Date: Fri, 18 Nov 2005 11:46:48 -0500
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>, WSFA List <wsfalist at wsfa.org>
From: "Mike B." <omni at omniphile.com>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: Concerning the draft of WSFA minutes; WSFA lists
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at KeithLynch.net>

I agree with the concerns Elspeth has elucidated (I won't repeat the whole
message here).  Club business should be handled at club meetings, not by
some cabal of self-appointed people between meetings.

I don't know what this "wsfa-forum" might be, where it is located or how to
look at it, but Ernest seems to be treating it as an official publication
medium (by posting minutes to it for verification)...which it is not.
Neither is this list, though the fact that the current setup has
"wsfalist at wsfa.org" pointed into it gives it more standing than any other,
as does several years of the minutes being posted here for comment and
correction.  That is subject to change, and the discussion at First Friday
indicates that this may well happen in some form, once Steve Smith and
Barry Newton finish looking into options and the club votes on it.  Keith
is still welcome to run the list on his own domain (WSFA has no say in
that, though if "WSFA" is trademarked, they may require a name change of
some sort...perhaps "NotTheOfficialWSFAlist at KeithLynch.net"?).  I like the
way this list is run, and whether it is the official list or not, as long
as it exists and I'm welcome here, I'll most likely hang around.

The only official publication medium the club has is the WSFA Journal.  The
other forums in use by various sub-sets of the WSFA membership are at their
own choice and for their own purposes...same as meeting for lunch somewhere
might be.  The club web site is also not "official" so far as I know...it
is for convenience, though it is more "official" than this list or any of
the other lists in use.  The club approved it, has an appointed position to
run it, pays for it, etc. (so far as I know anyway), but I don't know that
the bylaws refer to it...have to read those things RSN...

Elspeth is correct that it was not Steve Stiles, but Steve Smith who
offered to look into alternate list handling.  Her other corrections seem
valid as well (I was at that meeting).

Ernest was handed temporary secretarial duties at the meeting, so not being
up to speed is very forgivable.  If he continues to act as Secretary, I
hope this will improve...though he did announce he wouldn't be up to the
standard Keith established (I'm not sure many could...I doubt I could for
instance).

There was a bit of business at the meeting around Ernest's appointment that
I didn't understand at all (resigning, volunteering, appointing, etc.), but
I'm guessing all this behind the scenes deal-making and forum-creation had
something to do with that.  It would certainly explain what I saw at the
meeting.  This is NOT GOOD FOR THE CLUB!!!!  Transparency, openness and
democracy are VITAL to the survival of this club.

If some members start acting as though it's *their* club, and go around
changing things without permission from everyone else, setting up deals and
arrangements between meetings, etc., the club will soon cease to exist in a
viable form.  Many will just leave (me for example).  Most of the rest may
still show up, but they won't see it as *their* club anymore, and will
expect all to be done for them, and if those who've taken on that task fail
in any way, those people will drift away too.  Getting volunteers for any
task will grow increasingly difficult to impossible.  Eventually only the
clique of deal-makers will be left, with an occasional newbie who shows up
expecting something else, and never returns.

There is always behind the scenes preparation and work in any organization,
so I'm not suggesting that nobody talk between meetings...I'm doing that
here.  I'm suggesting that setting up fait accompli between meetings is
what's to be avoided.  Come up with ideas and suggestions, do investigation
of options, carry out appointed tasks, etc., but don't act as if anything
has been decided until it is decided by a vote at a meeting with a valid
quorum.  It appears that some people may be violating this basic democratic
concept.  I hope this is a misimpression...

-- Mike B.
-- Brother Gatling Gun of Reasoned Discussion
--
Unitarian Jihad - All extremists should be shot!