[Businessmtg] Pittsburgh Convention

[Steve Rankin]

Emee raises a number of good points, as usual.  But, we're in a Catch-22
situation.

I find it ironic that the theme of the Pittsburg Convention is 

"Connecting People Around the World" 

while the meetings that do that on a daily basis are completely left out of
the event.  

Am I the only one that's bothered by the workshops titled "Connecting with
Our WSO Day" that have an separate registration fee in addition to the
Convention registration fee?   In other words, I have to pay WSO $10 to
listen to them?  

The leadership of a f2f meeting has several Al-Anon service-related things
that they can attend that pertain directly to the their meeting.

 1. District Meetings
 2. Intergroup Meetings
 3. Area Assemblies
 4. Regional Service Seminars

However, the WSO decreed that we are not a group even though we meet the
definition of a group.  So, unlike the f2f meeting, we have no voice and no
vote at the District meetings and Area Assemblies.

Furthermore, the WSO has decreed that OLA-IS is not an Intergroup, even
though it has been performing that function for over 10 years.  So, that
eliminates Intergroup meetings.  

As for the Pittsburgh Convention . . . the WSO has repeatedly stalled and
completely failed to include the online fellowship a role in this
convention.  OLA-IS contacted WSO over 2 years ago, and several times
subsequently requesting a place on the program and an active role in the
convention.  Every time the WSO has said they will do so at the next
convention planning meeting, yet those meetings come and go and NOTHING ever
comes out of WSO.

Not long ago, the WSO stated that WSO will represent the online meetings to
the rest of the fellowship.  How can they do that?  The GR at my home group
is a member of my home group and has a personal interest in my home group.
WSO has a personal interest in WSO, not my home group.  The truth is that
they don't even try.  Dawn & I both have repeatedly contacted WSO and the
response is . . . no response at all.  

Over the years, I've used the Service Manual as a reference & guide to
Al-Anon issues.  I don't do that very much any more.  Why?  Well because
they change it whenever they want.  The other day I showed our Service
Manual to my wife--who has had extensive AA service for over 25 years--and
she was stunned by the sheer quantity & types of changes.  The AA fellowship
would go ballistic if their GSO changed their service manual that much.  So
why does the Al-Anon fellowship follow WSO's decrees so blindly?  Does
anyone know why Al-Anon is no longer an anonymous fellowship?  

Frankly, if it's not OK for an online meeting to pay a representative of the
meeting to attend the convention, then why is it OK for WSO to pay a staff
member to attend the convention to make a 1-hour presentation on online
meetings on "our" behalf as our representative?

BTW, this subject does get me PO'd.  Just in case you hadn't figured that
out already.  :-)

Hugs,
Steve