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Archiver > BOARD > 2000-06 > 0960140781


From: Pam Reid <>
Subject: Re: [BOARD-L] Re: Just an observation
Date: Sun, 04 Jun 2000 13:46:21 -0400


I just sent this note to everyone that Ron Eason sent his orignal note
to. But, since Joe decided to reply publically here on the Board list,
I am sending my message here as well.

Dear Ron,

I am sorry that you feel as you do about the current Board members. As
a group, we are dedicated volunteers who took additional VOLUNTEER
responsibilities by accepting Board positions. Some of what we have
done has been handled badly - much of what we have done has been handled
well. We have done our best. Human beings make mistakes. That is a
fact of life and we have made some mistakes along the way.

The Census Project is at the core of ALL of the grievances and most of
the problems. You have done some things very badly with YOUR handling
of that Project. Yet, you failed to acknowledge that you acted in the
wrong in several cases. As a result, we now have a splintered Project
and a mountain of animosity.

Joe felt said in his first motion that he thought all of the grievances
against Board members were frivolous. He amended that to apply only to
the ones from Carol Hammett. Those grievances were intended, IMO, to
tie things up and were submitted for the purpose of stirring the pot.
The motion on the table is intended to deal with only those five
grievances from Carol.

Ron, you have acted incorrectly in much of your handling the Census
Project fiasco. This thing could have been settled long ago in an
amicable manner. But, because of reasons that I will NEVER understand,
you and your group chose to carry the situation to an extreme and look
has ensued.

I have said before and I will it again. Our SOLE purpose in
participating in the USGW Project is to freely give to researchers easy
and free access to genealogical and historical data on the internet. We
are ALL volunteers and there is NO profit motive in what we do, aside
from "feeling good" that we may have helped another.

If YOU truly felt this way, you would have worked toward the goal of
reconciliation. You didn't do this. Your contingent of supporters is
small, but they are indeed VOCAL!!!! Most of the CCs, SCs and
researchers simply don't care about the politics involved in all of
this, nor should they. You see, they only care about getting the
material online and in being able to access and use those materials.
Simple as that.

Rootsweb has been very, very good to USGW. If it weren't for Rootsweb,
there would probably be no USGW. We owe them a lot for what they have
done. If you can't see and accept that, then you are purposefully
turning your head in order not to see the truth of that fact. I know
you said in your note that you liked Rootsweb and thought most of what
they had done worked well. Yet, your recent actions concerning the
Census Project would make it appear you truly feel otherwise. Actions
speak louder than words!!!!

The wrong you committed in incorporating the Census Project far
outweighs any wrongs that may have been committed by the Board. You, nor
anyone else for that matter, has ANY right to incorporate portions of
the USGW. If incorporation does eventually occur, it should be the
entire USGW that is incorporated.

I agree that the original grievances concerning the delinking of the
Census Project should be dealt with NOW by the Board, even if that
requires a special committee of non-Board members to handle them.
However, Carol Hammett's grievances were petty and frivolous and need
not be handled as they were filed, again IMO, an annoyances. If the
VOLUNTEER Board spent all of its time trying to handle things of this
nature, nothing else would ever be accomplished. The whole Census
fiasco had tied up more Board time that it had the right to and
therefore has crippled the effectiveness of the process.

Call a spade a spade, Ron. You have been just as much in the wrong as
anyone else, yet you seem to think that you are immune from any
repercussions of your actions. These actions have caused difficulties
for many people, much more far ranging than you might realize.

OK, you now have MY opinion, for what that is worth! We have gone
terribly wrong in this Project and the people who are suffering are the
researchers. But, what do we care? We will fight to the death our
right to be "right".

Pam Reid

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