[statecom] Followup to our request for the Secretary to post our minority opinion

[Merelice]

Dear Jamie,

It has been five days, not seven days, since the demand to post your
opinion within 24 hours was sent. What's more, as you well know, many
of us were otherwise occupied over the weekend with regional
conventions.

As you yourself frequently point out to the co-chairs, no one person
has the right to unilaterally take action in this party. This matter
has appropriately been referred to the AdCom which, in turn, is
answerable to the State Committee.

It is damaging to the credibility and integrity of the party to
distribute a minority opinion without the context of a majority
opinion. Anyone who has proceeded to distribute the minority opinion
should have noted that the opinion does not present a full and
accurate context of the actions that party officials are being accused
of wrongfully implementing.

Furthermore, most of signers of the minority opinion received their
information second-hand, without benefit of attending the meetings at
which the matter was discussed at some length and at which members
voted to reject the views presented in the minority opinion (21 to 7
at the state convention, and 17 to 3 in a straw poll at the State
Committee, and more than two-thirds at several CDLC meetings).

The minority opinion took several weeks to prepare. The majority
opinion will take much less time. Meanwhile, do not expect a
dictatorial and undemocratic demand to be honored.  There is nothing
in the cited bylaw that requires an unbalanced minority opinion be
sent without the majority context.

Merelice and Nat, co-chairs


On 3/5/08, Jamie O'Keefe <jokeefe at jamesokeefe.org> wrote:
> Hi Larry,
>
>  Nearly seven days ago we asked you to post our minority opinion as
>  required by the By-laws.  In that time, the members of the
>  Administration Committee have seen it, the signatories on the State
>  Committee have seen it, and apparently it has been forwarded to an
>  unknown number of State Committee members.  I calculate that the
>  minority opinion has been seen by at least half of the state committee
>  and likely by at least 2/3.
>
>  I hope you would agree that people should not have scattershot access
>  based on who they know and that it is against our democratic values to
>  have at least half of the State Committee in the know and half in the
>  dark about this issue.  In our electronic age, we believe that seven
>  days is more than enough time to forward our minority opinion.
>
>  We again respectfully request that you, as Secretary and our primary
>  record keeper, forward the minority opinion as we have requested and
>  as our By-laws require be done.
>
>  Thank you for your assistance in this matter.
>
>  Sincerely,
>
>  James O'Keefe
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