Jan 25-31 1999

From merope@Radix.Net Mon Jan 25 07:39:55 1999

Date: Mon, 25 Jan 1999 07:39:53 -0500 (EST)

From: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

Reply-To: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

To: usgw_all@listbot.com

Subject: Daily Board Show

Message-ID: <Pine.SV4.3.96.990125071400.4503C-100000@saltmine.radix.net>

MIME-Version: 1.0

Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

Status: O

X-Status:

All the news that fit to print...its Your Daily Board Show!

*warning* contains editorial content. Read at your own risk!

Saturday 23 January 1999

The only board traffic on this date concerns Desmond Walls Allen,

well-known in the genealogical community. The message concerns her recent

illness, which has worsened.

Glory Be! Corner: A little bird flying around tells me that the proposed

Standards and Ethics policy has been withdrawn. Apparently the Board

over-estimated the project-at-large's desire for such a policy.

Corrections Corner: A common bit of misinformation floating around on some

lists these days runs like this: "Our Board members that have resigned:

If I'm not mistaken most have resigned because of the abuse they got from

the ALL list." Since I can no longer post on the -ALL list to publicly

correct this inaccuracy, I will post it here. For the record (and based

on their resignation statements and statements made to public lists

pertaining to their resignations):

Nancy Trice resigned due to her conflicts with the board

Maureen Reed resigned over the Board's treatment of Ken Thomas in his

grievance with the Archives coordinator

Deb Wafford resigned for personal reasons unrelated to USGW (very busy

personal life)

Holly Timm resigned for health reasons

Bob Bamford resigned "because it wasn't fun anymore" and because he was

tired of politics

Terry Davis resigned because she was tired of the constant griping on the

-ALL list

[This author has privately communicated with people who have continued to

spread this inaccuracy on the -ALL list, and they will not post the

correct information. The notion that the -ALL list is to blame for all

the project's woes is just too good to give up.]

"'Balanced' is code for 'denied': a right to free speech that must be

'balanced' against so exhaustive a list of other supposed values means a

right that can be exercised only when those in power judge that the speech

in question is innocuous to them."

---Ronald Dworkin

This has been your Daily Board Show.

-Teresa Lindquist

merope@radix.net

-------------------

From merope@Radix.Net Tue Jan 26 18:50:36 1999

Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1999 18:50:34 -0500 (EST)

From: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

Reply-To: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

To: usgw_all@listbot.com

Subject: Daily Board Show

Message-ID: <Pine.SV4.3.96.990126173626.14137A-100000@saltmine.radix.net>

MIME-Version: 1.0

Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

Status: O

X-Status:

Its always something...its Your Daily Board Show!

*warning* yes, indeed, this _does_ contain some editorial content. Read

at your own risk!

Sunday 24 January 1999:

The "Standard and Ethics Statement" is withdrawn. In her statement

withdrawing the motion, Board member Yvonne-James Henderson expresses

great surprise at the project-wide negative response to the motion. [I

guess the rest of the project didn't want to live under the rules they

proposed to get rid of four people. Tough break] She states:

"It has become abundantly clear over the last 48 hours while we were

receiving the numerous messages from the general membership that

1) Most people do not feel that we need an ethics or standards statement

2) Most feel that the board is, once again trying one of their

underhanded, sneaky power hungry maneuvers to take over the project ( or

something)

3) The people that don't believe that the project needs a statement like

this have obviously not been on the receiving end of any of the hateful

things that have been written or posted.

4) Many people believe that the "bad children" of the project need to be

dealt with by the state coordinators.

5) Most people would like the board to crawl back into their holes and be

silent until they receive ANOTHER grievance that they have no power to

deal with because there are no policies.

6) Many think the whole statement violates their right of free speech

7) Those that feel this violates their right of free speech has never

been attacked by e-mail or on a mailing list.

8) Many spent time correcting spelling errors in the statement, but not

giving any solid input.

9) Others sent messages telling us that we need to define "netiquette",

derogatory and other words.

10) Many felt that what they put on their website was up to them and if

it included something that someone else felt was offensive, tough luck.

11) Many felt that what they did with their private e-mail was up to

them. Again, this suggestion came from people who have never had their

messages cut and pasted onto someone's web site or mailing list, or better

yet, taken totally out of context and placed somewhere.

12) And lastly, this is a problem that needs to be dealt with on a state

level, however, most of the state projects do not have any guidelines

either"

[There are some pretty broad assumptions in there, such as assuming

that those who opposed this so-called 'standards and ethics' statement

had never suffered abuse at the keyboards of others, but we'll let those

go for now.]

Notice is posted that Kathy Welch Heidel, candidate for the SW/SC CC

representative position, has withdrawn from the election, citing personal

and family reasons. CC's who may have already cast a vote in the SW/SC

election are notified that if they wish to vote for one of the remaining

candidates they may simply use the ballot they were originally sent and

the voting software would discard their older vote when a new one is cast.

Kathy Heidel posts a couple of messages to the Board which were also

posted to the -ALL list. One of these messages states how she has enjoyed

working with the Board and how little they deserve the "nasty, derogatory

remarks" directed toward them. The second addresses her valiant [and much

appreciated] attempt to save the -ALL list and retain it for the CCs as

their national forum, and her frustration at being labeled too strict and

confining for her efforts.

You're In Trouble Now Corner: Looks like RW finally came up with a

moderator that will be able to emasculate the -ALL list. I am speaking,

of course, of our own Linda "They hate me because I saved USGenWeb" Lewis,

a perfect lady for the job. She has moved swiftly to ban discussion of

everything even remotely concerning project management issues. She's

instituted draconian penalties for stepping out of line, and issued her

first warnings. Oh, and according to her, the regional lists are

"official mailing lists maintained by the Board members". [Funny, I

thought the Board was out of the business of running lists.] BTW, this

reporter hears that Linda has recently quit smoking and is none too good a

mood, so you all better watch out!

A number of -ALL participants have decided that the CC's need a list, out

from under the watchful eye and stark fist of Rootsweb, and have suggested

forming an "official list" for the CCs. This reporter wishes them well in

their efforts and will support

Oh Yeah? Corner: In recent days the Rootsweb Four have been variously been

called: dissidents [Yvonne James-Henderson], dung slingers, vindictive

riot mongers, rabble [the last three by Don "On a Tear" Spidell; God,

I miss him!], and idiots [Ellen Pack]. It is very interesting that some

of the folks most in favor of a Standard and Ethics policy are not able to

abide by its simplest rule.

Over on the SC list, they are conducting a poll of the SCs to see if there

should be an "Ethics Statement or a Code of Conduct posted for volunteers

of the USGENWEB Project at the national level?" As might be expected,

most of the SCs who have responded thus far are in favor. How odd that

they don't ask the CCs this exact same question. Oh, wait, they did, just

this last weekend! And the answer was no. But the SCs obviously know

better than us what is good for us.

An interesting notion running through the comments on the SC list is that

"When the AB hones in on something the majority of SC's can live with,

they will know they have solid support, and the board can run it though on

the 48 hour thingy." [Ellen Pack] Why, once again, are the CCs not

involved in this? Could it be because they have already said 'no'?

In a more encouraging development, a number of states, most notably Iowa,

Missouri, and Arizona, are beginning to work on state level Codes of

Conduct. Other SCs are seeking advice and input on starting the process

in their states. Provided the CCs in those states are allowed input and a

vote in the matter, this is exactly where this sort of thing belongs.

Where Are They Today Corner: Ellen Pack, who doesn't read the Daily Board

Show, has always been an active contributor to the project. Here she

states quite firmly the direction she feels the project should take:

"It's occured to me that we all agree that we must find a way of dealing

with the meropes of the world who are doing quite a nice job of destroying

this project (for some wierd reason normal people will never understand.)"

---Ellen Pack

[Maybe its because we've seen what's been happening to this project?]

"If there is any principle of the Constitution that more imperatively

calls for attachment than any other it is the principle of free thought

-- not free thought for those who agree with us but freedom for the

thought that we hate."

---Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

This has been your Daily Board Show.

-Teresa Lindquist

merope@radix.net

---------------

From merope@Radix.Net Wed Jan 27 21:05:25 1999

Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1999 21:05:23 -0500 (EST)

From: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

Reply-To: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

To: usgw_all@listbot.com

Subject: Daily Board Show

Message-ID: <Pine.SV4.3.96.990127201550.28014A-100000@saltmine.radix.net>

MIME-Version: 1.0

Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

Status: O

X-Status:

Makin' hay while the sun shines...its Your Daily Board Show!

*warning* editorial content within. Read at your own risk!

Monday 25 January 1999

8 Board members go on record as supporting Yvonne's statement Sunday,

made when she withdrew the ill-fated Standard and Ethics statement.

[yes, this would be the same statement that actually violated the

proposed policy, the one that used such words as 'garbage', and 'crap'

and called project members in good standing 'dissidents'.] A couple of

them felt compelled for some reason to specifically address their

statements to "anyone who reads the archives of the Board list and

to anyone who has any interest in what we do". The posts are generally in

the same vein, but that of CAINC Beth Mills speaks both eloquently and

succinctly:

"I agree totally with Yvonne has stated about the standards and ethics

statement. While the board has had a rather rocky 5 months, we have

accomplished little more than accepting other's resignations. This was,

in my opinion one of the only things we have attempted as a board to try

and make the project a little nicer place to be. We were wrong and even

though we tried to follow all of the rules and spent an unbelievable

amount of time discussing this and hashing it over, we were, once again

shot down. The mail was overwhelming. I think that I actually saw

messages from two people who thought that the ethics statement was a good

thing. The rest of the messages we (I) received from the general

membership were pretty ugly. I support Yvonne's withdrawal of the motion.

I hope that each of the state projects gets busy and starts to put into

place some method of dealing with the problems in each state because it is

very obvious that the state projects do not want any interference from the

advisory board."

[Well spoken. The bylaws have done what they were supposed to do: give

the project membership 48 hours of opportunity to voice their opinion to

their elected representatives. The Board acted upon the wishes of the

project membership at large. The proper focus for this is recognized as

being at the local level. End of story. Although Yvonne's withdrawal

statement was a powerful cri du coeur, it did tend to wander a bit from

the subject at hand.]

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch...The State Coordinators are STILL discussing

how they can impose a standards and ethics policy on the project at a

national level. They continue to vote on whether the national project

needs such a policy. Out of all this, it seems only one SC has actually

suggested asking the membership at large for its input and approval of

such a policy, _before_ it is made part of official USGW policy. [how

refreshing.]

But You Knew That...The State Coordinators are expressing much support for

the new moderator of the -ALL list, Linda "I'm sharpening my scissors"

Lewis. Some of them are even threatening to resubscribe.

"In any case, the argument against the persecution of opinion does not

depend upon what the excuse for persecution may be. The argument is that

we none of us know all truth, that the discovery of new truth is promoted

by free discussion and rendered very difficult by suppression, and that,

in the long run, human welfare is increased by the discovery of truth

and hindered by action based on error. New truth is often inconvenient to

some vested interest; the Protestant doctrine that it is not necessary to

fast on Fridays was vehemently resisted by Elizabethan fishmongers. But it

is in the interest of the community at large that new truth should be

freely promulgated.

And since, at first, it cannot be known whether a new doctrine is true,

freedom for new truth involves equal freedom for error."

---Bertrand Russell

This has been your Daily Board Show.

-Teresa Lindquist

merope@radix.net

------------------

From merope@Radix.Net Thu Jan 28 16:33:12 1999

Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1999 16:33:11 -0500 (EST)

From: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

Reply-To: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

To: usgw_all@listbot.com

Subject: Daily Board Show

Message-ID: <Pine.SV4.3.96.990128160821.14318C-100000@saltmine.radix.net>

MIME-Version: 1.0

Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

Status: O

X-Status:

Madder 'n a wet hen...its Your Daily Board Show!

*warning* contains editorial content, read at your own risk!

Tuesday 26 January 1999:

There is no Board-L traffic on this date.

Even the State Coordinator's list is relatively quiet. The vote tallying

on whether the project needs a national ethics policy progresses

[unanimously positive from all who have responded], and some support is

expressed for a simpler "Member Rights and Responsibilities" document",

such as can be found in Roberts Rules of Order.

We hear the machete is being wielded over on the -ALL list, and some

interesting heads have rolled.

Otherwise...an eerie quiet descends over USGenWeb land...

Our quote today is from a reader who has been doing some reading up on the

nature of Cooperatives.

"Co-operatives are democratic organisations controlled by their members,

who actively participate in setting their policies and making decisions.

Men and women serving as elected representatives are accountable to the

membership..."

---International Co-operative Alliance, 1996

This has been your Daily Board Show.

-Teresa Lindquist

merope@radix.net

----------------

From merope@Radix.Net Sat Jan 30 09:49:19 1999

Date: Sat, 30 Jan 1999 09:49:18 -0500 (EST)

From: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

Reply-To: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

To: usgw_all@listbot.com

Subject: Daily Board Show

Message-ID: <Pine.SV4.3.96.990130085948.15249A-100000@saltmine.radix.net>

MIME-Version: 1.0

Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

Status: O

X-Status:

A day late and a dollar short...its Your Daily Board Show!

*warning* don't look now, might contain some editorial content. Read at

your own risk!

Wednesday 27 January 1999

There is no Board-L traffic on this date

Thursday 28 January 1999

There is no Board-L traffic on this date

Tomorrow's news today... Pam Reid has resigned, effectively immediately,

all her positions with USGW, including her VA county, her Board seat, and

the Tombstone Project. The Tombstone project has been turned over to

Linda "The Scalpel" Lewis to administer. [guess we'll being seeing all

those inappropriate --but bylaws-sanctioned and researcher-friendly--

links to nonRW cemetery data removed.]

Silence is Golden Corner...the -ALL list has been mighty quiet. Has Linda

"More like an axe, actually" Lewis finally managed to unsub everyone but

herself?

Just Doesn't Get It Corner... the poll on the SC list continues apace. A

handful of SCs have voted either 'no' or 'abstain' to the question of

whether the USGW project needs a national level code of conduct/ethics

policy. Several of those who voted 'no' did so because they asked their

CCs and _they_ voted no. One who abstained stated that although she

would personally vote yes, she would go on the record as abstaining

because "the feedback from my CC's was no, and I have to represent their

opinions." [abstaining represents the opinion of CCs who voted no? What

is wrong with this picture?]

Chicken Soup Corner: According to the latest Rootsweb Review, RW sysadmin

Brian "So _that's_ where he's been" Leverich has once again worked himself

into a serious illness. Here's hoping he recovers soon and completely!

Today's quote was submitted by a reader.

"Anyway, no drug, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of

society. If we're looking for the source of our troubles, we shouldn't

test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed

and love of power."

---P.J. O'Rourke

This has been your Daily Board Show.

-Teresa Lindquist

merope@radix.net

-----------------

From merope@Radix.Net Sun Jan 31 11:57:18 1999

Date: Sun, 31 Jan 1999 11:57:17 -0500 (EST)

From: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

Reply-To: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

To: usgw_all@listbot.com

Subject: Daily Board Show

Message-ID: <Pine.SV4.3.96.990131105538.947G-100000@saltmine.radix.net>

MIME-Version: 1.0

Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII

Status: O

X-Status:

It never rains but it pours...its Your Daily Board Show!

*warning* editorial content within. Read at your own risk!

Friday 29 January 1999:

Pam Reid posts a notice that she is resigning from the USGenWeb Project

and giving up her VA county, the Tombstone Project, and her Board sea.

She cites personal reasons for her decision. The Tombstone Project has

been given to Linda Lewis to administer.

One other Board member posts expressing regret at Pam's decision and

wishing her well.

Smooth Move Corner: It seems that Linda "I'm the Boss Here" Lewis and the

Board have managed to lose quite a valuable resource for the project. A

recent poster to the -ALL list, one who has publicly spoken out against

the draconian measures taken against the Rootsweb Four, was unsubscribed

from the -ALL list by Linda on Thursday. She unsubscribed him because

he is not a member of the project [although under the bylaws he clearly

is]. He then wrote a message to all the Board members protesting the

rude treatment he received from Linda and asking to be resubbed to the

list. He received no reply from the Board, but did receive "belligerent

mails" from some project members. On Saturday, he submitted a formal

complaint to the Board against Linda Lewis [quoting chapter and verse of

the bylaws] pointing out exactly how he qualifies as a USGW project

members and asking the board to mediate in his grievance with Linda and

reinstate him to the mailing list. In response to this he received an

extraordinarly curt reply from CAINC Beth Wills:

"The USGenWeb-ALL list is not an official USGenWeb Project list.

Therefore, there are no clauses or sections or articles of the project

bylaws that "govern" this list. The list is privately owned by Linda

Lewis and she may do what ever she likes with it as well as sub and un-sub

whom ever she likes. No one has a "right" to be subscribed to a private

list."

As it turns out, the gentleman in question is a representative of one of

the largest genealogical societies in the United States and he had been

considering offering the considerable expertise and resources of this

project to the USGW Project. However, due to the rude treatment he has

received by the governing body of this project, he has decided to take his

resources elsewhere and will be coordinating Biographical and Historical

archives at another provider of free online genealogy. [I have seen the

resources this man had to offer, and this is a huge loss to the USGW

project.] As the gentleman says: "I'm afraid I just cannot recommend that

any society participate in anything remotely connected to Rootsweb or this

project. The actions taken by Rootsweb scare me, and I'm sure they scare

others as well."

[An interesting side note to this: last night I heard through the

grapevine that the reason Linda and the Board have treated this gentleman

so shabbily is that they think he's me posting under a false identity.

What a buncha maroons!]

Election Blues Redux Corner: This reporter has come into possession of

two vote confirmations received by a person who is not a member of the

project and who has not been a member of the project for some time, yet

who received ballots and was able to vote. Another example of sloppy

election management? Perhaps all confirmed votes should be double-checked

to make sure nonmembers are not voting? Wouldn't want to have accusations

of a tainted election following the new Board members into office, would

we?

Get Over It Corner: The Standards & Ethics discussion continues on the

State Coordinator's list. It is still remarkable mostly for its almost

total lack of concern for the views of the county coordinators. One of

the SCs has suggested that any policy written include a provision that RW

will ban people at the request of the Board. [no comment.]

"In all life one should comfort the afflicted, but verily, also, one

should afflict the comfortable, and especially when they are comfortably,

contentedly, even happily wrong."

---John Kenneth Gailbraith, The Guardian (London), July 28, 1989.

This has been your Daily Board Show.

-Teresa Lindquist

merope@radix.net

-----------------