In opposing the proposed amendment, I am doing what I honestly believe is the best for the CC>CC. This club is very strongly in support of the majority of its membership. The candidates for the new board of directors have ALL promised to continue and expand this legacy. The Club can stand on its own merits without forced membership requirements. There is only one reason that I can think of that can explain why a local chapter "member" would not want to be a member of the CC>CC. And that is because they do not yet understand the outstanding benefits of being a member of the CC>CC.

It is not a money issue. How can anyone think that people who gamble, people who spend hundreds, sometimes thousands of dollars, on little round pieces of clay that are of little practicle value, would balk at spending $20 in membership fees? That is not the issue. Never has been. Period. If the $20 membership fee was an issue with anyone, then membership fee in the local chapter would also be an issue. Plain and simple, it isn't. Any of the other reasons given are also off base. It is simply that there are some, and there numbers are very few, who do not yet understand what being a CC>CC member is all about. Some people learn slower than others.

My message is one of inclusion. I want everyone to feel welcome at any Club event, any Chapter event, what have you, regardless of their personal level of commitment or involvement in the hobby. You are forgetting what is was like the first time you attendeed a Club or Chapter meeting. You may have been iffy about joining. You just wanted to see what is like. Would you feel like you would to join this club is someone said to you: "You can attend our meetings for one year without joining our national Club. But after that you have to join the national club or you will not be allowed to attend our meetings anymore."?

Since there seems to be a very deep division occuring in the membership over this issue, I am not going to accomplish what I sought to. So, whether the amendment passes or not, I no longer care. I rescind my earlier announcement that as President of the NY Metro Chapter I would not comply with the amendment and would either step down or discontinue my chapter's membership. Instead I will comply with the amendment if passed. To the best of my knowledge, all members of the NY Metro Chapter are members of the CC>CC, so in any event, whether the amendment passes or not, this will be a non-issue for the NY Metro Chapter.

If the amendment is passed I will seek to change the constitution and/or bylaws of the NY Metro Chapter to effect a new category of chapter attendee for non-CC>CC members. Let's call them "membirs" instead of "members". Membirs will have all the same rights and obligations as members, except that do not have to members of the CC>CC. As far as I know there is nothing the current CC>CC consitution and bylaws and the proposed amendment that is in conflict with Chapter membir status. I will encourage the other Chapter presidents to enact similar changes to their constitutions and bylaws. Is everyone happy now?