>>>From: Carolyn Hastings [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] When I went into the meeting room I explained to the people who greeted me that I was a new member and would just like to sit in the back and observe, that I was there mostly to keep my friend company. <<<
I believe it's not a matter of secrecy. Once you're in, there's no way to separate you from the voting membership. Once inside, it would be hard to prevent a "visitor" from orating and debating; someone can crash the meeting in order to espouse their own agenda. And since vote is by voice, it would be hard to prevent them from voting, so the organization has to limit the attendence. Business meetings are, for the most part, rather boring but necessary. It's hard to get voting members to attend (the real reason for checking ID at the door is to make sure they have a quorum of convention attendees). It's also hard to imagine someone ineligible to vote wanting so badly to attend, unless it's to influence the matters before the membership. Given the brouhaha on Arachne before the convention, this year's meeting could have been more in danger of such disruption than most years. The evangelizing is taking place throughout the rest of the convention--I don't think a business meeeting is going to win new members to the organization. >>>Another friend told me that although she had been a member in good standing for twenty years, she was told she couldn't enter because she didn't have the right ribbon, or wasn't on the list, or something. <<< Snafus to happen, and sometimes a name falls off a membership list. It hardly seems worth dropping out over, but that's just me. Robin P. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA http://www.pittsburghlace.8m.com/ - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
