WHY Keep PTG Politics Off This Page?

[Yardbird47@aol.com]

Frankly, I'm a little embarrassed that PTG which heads off into the 90's
being so image conscious can't find its own place to hang dirty laundry. Yes,
there's a lot to discuss in PTG poltics. No, PTech is *not* the place. PTech
is supposed to be for C&Uts and sometimes I wonder why they should care about
bridle tapes for a Wood&Brooks 90-degree action or screwstringer technique,
and other such matters not necessary in their daily line of work. PTech is
also open to anyone who stumbles across the address on the PTG Home Page (-
and I do enjoy the breadth of our subscribership). Unfortunately, Ptech right
now is the only electronic forum for Guild members, and from time to time
they are compelled to bring up Guild business- in front of all these other
techs who can't sign their name with an RPT.

Frankly, I'm a little embarrassed that the Guild hasn't set up its own
newsgroup or bulletin board, in short that it hasn't got its electronic act
together. In summer of '94 the story was that a PTG-run bulletin board would
require a $5K hardware investment, not to mention everyone's long distance
calls for access. A lot has changed since then. I just talked with the CEO of
my local internet POP who said that a local POP could easily be the gateway
for a PTG-administered BBS. With the BBS residing on a server at the HO with
a dedicated line, the hardware investment would be roughly $1K, plus some to
make sure thatthe connecting modem was 57.6kbaud, with connect charges to the
POP starting at around $150. Ever been on a BBS? Jim Harvey ran a great one
while editor (and probably still does).

Frankly, I'm a little embarrassed that this the politics keeps barging in on
PTech, when the HO should by now have provided the private, secure forum that
these political issues desparately need. (And just think how many other HO
and organizational operations would benefit from such a BBS.)

I mean no impertinence to John Baird, Ron Berry and others who have steadily
inched this organization into the info-age. But just how far off is such a
oragnizational BBS? Not too far, according to the conversation I just had.

Bill Ballard, RPT     "Out here on the food chain, you either diet,

NH Chapt, PTG               die, or dine" .......folksinger Mark Graham