This is in response to Randy Potter's "patriotic" defense of keeping PTG politics as part of this page. Randy, free speech does not mean that there can't be reasonable regulations as to time, manner, and place. No one is really free to speak if the "airwaves" are so cluttered and chaotic as to impede or disrupt the purpose of the forum. Imagine if golf enthusiasts, plumbers, and stamp collectors all decided that in the name of "free speech" they were going to use pianotech as their forum! Although PTG politics is more closely related to piano technical issues than those subjects just named, it is not unusual for a new list to spin off an older one when widely divergent interests become apparent. To suggest this route is certainly not unreasonable nor an attack on free speech. A list devoted to PTG politics would not have to be controlled or run by PTG. It could be started by a small group of technicians who find a sponsoring provider, just as BYU sponsors pianotech. It would not necessarily cost anything. I think that a separate list to discuss PTG matters could be very valuable to the organization. One of the problems we have in PTG is that Council meets only once a year and must hurry through a long agenda without sufficient time to discuss really complex issues. A forum on which these matters could be discussed, and new ideas offered, all year long could, I think, bring forth a quantum leap in the organization's ability to grapple with issues and to involve a larger proportion of the membership in the dialogue. I'll bet hours would be shaved off the Council session, as Bylaw amendments could be introduced, refined, and discussed in advance. It would make the organization much more democratic and efficient. Rather than simply be a way to get those pesky politicians off this list, a separate PTG list could be extremely useful in its own right. I hope some members pick up the ball and do it. Larry Fine
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