Problem using Thunderbird for newsgroups ??

I'm using Mozilla/Firefox instead of M$ Internet Explorer. I've also
switched over to (free) Thunderbird, from using M$ Outlook Express 6.0. (So
far I'm OK-happy with this combination)

I've been reading these newsgroups with Outlook Express since 1998. I'm
familiar with it and I like it. Comfort level: High. Since Thunderbird is so
similar, I'm also comfortable with it.

Here's my problem:

I can not get Thunderbird to clean up old posts the way M$ OE 6.0 does.

(In OE 6.0 -- Right click on whatever newsgroup/Properties/Local
File/Delete) See, I don't enjoy scolling through an archive of thousands of
posts. (That's what Google is for)

In OE 6.0, I like downloading new posts into an empty (clean) message pane a
couple of times per day, reading them, then deleting them. If I want to save
anything I drag it over to a FLYING folder. Sent posts are automatically
saved in my ....Sent folder.

I'm still using OE for newsgroups because of this "one" feature.

Any suggestions? Thunderbird won't even let me delete a single newsgroup
post like I would do if I were cleaning up the Inbox of old e-mails. How do
I get rid of old newsgroup posts with Thunderbird?


Montblack