[SCA-AE] OT

[Mick]

OT: But a quote I shall like to use at some point in the future:
"...I am disinclined to fall upon someone else's sword as the
preferable alternative to drawing my own."

Respectfully,
-Tadhg

On 2/6/2012 3:27 PM, Michael Greenstein wrote:
> Greetings from Michael Alewright.  Responding to Eirik:
>
>   >  There is no company out there that will poll the entirety of it's
> employees to ask about a court issue. It's bad business to be so free
> with information that could damage your case.
>
> There is a profound distinction here.  We are not employees of Corpora.
> THEY work for US, and we forget that at our peril.  Corpora exists
> because we need it, and not the other way around.  They are the guards
> at the gate that separates us from Mundania, and I think there is no
> question that -- however valiant their efforts and however sound their
> decisions may have been -- they failed.  The enemy got through, and now
> our sentinels tell us we must collaborate or be ravaged.  It seems to me
> that now is a very good time for a reckoning, and that is the least we
> deserve in exchange for our money *before* we write a check.
>
> There are many unanswered questions, and such is the nature of this
> seemingly manufactured crisis that we are told that there is not even
> time for contemplation and decision, but only compliance.  I have
> submitted my characterization of those questions to Their Majesties, our
> Seneschale and our Exchequer, and I urge those on all sides of this
> thorny question to send their thoughts and questions to these good folk
> as well, so that those of us who are unable to attend the upcoming Curia
> may nonetheless flavor the discussion.
>
> Meaning no disrespect to the members of the Board as individuals or
> collectively, I submit to all that we need to know much more before we
> even *consider* whether to comply without dispute.  If Corpora wants the
> money without providing answers that satisfy, perhaps they can indeed
> take it; but I am disinclined to fall upon someone else's sword as the
> preferable alternative to drawing my own.  Here is my characterization
> of essential questions for which we deserve satisfactory answers as a
> necessary prerequisite to compliance:
>
> "What did corporate counsel advise you, specifically, concerning the
> prospect of a favorable (or less unfavorable) decision if the Society
> chose to continue to litigate?"
>
> "How close to trial were you, at the time you chose to settle, instead,
> and what sort of projected legal costs did you contemplate over what
> period of time do you believe yourself to have saved by choosing to
> settle?"
>
> "What did corporate counsel advise you, specifically, concerning
> bankruptcy or other forms of asset protection in the event of an adverse
> decision?"
>
> "Why did you decline to ask the Kingdoms to help raise money for the
> Society's defense, as an alternative to settlement?"
>
> "Did you consider the prospect of a seven-figure settlement being an
> enticement to future opportunistic lawsuits against us?  If so, what did
> you conclude?"
>
> "As to the timing of the settlement, why do you create a situation in
> which you have to demand (and receive) this money without delay, giving
> the Kingdoms no time at all to prepare before they are expected to pay
> their full pro-rated share?"
>
> "Did you explore the prospect of borrowing the settlement money from a
> third-party source as an alternative to demanding Kingdom operating funds?"
>
> "What options did you explore for sheltering the assets of the Kingdoms
> from the consequences of settlement and/or adverse judgment, what did
> you learn about their relative viability, and (if viable) why did you
> choose not to adopt any of them?"
>
> "Now that you are settling and the Society's operating cost is going to
> reduce correspondingly, can we expect the nonmember surcharge to be
> phased out?  Can we expect our annual dues to go down?  Can we expect
> earlier cost-cutting measures (such as unbundling TI from membership) to
> be reversed?"
>
> In service,
> Michael
>
> On 2/6/12 2:14 PM, Rob Baldassano (Eirik) wrote:
>> Dani,
>>
>> This was funny
>>
>>
>>>>    So for the neigh sayers
>>> Blaming the current situation on equestrian activities is not fair.
>>           It's more about the horse **** than actual equestrian activities.
>>
>>
>> As to the other aspects of your reply.
>>
>> I am but a simple SCAdian, who feels that the BoD was given the short end of the stick on this one.
>>
>>>  From everything I have read in the news about the original incident and the subsequent notices from the BoD about the civil case, I believe that the BoD did ok by the SCA.
>>
>>
>> As for the BoD asking for the sub branches to provide funds towards the court costs. ...
>> Would you expect McDonald's to ask every stock holder in the company to make a decision about a court case, or would you expect them to handle it at corporate, and if the need arose, to reach out to the individual franchises for information&   funding?
>>
>> There is no company out there that will poll the entirety of it's employees to ask about a court issue. It's bad business to be so free with information that could damage your case.
>> Instead, companies let their legal department handle the issues, and notify the employees of the decisions made.
>>
>> Years ago, I was in a company that was in a legal battle. In the end, the best thing for the company was to sell out to a larger corporation, and let the larger corporation resolve the court case. ... When they did, the court case died, because the "new company" had a lot more resources available to it to fight the battle. The employees were informed of the buy out after all the i's were dotted and t's were crossed.
>>
>> That's not the case here of course, just using this as a reference point for how companies will take action before providing notification.
>>
>>
>> --Rob / Eirik
>>
>> ________________________________
>> Rob Baldassano / Herre Eirik Haarfager Goransson
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