At the 2019 Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Goodnow Flow Association (GFA), an unsigned eight-page document was distributed by the currently sitting board along with all the other typical and usual AGM materials. I'll be commenting on the document itself soonest; there are decisions being made regarding it which mandate me to be silent about its content for now. But I am free to say that (IMHO) the document clearly indicated that the author does not understand the purpose of a blog, so I am gonna try to make that clear to everyone now. Wish me luck....
For nearly everyone on the planet (myself included), a blog is an online journal. It is the free and Constitutionally-protected expression of one's own personal thoughts and opinions. Numerous courts across our land have repeatedly ruled this to be the case, often in failed defamation allegations. The primary exception to this presumption is when a news organization like CNN or Fox publishes a blog. In that scenario, courts have ruled that a blog is an article, not a journal, and therefore subjecting the author to a higher level of responsibility to avoid a successful defamation action being brought against themselves.
In the cowardly (IMHO) unsigned document which the currently sitting GFA board authorized the release of alongside all the other typical and expected literature at the AGM, there are numerous references to my blog, my website, my co-owned Facebook page, and to another Facebook page not owned or edited by me. Ofc, these references are usually taken wildly (IMHO) out of context, and almost equally as often simply lied about (IMHO). This cowardly (IMHO) unsigned document repeatedly excoriated me for freely admitting I make mistakes because I am a Human Being, and that when I do so, I respectfully ask to be corrected. This conduct has been the hallmark of several of my previous interactions with past GFA president and currently sitting GFA committee member Andrew Cullen.
The true author of this cowardly (IMHO) document - whomever that is ultimately proven to be - clearly does not understand that my blog, like almost all others, is a Constitutionally-protected expression of my personal thoughts and opinions - absolutely NOT a news article. But, on my blog and website and Facebook page, I actually take the time and trouble to go an absolutely unnecessary step or two further, by freely and repeatedly admitting that I make mistakes, by saying that I am happy to be corrected, by acknowledging any proven missteps I have made, by apologizing for same, and by earnestly trying to do better in the future. If everyone on our mutually Treasured Flow would only engage in this simple practice of very basic, common Human decency, instead of bafflingly excoriating anyone for actually being brave enough to actually being man (or woman!) enough to own up to their own missteps, a lot more time and energy could be funneled into actually solving the issues the GFA is currently facing and will face, rather than in wholly unnecessary (IMHO) blog posts like this one. I hope this entry makes the subject of blogs clearer to everyone. If not, please message me and I will gladly try again.
We really CAN do MUCH better.
Thank you very much for your DEEPLY appreciated support in 2019, 2020, and beyond!! :-)