Apparently, I was wrong. The BDS promoters have submitted a proposal to the agenda committee to conduct a membership-wide referendum to join BDS. Even the text of the proposal is a vilifying slander, but we will leave that analysis for another day.
So, what does it mean? The good news: We have already thwarted part 1 of the worst case scenario. We will not be caught off guard. We now have at least a few months to prepare. There are 4 agenda items ahead of the BDS proposal in the queue, and 3 more behind it. Two of the subsequent items relate directly to the operation of the coop. Also, in any month, a new item can be submitted and brought to that month's General Meeting if the Agenda Committee determines it deserves priority.
The bad news: If the proposal comes to the GM, we will still have part 2 of the worst case scenario - a horrible, vitriolic meeting where we will be confronting the BDS lies.
Now is the time to organize to oppose BDS. We don't want the proposal to hold a referendum to pass at the GM. We don't even want the proposal to get to the GM. We don't want further BDS discussion in the Linewaiters' Gazette. We are not alone.
I am going to arrange an opposition meeting for the first or second week of May. We will discuss strategies, tactics and talking points. I will post the time and location as soon as it is determined.
In the meantime, buy Masada bath salts at the Food Coop.
In March 2012 we defeated a BDS initiative at the Park Slope Food Coop.
In 2024 we will stop them again.
Your best defense is a strong offense. Start preparing visually clean support documents to hand out or present to the board. Simple, lots of white space, stuff they DO NOT have to wade through. Use the opposition's format to structure your response, then have additional info bullet pointing why _not_ to support their agenda item.
ReplyDeleteUse the "less is more" theory of print v. white space. Everything should be "at a glance."
IMHO
sj
Great point sj
ReplyDelete