I am getting a little tired of the foolishness going on within this project. I don't know about other AB members, but I do not wake up each morning plotting out ways to screw other USGenWeb members. I have no intent to deny anyone anything. Nor have I consulted with other AB members on ways that we, as a body, or I, as an individual, can harm other members. My only intention is to be fair to all members. A grievance is, in essence, a hearing. It is an independent committee deciding if one member has caused harm to another member. And those making the decision must look at the evidence submitted, rather than listening to public opinion. There are those within the project who apparently desire to have grievances settled in the arena of public opinion. They would rather grievances be decided by "he said, she said." This is not in the best interests of the parties involved, the project or the members. And it could not be considered a fair hearing. Section XIV of the bylaws gives the Grievance Committee sole responsibility to hear grievances and to act upon them. It does give them authority to exact punishment. And the bylaws give the AB the authority to set the Grievance Policies and Procedures. This authority was not seized by the AB or by the GC, but rather given to them by the membership. There are also members within USGenWeb who appear to delight in throwing wild accusations with little or no evidence to back up their claims. And in the few occasions when evidence is presented it is flawed or so illogical as to be laughable. These wild accusations, whose only intent seems to be to belittle another member, are entirely out of line. If you believe that an AB member has caused you harm, the proper procedure is to file a grievance against that person. David Samuelson has offered an objection to the motion before the AB. I have read through the motion, the bylaws and his objection several times and I cannot find any logical basis for his objections. The AB is not seizing any authority to exact punishment. The GC is not seizing any authority. We are merely clarifying how the authority granted to us by the membership is to be executed. I pay attention to reasonable, well-thought-out objections. I will not take any emotional outbursts seriously. The attached message is another one of those emotional outbursts that are lacking of any logic or reasonable thought. The motion before the board does not deprive members of any rights. If you will notice, it states that the GC has to determine that confidentiality has been breached. And that would be done according to GC rules and regulations. The motion does not deprive any member of any rights to a fair hearing. A grievant must have enough respect for the grievance process to keep his mouth shut. If he doesn't, he should expect no cooperation from the committee or the membership. The last paragraph is very troubling and bordering on libel. If you believe that I am corrupt and that I have wronged you, then the proper avenue is through the grievance process. Dale Grimm _____ From: Mary White [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, April 22, 2010 12:11 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [GenWebStalkers.com Blog] AB Corruption It's bad enough that some members of the Advisory Board mock each other on their Sekrit Sandbox list (Board-Exec), but a real lack of maturity is displayed when they make fun of one AB member who respects the USGenWeb Bylaws and Rights of Members to have fair hearings. We are speaking of W. David Samuelsen, who today posted a message on the Board list protesting the illegality of a proposed motion under discussion. The motion wants to try and hide corruption within the USGenWeb, by making the entire grievance process confidential. The motion seeks to amend the Grievance Committee Procedures, by adding confidentiality rules. In two places the motion calls for the parties involved in a grievance to "automatically and immediately lose the grievance," if they talk about the grievance with anyone outside of the Grievance Committee. Hence the motion is illegal, because both Sturgis and the Bylaws give members the right to a fair hearing. And Sturgis, the USGenWeb parliamentary authority (the AB rule book), states that the rights of members can only be limited in the bylaws. The reason for this is to prevent the AB from what they are currently attempting to do, subvert the authority of the membership who votes into place bylaws and bylaw amendments. Some members of the AB believe the USGenWeb can be made a better place for the membership, more honorable and more honest, via hiding the corruption of leadership by sweeping it under the rug. Out of sight, out of mind, by making it illegal to talk about and expose crime in the USGenWeb. To say this is anti-American is putting it politely. So who said what? In reply to David, AB member Dale Grimm wrote, "And water will stop running downhill and giant asteroids will destroy our planet," to which Jeff Kemp added, "I heard Kellogg's is looking for a new mascot for their 'Fruit Loop' cereal box!" We will have more to say as to why Dale Grimm and Jeff Kemp (aka Mutt & Jeff) are two of the corrupt members of the Advisory Board, later. Meanwhile we suggest both resign from the AB, and join a project more suitable for their maturity, The USGenWeb Kidz Project. Mary White -- Posted By Mary White to GenWebStalkers.com <http://genwenstalkers.blogspot.com/2010/04/ab-corruption.html> Blog at 4/21/2010 09:07:00 PM