ifup fails for static IP address. Is ifcfg wrong?

[Art Edwards <edwardsa afrl kirtland af mil>]

I just installed Fedora core 5. I have a static IP address. When the system 
boots it tells me that this IP address is already in use. It then defaults to 
dhcp. I have looked at the /sbin/ifcfg code, where the error arises, and I find
the following:

if ! arping -q -c 2 -w 3 -D -I $dev $ipaddr ; then
echo "Error: some host already uses address $ipaddr on $dev." 1>&2
exit 1
fi

When I issue the same command (without the -q switch) with eth0 substituted 
for $dev and my ipaddress substituted for $ipaddr, I receive no response. 
However, when I issue the same command with another ip address that I know is 
active, I receive an affirmative.

I think that the code above is incorrect. Specifically, I think the ! (not) is 
wrong. 

Art Edwards