Posted By: ladylightkeeper
Wacko Pin Update - 01/28/00 07:03 PM
I think it is only fair to all you Wackos who have been so supportive of this pin project, which has been implemented as our way to donate to lighthouse preservation, to know why this project has been so long in coming to completion. It has been through no fault of myself or Lamar, as we have already spent hundreds of hours working on it.
The project took much longer on our end than we ever anticipated because we had to get written legal permission from Paul Brady to use his photo of Morris Island; Kim Andrew's permission to use the existing HL artwork/photo of the HL sculpture; and even permission from Morris Island. Copyrights and ownership dictated, for our own legal protection, that this all had to be written out and signed by the owners above and this took time. Yes, amazingly in today's world, one cannot give money away in some cases without getting permission to do so. Because Morris Island Light is owned by a private preservation group and about to be handed over to the state, there were many obstacles that had to
be cleared. We could not use an image of their private property, which is the lighthouse, for our usage and especially to make money from it, unless we got their permission --- even though the profits from the pin are being turned over to them. They had to put our entire pin project proposal and design through their committees and their own lawyer, and this was not a fast procedure on their part---- we waited, and waited . . . and waited, ‘til they finally sent us the necessary signed agreement. This culminated in December.
We thought we were home free, and so Lamar sent the design to the pin rep who in turn sent it over to China to have the prototype made for our approval along with their pricing estimate. As I was by then in FL for the holiday season, Lamar was doing the paperwork and shipping of the design. I called him a few days after Christmas, in great anticipation, to hear how the project in China was going. I was met with a voice of gloom. He had found it necessary to call our pin rep and tell him (message was left on recorder as he was also gone for the holidays) to stop everything, hoping the prototype was not being produced.
Why? This is the section that needs your careful reading and consideration; and when you are done, we need to hear from all you wackos and about-to-be-wackos, by your posting on the forum and by e-mail, before we will be able to continue with this project.
On Christmas Day Lamar received a letter from John Chidester which stated that a Saint had objections to the pin project. St. John decided to send these comments on to all the other Saints for their views. John was acting as an intermediary; and at the Saints' requests, kept all names anonymous. We have no idea which Saint is making which specific objections. But John relayed back to us that all Saints concurred "that limiting access to the pin only served to create an unfair division among Forum users. A division which might be keeping lurkers from registering and participating in the forums."
Now the objections themselves were enough to get us upset, as there is no valid basis for them. But the thing that upset us both the most, and has personally made me furious, is that this happened at the twelfth hour. The design was already sitting over in CHINA waiting to go into production. We had posted our progress enough times that anyone, including the Saints, who read the Forum would know how things were going and especially that the design was pretty much finished. This project started way back in mid-September, 4 months ago. Everyone who posts knew about it. Until this December mess, we had never received any negative comments via forum or e-mail. Everyone of you were most enthusiastic and willing to support this project. If there were any comments or objections, by the Saints or anyone else, why weren't they made at that time? Why wait until the project is practically finished? This is an unconscionable action by anyone to do this to us, after the hundreds of hours that Lamar and I, and Darlene, John, Rod Watson, and Paul Brady have put in on this project. The thing I don't understand is that 4 of
the Saints who are now objecting had shown interest and support by asking to order pins.
NOTE: for the benefit of those new to the General Forums, this project started in mid-Sept. and you can read about it by going back to older threads labeled and look for postings by Ladylightkeeper: "No automatic buzzer for wackodom?", “Wacko pin update", “Calling All Wackos" plus more recent postings. What started out as a recognition pin for those who had posted 50 or more times and were called Wackos, as a fun thing; soon turned into both a fun and serious project, as the profits from the price of the pin were going to be donated to a lighthouse undergoing restoration, which would be determined by a wacko vote. Any newbie who graduated to wacko status by posting 50 times is
eligible to buy the pin; and some extras will be ordered for those still trying to attain wacko status.
Viewpoint of Ladylightkeeper and Lamar: We both agree that this project is very important and should be finished. We are willing to spend the time to see it to the end. But we need to know if you wackos (which includes cruise directors and Saints) and newbies who are close to graduating to wackodom will still support this project by ordering the pins that you so indicated last fall, which was the reason we plunged into
this whole project. We have all talked about the importance of saving the lighthouses but as far as I know, other than your private donations, this is the first organized attempt to help on our part as wackos. It may not be a huge amount of money made, but every little bit adds up and could help fund some repair or equipment otherwise not affordable to a preservation group. But what happens here with this 2000 wacko pin project, will have a heavy influence on whether there will be a 2001 pin and so on, as you have shown interest in doing. For who on these forums in the future is going to spend the hundreds of hours we have, to try and raise money for lighthouses and also continue the wacko pin tradition, if something similarly negative affects their work? It is our hope that the Saints, after receiving my personal letter (forwarded by John) rebutting their various objections, will AGAIN join the rest of us in this worthwhile project. Objectively, there are only a handful of Saints and over l00 wackos and many newbies coming close; and if most of us still want this project, then it should, and will, proceed. But if we do not get your support for the WAY in which Lamar and I are handling this, then we will scrap the entire project--- and the only loser from this will be Morris Island and other future recipients. (You will read a Saint's comment that this pin should be open to any and all, and you will read our reasons why we won't do this. But you must know that in the very beginning we made a suggestion that a separate pin, using a different design, could be made for ANYONE who visited the forum to purchase--- sort of a web pin--- to increase moneys being given to Morris. But we would not handle it. We are ONLY doing a recognition pin for wackos whose profits will go to Morris Island. Anyone else who wants to take on this bigger project is welcome to do so, and that may satisfy some of the Saints).
My letter to all Saints, to be forwarded by John, was sent on January 18. I had hoped and expected to hear from some of them by now, as I offered to answer any other comments they might have and wanted to earn their support of this project. To this date I have not heard from any Saint.
Below I am listing the basic comments that the Saints have made. That will be followed by a condensed version of my rebuttal to their comments. Lamar and I both hope you will look these over carefully and understand our reasoning and decisions; and then let your views be known, hopefully in support of the project.
Here are the Saints' objections and comments which are listed at the beginning of each numbered section, within quotation marks. It is followed by my rebuttal, as written to them in my 4 page letter last week to which I have had no reply so far:
1. "The exclusivity of the wacko pin is not in the spirit of good clean fun and collecting." By its very nature, collecting of any kind, including collecting Harbor Lights, has exclusivity built right into it. We are not all equal in the amount of money we have to buy HL; we are not all equally lucky to find some of the popular pieces that disappear off the shelves; and we definitely are not all equal in being able to find and afford the Coquilles, Portland Head Lights; Hatteras etc. So being ELIGIBLE to purchase a pin by virtue of achieving wacko status via 50 posts is just one more kind of exclusivity. However, here ANYONE can achieve this eligibility without any limitations of money. All it takes is
some time, interest, and effort in posting.
2. "This whole attitude about being a Wacko is completely against the Harbour Lights attitude about collecting." HL loves this sense of competition; of who can get out there and find those HL sculptures. They love to see us post our ideas on the Forum. And they love to see us help lighthouses whenever possible, just as they do. You may not know it, but Kim Andrews blessed our project by giving her permission for us to use HL artwork and photos to create the design; and she has expressed interest in getting a pin for herself. HL knows that this wacko thing is completely in FUN and helps spur on discussions which in turn are most beneficial to keeping the interest alive in their products.
3. "Is this pin project to raise money for lighthouses? No way, or it would be available to all. The pins should be at least available to any members of these forums until the supply runs out." Of course this project is for raising money for lighthouses. Just because it is limited by a boundary of eligibility does not mean it is not a serious intent. Anyone out there who belongs to an organization or club knows that there are certain requirements for joining. Our requirement was that a person post 50 times to become a wacko. This was our fun fraternity of sorts, which anyone can eventually join; and this pin was ours to wear proudly to show our achievement and "brotherhood/sisterhood of serious lighthouse interests." Think of the Boys Scouts, the Masons etc. -- they all work hard to achieve a certain plateau based on specific efforts and then receive recognition through pins, badges etc. We are doing similarly, and there is no reason to look at this negatively or be ashamed of what we have achieved. I am PROUD to be a Wacko, worked hard to achieve it, and will wear my pin with PRIDE. All the better that in doing so, I have made a donation to help save a lighthouse. So yes, this IS a serious intent, and NOT having the pin available to all does not diminish its purpose.
Why aren't we making the pin available to all? First off because it IS a wacko thing -- we started this idea and we are doing the work on it, and the wackos supported this idea. Secondly, from a very practical standpoint: our committee is small and we are spread out over the U.S. We are donating our own personal time and putting in many long hours on this project. We feel we are capable of handling just so many pin orders, as there is much record keeping to do and it will take a lot of time to package up and ship these pins out to you. Then there is still a lot of paperwork to do with Morris Island in relation to meeting the IRS legal requirements that you receive a notice as to how much of your donation can be deducted on taxes. There are close to 600 registrants on the Forums. There is no way we could handle that big a project. We feel that those who are truly interested in lighthouses and dedicated to saving them out of these 600 registrants, are those of you who have consistently been posting. If someone else wants to go out and try to find and contact the rest of the 600 besides you, then you have our blessings to do your own pin project for them and anyone else, and we will even give you tips on how to do it --- but be willing to put in hundreds of hours of work!!!
We will be ordering pins only after you have sent us your order and money. That way we will know how many we need to order and will have the money to pay the manufacturing costs. Neither Lamar or I are willing to go out on a financial limb and order hundreds of pins with our own money, to find that maybe they won't all sell afterwards. We WILL order a limited number of extra pins for newbies who are close to graduation to Wackodom by early spring. When the supply is sold out, that is it ----- until the 2001 pin becomes available, IF you continue to support this project. You will be able to send us your order and money as soon as we get this delayed prototype to look at and see what our costs will be.
4. "Is it to promote the web site? No way, or it would be available to all. I am inclined to think it should not be endorsed as an official Forum thing and prefer it to be organized by individuals and offered to whomever wants to buy one." I don't know where this idea came from. It has never been advertised as a promotion for the website or even the forum. It IS being run by individuals. We are not being directed or limited by any Forum officialdom. As Lamar stated to them, "what does an official forum mean? We haven't paid dues, met any list of strict requirements. And HL disavows itself from the forum in any official capacity. "We are just us wackos, running this because we felt strongly that WE wanted to help lighthouses and were delighted that you were willing to band with us to do so. And NO, a wacko pin is NOT a "reward" from St. John. Anyone who doesn't wish to participate, does not have to do so. It is your choice to buy the pin and donate. To
answer another comment of a Saint: no, we do not want a cheaper tin badge. We want this wacko pin to have quality. So yes, it will cost more to make than the HL tin badges, but the profits will still be acceptable. We have stated that any wacko can send in as much EXTRA donation as they wish, and it will be sent on to Morris Island and reflected in their tax deductible notice to you.
5. "All of the Saints concurred that limiting access to the pin only serves to create an unfair division among Forum users. A division which might be keeping lurkers from registering and participating in the forums”: We heartily disagree with this outlook! Of course, there is a division. This forum has been around for awhile; and there have been the divisions of Saints, Cruise Directors, Wackos, and Newbies long before I proposed this pin idea. Do any of us feel upset because there are these divisions? I don't think so. All we have to do is post to become a Wacko. As for the upper echelon, the requirements remain in the fog. There are posters out there with a huge amount of posts--DO they become Saints someday? Will a female ever receive that heavenly designation? Is the division as it has stood an unfair one, before this pin ever began? Will I get mad because I will never climb that high? Certainly not; and it sure won't make me upset and I would never think of
blaming it on a worthwhile project like the wacko pin!! And NOT being able to buy a pin sure isn't the reason that lurkers aren't posting. Why not put out a survey with no registration requirements and ask these people WHY they aren't registering on the Forums, or if they are, why they aren't posting. That problem has been an ongoing one. Don't blame it on their inability to buy our pin.
6. "We need to encourage discussion, not racing to a specific number to become a wacko": It's sort of late to change the race now. We are in this "race" out of FUN. Don't go changing the ground rules which you set up long before the pin came along. We don't want lots of rules. Leave things alone. We are all having FUN , and we sure all need more of that in this world. I will concede the point that we need more DISCUSSION. This is usually presented in paragraph form; not in one word or a short sentence. Many posters chalked up those 50 posts quite easily with fast and short replies; while others did it while writing longer and maybe more meaningful postings and replies. I favor the latter as the true test of earning wackodom; but then remember --- no rules to spoil the FUN; only your conscience to know you have truly earned that "Point".
Well, there it all is for your consideration. I am sorry it had to be such a long posting, but I felt you should know the background before you make your decision. Lamar and I sure hope you will support this project after all the hand work we have invested in it, not to mention some expenditure of our own money. Please post your comments on the Forum; and be sure to indicate how many pins you will be eventually ordering (there is a limit of two per wacko), so that we will know if there will be enough to meet the minimum manufacturing requirement. We hope the Saints will also be supporting this project.
You may also e-mail us if you have additional comments. PLEASE NOTE: I have a different though similar e-mail address for the winter ‘til late April, while I am in the South. It is ladylightkeeper@dixie-net.com . Lamar can be contacted at lamar@gs.verio.net .
Please help us Keep that Flame Burning!
The project took much longer on our end than we ever anticipated because we had to get written legal permission from Paul Brady to use his photo of Morris Island; Kim Andrew's permission to use the existing HL artwork/photo of the HL sculpture; and even permission from Morris Island. Copyrights and ownership dictated, for our own legal protection, that this all had to be written out and signed by the owners above and this took time. Yes, amazingly in today's world, one cannot give money away in some cases without getting permission to do so. Because Morris Island Light is owned by a private preservation group and about to be handed over to the state, there were many obstacles that had to
be cleared. We could not use an image of their private property, which is the lighthouse, for our usage and especially to make money from it, unless we got their permission --- even though the profits from the pin are being turned over to them. They had to put our entire pin project proposal and design through their committees and their own lawyer, and this was not a fast procedure on their part---- we waited, and waited . . . and waited, ‘til they finally sent us the necessary signed agreement. This culminated in December.
We thought we were home free, and so Lamar sent the design to the pin rep who in turn sent it over to China to have the prototype made for our approval along with their pricing estimate. As I was by then in FL for the holiday season, Lamar was doing the paperwork and shipping of the design. I called him a few days after Christmas, in great anticipation, to hear how the project in China was going. I was met with a voice of gloom. He had found it necessary to call our pin rep and tell him (message was left on recorder as he was also gone for the holidays) to stop everything, hoping the prototype was not being produced.
Why? This is the section that needs your careful reading and consideration; and when you are done, we need to hear from all you wackos and about-to-be-wackos, by your posting on the forum and by e-mail, before we will be able to continue with this project.
On Christmas Day Lamar received a letter from John Chidester which stated that a Saint had objections to the pin project. St. John decided to send these comments on to all the other Saints for their views. John was acting as an intermediary; and at the Saints' requests, kept all names anonymous. We have no idea which Saint is making which specific objections. But John relayed back to us that all Saints concurred "that limiting access to the pin only served to create an unfair division among Forum users. A division which might be keeping lurkers from registering and participating in the forums."
Now the objections themselves were enough to get us upset, as there is no valid basis for them. But the thing that upset us both the most, and has personally made me furious, is that this happened at the twelfth hour. The design was already sitting over in CHINA waiting to go into production. We had posted our progress enough times that anyone, including the Saints, who read the Forum would know how things were going and especially that the design was pretty much finished. This project started way back in mid-September, 4 months ago. Everyone who posts knew about it. Until this December mess, we had never received any negative comments via forum or e-mail. Everyone of you were most enthusiastic and willing to support this project. If there were any comments or objections, by the Saints or anyone else, why weren't they made at that time? Why wait until the project is practically finished? This is an unconscionable action by anyone to do this to us, after the hundreds of hours that Lamar and I, and Darlene, John, Rod Watson, and Paul Brady have put in on this project. The thing I don't understand is that 4 of
the Saints who are now objecting had shown interest and support by asking to order pins.
NOTE: for the benefit of those new to the General Forums, this project started in mid-Sept. and you can read about it by going back to older threads labeled and look for postings by Ladylightkeeper: "No automatic buzzer for wackodom?", “Wacko pin update", “Calling All Wackos" plus more recent postings. What started out as a recognition pin for those who had posted 50 or more times and were called Wackos, as a fun thing; soon turned into both a fun and serious project, as the profits from the price of the pin were going to be donated to a lighthouse undergoing restoration, which would be determined by a wacko vote. Any newbie who graduated to wacko status by posting 50 times is
eligible to buy the pin; and some extras will be ordered for those still trying to attain wacko status.
Viewpoint of Ladylightkeeper and Lamar: We both agree that this project is very important and should be finished. We are willing to spend the time to see it to the end. But we need to know if you wackos (which includes cruise directors and Saints) and newbies who are close to graduating to wackodom will still support this project by ordering the pins that you so indicated last fall, which was the reason we plunged into
this whole project. We have all talked about the importance of saving the lighthouses but as far as I know, other than your private donations, this is the first organized attempt to help on our part as wackos. It may not be a huge amount of money made, but every little bit adds up and could help fund some repair or equipment otherwise not affordable to a preservation group. But what happens here with this 2000 wacko pin project, will have a heavy influence on whether there will be a 2001 pin and so on, as you have shown interest in doing. For who on these forums in the future is going to spend the hundreds of hours we have, to try and raise money for lighthouses and also continue the wacko pin tradition, if something similarly negative affects their work? It is our hope that the Saints, after receiving my personal letter (forwarded by John) rebutting their various objections, will AGAIN join the rest of us in this worthwhile project. Objectively, there are only a handful of Saints and over l00 wackos and many newbies coming close; and if most of us still want this project, then it should, and will, proceed. But if we do not get your support for the WAY in which Lamar and I are handling this, then we will scrap the entire project--- and the only loser from this will be Morris Island and other future recipients. (You will read a Saint's comment that this pin should be open to any and all, and you will read our reasons why we won't do this. But you must know that in the very beginning we made a suggestion that a separate pin, using a different design, could be made for ANYONE who visited the forum to purchase--- sort of a web pin--- to increase moneys being given to Morris. But we would not handle it. We are ONLY doing a recognition pin for wackos whose profits will go to Morris Island. Anyone else who wants to take on this bigger project is welcome to do so, and that may satisfy some of the Saints).
My letter to all Saints, to be forwarded by John, was sent on January 18. I had hoped and expected to hear from some of them by now, as I offered to answer any other comments they might have and wanted to earn their support of this project. To this date I have not heard from any Saint.
Below I am listing the basic comments that the Saints have made. That will be followed by a condensed version of my rebuttal to their comments. Lamar and I both hope you will look these over carefully and understand our reasoning and decisions; and then let your views be known, hopefully in support of the project.
Here are the Saints' objections and comments which are listed at the beginning of each numbered section, within quotation marks. It is followed by my rebuttal, as written to them in my 4 page letter last week to which I have had no reply so far:
1. "The exclusivity of the wacko pin is not in the spirit of good clean fun and collecting." By its very nature, collecting of any kind, including collecting Harbor Lights, has exclusivity built right into it. We are not all equal in the amount of money we have to buy HL; we are not all equally lucky to find some of the popular pieces that disappear off the shelves; and we definitely are not all equal in being able to find and afford the Coquilles, Portland Head Lights; Hatteras etc. So being ELIGIBLE to purchase a pin by virtue of achieving wacko status via 50 posts is just one more kind of exclusivity. However, here ANYONE can achieve this eligibility without any limitations of money. All it takes is
some time, interest, and effort in posting.
2. "This whole attitude about being a Wacko is completely against the Harbour Lights attitude about collecting." HL loves this sense of competition; of who can get out there and find those HL sculptures. They love to see us post our ideas on the Forum. And they love to see us help lighthouses whenever possible, just as they do. You may not know it, but Kim Andrews blessed our project by giving her permission for us to use HL artwork and photos to create the design; and she has expressed interest in getting a pin for herself. HL knows that this wacko thing is completely in FUN and helps spur on discussions which in turn are most beneficial to keeping the interest alive in their products.
3. "Is this pin project to raise money for lighthouses? No way, or it would be available to all. The pins should be at least available to any members of these forums until the supply runs out." Of course this project is for raising money for lighthouses. Just because it is limited by a boundary of eligibility does not mean it is not a serious intent. Anyone out there who belongs to an organization or club knows that there are certain requirements for joining. Our requirement was that a person post 50 times to become a wacko. This was our fun fraternity of sorts, which anyone can eventually join; and this pin was ours to wear proudly to show our achievement and "brotherhood/sisterhood of serious lighthouse interests." Think of the Boys Scouts, the Masons etc. -- they all work hard to achieve a certain plateau based on specific efforts and then receive recognition through pins, badges etc. We are doing similarly, and there is no reason to look at this negatively or be ashamed of what we have achieved. I am PROUD to be a Wacko, worked hard to achieve it, and will wear my pin with PRIDE. All the better that in doing so, I have made a donation to help save a lighthouse. So yes, this IS a serious intent, and NOT having the pin available to all does not diminish its purpose.
Why aren't we making the pin available to all? First off because it IS a wacko thing -- we started this idea and we are doing the work on it, and the wackos supported this idea. Secondly, from a very practical standpoint: our committee is small and we are spread out over the U.S. We are donating our own personal time and putting in many long hours on this project. We feel we are capable of handling just so many pin orders, as there is much record keeping to do and it will take a lot of time to package up and ship these pins out to you. Then there is still a lot of paperwork to do with Morris Island in relation to meeting the IRS legal requirements that you receive a notice as to how much of your donation can be deducted on taxes. There are close to 600 registrants on the Forums. There is no way we could handle that big a project. We feel that those who are truly interested in lighthouses and dedicated to saving them out of these 600 registrants, are those of you who have consistently been posting. If someone else wants to go out and try to find and contact the rest of the 600 besides you, then you have our blessings to do your own pin project for them and anyone else, and we will even give you tips on how to do it --- but be willing to put in hundreds of hours of work!!!
We will be ordering pins only after you have sent us your order and money. That way we will know how many we need to order and will have the money to pay the manufacturing costs. Neither Lamar or I are willing to go out on a financial limb and order hundreds of pins with our own money, to find that maybe they won't all sell afterwards. We WILL order a limited number of extra pins for newbies who are close to graduation to Wackodom by early spring. When the supply is sold out, that is it ----- until the 2001 pin becomes available, IF you continue to support this project. You will be able to send us your order and money as soon as we get this delayed prototype to look at and see what our costs will be.
4. "Is it to promote the web site? No way, or it would be available to all. I am inclined to think it should not be endorsed as an official Forum thing and prefer it to be organized by individuals and offered to whomever wants to buy one." I don't know where this idea came from. It has never been advertised as a promotion for the website or even the forum. It IS being run by individuals. We are not being directed or limited by any Forum officialdom. As Lamar stated to them, "what does an official forum mean? We haven't paid dues, met any list of strict requirements. And HL disavows itself from the forum in any official capacity. "We are just us wackos, running this because we felt strongly that WE wanted to help lighthouses and were delighted that you were willing to band with us to do so. And NO, a wacko pin is NOT a "reward" from St. John. Anyone who doesn't wish to participate, does not have to do so. It is your choice to buy the pin and donate. To
answer another comment of a Saint: no, we do not want a cheaper tin badge. We want this wacko pin to have quality. So yes, it will cost more to make than the HL tin badges, but the profits will still be acceptable. We have stated that any wacko can send in as much EXTRA donation as they wish, and it will be sent on to Morris Island and reflected in their tax deductible notice to you.
5. "All of the Saints concurred that limiting access to the pin only serves to create an unfair division among Forum users. A division which might be keeping lurkers from registering and participating in the forums”: We heartily disagree with this outlook! Of course, there is a division. This forum has been around for awhile; and there have been the divisions of Saints, Cruise Directors, Wackos, and Newbies long before I proposed this pin idea. Do any of us feel upset because there are these divisions? I don't think so. All we have to do is post to become a Wacko. As for the upper echelon, the requirements remain in the fog. There are posters out there with a huge amount of posts--DO they become Saints someday? Will a female ever receive that heavenly designation? Is the division as it has stood an unfair one, before this pin ever began? Will I get mad because I will never climb that high? Certainly not; and it sure won't make me upset and I would never think of
blaming it on a worthwhile project like the wacko pin!! And NOT being able to buy a pin sure isn't the reason that lurkers aren't posting. Why not put out a survey with no registration requirements and ask these people WHY they aren't registering on the Forums, or if they are, why they aren't posting. That problem has been an ongoing one. Don't blame it on their inability to buy our pin.
6. "We need to encourage discussion, not racing to a specific number to become a wacko": It's sort of late to change the race now. We are in this "race" out of FUN. Don't go changing the ground rules which you set up long before the pin came along. We don't want lots of rules. Leave things alone. We are all having FUN , and we sure all need more of that in this world. I will concede the point that we need more DISCUSSION. This is usually presented in paragraph form; not in one word or a short sentence. Many posters chalked up those 50 posts quite easily with fast and short replies; while others did it while writing longer and maybe more meaningful postings and replies. I favor the latter as the true test of earning wackodom; but then remember --- no rules to spoil the FUN; only your conscience to know you have truly earned that "Point".
Well, there it all is for your consideration. I am sorry it had to be such a long posting, but I felt you should know the background before you make your decision. Lamar and I sure hope you will support this project after all the hand work we have invested in it, not to mention some expenditure of our own money. Please post your comments on the Forum; and be sure to indicate how many pins you will be eventually ordering (there is a limit of two per wacko), so that we will know if there will be enough to meet the minimum manufacturing requirement. We hope the Saints will also be supporting this project.
You may also e-mail us if you have additional comments. PLEASE NOTE: I have a different though similar e-mail address for the winter ‘til late April, while I am in the South. It is ladylightkeeper@dixie-net.com . Lamar can be contacted at lamar@gs.verio.net .
Please help us Keep that Flame Burning!