5/21/05

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On 5/19/05, Jon Herrmann wrote:

> To summarize from those earlier comments- in the end, this may very
> well come down to a perception issue, and a credibility issue. Some
> may believe that the MST removed Jason for valid reasons; others may
> not. Whether Jason's actions constitute appropriate and sufficient
> attempts to address Mr. Strauss' actions may be a matter for eternal
> debate, to note only one example, assuming that Alex was made aware of
> those actions. I really can't add to my previous comments until the
> legal issues that may range outside the Cam and the appeal issues
> within the Cam are resolved. At that time, then we may perhaps be able
> to re-engage on this issue for those who wish to discuss it further.

I know I'm late and that I missed the whole discussion, so Jon can feel free to just ignore this. Let me see if I have this right:

1. Strauss writes something in a terribly insulting tone to the MST
2. The MST, understandably, is displeased
3. Jason points out that Strauss (once you peel off the fat) brings up a good point about the direction of the Global Chronicle
4. The MST gets mad at Jason too and demands apologies
5. Nothing happens for a while
6. Jason is fired by the MST (which is, apparently, within his right and cannot be appealed in any meaningful way)

Is that a fair summary? I can't understand how we don't deserve a better explanation for the MSTs actions. The only word I see from him is so full of rhetoric and backhanded insults that I was genuinely stunned. Even if it's true that they are final, I don't think anyone can believe that the MST keeping silent about his actions is a good or ethical choice.

I want to believe that everything is on the up and up, but after investigating as much as I can, the only conclusion that I can draw is a very negative opinion of Alex T. and the traditional rolling of my eyes at Strauss. Can any please, please, please prove me wrong? I want to go back to naively trusting high level officers again.

Jim (Kunz), your investigation on Strauss, was that just to find fault with the fact that his message was BCCed here, or were you also investigating CoC violations in general for the content of that message? I think it may be a reasonable concession to officially say that Strauss was out of line. Heck, when I was DC I yelled at Murphy for even less insulting choices in tone.

I'm not saying we turn the man into a scapegoat, but a little admitting of fault down at our end could go a long way toward appeasing the volcano gods. If I had received Strauss's message, I would have been mad, but I know him pretty well so I wouldn't fire his boss for it. Still, if this is what happened, first, I'd like to know and second, I'd be able to at least understand where the MST is coming from, even if I disagree with him.

- Donald Sheldon US2002022644

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