We got a letter from Corporate Affairs from the state government.


Dear Ms. Delgers

Thank you for your application to register the Riverbend TDG as a non-profit society. Usually, such requests are easily approved. However, your electoral structures were quite unusual. Our office spent considerable time discussing the merits of this application.

We have denied this application for two reasons:

1. The TDG electoral structures do not allow the members to vote for their leaders. The merits of this two-tier model are unproven in American democracy.
   
   
2. The provision for a special meeting for members to recall their leaders is not present.
   
   

We felt your electoral processes will not allow leaders to be replaced when a majority of members wanted such a replacement. In this sense, Riverbend TDG is not a democratic institution. Therefore, your application is denied.

Your truly

Abraham Hunter

Registrar

Corporate Affairs

State Government Offices


"This doesn't make sense," said Mustafa.

"Can they really brush us off so easily?" I asked.

"Let me make some phone calls and write a few letters," said my father.

One Friday evening as we were closing the restaurant, Stacey asked me: "Thelma, would you be interested in attending a Battenor Ecological Society meeting?"

"What's that?"

"It's a volunteer lobby group for bettering the environment around Riverbend. It's a great social circle, with positive people. We're meeting on Tuesday."
"Why not?"

Stacey filled me in on the workings of this group. Circa 1990, this group had about 1200 members—and were quite effective in lobbying for better environmental laws. Neither the media nor the politicians could ignore this voice. But as time passed, members dwindled. So too did the group's influence.

"These days," said Stacey, "we only decide what to do with the annual fees from the members."  

"And ‘decide,'" continued Stacey, "is not exactly the right word here. Our president is Jane Phail, who was a leader in the society's early days. She decides most things for us. We just agree. So don't say too much. We come for the ‘after meeting.' You'll see."

We met at Jane's house. Stacey read a letter she drafted for our Congressman about global warming. Jane suggested a few changes and the letter was to be sent off. Jane told us of a few changes to the website. Then there were some administrative details about keeping the society's non-profit status active and filing a report to the state government.

Then Jane mentioned it was also time to challenge ATV usage in the Batternor Wilderness Area. The society found an obscure law that required a formal hearing to challenge both the federal government and the ATVers on how this land is used. Now that action seemed to have some teeth to it.  

The meeting was over in 30 minutes. Then Jane brought out a tray of homemade pastries and non-alcoholic drinks that were-how can I describe it-absolutely tantalizing! And those treats opened up a great social atmosphere with all sorts of elevated conversation I would have never got in a nightclub. I gave Jane my $100 membership fee that night and looked forward to the after-meeting of the next meeting.