Originally Posted by
Carl Spackler
Alan, you're clearly a very big fan of DALPA and that's fine. But you get too testy when people point out the bad side of DALPA and there's no need for that. My only desire is honest and open debate. In that effort, I have been threatened and harassed via PM by sitting DALPA reps and administrators. I couldn't care less, but I tell you this so you'll know that history here shows DALPA as the uncomfortable entity with honest and open debate.
Actually, I'm not that big a fan, and I'm sorry that I sometimes come across that way. I have very strong opinions of my own, and I have no issues expressing them to my reps, whether we agree or disagree. My testiness comes when guys make judgments based on incorrect facts, or worse, when they base those judgments on statements of fact of which they have zero personal knowledge.
I am a big fan of the clout and logistical support that being part of a national union gives us, while being wary of there being undue influence from the top down. It is unfortunate that there are some who cannot seems to stand open debate on issues, and I believe that we must all continue to allow differing opinions and thoughts to thrive. The more out-of-the-box thinking we can do, the better off we'll be.
Originally Posted by
Carl Spackler
...there are very few of us with personal knowledge because very few of us were in the room. When that happens, you must find evidence and connect dots...unless you just wish to believe whatever you're told. Your beliefs seem to stem from what you've been told by DALPA. You have every right to do that. I also have the right to believe where the clear evidence points.
With all due respect, I think we both accept and acknowledge that we must personally operate with little personal knowledge and that we both listen to what we hear, find what evidence we can, and connect dots. I believe we both have the right to believe where we see the clear evidence pointing, even if our perspectives and backgrounds steer those beliefs in opposite directions. You seem to have an instinctive distrust of our reps until they're proven right, while I am more inclined to believe them until they're proven wrong.
Neither of us is totally right or wrong in this. In fact, I believe that the best answer for the pilot group may lie squarely in the middle, where guys examine the evidence together dispassionately and with as few presumptions as possible and come up with a consensus conclusion.