[TheForge] ABANA Dilema

[GRAF]

James,

I am in total agreement with your last two paragraphs.
BUT
 It just might be that ABANA has done its original job too well.
It is really no longer needed to foster local groups, or promote 
communication between them.

theForge is nice, but ABANA's stake in that would just about cover a 
good meal for you and me in a really good restaurant.
If ABANA decided to pull the plug on theForge I'd be glad to cough up 
$25 to the cause. I am certain that there would be enough others to 
float this boat.
There are also several other active smithing lists on the net to cover 
the traffic.

One thing ABANA DOES own and operate which is becoming better by the 
week is the ABANA Forums.

I think the real question is not "Should we be grateful?" Clearly Yes.
The question is what NEXT?


My small creative idea for ABANA would be to relax on its original 
mandate and let the local groups and independent publishers handle the 
education, conferences and magazines, and focus on what these other 
groups cannot effectively do.

1. Pay attention to federal regulations, particularly air quality and 
fire regulations.Raise the alarm and help us make a stink if laws, 
properly applied to large industry,  threaten to impose undue burdens on 
small time practitioners of this ancient art. It would generally be no 
big thing to exempt anyone burning less than a ton of coal a year. As 
state and local ordinances often mimic federal standards this would go a 
long way toward making life simpler for us all.

As it is, in my lifetime, it will be   illegal for some if not most of 
us to burn charcoal let alone coal.

2. Act as a national group which could provide a basis for group health 
and other insurance.

3. Act as an archive for legal issues involving the blacksmiths trade.

4. Act as host for a multi affiliate discussion of standards and practices.

5. Act as a conduit for scholarships, or a place to pool funds for 
scholarships, with funding being done by private donation, or affiliate 
subscription.




Mike Graf


James Binnion wrote:
>
> On Oct 23, 2007, at 10:58 AM, Phil wrote:
>
>
>> How does ABANA represent our interests?
>>
>
> By facilitating the communication and sharing of information between 
> interested folks which ABANA has been doing since its founding.
>
> Conferences, newsletters magazines, theForge.
>
>  Without ABANA and more precisely the individual smiths who have 
> contributed their time and efforts and money to share information 
> about blacksmithing it would be a dead art and none of us would be 
> having this conversation.
>
> You may not like or appreciate what ABANA is at the present but it has 
> been the main way that the people interested in blacksmithing have 
> been able to connect, through the local chapters and national events 
> and publications.
>
>
> James Binnion
> jbin at well.com
>
>
>
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