[TheForge] ABANA membership

[dann]

The ABANA   Mags: "Ring" & "Blow"  alone are  more than worth the 
membership fee for me.    For example, I believe that National Geographic 
annual membership; is nearly that high.    Like  the National Geographic, 
we ABANA members  are also share costs  for an  an education 
function.    Many of those demonstrating at local conferences have 
benefited from  prior group activities sponsored by ABANA.  I understand 
that there is also a scholarship fund to  help with further education of 
smiths that intend to demonstrate.

One of the prior threads talked about  self motivated, tough minded, 
independent   business  blacksmith types. .With that perspective the sparks 
of controversy that fly about on this list  aren't  a big deal, like a 
tempest in a tea kettle.

  I have no doubt that the Board  believes that each decision is in the 
best interest of the Membership.   Without the whole background for a given 
decision  of  the  ABANA Board,  all that  we can do is speculate and 2nd 
guess, but we form opinions based on  partial knowledge,  innuendos,  and 
half-truths.

George  Dixon obviously believes he had a valid point, else he wouldn't 
have pushed it this hard, or this long.   But it has reached a point that 
we need to brush the dirt off and  look at the positive aspects of ABANA .

Walter Mullet was pretty clear yesterday that  the Board had looked as 
closely at George Dixon's  issues as they intended.

"Walter L. Mullett" <wmullett@bright.net>
Mon, 8 Jul 2002 19:14:50 -0400
"
Ted,
If the correspondence that George suggests was hidden from the board was in
fact the correspondence that was discussed by the board as shown in the
Flagstaff minutes, then it was not hidden. The board was informed of the
correspondence, of the President's prerogative not to send it on to the
board and it seems the board had their fill of this stuff because they
agreed with the president and did not want to see this. NOTHING HIDDEN! No
lies! ... just fed up!"

<snip>