From: "Madeleine Yeh" <myeh at wap.org>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: FW: Lee Strong
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
Date: Wed, 20 Oct 2004 03:20:51 -0400
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

On Tue, 19 Oct 2004 22:27:43 -0400
  "Barry L. Newton" <bnewton at ashcomp.com> wrote:
> Interestingly, Strong, Lee said:
> <snip>
>> >       The bottom line is that I no longer feel welcome
>>in WSFA.
>
> That's a shame.  Your political views and attitudes,
>while sadly mistaken
> and misguided from my perspective, are shared by at
>least half the
> country.  I can't resent or dislike you for this.
>
> <snip>

    I like having different view points.  Add spice to the
discussion.

  significantly distorted.
>
>> > Second, and more importantly, WSFA is a very hostile
>>environment for
>> > a Republican.  On 16 April 2004, the club applauded
>>Madeleine Yeh's
>> > symbolic decapitation of Attorney General John
>>Ashcroft specifically and
>> > Republicans generally.  Subsequently, Madeleine
>>offered a symbolic
>> > decapitation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfield
>>and invoked
>> > malevolent occult forces against George W. Bush. Eric
>>Jablow was the only
>> > person who objected.

   The "club" actually didn't do anything.  A debating
society can only be thought of as doing something when a
motion is passed at a properly called meeting.  Now if
someone had moved that WSFS applaud the symbolic
destruction of John Ashcroft ....
   Why was Eric the only person who objected?  You could
have objected if you thought this would have harmed
anyone.  I don't believe in voodoo and so felt free to
symbolically destroy various objects as a matter of
creative expression.

  Subsequently, Barry Newton
>>offered for sale bumper
>> > stickers repeating the myth that George Bush lost the
>>2000 Presidential
>> > Election and Steve Smith repeated the myth that George
>>Bush is mentally
>> > ill.  These things are in the official club records.
>
> Guilty as charged.  I for one, have come to realize that
>these activities
> are inappropriate in a social organization.

    Actually WSFS is one of the few social organizations I
frequent where politics is an acceptable topic, and I
would miss debates with people of different view points.
 I don't think these activies are inappropriate socially
-- at work yes, but WSFS main activities are talking and
putting on conventions and I do not want to see any topic
banned except for very good reasons.
>
>> > These statements and
>> > actions, together with many similar statements and
>>actions sustained by
>> > WSFAns and other members of the fannish community over
>>many years, create
>> > an obviously hostile environment for people who vote
>>Republican
>
> Again, guilty.  I apologize.

     Why hostile?  There have been no personal attacks
against all Republicans in general.  Current politicians
are fair game.  Current policies are also fair targets.
The rather fervent attacks against Bill Clinton didn't
lead me to believe the environment hostile toward
Democrats.  A dislike of John Ashcroft, George Bush, Dick
Cheney and Rumsfield is not the same as a dislike of all
Republicans in general and Lee Strong in particular.