October 2008 #1

October 2008

This symbol "±" means the end of a subject discussed. Editorial:

October begins with a thud.

Splatter-house has been discussing the duties of the national webmaster for two weeks. They are creating a team of Splatter-heads to look into just what the webmaster does or should do. Come on, folks, does it take a brain surgeon-like committee to establish what the national webmaster should do?The current webmaster is highly intelligent, qualified, and motivated. She is also a nice person who will offer a helping hand to anyone. By the time Splatter-house finishes dissecting what she should do, it will surprise no-one if she says thanks but no thanks to that bridge to micro-management--Take this job and shove it.

A professor once said that an organization will expand it's oversight to a point of absurdity unless their power is checked.

Splatter-house has gone far beyond anything our founders envisioned. ±

Flashback: And they thought this would go away like all the others?

-Teresa Lindquist

Editor and Publisher, Daily Board Show

Heading for the hills since 1998

Posted by merope at 7:00 AM

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Long Arm Of The Law

Breaking rocks in the hot sun...it's Your Daily Board Show!

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT: The Board has been quiet as a church mouse for the last couple of days, and apparently are still holed up in the Sekrit Sandbox pondering whatever it is they ponder.

OFF THE DEEP END: By now, most people accept that USGenWeb, for all the wonderful things it does, has some serious, ummm, issues. Practically from the day Jeff Murphy hatched the idea in his head, members of the Project have been at each other's throats over slights and abuse real and imagined, and one of the first things apparent to any new member who bothers to participate outside their own little county is just how deeply dysfunctional this family is. (Actually we date the start of the Troubles to the day Linda Lewis got involved, but that's another story.)

So, you would think by now we'd be pretty jaded, pretty cynical, pretty blase' when it comes down to the nasty things that volunteers find to do to other volunteers, right? Well, yeah, actually we are. So hearing yesterday that Karen "Whaambulance" Mitchell has started in on Charles Barnum again didn't come as much of a surprise. Much like Nola "One Trick Pony" Duffy and her queer obsession with Daryl Lytton, Karen has become a scratched record on the topic of this particular curmudgeon and it appears that she is willing to stoop quite low to make him as miserable and angry as possible.

This time our intrepid heroine used the bully pulpit of the NMTAOS list, which Charles is not a member of (because Karen, who is listowner, kicked him off years ago), and encouraged its members to write to the AZGW and COGW SCs and ask them to fire Charles. Apparently someone calling themselves "River Runner" (most likely Charles) has been sending private (not list) emails to members of that list directing them to his website. His website, which publishes and refutes Karen's attacks on him going back six (!) years, is harsh and unpleasant, but it has nothing to do with COGenWeb or AZGenWeb, yet here's what Karen suggested that the fine members of the NMTAOS list do:

"The only way to stop him is to write to the COGenWeb State Coordinator and to the AZGenWeb Coordinators and ask them to delink him from their states. It would take a concerted effort of the people on this list. USGenWeb is aware of what he is doing but they can't do anything unless the State Coordinators agree."

Why she thinks this would stop Charles is beyond us. If he is anything, Charles is tenacious.

OK, so now you're thinking, "Yawn. This is just more cranky behavior from one of USGenWeb's tinpot dictators. Been there, done that." Bear with us, we are telling a story. Shortly after Karen made this recommendation on the NMTAOS list, Charles sent a couple of cease-and-desist letters to Scooter, Karen, his reps on the Board, several Root$web representatives, and a handful of admirers, pointing out that the list is for genealogy and not Karen's personal vendetta enabler, and requesting that all emails mentioning him be removed from the archives and Karen be removed as list administrator.

Now mind you, we aren't letting Charles off the hook on this one. He does admit to sending people emails directing them to his one-man jihad against Karen. But there is no law against that or against having a snarky page. He can provoke her if he wants, and she has every right to address the accusations he makes against her. But publicly using a project resource to encourage others to attack him? Why, that sounds just like...well...harassment.

Anyways, as many of you have no doubt heard by now, Charles got a call yesterday from one of Pueblo, CO's finest, who no doubt have better things to do than follow-up on USGenWeb temper tantrums. It seems that Karen "Off My Meds" Mitchell filed charges against Charles under Colorado's stalking laws, apparently claiming that he is harassing her. According to Charles, she told the police that he's been in Colorado looking for her (according to one of her anonymous sources), and that his website is threatening. Also according to Charles, who says he hasn't been in Colorado in 46 years, the nice policeman who contacted him will be getting back in touch with Karen and the case has been turned over to a detective to determine whether or not charges should be filed. Charles says:

"I welcome going to court over this. My web site is based mostly on her lies and published web pages. To this day, and twice this month she has used the NM emails lists to threaten me and/or harass me directly or indirectly. Further, it is she who instigated hostilities. She blocked me from the Taos Co email list years ago only because I mentioned NM ALHN. Those are Public Lists. I'm not backing down from threats or legal action."

Meanwhile, over on the DISCUSS list, where Charles used his first non-moderated post in several days to blandly note that "a member" has filed charges against him in Colorado, and offer to provide details privately to anyone who asks, List Moderate Alice "Sitting On My Hands" Allen threatened:

"Publish anything about this issue to this list and your next moderation period is for 30 days. Disagreements between Project members are private, and should be kept that way. That includes posting URL's to any web sites that deal with this issue."

So there you have the tale thus far. A petty disagreement between two insanely prickly people that has festered for six years, has suddenly ballooned into a situation where 1) a sitting SC and former Board member appears willing to use all means at her disposal to utterly destroy a volunteer, 2) a long-time volunteer devotes considerable time to maintaining a hatchet site, writing angry letters, and conducting sub rosa email campaigns; and 3) NOW THE POLICE ARE INVOLVED.

Sometimes, you just have to wonder, WTF?

-Teresa Lindquist

Editor & Publisher, Daily Board Show

Drawn and quartered since 1998 ±

Solving the problems:

The simple solution is the best.

First: All States incorporate.

Second: In conjunction with above, all States establish simple grievance and bylaw procedure.

Third: All States establish an in-State Archives.

Fourth: Make it clear that the State does not recognize AB as authority in any matter.

This will solve 99.99999% of the problems we now have in USGenWeb. It will restore the LCs as the center of USGenWeb as it was envisioned by the founders. It will stop the flow of productive LCs to independent sites and to the other Projects.

Yes, some states are so damned lazy they will not go along. They have already surrendered to the Archives. The Archives are not bad, but for the good of the majority and for them ultimately, they belong in their own Project.± http://www.nationalpriorities.org/costofwar_home and you're voting for war-monger McCain?

ALHN spruces up National Page: http://www.alhn.org/

ALHN's new Webmaster has updated the national page. It's about time. That national site has been suffering from broken links and non-existent sites for too long. Gone is the phony Taos County NM independent county web site. That link pointed to a web page that violated ALHN rules. It was a bogus site. It consisted of one page with a link to Taos County NMGenWeb. That violated the rule that web pages must have some damned data, not just links. But why bother with rules when you can add a voting CC who is pro-U$GeNNet?

Someday ALHN may shed U$GeNNet's leash and nose ring. But the main site still carries this: http://www.alhn.org/help.html

3)Apply for and acquire your URL for your site.

You can either apply for your site at one of the many free servers or you could apply for space at USGenNet.org. The decision is yours.

If that statement is not sucking up to U$GeNNet, then nothing is. Free space? Really? Our decision-no pressure?

Regardless of the sucking-up, the new webmaster has done a great job cleaning up the web site after years of neglect. Two thumbs up! Also, an effort is being made to find LCs for the few States that have no State Coordinators. Again, good job.

ALHN could become the worlds premier Genealogy Project over time. They currently have some of the best talent in America. Their main flaw is their identity with U$GeNNet, like living under the eye of an Evil Emperor. It's time for ALHN to cut those political chains and stand on its own two feet. ±

Storm over words: D.L. created a huge storm by posting this on Discuss:

From: Daryl Lytton

To: usgenweb-discuss@rootsweb.com

Sent: Sunday, October 05, 2008 5:14 PM

Subject: [USGENWEB-DISCUSS]

Died in Office

A list of USGenWeb members who have died in office:

http://www.DissidentsAnonymous.CC/awards.html

If anyone knows of any others, please let me know. Daryl (end) Problem is, many of the folks on the web page are living. D.L. mixed two lists on one page.

The Discuss list had been silent for several days except for some tongue-in-cheek discussion about Email lists. Of course, D.S. entered a post using the word "moron". Don't worry, this is his five-thousandths time he has made personal remarks about others on the list. He is one of the darlings in USGenWeb who can say no evil. Nothing will ever happen to him, moderation-wise. Just another day on USGenWeb.±

Dirty Dancing: Daryl's web page brought a barrage of personal attacks on Discuss. Daryl to his credit did not return the personal attacks but explained who, what, where and why he made the web page. After a personal attack by Norma, your webmaster finally had enough of the blood she and others posted:±

Norma,

Great personal attack disguised as a post. Keep up the good work.

Groundhog, harass, naughty child, ego, etc, nice job. Hang in there!

Charles

----- Original Message -----

From: Norma

To: <usgenweb-discuss@rootsweb.com>

Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2008 7:02 AM

Subject: [USGENWEB-DISCUSS] Ego time

> Like the groundhog that comes out in the spring to see his shadow, Daryl

> periodically starts craving attention and comes out to harass the rest of

> us. Like a naughty child, if we look the other way and ignore him, perhaps

> he will seek other avenues to salve his ego like transcribing marriages or

> census records which really makes us sit up and notice a CC.

> Norma (end)

From: Betsy

To: usgenweb-discuss@rootsweb.com

Sent: Tuesday, October 07, 2008 9:45 AM

Subject: Re: [USGENWEB-DISCUSS] Ego time

Charles (and the rest of the list members),

Please leave the job of determining what is an attack and what is not an attack to the list admins. Otherwise, we have attackers attacking the attackees (sic). Let's drop this thread and get back to genealogy.

Thanks!

Betsy

Co-List Admin

That was followed by a warning from Alice co-list admin. Barnum answered thusly:

Alice,

I did not see your post of Sunday. It's not in my in box nor in my deleted box. Thank you for sending it again.

However, why Betsy addressed the cease and desist email to me specifically when I called no one a moron, nor a groundhog, pig or naughty child, or any other name, escapes me. Perhaps it is the same old double standard that has lived on this list since the beginning of time.

About your statement, "To forgive what has happened in the past, and to move on together and make this Project the very best it can be," Never will I forgive and forget what has happened in the past until it is corrected. I will, as I have for years, try to make this a better place for everyone not just for some 50 plus members. I will do that by keeping alive as long as I

live what has happened in the past.

Yes, there are plenty of good people in the project. There are a few who are not--those few who consistently make personal attacks on members and get away with it. I disagree that there is good in all of us. There are some to whom that statement can not apply.

Have a great day everyone.

Charles Barnum

Member since 1996, founder and the only legitimate LC of Lincoln Co NMGenWeb. (end)

And so it goes on and on........