I signed Tiffany’s letter (which I thought was eminently reasonable, and addressed straightforward best practices in nonprofit governance) and now I am beyond pissed.
Well, on the bright side, at least there now remains no shadow of doubt as to what’s shaking at Chez NRA. I guess that’s progress.
”But in the end all of these ideas just manufacture new criminals when the problem isn't a lack of criminals.” -JRB
Yes, this is outside my wheelhouse, however . . .
I would need to check the bylaws, which I have never read.
Regarding class action, when we join an organization, we basically agree to that organization's rules, and I suspect that the rules have been written specifically to give them the discretion to do what they want. However, it seems that over 5 million people have been misled about the goals of the NRA, as well as how the NRA uses its membership does and donations. My understanding when I joined was that their purpose was to defend our rights, not to line their pockets using scare tactics. Perhaps some type of fraud-based claim?
There has certainly been a breach of duty to the organization that the board refuses to address. I would need to research the extent to which a member has standing to bring suit on that basis.
The problem with a class action is that the only winner is typically the lawyers. They get a few hundred thousand in the settlement, while every class member gets something worth less than $10.
The other problem is that if the goal is to get the NRA back on the right track, causing it to bleed income by paying legal fees, and giving their current counsel another chance to bill another $100,000/day, seems counterproductive.
This is a valid point. I wasn't really thinking about cash settlements. So much as trying to get WLP and Co. out and get the damn ship righted.
Hmm, it would be difficult to prove, but individuals who have been removed from board committees, etc. Maybe they have a case to launch a suit against the BOD and get an injunction against WLP?
I dunno, I'm spitballing. What I want is WLP and Co gone, to get some good fresh blood in, and get things righted and moving on. I don't care too much about how we achieve that, as long as it is legal and does not irreparably damage the organization*.
*Note: I don't care if it's sneaky, underhanded, or perhaps even treading into the morally wrong category....I think I've been living in Chicago too long.
If anyone needs the bylaws, they're posted on Save the Second's website - http://www.savethe2a.org/why-reform/.
There's no grievance policy per se, but at board meetings, members can propose bylaw amendments with 250 signatures. That's part of what Save the Second is doing. Their first proposed amendment would require board members to actually attend meetings. :-) They have others in the works to reduce the size of the board, set term limits, and refocus the NRA on 2A issues rather than other stuff that has nothing to do with guns.
Save the Second isn't perfect, but no organization is. If any of you support the simple bylaw amendment they're proposing, please print the petition and add your name. They need those mailed back to them by August 1 in order to get it on the agenda for the September board meeting.
Here's the current petition: http://www.savethe2a.org/petitions/
Full disclosure - I drafted this bylaw amendment for Save the Second. I also helped draft their five-point plan. Again, it ain't perfect, but I hope you'll agree it's reasonable.
Tiff
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Under the by-laws, there is a way for members to dismiss executives or to recall elected officers or directors. But it is so insanely difficult and hyper-technical and so restrained by unrealistic time parameters that it's virtually impossible (or at least, it's impossible without a truckload of cash and an army of volunteers who are free to travel across the country collecting signatures for weeks at a time).
I don't think it's realistic for the members to try and oust WLP. Even if he magically left tomorrow, he would just be replaced by one of his and-picked cronies. IMHO the better strategy for the long game is to change the infrastructure. I think that is done by amending the bylaws. We need a board that is much more nimble and less prone to gridlock, obsolescence, nepotism, warring factions, etc. With 76 members (many of whom have been there for decades), they can't do anything, even if they wanted to.
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I'm ready to Boogaloo at NRA headquarters if ya'll are. It'll be like Christmas in Romania 1989.
I've said for a long time that WLP is a empty suit Fudd that needed to go and some on this forum said I was wrong. I forgive you because Jesus told me I should but not before saying I told ya so.
I just skimmed the bylaws, and it is worse than I thought. 75% of the board is required to remove the top leadership.
Save the Second appears to have the right set of goals. If those goals fail, plan B should be planning the successor organization.