Bylaw 2014-02

Proposal to Amend Article X, Section 4 - Resolutions


Description of Proposal: 

To advance the ability of The Membership to exercise its voice in the direction of the organization: ie to increase Democracy within VFP

To provide teeth to resolutions so that they are carried out; up until now resolutions that ask for an action to be carried out do not obligate the Board to take the indicated action. The most recent example is the fate of the Obama Impeachment resolution passed at the 2011 convention. The Board didn’t want to carry it out and this inaction caused great consternation in those who worked to get it passed for 3 years. They then expressed these feelings to the Board who then became angry which produced bad feelings on both sides. This cannot be allowed to occur again. This organization supports Democracy and therefore must act democratically.

Summary of Effect:

The resolutions process in its current form is a tedious time consuming process which basically is a waste of time because the resolutions have no teeth and are just recorded without any further action. The time could be better spent doing other things such as listening to the music of Watermelon Slim which we were unable to do last year because the resolutions took up the entire afternoon. Spending this time must produce something other than making people feel good because VFP makes some declaration (that has no teeth).


Submitted by: Bill


To Amend Article X Section 4 - Resolutions:

a) The Board of Directors will appoint a resolutions committee whose responsibility it will be to receive and screen all resolutions submitted for consideration at the annual meeting. It will be the responsibility of that committee to establish and publish appropriate rules, procedures and deadlines for this process. Such Rules will include provisions for bringing resolutions after the deadline. All decisions of this committee will be subject to approval by the board of directors. forwarded to the Board of Directors for inclusion in the Agenda.

(b) Once a resolution has been adopted it defines an intent of the organization until it is countermanded by the body or until world events render it irrelevant. For this reason a Command Prompt of the Membership to the Board of Directors to execute the course of action delineated by the resolution within 60 days of adoption of the resolution.  A comprehensive list will be maintained of all resolutions which have been adopted. Any resolutions which are submitted for consideration will be compared with that list as a means of eliminating redundancy.

(c) All resolutions submitted by the deadline shall require a majority vote for approval. Resolutions submitted after the deadline require a two-thirds majority for approval. In no case will a resolution be presented after the Annual Convention.

(d) Associate Members shall have the right to submit resolutions for consideration and vote by Full Members.


Board vote:         Unanimous Nay

Convention vote: Aye 8      Nay 45

Board rationale:   Directors bear the legal and moral responsibility for the decisions and actions of the organization.  Therefore it is inappropriate for the Directors to be subject to a “Command Prompt” from any source.


PRO:

To advance the ability of The Membership to exercise its voice in the direction of the organization: ie. to increase Democracy within VFP

To provide teeth to resolutions so that they are carried out; up until now resolutions that ask for an action to be carried out do not obligate the Board to take the indicated action. The most recent example is the fate of the Obama Impeachment resolution passed at the 2011 convention. The Board didn’t want to carry it out and this inaction caused great consternation in those who worked to get it passed for 3 years. They then expressed these feelings to the Board who then became angry which produced bad feelings on both sides. This cannot be allowed to occur again. This organization supports Democracy and therefore must act democratically.

The resolutions process in its current form is a tedious time consuming process which basically is a waste of time because the resolutions have no teeth and are just recorded without any further action. The time could be better spent doing other things such as listening to the music of Watermelon Slim which we were unable to do last year because the resolutions took up the entire afternoon. Spending this time must produce something other than making people feel good because VFP makes some declaration (that has no teeth).

Submitted by Bill Warrick, 014 - Gainesville, FL, asavetmd@gmail.com


CON:

Article V Section 1 of the VFP By-Laws states: "The management of VFP shall be by and through the Board of Directors.”  The membership elects the Board of Directors and thus, in effect, charges the Directors to exercise their best judgment in managing the organization.  If Directors are not responsive to the membership at large, they can be removed at the next election.  However, while serving, Directors bear the legal and moral responsibility for the decisions and actions of the organization.  Therefore it is inappropriate for the Directors to be subject to a “Command Prompt” from any source.

Submitted by Ken Mayers, 055 - Santa Fe, NM - Joan Duffy, kenmayers@vfp-santafe.org


Comments:

The answer to enhance democracy within VFP is not to promote anarchy but to support the leadership we democratically elect.  "Leadership" has meaning, afterall, and I have confidence in the ability of VFP members who choose to participate in their democratic responsibilities by electing our national leaders.  Mayers is correct in the nature of leadership responsibilities, and for those who disagree with elected leadership, they have the opportunity to vote to change the leaders with whom they disagree and even to run for the Board themselves if they think they can do a better job.
Posted by Jim Baldridge on
Having spent decades in a strugle to create grassroots membership power within and projected through a non-profit, mutual benefit, membership organzation, I have to agree wiith the proponents of this apparently unpopular resolution.  I believe the membership must be the ultimate authority in a democratically organized and run insttution such as VFP.  I would add that consisttency on the issue of war crimes should be paramount to our organization.  I also believe as we try to influence peoples thinking on war, US policies and actions, we need to 'know our audience" and start and buiild on common understandings and belliefs.   
As to the resolution from which this Bylaw proposal seems to come, i think we should keep in mind, we are far far away from the ability to have any legislation or reesolution passed by Congress aligned with VFP's view of war crimes.  That's one reason I am also very sensitive to the Board of Directors unanimously adopted opposition to this Bylaw change and resolution 2014-05.  Respectfully, I thiink that an educational component in our organizing and recruitment plan should have been proposed, other than moving an Impeachment against the President. My thinking is the same as the Board articulated.  We must be honest and consistent in our principles, but also, careful in our public engagement as we try to broaden our base and increase membership size and our diversity.
So, I am in favor of this Bylaw change.   If it is defeated I hope there will be one cllariying  that the membership is not the highest authority (the statement that the Bylaws are purposely general and vage is certainly true).
Posted by Jim Hard on
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