"Ryan, KC8PMX" wrote in message
...

"Dee D. Flint" wrote in message
y.com...

"Ryan, KC8PMX" wrote in message
...
14. The ARRL leadership should take the following role in the code
test issue:

E. Stay the hell out of it until they truly represent all of the
amateur
radio community.

Right now they are the only organization who represents us at all. If
you
want to control their policies, become a member and climb the political
structure.


No... they only represent their membership. (as that has been dictated to
me time and time again.) There in lies the real root of the problem, it
is
a "political" organization, i.e. bureaucracy.


Those who are not members of the ARRL have chosen to remain
unrepresented
since they have done nothing to form a lobyy to take the place of the
ARRL.

I can self-represent for the time being. It's better that what the has
been
done to amateur radio since my involvement since 1988. I write letters on
a
regular basis to not only the FCC, as well as the elected officials from
my
area that serve in congress and the senate. Not only do issues come up
that
they might have an opportunity to vote on, they "have friends" in other
parts of the goverment as well I am sure.

Instead of lazily waiting for the arrl to act on matters, I can just
imagine
the response if at least 20-30 wrote letters on a regular basis to there
congress and senator persons. Our districts for each up north here
contain
*at least* 1,000 hams a piece.

That was another question I also had.....WHO are the arrl lobbyists? WHAT
exactly are they doing? WHO exactly are they talking to? WHAT is their
budgets?? I have asked this before but with no response. If it is not
for
the magazine subscription (QST is actually a fairly decent magazine even
though content is forever dwindling over the years due stuff being pushed
to
the website) then the other argument by some is for some type of
protectionist/mafioso scheme as to why to join the arrl.

I do not consider the arrl the equivalent of christianity, nor will I be
brainwashed to think that arrl can do no wrong or preach/recite some
mantra's.

I do not consider the ARRL end all and be all either. But a strong,
organized group is more successful than random individuals writing to
elected and appointed officials. That is a political fact of life. Those
who do not care to admit that to themselves will have very limited success
in achieving their objectives.

Now as far as who the ARRL represents. Yes it is their members. These
members are a cross section of the ham community. The policy is based on
what the members want. If you wish the ARRL to change direction, then join
it and get a sufficient number of people with your views behind you and get
more people to join that have your views so that you have the support to
become an official and a policy maker. Those hams who say that they won't
join the ARRL because they have a different viewpoint than the current
membership of the ARRL are choosing to be less effective in getting their
viewpoints across to the ham community and the FCC.

The ARRL isn't some magic entity that exists out there that hams join. It
is the result of hams banding together. The views represented by the ARRL
will be those of the people who have decided to become active and push those
views.

While I do agree that individuals should write their elected officials and
so on, that does not negate the need for having an organized body to push
for changes.

The most effective way to change the system is to work from within not from
without.

Dee D. Flint, N8UZE