Is Food for Thought in Forestville approaching Scam Charity territory?

[Praksys]

The modern notion of 'free speech' is not absolute. This is the thread I'm following.
I still don't know what the person who who complained about Food For Thought is talking about. I am of the opinion that a person should take responsibility for what they say and where they say it. What do saints have to do with it?

[Barry]

Marilyn is a professional tax preparer (See her listing in the WaccoBB Business Directory here) so she has good visibility into people's earnings and organizational reporting.

I looked through the 990 quickly and it didn't look out of line to me. Ron makes about $93k, but I think most directors of anything are overpaid and it doesn't seem out of line with what directors make. Hell, school principals make at least 110,000-I think that's way overpaid too - and summers off (don't get me started). . At least 30% of the revenue goes directly to food and clients. And if we're talking program expenses as a whole, they look to be about 90% vs mgt and fundraising. I don't think they are top heavy with employees. They have 10. And I bet most of them are part time.

[Barry]

I Free speech does not mean one can just put someone or something down without context, facts and reasons.

sure it does. That's what's "free" about it.

As I've said before, Free Speech does not apply here. Should anybody else want to chime with criticism of Food For Thought or any of it's directors, please be sure to include:

• Your full real name
• Your experience with FFT (Were you an employee/volunteer/or client? Please explain how you know what you want to share)
• Exactly what happened, not just your judgment of what happened or your assessment of their character.

I also want to warn posters that such statements, if untrue, count as defamation per se, and expose you to a civil lawsuit.

[SEASHANTY]

Wow people, let's get a grip on reality now. What is the problem with Ron making what he does? He's been serving the community for a great portion of his life, and F4T is his baby! I feel he certainly deserves every penny he gets! (BTW, is that amount Net or Gross?) Sounds like there are a lot of jealous people out there that are only out of the money! Remember how many lives are saved (mine for one) due to F4T. How much would you consider a human life is worth? How about 10? How about 100? I would be 6 feet under by now if were not for F4T. I feel I'm worth $100,000 and actually a good deal more! I worked in the medical field all my life, and have seen people come and go due to this illness. God bless all the people there, the workers and volunteers! I am grateful and would donate my piggy bank savings if only I had the opportunity to do that... (yes pay for the workers.... after all, they must eat and sleep in a house too!) Let's get off our greed motives for a moment and venture inward to ask that perhaps Ron needs this amount for some unknown cause or reason. I don't feel this is overqualified pay for someone that devoted his entire life to helping others through charitable means!

[hari]

I have a different autoimmune condition than yours, Seahorse, and am on disability for it. I asked F4T for help, and they said 'no', and they also said 'no' to a friend of mine with stage 4 cancer. This, while food was rotting in their garden. Literally. I saw it. It's great that you were helped - but you are not 'worth' more than the rest of us who also have illnesses, and cannot get healthy, organic produce from any foodbank.

All I'm saying is that in my opinion it would be ethical, with the amount of resources they have, to serve more clients - because they have more resources. In my mind, that is the only ethical thing to do. But obviously we have different opinions, because you were helped (and your life is worth over $100,000)...and I wasn't, so I'm chopped liver. ????

And please, don't tell me to go to a different food bank. There aren't any that get the kind of support F4T does, so they really are in a unique position to help more people - but are choosing not to. And that sucks. Well, for me it sucks.

So please try to put yourself in someone else's shoes - someone who is also very ill, but can't get help, and maybe see what that feels like. Stand outside their meditation garden and know that even though you're ill too, you're not allowed in. And wander through the gardens with kale, some of it going brown, wishing you too could have some. HIV is an awful condition - but to not help other people with autoimmune conditions? I mean, to not help people with Hep C, which is, at this point, has a lower survival rate than HIV? C'mon now. As Amy Poehler would say: Really???????

Times have changed. AIDS is no longer the death sentence it once was - so all I'm hoping is for F4T to broaden the scope of who they serve to include other illnesses that are just as devastating as having an HIV+ status (including conditions that have a higher mortality rate at this point).

H

PS: God I'm sick of this discussion. I really thought it was over. *Sigh*

[starseed]

Hello everyone at Food for Thought & Wacco Community,

I worked as a volunteer at FFT for almost a school semester, as I was also a volunteer at the school close by. Due to a conflict in my own time schedule that involved being accepted for new employment, it was necessary for me to stop volunteering at both places. I felt a little sad and frustrated, because I enjoyed my volunteer time at both places.

As a volunteer at FFT, I filled food orders, accepted paperwork at the front desk from clients, cleaned the bathrooms, weeded, built compost, and raked leaves in the beautiful garden, sometimes with Doug from OAEC, and fed the chickens. I worked at a fundraising event in San Francisco, by way of another generous volunteer who happily provided transportation over the weekend.

I found everyone at FFT to be welcoming, courteous, helpful, extremely humorous, generous and cooperative, with a genuine caring group attitude that created healthy community comradery in our work, playfulness and professionalism.

I grew up in San Francisco in a family whose parents worked hard and also served in their community as professional volunteers. My parents included my sisters and me in their volunteer work on a regular basis. I can't remember ever questioning our participation in volunteerism, with a large cross-section of organizations we valued. Because of my life-long experience in working as a volunteer, I am well aware of how disturbing and stressful it can be when people are dissatisfied with how the organization is run, or mismanaged. It shows up quickly in many ways. I found a remarkable absence of political/personal conflicts at FFT.

The most noteworthy and outstanding memories I have of being their volunteer, were how well everyone treated me, how hysterically funny their humor was, how respectfully people behaved toward one another and how kind they were to clients. Seasoned volunteers took a great deal of patience to train me and quickly extended an attitude of inclusiveness. I looked forward to all of the pleasant and rewarding experiences I had at Food for Thought. Everyone worked hard to do their fair share and then more, filling endless bags of groceries, and remaining on-task with whatever needed to be done.

It was touching to frequently hear the most tenderhearted and thoughtful expressions of generosity and warmth, spoken about many individuals and families whose orders we were filling. The bags of food were also brimming with our collective energy of caring thoughts, attention to particular likes and dislikes, so that people's needs were often met with a special and personal touch.

We took a group photo during the holidays which I recently came across while unpacking at my new home in Occidental. I will always treasure it. By the way, I experienced the Garden as a living source of inspiration, love, care, relaxation and joy. It holds a healing energy that has been planted deep and watered by caring souls. I never saw a weed that I needed to pull from the FFT Garden, called 'vanity'.

Thank you to the person who took the time and effort to do the research and help clarify the numbers being held up for scrutiny at FFT. I appreciate your professional way of presenting a more helpful perspective on this topic. And thank you Barry for upholding standards of communication on Wacco that support well researched facts & numbers, non-violent communication skills and truthful identities. I find it helpful when people truly care about the well-being of our community, and help educate us by comparing and contrasting information that is not commonly known. We are living in times when there will potentially be many more sensitive and important community topics that will be of great concern to the majority of us. It is my intention to participate in responsible discussions that are mutually respectful. I feel there is room for all who have concerns about anything, to contribute powerful opinions and voices, and still uphold respectful and inclusive language.

Throughout this discussion I have heard pain, disappointment and fear in the words of those who are very ill, who feel their personal needs for services, food and other resources are not being met. I want to acknowledge the feelings of the people who are without and who feel unseen and unappreciated. Please know that there are those of us who do indeed care and see the many challenges all illness can bring. My access to internet is limited, but I do know there are more community gardens being planted around Sonoma County, and perhaps someone may be prepared to donate land for more community garden space, or someone already has a surplus of home grown food to donate to those in need?

Thank you all for taking time to read my contribution here, and thank you everyone for your important contributions as well.

In peace & good health,
Phyllis Bala
Sacred Ground Occidental

[Big Bob]

I'm not going to write a long dissertation like some have. I just want to reinforce Hari's statement that for the amount of dollars F4T takes from our community, and the 500 volunteers they have, it would be nice if they would broaden the scope of I'll people to whom they provide healthy, life saving food. Particularly since they get most of their food free or at low cost, and have the ability to serve a larger client base of people with life threatening diseases.
Thanks for considering this point of view!
Big Bob

[lindasw]

Personally, I think that any conversations about non-profits soliciting donations from their community is worthwhile--particularly when there is discourse in the air already...

As a recent former volunteer/employee of Food for Thought for a total of 17 years, I can tell you that dialogue about this very issue of serving other populations has already discussed amongst board and staff. One of the many problems this food bank has today is physical capacity; there are delivery days where you can barely maneuver through certain refrigeration areas and storage rooms in the building as it is—an issue that certainly would need addressing and rectifying before a project of serving additional populations could be formulated. The issue to consider first is how to insure that there is enough fiscal stability and building capacity in place to continue to serve the existing client base and the ever-growing population of new people coming in the door with HIV--which was, and is today, the original mission statement from FFT’s beginnings back in 1988. And, the need to upgrade the client menu selection to bring in healthier choices of healing and nutritious foods is imperative-- an expensive, but necessary task for FFT to consider in this economy--but a consideration that hopefully is still positioned and on their plate of "things to do"--sooner than later, I would hope, given the recent, most generous endowment from the estate of J. Russell Wherritt.

The subject of the gardens has been a contentious issue for years now. Is it a garden that provides enough real food year 'round for the population that they serve? Is there food rotting daily on the food bank’s summertime vines due to lack of daily harvesting? Is it honestly just a project that sustains the Calabash! fundraiser? Is it really, honestly utilized by clients on a daily basis for its original concept to be a "healing" and "nurturing" place for clients to experience when they visit? Or is it a vanity project and collaboration of good will with their friends at OAEC? Unfortunately, due to zero security measures, it has become a seasonal resting place/campsite for the creatures of the night in good weather months, including the homeless population from the Forestville trail, who eat and sleep in its lovely beds, and who bathe in the new, pricey memorial installation. It is also a garden for some of the surrounding neighbors to enjoy the bounty from—after hours, of course--- borrowing tiny new, plant starts at whim and helping themselves to tomatoes and hanging gourds from the fence line. Are these gardens actually feeding enough for the humans it serves? Or is it simply a pretty place unlike the often ugly, sterile and concrete food giveaway pantries? These are the questions that have come up for years now.

Maybe the bigger questions posed here are not about this particular non-profit having to be the one who needs to address and rescue other populations with life-threatening illness. Food for Thought came at a time when no one wanted to have anything to do with people who had contracted the virus. Sick people were stigmatized and could not, would not be served with the uninfected populous. So perhaps it’s time for those with the tenacity and skills to work on helping to create an FFT model where their passions lie.



Other agencies now, such as Ceres Project for example, have stepped up to the plate in their efforts to expand services and create sustainable gardens. The Food for Thought issues that have arisen as of late have more to do with deep dissatisfaction with internal issues: are there questionable administrative and ethical current practices? Should the current " leadership" that, in spite of making its significant mark in the community in the past, step down and should their Board consider re-thinking infusing new blood and new vision at the top from a pool of HIV/AIDS and management professionals, who could honor their grassroots beginnings instead of herding it into more of a "corporate structuring"? And, most importantly to many and to myself these days: at what point did FFT lose its true "heart" and soul?

This is a non-profit borne out of rich and humble beginnings, from a horrific time fraught with pain and loss from a mysterious "gay cancer". The survivors and those living with HIV were, and are today, some of the few hundred volunteers working their butts off each day, each shift, doing each and every aspect of literally running the day to day of getting food to the 425 active clients and client families--some of who, gratefully receive this food as their only groceries in a week, and most who have had to come to terms that this virus didn't discriminate between the gay and the straight population after all!
Although the gay community built this agency, they are now in the minority of those served. It is because of Food for Thought’s rich and emotionally charged, grassroots beginnings and the daily reminders of the "old days" of such pain and such enormous loss for those of us who lived it, that this little important food bank is now and will always be, under the community microscope for its every move. People remember. People struggle with change. People want honest answers to difficult questions. They don’t want to be lied to or bamboozled. They see through obvious and insincere damage control tactics when there is criticism from the community. They want to be an inclusive part of decision making. They want to not feel the obvious separation between the staff side and the volunteer/client side of the building. And, they always will. It is, and always has been, an integral part of the food bank’s DNA.

So now, in these posts and others, the swords have been drawn and old, unhappy issues have surfaced and people want to know: who is running the show over there, is the Board asking the right questions and truly "managing" the ED and his deputy, and importantly and again: why does it feel that the heart and the soul of the agency has been disappeared and deemed unimportant, while its grassroots history appears to be no longer significant?


The sad answer remains unknown. My sense is that it’s time for some big changes in a faltering leadership with obvious and questionable people managing skills. But that's just my humble opinion. Personally, I can only wish FFT well for the sake of the clients in need and in honor of the incredible volunteers who serve them.

[meherc]

Thanks for the thoughtful and thought provoking comments.

Personally, I think conversations about any of our local non-profits that solicit support and funding from the community is not a bad or exhaustive conversation ...

[MandT]

I can't say whether Food For Thought is well run or not (but if they've got 500 volunteers they must be doing something right! And managing an organization with 500 volunteers is a significant task!)

However what I can say is that the person who started this thread is out of integrity. They registered as "Fraudster Alert". They replied twice under that username, which is fine. However they just registered again with the same email address as "Cornsilk" and "piled on" the original post, making it seem as though there are more people who share their opinion. I also have no doubt that the same person was responsible for the Craigslist post. They clearly have an axe to grind.

Thanks for the condescending scold. You clearly missed the point. I suggest you check your integrity.

[Barry]

Thanks for the condescending scold. You clearly missed the point. I suggest you check your integrity.

Before I reply, please clarify what point you think I missed.

[Barry]

I can't say whether Food For Thought is well run or not (but if they've got 500 volunteers they must be doing something right! And managing an organization with 500 volunteers is a significant task!)

However what I can say is that the person who started this thread is out of integrity. They registered as "Fraudster Alert". They replied twice under that username, which is fine. However they just registered again with the same email address as "Cornsilk" and "piled on" the original post, making it seem as though there are more people who share their opinion. I also have no doubt that the same person was responsible for the Craigslist post. They clearly have an axe to grind.

Thanks for the condescending scold. You clearly missed the point. I suggest you check your integrity.

MandT, got back to me privately, essentially supporting the original complaint on this thread (which I mostly have no opinion on, but see below), and was upset that I challenged the integrity of that poster.

I stand by my response. Anybody who intentionally seeks to deceive and /or misrepresent something to this "conscious community" deserves to be called out and publicly shamed as both a "natural consequence" of their mis-deed and a warning to any others who might consider such a thing.

I'm not familiar with Food For Thought, but I have a few of comments of a more general nature.

First, while Food For Thought may have started as a very grass roots organization, it sounds like it has evolved beyond that at this point. That's OK. It sounds like a substantially larger organization, that serves more people than it was at first. Things grow and change. And believe me, I know first hand how people hate change, but change happens, often for good reasons.

Secondly, a larger organization needs a professional competent management. And while people may accept a lower compensation to both support the organization, as well accepting the good karma of their work as part of their pay, that has it's limits. If you need highly skilled, dedicated management you're going to have to, and should, pay for it, in my opinion.

Some of the complaints on this thread were from people who were not accepted into the FFT program for one reason or another. I can understand their disappointment, but FFT needs to put bounds around their services. They can't feed everybody who needs help for any reason.

Sounds like there is a opportunity for a new grass-roots organization to serve the people who are not being served by FFT. Perhaps some of the disgruntled people on this thread can get together and start one, especially if they think they can do it better than FFT!

Like I said, I'm not familiar with FFT, nor the actions of their management team. The complaints on this thread my be valid... or not.

[oliviathunderkitty]

I have had quite a lot of interaction with FFT for many years--perhaps a decade, maybe longer--and I have to say that I have never seen anything distressing, anything that makes me uncomfortable, anything that raises a red flag. I admire the organization and their work, feel they fulfill their mission with integrity, efficiency, passion and dedication and have expanded their reach in ways that make complete sense to me. The people with whom I have dealt--upper management--have been the epitome of integrity. From everything I've seen, they are one of the finest nonprofits around.

[lindasw]

If these numbers published are part of the food bank's latest damage control tactics, perhaps they should explain how $48,000 for ''Administrative Costs' translates as 3% of the budget.

This is the first non-profit Annual Report that I have ever read that has neglected to include employee salaries---which in their case, translates to a tad more than their formally published administrative amount. Personally, their payroll amounts are not an issue for me. Everyone needs to make a living for the privilege of residing where we do. But, in the case of their internal issues and problems of the last few months and in what perpetuated the beginnings of these original threads, their officially published Annual Report should have been addressed honestly and thoroughly to dissuade anymore negative chatter about what's been happening over there.

Where in this Annual Report have they included the annual cost of payroll/salaries--in the food budget? And, why did did they not share the information about how many paid employees are really on the books? There are over 1600 non-profits with annual reports published in Sonoma County. Perhaps a little more research should have been done on what sort of template should/could have been followed. Pretty pie charts on a front cover are worthless if they reflect inaccuracies or hidden information.

People are not stupid. Perhaps the once-beloved food bank needs to start remembering how important it is to tell the truth to their donors, volunteers and clients. The Board needs to re-think and review information that they are receiving and decimate it accurately to the donating public---with an eye on what they actually allow to go to press.

[MandT]

The idea that F4T will never return to its former democratic grassroots paradigm is only bound to sadden those of us who remember its robust and familial days. The new corporate rigor, which now organizes F4T and runs a very tight ship, and does indeed bring change and unfortunately an increasing opacness ( the very expensive printed Annual Report heralding its leadership). The board, while polite, is simply uninterested in controversy or criticism legitimate or otherwise. One senses that the Board members have very little life experience understanding of clients or volunteers. Somehow the term 'Romany-ism' comes to mind. Criticism that is raised is slandered as bitter or irrational. F4T is no longer entertaining grassroots input. The new wealth which brings it to major status has significantly created a atmosphere of change. We agree that the loss of Linda SW was a major blow to many who support F4T. She was the front, heart and soul of that organization for years. Clever and brilliantly managed society events seem to be in synch with the Sonoma County lifestyle and a reflection of the future. Most clients and volunteers cannot afford these events and that is unfortunate, because it creates a class consciousness not in keeping with the original mission. One suspects this is the trend of upper management. God forbid anyone dare express criticism of the new direction, the new reality, for the avalanche of defense is daunting. As the editor of Wacco has commented--- success is the greatest defense of all and F4T is second to none in its class.. The old ethos is dying from a thousand paper cuts. One day free donuts are banned by fiat, the next day clients can no longer have protein power, and so it goes without discussion and condescending paternalism. Still, for all that F4T is unbeatable for its excellence and its past reputation. We just pray that it doesn't end up like Face To Face, an empty shell of a once glorious HIV organization---top heavy on expensive administration and thin on services.

[Nancy M Prebilich]

[A wacco member who is a very reputable local business owner that I know personally asked me to post this. She does not want to join the discussion but did want to pass on her comments. - Barry]

You are such a hypocrite, Barry... with a moral compass not worth of the Devil's minion. So your FRIEND doesn't have to sign her name to her words.... YOU are allowed to be HER sock puppet.... but everyone else who has something to say but also something to protect, particularly those with whom u disagree, THEY are subject to public shaming and ridicule?!! What was it that your mother told you that made you think you were so high and mighty and special. Whatever it was - it was a lie!!

[lindasw]

so, all we really have to do to have our "hidden agendas" and "private chit-chat" posted by barry is to be a "reputable business owner"--possible translation: pay dear barry for some ad space? be his personal banker?---well, it is barry's site after all, isn't it? his call, and all that...still, the rest are not given the opportunity to have their commentaries here cloaked in anonymity? hmmmm--yet others, who wish to not relinquish their true identity are relentlessly and arbitrarily "outed" for their attempts to voice their [usually negative] commentary. gee, this certainly smacks of nepotism and favoritism--let me re-read the by-laws here and get back to barry on this.... personally!...perhaps i can check out the pricing for some ad space while i'm at it...i want to make sure that i can someday fall under the 'reputable business owner" and "personal friend of barry" moniker so i can get barry to hide me too someday! or, can those of us who know the players on this threads start guessing at who "she", the FFT cheerleader is??!!! sent with big love.........

[A wacco member who is a very reputable local business owner that I know personally asked me to post this. She does not want to join the discussion but did want to pass on her comments. - Barry]

I've been a Food for Thought volunteer for many years and expect to continue for as long as there is a need. I admire and respect the leadership, staff and volunteers for unwavering commitment, absolute integrity and amazing work on behalf of people living with HIV and AIDS. There's no doubt about it, Food for Thought is a community treasure that deserves our respect and support.

[Barry]

You are such a hypocrite, Barry... with a moral compass not worth of the Devil's minion. So your FRIEND doesn't have to sign her name to her words.... YOU are allowed to be HER sock puppet.... but everyone else who has something to say but also something to protect, particularly those with whom u disagree, THEY are subject to public shaming and ridicule?!! What was it that your mother told you that made you think you were so high and mighty and special. Whatever it was - it was a lie!!

so, all we really have to do to have our "hidden agendas" and "private chit-chat" posted by barry is to be a "reputable business owner"--possible translation: pay dear barry for some ad space? be his personal banker?---well, it is barry's site after all, isn't it? his call, and all that...still, the rest are not given the opportunity to have their commentaries here cloaked in anonymity? hmmmm--yet others, who wish to not relinquish their true identity are relentlessly and arbitrarily "outed" for their attempts to voice their [usually negative] commentary. gee, this certainly smacks of nepotism and favoritism--let me re-read the by-laws here and get back to barry on this.... personally!...perhaps i can check out the pricing for some ad space while i'm at it...i want to make sure that i can someday fall under the 'reputable business owner" and "personal friend of barry" moniker so i can get barry to hide me too someday! or, can those of us who know the players on this threads start guessing at who "she", the FFT cheerleader is??!!! sent with big love.........

Look at the energy you ladies are putting out....

The un-named person in this thread is NOT an advertiser and I wouldn't go so far as to call them a friend, but rather a fellow community business person. Neither of those non-attributes affected my decision to post their message of support.

What did affect my decision to post on their behalf (and allow them to be anonymous) was that they had something POSITIVE to say. Plus I knew who they were and I could validate that they were not a clone of an existing user to make it seem that there was more support than there actually was (as happened in this thread).

I'd be happy to offer the same service to others under the same conditions (Positive comments and I know they are real person that has not otherwise posted on the topic at hand).

It wasn't a matter if I agreed with them or not (I don't have an opinion on the subject of this thread).

It's really OK if the occasional good deed goes unpunished!

Here's what I posted:

[A wacco member who is a very reputable local business owner that I know personally asked me to post this. She does not want to join the discussion but did want to pass on her comments. - Barry]

I've been a Food for Thought volunteer for many years and expect to continue for as long as there is a need. I admire and respect the leadership, staff and volunteers for unwavering commitment, absolute integrity and amazing work on behalf of people living with HIV and AIDS. There's no doubt about it, Food for Thought is a community treasure that deserves our respect and support.

[hari]

As someone who doesn't know any of you personally, and knows very little about the specific issues you're addressing re: the market, policies, etc., I will say this:1. My god this is getting ugly! Is it worth all the anger and stress? (Rhetorical question)2. If you meet the Buddha in the road, kill him. Wait. Hopefully y'all know that's just a book title. But I'd say the same thing re: "higher consciousness" in this area. If you have to say it, you're not really doing it.3. Barry, saying you only want 'positive' comments takes away from the possibility of having an actual discussion, along with the critical thinking that may entail. Is that what you meant? Because then, honestly, you are shutting a lot of people down. Having said that, you're the moderator, so.....you can do that. Maybe you meant 'helpful' rather than 'positive'? I don't know. Hari

[lindasw]

...scratch slightly beneath the surface of the beautiful faces that front an organization, a beloved non-profit or a west county, progressive, cool and groovy online site "for the people" and you will see the unfamiliar dark underbelly that is not always shiny and pretty--or positive. welcome to the reality of humans on this planet...and in these days of atonement...
ps if your "hidden person" had something POSITIVE to say, what's to hide???
(see how silly the argument is, after all?)
big love back atcha!
welcome to the real world, kiddies!

Look at the energy you ladies are putting out....

The un-named person in this thread is NOT an advertiser and I wouldn't go so far as to call them a friend, but rather a fellow community business person. Neither of those non-attributes affected my decision to post their message of support.

What did affect my decision to post on their behalf (and allow them to be anonymous) was that they had something POSITIVE to say. Plus I knew who they were and I could validate that they were not a clone of an existing user to make it seem that there was more support than there actually was (as happened in this thread).

I'd be happy to offer the same service to others under the same conditions (Positive comments and I know they are real person that has not otherwise posted on the topic at hand).

It wasn't a matter if I agreed with them or not (I don't have an opinion on the subject of this thread).

It's really OK if the occasional good deed goes unpunished!

Here's what I posted:

[Barry]

. Barry, saying you only want 'positive' comments takes away from the possibility of having an actual discussion, along with the critical thinking that may entail. Is that what you meant?

I think you misunderstood me. What I said was that I accept anonymous positive comments from people that I knew weren't otherwise participating in the discussion.

I most welcome "actual discussion", and especially and "critical thinking", from members that have registered their real names, and thus take personal responsibility, on their WaccoBB profiles.

I, and I think the community at large, have a limited capacity for negativity and attacking. My hope is that having the person's real name attached to their comments will help mitigate the negative volume. I reserve the right ask (or force, if need be) someone to stop posting, especially after they have stated their case and it just becomes more of the same.

[hari]

Agreed, Barry. The fact that the thread title was negative, and a judgement (there is no absolute definition of 'scam', after all).....would make any comment after that sound negative, when maybe it was just critical. So maybe just changing the title would help....

Is this even about FFT at this point though? (Again, rhetorical)

Not-hiding-Hari

[lindasw]

the very first and most important step would be to review the spelling of APPROACHING... [Fixed! Thanks! - Barry]

Agreed, Barry. The fact that the thread title was negative, and a judgement (there is no absolute definition of 'scam', after all).....would make any comment after that sound negative, when maybe it was just critical. So maybe just changing the title would help....

Is this even about FFT at this point though? (Again, rhetorical)

Not-hiding-Hari