Putting Pinto where his mouth is...

Aug. 30, 2006
From Jim Pinto, an email he sent to Ken Baker, ISA President: Subject: Pinto Presentations at local ISA Section meetings Ken : My recent articles have stimulated one primary criticism - "It's easy to sit back and take pot-shots. Get up and DO something!" So, I'm DOing something. I'll be offering my services to as many ISA local sections as will make a strong commitment to get "record attendance" for a local monthly meeting at which Jim Pinto will present his points of view, as expre...
From Jim Pinto, an email he sent to Ken Baker, ISA President: Subject: Pinto Presentations at local ISA Section meetings Ken : My recent articles have stimulated one primary criticism - "It's easy to sit back and take pot-shots. Get up and DO something!" So, I'm DOing something. I'll be offering my services to as many ISA local sections as will make a strong commitment to get "record attendance" for a local monthly meeting at which Jim Pinto will present his points of view, as expressed in my recent article - ISA - the melting iceberg continues to melt: http://jimpinto.com/writings/isamelting.html I have 3 conditions for these local-section presentations: 1/ Promotions for the meeting, plus a "minimum commitment" for attendance. Note: the usual monthly meeting are very poorly attended. I'll negotiate the commitment with each local section before I agree to present. 2/ At least ONE member of the ISA executive board should attend. I don't want to make suggestions without someone from the ISA executive board being present. I'll appreciate attendance by at least one of the following people: Ken Baker, Don Zee (past President), Steve Huffman (2007 President) Kim Miller-Dunn (2008 President). 3/ It's important that someone should represent ISA HQ. ISA Executive Director Pat Gouhin should attend at least one major meeting; he should delegate a senior member of the ISA executive team to attend other meetings. Let me know your commitment to support this initiative. Regards: jim Fat lot of good this will do, because nobody from ISA EB or HQ will attend these, Jim. So you get out of doing them. Jim, you're an ISA Fellow. You are entitled to go to Presidents' Meetings (or whatever they are calling them now) and speak at meetings. Go. Speak. Get them to throw you out. I'll write about that, I betcha. I know who said what about you, and I declined to publish the nonsense that was said. If criticism is somehow anti-ISA, or isn't "doing something" we both are guilty as charged. But the fact remains, our criticisms, yours and mine, are valid. They can't deny them, so they attack ad hominem. I have, in my ISA career, been threatened with personal career reprisal by the ISA President, and by the Executive Director (neither now serving). I have been denied promotion at least once, and been asked to resign at least once, because of my ISA service. You have been a loyal member of ISA, and a respectable member of the "loyal opposition" for years. So have I. I guess ISA's old guard wants to hold onto their moldy peanuts, instead of reaching out for that great big steak. Don't take it personal. It is but don't take it. Don't demean yourself.

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