Jim, In my letter to ARC I made the following statement "I look forward to meeting with you and executing the new SOU once additional edits to the Disclosure Form, and adequate clarifications are included in the Authorization Form that appears on your web site for partner organizations are made, and when the new SOU terms are agreed upon. In my update to the board on ODV on Tuesday in paragraph 4 I said "As I have stated in my letter, ARRL will not sign the SOU until the background matter is addressed." In today's news release in paragraph 7 the statement from my letter to ARC is noted; "I look forward to meeting with you and executing the new SOU once additional edits to the Disclosure Form, and adequate clarifications are included in the Authorization Form that appears on your web site for partner organizations are made, and when the new SOU terms are agreed upon." To use your phrase, we're not paying for anything until we resolve our outstanding issues and that has been made very clear in each of the above. Negotiation isn't payment, it's the lead up to it. As I also stated in my update on ODV "Negotiation and preparation of a draft SOU is in no way connected with the background investigation requirement issue. Refusing to proceed with negotiations to produce a draft SOU until the background issue is resolved is counterproductive for ARRL and amateur radio. Our relationship with ARC has been a very positive one for many, many years and we should work toward a renewed understanding between our organizations in order to continue to provide a public service in times of need. Refusing to negotiate at this stage makes us adversaries, not partners, and that is not ARRL's mission. As I have stated in my letter, ARRL will not sign the SOU until the background matter is addressed." I trust each of these previous sent statements addresses your concern. 73 Joel W5ZN -----Original Message----- From: K8JE [mailto:K8JE@arrl.org] Sent: Thursday, July 03, 2008 11:38 AM To: arrl-odv Subject: RE: [arrl-odv:16910] Re:RE: Red Cross follow-up story posted I failed to make it clear in my most recent message that I do not oppose engaging in negotiations toward a new SOU prior to having the several issues we have raised with RC are resolved. Negotiating would be based upon our good faith that the RC will indeed follow through with the actions it has suggested it will take to resolve these issues. I just do not believe in paying/rewarding someone before they have completed their end of the bargain. I think that this would be akin to paying a contractor in full for building a multistory building when the first floor has merely been framed and we don't have a performance bond to lean back on. Jim Weaver, K8JE, Director ARRL Great Lakes Division 5065 Bethany Rd. Mason, OH 45040 E-mail: k8je@arrl.org; Tel.: 513-459-0142 ARRL - The Reason Amateur Radio Is! Members - The Reason ARRL Is! -----Original Message----- From: K8JE [mailto:K8JE@arrl.org] Sent: Thursday, July 03, 2008 12:26 PM To: arrl-odv Subject: RE: [arrl-odv:16910] Re:RE: Red Cross follow-up story posted Does paragraph 6 of the release mean we are ready to ratify a new SOU before the issues we have been attempting to resolve with RC have actually been resolved? Personally, I hope not. If, however, the meaning of par. 6 is that we are in a "damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead" in getting a new SOU before our just issues have been resolved, I believe this would be a mistake. As is true I suspect of at least most other directors, I look forward to a new SOU; however, it was the RC that chose not to begin negotiations to develop one about 8 months ago, not us. I fail to see a great urgency regarding the new SOU until our concerns have been resolved. Jim Jim Weaver, K8JE, Director ARRL Great Lakes Division 5065 Bethany Rd. Mason, OH 45040 E-mail: k8je@arrl.org; Tel.: 513-459-0142 ARRL - The Reason Amateur Radio Is! Members - The Reason ARRL Is! -----Original Message----- From: Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ [mailto:dsumner@arrl.org] Sent: Thursday, July 03, 2008 11:08 AM To: arrl-odv Subject: [arrl-odv:16910] Re:RE: Red Cross follow-up story posted Tnx Bill. Dave Patton is taking care of getting it out to SMs. The next available issue of QST is September, which seems a long way away! Dave -----Original Message----- From: n3llr@earthlink.net [mailto:n3llr@earthlink.net] Sent: Thursday, July 03, 2008 11:03 AM To: arrl-odv Subject: [arrl-odv:16909] Re: Red Cross follow-up story posted Dave, Good update. I hope this will also be sent out to the SM reflector, ARES E-newsletter and in QST so that all of our members will have access to the update. Best wishes for a safe and happy July 4th. - Bill N3LLR -----Original Message----- From: "Sumner, Dave, K1ZZ" <dsumner@arrl.org> Subj: [arrl-odv:16907] Red Cross follow-up story posted Date: Thu Jul 3, 2008 10:41 am Size: 5K To: "arrl-odv" <arrl-odv@reflector.arrl.org> Red Cross follow-up story posted The follow-up story on the Red Cross that Joel spoke of in his message on Tuesday will be posted momentarily and will be in this week's ARRL Letter. See text, below. Dave K1ZZ ARRL Tells Red Cross of Remaining Background Check Policy Concerns ARRL President Joel Harrison, W5ZN, has written to Armond T. Mascelli, Vice President for Domestic Disaster response for the American Red Cross (ARC), to identify the ARRL's remaining concerns over the background check policy for ARC partners. Harrison emphasized that the commencement of negotiation of a replacement Statement of Understanding (SOU) between the two organizations should not be further delayed while these concerns are resolved, and that he looked forward to signing a new SOU once additional edits to the background check Disclosure Form and clarifications of the background check Authorization Form are in place for those radio amateurs who volunteer their service to the Red Cross. Harrison first wrote to Mascelli on November 28, 2007, setting out the ARRL's concerns with the background check procedures recently implemented by the ARC. ARC now requires a background check for amateur radio volunteers seeking to support a Red Cross disaster relief response for more than a seven day period. In the ARRL's view, amateur radio volunteers were being asked to consent to a more intrusive background check than was necessary or appropriate. Mascelli's reply on May 8, 2008, addressed some of the ARRL's concerns, and Harrison's latest letter to the ARC - sent on June 30, 2008 - recognizes considerable improvement in the forms related to the background check procedures that are linked via the ARC's Web site. However, Harrison also states that analysis of the forms has revealed two continuing problems: The Authorization for Background Investigation consent form still contains "some highly equivocal and broad language which, because of its ambiguity, will inevitably discourage substantial numbers of radio amateurs from participating in the background check process." This form was not included with Mascelli's reply and was not seen by the ARRL until later. The "Disclosure Regarding Background Investigation" can still be construed as overly broad, although this can be corrected by fairly simple edits. Harrison told Mascelli, "We do not want the implementation of these additional changes to further delay the negotiation of the terms of a replacement SOU. A new SOU is, in my view, a critical and urgent matter. Because the old SOU expired on September 16, 2007, the vacuum thereafter has served neither ARRL nor ARC well." ARRL and ARC staff are ready to work on a draft replacement SOU, the text of which will be reviewed by the ARRL's Programs and Services Committee and approved by either the Executive Committee or the Board prior to completion. Harrison concluded, "We look forward to continuing to provide seamless disaster response communications by Amateur Radio and to enhancing and expanding ARRL's proud partnership with the American Red Cross. I look forward to meeting with you and executing the new SOU once additional edits to the Disclosure Form, and adequate clarifications are included in the Authorization Form that appears on your web site for partner organizations are made, and when the new SOU terms are agreed upon."