Date: Wed, 19 Oct 2005 00:15:18 -0400 (EDT)
From: "Keith F. Lynch" <kfl at KeithLynch.net>
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: WSFA and hosts
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

Ted White <twhite8 at cox.net> wrote:

> Nothing.  It is WSFA which should be acting to move the Virginia
> meeting elsewhere.

Indeed.  I cannot remain in the club unless this happens.

However, I also cannot present this as a choice between Lee and
myself, which is what the previous statement implies.  Even if I were
to "win," that would cause hard feelings and resentments that would
make my continued presence at WSFA untenable.

So I'm left with no alternative except to leave unconditionally.

Just to be clear:  If we keep meeting at the Gillilands' I will
leave.  If we don't keep meeting at the Gillilands' I will leave.
I'm not asking anyone to do anything for me.  (Except maybe give
me a ride home after Third Friday.)  I'm not saying "Do this or
I will leave."  I am simply leaving.  I cannot think of anything
anyone can say or do that will change my mind.

That way, if the club ceases meeting at Lee's, it won't be because of
me (except in the sense that I happened to be the victim of the attack
that revealed her character to the club).

I am not blaming anyone for this except Lee.  And myself, for not
leaving 3.5 years ago.

> All too soon Keith will stop hosting this list.

I've been thinking about that.  I've repeatedly emphasized that this
list belongs to WSFA, not to me, and that I only maintain it.

Would anyone object terribly much if I reneged on that, and kept on
personally hosting this list, which has always been for *past* as well
as current WSFA members?  I'm willing to do that.

The up-to-date archives then would only be on KeithLynch.net, not
on WSFA.org.  But they've been mirrored there all along.  And the
WSFAlist at WSFA.org address might go away, or be redirected, depending
on the whims of WSFA's new webmaster, but I can keep the older
WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net address working indefinitely.  As long as
Lee isn't on this list -- and I doubt she'll ever ask to resubscribe
-- it's pleasant enough.  And will allow me to remain in contact
with you.

The list of subscribers is at http://www.wsfa.org/list/subscribers.htm
so WSFA is free to clone the list on another platform if they prefer
to have a list which they control.

The roll-your-own platform this list is hosted on is unfortunately too
quirky and labor intensive for me to ask anyone else to run it.  But
it does have some nice features, such as allowing all past and present
members to post, not just subscribers.  And such as not only not adding
ads to the bottom of messages, but stripping off ads added by Yahoo
and others.  And such as being virus-proof, worm-proof, spam-proof,
and having archives compatible with all browsers.

> Keith despises Yahoo's hosted lists, ...

True.  Not only do they ask lots of nosy questions, pester you with
perpetual ads, have terms and conditions that imply that they own
everything you post, and pre-select "yes, please sell my address
to spammers," but they went back and changed the "no" to "yes" for
everyone who answered that last question "no."

That's the point where I unsubscribed from all YahooGroups lists, and
deleted all my Yahoo.com bookmarks.

And then, very recently, they outed a Chinese reporter who was guilty
only of free speech, to the Chinese government, which sentenced him to
a lengthy prison term.

So I certainly hope that if WSFA does decide to clone this list, that
they choose some other platform.  And that that Capclave list be moved
to another platform.  But it's not up to me.