Wow, I never thought we would go this long. But finally we have another debate about club business being posted on a chip collecting board that serves the entire collecting public, and not just club members. So it should be proper for this non-member of the club to weigh in.

As Mr. Garrard has seen, typos and anonymous sources will be criticized because accuracy is important to this discussion. While everyone should be willing to forgive an occasional mistake, this attitude should also carry over to the way the club's board of directors does things. They may make mistakes, too. You would hope that checks and balances, as well as periodic elections, would keep everything straight, but they're only human.

Convention chairs may make mistakes too.

The biggest mistake from this outsider's point of view is that rumors simmered, and people who wanted[/] an explanation demanded[/] an immediate public apology before knowing the facts. And further, they demanded facts without realizing that some of the participants may have preferred to let things go unsaid. There was too much public speculation - far too much for a public board that is dedicated to chip collecting and not dedicated to the internal business of the club.

Mr. Garrard questions whether all this monkey-business (my words) is good for a club that is seeking new membership. No, sir, it's not. And despite the efforts many good club members have made to keep things civil, I'm afraid your post may be an excuse for some of the less-civil commentary to rear its head again. If you want to keep the carpet clean, watch what you step in.