[TheForge] Forwarded abana mail???

[George Dixon]

I have received several forwarded emails from a board member.  Does
anyone know anything about this.  The threats in it seem over the
top........
G Dixon
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  Subject:
                Re: Fw: Directors Work on the Conference
      Date:
                Thu, 28 Feb 2002 21:46:25 EST
     From:
                Kagele@aol.com


FROM:  Jerry Kagele
I received the following email traffic so I thought I should respond:

I am going to docket this for one week to see if you are man enough to
do the right

      thing. Jerry Kagele



I don't think Kagele would want Mister Ryan to do the right thing. The
right thing would be to whup his rude, smart mouthed, ass.
No, on second thought - The degree of ignorance shown by ABANA doesn't
even warrant a response, physical or verbal. They are
hell bent on self destruction and when they are successful we'll all
just start over with a new version of ABANA ran by dedicated (to
blacksmithing - not to their own agenda), mature MEN. Real Men. We did
it before, we can again.


      If you are not going to pitch in then
        please get off of the Board so that we can get someone who will.




That translates into "Gee, I wish we could get rid of him so we could
get someone who agrees with us on everything because we don't
have the ability to solve disputes we start in our arrogance."
  Just sit back and wait Tim. Don't respond to an ignorant immature
temper tantrum. Wait for someone in ABANA with the
intelligence to show some diplomacy (if such person exists) to properly
request a response. You may have to wait until all the board
members are voted out however. Donnie Fulwood
Macon, GA Buster & Willene Grubbs wrote:

      Hello fellow blacksmiths, Tim sent me this today and asked if I
would pass it on. I hope you will do the same and each time
      you forward it, add your feelings as I did. Every blacksmith needs
to read this whether he is in Maine or Florida. Everyone
      knows how hard Tim Rayn has worked for ABANA before this "anvil
issue", when the other board members would work with
      him. I was hoping that the ABANA board had seen a little light and
had made a small move to reunite the southeastern chapters
      back into ABANA by doing away with all chapters and stating that
all past chapters would now be affiliates of ABANA with no
      liabilities to ABANA. After reading this letter from one of the
ABANA board members to Tim and seeing his tone of voice in
      the letter, I now see that he doesn't care to put anything in the
past and move on. Wouldn't it have been better to write Tim and
      ask fo! r his help and ask him to put the past behind them and
move on, instead of threatening him. The ABANA board has not
      taken care of this "anvil issue" at all, as far as I see it. They
have just stirred up a hornets nest. I just hope that Mr. Kagle is only
      speaking for himself and not for the whole ABANA board. We will
see if they allow Mr. Kagle a soap box in the Anvils Ring
      or not. Buster >>>>



Donnie:  Since your advice to Tim Ryan is to do nothing, I presume
you're willing to volunteer to take his place at the La Crosse
Conference.  We have plenty of committees that need help.  I may have a
"smart mouth" and you may want to "whup" my ass, and
Tim Ryan may have been the best ABANA member in history but the fact
remains that that dog doesn't want to hunt no more!  Are
you, or any of the other folks that received my correspondence to Tim
willing to step forward and help ABANA put on this
conference?  Anybody can sit on their "ass" and whine.  We're talking
real work here.  Most Board members spend at least 3-4 hours
per week working as volunteers for ABANA.  We don't have the luxury that
Colonel Tim somehow thinks he's entitled to to occupy
a seat on the Board and do NOTHING!  You are all going to want to come
to La Crosse and have a well-planned Conference that
goes like clockwork.  Just how in the hell do you ! think that that
occurs?  I fully agree with your statement that if you don't like
participating in an organization, then quit!  I've done it myself.  But
that's not the issue here.  Tim, unlike you, is a Board member
and we only have 14 of those.  He is taking up the space of someone that
could actually be assisting us in putting together this
Conference.  Are you opposed to that?  You are also sadly under-informed
if you think that the anvil issue wasn't resolved.
ABANA has now severed it's legal ties with each "Chapter" so that they
are free to do whatever they want.  The Board is in the
process of approving the by-laws and they will be presented to the
membership for approval.  Tim did not respond to this
conciliatory gesture.  He hasn't responded to anything!  I simply do not
believe that anyone, including you, would condone being
on any type of committee where there is work to be done and you have a
shirker who ! let's you do his share of the work.  If Tim
Ryan has an issue than let's hear it.  But that has nothing to do with
the physical effort that this conference is going to require from
the Board Members.  I want you, or anyone else, to tell me that my
position on this is unreasonable--and then suggest a constructive
approach rather than crude, unconstructive name-calling.
If Tim Ryan is, as you suggest, entitled to Continuing Glory because of
his past effort s on behalf of ABANA, then how are we
going to get the work done that needs to be done today?  Tim is
tarnishing his own reputation by transforming himself from a
positive force in ABANA to one of obstruction and impediment.  Are you
seriously suggesting that we should have people on our
committees who have no intention of working?  Is past service to ABANA
justification for not doing the organization's work now?  I
really don't think you believe that!  And if you do, then tell me who is
going to put the Conference together?  I have been to two
ABANA Board meetings now.  I have never met Tim Ryan!  I don't believe
that I have ever spoken with him.  I know nothing about
him.  What you're trying to tell me apparently is that ABANA has a
sacred caste of good ol' boys, who have worked hard for
ABANA in the past, and that that means that us newco! mers now have to
do all the heavy lifting!  Well, I hope that someday I
achieve such exulted status so that I can continue to be on the ABANA
Board, tell people about how hard I worked for ABANA in
the past, and not do a damned thing to help the organization progress!
Do you think that that represents the majority will of the
ABANA membership?  Am I truly being "arrogant" and "ignorant" and
"immature" just because I want all 14 Directors to do their
fair share on the Conference?  Do you think that had I sent a
gold-engraved invitation to Tim to pretty-please come help, that it
would have made a difference?  He gets the same information that the
rest of the Board members get and I presume that he can
read.  Are you saying that Tim should get treatment different than the
other 13 Directors?  the more basic question is:  Why is he
still on the Board?  If he is so against the principles of ABANA, and if
the Board members (myself! apparently being Exhibit A) are
so "ignorant", "arrogant" and "immature", why does someone as special,
talented, honored, smart, humble, and mature as Tim Ryan
even want to associate with us?  Or, the same for you, for that matter?
A good percentage of the Board members are new.  It must
be disturbing to you and Tim that the ABANA membership consistently
elects Board members who are dissonant to Tim Ryan.
Your suggestion that Tim might have to wait until a new Board is elected
doesn't seem to take into account the fact that new Board
members are coming on ALL THE TIME!  The only possible explanation for
this (trying to look at it from Tim's perspective) is
that there is a vast conspiracy in the 50 states to constantly elect
ignorant, arrogant and immature Directors who are simply there to
persecute poor old martyr Tim Ryan!  Now, I don't know how many Boards
you have been on but I have been on literally dozens.
Everything from the Red Cro! ss to the Symphony (where I was the
chairman of the Fundraising Committee and raised $10 Million
bucks).  About the "ignorant" part, I have been a practicing trial
attorney for 30 years, a Prosecuting Attorney for 15 and a law
professor for 12.  I have served in the Diplomatic Corps of two nations,
was nominated to be an American Ambassador by President
Reagan,  have been a guest lecturer in International Law at Georgetown
University Law School, from whence I graduated, have
represented two White Houses and four governments, and presently have a
$8 Million Dollar judgment in my favor pending in the
Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In my spare time I do the NWBA
newsletter and act as Secretary for ABANA.  In your opinion,
does that give me any qualifications to comment, as Secretary of ABANA,
on the performance of one of our Directors?  His
performance is non-existent and a serious detriment to our organization.
By any known standard of any known corpora! te or
organizational ethic or code, he is subject to, and should be, removed.
I can truthfully say that he is the worst director that I have
seen on any Board that I have ever advised or been on.  Is that the
legacy that he wants to leave in ABANA?  Is that the legacy that
you are encouraging and egging him on to accept?  With counsel like
that, from friends like you, he doesn't need me to destroy his
reputation!  Under Georgia law, which controls in ABANA, Directors have
a legal obligation to act reasonably and prudently in
their roles as Directors.  This includes censoring Directors who fail to
perform.  I am not picking on poor old Tim Ryan.  I would
make the same comments if it was my Grandmother on the Board and she was
just sitting on her ass and not helping!  I have no idea
whats ailing Tim Ryan, or you, or what your grievances are with ABANA
(you were a little light on the details!) and I don't care.  I
do care ! that we need a crew to help at La Crosse.  The Directors are
in charge, and Tim Ryan isn't helping.  Okay, I'm going to try
to overcome my arrogance here and make this public plea:  Tim, I'm
asking you to pitch in and help your fellow Directors at the La
Crosse Conference.  Please.  Donnie, I also think, from what I've heard
of you, that you're a well-meaning man of integrity.  I would
really like to keep this communication on that level.  Rather than
sniping at me over the World Wide Web, you, as well as the others,
can feel free to direct your opprobrium directly to me, either by email,
or you can even call me at home at 509 624-0100.  I feel an
obligation to ABANA to bring to the membership's attention situations
that are detrimental to the organization.  Director
misfeasance is an appropriate issue to raise and I would be derelict in
my legal and ethical responsibilities if I did not address it.  If
Tim wants to avoid all o! f this he knows how to do it.  Tim can keep
his soap box.  Just get out of the way for  the work that needs
to be done.  I hope to hear from you with any good ideas as to how to
resolve that issue.
Jerry Kagele.