response 150 of 176:

Nov 25 00:32 UTC 2002

(it's amusing to see that Richard is drawing upon his own views 
[albeit as summarized by myself] to cast aspersions on someone else.  
aside from that, nothing in resp:147 disputes my assessment as 
outlined in resp:146, and therefore conclude that my assessement was 
correct.  based on that conclusion, I would suggest that anyone who 
believes that non-dues-paying users should be able to vote equally 
with dues-paying users offer a solution that would give such vote 
meaning instead of couching it in language that places decision-making 
power exclusively in the hands of seven people, as Richard's would.)

response 152 of 176:

Nov 30 20:17 UTC 2002

Thanks for the nomination, but I've decided not to run this year.
Maybe next time.

I've emailed all the nominees who haven't declined.  Six of them --
aruba, bhelliom, carson, gelinas, mooncat, mynxcat -- have accepted
and are members in good standing.  They will appear on the ballot.
Krj will be on the ballot if he accepts in time; polytarp will be
on the ballot if he becomes a member in time.

The election starts tomorrow, December 1.

response 154 of 176:

Dec 1 08:57 UTC 2002

I'm crushed.

response 156 of 176:

Dec 2 17:09 UTC 2002

Actually, Carson isn't an aristocrat.  Firstly, that's hardly an insult 
. . . secondly, the word I think you may be looking for is Elitist.  
Either way, name-calling will get us nowhere.

The whole member versus non-member business is getting rather 
ridiculous.  Strike that....it's already to the point of 'completely 
lacking in value'.

It is not true that either "group" universally manifests those traits 
that were brought up and complained about ad nauseum in this item.  I 
have only been a member since last year, and in the years previous I was 
never treated in the disrespectful way that is described, neither have I 
treated non-members in the way described after becoming a member.  So, 
please, remember that this is a lot less black and white than many of 
you would have the rest of the user base believe.  

A good portion of this ill-feeling is based upon absolutely nothing, but 
has become a life of it's own, thanks to people with chips on their 
shoulders, some with an unwillingness to be fully apart of is social 
experiment that prefer instead to hold memberships over the 
organization's head so their wishes are met.  We also have some members 
that often sport the unfortunate attitude that help perpetuate this 
silly argument rather than finally put it to rest.  This whole 
discussion doesn't last long before it becomes poisonous, hate-filled, 
and clogged with the same tired rhetoric that has been posted item after 
item.

No one ever said solving problems was very easy.  Neither did anyone 
ever say that you get what you want without working for it.  Petty 
arguing counts as neither problem solving nor working for what you want.
And you don't get something for nothing these days....if you wish this 
to be a better system, it does cost something, whether it be time, 
energy, money....Grex certainly doesn't live on love alone. You have to 
decide what you're willing to give and what you're willing to deal with.  

response 158 of 176:

Dec 16 12:58 UTC 2002

Election results - 34 out of 77 eligible members voted.  Totals:

    aruba       30
    mooncat     19
    gelinas     16
    bhelliom    12
    carson      12
    mynxcat      9

As there were 3 open positions, aruba, mooncat, and gelinas are elected
for 2-year terms.

Congratulations to the winners, and thanks to all the candidates for
running.

(The unofficial non-member totals:  bhelliom 32, aruba 26, mynxcat 17,
mooncat 15, gelinas 12, carson 11.  54 non-members voted.)

response 160 of 176:

Dec 16 16:59 UTC 2002

You didn't even win!

response 162 of 176:

Dec 16 18:17 UTC 2002

Phil, what's that got to do with it? [shrugs] I've lost before.

response 164 of 176:

Dec 16 19:09 UTC 2002

Looks like we won't have a chance this year to experiment with a phone
connection for an out of town board member.  I suspect mynxcat might have
received more votes if she were local.  Congratulations to everyone who
received votes.  And I wonder which four people did NOT vote for the current
treasurer.   How does the grex election turnout compare with a typical turnout
for a national election?  

response 166 of 176:

Dec 16 19:21 UTC 2002

Re 164> Thanks for the vote of confidence keesan :) Actually I guess I'm a
little relieved that I didn't win. I seem to have way too much on my plate
for the next year. But it might have been nicer not to have come in last ;).
But still, 9 votes isn't too shabby, considering I'm relatively new.

response 168 of 176:

Dec 16 19:34 UTC 2002

And one who didn't expect to win the second time.  Thanks, folks. :)

response 170 of 176:

Dec 16 20:48 UTC 2002

That sounds like a good idea. I'd be willing to call in to one of these
meetings

response 172 of 176:

Dec 17 17:37 UTC 2002

*grin* I volunteer!

I'll sit downstairs at Zings drinking coffee, listening on my cell phone.

response 174 of 176:

Dec 18 23:58 UTC 2002

Well, it does kind of make sense to have an out-of-towner AND local 
participate...it makes for a more well-rounded experiment.