Michael,
You might want to step back and consider what you just witnessed in your cease and desist topic.
- You raised a complaint.
- The Board listened to your complaint.
- Several Board members chose to get actively involved.
- Evidence was gathered and examined.
- Our rules were carefully reviewed.
- Several suggestions were considered.
- A fair compromise was suggested.
- A motion was made and seconded.
- The Board voted, and a fair decision was rendered.
- The decision creates greater clarity for the disputed issue.
- You were able to participate in the entire process.
- No one was was banned.
Now I want you to consider how Joe was treated on hanggliding.org. Go through each of those previous steps and ask yourself if Joe got the benefit of that step.
More importantly, ask yourself how so many outcomes on hanggliding.org would have been different if that site used this system.
- Would Joe have been banned?
- Would Jack have changed Joe's posts?
- Would the name "USHGRS" be banned?
- Would Al have been banned?
- Would Jack have changed Al's posts?
- Would Scott have been banned?
- Would Warren have been banned?
- Would Bob have been banned?
- Would so many others have been banned?
- Would the name "U.S. Hawks" be banned?
- Would the torreyhawksforum have been defaced?
- Would Bill and Rick have left hanggliding.org?
- Would dozens of other abuses have happened?
Ask yourself how many of USHPA's decisions might have been different if they'd used this system.
- Would Dave Beardslee have been banned from Torrey?
- Would the Torrey Hawks have been kept off the Soaring Council?
- Would the Torrey Hawks Site Insurance have been denied by USHPA?
- Would USHPA Directors be voting without a record of their votes?
- Would the Torrey Hawks Chapter renewal have been denied?
- Would USHPA have ignored Bob Kuczewski's Torrey Pines incident report?
- Would Shannon Hamby's accident have even happened at all?
- Would Bob Kucewski have been expelled for testimony in court?
- Would USHPA have lost their insurance?
That's the "take away" message.
This has seemed like a dark chapter in the U.S. Hawks history. It's certainly seemed that way to me for the last few weeks. But in retrospect it's really been one of our crowning achievements. Michael, neither you nor I got exactly what we wanted going into this process. But through the hard work and perseverance of some very good men on our Board, I think we both got something fair. Neither of us are banned or ostracized. And if we both continue to participate in the forum we may again find ourselves in agreement on other topics. Over time, we may even again find ourselves on friendlier terms. In short, we can heal our disagreements if we choose.
That's what we've built here. That's been the vision of our founding members, and it's been the "shining city on the hill" to those who've wanted such a place. What we do here is not always easy or pretty. But if we put in the hard work and stay true to our principles, I think it's about the best we can do with imperfect and fallible human beings.
Michael, I sincerely hope you'll consider all of that and rejoin us as an active and welcome member as you have always been.
I also sincerely hope that Frank and Rick and even Red will reflect on this process and rejoin us as active members.
And finally, I want to again thank our Board members for their patience and wisdom. You've each helped shine a light on a better path for the sport of hang gliding. It is the path and the light of justice.
by magentabluesky » Mon Mar 04, 2019 11:09 am 
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