[plug] Clubs, Pubs, Lugs and Mugs

[Arie Hol]

Clubs, Pubs, Lugs and Mugs

Over the last forty years, I have been involved with several clubs and 
associations - for a brief period I was the founding treasurer of a new 
club - but due to changes in my employment I had to step down, because my 
situation became untenable.

More to the point:

Over the years several common factors were observed in all the clubs and 
associations :

The successful clubs survived solely on the efforts of a core of 
dedicated individuals who did ALL of the hard work and got LITTLE of the 
glory, they were mostly surrounded by a solid group of supporters who 
helped out and soaked up all the goodness, there was also a fringe 
element of detractors which I refer to as excess baggage.

The unsuccessful clubs also had a dedicated core of hard working 
individuals but they were overloaded with passengers and freeloaders, 
surrounded by a fringe element of detractors.

PLUG has proven to be the exception, it has just barely survived despite 
the freeloaders and detractors.

PLUG is currently in a transition stage - it is being rebirthed by a core 
of dedicated individuals - with some willing and helpful supporters.

Our new President James Bromberger is doing a terrific and highly 
commendable job - he has brought a new energy and inspiration to PLUG.

I don't agree with everything he says but he is setting initiatives and 
achieving the results that PLUG needs.

He has asked for help and he deserves to get it.

With all that is happening at PLUG it seems the fringe dwelling 
detractors are coming out the woodwork - their only contribution being 
poison pen letters.


If I may - I would speak from my personal point of view :


Where else can you gain access to technical experts with high level 
skills in Linux, open source and computing in general - all for free.

Where else can you attend meetings, seminars, presentations etc in a 
friendly environment - for free.

Where else can you get a feed of pizza - for the cost of a gold coin.

If you have a computing disaster at hand - where else you can get help - 
advice - guidance and support for free - but the value is priceless.

So lets cutout all the garbage about fees like "how much" and which may 
or may not be the best way to pay them - and lets cutout the poison 
letters from armchairs in the fringe areas.

If a person is not happy about PLUG - they should stop writing  poison 
letters and come to a PLUG gathering and show their face.

How hard is to reach into your pocket and pay your dues?

Put up or Shut up.

Not every body is able to do the sort of things that PLUG needs to remain 
viable, but everybody is able to support the hard workers that are doing
the work.

Regards Arie
---------------------------------------------------------
For the concert of life, no one has a program.
---------------------------------------------------------


-----
No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 10.0.1375 / Virus Database: 1500/3642 - Release Date: 05/16/11