Michael,
"Friendly" suggestions of this nature, as I recently indicated to
Chris, are best made privately lest they look like something else
entirely.
<<< Starchild >>>
Starchild,
A friendly suggestion: you'd win points with some of us if you
would take full responsibility for your last-minute notices and
DAF's poor showings, rather than blame these failures on others.Best, Michael
From: "Mike Denny" <mike@drinksusa.com>
To: <lpsf-activists@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2003 9:31 PM
Subject: RE: [lpsf-activists] Re: Direct Action Forum
proposal/ResolutionDear Starchild,
It's often difficult to be a Libertarian organizer. When you take
responsibility for a project, you get exactly that and no more,
responsibility for the project. It's up to the organizer to make the
event productive for both themselves and the LP. If they are unable to
get the support they hope for (a regular event) they still have the
responsibility to make the event productive. So just because you don't
get the help you expect or would hope for DAF, it doesnt' mean that
you are not responsible.When I had events where I didn't get the support I hoped for, I
realized that it was still my responsibility to deliver the product.
While you and others did provide support, compared to my contribution,
it was negligable. That's a fact of life in LP politics. I ask that
you consider the same when you take on the responsibility for DAF. If
it doesn't meet our member's standards, it's not the fault of our
membership. In the end, DAF is your baby. If it isn't serving the LP
according to LP membership standards, it's not because you didn't get
enough help. It's because you either didn't deliver the right product,
generate enough support among LP members or perhaps simply because LP
members didn't have enough time to support it. No matter what, they
are certainly not to blame. And in the end, the fate of DAF is only
yours. We want it to succeed and hope that you do too. We are telling
you what we want to make DAF successful. You can either listen to your
market, blame them for not buying what you are selling, or create
something the members want to buy. The choice is yours. The results
are yours. I wish the LP the best you have to offer. I know that you
have much to contribute. I ask that you step up and deliver it before
you blame others or procedures for the problems.Wishing you and the LP the best results of your talent and
contribution. I hope this message helps you understand and appreciate
the affection and needs of your supporters better than before.Best personal regards,
Michael Denny
From: Starchild [mailto:sfdreamer@earthlink.net]
Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 2003 8:05 PM
To: lpsf-activists@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [lpsf-activists] Re: Direct Action Forumproposal/Resolution
Chris,
This issue hasn't been resolved. We just established that it was
tabled, and it was specifically suggested (by you IIRC) to discussthe
issue via email, so this is hardly "dragging out debate." I've
offered
not acting on the behalf of the party as a solution. But I haven't
gotten the sense that people want Direct Action Forum to stop.Rather,
I've gotten the sense that some people would prefer I continue doing
the work to make it happen, but that I do it on their terms. My
position has been consistent -- help is welcome, and if you want tosee
it done better, don't just complain, volunteer. It's not that I
particularly wanted to organize an outreach speaking event, I just
wanted to see it happen. I've said repeatedly that I prefer to get
speakers for the DAF far enough in advance to make people happy. Are
you willing to make a similar effort, instead of just demanding thatI
do it?
<<< Starchild >>>
P.S. - If your attempt to point out a pattern in my behavior to me
by
using old examples was meant constructively, allow me to suggest
that a
private email would have been a more appropriate way to send such a
message than to publicly invite a rehashing of past issues.-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1Moved that LPSF's policy on Direct Action Forum be as follows:
That if
it is determined that a speaker for the next Direct Action Forum
has
not been scheduled at the time an announcement goes out, the
announcement will state that the speaker is To Be Arranged, andthe
DAF
coordinator's contact information will be provided along with a
statement that if a speaker ends up not being scheduled then a
Political Chat will take place at the same time and location, so
people
will know that an event is happening that evening regardless andwill
feel safe in showing up.
I am not as comfortable with this position. One problem is that
people
make plans based on who is speaking. Our party core activists
make
decisions on this basis - how much more the folks who aren't as
active? And especially, it is much more difficult to invite my
roommate to
hear maybe a speaker, maybe not, than it is to invite him to hearEd
Rosenthal or Jeff Adachi.
Announcing a speaker in advance will increase attendance. Not for
every
speaker, no, but it will allow us to maximize the attendance for a
given
speaker. Having more attendance makes us look more - I know youdon't
like
the word "professional", but how about "relevant"? One purpose ofDAF
is
to get involved in local politics. What impression does JeffAdachi
take
away from a forum that five people come to? What impression doeshe
take
away from a forum with fifteen guests?I would rather not announce the upcoming DAF without a speaker; to
me,
two
weeks is already a compromise position.And whereas we have limited time, energy and other resources,
Formal votes and debate I remember in my time in the LPSF include:
* debate and votes on LPSF officers (good)
* debate and votes on ballot positions, recommendations, and
endorsements
(good)
* debate about how to micromanage DAF (bad)
* debate and vote on whether or not the Chair is the party's XO(bad)
* debate and vote on whether or not you should give the mailbox
key to
the
Chair (bad)There is a pattern here. When the sense of the party is clear,
people
acting on its behalf should attempt to act accordingly, or not act
on
its
behalf, not drag things out in debate. People disagree.Sometimes it
seems like you have difficulty comprehending that other people see
things
differently from you. It may also be worth noting that meetingsthat
you
don't attend tend to end a little early. Not that I don't valueyour
input
- - quite the opposite - but once an issue is resolved, let it go,
even if
you think it's wrong. Move on to the next one.Please. If you are going to run the DAF as an LPSF event, try to
get a
speaker by two weeks in advance. If you don't, turn your
attention to
the
next month, and keep working; don't wait another month to do it.We do
value your work, and we would like to see more people benefit from
it.
~Chris
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