Jeff,
Based on the responses that I have received off the list, I really don't think that's the case by any stretch of the imagination. Falsely representing AMSATs relationships with other organizations is not going to benefit AMSAT (or the individuals if they decide do go elsewhere) And, if you look at some of the individuals who have made an effort to chime-in on the -bb and then look at the -bb history to see how often those specific individuals take their time to do so... that says something. The reality is, AMSAT has good relationships.
I'm not going to play this whole old-guard, new-guard game, because it goes against everything my prefrontal cortex tells me to do, but at the same time I am also not going to stand by and remain silent while the 'old-guard' is badgered, until someone gives me a good, technical reason to do so. So-far, from the -bb, i've learned that Bruce Perens made it 26 letters easier to pass an FCC exam (high five) and Michelle and Patrick are busy stirring up legal issues for AMSAT. All I can say about that is, AMSAT never needed to hire an attorney against me personally or anyone else that I have known since 2008... That says something. Oh, not just me, but tons of other people. People who built stuff, worked late, got angry at each other, kicked, screamed, almost had our fingers cut off, burnt, eyes almost poked out, etc... but, still seemed to have fun and get stuff done. I will say this, from what I have seen of Patrick and Michelle (-bb and other observations), they seem like extremely involved people and appear to have a substantial amount of time on their hands to coordinate. Patrick seems like he's done tons from an outreach standpoint and Michelle seems like she'd be a wonderful PR kinda person. But based on the legal letter being propagated to the -bb and other comments out there, their place is absolutely not on the board. I think I met Michelle once at the Baltimore or Orlando symposium, i'm not entirely sure, maybe she remembers. From a practical standpoint though, I think everyone has a place and could positively contribute to the group, but the way this is being done is not right to me. This "fight against the old guard" is entirely fabricated and appears to be created for political purposes and unfortunately, it's damaging.
With respects to the public council letter sent to the -bb, that just shows that for whatever reasons, they are unable to handle issues behind closed doors. Handling issues like this should be done professionally to preserve the integrity of the organization. That is a huge issue for me. It's obviously being done more for political pandering / show than for substance, hence the posting to the bb in the first place... And yes, you can say blah-blah-blah about bylaws and claim whatever you want about the 'rule of law' and whatever.... but, laws are there for a reason and think for a minute about how many other AMSAT members and engineers have contributed, helped out and never put AMSAT through any legal issues or threats, for anything... This is all unfair and not something I want to see individuals on the board doing. I want to see the engineering stack taken to the next level. A pile of work went into developing the stack that went into suitsat/arissat/fox/etc... none of that should be taken for granted and that level of effort should not be diminished. Oh, and lots of those in the 'old-guard' made that happen... but that's always conveniently left out. It seems like everything that's politically been going on since 2018 has been counter to making AMSAT productive, at least politically. Jeff, I don't really trust anyone you are recommending. Trust is extremely important to me. People do not trust groups... they trust individuals. And, trust is earned, on an individual basis, not demanded through legal council letters. If you can't get a BOD to work with you, you're the problem. Just imagine what will happen with external groups. Are they going to get threatened with a legal council letter too?
Remember, a loose cannon can point every direction.
Joseph Armbruster KJ4JIO
On Fri, Aug 7, 2020 at 12:35 PM Jeff Johns via AMSAT-BB amsat-bb@amsat.org wrote:
and some use that as a method/means of intimidation or suppression of speech.
As admitted by the President in his infamous letter, it was legacy, incumbent BoDs that were the first to seek legal advice by conspiring to shut-out Michelle and Patrick in a manner which goes against AMSAT bylaws. Do you not think that Michelle and Patrick had the right to defend themselves against this action? Not only were they defending themselves, they were defending the bylaws of the Corporation. We need more BoDs like them that are willing to standup to the old guard and meet their bullying with equal action. Sadly, many AMSAT members know they will be made a target if they speak out against the old guard or have new ideas and opinions. This must change or we will only have more of the same. I don’t see Michelle or Patrick ‘running off’ any volunteers. In reality, they are trying to change the culture of AMSAT and make it more welcoming for ALL volunteers, not just those that are blessed by the old guard. To help continue this work of change that Michelle and Patrick have started members can vote for me, Bob and Howie. Otherwise, we will end-up with the same old, same old and the same culture of cliquish behavior by legacy incumbents.
Jeff WE4B http://we4bravo.com _______________________________________________ Sent via AMSAT-BB@amsat.org. AMSAT-NA makes this open forum available to all interested persons worldwide without requiring membership. Opinions expressed are solely those of the author, and do not reflect the official views of AMSAT-NA. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: https://www.amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb