However technical this facet of the hobby may be, it’s still ham radio and still just a hobby. Organizations like ARRL (and AMSAT) retain legal counsel for all manner of reasons. Don Miller, W9WNV famously sued the League back in the 60’s. I’m certain that caused them to lawyer-up and no doubt ARRL members paid for that legal legwork.
Still, it seems mighty curious that the new board members have hired legal counsel on at least two occasions, and I assume, out of their own pockets and/or ORI. That’s the part that's unusual. How many hams do you know who would take money out of their own personal savings to try and gain more control from their unpaid, volunteer positions in a hobby unless there was something else to it?
For whatever reason, Perens/Michelle/Patrick/ORI have placed an unusually high value on seizing control of the AMSAT BoD. Whether this is with good or nefarious reason is something members will have to decide via their wallets and their ballots because I don’t think the actual agenda behind all this will be truthfully revealed despite all the “Open” and “transparency” BS that's been flung onto this list.
Someday It might make for a decent movie though 'ham radio' doesn’t play a central role in this drama.
Jeff, KE9V AMSAT Life
On Jul 27, 2020, at 8:10 PM, Michael Tondee via AMSAT-BB [email protected] wrote:
The AMSAT membership has obviously long been in the dark about how the organization operates and what's involved in the finances and various decision making processes. Michelle and Patrick are trying to turn on a light and get some clarity and transparency. Despite the rancor it's caused and the fact that it's painful, it's becoming more and more undeniable how necessary it was and I fail to see how it's a bad thing. I'd love to go back to discussing satellites too but sometimes you have to go through the bad to get to the good. That's life.