Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!lll-winken!rogue.llnl.gov!oberman From: oberman@rogue.llnl.gov Newsgroups: comp.org.decus Subject: Re: DECUS badge-pulling decisions (was re: Ray Kaplan) Message-ID: <1991Jan30.084433.1@rogue.llnl.gov> Date: 30 Jan 91 15:44:33 GMT References: <910124092032.00000A80011@mwvms.mitre.org> <00943303.CDEDA880@KING.ENG.UMD.EDU> <1991Jan25.100847@mccall.com> <1991Jan30.025554.2081@dcs.simpact.com> Sender: usenet@lll-winken.LLNL.GOV Followup-To: comp.org.decus Lines: 47 Nntp-Posting-Host: rogue.llnl.gov In article <1991Jan30.025554.2081@dcs.simpact.com>, jeh@dcs.simpact.com writes: > Oh, for crying out loud, Terry. Do you really want the entire membership to > be asked to vote on every policy decision? I don't; I wish to be bothered with > upper-level DECUS politics as little as possible. That is what the DECUS Board > of Directors is for. If you don't like what they're doing, throw the bums out > at the next election. > In point of fact there was no "policy" settled on at the time of this > incident. Recall that the back of your symposium badge says "property of > DECUS"; that one of the conditions of attendance is that the Canons of Conduct > be signed; and that the individual involved did *not* sign them. Those > circumstances are sufficient to pull his badge *under current policy*. Oh, for crying out loud, Jamie. This sounds like the typical excuse making after the fact. I don't have a copy of my DECUS registration, but I know that it no longer includes a signed "Canons of Conduct". I guess my badge and everyone elses should have been pulled, too. I suspect that there was a note to the effect that by signing the registration form I was agreeing to abide by the "Canons of Conduct". The simple fact was that Kevin WAS registered and given a badge. Until DEC found out about him there was no problem about anything being or not being signed. That makes the Canons of Conduct excuse just that. An excuse. It really boils down to the selective decision that this one person was not wanted and he would be excluded. Excuse to follow! If you choose to remain uninvolved in the dispute, feel free. But don't spend your efforts to make dumb apologist excuses for actions you claim not to care about! If some of us do care, it's only by raising the issues in this and other forums that we can make people aware of the issues and let them decide if they want to "throw the bums out". That's how republican government works. The elected set policy and if the electors don't like them, they petition. If the petition is rejected, they can vote for a change in representation. I'm still trying to get the issues clarified. I'm far from deciding if policy needs changing or if I feel that the leadership has exceeded its authority. There are several unanswered questions about this affair. But my gut reaction leans towards Kevin's side. (Hey, I'm from the SF area. You know, all us raving crazy rights advocates.) R. Kevin Oberman Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Internet: oberman@icdc.llnl.gov (415) 422-6955 Disclaimer: Don't take this too seriously. I just like to improve my typing and probably don't really know anything useful about anything.