[DeadMoneyDad]

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Also, there have been many recent posts wondering why the PPA hasn't done specific things, often with a tone implying that they were incompetent for not having done so. I do concur that there were plenty of "sins of omission" in the past. The past is the past.

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But you must admit that some of the structural problems that lead to these "sins of omission" still exist today.

John is short of people, money, and time. The legacy of the "past" still affects "daily" life of the PPA today.

John identified one of the main causes and promised to address it imediately, communications. Yes steps have been taken to address this but even these have been hampered by the legacy of the past and the HQ move.

I know of some decisions and can imagine the number of confrence calls many of the ones I know nothing about must generate. I know from the Fly-in conversations that many of the ideas from the members are indeed fully discussed and considered. However communicating the decisions reached and reasons back to the author or larger community has been lacking. Given the nature of a political group, this is a very difficult process to balance, I know from experience.

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We have a process in place now that no one seems to be using. I speak with John Pappas weekly and communicate with him via email almost daily. If you need anything from the PPA, please let me know and I'll communicate it. Just PM me or email me. It's that simple. I'm not on the board to have something to talk about at parties. [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] I'm on the board to represent our interests and to fight for our rights. I have no other interests in the seat.

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Adding another private channel of communications isn't the answer, but I do appreciate you offering to take on this task. But as you can imagine this will only make the problem worse not better, no matter how hard you work at it.

I do not have a magic answer. Part of this falls on Bryan's plate as Manager of Mamber Relations, and from having spoken to him a number of times, I do feel that once he gets fully up to speed this will solve some of the issues.

IMO the PPA needs better communication at the State level. I imagine this is part of the job duties of the Grassroots position that hasn't yet been filled. But beyond that the grassroots person has to be able to provide the tools to the States to really build those networks.

I know the NRA is the model and it is a good thing to aspire to that groups sucess. But lets be honest, at this critical time we are a very long way from the NRA.

I've admitted often that the political clock in my head ticks much louder than most. You may feel it is a sign of insanity. You might be right. But I've been involved in too many efforts where at the end I wished I had just another week. So each week that goes by is very presious to me, because once past they are lost forever.

So my criticism has nothing to do with the capabilities of the people at the helm, unless you count their speed. I know there must be a few hundred issues I know nothing about with enough knowledge to speak confidently about that John must have to deal with on a weekly basis.

But I do think I know enough to have a decent grasp on the outline of the problem, enough to discuss it openly.

At the heart of the matter for many members and most non-members of the PPA haven't felt the organization has yet shown its worth. Given John's relative newness to the position, which the value of the defense deminishes daily, I know this perception is completely unfair. But it is a reality he does face.

The PPA counts it's members at something like one out of thirty potential members, in round numbers. That membership is completely untested, given that the majority are freeroll sign ups who's worth is unknown. Take Don from Chicago, he went to sign up and didn't know he was already a member! Through contact and some support from the PPA with a meaningful activity he perhaps is as valuable member in IL as the PPA has in Chicago.

In my experience it doesn't take much, but it does take the right mix of sales and concrete action to turn a pissed off citizen into a world class political advocate. IMO this is where the lack of time, money, and people are hurting the PPA the most.

Yes it is fair to say that John, Bryan, and even you TE are doing all you can do to the best of your ability. But right now for what needs to be done, IMO, that just isn't enough to get where we need to be. IMO there is a vast resovior of untapped talent and resources just waiting to be given the opportunity. I've seen it in every endevor I've every been involved in in my life.

So please take this in the true spirit it is intended. I know you all are working your hearts out. That isn't the problem.

I don't buy completely the notion that there is "unseen" hands at work retarding the potential of the PPA. But the lack of concrete actions and poor communication feeds this misconception on a daily basis.

You all have a right to get a little defensive to critism, I know I would if I were in your position. But you have to look at it from both inside and outside. I'm sorry to say that for sometime in the future every "sin of omission" will be magnified and continued miscommunication will continue to feed the notion of "other forces at work."


D$D