tomslusher

About a year ago I was "banned for life" from the webmaster for calling myself a jackass while several of the board members (including himself) and others in the "in crowd" used language far worse. Many in that group want no one but people who agree wholeheartedly with them and follow the "leaders" without question. Because of them I went to Northstar Cachers ( www.northstar-cachers.org) and have never looked back. They are so much more welcoming and open to new people and even opposing views. I see the "leaders" at mngca are back to their old ways. Well, good for them, they can ruin the group if they want. It's amazing watching all the old mngca people joining Northstar as well as plenty of new poeple. I watched mngca start out from nothing to become a pretty good group for awhile, but something happened there. I pointed it out and was banned. I am watching Northstar-Cachers start out too and don't foresee the same problems. Do yourself a favor, join Northstar-cachers and don't worry about the others. thanks, tomslusher sbs

I would have bought it but you lost the sale because of this disclaimer. tomslusher

Magellan Sportrak Map for sale with all the bells and whistles Listed along with all the accesories are the prices for each item if bought seperately at Magellan's web site. Magellan Sportrak Map - about $200 new cigarette lighter power cable - $22.50 1 data cable with serial - USB adapter - #31.50 + $45 = $76.50 1 data cable - $31.50 1 suction cup mount for car - $45 1 swivel mount -$22.50 1 bike mount - $36 1 neoprene case - $18 Mapsend Topo USA 3D - $150 Manual Over $400 worth of accessories PLUS $200 worth of GPSr Unit is in good shape (other than usual scratches, ect.) and works perfectly. I got a Lowrance iFinder H2O for Father's day and finally got it figured out so I don't need this one anymore. I think somewheres around $200 or so would be great by me. If you don't think so, shoot me a price and I'll mull it over. Buyer pays cheapest shipping cost (probably USPS) and I would prefer PayPal. Thanks for considering buying this fine GPS (shameless butkissing), tomslusher

Magellan Sportrak Map for sale with all the bells and whistles Listed along with all the assesories are the prices for each item if bought seperately at Magellan's web site. Magellan Sportrak Map - about $200 new cigarette lighter power cable - $22.50 1 data cable with serial - USB adapter - #31.50 + $45 = $76.50 1 data cable - $31.50 1 suction cup mount for car - $45 1 swivel mount -$22.50 1 bike mount - $36 1 neoprene case - $18 Mapsend Topo USA 3D - $150 Manual Over $400 worth of accessories PLUS $200 worth of GPSr Unit is in good shape (other than usual scratches, ect.) and works perfectly. I got a Lowrance iFinder H2O for Father's day and finally got it figured out so I don't need this one anymore. I think somewheres around $200 or so would be great by me. If you don't think so, shoot me a price and I'll mull it over. Buyer pays cheapest shipping cost (probably USPS) and I would prefer PayPal. Thanks for considering buying this fine GPS (shameless butkissing), tomslusher

Is it just me or is there nothing on the website about geocaching???? tomslusher

Gosh, Tom, I'm sure they're going to welcome you with open arms now that you've called their president a liar in the forums. Hello, anybody home? I'm not trying to get back into their good graces, as I don't care about that (which I am sure most noticed). If I gave you that impression, I am sorry. I just felt I should set the record straight and let people know what is going on. Thanks for the concern though. Have a great Christmas season, tomslusher

Below is a post written at MnGCA forums. Our president has started talks with the DNR and has shared what appears to be all the info with us. I don't know if this openness is because a "vocal minority" forced the issue or not, but it is weclome by all. And he has received many thanks and compliments for the openness. Hopefully we will find a receptive DNR, although I doubt it. And hopefully we can focus our efforts at the DNR, not at our own board. I will thank SB publically here. He claims not to read these forums, but we all know that is not true. So Thanks MnGCA, please keep it up and let me know if you want my help. tomslusher

This is what kind of started my (our) beef with the way the MnGCA board wants to deal with the DNR. The have stated several months ago that they felt the best way to get geocaching in MN State Parks is to do as they (DNR) say and maybe in a year they will relook at the policy. I, and others, feel we need to take a more proactive and aggressive approach and start letter writing and working with legislators to force the DNR to acknowledge geocaching and work with us to come up with a reasonable policy. MnGCA has refused to ask, either by poll or outright, on how we, as members, feel we should react and deal with the MN DNR policies. They have gone ahead with their initial plans even amid some serious disention from the membership without so much as acknowledging an opposing view. tomslusher

This was posted on the MNGCA board 4 days before this whole thread started. It pretty much sums up exactly where we are at. There is no hidden ball here. There are no "secret meetings" that have taken place. Board members do stay in contact with each other as needed to discuss business that comes up, but our first meeting doesn't even occur until December. (we only meet 4 times a year) Let's try to be honest. Following is the post that "started this all", and what continued it was when I asked what we hope to accomplish with our DNR talks and how we plan to reach those goals. pearhead wrote in the MnGCA forums And a few quotes I picked out of this boardmember's posts concerning this I think a reasonable person can see that we have not asked for anything out or the ordinary or too much. We even rephrased several times saying we didn't want a very detailed agenda, just a basic generalization. To that we got no answer. Remember, I didn't bring this back up here, so don't flame me. tomslusher

If this thread has degraded into being about you, instead of your ideas, and you don't like that, you have nobody to blame but yourself, Tom. So far most people agree with your position in this thread, but not with the abrasive way you represent it . Unfortunately for your position, people will tend to turn away from agreeing with that also, merely because you are associated with it...And, to get back on topic, this may be why your Board doesn't want you involved in meetings with the DNR. It's just quite possible that that is what this whole thing is all about. Please read the most recent post I wrote, some of it may apply. As far as me wanting to be involved with the meetings with our local DNR, where did you get that from? I never wrote that nor did I read that. Please, try not inserting text and meaning in my post or my positions. Where was my abrasiveness displayed that was not provoked? Where was I the instigator? I have tried several times have tried to drop this part of this thread only to have it dredged up (I feel unwarrented). Why must you live out this desire to drive me into a tizzy? As I said in the most previous post tomslusher

This is getting amazing, do you work for our local club's board? Or are you just some agitator? Did you read any of what I wrote? I wrote this a ways back up I also wrote this further up I guess I would have to agree with your mother. some people don't get it. If the moderator was "offended by what I said, I'm sure he is a big enough boy to let me know. why do you feel you need to jump in a defend him? I dropped it until ....I'd better not, I don't want to get the boot again. I guess I don't know what else I can say? Can you help me with what you think I should say or what you might want me to say? tomslusher

I'm not sure how much more clear I could have been. I think you could have been more clear (or clear enough) by not using the word "like". That means (in this context) "for example". If you hadn't used poor grammer and just said, "referring to someone as "Hitler" will not be tolerated here", I would have been certain that is what the violation was. Ask your High School English teacher. No need to get snippy with me as you did. Maybe you might want to apologize. thanks, tomslusher You forget the respect thing already? Did you read my whole post, or just what you wanted to take from it? tomslusher anyway, isn't this thread about.... ahhh ,forget it

It's pretty tough to offend me. I spend my days in prison (and they let me out every day too, at least for now) tomslusher i guess that wasn't that bad. How can I hate those smileyface things????

If I get treated with repsect I do likewise. I get a bit "hard to get along with" when others start going after me. My comment to the moderator was a bit tongue in cheek, I guess I should have put a smiley face next to it (although I hate those stupid things, but that is just my opinion). And although I don't think the moderator was going after me, just trying to take a small shot at me after he felt I did the same to him. I had no such intention, and I guess he may not of either. I'm willing to forgive and forget, it's no big deal. tomslusher although I still stand by my grammer lesson

I'm not sure how much more clear I could have been. I think you could have been more clear (or clear enough) by not using the word "like". That means (in this context) "for example". If you hadn't used poor grammer and just said, "referring to someone as "Hitler" will not be tolerated here", I would have been certain that is what the violation was. Ask your High School English teacher. No need to get snippy with me as you did. Maybe you might want to apologize. thanks, tomslusher

You might consider thinking agian. Athough the immediate situation being discussed is taking place in MN, the larger issue at hand is regarding how clubs conduct their business and who they (or who they do not) represent. This topic is worthy of discussion regarless of where we live or cache. Hey Bret: did I just take this off topic or does it need to be moved to the GC discussions? I agree with this guy. I origianally posted this here partially as a Minnesota issue and to let locals know to keep this in mind when dealing with our "leadership" but also I wanted to find out if it was just me or do others see this as a major trust issue with them, or any club for that matter. This is not something I would expect or accept from any club and I wanted to see if others agreeed or if they were OK with this type of secrecy and taking down to. I feel I did get my answer of that while a few are willing to accept being treated this way, most are not and see it as I do. I appriciate the discussion and the thoughtful insight. I will continue my qwest to find out the information that I feel is owed to me as a member, even though I have been told that I am owed nothing as I am not as active in the club as others. thanks, tomslusher

I assume "the OP" is me (original poster???) And I was on a hiatus. Actually I was properly scolded and told to lay by my dish. And while I didn't agree with it at first, after further thought, I guess I agreed I shouldn't have made the Hitler reference (at least I think that is what the bannishment was for, the forum police wasn't totally clear). And while I don't take back anything else in my posts or my recent displeasure in "our" local geocaching club, making a veiled comparison between them and Hitler was wrong. Adolph woudn't have liked it... just kidding. Saddam maybe... just kidding again (sorry, I couldn't resist). So while I am still upset at the refusal for MnGCA to share information with it's members, I will try to respect this moderator's authority and keep comments like that to myself. Again, sorry. I'll try to be a good boy. tomslusher

Here is the latest in the saga. The MnGCA Vice-President actually posted this publically in the MnGCA forums. He was refering to me, a longtime MnGCA member. (AUP = aceptable use policy. I used the word "jackass" in their forums, directed towards myself.) Didn't Hitler say something like this? It used to be a good organization that wanted to advance geocaching in Minnesota, now, I don't know what. tomslusher

Miss eagerbeaver, I also agree with you and Patrick to a point. But these people are using my name by saying they represent me when they are talking to the DNR and other organizations. I would love to see the MN DNR open to geocaching but the way these people are "more than likely" doing it is not the way required to get the job done. but becasue they refuse to show us or let us "in the loop" how am I supposed to feel comfortable with their direction or agree to let them continue to use my name? I truely would love to geocache in state parks, but maybe your right, it may not be worth the effort I am putting in. tomslusher

I did trust then until they refused to share their plan with us.

Anyone reading these forums, you gotta see what is going on with the Minnesota GeoCaching Association. 1. One of the MnGCA boardmembers (pearhead) is in private discussions with the DNR concerning opening geocaching up in state parks. He will not share with the membership what our plan is or what is being discussed. I have been trying to get this information and have been stonewalled. He actually told several of us that because we weren't in the "loop" as he called it by not being board members, we didn't need to concern ourselves with it. And if we didn't like it we could wait until the elections next fall. That we were powerless to do anything because we never voted in the last elections. And if this is untrue and he is not in private discussions, he refuses to tell me so. 2. The board has steadfastly refused to open board meetings up to any members who would like to attend and observe. We have always agreed that we would be more than willing to leave if sensitive issues were discussed. And then they gets extremely agitated and upset when some considers the fact that there could be a hidden agenda. The president (silentbob) posted "I do not appreciate the insinuation that we are hiding things", when they refuse to allow anyone to prove them right by attending the meetings. 3. I have been banned from posting on the forums by silentbob (president and website guy/gal) for calling myself a jackass. This was my second violation. I did a search of our president/web guy/gal and found him using cuss words at least 13 times. And these are direct quotes from him, not him quoting someone else. There are tons of those. But apparently that is ok. 4. And the president is using the membership directory to send personal emails to people (myself) at their home email address that is not supposed to be listed on the website for personal rants against me. I specifically opted out of having my email used for anything other that official business. I wonder what other information he is compiling about us. He has my home address. If I suspiciously disappear, please send the authorities in that direction. And these are the people we entrust with getting geocaching open in state parks. And anywhere else for that matter. The MnGCA also provides a way for people to come together .... From their mission statement. Doesn't sound like they adhere to that either. What a load of crap. tomslusher

Towelbooth emailed me back and informed me that he is on the case!! tomslusher