Demonstrating once again that groups of highly motivated volunteers (and professionals) are severely weakened when there's no documented, integrated strategy/plan to follow with a single leader calling the shots. It's junior AYSO "swarm ball" all over again. Who is our Congressional Action Czar? What is our integrated game plan for BPL? (Hint: a plan is more than a list) 73, Art (The Bastard in the Board Room) "When they resort to name-calling, you know your message is getting hrough" - J Haynie, Jun 29, 2004 ----- Original Message ----- From: "Jim K8JE" <K8JE@arrl.org> To: "arrl-odv" <arrl-odv@reflector.arrl.org> Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 2004 2:58 PM Subject: [ARRL-ODV:10929] Re: Minutes

Let me say this about that.

I think the sense of confusion being expressed exemplifies perfectly one reason for having the grassroots system we are developing put into place. I don't intend for my comments to be considered as finger pointing -- no finger pointing is warranted. We simply seem to have lost focus in part and appear to have shot gunned the situation. Too many cooks.

My sense is that we confused the "write your Congressfolks now" instruction regarding Spectrum Protection with "we've got to do something more on BPL now." The resulting intermod product came out that we need to write everyone about BPL even though the subject may not even yet be on their radar screens.

I think we confused not only many members and ourselves, but very likely some Congressional aides.

Jim Weaver, K8JE Director, Great Lakes Division ARRL 5065 Bethany Rd., Mason, OH 45040 Tel.: 513-459-0142; E-mail: k8je@arrl.org ARRL: The reason Amateur Radio Is! MEMBERS: The reason ARRL Is!

-----Original Message----- From: Kay Craigie [mailto:n3kn@comcast.net] Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 2004 6:28 AM To: arrl-odv Subject: [ARRL-ODV:10927] Re: Minutes

The response to Tom's question leaves me more confused than he probably was when he asked it.

Tom has been operating on guidance indicating that we are not supposed to be calling out the troops to carpet-bomb the Congress with messages on this issue. I'm having difficult making the guidance he received square up with ODV:10519, which involved a grass-roots BPL package posted on the Web site and sent to the SM's, which clearly calls on people to write. I also can't get it to align with our ARRLWeb story dated April 27 which said, in part, "It is important for radio amateurs to get the facts across to the White House as well as to our Congressional representatives and senators." The ARRL Web site provides an information package explaining how members can contact the White House and members of Congress to express their views on BPL deployment and why they need to do so. "Do it now!" Sumner urges in his call to arms. "We need thousands of responses from all parts of the country, right away, if we are to make an impression."

Did I goof when I wrote Bush, Cheney, my Senators, and my Congressman? If so, a lot of locals around here goofed also, thinking they were following the advice of the ARRL.

What we s'posed to do?

73 - Kay N3KN