Monday, October 19, 2009

This thing called GRP2

Let me put up a starting point for reference, so that we’re all on the same page:
http://forums.vatsim.net/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=42948

So back on the 4th of September Kyprianos Biris posted that GRP2 was a done deal, to be in effect September 1. Cocked, locked, and ready to rock. A few days later, that course is reversed by David Klain, stating “GRP2 needed to be reviewed by the VATSIM Board of Governors”. Not so fast, my friend! Kyp retracts and states that, “it will HOPEFULLY be completed shortly”, and the need a “few days to complete”. It is now October 20, 2009.

Still. Nothing. Not a single word. Now, let’s look at a quote from David Klain. “Bo, I appreciate that you think I and the rest of the VATSIM leadership are completely incompetent. Your posts have made that clear time after time after time. I also respect your right to have that opinion. Can we just stipulate that "Bo Gercke thinks Dave Klain and every other senior leader in VATSIM is incompetent" and move on?”

So, does the shoe fit, yet? Or do we need, again, more time to figure this whole ambivalent/incompetent thing out? Remember way back in “The List” topic, my number 1 issue was the level of ambivalence demonstrated by the entire staff of VATSIM? Status quo for VATSIM is to deflect any criticism, discredit the criticizer, and accuse that individual of “not being a team player”, or, “not having all o the facts”, or some other ridiculous un-founded accusation. And, it was followed to a “T” by Dave Klain. And now, yes, Dave, I DO think you are ambivalent. If you can’t get 11 people on the same page, going the same direction, then yes, you are incompetent, too.

Dave countered with the idea that “as much time as necessary needed to be taken to get it right”. Only to be followed with this masterpiece,

“Personally, I'm pretty impressed that the BoG (spread out over Europe, North America Oceania and Asia) was able to not only complete the review, but also have a discussion and come to consensus on the feedback to send back to the BoG in two weeks. Neither the U.S. Congress nor any parliamentary body I know of can ever act that fast...especially about an important document like this.”
Dave, in all of your self-important gusto, the BoG consists of 11 people. Congress consists of 535 people. I can see the challenges in getting 535 people, in two separate houses, on the same page. Challenges in getting 11 people on the same page? High school football teams do it week in and week out, and that’s playing both sides. This also plays directly into point number 2 in “The List”: Lack of teamwork and communication.

A beautiful timeline was laid out discrediting the absurd allegation that it had taken 7 months to go through this process, when in fact, it has taken longer. I stated that the process started in March, when in fact, the wheels were put into motion in early November. If I still remember how to count correctly, that makes it 11 months, not 7. But, then again, I’m said to be “confusing apples and oranges.”

Since you’ve asked why there is so much “angst” about this situation; Certainly you’re not so naïve to think that the membership of VATSIM is fed up with the antics of VATSIM, the BoG and other Staff members over a GRP document. Time and again, the BoG, and others, goes out of its way to put out blatant lies and disinformation.

Then, when time, plain old simple time, and a little fact finding reveals something completely different, attempts are made to cover it with smoke and mirrors, windows dressings, shenanigans and semantics. People then attempt to discredit individuals, deflect the issue, and distract them by telling them they “don’t have all of the facts.” You cannot condescend to people, call them liars, when in fact they are not, but instead your agenda is to attempt to save your ass, and expect good people to stick around.

People have left because you have fired people from director positions and promoted them to having even more responsibility, and more power, when they were fired for abusing the power that they initially held. This harkens the “Good ol’ Boy Club” allegations, which were deflected, denied, and followed with accusations. The VATSIM conventions were the place to be met and seen. It’s where the pool of people were found who were put into leadership positions. Not all of them, but most of them. When those stopped, so too did the pipeline in which to find new talent, and leaders. It’s not a bad thing, it’s makes perfect sense to meet people face to face. But, those were discontinued because it was “too difficult”.

So here we are October 20, and we still have nothing. Just resign already if you’re not going to perform the job that you committed to doing.

4 comments:

  1. Came across your blog, and while I think you're making some incorrect, and unfair assumptions about VATSIM1, the overall theme is correct.

    The crap such as this laughable joke called the GRP2, and the increased trash that spews from the mouths of all levels of management has finally caused me to walk away from VATSIM, permanently. After coming on 7 years with the network, contributing over 10,000+ hours (offline and online), it's come so much of a running joke that it's now a waste of my time to even plug in as a controller or pilot.

    There are so many political games that are played behind the scenes that make for one of the best internet dramas around. Lawsuits, pedofiles, commercial ventures/profit, threats of criminal charges are just some of the interesting events that have plagued the network.

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  2. Isn't it amazing how the GRPv2 STILL hasn't been released? We've waited 2+ months for the BoG to "review" the document? The document was only a few pages long, surely there must not be too much to do unless something else is going on with the GRP???

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  3. I guess everything must be oh so rosey now. Looks like this blog will die just like vatsim. The other day for the first time in a weeks, I logged onto vatsim to see what the guys at ZTL were up to and I see MH_SUP on my controller list. Mike Hodge a Supervisor, wow. I also see Andrew has that title now also. Proud of you boys, you are class acts. This is the SAME Mike Hodge who acted like he did not want the VATUSA3 position. The same Hodge who said he loathed the supervisor position. The same one who bad mouthed Alex Bailey and said he only wanted to be a Supervisor for the power. The same Hodge who talked and probably still does to The ZID TA worse than he would his own dog. The same Hodge who along with another great person, cook up ideas on how to pump the ZID ATM for information about Vodnansky and Lemke, then one at a time, using their TS "spy" program to make sure he was there, go over to the ZID TS minutes apart and sucker that same ZID ATM into giving them information. Hodge would make it look like he was so so mad at Bailey just to get that ATM to "talk" to him. His "buudy" (who he talked about behind his back also), would follow a few minutes later and make it look like he was trying to calm Hodge down just to sucker the ZID ATM. "You should come with us Alan" they said to me more than once, laughing about how they were having so much fun at the expense of this trusting ATM. What a bunch of classless, self-centered, simple minded scum bags. Now Hodge is what he said Alex had become. How fitting. I suspect if that ATM knew just what Hodge and Prescott said about him, he would not have tried so hard to get Hodge to stay on as a member of ZID. What Hodge did to that ATM was criminal and what goes around comes around. As with most on vatsim, Hodge is an immature kid who thinks of no one but himself and now he has been reward. The next time you are talking to Hodge and he is bad mouthing someone else remember, when YOU are not there, he is doing the same behind your back. Yeah, so what else is new?

    ah

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  4. I work with kids who try to get under my skin every day. I don't let them do it, and i'm not going to let Mr. Hensley (who I still consider a friend despite how he may think of me) get under my skin as well.

    Alan, what would your wife think of this behavior? From what you always said, she was an amazing women, and you my friend are a good guy. In your desperate attempts to spoil my name, you are doing nothing but spoiling yours.

    Kind Regards,

    -Mike

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