Date: Thu, 30 Jun 2005 01:00:04 -0400
From: Samuel Lubell <samlubell at verizon.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: WSFA vs. Capclave
To: WSFAlist at WSFA.org

At 11:25 PM 6/29/2005, you wrote:
>It's recently come to my attention that discussion on the Capclave
>Yahoogroup has gone completely off the rails.  I'm told that some
>people were afraid that if anyone were to broach the subject of
>splitting off the Capclave website from the WSFA website with me,
>that I might get angry and quit the club in a huff.  And that I'm
>power-mad, and have been attempting to personally control everything
>involved with WSFA and Capclave.
Well, it's not *quite* that bad.  Some ill-chosen things were said.  In
part, I blame the Internet as it leads people to say things online that
they would be more hesitant to say in person and how email completely lacks
tone of voice, which means that words sometimes get misinterpreted.

>But mainly, I'm dismayed that after I've been going to WSFA regularly
>for over eight years, people still know me that poorly.  Not just one
>person, evidently, but a whole mailing list.  With not one person
>saying "Keith isn't like that," and not one person, until today,
>cluing me in on it.  It really makes me feel like a mistrusted and
>feared outsider, to be spoken about in whispers behind my back.
>I don't like this feeling.

I admit I haven't sent anything to the whole list, mainly because I didn't
want to escalate things further with a he said, she said thing.  But I have
called people over the telephone and talked to them about their issues.

And I want you to know that I think you are doing a fantastic job keeping
the WSFA website current and doing the Journal (which reminds me that I
need to write you something tomorrow)

>This is precisely why I thought it was a bad idea to separate the
>Capclave email list from the WSFA email list.  It's as if WSFA and
>Capclave are evolving into two separate clubs that have little idea
>of what's going on in the other.
The Capclave list usually deals with operational stuff and committee level
stuff, that it makes sense to keep separate from the more informal chit
chat on the WSFA list.

>I do have opinions on various matters, such as that one, but the club
>voting otherwise is not going to get me to leave the club.  If someone
>else had been voted in for secretary, that would not have gotten me to
>leave the club.  *Nothing* is going to get me to walk out on the club
>-- EXCEPT allegations that I've been dishonest, that I've broken a
>confidence, or that I'm being a tyrant.
NO ONE is accusing you of any of these.  And if they did, I would be the
first to object.

>On Third Friday, Sam Lubell said I'm part of the Capclave committee.
>I don't care whether I am or not.

Actually, that was a committee to discuss the Capclave website, only the
chair can appoint someone to committee running Capclave.

It's summer, the weather has been very hot lately and I think people's
tempers have gotten out of hand.  We'll have that website meeting on Friday
and hopefully that will calm things down.

See you Friday.