Careful folks- from an email I received MON, it seems there's Ancestory.Com moderators "moderating" this mssg board. IOW, keep your cards close to your vests re: possible future actions. Peace Y'all Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile -----Original Message----- From: "M. Joan Meddaugh" <[email protected]> Date: Wed, 25 Oct 2006 09:10:53 To:[email protected] Subject: [NYCATTAR] my 3 cents will make it (5), any one else have a few more cents to put into the pot? my 3 cents will make it (5), any one else have a few more cents to put into the pot? Dear Fellow list members, I have read with interest your responses to what is going on with price gouging regarding a certain membership that a number of us belong to including myself. I have to agree that we have to fight fire with fire but there are many ways to fight the fire and not just one way. For example, the Forest Service when they go into an area that is burning out of control do a "back burning" at least I think that is the name they give it. Here's the idea. They make a perimeter around the original hot spot in an area where the fire has reached yet. Then they very carefully let it burn toward the original fire. This gives the un burned area of the forest at least some protection some times this works other times it doesn't. In our case, the main fire is the group we have been discussing. So in order to stop this fire from spreading we need to use what we know best and that is spread the WORD campaign. By that I mean: 1. everyone who has written to this particular organization to keep and print off their letter to them, and their response back from the company. 2. Talk to your local news paper, radio station, and TV station. Tell them the problem. The media is always a good bet when you want to get your point made. And do a massive letter writing campaign. Be sure though you have your information to prove your point. 3. Go talk to your own lawyer or if the situation gets to the point where that is not the best idea. See if there is among the many list members an attorney and I am sure that there is , that would be willing for free or for a nominal fee supplied by the joint members of the many free list to see what he can do to help us. Most lawyers don't charge for an initial meeting with the client. Which means that the group, when they find a lawyer who is willing to listen, can bring or send to him a list of grievances regarding this situation. Be sure though to have with you copies of the letters written to the problem company and their response back. 4. It is best also to have a spokes person for each of the many list to coordinate all the many letters that our list members will be writing. Then when all have written that want to, have one person who is willing to oversee the whole of the matter as our collective representative then present it along with all the supporting arguments to the lawyer that the group has appointed as its legal representative. By putting it into his or her hands, there will be only one cook doing the cooking in the legal kitchen and less of a chance of them burning the ingredients. Be sure thought that the attorney or legal representative that you choose knows what he or she is doing. In other words you don't want a novice in the kitchen of the White House preparing to fix a grand meal for heads of state when there is a TOP NOTCH CHEF that is available that knows how to do it just right. So that his presentation will get the acclamation that it so rightly deserves. 5. Another idea and this might be as a last resort is to start our own company. It might be small at first but there are lots of free stuff available. The census is available to every one, I am sure that various list will be willing to send to the newly formed company what they have. And the best way to put a very big bite in to this problem company is to ask their members through the various free list, to send you their information to put in the new site rather than continue with their present company. It is the oldest trick in advertising to try and steal from another company their sponsors and contributors. But before that can be done as a last resort, try the other ideas that I have suggested but don't tip your hand as to what is your last result will be. You want to be able to surprise the offending company but you can't if the plan of attack is already made known. 6. If an when the enviable does happen and a new company is formed or in the works to be formed, be sure have an coordinator who can collect the many ideas that we as list members put forth. Include in the plan be sure to talk about prices and what you plan for the new company. In other words what you want to do with the company, how you want it to benefit others and perhaps allow some advertising that pertains to genealogy and those that do research for a fee, to help pay for it. These are just a few of my ideas and I know that the many list members out there have much more than I to add. What you need is a plan of attack. Starting with a coordinator or joint coordinator's for each list, to begin with. One that will be willing to organize all the complaints from each list get it in some type of order then send it to the person or persons that will be overseeing the whole project so that those who are complaining about the present policy of the company that is being discussed will have once voice. Which will then and only then can be presented to the one individual which we hope is a lawyer, that will be taking the company that many of us are so irate about to task. Don't get discouraged over this but if a grass roots effort is begun great things can happen. Besides, isn't that one of the things that our nation was founded on Freedom of Speech and the press? And one more thing, is Prayer. Pray for guidance that we be shown the right avenue to take in order to be most effective in our campaign That is the most powerful weapon of all that we have. Besides, isn't that another thing that our nation was founded on freedom of Religion. And in that freedom we have the right to pray. Joan ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message