A Petition . . .

[KoiCop]

A Petition In Support of

AKCA Judges Exercising Their 1st Amendment Internet Freedoms

TO: The ASSOCIATED KOI CLUBS OF AMERICA (AKCA)

Chairperson - Larry Levertt
Vice Chairperson - Harlan Glenn
Secretary - Carol Elliott
Chief Financial Officer - Doug Dahl
Judging Committee - Bob Finnegan

FROM: THE UNDERSIGNED MEMBERS OF THE INTERNET KOI COMMUNITY

Whereas the AKCA was founded circa 1979; and

Whereas from their inception the AKCA has always sought to represent the best interests of the hobby; and

Whereas the AKCA is a non-profit organization created to promote the hobby of keeping, breeding, appreciating and exhibiting Koi through various and sundry programs; and

Whereas there are approximately 104 AKCA affiliated clubs in North America, representing an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 members of the koi hobby, of which probably less than 600 are truly hard-core; and

Whereas these clubs put on over 30 AKCA Koi Shows each year; and

Whereas these shows constitute the heart of the AKCA outreach program by disguising education as competition, while at the same time celebrating the hobby, promoting friendships and attracting new members; and

Whereas these shows are judged by an AKCA corps of approximately 27 Certified Judges and 5 Candidate Judges; and

Whereas the AKCA Judging Committee is under the direct personal supervision of Bob Finnegan; and

Whereas these AKCA Judges give unstintingly of their time, effort, experience and expertise without compensation &/or remuneration to judge these shows; and

Whereas there is a smaller cadre of AKCA Judges who (over and above their judging duties) give unstintingly of their time, effort, experience and expertise by participating on internet koi forums; and

Whereas we, the members of said internet koi forums, do most thoroughly enjoy, appreciate and applaud these internet AKCA Judges as our teachers, mentors and friends; and

Whereas these internet AKCA Judges all use disclaimers specifying they are posting as individuals, and that their opinions do not reflect those of any organizations to which they might belong, or positions which they might hold; and

Whereas we, the members of said internet koi forums, feel diminished in our hobby when the 1st Amendment internet freedoms of our teachers, mentors and friends are threatened or abridged by the AKCA in its individual, organizational or institutional capacity; and

Whereas we, the members of said internet koi forums, feel such diminishment is not in the best interests of the AKCA, in particular, nor the hobby in general; and

Whereas the AKCA has flourished by utilizing a light (not heavy) hand with its associated clubs; and

Whereas we, the undersigned members of said internet koi forums, feel that that light handed approach would best serve as a model towards dealing with the non-judging internet activities of AKCA Judges; THEN

WE, the undersigned members of said internet koi forums, do hereby PETITION the AKCA to forthwith discontinue, disavow, eschew and forever foreswear the use, or threatened use, of organizational sanctions against Judges for exercising their 1st Amendment internet freedoms -- with the caveat that said AKCA Judges shall at all times continue to show the appropriate degree of respect towards the AKCA, its offices and its Officers.

Dated this 13th day of March, 2007

Signed:

1. & 2. Don & Brenda Chandler
Costa Mesa, CA 92627
‘KoiCop’
ZNA, Southern California
Koi Kichi & Water Garden Club, AKCA

**********

During the next two weeks anyone wishing to ‘sign’ the above Petition need only post to this thread with their:

Full Name
City, State, ZIP
AKCA Club (if any)

Or, send me an email at donnbda@aol.com

Please feel free to post this Petition on any additional boards; please, just let me know if you do so I can go there to harvest signatures.

I’ll compile all the responses from the various boards -- then this Petition will be forwarded to the AKCA.

Thanks, Don

[MCA]

Excellent idea and effort! When free speach is diminished....we are lose....

already signed on the Shack.

[mstrseed]

Me three......

[jbolding]

Jedadiah R. Bolding
Norco, CA 92860
Inland Koi Society (AKCA)
ZNA, Southern California

[koiczar]

Don

Nicely written and to the point. Count me on the list

Mike Perret
San Jose, Ca.
Santa Clara Valley Koi and Water Garden Club(AKCA)
ZNA NorCal

[lypope]

Thanks for posting that, Don. I've already signed this on the Shack, and sent a letter to the "powers that be" in the AKCA. I hope that all will consider signing this petition. When one person of high integrity and caliber is silenced, we are all diminished.

[Tamianth]

Don, you have a pm!

[RobR]

Robert W. Ratyniak
4423 Onorio Street
New Port Richey, FL 34653


Great job Koicop!

[Sangreaal]

M Marie McVey
Dairyville, CA 96080

[PapaBear]

Larry Iles
Davenport, Ok. 74026
OKKS