Sep 13-19 1999

From merope@Radix.Net Mon Sep 13 22:17:47 1999

Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 22:17:46 -0400 (EDT)

From: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

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

To: usgw_all@listbot.com

Subject: DBS--News Flash!

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This Just In: Bonnie McVicar-Briggs has resigned from the USGenWeb

Project Advisory Board, effective immediately. The resignation letter was

sent to Board-Exec this morning. The Board is currently discussing

Bonnie's replacement.

This is record time for a resignation from the Board.

-Teresa Lindquist

merope@radix.net

From merope@Radix.Net Mon Sep 13 22:45:59 1999

Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 22:45:58 -0400 (EDT)

From: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

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

To: usgw_all@listbot.com

Subject: Daily Board Show

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Have it your way...its Your Daily Board Show!

*warning* laden with fattening editorial content. Read at your own risk!

Saturday 11 September 1999:

Ginger Hayes says she'd like to see the Board Secretary be a non-Board

member with no voting privileges and should be subbed to Board-L and

Board-Exec and have posting privileges to all other mailing lists relevant

for disseminating information. She also asks the NC why he wants the Chair

to number motions and keep the status of motions instead of the Board

secretary [because it gives him something to do].

Pam Reid ask what happened with Motion 99-22 as she was out of town at

the time. The NC gives her the final vote count.

In response to Tina Vickery's question on the duties of the Board

secretary, the NC posts the duties from Motion 99-2 and adds his own

suggestions:

"1. that the Secretary be someone from among the general membership, who

may have some PP knowledge, who can work well with the NC / Advisory Board

2. that the Chair retain the duty to number and declare the status of

motions

3. that language similiar to the following be included in the job

description:

Resolved, that the candidate shall be appointed Secretary by

the Advisory Board and shall continue in that position for as long as

he/she continues to enjoy the support of x portion of the Advisory Board."

[hmmm...no independent thinkers need apply.]

He also suggests that maybe the board secretary should enjoy the support

of "some combination of NC and/or Advisory Board?", and suggests that some

decision should be made as to which list the secretary should be

subscribed to and where they should be allowed to post.

A Fast Start: Bonnie McVicar-Briggs, the NE/NC CC rep has resigned her

seat on the Board as of this am. According to her resignation letter:

"Effective immediately I am resigning from this board and from all duties

as a member of the USGW. Please remove me from all board mail lists."

This is the first resignation of the Board's term; with any luck they'll

beat the last Board's average of nearly one a month.

Stacking the Deck Corner: Rumors are rampant that Linda "Cruella DeVille"

Lewis stacked the deck in the last election, by having file managers run

in each election. We've heard through the grapevine that one of the

recently elected Board members, who is an Archives file manager, was given

a county to which she apparently has no ties whatsoever, solely in order

to qualify to run in the election for that region. The USGW

Project--machine politics at its finest.

Rocky Mountain High Corner: Also grinding out of the rumor mill these

days is that Board member, Archives file manager, and recent CO CC,

Maggie Zimmerman is maneuvering to have her good friend and current CO ASC

Mary Ann Hetrick installed as the new CO SC. [You'll remember these two

from their infamous "copyright violation" chat.] Although some CO CCs

have expressed concern that Mary Ann will not be acceptable to RW, they

can rest easy. She's definitely the pick of the litter as far as they are

concerned.

"Never do anything against conscience even if the state demands it."

---Albert Einstein

This has been your Daily Board Show.

-Teresa Lindquist

merope@radix.net

---------

From merope@Radix.Net Tue Sep 14 18:00:38 1999

Date: Tue, 14 Sep 1999 18:00:34 -0400 (EDT)

From: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

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

To: usgw_all@listbot.com

Subject: Daily Board Show

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Its the water, and a lot more!...its your Daily Board Show!

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

Sunday 12 September 1999:

There is no Board-L traffic on this date.

Tomorrow's News Today: Bonnie Mcvicar-Briggs resigns; the motion to

accept her resignation is made and seconded [in record time]

"There is a higher law than the law of government. That's the law of

conscience. "

---Stokely Carmichael

This has been your Daily Board Show.

-Terea Lindquist

merope@radix.net

-----------

From merope@Radix.Net Wed Sep 15 23:10:08 1999

Date: Wed, 15 Sep 1999 23:10:06 -0400 (EDT)

From: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

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

To: usgw_all@listbot.com

Subject: Daily Board Show

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Let that be a lesson to you...its your Daily Board Show!

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

Monday 13 September 1999:

Bonnie McVicar-Briggs, NE/NC resigns from the Board, effective

immediately.

Joy Fisher moves to accept Bonnie's resignation and thank her for her

service on the board. Shari Handley seconds. The NC calls for a vote,

and by the end of the day 12 Board members have voted "aye".

Joe Zsedney replies "sounds good" [on Board-L] to a series of suggestions

made by Betsy Mills [on Board-Exec] in response to Joy Fisher's

question "How do we decide on a repacement??" [also made on Board-Exec]

Betsy's suggestions include the following:

"1. set a 1-2 week period to accept nominations from that region's CC's

(no out of region nominations accepted).

2. accept resumes from the people who are nominated and wish to have

the position.

3. go into executive session and discuss the applicants.

4. select one and appoint them."

According to Betsy, this would allow the membership of the region to have

a say in who is eventually appointed to represent them.

News Flash! Hot topic on Board-Exec today: Our National Coordinator wants

to institute sanctions against Board members who "leak" material from the

so-called "executive session". One suggested punishment: banishment from

the secret list for 10 days. We don't expect to be seeing discussion of

this topic on Board-L, despite the new "spirit of openness". [Tim better

be careful with this; it could get mightly lonely in there.]

News Flash v2: We hear that Root$web will be handling yet another USGW

election, this time for the new NY State Coordinator.

Interesting Coincidences Corner: Way back in the "December massacre" IRC

Board meeting in December 1998, Bob Bamford suggested that it would be

easier for the Board to keep tabs on what is going on if each state had a

Board member in at least one CC position. It looks like they are finally

taking Bob up on his suggestion. The CO SC resigns, Board member Maggie

Zimmerman starts directing the election, and early betting is that she

will be ASC once Mary Ann Hetrick gets elected. Some MI CCs quit, who

adopts a MI county? Maggie Zimmerman again. The NY SC quits, Board member

Holly Timm takes over as interim SC. Board members have been quietly

subbed to several state lists, and more openly to others. Is anyone out

there in a state that doesn't have a Board member in it somewhere?

Fallout Corner: The Wisconsin State Coordinator, Vicki Wilson,

has resigned. One of her CCs asks, "What's happening around here? Our SC

resigns, our CC-rep resigns. Ever get the feeling something's going on

that you have *no clue* about?" To which another CC replies, "I think

the politics are finally doing in the USGenWeb. It was bound to happen

sooner or later."

Bottom Line Corner: New ads seen on R$W: American Intercontinental

University, some company called CSA-Y2K that sells travel insurance

against the Y2K bug, Office Max, and Car.com [interestingly enough,

neither Broderbund nor Ancestry appear to be advertising on RW anymore.]

"I think myself that we have more machinery of government than is

necessary, too many parasites living on the labour of the industrious."

--Thomas Jefferson, 1812

This has been your Daily Board Show.

-Teresa Lindquist

merope@radix.net

-----------

From merope@Radix.Net Thu Sep 16 14:57:29 1999

Date: Thu, 16 Sep 1999 14:57:28 -0400 (EDT)

From: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

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

To: usgw_all@listbot.com

Subject: Daily Board Show

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Sic semper tyrannis...its Your Daily Board Show!

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

Tuesday 14 September 1999:

The NC posts telling Ginger Cisewski that the Board's prayers are with her

and other project members in the path of Hurricane Floyd.

Typo Alert: Yesterday I noted that Holly Fee Timm is now the "interim SC"

of New York. As several of you pointed out, that should be "interim ASC".

Sorry for any confusion! [especially to those of you who wrote to me

panicked that Holly was now going to be your SC.]

Monkey See, Monkey Do: We've heard that Jen Godwin, the MIGW CC who is

most recently [in]famous for her "funding FAQ" and the article she wrote

for Forbes Online Magazine, is now holding a "graphic design competition"

for her Kent county MI page. Its kinda reminiscent of R$W's own recent

banner contest. She's asking folks to submit banner and/or logo graphics

of their own design to "represent our project online and promote our

work!" Winners get a nifty MIGW t-shirt and all submitted artwork becomes

the property of "the project" [i.e., the CC?]. It looks like anyone can

participate and the deadline is Oct 17, if you're dying to own a MIGW

t-shirt. Information can be obtained from and submissions sent to Jen

Godwin [jengod@yahoo.com] [We hear the slogan "Help Kent Pay The Rent" is

already taken.]

"Truth, like light, blinds. Falsehood, on the contrary, is a beautiful

twilight that enhances every object."

--- Albert Camus

This has been your Daily Board Show.

-Teresa Lindquist

merope@radix.net

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From merope@Radix.Net Fri Sep 17 15:29:15 1999

Date: Fri, 17 Sep 1999 15:29:14 -0400 (EDT)

From: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

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

To: usgw_all@listbot.com

Subject: Daily Board Show

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Crying over spilled milk...its your Daily Board Show!

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

Wednesday 15 September, 1999:

Today the group talks about Fred Smoot's formal complaint regarding the

election:

Tim Stowell posts Fred Smoot's response to the question of how he wants

the Board to handle his complaint. Fred says, "The most simple way to

resolve the issue is this: If the USGenWeb Project Advisory Board will act

in good faith to require a neutral third party to conduct our future

national elections, I will withdraw my protest. ("Run-off Election: Formal

Protest," dated 31 Aug 1999)

Shari Handley asks, "How does one define a "neutral third party"? For the

sake of argument, who is to say whether anyone, *including* RootsWeb, is

or is not neutral? How would we go about trying to find another server

willing to accomodate us, work closely with the election committee, build

and maintain election software, take all the flak that is bound to fly,

and all the other things needed - for free?" She also asks if there was

any evidence that RW acted in a partial manner during the preceeding

elections.

Jim Powell asks, "If it was possible to simultaneously send the results to

3 separate servers to be compared at the end, would this be nearly the

same as a neutral third party?" He also notes, " Before you ask, I

realize that I was unclear... by results I meant as each vote was cast it

would be sent to 3 places to be stored rather than one."

Joy fisher says that by "neutral third party" she assumes Fred wants some

body other than USGW people on the election committee and running the

election, but she notes that we are not big and rich enough to afford to

hire an outside firm to run elections. She thinks that Jim's proposal has

merit.

The Board also talks about Motion 99-25, the motion to appoint a Board

secretary:

Joe Zsedeny motions:

"I move that Motion 99-2 be rescinded and that the Board appoint a

secretary for the one year term of Board II or until dismissed by Board

II or a succeeding Board. Further,

1. That the secretary nominee be selected from among the volunteer

membership of the USGenWeb Project.

2. That the nominee to this position not be currently serving as a

Board member.

3. That the nominee be nominated by the National Coordinator and

appointed by a majority vote of a quorum of the Board. Rejection of an

nominee will require the NC to forward another name.

The appointee must either be knowledgable in parlimentary procedure or

be willing to learn proper procedure using Roberts Rules and be well

versed in the Project Bylaws. Duties of the appointee shall be those

assigned by the Chair (NC). The NC shall insure that the secretary be

subscribed to all appropiate mailing lists. As a minimum these lists

would be the USGENWEB-ALL-L, STATE-COORD-L, ARCHIVES-L, the Board-Exec-L

and the Board-L."

Ginger Hayes seconds, and Tim gives it a number and opens the floor for

discussion.

Jim offers the first discussion: "At first I opposed the idea of a non

Board Member as Secretary, I wasn't sure why, I just didn't like it. It

was probably that I thought I might like to be considered for Board

Secretary and I wouldn't have that chance with this motion. Once I got

past that and really looked at the motion, I find that it is a good idea

and worthy of my support."

And finally:

The NC declares Motion 99-24, "to accept Bonnie McVicar-Briggs'

resignation", passed with 12 yes, 0 no, 3 not voting.

This Just In: The NC opened Motion 99-25 for voting this morning. This

one will almost definitely pass, since they all have already agreed to it

on the secret list. The only question now is who will get the job! [The

next question is "how long will they last?"]

"It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power, is the

most ferocious enemy justice can have."

---James Baldwin, The Price of the Ticket, 1972

This has been Your Daily Board Show.

-Teresa Lindquist

merope@radix.net

-------

From merope@Radix.Net Sat Sep 18 20:09:48 1999

Date: Sat, 18 Sep 1999 20:09:46 -0400 (EDT)

From: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

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

To: usgw_all@listbot.com

Subject: Daily Board Show

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

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

Thursday 16 September 1999:

Gloria Mayfield responds to Jim Powell's idea of sending voting results to

three separate servers, "...Jim's suggestions of sending to three counting

places is a great idea. I like the program that we used, it was clear,

simple, fast and easy to understand. A neutral party is someone who has no

opinion as to the outcome, one way or the other, but if three counts

result in the same outcome, then who could argue."

Terri Petit writes a very long detailed post explaining why sending votes

to three separate servers would _not_ be equivalent to having a neutral

server host the election. It basically involves someone at the server

having the access level and the ability to substitute a modified version

of the program that would change votes both in the vote file and in the

email logs. If such a program were only run sporadically, then it would

be very hard to verify by random cross-checking, and such cross-checking

would mandate actually contacting voters to verify how they voted. She

thinks its unlikely that anyone at Rootsweb would even have the time to do

such a thing, but notes, "if a significant block of voters would TRUST

software running on a neutral server more than software running on a

server with a potential interest in the election outcome, that may be

reason enough to try to find a neutral server. Not that it would make any

actual difference in the election security, but it would make a difference

in the voter confidence level." She concludes, "Having the full

confidence of all the people we represent is important." [Looks like we have a

radical on the Board!]

Tomorrow's News Today: The Board is well on its way to passing Motion

99-25, the motion for a new Board Secretary. Who do you think it will be?

"Tyrants have always some slight shade of virtue; they support the laws

before destroying them."

---Voltaire

This has been your Daily Board Show.

-Teresa Lindquist

merope@radix.net

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From merope@Radix.Net Sun Sep 19 08:09:16 1999

Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 08:09:15 -0400 (EDT)

From: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

To: usgw_all@listbot.com

Subject: Follow-up to Forbes article

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Readers,

The following letter was posted to the editor of Forbes magazine in

response to the article published a couple of weeks ago by Jen Godwin, a

USGW CC. It is reposted here with Ms. Hammett's permission. I though

some of you might be interested in it.

-Teresa Lindquist

Publisher, Daily Board Show

=======

To: Editor, Forbes Magazine:

From: C. Hammett

Date: 14 Sep 1999

Re: August 20, 1999 Forbes Magazine article "It's all in the names" by

Jennifer Godwin (http://www.forbes.com/asap/html/99/0820/feat.htm)

Dear Sir/Mme.

Ms. Godwin's article leaves unfilled some rather large holes in the story

of on-line genealogy, the largest being two still-unanswered questions as

to whether Rootsweb.com, Inc. (formerly dba the RootsWeb Genealogical Data

Cooperative): (a) stole millions of bytes of data owned by amateur

researchers; and (b) solicited hundreds of thousands of dollars from these

same researchers under the guise of a non-existent non-profit status.

Although Ms. Godwin states that the California-based RootsWeb.com, Inc. is

"traditionally the least commercial of the major genealogy sites," she

neglects to mention that while still a "Cooperative," this organization

engaged in the solicitation of funds from hundreds of thousands of

researchers whose contributions were based on the beliefs that (a) the

Cooperative was not-for-profit (California Corporation Code, Section

12311(b)); and (b) the Cooperative was in the midst of incorporating as a

non-profit, including IRS 501(c)(3) tax-deductible status. (Search "18 Aug

1999" in the 1999 Archives of the MIGen List; and "retroactive" in the 1999

Archives of the L_O_A_F List at

http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl)

Ms. Godwin also fails to mention Rootsweb.com, Inc.'s "retroactive

co-option" of the compilation copyright to both the USGenWeb Project's

Archives and all Mailing Lists listserved by the rootsweb.com server.

(Search "EFFECTIVELY* OWNS" in the 1999 Archives of the USGenWeb-All List;

and "retroactive" in the 1999 Archives of the L_O_A_F List at

http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl)

Ms. Godwin also omits the fact that "funky, fun-lowing Rootsweb"

systematically and permanently "bans" (adds email addresses to a Global

Reject List) those listowners who have demanded the return of their mailing

list archives, and any researchers who have demanded the return of postings

under Rootsweb's most recent Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), under which

Rootsweb.com, Inc. claims retroactive, permanent rights to distribution and

re-distribution of all Mailing List and GenConnect Board postings.

As a County Coordinator for the non-profit USGenWeb Project

(http://www.usgenweb.org/), much of whose material is "hosted" by

Rootsweb.com, Inc., Ms. Godwin was fully aware of these outstanding issues

at the time she wrote her article, but may have been influenced by public

criticism of her own questionable activities regarding solicitation of

funds (Search Jennifer or Godwin or Kent or from/jengod in 1999 List

Archives for MIGenWeb and State-Coord at

http://searches.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/listsearch.pl and the USGenWeb Project

Bylaws, Article IX, Sec 2, http://www.usgenweb.org/official/bylaws.html).

While Ms. Godwin may consider the problems at Rootsweb a "little

internecine battle," and unworthy of inclusion in her article, her views

are certainly not shared by hundreds of other USGenWeb Project County

Coordinators, including the author of this letter.

Sincerely,

C. Hammett

Co-Coordinator

Warren Co, TNGenWeb

http:///www.tngenweb.org/warren/

From merope@Radix.Net Sun Sep 19 17:43:39 1999

Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 17:43:38 -0400 (EDT)

From: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

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

To: usgw_all@listbot.com

Subject: Daily Board Show

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You asked for it, you got it...its Your Daily Board Show!

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

Friday 17 September 1999:

The NC calls for a vote on Motion 99-25, the motion to appoint a new Board

Secretary. By the end of the day 12 Board members had voted "aye" and 2

had not yet voted. [One of those two is Kay Mason, MIA since early

summer.]

"Live dangerously and you live right."

---Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

This has been your Daily Board Show.

-Teresa Lindquist

merope@radix.net

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From merope@Radix.Net Sun Sep 19 22:07:20 1999

Date: Sun, 19 Sep 1999 22:07:18 -0400 (EDT)

From: merope <merope@Radix.Net>

To: usgw_all@listbot.com

Subject: News Flash!

Message-ID: <Pine.SV4.3.96.990919220447.24411D-100000@saltmine.radix.net>

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This just in from a hard-working correspondent who wishes to remain

anonymous:

http://cgi.rootsweb.com/~classifieds/genbbs.cgi/ForSale?read=727

Do not delay. It won't be there long. You can thank me after you stop

laughing.

-Teresa

merope@radix.net