Subject: Digest for the period 5/23/2007 - 5/24/2007 Date: Thu, 24 May 2007 01:00:01 -0400 Table of contents ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Re: Background checks for BJCP Officers? (Chris Toth) 2. RE: Background checks for BJCP Officers? (Brian Lundeen) 3. Re: Background checks for BJCP Officers? (Mike Dixon) 4. RE: Background Checks (Rich Ireland) 5. Re: Background checks for BJCP Officers? (Ed Westemeier) 6. Boneyard Brew-Off, June 2, Champaign-Urbana IL (Joel Plutchak) 7. RE: Background checks for BJCP Officers (Alan Hord) 8. Re: Background checks (Calvin Perilloux) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Chris Toth Date: Tue, 22 May 2007 22:27:10 -0700 Subject: Re: Background checks for BJCP Officers? I agree that BJCP officers should have background checks. As taxpayers, we pay dearly for Homeland Security frameworks now in place. Perhaps the BJCP could lobby the Bush Administration to wrestle this issue to ground for us for free prior to the 2008 elections. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Brian Lundeen Date: Wed, 23 May 2007 09:33:31 -0500 Subject: RE: Background checks for BJCP Officers? > From: beerking1`at`comcast.net Date: Tue, 22 May 2007 00:25:34 +0000 > Subject: Background checks for BJCP Officers? > > > Looking at the article in the Nashua paper regarding our past > treasurer, I note the prior charge of threatening a newspaper > carrier who was trying to collect on a bill (with a shotgun) in 1998. > > This type of event seems to me an indicator of difficulty > with handling money. Sorry, causing an organization to run a deficit is an indicator of difficulty with handling money. I would say this is more of an indicator that the guy is a whack job that needs some jail time to smarten him up. Brian ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Mike Dixon Date: Wed, 23 May 2007 05:38:18 -0400 Subject: Re: Background checks for BJCP Officers? Lyle C. Brown wrote: > Looking at the article in the Nashua paper regarding our past treasurer, I note the prior charge of threatening a newspaper carrier who was trying to collect on a bill (with a shotgun) in 1998. > > This type of event seems to me an indicator of difficulty with handling money. I would hope that our Board of Directors would consider this kind of history disqualifiying for a treasurer, if not for all Office positions. > > This type of information could easily be obtained, BEFORE someone is put in office, by a simple national agency check. The truth is a check would not have provided any useful information because it would have come too late. Bill was Pres in 1998, the year this incident was reported to have happened, so he was voted into office in 1997. http://www.bjcp.org/boardhistory.html Should we check every person running for the BJCP Board? How far back? Every year? What charges are "OK" and what charges are so egregious that you get the boot? As far as threating a bill collector with a shotgun, I recently had a little run in with a company called Allied Interstate, if it had not been for the assistance of the Attorney Generals in three different states I might have visited with them donning hunting garb, it get's the old attention pretty quick. Back to the bill collector, don't forget that those paper boys can be relentless. ;) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088794 Anyway, the fact is that looking at his background would not have provided any indication that thousands of dollars might eventually go missing, only that he got pissed when someone came to collect a bill. The checks and balances already appear to be in order to keep something like this from happening again with the new budget policy http://www.bjcp.org/budgetpolicy.html and some other recent changes such as the surety bond. -- On another note, more of you ladies and gentlemen should participate in the BJCP forums http://www.bjcp.org/phpBB2/ -- Cheers, Mike Dixon BJCP National Wake Forest, NC ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Rich Ireland Date: Wed, 23 May 2007 07:41:56 -0400 Subject: RE: Background Checks I understand the frustration here... But I don't think most folks would want themselves to be subject to such an invasion of privacy to hold office in "hobby" focused organization. I am referring to a "background Check" and not just a simple credit check. Maybe if this was some large charitable concern or company, and that officer was being paid to hold the office, it would be warranted. I would require a monthly bank generated account statement sent to officers. All disbursements are made via check that must be signed by 2 or more officers. If something still goes wrong, the organization must press charges for the obvious theft! -----Original Message----- From: JudgeNet - the beer judge digest [mailto:judge`at`synchro.com] Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2007 1:03 AM To: Digest Recipients Subject: Digest for the period 5/22/2007 - 5/23/2007 Table of contents ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Background checks for BJCP Officers? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: beerking1`at`comcast.net Date: Tue, 22 May 2007 00:25:34 +0000 Subject: Background checks for BJCP Officers? Looking at the article in the Nashua paper regarding our past treasurer, I note the prior charge of threatening a newspaper carrier who was trying to collect on a bill (with a shotgun) in 1998. This type of event seems to me an indicator of difficulty with handling money. I would hope that our Board of Directors would consider this kind of history disqualifiying for a treasurer, if not for all Office positions. This type of information could easily be obtained, BEFORE someone is put in office, by a simple national agency check. Understand, I am most definitely NOT pointing any fingers or attetmpting to lay blame. I am merely suggesting a way we can all, as an organization, "learn from past mistakes." I strongly recommend the Board consider making a national agency check a formal part of the process for selecting new officers, and perhaps Board Members as well. Lyle C. Brown Judge since 1986 National B0005 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ***** Important Subscriber Information ***** To post a message to JudgeNet, send it to judge`at`synchro.com. Send plain text only, no HTML, MIME, encoded text or attachments. Make sure you use a meaningful subject. Quote only as much material as is needed for context. To manage your subscription, go to http://synchro.com/judge/subscriptions.html or send an email to judge-request`at`synchro.com with the subject: help judge. JudgeNet is also available as an NNTP newsgroup, go to news://news.synchro.com/synchro.judge ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Ed Westemeier Date: Wed, 23 May 2007 11:29:12 -0400 Subject: Re: Background checks for BJCP Officers? Lyle wrote: > > I strongly recommend the Board consider making a national agency > check a formal > part of the process for selecting new officers, and perhaps Board > Members as > well. Just for the record, our Treasurer is bonded. He's a great guy. We trust him implicitly. But he's bonded anyway, and has been for nearly three years. "Trust, but verify," as Reagan used to say. Ed Westemeier BJCP Communication Director communication_director`at`bjcp.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Joel Plutchak Date: Wed, 23 May 2007 13:34:58 +0000 Subject: Boneyard Brew-Off, June 2, Champaign-Urbana IL Entries are now being accepted for the one and only Thirteenth Annual (Spooky) Boneyard Brew-Off The 13th Annual Boneyard Brew-Off will be held on June 2, organized by the Boneyard Union of Zymurgical Zealots (BUZZ), Champaign, Illinois. The Boneyard Brew-Off is once again an important leg of the prestigious Midwest Homebrewer of the Year circuit, and is widely acclaimed as one of the most fun homebrew competitions in downstate Illinois, as well as one of the best homebrew competitions sponsored by a club with "BUZZ" in the name to be held in the month of June!!! As an incentive, while supplies last, judges and stewards as well as Best of Show and High-Gravity winners will receive a limited-edition commemorative tasting glass. In addition to all styles set forth by the current BJCP guidelines, we are continuing our tradition of a No One Gets Out Alive High-Gravity category, with a hedonic judging of any beer, mead, or cider with a starting gravity over 1.070. Details are available on the World Wide Web at: http://www.uiuc.edu/ro/BUZZ/brewoff.html To receive a hard copy of the materials or for more information, contact one of the following people: Competition Organizer: Joel Plutchak Judge Director: Britt Weiser _________________________________________________________________ PC Magazine’s 2007 editors’ choice for best Web mail—award-winning Windows Live Hotmail. http://imagine-windowslive.com/hotmail/?locale=en-us&ocid=TXT_TAGHM_migration_HM_mini_pcmag_0507 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Alan Hord Date: Wed, 23 May 2007 01:58:41 -0700 Subject: RE: Background checks for BJCP Officers Noble argument, but expensive to consider. There are several levels of investigation to consider. * Bonding is one practical option. Personally - I've been investigated thrice by the government for my clearances. The BJCP can't afford that level. Think carefully, wisely. Perhaps "bonding" is not such a far option if paid by the candidate, yes? ~Alan Hord, BJCP National D0354 -----Original Message----- From: JudgeNet - the beer judge digest [mailto:judge`at`synchro.com] Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2007 10:03 PM To: Digest Recipients Subject: Digest for the period 5/22/2007 - 5/23/2007 Table of contents ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Background checks for BJCP Officers? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: beerking1`at`comcast.net Date: Tue, 22 May 2007 00:25:34 +0000 Subject: Background checks for BJCP Officers? Looking at the article in the Nashua paper regarding our past treasurer, I note the prior charge of threatening a newspaper carrier who was trying to collect on a bill (with a shotgun) in 1998. This type of event seems to me an indicator of difficulty with handling money. I would hope that our Board of Directors would consider this kind of history disqualifiying for a treasurer, if not for all Office positions. This type of information could easily be obtained, BEFORE someone is put in office, by a simple national agency check. Understand, I am most definitely NOT pointing any fingers or attetmpting to lay blame. I am merely suggesting a way we can all, as an organization, "learn from past mistakes." I strongly recommend the Board consider making a national agency check a formal part of the process for selecting new officers, and perhaps Board Members as well. Lyle C. Brown Judge since 1986 National B0005 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ***** Important Subscriber Information ***** To post a message to JudgeNet, send it to judge`at`synchro.com. Send plain text only, no HTML, MIME, encoded text or attachments. Make sure you use a meaningful subject. Quote only as much material as is needed for context. To manage your subscription, go to http://synchro.com/judge/subscriptions.html or send an email to judge-request`at`synchro.com with the subject: help judge. JudgeNet is also available as an NNTP newsgroup, go to news://news.synchro.com/synchro.judge ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Calvin Perilloux Date: Wed, 23 May 2007 13:42:29 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: Background checks Background checks for BJCP Officers? You gotta be kidding. I imagine the BJCP could afford them, but is this really such a sensitive job? Since the event in question, the financial management mechanism has been much improved. You can see more details at http://www.bjcp.org/archives.html And yes, there's a substantial amount of money involved, hence the updated financial rules, but there are already brew clubs with roughly as much as the BJCP has in its treasury right now. Are these clubs doing background checks, or seeing the need for it? Then if background checks are approved, to what level do we define pass vs. fail. Any crime? Only financial crime? How long ago? Heck, what if the candidate isn't from here? You want to do a background check on me in Louisiana, Texas, Florida, Germany, England, and Australia? (I reckon I'd be clean, despite a few friends who might set off alarms; I know I'd sure have fun watching you spend forever getting that done.) My vote is no; we just elect people based on the reputation (or rumour?) they carry with them. Calvin Perilloux Middletown, Maryland, USA ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ***** Important Subscriber Information ***** To post a message to JudgeNet, send it to judge`at`synchro.com. Send plain text only, no HTML, MIME, encoded text or attachments. Make sure you use a meaningful subject. Quote only as much material as is needed for context. To manage your subscription, go to http://synchro.com/judge/subscriptions.html or send an email to judge-request`at`synchro.com with the subject: help judge. JudgeNet is also available as an NNTP newsgroup, go to news://news.synchro.com/synchro.judge