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From: TA - Los Angeles
Date: 18 Feb 1999
Time: 16:22:30
Wow ... "still running my mouth." It continues to amaze me that Society insiders get so openly mad when members voice matters of public concern about the Society on this Web site. Whenever people have such strong reactions one naturally wonders "why" do they react in that matter.
I'm a bit concerned about the response to my initial post. The logic seems to be that it is OK to defend the Society's methods here but not question them.
One of the founding ideas of American-style free expression is that we should combat speech we don't like with MORE speech -- rather than try to silence speech.
BTW, does the 4,300 figure include members AND family members who attended -- or is the 4,300 just official members ....
In other matters, I'm interested in what other Web users have to say about the value of the society newsletter in the age of the Internet. Specifically, that we no longer have to rely on the newsletter an few published books to find out about trends, values, prices of Red Wing. I understand that many people don't use the Internet -- but for those of us that do, we no longer must rely on the newsletter to know what is going on in our Red Wing world.
I do think that one reason Byron seems to have trouble with the Society at times is because a site like this marginalizes the value of the Society, especially for people outside the Midwest.
This Web site empowers newcomers to the Red Wing world, makes them less reliant on formal or "official" organizations. This frightens the Old Guard that used to have total control.
In the end, I think th Red World world will be better off that we have both.
Thanks everyone for listening to me.