Dear Mr. Rigdon,
Congratulations on being nominated for the office of National Coordinator.
I am sure that you are honored to have come so far. It would appear that we
have similar interests. I was recently honored for creating the Catawba
County SCV site (
www.CatawbaSCV.org). I am a born-in-the-North, Confederate
and communications officer for the Captain Charles F. Connor, Camp 849,
Blue Ridge Brigade, North Carolina Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans.
Our camp has recently taken on the task of publishing the "Carolina
Confederate," the state-wide SCV newsletter. Should you visit our camp, I
guarantee that you will be received in a large way.
That, sir, is where we have a parting of the ways. While following the
links on your "campaign page" <
http://www.usgw.org/restorethedream/ >, I
came across your "USGW.org" site, expecting to hear from my friends and
their expectations for the next year in USGW®.
At first, I thought our national webmaster had flipped out and had
redesigned the USGW ® logo. And then it hit me! Zowie! We're dealing with
two separate and unique organizations. What is this relationship? I follow
your links and come to "Who We Are," I see a contact address of
JohnR238(a)aol.com.
Is that you John? Seems to me we have two very similar organizations,
name-wise. And yet they both have different philosophies, different
hierarchies and different goals.
I'm not saying that your candidacy is illegal, even though, ethically, you
do have your left foot in one organization and the right one in the other.
I will certainly advise my constituents about these circumstances as they
exist. If you have any disagreements, I suggest you air them over the same
forums as this letter was addressed.
"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love
the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other...."--
(Matthew 6:24)
I took a big chance by accepting the office of NCGenWeb® State Coordinator.
However, I am committed to the Project and I will do whatever I can to
preserve it, in spite of any attempts to divide it and seduce it away from
the original goals of the USGW Project®
A big problem remains: dozens of wonderfully qualified folks have turned
down nomination to ANY office. Any of a dozen or more I could have strongly
supported. Why did they fold? Probably because they have already
experienced their share of sniping, back-biting, jealous, revenge-minded
individuals. Of sixteen nominations made, only THREE accepted, yours being
one of them. I don't know who provided us with the original quotation,
"Cream rises to the top." However, I don't think it necessarily applies to
the situation here. It might be better interpreted by Lawrence J. Peter,
who said, "In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of
incompetence; the cream rises until it sours," the "Peter Piincipal."
I am not so much into "restore the dream" and all that touchy-feely stuff.
We have ALWAYS possessed the dream. It is time to RESTORE THE SANITY.
My idea of SANITY is: "There is no limit to what can be accomplished if it
doesn't matter who gets the credit." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Very cordially yours,
Derick S. Hartshorn
Burke/Catawba Co, NCGenWeb
NCGW SC
CC: to the individual hosting DBS--please post this.