Well I just got a letter Chris saying he can't publish my letter after all. Seems Andy is up to his old tricks.  I spent several hours of my time on this ANDY. Don't think I will forget it.   Chris had told me the last paragraph would be edited because it beat a dead horse about the board. 
  HERE IS THE LETTER:

  Chris &amp; HPOCA Members,
  
  There is great consern among more than a few members about several changes to our club's bylaws. Of these, the one that is most troubling is proposed ArticleX sectionD., Discipline Procedure.

  If the bylaws are amended as proposed, any member who runs afoul of the board could be thrown out of the organization. It alarms me that a small percentage of the membership could be in jeopardy of losing their membership for publicly disagreeing with the board and their actions. This procedure was to be followed in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order.

  In the rules, the prosecutors also get to act as jurors and the cards are stacked against the accused from the start. There are no rules on disclosure. Once charged they can investigate the background of the accused. A private investigator can even be hired. Charges can be added during the trial as long as the accused is given a chance to rebut them. If the accused cannot attend at a time and place of the Board's choice, the accused is automatically considered guilty and can be fined, suspended, or expelled without refunding their membership fee. (ArticleII Sec. D)
 
 What type of expulsions would have taken place last summer if this change was in place then? Without mentioning names , some could think of three, possibly more. One of these was a big reason I joined HPOCA. The Bylaws Committee Chairman on the forum of the club's web page has vaguely threatened me with expulsion.

  Please consider that at the Summer Show when these matters were up for a vote, the bylaws committee had copies of the new bylaws but not the current ones. Members could not compare the changes. No copies of Robert's Rules were available to explain the trial procedure either.

  I am one of the many, including some of our directors, who could not attend the Summer Show. I tried but could not justify or afford to take off work to drive nearly 1,000 miles each way to attend. If Charged at that time, I could not have defended myself. Could this procedure be used against a sitting Board member? If this change comes into affect, does it supercede other bylaws on removing an officer?

 As our bylaws now stand, we will be asked to vote yes or no on the changes as a whole. There are approximately 20 changes according to the bylaw committee chairman's summary. Some are minor. some I admit are needed in the future. Unfortunately the change that is really needed does not exist. Each change also needs a membership vote.  the changes should stand independently. I that way, no bylaw is changed without the voting members at least reading that change. Changes should be accompanied by the current bylaw for comparison. That way, nothing like Article X Section D. could be included unnoticed.

  Regarding bylaws, some of us are concerned about the Bylaws of the HPO Foundation. At the Winter Get Together, we were passed hand written copies of proposed bylaws of the foundation. at that time, we were asked to vote on giving the foundation $10,000. Most of the members I talked to that day were of the understanding that there would be an election for HPO board of directors. At no time were we told that the members would be appointed. We had discussions in the hall that day as to who would be good candidates. aAfter six months of several members asking, we have yet to see a copy of their bylaws.

 Our president has said on occasion that he would answer our questions conserning the club. Members have questioned him on the club's website forum. the membership learned that our president no longer has the time to respond to our concerns. One member emailed the president and the president's reply indicated that he would be willing to use email to respond to any of them.  When presented with a list of questions, he failed to respond to any of them. There were no further comments from the president via email. Because our legitimate questions remain ignored, some of us responded publicly on the web page.  We began to be labeled RENEGADES by some board members.  We have taken up this name with pride. If membership approves the bylaws as they stand, I can only ask one thing of them.    
[b:673g1oi3]LET ME BE THE FIRST TO BE CAST OUT[/b:673g1oi3]