…and the rest of the club. It is 20 Degrees Fahrenheit outside (you can look up Celsius yourself). I have been out for a constitutional with my wife and a stogie from the Cabinet “La Tradicion” Series. I believe it was made in the little country of Mano because the band says “Hecho a Mano.” I might be wrong about that – maybe I will google it later. (Is it okay to say google without a capital g?). It seemed an appropriate choice because of the association between constitutional and tradition – both being features of comments to follow. Anyway, I find it calming, like lists of my favorite things.

Alternative #1 will be in my next post.

One alternative would be for me to agree to refrain from posting on any thread on this site that I have not started. I have already pledged to refrain from any post started by the one but I will expand that pledge to any thread on this site started by another site participant. [No applause necessary, but thanks.]

Then, the Webmaster can post a notice and/or incorporate into the site “rules” that anyone who posts on a thread that RocketWarrior has initiated hereby agrees that they enter the discussion voluntarily. Participants would be cautioned that such threads may well discuss issues that could be tiresome and, therefore, the default option should always be for members to just not bother to come in.

Another alternative would be for us to go ahead and have the election. The Webmaster has already made that offer/challenge which I, perhaps prematurely, declined. However, I was able to speak briefly with my tech guy (I could hear his eyes roll and the tone that he did not see the need of working on a Sunday evening – I work all the time so sometimes I forget that some people try to separate segments of their lives.) Anyway, his preliminary response was that my shop webmastering your site might be doable. But he begged off, claiming he had a press of year-end duties (yeh, right) but we could discuss it in the daytime. He didn’t say what day.

But if we are going to have an election, we can’t just ‘call the vote’ without following some rules of order. It is easy to forget that hobby clubs, especially those that accept dues, need to have procedures and (I have yet to play such a card) some of them are even enforceable by the laws already established in democratic countries.

So, before I agree to throw one of my hats in the ring (I was thinking of the brown fedora but for this occasion I might order a Chicago center dent), I would need assurance that it would be a free and fair election. Now, at the very least that means that my opponent cannot control the ballot box.

There would also have to be time for a campaign. I would need time to kiss some babies and outline my credentials.

I can expand on both of these proposals, as needed. But I have lined up a business conference call (should not take long, but can’t wait) because I have a matter in court in the morning that needs some final preparation.

So, light one up and give this some thought.

Caution, smoking is bad for you.

Is there any way that Rocket would consider easing up on his tiff with Morgan, Fred and, the one? Yes there is. I am looking for one man, or woman, with integrity, to, in all honesty, agree with me that the following behavior, related to us in Thread #1917, is totally against the spirit and purpose of this club:

“This very same exact thing happened when another oldtimer from the club died a couple of years ago. He also had not stated any provisions for his collection in his will (again, of very early machines) but his family found correspondence in his files from me. One of his sisters contacted me to see if I would like to "purchase his valuable collection of antique vacuum cleaners." I did not even [ask] her how much she wanted for them,. I stated that if she thought they were of such great value they should be donated to a museum, or taken to auction at Sothebys. Of course, I never heard anything further from her. And most likely, they ended up at the local Goodwill.”

The club lost face, lost goodwill, and lost pieces of the very essence of the reason for this club to exist.

What I really want is for the Board to agree. But I tried that, off thread and on, and got nothing. No response from the Board is Board endorsement of this behavior. It is apparent that we must live with the fact that our Board will not stand up when that would be so obviously expected in any, I mean any, organization of integrity.

So, what I need to know is whether there is any member out there who agrees with me, and will so state on thread – that such treatment of a civilian, and the loss of the cleaners, is just plain wrong.

Except of hassling me, it is my guess that there will be no posts and either no member of this club agrees with me, or no member dares to agree with me. If that is the case, you have no standing to criticize anyone’s behavior.

Has the Board ever considered simply contacting the family to see if the collection might still exist? Wouldn't that be an obvious thing to do? Give me the names and I will do it. Or send someone you like and have them report back. Okay?

WARNING. If you do agree with me. You had better do it with class. A simple agree or disagree would be sufficient. Don't use it as an excuse to attack anyone. Be cool.

I'll play Devil's Advocate and propose that those who find fault with the way this FREE forum is administered (baby-sat) =should= take charge for a few days.

Let them experience first-hand what a frustrating, time-consuming, thankless job it is ---- especially in the midst of derangements [literally] such as the one that currently is raging.

So, does someone want to declare MUTINY? Well let them go right ahead!

Speaking as a former webmaster -- and thus in a unique position to empathize with the many vexations that this UNPAID, VOLUNTEER position is riddled with -- I am preeeeetty sure that the current captain of the GOOD SHIP VACUUMLAND will heartily, willingly, cheerfully surrender --- and hand over control of this vessel to the insurrectionists without complaint.

Then let's see just how long the mutineers last as they try to steer this ship through some very, very rocky and turbulent waters. Given their apparent very low threshold for pain, I'll give 'em a week -- tops.

I'll note in conclusion that the "draconian" power that the webmaster "lords over us" as he runs amok with his insane power madness was granted him at the last VCCC meeting by the general membership. And while I was not there and may need to stand corrected, I do believe that the vote was unanimous.

MY hat's off to Fred for a Job Well Done -- far better, and with far greater forebearance, than I could ever have done.