nick wrote:. It's also easy for folks like Caragay to say... .
Why is it that I must be dragged into this chapter of the discussion?
I don't know about the rest of the Coffeed members, but it is anything but "easy" to say/write the things I've said and wrote. Maintaining your character and integrity is the hardest thing to achieve and I'm not going to throw that away just because some people in the specialty coffee industry might not like something I've said or written.
I run my own company and I work for the BGA in an elected position. The choices I make and the actions I take have a very real impact on my staff, my customers and my constituents. Because I am in a position of responsibility I will not compromise my character and integrity, or my choices and actions because I want to be "liked" by everyone.
Because I have chosen this path, I have and must make choices that will, inevitably, leave some people upset with those choices.
I have written to this board a number of posts that dealt with difficult issues. I'm not bullshitting people, mincing words or writing things to fake people into believing that everything in our world is happy-happy, joy-joy and hunky-dory. This past year has dealt this community with hard issues to face and discuss, with many wanting to keep things quiet or sweep the problems under the rug. I won't oblige those notions.
When considering action on any subject, I think about my expectations if I was one of my staff, customers or constituents: what would I expect from my employer, purveyor or elected official? I let that become my guide. And what I would expect from that person is leadership. Someone who will tell it like it is, without pretense, without bullshit and without politics. Someone who will take action without worrying about whether or not he will upset some people. Someone who isn't trying to protect some sacred cow. Someone who is leading without regard for popularity or being elected during the next cycle.
Freedom can go "too far"???
There can be no limit to freedom. Limitation of freedom is oppression.
But how does this apply to our discussion? Are we talking about this so-called freedom going "too far" because we've been openly critical on the failures of the SCAA? This protection of the Golden Calf that is the SCAA has led to the deification of its' executive director and the current quagmire the association finds itself in.
With all this talk about transparency it certainly seems that even this "New Guard" keeps trying to throw an opaque cloak over the issues.
