Co-Op Journal. Started June, 2002.

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To: Emancipation@yahoogroups.com

From: "hobces" | Block Address | Add to Address Book

Date: Wed, 26 Jun 2002 05:24:51 -0000

Subject: [Emancipation] EMANCIPATION - June 25th General Meeting.

"Can I make a motion?" asked Andy Kaufman. "What kind of motion would you be making?" asked the chair. Andy Kaufman began to ramble. "We can't discuss it any more; it's been tabled," said the chair.

Josh Karpf thinks I'm incoherent. Do you agree?

Actually I was asking to take up labeling at a supplementary or additional meeting, something that has never occurred in the history of the Co-Op (note dissident spelling) so far as I know. And I question, again, Yehuda Katz's certainty that following Robert's Rules would not slow down the meetings. By the way, I am "Andy Kaufman on a Bad Day," although once he honored me by calling me "The Colin Ferguson Wannabe!" Sic transit gloria mundi.

This meeting, which was *very* well attended, made me feel more than ever before that the whole myth of direct democracy is getting tired and that no one really has the moxie to support it. Ken 's and John Urda's testaments to the joy of direct democracy and the fanatical prevention of even the merest shred of anything else, as when Joe prevented John Urda from voting on the labeling decision because he had not been present for that part of the meeting, seemed almost empty shibboleths. Thanks Yehuda and of course Jewel Bachrach for doing what I couldn't do myself--proposing an extension of time and proposing to overrule the Chair. The latter being, by the way, not a good bet at annual meetings as Tony Elitcher, who overruled me in an earlier meeting, seemed to show up again to do his magic, this time requesting that reports of elections not disclose the number of Against votes, and of course, helping the chair to gain the mental edge it needed to overrule both of Yehuda's motions. I myself don't see any reason why a meeting could not change its time limits or even introduce a proposal not on its agenda. Though we have an Agenda Committee I don't believe it is stated anywhere that items *cannot* be brought up at a meeting (just as we state that the Board must meet with the general meeting, but never state that it shouldn't meet at other times also).

So my refusal to speak or answer questions went over, I thought, beautifully and I didn't gain anything like the ridicule I have endured at other annual meetings. So thanks, guys!!

The vote for the Board was

................FOR......AGST.....ABST......BLNK

FISHMAN

...Mail...........658......132.......89........94

...Meeting.......36.......10.......10..........7

SOLOMON

...Mail...........230......427......131.......184

...Meeting.......11.......33.......10............7

So Good! so far as it goes-- I broke 100 votes, and then some! The overall ratio was three to one. I'm not sure what Abstain or Blank means--how did they know for which candidate? And what about the ones that were disqualified (invalid)?--I didn't get how many of those there were. Still, this was probably no different overall than the 2000 election, when there were five or six candidates, so fewer would be alloted to me.

Fading fast friends . . . Thanks again :) Albert.

For a promo for democracy: o Fun o Fast o Simple o Proportional.

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