravitational wave) that has not been observed, in contrast to a principle (the tidal effect) that is manifest and unquestioned.

“I pointed out, in my post, that the gravitational waves do not rely upon any concept of ‘gravitational energy.’ They come about simply as ‘ripples’ in spacetime itself—from General Relativity itself!”

Gravitational ripples in spacetime due to changes in the distribution of mass are tidal changes. Two bodies in a stable binary star system are each moving uniformly along their geodesics, and their orbits will produce tidal ripples, but that in itself shouldn’t cause the orbital system to decay. If there is a decaying orbit there is some factor that is slowing the relative kinetic energy (producing a lower orbit), while increasing their relative kinetic energy in the lower orbit. Parenthetically, I’d be very interested in your interpretation of what could be producing the orbital decay. Pulsars are highly magnetic - could the interaction of their magnetic fields be producing a radiation of magnetic energy, and hence, a decay of their orbits? That seems to me to be the most likely explanation. And it would give substance to the prediction of the General Theory without introducing an exotic form of (gravitational) radiation.