Stoeger suspended from USPSA

[Bucky]

Just a foot note to all the people quitting the organization. If you shoot a sanctioned match, USPSA is still getting your money.

[JRV]

@JRV

I did hear in the interim that the Asian marine had changed his stance to say just during matches and not outside.

So there’s that.

Agree that I would love someone morally and financially sound to run USPSA.

And the USA.

But unfortunately there are a paucity of people like that.

Even more so for a volunteer-ish position.

So we get back to “belling the cat.”

While the insights guy’s motivation and data was very much appreciated by me, he took a decidedly petulant and gleeful vigilante justice meets millennial approach to it, IMO.

Check out the most recent posts. Now that the man has nothing to lose, he’s posting the internal emails.

The petulance was warranted. DME, Prez, and the Board do not deserve deference. They were circling the wagons, planning a CYA statement push, scapegoating members and sponsors, and planning on banning members behind closed doors—all because they, USPSA leadership, wanted to ensure their buddy at Cameo got his money. That money came at a financial and criminal risk to members, but they didn’t care until non-gun media got involved.

They didn’t ban documented cheaters. They helped their own kids cheat. They would risk the org’s non-profit status and members’ security to help a buddy make a buck. They take ultimatums and directions from the DME.

Where does it go from there? You’re right. “Belling the cat.” No one can run with a chance of upsetting the current Board. The magazine and USPSA social media (DME) won’t support opponents. They’ll ban anyone whose platform is too hostile. They have GFDS and The Feed Ramp to do their puff pieces and their own magazine, published with members’ funds. The average voting member doesn’t care and will never see the receipts of current leaderships’ actions.

I’m taking my ball and going home because, if enough people do it, maybe the levee breaks—maybe the ”right” employees get asked to leave, maybe IPSC gets involved to investigate affiliation, maybe Board members and the DME realize the play money and industry influence and the free ammo are running out. Maybe the new Prez starts cleaning house and does it right.

Shooting classifiers for a registered score isn’t worth it to me. That’s going to be different for everyone. I’m gonna go get leg points, shoot some sporting clays, and do some outlaw locals.

[JCN]

Check out the most recent posts. Now that the man has nothing to lose, he’s posting the internal emails.

The petulance was warranted. DME, Prez, and the Board do not deserve deference. They were circling the wagons, planning a CYA statement push, scapegoating members and sponsors, and planning on banning members behind closed doors—all because they, USPSA leadership, wanted to ensure their buddy at Cameo got his money. That money came at a financial and criminal risk to members, but they didn’t care until non-gun media got involved.

They didn’t ban documented cheaters. They helped their own kids cheat. They would risk the org’s non-profit status and members’ security to help a buddy make a buck. They take ultimatums and directions from the DME.

Where does it go from there? You’re right. “Belling the cat.” No one can run with a chance of upsetting the current Board. The magazine and USPSA social media (DME) won’t support opponents. They’ll ban anyone whose platform is too hostile. They have GFDS and The Feed Ramp to do their puff pieces and their own magazine, published with members’ funds. The average voting member doesn’t care and will never see the receipts of current leaderships’ actions.

I’m taking my ball and going home because, if enough people do it, maybe the levee breaks—maybe the ”right” employees get asked to leave, maybe IPSC gets involved to investigate affiliation, maybe Board members and the DME realize the play money and industry influence and the free ammo are running out. Maybe the new Prez starts cleaning house and does it right.

Shooting classifiers for a registered score isn’t worth it to me. That’s going to be different for everyone. I’m gonna go get leg points, shoot some sporting clays, and do some outlaw locals.

I’m not arguing any of that (except that regardless of warrant, petulance rarely is effective… think of the most Karen-y Karen you can imagine… regardless of the validity of the message, it’s not going to be effective when the delivery is antagonistic).

I also think you are totally justified in your approach.

Personally, I have low expectations of people in power. I expect some level of corruption and nepotism consistent with what we see above. And I don’t expect any replacement will be any better.

It’s how corporations function for the most part. Profit or no. They’re just generally smarter about covering their tracks.

Hey, I have no issue with Ben Stoeger’s girlfriend and C class shooter getting pallets of ammo from Federal as a “brand ambassador.” I don’t really care that Sherwyn got pallets either.

I also don’t GAF that Joyce Wilson runs IDPA despite member dues and there’s a massive conflict of interest with Wilson Combat in terms of product and classing.

I’m an equal opportunity DGAF.

[guymontag]

Where does it go from there? You’re right. “Belling the cat.” No one can run with a chance of upsetting the current Board. The magazine and USPSA social media (DME) won’t support opponents. They’ll ban anyone whose platform is too hostile. They have GFDS and The Feed Ramp to do their puff pieces and their own magazine, published with members’ funds. The average voting member doesn’t care and will never see the receipts of current leaderships’ actions.

I’m taking my ball and going home because, if enough people do it, maybe the levee breaks—maybe the ”right” employees get asked to leave, maybe IPSC gets involved to investigate affiliation, maybe Board members and the DME realize the play money and industry influence and the free ammo are running out. Maybe the new Prez starts cleaning house and does it right.

Great post. Starving the beast is a perfectly valid tactic.

Sometimes tactics work and sometimes they don’t. Hopefully beneficial change will arise from all this, only time will tell.

[JCN]

I would urge people before leaving to vote in the runoff.

If you disagree with how the board is behaving, then make your vote heard first otherwise it’s like voting for an independent in a presidential election.

[rob_s]

Anyone else remember when there wasn’t an internet and so you had no way of knowing about any of this silly shit and just showed up to shoot?

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Amen to that. I just want to have an outlet outside of the boring square range. Just an old fart who wants to draw a gun, move to different targets and shoot them. See if I do it well. If the price is reasonable, or close - IDPA, Steel, USPSA all serve. The internal zealot fights - who cares - again if the price is right to shoot.

I was a member of a local club that fell apart due to this kind of crap. I was asked to be VP to save it. NO, NO! Just moved to another venue.

Bah.

[rob_s]

Amen to that. I just want to have an outlet outside of the boring square range. Just an old fart who wants to draw a gun, move to different targets and shoot them. See if I do it well. If the price is reasonable, or close - IDPA, Steel, USPSA all serve. The internal zealot fights - who cares - again if the price is right to shoot.

I was a member of a local club that fell apart due to this kind of crap. I was asked to be VP to save it. NO, NO! Just moved to another venue.

Bah.

I e told this story dozens of times…

I started with an idpa club sometime around 2003. We loved each other. We showed up, worked our sasses off in the s Florida sun, shot, and then went to get beers.

then then club started a forum on the website.

Turned out, that guy is a democrat, and that guy is an atheist, and that guy is mad about something he would have forgotten about if he’d hadn’t had a venue to complain, and this other guy likes to get drunk and post at 3 am… and some disgruntled little botch starts reporting us to hq. Culminated in a guy literally walking up and poking me in the chest because he didn’t like being called a “newb” on the forum. Shit continued downhill, mostly due to the forum, after that. Yet for the 75% of shooters that showed up and had no idea of the drama they just kept right on having fun.

[Rocky Racoon]

Anyone else remember when there wasn’t an internet and so you had no way of knowing about any of this silly shit and just showed up to shoot?

Yeah. You were blissfully unaware and the douchebags got away with it.

You want to go back to that?

This isn’t the same as the pearl clutching and purse swing in your IDPA club did.

[rob_s]

Yeah. You were blissfully unaware and the douchebags got away with it.

You want to go back to that?

I do, actually.

But I get it, the kids need something to be mad about.

I mean really, who actually gives a fuck? The fact that stegger is a millennial has never escaped me. “but mom, they are WRONG!” So?
Pay your money, shoot your match, go to lunch. Go home. Act like a goddamn grownup with a job.

So some loser in Ohio is skimming off the top. So what. You like shooting the match? Then shut up and let the loser skim. I mean, what kind of absolute trailer trash has to skim from a shooting club. What kind of total loser has to get their rocks off being in charge of some nothing organization?

Fucking kids all need some shit to be indignant about while everyone else just wants to shoot.