From: Jim Gashel 
Subject: Re: Conflict of Interest
Hello again Harvey:
in the message you have posted below, you have now demonstrated to all of
us why it is that you have trouble getting your ideas accepted in the nfb.
who among us has not had things we have tried to "blow up in our face" as
you put it.  that's part of life and part of being in any organization.
one problem you have is that you take everything so personally that your
defensive reaction overshaddows any effective response you might make.  
in responding to you on this subject, i have been trying to help you
understand why your views are often not accepted to your liking.  if you
really care about changing this fact, you are going to have to respond
more positively.  writing a defensive and name-calling response is simply
more of the same kind of behavior that leads to the impression that you
are a chronic complainer.  
if you want to make a positive contribution to our movement, i would
suggest that you back off some and evaluate your approach in dealing with
the rest of us.  complaining about us is not getting you the response you
want from us, so there is probably a better and smarter way.  if i were
you, i would start by finding some things that you can do that would be a
positive assist, rather than a source of dissention.  perhaps it would be
working on a particular legislative issue or possibly volunteering to take
on an assignment in the merchants division.  after you have spent a while
doing things that people notice as a positive contribution to our
progress, you will probably also find that you get a better response when
you suggest new ways of doing things.  
of course, you also have a perfect right to continue with your present
course of conduct, but your approach is definitely compromising your
effectiveness.  you have the power and ability to change this if you wish.  
to sum it up, anyone's capacity to get anything done in almost any kind of
organization that i know of depends in very large part on the image of the
person in the eyes of those he seeks to convince.  anyone who acquires the
image of a chronic complainer, will have a problem until that image is
changed.  the change is up to you, but postings like the one below won't
help.  
On 26 Aug 1997, Harvey Heagy wrote:
> 
> 
> I am sorry you view me as a chronic complainer, but I intend to continue to 
speak out when I see something that is wrong no matter what the national 
leadership thinks.  The truth is that the national views anyone as a chronic 
complainer who dares voice any kind of disagreement with its policies no 
matter how miner.  
> 
> I once did a lot of work for the national only to have it blow up in my 
face.  In 1991, the national and the La. leadership didn't mind using this 
chronic complainer's broadcast contacts to gain valuable air time they 
otherwise would not have had.  Everything was great then.  But when I make my 
views known that's a different thing.
> 
> Denise Mackenstadt is just a sheep, a national wind-up toy, a robot, a kiss 
ass!  She and others like her are the ones who don't have a life because if 
they didn't have others in the national leadership to do their thinking for 
them they would not have a life.  
> 
> A lot of people are spending a lot of money to attend these conventions to 
have input.  I never said that everyone can be heard on every issue; that was 
your distortion of what I said.  But we should have a reasonable chance to be 
heard and to impact the decisions of the N.F.B. which we are not.
> 
> 
> And while I love being a part of the N.F.B., if it comes to a choice 
between standing up for what is right and being a member of the N.F.B., I 
will stand for what is right.  I'm sorry for the tone of this message, but 
maybe this will teach others how we feel when we are treated like dirt with 
sarcastic messages just because we voice a concern.
> 
> Harvey 
> 
> 
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