Posted by Roger on 10/28/2011, 8:44 am, in reply to "Re: Lessons-Redding Area"
74.38.5.4

Roger:---"Sadly the Shasta Sky Sailors the local club is just a few guys who do not live in the Redding area and rarely fly anymore" Phil:--"What will it take to stop the cheap shots at our club and at our outstanding history of work in the North State." Phil I presume you take offense at the above statement in my reply to someone who asked a question on your website and had not had a reply in 2 months. I believe there is actual truth in that statement and I would not have thought of it as a criticism or a cheap shot. I believe that the SSS is a lot smaller club than in its heyday regarding the amount of members and the amount they fly and I was giving Vic an explanation of why he had heard nothing for 2 months. Well with my short comment, which seems to be offensive to Brian and yourself Vic got his reply and some more. Regarding your statement ""and therein lies the problem. Those who publicly criticizes us, when asked to be part of the solution, become silent…"" If you and the SSS/HCC feel that I made a public criticism with my above statement on a rarely used message board that you control, you might want to wonder why people ignore you when you all started the "Hall of Shame" The mother of all public criticism/hate, not even close to a cheap shot. You made an unsolicited phone call to me in February of this year after the FS forwarded you my email to them requesting clarification of a letter published on your website. We spoke for 90 minutes and we agreed to disagree. So no point in conversing further. I will just let you know again however my personal opinion on how to make things work for everyone (since you asked). It is called DEMOCRACY one person one vote. Your first words before asking the question "What will it take"…….. were << "Everyone, with the exception of a handful of members of one club, wants the rhetoric and feuding to end at the Rim and for everyone to get along">> As you seem to know what everyone wants let everyone vote! If your club would change their dictatorial by-laws to something more democratic e.g. one member, one vote upon joining then everyone would have a voice, that handful of members from one club that you mention could vote,you could have one vote I could have one vote and "everyone" that you are speaking for would have their very own individual vote and your club membership ranks would swell. I would definitely join your club if I had a vote and eligibility to run for office on joining. There is precedent to this at one of your favorite clubs to quote where I am a member and where all stickered pilots/members have their very own individual vote. I feel that by this one action, that you, or your club, should not fear, as you already know what "everyone" wants, would have its ranks swelled and I believe people would not feel dictated to by a seemingly permanently sitting contentious Committee (the same folks since at least 2003 I believe) and with the present by-laws possibly forever. So there you have it Democracy is the answer. We have had the arab spring lets have the Hat Creek spring. That is my one answer on this subject to you. I have already heard all of your arguments e.g. "We are the founders of this site". "I am a Master rated pilot", "we know what everyone wants" etc.etc. This is the one thing that you could do that I believe would be an all inclusive gesture that would make all pilots that fly the rim feel fairly represented, even that handful of members from a club you seem to despise. If "everyone" has a voice then the current regime/committee has the possibility to really say that they represent everyone and be believed. As I said we spoke for 90 minutes agreed to disagree so I will not be going back and forth with you about this but if I have made any false statements about your club I am sure you will clarify them but if the truth is……. 1) The SSS voting membership is very small around 10 or so. 2) The HCC is due to the SSS bylaws and the small number of voters a "permanent committee" 3) The majority of pilots that fly HCR have no democratic recourse to any actions taken by the HCC then we have nothing further to debate apart from "cheap shots" and "criticism" and "Halls of Shame" If I am wrong and you have changed your by-laws to something that does allow all HC pilots to vote as to who sits on the HCC then please correct me and send me a membership form. No pilots on the SSS/HCC substantial "enemies list" over the last decade are ever going to sign up to anything the permanent Four come up with, I believe that when democracy rules we will have oversight and the true majority of pilots the "everyone" that you mention and speak for will live in a better harmony than the present situation. The ball is in your court and I hope I am proved wrong in anticipating more rhetoric from you and no concrete actions on changing your club by-laws to include all users at HCC. Gotta Fly Roger P. S. I also found this http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Founder%27s_syndrome about Founders Syndrome which is a very interesting short read and possibly something happening here. P.P.S. Here is an interesting paragraph from here http://www.help4nonprofits.com/NP_Bd_FoundersSyndrome_Art.htm <<But the main symptom of Founder’s Syndrome is that decisions are not made collectively. Most decisions are simply made by the "founder." All other parties merely rubber stamp what the founder suggests. There is generally strong resistance to any change in that decision-making, where the Founder might lose his/her total control of the organization. Boards of these organizations usually don't govern, but instead "approve" what the founder suggests. Planning isn't done collectively, but by the founder. And plans / ideas that do NOT come from the founder usually don't go very far. >>