| Honmei
Join Date: May 2005 Location: Southern California Posts: 2,554
| A Few Points of Clarification . . .
Heck, I was going to run this Petition for 2 weeks then collect the signatures, but it looks like most of the questions have already been answered and most of the learning to be done has already been accomplished -- and I certainly don’t want this ‘Team Building’ exercise to spin out of control and hurt the feelings of anyone who supports the Judges and the AKCA. So let’s clear a few things up right now, OK?
But first, a caveat: Petitions are as American as Apple Pie. They were being written, circulated, signed and presented to the Royal Governors of Crown Colonies before there were Legislators, Laws or Elections. And that was long, long before there were states united as a nation on this continent of ours. In fact, Petitions were the primal voice of American democracy long before ‘We, the People’ was penned.
Now I’d like to take this opportunity to address two concerns that some folks have raised about this Petition:
* That it is misdirected.
* That it attacks the AKCA.
Neither concern is correct. Here’s why.
Misdirected? No way. When all is said and done what other organization has these many years spoken for and represented the best interests of the koi hobby in America? There aren’t any other organizations; nor is there a need for any. So who else could it be directed to?
Attack the AKCA? Since when has looking in the mirror and commenting on one’s own reflection, or talking to one’s self, been considered an attack on one’s self? Shucks, I strongly support the AKCA. But I do want to help make it a better, stronger organization.
That’s where this Petition comes in and that’s all this was ever designed to do. Ask some questions, get some people talking, and get some answers. We’ve done that, folks.
Some of you might remember that maxim of Pogo’s from the ‘60’s: “I have seen the enemy and he is us!” That’s so true.
Relevance? To answer that, first answer this: Who, after all, is the AKCA?
It’s Larry Leverett, the AKCA Chairman, who signed up on an internet Board and posted to let us know that they had heard the rumbling of distant thunder. He wanted us to know how highly the Board valued their Judges and how highly they valued their members’ opinions. He encouraged us to become more involved in existing programs, to submit more ideas for new ones, and to support the sales of KoiUSA magazine which, it turns out, funds the AKCA. We needed to hear that. Thank you, Larry.
It’s the folks who cared enough about our organization and our Judges to take a Petition I’d posted on 4 Boards and post it on an additional 8 Boards! Thank you, Worker Bees (and would you please be kind enough to update those other Boards with this clarification).
It’s Bob Finnegan, that giant of our hobby and the Head of the Judging Committee. Like a Mother Hen, Bob fiercely watches over all his chicks. Just look at how all ‘his’ Judges have passionately defended him! We needed to know that. Thank you, Bob.
It’s the Owners, Administrators and Moderators of 11 of these 12 Boards who have allowed the Petition to be posted there in the hope (if not the belief) that this Petition, and the ensuing discussion, would both educate their members about the issues involved and would, in the end, do some good by supporting the AKCA and the Judges. Without you it wouldn’t have been possible. Thank you all, folks.
It’s Bill Thompson, President of the San Diego Koi Club, who cared enough about the AKCA to pen a contrarian post in the face of a rising tide. I don’t happen to share his belief that Judges have both the right to speak and an obligation not to, but I respect his passion and his commitment to the AKCA. Thank you, Bill.
It’s all the folks who read the Petition, read the ensuing discussion, and still couldn’t decide whether to sign or not -- because they just couldn’t be sure that the Petition was a good thing for the AKCA and they didn’t want to take a chance on hurting it. You were cautious and I respect that. Thank you all, folks.
It’s the internet Judges who stepped forward to defend their Boss and their organization. At the same time, they defended their rights to post as individuals and explained that the AKCA neither restricted nor censored them for exercising their internet Free Speech rights. We needed to know that. Thank you, Judges.
It’s all the folks who read the Petition, read the ensuing discussion, and decided not to vote for the Petition because they thought it wasn’t a good thing for the AKCA. You were cautious and I respect that. Thank you all, folks.
It’s Jeff Roark, who (at some personal risk to himself?) cared enough to stick his neck out, sign the Petition and offer some free legal advice. He was right when he said the Petition “wasn’t really about Free Speech,” because in reality it was about so much more than that and also because the Judges do, in point of fact, already have Free Speech. He was wrong when he said it was all about “rallying around one Judge,” because in reality it was about rallying around all the Judges and the AKCA, too. I personally respect and thank you, Roark.
It’s Art Lembke, a guy who threw himself under the proverbial bus to shield the hobby with whom he’s had a 30+ year love affair and the organization he so deeply respects from a perceived threat. What else need be said? Thank you, Art.
But most of all, it’s been all about the good folks in this hobby who realized that the enemy was us, that organizational inertia was dangerous, that the status quo was no longer good enough, that silence is not always golden, that good folk need to speak out, that more could and should be done to support our Judges and our organization, that teaming up and pulling together can accomplish these goals and who, therefore, stepped up and signed the Petition. And for this, I think that we (the organization, the Board, the Judges and the members, all) should thank you. I know I do.
Hope this has answered your questions.
Ready, set, continue . . . |
03-16-2007
Best to Ginger!
Signed at The Shack and e-mails had been sent.
(Hi Gabby)
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