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>
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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Standards and Ethics policy has been withdrawn.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
-------------------
Daily Board Show, (c) Teresa Lindquist, all rights reserved.
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
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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
---------------
Daily Board Show, (c) 1999 by Teresa Lindquist, all rights reserved.
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
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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
------------------
Daily Board Show, (c) 1999 by Teresa Lindquist, all rights reserved
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
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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
----------------
Daily Board Show, (c) 1999 by Teresa Lindquist, all rights reserved.
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
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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
-----------------
Daily Board Show, (c) 1999 by Teresa Lindquist, all rights reserved.
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
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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
-----------------
Daily Board Show, (c) 1999 by Teresa Lindquist, all rights reserved.