[At-Large] [NA-Discuss] NARALO Formation Meeting

[Alan Greenberg]

I am travelling and have little connectivity or time to read and 
reply to the firestorm of messages over the last few days. But as a 
NA ALAC rep, I need to get my views out.

1. I did not support the Vancouver meeting because it had become 
clear that there would be virtually no US ALSs present, and I felt 
that this would be a bad start to a NARALO.

2. Unlike some others, I value a face-to-face meeting. I appreciate 
the belief that people "should" be able to function fully via e-mail 
without in-person contact, but in reality many people function better 
electronically after a face-to-face meeting. I am one of them. That 
does not mean I cannot work "blind", I have plenty of times, but it 
is just less effective. (Perhaps it is an age thing - although I have 
been an e-mail user for 30 years, and a heavy user for most of that 
time, I did start a bit late in life.)

3. If a well-represented NARALO can be organized in time for San 
Juan, fine. If not, the world will not end if it takes another month or two.

4. I support a face-to-face meeting (in Yonkers or Montreal or 
wherever) assuming it is announced in sufficient time for people to 
make arrangement to attend, it does not conflict with other major 
events, and that there we can get a significant number of both US and 
Canadian ALSs (or likely candidate ALSs) to attend (I will not get 
into playing the 50% game though).

5. I would not be able to attend the tentative meeting in Yonkers due 
to schedule conflict.  It strike me that a date in early June might 
be more suitable, but I have not passed this by anyone.

Alan