myARRLvoice formed to question ARRL Code of Conduct, Board Proposals

Yes, I got that part. And that's exactly why you are part of the problem.

 

No, I understand exactly what hearsay is (not that Wikipedia is a good reference - it's wrong as much as it's right). But even with the first-person accounts I see no evidence. Just opinions.
Show me the evidence. But you seem to have a problem understanding just what is evidence and what is not.

 

You also seem to be confused about the difference between "evidence" and "proof." What you seem to be demanding is proof. Evidence isn't necessarily proof. Evidence is first-person testimony that supports a conclusion in some way. It need not be conclusive, although it can be.

You have access to evidence, you are just choosing not to believe it. And again, that has nothing to do with me.

 

I can't wait to see what the next episode of the ARRL's board of Dictators has in store for us.

Oh I know what's next from the Newington gang, how about wakeup tweets from the ARRL proclaiming that this event never happened and that this is all fake news started by Rachel Maddow.

 

If you believe this then perhaps you can explain the "my way or the highway" attitude from the ARRL CEO NY2F. This was sent via email to the former members of the eastern area NTS staff. This is one of the many reasons why the national leadership of the NTS formed a new organization called Radio Relay International (RRI).. The ARRL has diminished any support of NTS over the past 30 years. This current attitude plus the recent dealings of the Board of Directors has demonstrated that the ARRL is no longer a membership driven organization.

This letter comes from an issue of the QNI traffic handling newsletter that documents the step by step time line of issues leading up to the formation of RRI. You can read more of that via the QNI back issues. This comes from the August 2016 issue https://qni-newsletter.net/

To learn more about RRI please visit our web pages. We are also active via Facebook and Twitter.
The Digital Traffic Network is part of RRI http://nts-digital.net/mw/index.php?title=Main_Page formerly the NTS Digital.

http://radio-relay.org/

73 Dave WB2FTX
Eastern Area Digital Manager
Radio Relay International/ Digital Traffic Network

On July 15, 2015, Mr. Tom Gallagher, CEO of the ARRL issued the following letter to selected members of the NTS:
Greetings from ARRL HQ:
As CEO of ARRL, I have reviewed some recent correspondence among yourselves (of which Steve Ewald, WV1X of my staff was a copy recipient) pertaining to elections for Eastern Area NTS Chair. It is now time to introduce a few facts in your discussion that I earnestly believe you would be wise to consider in future planning.
1. NTS is not a stand-alone organization. It is a program of the American Radio Relay League. Policy for NTS and all other segments of the ARRL field organization is established exclusively by ARRL’s Programs and Services Committee; its Board of Directors; and between Board meetings, its Executive Committee. There is no dispute about this; it is clear from ARRL’s Rules and Regulations of the Field Organization which have the same effect as ARRL Bylaws. Section 1 of those rules states as follows:
The League maintains a Section level Field Organization whose programs provide opportunities for volunteers to further the objectives of the ARRL, provide assistance to fellow radio amateurs, and promote amateur radio's service to the American public. Principal areas of responsibility of the Field Organization are emergency communications, message traffic relay, technical activity / problem-solving, volunteer monitoring, government relations, public relations in the general community, information services for amateurs, and cooperation with affiliated clubs.
NTS is a program of the ARRL Field Organization because it is a program for promotion and conduct of “message traffic relay”.
2. Section 11 of those same rules states that “(a)ny Field Organization appointment may be canceled by the Executive Committee whenever it appears to be in the best interest of the ARRL to do so.” It was on this basis that the
appointment of the former Eastern Area Chair of NTS was canceled by the ARRL Executive Committee. The executive committee’s authority to do this is not a subject for debate. Therefore, any role within NTS that is presently held by an individual is cancelable, unilaterally, by the Executive Committee of ARRL in the event such action is determined to be in the best interest of ARRL.
3. ARRL’s Executive Committee terminated the appointment of the former NTS Eastern Area Chair and ARRL’s Programs and Services Committee appointed Bud Hippisley, W2RU to that position. To the extent that the terms of reference of NTS may conflict with the Rules and Regulations of the ARRL Field Organization relative to this process, the latter governs and prevails, inasmuch as those rules have the effect of bylaws of the organization. At no time did ARRL’s Board of Directors ever cede control of NTS or the appointment process relative to ARRL’s field organization to any group of individuals.
4. Most importantly, ARRL has been meeting actively with FEMA’s leadership including the Administrator and the Deputy Administrator on several occasions recently including an in-person meeting in Washington, pursuant to the Memorandum of Understanding between ARRL and FEMA. You may not be aware of this because there is no evidence that NTS has ever enjoyed administrator-level access at FEMA. We are discussing with FEMA a new plan for the integration of NTS (and ARES and RACES) into a new comprehensive national-level emergency communications plan. The development of this plan and the integration of NTS have a very, very short fuse. On the order of four months. You (other than Mr. Wades who unilaterally chose to terminate his ARRL membership effective June 23, 2016) can choose to be a part of this process and work with us on the plan. Alternatively, you can choose not to. As volunteers, you control your own schedules. We genuinely welcome your participation in this planning process. However, we are proceeding with FEMA either way—with or without your participation. If you choose to not participate with us, it seems to me that you cannot persuasively claim that your interests include advancing NTS—because your failure to participate will contradict that claim.
5. I urge you to stop the ego-fueled divisiveness that pervades discourse on this topic. We have taken steps that we believe to be in the best interests of NTS and in the best interests of ARRL. We will continue to do so. We welcome your continued involvement and spirit of volunteerism—provided that it is accompanied by an attitude of good faith cooperation. If not, then please get out of the way, because the opportunities for NTS and all of the dedicated traffic handlers involved with it are here and now, the opportunities are compelling, and we intend to take advantage of them. And if you choose to get out of the way, you will not be permitted to continue to hold yourself out as a participant in NTS; to use the name; or to act in any capacity for NTS or for ARRL, as it may relate to a program that ARRL has fostered for well more than 60 years.
Personally, I remain fully committed to the integration of NTS into the new, enlarged, national plan. I made this point several times to the former Eastern Area Chair when we met together, on my initiative, at Dayton. It seems to me that your choice here is either “welcome back, glad to have you with us” or alternatively, “many thanks for your prior service.” I leave that choice to you, jointly or individually.
73, Tom Gallagher NY2RF
Chief Executive Officer
The American Radio Relay League, Inc.

 

I put my .02 in here https://www.n4axe.com/awareness-action-accountability-myarrlvoice-org-call-to-action/ as well as having used the myarrlvoice.org to contact the relevant peoples. As a member and a legacy circle member I am appalled by and disgusted at the direction the ARRL has taken and with these last bits of news about the Board being revealed. I think we all know how I feel.

 

I remember an old man once told me, 'It is not enough to
comply with rules and laws. You cannot even give the
appearance of impropriety.'

The fact this has surfaced at all suggests to me the executive
of the League has failed the PR part of the action. If they can-
not manage the negative PR aspects why should members
have faith in the executive's other 'behind the scenes' actions.
If they have nothing to hide there is no excuse for closed door
meetings, short notice publication of plans prior to publication
and a veil over their activities.

While they may and likely will prevail in this action, it will gall
rank and file members for decades to come. For an organization
that stresses 'Unity', it sure seems the executive is pursuing a
path that at a minimum is divisive.

 

I think many of us are missing the major disconnect that appears to be happening with the ARRL BOD: failure to convey their intended actions with the appropriate --formal-- wording. The WORDING , not just the intended action--is the MAJOR problem and is why the amendments need to be TABLED at present.

Obviously the intended changes to the Articles and Bylaws are motivated by two things: 1) an 'update' to be in conformance with standards of practice for non-profit corporations; 2)execute WHAT THE BOARD considers in the best interest of the corporation.

The intended actions are certainly up for discussion. No doubt.

But clearly the words and the intended actions they represent are totally at odds with each other. The wording is SO GLOBALLY encompassing and INTENSELY NON-SPECIFIC in its definitions (or lack of them) that it invites abuse.

A key example-- the board is being asked to (consider to) vote in a ' revoke membership with CAUSE'. What the hell does THAT mean? Treasonous actions against the United States? Felonious sex offender? Or does it mean 'criticism of the board and/or the ARRL'? Contracts HAVE DEFINITIONS OF TERMS. Not here. As it stands, the board can remove from membership for any reason that the BOARD considers 'with cause'.

Should the ACTION of revocation be an option? Sure, in some very specific cases. Almost all organizations have that as a clause in their bylaws. But they almost always are careful to define what those cases are, upfront. NOT HERE WITH THE ARRL amendations language.

Another example-- 'loyalty to the League'. Does anyone else understand that the wording on the loyalty pledge TRANSCENDS COUNTRY; FAMILY; RELIGION; LIVELIHOOD? Read it.

Look, words are subject to interpretation. But that's WHY you work at GETTING THE WORDS RIGHT before you put them into a formal contract. You REMOVE ambiguity. You PROSCRIBE unintended interpretations. Not here.

TABLE ALL the amendments to the Bylaws and Articles For NOW.

GET MEMBERSHIP INPUT. See what STICKS.

REVISIT LATER.

Isn't all of this OBVIOUS?

It should be....

73
Chip W1YW

 

30 seconds into the video & I cant watch anymore
sadly the boredom prevents me from subscribing
your humor is not humor, get to the point and be informative

 

Organized, dedicated, League-bashing FUD.

 

Gary, I don't care what some of the other posters to this forum have stated, I LIKE that title "One League Under the Siege," as it creatively captured the essence of the topic of discussion.

73, Larry K4AEC

 

[QUOTE/] With 700,000 plus or minus licensing, 160,000 members doesn't seem to equate to what it cost to get those new members....maybe it's just me???? [/QUOTE]

I have been an ARRL member for almost 20 years. Also being a General Aviation (non-commercial) pilot for some 38 years, who flew basically for the love of it and not for $$$, and seeing that the equivalent organization to ARRL for GA pilots, AOPA (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) captured over 2/3rds of the GA pilot population (i.e., over 400,000 members out of 600,000 total pilots, versus 160,000 ARRL members out of some 700,000 hams), I wondered about that disparity. I think the current actions of the Board and the Management at ARRL pretty well illustrates why that disparity exists. By and large, GA pilots trust AOPA to do what is right for them; by and large, Amateur Radio operators do not trust ARRL to do the same. And I say that after having held a number of ARRL "field appointments," and having clashed with some of the ARRL "leaders" on various topics over the years.

Larry J. Ford K4AEC

 

You dont really have any idea what this self serving, useless group does for you, no one idea. Why, nobody can tell you anything outside the "official line". What industry reps donated and what were the terms of that donation. Why do they not respond timely to open records request? Why cant a board member publicly disagree with a policy or proposal? Nope, you only see what they want you to see and hear what they want you to hear. Take the ARPA that did make it thru congress before dying. The ARRL took credit for getting it done. NO, THE ARRL DID NOT GET THAT PASSED. I personally know who got it done and how they got it done. So, believe the lies and misleading statements if you want. The ARRL is a self-serving fifedoom designed to soak you out of money and keep board members fat, happy, and forever in office. Open your eyes and see or just be a sheep, your choice.

 

I don't argue that is is a very bad precedent and could create a very serious backlash. Closed door meetings should be restricted to when there are personnel issues to be discussed - that's how it was when I was on the board. However, the short publication of plans is, as I said, a very common occurrence and for very valid reasons. It allows maximum flexibility for the agenda to be changed at the last minute. In my organization we sometimes didn't get the agenda out until Wednesday before the meeting - and people flew on Friday.
And yes, this was because we had changes even on Tuesday.