Bruce,

        If I remember correctly what we really had was some people run wanting change and at the next election they won and got on the board. Then when the change did not come quick enough or to their liking they openly revolted posting questionable rants on the BB and some going as far to create webpages listing all their complaints from their point of view only.

   So then the ranting and division went on for some time until the next election came up, and the ones in question and YOU had your picks for the board.

 Well we did that democratic thing and had another election and they lost by hundreds of votes.

 So now the BOD that we voted in wants some rules put in place to try and prevent a repeat performance in the future and here you are again complaining.

 Put it in writing and send it to BOD.

 As for me I’m all for the changes if it prevents a repeat of the last mess.

 Kevin WA7FWF #19623




‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Original Message ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐
On Tuesday, April 20, 2021 4:44 PM, Bruce Perens via AMSAT-BB <amsat-bb@amsat.org> wrote:

The proposed modifications to the bylaws of AMSAT include a provision for the secretary and the board members to deny membership renewal to any member or member society. This is included in Article 1, Section 2. The new rule is:

Section 2. Applications for membership or renewal as Member or Member Society shall be submitted to and in the manner prescribed by the Secretary. In the case of any applicant whose character, reputation, or conduct might make him or her an undesirable member, the Secretary shall refer the application to the Board of Directors (the "Board") for review; in all other cases, the Secretary shall have the authority to grant membership.

Obviously, this is aimed at the folks who dared to challenge the board (and win) in a democratic election, and of course me, for daring to campaign for them. It is a fact that many non-profit boards have never learned about the fact that there should be contentious elections - that's what democracy is about. They just see them as a threat. So, here's a rather undemocratic rule which allows them to purge opposition, so that they will not be able to vote in the next election.

Because the board doesn't want you to interfere with their addition of this rule, they have required that you register any objection to this, and other new rules, by writing a letter on paper and mailing it with a stamp. Objections you post to the BBS are useful for discussion and I encourage you to do so, but the board will not count them.
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Bruce Perens - Board Partner, OSS Capital LLC Venture Capital