From: "Strong, Lee" <StrongL at MTMC.ARMY.MIL>
To: "'WSFA members'" <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Capclave
Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2002 16:43:36 -0500
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at keithlynch.net>

	Isaac Asimov was the GOH at Disclave 1981, which was shortly after
Ron Reagan took office as President.  A WSFAn (who no longer attends
meetings) introduced Isaac for the GOH speech but took the occasion to add a
gratuitous insult to Mr. Reagan and everyone who voted for him.  The key
phrase was 'Isaac's favorite saying is that violence is the last resort of
the incompetent and it is apparently the first resort of the Reagan
Administration.'  To me, this was instantly offensive as it indicated that
Disclave and its sponsoring organization were blindly hostile to anyone who
is willing to resist evil with deeds rather than words.  The apparently
"official" position was ludicrous and unfounded at the time, and even more
so since.  However, Isaac himself gently corrected the record and generally
expressed himself very graciously, thereby elevating my early impression of
Disclave.  I vigorously disagreed with Isaac's GOH speech topic but admired
his courtesy and logic in presenting his case.  I'm not opposed to people
who have opinions different from mine, but I do dislike people who start a
fight and then hide behind the First Amendment.
	Some years later, I was Secretary of WSFA and Editor of the WSFA
Journal when 5 people with other opinions ganged up on me during a WSFA
social meeting.  I was offended, and had the perfect vehicle to express my
displeasure.  So I wrote an editiorial in the Journal, comparing my
situation to a similar one in Niven's _A Gift From Earth_ and calling on
people to imitate Isaac's courtesy and logic!  To the credit of the people
that ganged up on me, they did.
	So I'm sensitive to demonizing people because I've been one of the
demons.  -- "Lee on the Right"

-----Original Message-----
From: Ted White [mailto:tedwhite at compusnet.com]
Sent: Thursday, March 14, 2002 2:06 PM
To: WSFA members
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Capclave

"Strong, Lee" wrote:

>         I'm somewhat sensitive on this subject because I was made to feel
> distinctly UNWELCOME at my first Disclave by a person speaking from the
> podium apparently on behalf of Disclave and its sponsoring organization.
> Fortunately, I met some nice people named Alexis Gilliland and Isaac
Asimov
> who changed my first impression.

What did that unnamed person say or do which led you to feel unwlcome?

--Ted White