By now you've already read the email I sent to John outlining the issue, and to which I attached verifiable documentation, completed with the initials of "RS" the word "OK" and "2007" inscribed on the bottom of my credit card authorization. You should also be aware that the ABGA has charged every bill I had in 2007 to my credit card, up to and until my dues. This, and the letter on file stating "I want all my ABGA bills paid with the credit card. That's why I gave it to the ABGA" forms the basis of the claim that the ABGA office failed in its responsibility to charge my dues to my credit card and that responsibility for not paying my dues and thus my "falling out of membership" rested with the ABGA office. My statement highlighted above makes my intention clear. The ABGA acted on that statement to make other charges, but never did the ABGA warn me that they weren't going to charge my dues.

When I brought this to the attention of ABGA President John Jones he called and left me a voice mailing saying something to the effect of "You bring up a valid point. Let me check into it and I'll get back to you." I am told that as late as last Friday morning it was his intention to once again allow me to assume my rightful seat on the Board of Directors.

Meanwhile, on both Wednesday and Thursday of last week John forwarded my email to Robert Swize and wrote at the top of Thursday's email: "Robert, I wasn't sure if you had received my email from yesterday.  Please review the attachments and clarify as to the accuracy of Barry's assertions." It likely won't surprise those of you who are aware
of the inner-workings of ABGA politics to know that at that moment is when this whole thing began to unravel.

On Friday evening John called me and told me that he intended to continue blocking me from participating in board meetings. He said that he'd talked to Robert Swize, Sherrie (the ABGA's bookkeeper), and the ABGA's accountant and they'd all agreed that the ABGA had a policy of not charging credit cards without explicit instruction from the card holder each time the card was charged. (There are several fallacies to this statement, which I'll get to in a moment.) He went on to say, "Barry, I agree with Robert."

I asked him to send me a copy of the policy. He said "I will attempt to do so" but gave me no assurances this would occur and it hasn't to this point. My impression was that he hadn't seen this policy himself, but was just accepting what he'd been told that such a policy existed, though I highly doubt it.

The position that John Jones has chosen to take on this matter is weak at several points:

1. I've paid more than one credit card bill in 2007 with ABGA charges on them that I had not explicitly authorized in the manner John suggests.
2. The last credit card authorization the ABGA has on file for me is dated May 2006---22 months ago. The ABGA has had no problem using that authorization to charge every dime they've gotten from me since that date, up to and until my dues.
3. When I first came to the ABGA board in 2007 and ran into some "policies" of Director Swize's, I asked for a copy of those policies. It was then that Director Swize acknowledged that there was no such policy in writing, it was just the way they'd done business. I then asked for a copy of the ABGA policy manual and was told that no such document existed.
4. In response to the lack of an official ABGA Policy Manual---and thus no set procedure on how the organization did a number of things---on August 5, 2007, I presented a motion to the Board of Directors to establish an ABGA Policy Manual. The motion was passed along with a few initial policies which can be found on the ABGA website. None of those policies dealt with charging members credit cards. Indeed, to this day, there is no policy on that topic in the policy manual and I can find no minutes indicating that such a policy has been passed since that time. While it may well have been Mr. Swize's practice, I don't believe it was ever a formal policy of the association (unless the board has abdicated its responsibility and turned policy setting over to Mr. Swize: an action of which I am also unaware.) Even if it were a policy, the fact that it isn't in writing, was never presented previously, and an exception was made when all the other charges to my card were processed renders the policy invalid and unenforceable.

5. I can't find anyone who knows anything about the ABGA having the accountant that John Jones consulted. During my tenure on the board, I never knew of an accountant in our employ. Former Director David Edens says he didn't know ABGA had an accountant. Deposed Director Tina Owens indicated she had no knowledge of an accountant. Sitting Vice President Troy Veal said he had no knowledge of the policy referenced above, and didn't know that ABGA had an accountant or what that accountant was paid. Now I will grant that the ABGA does contract with a CPA firm to conduct an annual audit of the ABGA's finances. The firm used this year was only recently hired (I believe Director Swize did the background work to select this firm, along with Treasurer Jamie Mitchell.) This firm's purpose is to audit the books
and give an opinion of their accuracy. That's all. They do not set policy for the ABGA, and I believe it is correct that they didn't even do any work for the ABGA until after the 2007 books were closed; after the dues bill should have already been charged to my card so I believe they would have had no influence on any policy prior to 1/1/08.

You should also know that one of the other arguments that has been floated in defense of President Jones' decision is that there is a difference between a "fee" and a "bill" and that I had authorized the ABGA to pay my "bills" but not my "fees"
and that dues are a fee, not a bill. Oh puhleeeezzzzz! That's so ridiculous its not worthy of rebuttal.

Here are a few of the questions that several people have put together and which the membership should be asking:

1. Where is this policy?

2. Who wrote it?

3. When did the board adopt it?

4. Why isn't it in the online policy manual?

5. Has John Jones actually seen this policy and verified its age and authenticity? If not, knowing the rancor that exists between Executive Director Swize and Barry Watts in addition to many of the board members who were terminated, wouldn't it have been wise for the President to have seen this policy in writing and have asked these questions before making this decision not to accept Region 12's duly authorized representative at the board table?

6. Why was Barry Watts not informed of this policy before last week? And if he was informed previously, why did the ABGA continue to charge his credit card throughout 2007 even though there was no 2007 authorization on file?

7. Who is the "accountant"?

8. When did ABGA hire them?

9. How much does ABGA pay them?

10. When did they first do work for the ABGA?

11. What role has this accountant played in the development of ABGA policies? Or, was their first policy involvement last week?

12. Is this accountant also the ABGA's audit firm? If so, didn't they only go to work for ABGA on 1/1/08. How is it they then were the source of information for our policies back in 2007?

13. Is there any chance that Executive Director Swize contacted the accountant and "told" them what the policy was, so that when John Jones spoke with the accountant he/she just parroted what Executive Director Swize told them?

Where we stand at this moment is though I am still the duly authorized representative of Region 12, I am being told that I will not be allowed to participate in the board meeting this coming Tuesday night. I have received no agenda or director's packet and don't know the phone numbers or codes to get onto the call.

On Tuesday evening, John Jones is set to nominate up to ten new board members, who upon approval from the sitting board, will constitute the majority of the ABGA board. These appointees will have control of the ABGA and its future direction will be in their hands. Meanwhile, Region 12 will be unrepresented in the approval or blocking of these board
members. Their duly authorized representative to the ABGA board will not be allowed to participate in the meeting, thereby unfairly and erroneously disenfranchising the dues-paying members of an entire region. Why? Because the ABGA office didn't do what it was supposed to do.

It is really that simple.

I know that at least one post on this group from a friend of John Jones indicates the need for judicial intervention, and I know from emails that some folks have forwarded to John and copied to me that they've used words like "judge" and "jury." In one case a lady wrote: Does ABGA enjoy law suits? Cause it sure appears from this angle that they are workin' mighty hard to promote one (or more?).

No, I haven't heard any rumors as such and I'm not psychic by any means, but all things considered it seems like a good prediction.

It doesn't have to be that way. If President Jones will allow me my rightful place on the board of the ABGA and seat me for Tuesday night's meeting, this entire problem will go away and we'll go forward together. I'll graciously accept that. We've all made bad decisions at one time or another and the only solution is a good correction.

If you care about the ABGA, you need to rise up and tell President Jones what you think. It's past time the members took this organization under their control and we cleaned up the registry, established and enforced uniform rules and policies, and got busy about the business of promoting the breed and the industry. Or, you can leave things like they
are and we'll continue to have mess, after mess, after mess........

It's your call. And it's your call to make.

J. Barry Watts, Director, Region 12 (seat denied)

American Boer Goat Association