... reached after much consideration and with some misgivings in any event:

I will attend the convention.

I will boycott the club's auction unless slabbed chips are prohibited (whether or not any are actually offered in the auction).

I will participate in other club activities, such as the early bird dinner, trading sessions, the poker tournament, etc.

I will patronize only those dealer tables which display some indication that they are slabfree (such as one of the slabfree signs which the slabfree chapter has been handing out).

I will not patronize any dealer table which displays slabbed chips or, even if there are no slabbed chips on display, which does not have a slabfree sign.

This is a personal statement. I do not expect others to follow my lead in this regard, though certainly would welcome anyone else making the same personal statement.

My misgivings about this decision are that the club has set itself up to profit from the sale of slabbed chips (from dealer fees as well as auction proceeds). I struggled with the issue of whether this comes within the terms of my pledge not to do business with any dealers who promote slabbing.

Ultimately, I determined that:

1) I still, for the most part, support OUR CLUB and believe that it is THE BEST VEHICLE for opposing slabbing in our hobby.

2) It is important that we have a strong anti-slabbing presence at the convention.

3) I don't want to hurt those dealers among us who are slabfree by denying them customers (including myself and any others who might choose to boycott the convention). We need to support our slabfree dealers.

4) Nevertheless, I cannot in good conscience participate in the club auction so long as slabbed chips are acceptable (even if not actually offered).

Thanks to all those who offered opinions on the board and via email regarding my earlier "food for thought" post on this subject. ----- jim o\-S