A Defining Fork in the Road

Here is an e-mail that was sent to me at 8:20 a.m. on Wednesday, August 17, 2005 by a party that will not be named.

I have never written about Brothers' personal lives as the e-mail accuses me of.

As a result, both the NupeNet and KappaForum have been compromised by the integrity of its 2-man team leadership. Both mailing lists are controlled by the same parties.

Power in the hands of a few is truly a dangerous thing.

This is clearly another reason for supporting One Man One Vote (OMOV) as it applies to the whole of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Since the threat of online expulsion has been laid on the table and I clearly predicted that it would eventually be hysterically raised by someone having an Alpha fit, I sincerely imagine that I will be released from any further obligations that I have complied with as it applies to both online forums.


I did not know before, during, or after crossing the Burning Sands that I would eventually become a certified and recognized revolutionary within Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

If this is now my lot and mantle, all I can say is "Hallelujah"!

Any Brothers that wish to read any more of my blog entries or thoughts will have to either revisit this website, subscribe to its RSS/Atom feed, join one or more of the mailing lists that were previously created, or contact me directly.

It has been a great 11 years as being one of the charter members of the NupeNet in 1994, a former speaker at a Grand Chapter session on the internet and NupeNet itself in Detroit in 1997, but this is clearly a defining fork in the road.

I cannot imagine or believe that I or any other Brother of my past, present, and future would expect me to capitulate and compromise at this point in time.

It may be my destiny for another day, but today is not that day!

Yours in the Bond!

*******************

Dear Brother Smith,

I recently noticed that your blog at http://www.yoursinthebond.com includes
references to a number of topics which were discussed on KappaForum or the
NupeNet. You have also included with your blog entries the thoughts,
opinions and statements that other brothers expressed on KappaForum and the
NupeNet.

I further note that your blog is open to members of the public, i.e., it is
not restricted only to members of Kappa Alpha Psi.

This is a violation of KappaForum and NupeNet protocol. Every member of
KF/NN has the expectation that their conversations will stay with Kappa.
This policy is necessary to ensure open and candid discussions.
Furthermore, airing Kappa-internal discussions on a public website is a
violation of Kappa protocol.

I note this issue has been raised with you and has not received a positive
response. You have stated, among other things, that you intend to continue
using an "open" platform so that persons outside Kappa who have similar
issues can also benefit from your comments.

Brother Smith, you are welcome to express your opinions and respond to
discussion on KappaForum and NupeNet, however, the appropriate place to do
this is on KappaForum and/or NupeNet, not on a public website. The KF/NN
Management Committee cannot allow members to breach their obligations of
confidentiality, since this would permanently damage the forums' primary
function of fostering communication strictly between members of Kappa Alpha
Psi. Violating confidentiality in this manner would be cause for removal
from KappaForum and NupeNet.

Please remove from your blog any material that references KF/NN discussions
or includes information or statements that you learned from KF/NN. Please
ensure this information is removed no later than the close of business
today.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Yours in the Bond,

You Got Served!!!

Yesterday's blog entry entitled "Immediate Revenue Opportunity for Grand Chapter: Member Authentication Services" served as a surprise catalyst for a hypocritical and uninformed character assassination attempt;)

After it appeared that the would-be assassin had reloaded since I was not immediately going down or going wherever the intent was to take me, I had to do an online check to see if my deodorant or mouth wash had somehow run out while I was suddenly thrown in a receiving line to meet the President, the Pope, and Mrs. Joe Jackson up close and personally without any prior notice;)

Nupes who have known me prior to crossing the Burning Sands as well as Nupes who I knew would tell me the unconditional truth and who I have shared personal and professional history prior to the beginning of the merger of the Internet and Kappadom in 1994 (prior to the NupeNet) all gave the same advice verbatim: the problem was not mine and my latest online endeavors were being completely misunderstood.

Even experts of the Constitution & Statutes and esoteric documents found me not guilty.

With the "Not Guilty" verdict being read in my favor, I was immediately galvanized and strengthened in mind and spirit.

The term "MAN UP" came to mind and my skin immediately got thicker. Needless to say, I am now loaded to the hilt and packing on every conceivable level.

As the hours away from the Monday attack passed, I had to revisit to determine what was the trigger that made it appear that somehow I was vulnerable?

My 11 years of being on the internet has taught me a ton about internet communications and online group dynamics.

One motive for everything was to throw some mud and hope that others would pile on without fully checking out the facts for themselves and even considering the history of the accuser. A few managed to wander into this territory recklessly and have damaged their long-term reputations severely as well as the accuser.

One cannot be accuser, judge, and jury without putting something on the line themselves.

Just ask Kenneth Starr if he can ever run or be nominated for public office as long as there is a Democratic Party. Others who ignore the warning signs do so at their own peril.

Brothers cannot hope to be in a position to reclaim and re-energize Brothers to return to the Bond or even seek or accept nominations to a higher office or role within the Fraternity when they have savagely tried to have another Brother declared unloyal, insincere, and less than worthy of membership.

The question is what should other Nupes think that you will do to them if they ever find themselves within the noncoveted position of being within your crosshairs?

Don't burn bridges while standing on them at a minimum!!!

Current presidential nominee John Bolton was called a kiss up and kick down type of guy and I see that others have been trying on his shoes unfortunately.

Pride does go before the fall and I will have to take a full day's vacation upon hearing them remotely apologize to me (you do not have to believe me) but apologize at a minimum to the witnessing Brothers within the online forum for their reckless actions and vagrant hostilities.

You know that they received your messages while one has to come to this website intentionally or intentionally subscribe to it.

I will refrain from using your name while keeping the right to free speech about my observations and what I have learned from the incident.

Now that the facts have been revealed, let's proceed to the history of the accuser.

It is now my firm conviction that the trigger was indeed yesterday's post as mentioned earlier.

What I did not realize fully until further review that when I mentioned the following statement would a lit match fall upon a megaton of a highly flammable liquid or drive directly over an IED:

"The concept is called open source.

I personally have chosen to follow the open source format versus a
closed environment in order to provide more Brothers an opportunity to
be connected, informed, entertained, and simply heard."

The analysis of this statement is highly classified to an untrained eye. But within the mind of someone who had the unfortunate and unintentional experience of appearing as a follower instead of a leader when a new website was recently launched, the statement is highly volatile.

Instinctively I made statements that my efforts were no threat to their new efforts and had even agreed to produce new and exclusive content on under their banner while reserving the right to continuing to work independently (I guess that by default through self-defense I turned down the opportunity to "fold" my efforts into theirs as originally requested).

Unfortunately an all-or-none mindset would not suffice for them.

The greater irony of all of this is that the new website uses the same philosophy (more the Open Source philosophy and applications can be found here) while it was advertised with the disguise of being an impenetrable fortress and oasis for Brothers.

I absolutely had no idea that yesterday's post was being viewed as directly or indirectly "calling out" the new effort as being highly flawed (which was not my intent by any means) while I did acknowledge that the post did have relevant criteria to be considered when viewing the new website on other issues.

Bottom line, the new website uses an open source software, files, templates, and scripts within its creation and maintenance. There is nothing closed or secure about it. This is the point that should have been raised, argued, and defended but instead the focus of the attack was this blog which is supposedly available for the entire world to view but having the readership of an informed and interested few.

Yesterday's post was about the need to authenticate members in order to provide greater security in terms of reducing and eliminating "any risks associated with any resources entrusted to the member or shared by the local chapter and/or brother(s)".

One of the primary reasons for consciously choosing to implement an "open source philosophy" in order to advance the goals and objectives of the Fraternity systematically while providing a larger number of individual Brothers a greater opportunity to be connected, informed, entertained, and simply heard as mentioned on multiple occasions can be found within a blog entry written on Wednesday, June 01, 2005 entitled "Write The Vision & Make It Plain!" where it stated:

"The nature of blogs is that they can be created at will, updated, revised as needed, and respond to comments and questions without having the readers subscribe to a mailing list."

People have too much e-mail hitting their inboxes whether they are indeed interested within the topics and subjects received or not.

The open source philosophy online or offline essentially works to keep those who want to know as informed as they want to be versus a closed environment that firmly requires that in order to have a voice, people as well as members have to join a local chapter, follow a chain of command in spite of it consistently producing a high rate of attrition, and adhering to an overall system regardless of it being broken, outdated, systematically ineffective, or even absolutely obsolete.

The open source philosophy allows as many interested parties to add as many positives and delete as many negatives as their creativity will allow without the handcuffs of bureaucratic command and control.

The pros and cons of open source philosophy should have been the focus of the consequent conversations but the real opportunity was temporarily missed.

In the aftermath of reviewing how the new website effort is also a child, an example, and proponent of the open source philosophy, to argue that a blog (that never claimed to be confidential, exclusive to a certain segment of society and the population, or secret) violates some principle or concept of Fraternity that does not exist truly warrants that someone start over from scratch as their current line of thinking is highly flawed.

As Ice Cube said and his words still ring true, "Check yourself before you wreck yourself".

Unfortunately a few completely played themselves and reveal themselves to be guilty of their own accusations.

What does the future hold as a result?

The Nupes that thought that the new website would be absolutely free from the outside eyes of the world have been sadly mistaken.

There is clearly a greater potential for the amount of spam to increase than any of my efforts.

All polls, surveys, and questionnaires that I have added undoubtedly require the skills of a better hacker than what is required to obtain the e-mail addresses of Brothers that chose to become registered members of the new website.

This is the correct argument that was raised unconsciously and unintentionally within yesterday's post and my hat does indeed go off to the accuser for ingeniously picking up on it when I did not.

I never have considered you an enemy while I cannot thank you enough for how much you drove home Christ's words as found within Luke 6:27-31 where it states:

27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, 28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
29 And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also.
30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.
31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

The same is also found within Matthew 5:44-48:

44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so?
48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Thank you for what you have done for me!

Yet I will make another attempt to help you and your efforts with the following recommendation and completely dare you to ignore it at your own peril:

Your website needs another domain name that will point to your current location.

You have received more than one e-mail (because I have seen them myself) to indicate that Brothers cannot remember it or that it has not struck an emotional chord to be fully remembered.

Put on your creative thinking hat or hats, go back to the drawing board, and come up with another name. The one that you have is simply not working as well as you think it is regardless of how you feel about the efforts you are witnessing here.

You do not have to replace the name you have while you do need a better name or else the website will not receive as many visitors as it could.

But in the meantime, I have added a link to your website on our unnamed and undisclosed URL to help you receive the missing traffic you desperately need and want plus insure that our own open source, undisclosed URL is not revealed although we (nor our visitors) will not suffer any damage if the URL was disclosed.

Consider it a friendly insurance policy going forward.

It is fully expected that you will maintain and enjoy the position of standing down and not further publicize this blog as recklessly as you attempted to.

Check and Checkmate!

Yours in the Bond!

Immediate Revenue Opportunity for Grand Chapter: Member Authentication Services

Within an earlier post entitled "The Internet Is Official Distribution Like It or Not", I mentioned the primary assets of each level of the Fraternity (local chapter, province, and Grand Chapter):

"The Grand Chapter's primary asset is the ability to certify that an individual is indeed a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. No other entity is able to effectively compete with GC's ability either.

The Grand Board and IHQ (as well as each level of organization) should never forget this. Lose this ability (especially within the courts due to hazing) and you might as well shut the doors and go home.

The primary asset of the provinces is the ability (granted by Grand Chapter and IHQ) to initiate individuals into membership within Kappa Alpha Psi.

The primary asset of chapters is the ability to select individuals for membership to be initiated by a province."

Over night, a new opportunity for potential streams of revenue from the assets listed above came to mind.

The idea is for a service that has been done in the past on a complimentary basis but I have seen evidence that a paid service has been developing for some time. But one irony is that official members have formed a captive audience and market with the willingness to pay for the service. Nothing indicates that the general public would care to pay for the service at this time.

The service is member authentication where the legitimacy of one previously unknown Kappa is verified by Grand Chapter for the benefit of another Kappa or local chapter.

Simply, Brothers and Chapters rightfully so within the modern age of technology and potential liabilities want to know if a Brother is really a Brother regardless of what personal knowledge the individual has of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

My first thought is that Grand Chapter would be the central clearinghouse to obtain such information.

All that would be needed in addition to the willingness to offer the service would be the official membership number, social security number (if this ever was recorded), and the current address (or zip code) of the purported member.

Two immediate benefits to Grand Chapter would be the ability to know where individual Brothers are always living and the resulting ability to maintain communications with them.

The immediate benefit to the inquiring Brother or Chapter is to reduce and eliminate any risks associated with any resources entrusted to the member or shared by the local chapter and/or brother(s).

But upon further contemplation of the concept, it appears that such a service is not restricted to being provided by Grand Chapter alone.

Provinces and local chapters could provide the same service but their speeds of providing the service might face a greater challenge to them.

Since provinces are the primary vehicles of initiating candidates for membership, it seems that they would have the same information during some part of the intake process.

Local chapters could provide the service as well if the chapter's records have been adequately maintained by past and present Keeper of Records.

The cost of a member authentication service would have to be kept low enough that if the cost was passed on the legitimate member, it would not be too prohibitive as compared to the benefits of legitimate membership and/or participation within any local chapter's activities.

A member authentication service could be paid via PayPal or credit card.

A derivative of the member authentication that I referenced earlier within this post is the fact that Grand Chapter now charges a fee to provide a roster of initiates of a particular chapter. This need is primarily for reunion and/or homecoming activities centered around a particular college or university's local chapter.

The possibility (although not confirmed) exists that a fee is also currently charged to local chapters wanting to know the names and addresses of nearby Brothers not affiliated with a local chapter for reclamation purposes.

Member authentication is only a sign of the times as the membership seeks to become more informed and connected through technology in ways previously not witnessed.

With the creation of more members-only websites created by individual Brothers (especially those that are currently vulnerable by having URLs to be only shared within the Bond), security and authentication of individual Brothers will always be a concern.

But even this entire idea could be made obsolete by Grand Chapter creating an official members only website where simply having the ability to log in would certify the Brother's identity. Such a website should include a photo of the Brother at a minimum as well as a record of past chapters affiliated with (and potentially offices and committee chairmanships held with other desirable information).

Since the revenue stream might be too good to resist, I imagine that charging a fee to authenticate members would occur first.

Yours in the Bond!

Harnessing the Power of the Internet

Yahoo! News has an article on blogging that shows the power of the internet and individuals in providing input for better a decision-making process.

The article includes the statement on the latest Supreme Court nominee process that is still applicable to any organization by Fordham University communications professor Paul Levinson. "But now with the Internet, we're in an environment where all the world's knowledge is available and can be brought to bear on an appointment. It democratizes the appointment process and brings the maximum number of human minds into the process."

This is how any organization could successfully return the power and rights of individuals versus trying to reach a political utopia through representative democracy.

One extreme or the other is not the way to go, but with a balance.

Trying to run a country or organization with the minimum number of human minds (and members) is clearly not the way to go.

There is indeed nothing to fear but fear itself.

Yours in the Bond!

The Internet Is Official Distribution Like It or Not

A recent decision regarding the distribution of proposed amendments for the upcoming Grand Conclave by the IHQ has gotten under the skin of more than a few Brothers.

In the past, the proposals were distributed via printed hardcopy and this year someone made the enlightened decision to distribute the proposals via the official Fraternity's website.

This is a decision that I fully applaud whether or not it can be debated that the stated Constitution & Statutes has been bent, broken, or manipulated. Bottom line, the spirit of past actions has been violated but at the price of maintaining a 21st century organization.

By using a means of the internet, the distribution of any document or multimedia file is an official declaration of transacting business and/or sharing information.

There is no possible need for anyone, any group, or any council to waste time in taking a vote to declare the internet as a means of official communication. No one made a motion to propose creating the internet and allowing various levels to communicate with IHQ within the various aspects and capacities already, so now the debate has already progressed beyond the various levels and individual Brothers regardless of their age and internet usage.

The internet makes a phase shift and a paradigm shift within the lives of individuals and organizations alike.

The decision to not maintain the non-cost effective and inefficient mailings of proposed amendments in hardcopy form clearly saved enough money this year alone to justify a hospitality suite within the upcoming Grand Conclave at a minimum;)

Even though I will not be there, I ain't mad at cha;))

This is an unique moment in history where the actual usage of the internet has caused a greater degree of difficulty within the membership versus the Grand Board and International Headquarters staff.

As members, we should be welcoming such moves versus criticizing them!

On the other hand, this milestone is a point of no return that the highest echelons within the Fraternity will not be able to back away from at all without expressing some statements that better go totally unsaid. Please do not open that can of worms even at gunpoint!!!

What does the decision to use the internet to distribute information regarding to the ongoing rules and regulations of the Fraternity ultimately mean?

Before I answer this question, let me state that it is a loaded question with a question and answer within the question itself.

The unstated, internal question and answer within the question is what are the primary assets of each level of organization within Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.?

The primary assets are not restricted to Kappa alone either, but any organization that has traditionally had 3 levels of operations.

I was wondering a few weeks ago another question that I never heard raised or answered within my Fraternity experience within Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

The question was: What business is Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. really in?

Our motto of "Training for Leadership" is not really the business that we are really in although it has a special place and credible purpose.

Achievement is and always will be our calling card. This is the fuse for each of the 3 levels of organization.

Let me make a riotous statement that I have recently realized and no one can convince me otherwise: YOUNG BROTHERS ESPECIALLY NEED SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN.

Achievement is a great calling card to attract potential members. But it then becomes the burden of each initiated member of the organization. If you are not achieving, you are on the sidelines not carrying your own weight.

This is why we had to change the focus of this blog several days ago.

I always wondered what made becoming a member of Kappa Alpha Psi an extremely high priority for African-American men who had recently graduated college within the 22 to 28 year old age range. But the same logic and rationale stands for older prospects as well although to a lesser degree.

What I have discovered is that the internal need is no different from those of us who heard it and actively responded while attending college. We were just a little more determined to get the need resolved period.

I know that there are some alumni-initiated members who did not have an undergraduate chapter on their campus for one reason or another. There are others whose grades did not allow them to seek membership within an undergraduate chapter. Others did not want to risk being hazed right or wrong. Some could not afford the initiation fees while attending college.

For all of the possible reasons of seeking membership, the greatest internal benefit of membership is that THERE IS AN OFFICIAL RECOGNITION AND CERTIFICATION RECEIVED that AN INITIATED INDIVIDUAL IS NOW AN ACHIEVER AND CAPABLE OF LEADERSHIP right or wrong.

It does not matter to answer the real question of whether Kappa is a legitimate organization to be able to certify anyone as an achiever and/or leader.

This is why and how the statement came to me that YOUNG MEN ESPECIALLY NEED SOMETHING TO BELIEVE IN. In the past, I would usually vote no or abstain from voting for young men with the glazed look in their eyes that had this characteristic trait.

I could not fully support their decision to seek membership because I actually felt sorry for them.

It was a sad state of affairs for me to see someone willing to subjugate themselves in order to be recognized and/or certified as an adult and/or achiever.

But this is the way it is right or wrong. Right or wrong, all of us who are present members have had this same glazed look to some degree. We were either achievers at the high school level and were going to be achievers at the college level, and consequently wanted our track record to be certified as representing achievement (although the social benefits certainly did not harm one's reputation).

The same statement can be said about middle-aged and/or senior citizens who become Kappas. There is an intrinsic feeling that their legacy would be unfinished or tarnished by not having the stamp of approval within Kappa membership.

Unfortunately, these feelings are the ones being ruthlessly preyed on within every case of hazing.

With this being stated, let me go straight back into the primary assets of each level of organization that no one has ever shared with me (or within the same meetings that I have attended in the past).

The Grand Chapter's primary asset is the ability to certify that an individual is indeed a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. No other entity is able to effectively compete with GC's ability either.

The Grand Board and IHQ (as well as each level of organization) should never forget this. Lose this ability (especially within the courts due to hazing) and you might as well shut the doors and go home.

The primary asset of the provinces is the ability (granted by Grand Chapter and IHQ) to initiate individuals into membership within Kappa Alpha Psi.

The primary asset of chapters is the ability to select individuals for membership to be initiated by a province.

Every Guide Right project, fundraising dance, and other activity is the direct result of the primary assets of the three levels of organization working in tandem.

The primary assets is the way that the team of achievement is chosen and built.

Now the threshold that has been officially crossed with the decision to use the internet to distribute information regarding to the ongoing rules and regulations of the Fraternity ultimately means that some of the PTCNs previously proposed are closer to becoming reality months, years, and decades from now than they were when they were created.

It is going to be very hard to deny the individual rights of members any more.

The denial of individuals to sit at the table and in Grand Chapter meetings and sessions where decisions are being made right beside the Grand Board, provinces, and chapters is crippling Kappa Alpha Psi as well as any other organization that does not allow individuals to participate through individual voting rights outside of organized clusters of operation.

Right or wrong, local chapters have served a great purpose in the past but now within the era of the internet and communication at the speed of light, an organization such as Kappa places itself in greater jeopardy by excluding individual members more than ever.

The doctrine of a local chapter's existence has failed and every chapter where a case of hazing has occurred or been alleged proves it. The liability and cost then is burdened by Grand Chapter.

Local chapters are still needed but not without the exclusion of virtual chapters where individual members determine where they will place their local membership. This should be the case whether they vote with their feet within an existing local chapter anyway.

There should be essentially two tracks of membership within such organizations as Kappa Alpha Psi: a geographical based track and; a virtual, network-centric track based upon the means of communication as the internet.

No entity can effectively replace Grand Chapter. As a result, only the mindset and methods of operations would have to change within the Grand Board and International Headquarters staff.

As the primary asset at this level is the ability to certify whether an individual is indeed a recognized member, everything done to support, maintain, and strengthen the organization should reflect the ability to communicate with the individual as it traditionally has attempted to communicate to and with local chapters, provinces, alumni associations (if there truly are any) and Grand Chapter itself.

Hazing is truly preventable if Grand Chapter and IHQ operated more like a clearinghouse like a credit bureau versus a logistical management group.

Create a place on the official website where the public can find out if a person is truly a member and their extent of participation without providing an opportunity for a person's identity to be stolen. This would be a great resource for college and university administrators if we are to continue to exist on local campuses anyway.

Allow potential members to directly approach and contact Grand Chapter via IHQ for membership. Any research on the qualifications of the prospective member would then be conducted by either a local chapter or virtual chapter and then the initiation would be conducted by the predesignated province.

Essentially what I am proposing is to systematically reduce and prevent the operational bottlenecks that have plagued us unnecessarily and caused quantifiable financial lossses due to mismanagement and hazing alike.

Our human resources have been mismanaged because the geographical clusters were not able to be reached with real-time communications on a daily basis. The IHQ staff was not able nor expected to know what was going on at the local level daily. It was simply not feasible.

Individuals who could have made a critical difference at any level of our organization have not been fully able to contribute due to internal politics and the slow moving nature of organizations that require a quorum.

There are more than enough cases where specialists are needed on demand and having to find such an individual through a quorum based meeting is detrimental to the organization overall.

Our Fraternity would more than likely benefit from the individual Brothers who are better organizers of chapters, communities, and coalitions (although this single word sometimes has another meaning within the Bond). Free these Brothers to do what they do best and multiple entities of the Bond will immediately come to light. Reclamation would be an automatic result through their efforts.

But I do have a model for such a mindset and doctrine of existence and it comes directly from the armed forces of our country.

In spite of the lack of any military experience, I am fully convinced that the concept of transformation doctrine could be successfully applied to Kappa and other organizations worldwide.

Bottom line, hazing is terrorism.

There are laws already on the books at every level that reflect this.

Being able to determine whether an individual is recognized by the Grand Chapter would certainly reduce the opportunity of liability for hazing. Such a standard exemplifies that Grand Chapter is in control of its operations through its members versus giving lip service or conditional control and/or oversight.

Geographic Provinces would still be able to maintain their greatest asset within the ability to initiate candidates into official membership while virtual provinces (superchapters) would be created and granted the ability to conduct initiations while possessing the ability to move faster than geographical provinces due to specific interest of the individual members (most likely based upon industry of vocation of the individual members).

The overarching question then becomes whether such a system would foster genuine brotherhood. Based upon our history in its magnificience and our current dynamic (or the lack of one), I dare say that we cannot imagine the benefits and heights we will be able to easily reach without lawsuits, negative press, and disgruntled members.

Global and intergalactic Brotherhood would become a real-time asset only barely scratched by the wild dreams of our beloved Founders.

By adding the virtual component to our organization, reclamation would be easier and more lucrative in ways currently unimaginable as well.

As the past and present membership directories demonstrate, a hardcopy or online directory does not mean a thing unless someone, somewhere is able to create or initiate a two-way means of communication and establish a positive, long-term relationship.

The usage of the internet simply just has crossed us into the realm of remote fantasy becoming reality.

The individual who did it (or directed that it was to be done) should be awarded the Laurel Wreath or another highest level of recognition that we are able to bestow.

The ultimate question now is whether the highest echelons of Kappa will have the continued courage to take repeated steps on this new level (even now possibly unintentionally) reached.

Yours in the Bond!

Stronger Focus for this Blog

I had taken a break from creating posts while knowing that there is specific niche for this blog versus any other Kappa related websites, mailing lists, etc.

I was asked if I was angry or bitter about something and I realized that a better focus will provide a better explanation and justification for this blog.

Our URL Yoursinthebond.com now points to this blog if I have not mentioned it previously.

The byline (Yours in the Bond.com: Balancing Individual and Collective Achievement) now reflects the new aim: providing information on how to balance individual and collective achievement. We will include other issues from time to time while keeping our new focus in the forefront.

The quest for achievement has this unique conflict within each member and it never really has been addressed and each member is left to figure it out all on their own.

The question really are: when is individual achievement more desirable and beneficial versus seeking group achievement and vice versa? Is there a positive middle ground to satisfy both objectives?

I believe that answer can be resolved by the work of Nobel Prize winner John Nash and his principle of "governing dynamics" which was featured within the movie "A Beautiful Mind".

Governing dynamics is clearly not practiced in large measure within organizations such as Kappa since members who usually go for individual achievement are not financial or active on the local level.

But being focused entirely on group achievement leaves one without a family, legacy, and footprints worth following.

There are too many organizational groupies not only within Kappa, but virtually every organization known to man.

You can often identify the organizational groupies by the number of emblems of organizations that appear on the rear end of their cars, trucks, and other vehicles.

Something has to suffer if there is an imbalance.

Therefore finding the balance is the aim of this blog from now on.

We will not hesitate to call out and protest anything that seeks to shift the pendulum recklessly in a single direction.

Yours in the Bond!

Potential Reason NupeNet Has Orphan Status

A Brother recently sent me an e-mail and we lightly caught up on the latest in our lives since the days we were in the same local alumni chapter.

His e-mail included something about the NupeNet being a virtual chapter and it dawned on me about a potential reason the NupeNet has received less than lukewarm affection from the highest levels of the organization.

The NupeNet does not and will not as far as I can see have a Polemarch since the entire group for the most part governs itself.

Even if there was a front runner for such an office, it would be more of a moniker without any real authority and responsibility since the opportunity for leadership is the same for all Brothers regardless of age, years of membership, financial status, etc.

The NupeNet is the closest thing that the Fraternity has to fulfill the Kappa poem "Kappa of My Dreams" and now it is understandable why it gets left outside at the table where the majority of the decisions are being made.

If there was room for a "Mr. Kappa" of the NupeNet, I wonder if the coalition would be all over it;D)

We would probably have to pay more dues or be "assessed" to subsidize the NupeNet at that point;)

What Sense Does Anger and Bitterness Make?

I received an e-mail from a Brother who wondered if and why my e-mails and messages seem to have a tinge of anger and bitterness to them.

Here is the response that I sent him.

There is no anger or bitterness in my comments. It is just an effect
of having taken "the red pill" regarding our beloved Fraternity and
having the balls to press for constructive change by any means
necessary versus preferring the golden silence and "go along to get
along" that permeates the Bond.

If I were angry or bitter as others are and have been, I would
probably sit on the sidelines somewhere away from the potential
responses.

Running away from problems does not solve them. But I do take it easy
in voicing my opinion due to higher priority items.

The vibe of the NupeNet, and overall Bond offline and online requires
a little more than just the same old Kappa conversation these days.

It is my purpose to get Brothers to think and become more aware of why
our retention rate is so low.

I firmly believe that we have systemic problems that further reinforce
the movement away from our stated objectives.

I have placed and will continue to place the bulk of my thoughts,
comments, and recommendations on my blog
(http://yoursinthebond.blogspot.com) regarding the NupeNet and other
changes involving Kappa that would get us back on track at every level
versus the formal levels of organization (local chapter, province, and
Grand Chapter overall) currently in existence.

Kappa is more than just the 3 levels of organization that most
normally consider.

Feel free to leave any comments or thoughts you have on my blog or ask
me anything else that makes you wonder.

Thanks for the feedback and I hope that I have answered your question
fully. If not, please ask for the clarification on any point that I
have missed.

Self-Destruction and Self-Criticism At Its Best

Although online Kappas are not supposed to hint or beat around the bush regarding esoteric information, there is a pretty good flame war going on the NupeNet regarding the Christian beliefs that Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. was clearly founded upon.

As much as I would like to join the fray, I have to stay on the sidelines as much as possible for a multitude of reasons.

1. The debate around our Founders' beliefs and the opposing modern-day beliefs of society and our diverse membership has been raised like Lazarus on more than one occasion and the recent debate seems like a return of the season to bring up the dead horse again.

2. If the collective of members cannot utilize the power of the internet to create positive change and achievement externally, then internal fighting to change the wording of various documents to appease nonbelievers or nonpracticing Christians further erodes the spirit and hope of Fraternity.

3. Being a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, my expectations are that everyone already knows where I stand on the issue.

Here I am feeling victorious on taking the red pill previously as this blog should represents and seeing where our systemic cracks and flaws are and being courageous enough to push the envelope to create momentum and a desire to create positive change, there are forces that rather enjoy and see as our primary focus as wine, women, and song or just throw the gates open for any type of belief or faith just for the sake of not possibly offending anyone.

I will not cease or limit my efforts nevertheless for just as a wind blew the debate in, another one will usher it elsewhere to return another season.

I do not know what or how long I will stay on the sideline this time around, since there appears to be a small contingent that are expressing a strong fight. I hope that they stay courageous for other battles internally and externally.

There are signs of too many being on the down low in body and spirit and practicing other lifestyles in direct opposition of where the Founders intended our organization to exist and go.

Heaven help us all!

Present Tense Crazy Notions, Get Your Present Tense Crazy Notions!

I believe that there must be something in the water lately. This morning a full swarm of present tense crazy notions for Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. came to mind.

During a recent phone conversation with a Sands of mine (someone with whom we were both initiated into fraternity membership at the same time), I mentioned something about several realizations and effects of turning 40 has had on me.

One of them is realizing that I tend to look at things primarily from a systemic perspective versus looking at certain events as if they are isolated.

If there is a problem with the system of anything, my line of eyesight, understanding, and experiences will pick up on it faster than anything else. My value for the endeavor becomes more enlightened or disillusioned as a result. Typically I will desire to change or see a change occur at that point.

Bottom line is that I recognize where we can construct positive change versus getting bogged down in the traditions and values that are deconstructive.

From the various literature, sermons heard, and perspective changing television and multimedia recently experienced, I have been able to somewhat create a perfect storm in finding jedi-like leverage and precision to come up with multiple present-tense crazy notions.

All of the present-tense crazy notions cannot be posted within this blog entry and some will require revisitation to fully go deeper for the real golden opportunities buried beneath the surface.

So let's get started with Present Tense Crazy Notion #4 while realizing that there is not a hierarchy or stronger priority or greater weight given to any of these. The number just reflects the order in which they were received in my mind.

The recent rash of crazy notions to be posted here will have a tremendous, positive financial impact upon the Fraternity as well as for any other organization that implements such ideas and concepts that would be considered heresy today or any other time period without a significant paradigm shift within its leadership and membership.

I do know without a doubt that this blog has appeared on the radar of my Fraternity at its current highest level and I must continue onward without regard to risk, sacrifice, or lack of possible reward or recognition.

On some level, it does serve a purpose even if it is to be used externally to my Fraternity.

Present Tense Crazy Notion #4 is a proposal that there should be both Micro and Super Chapters within Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

Although there have been multiple meetings and sessions of Grand Conclaves, Grand Board of Directors, provincial, and local chapter (and various boards) meetings that have yielded either proposals and/or direct amendments to the constitutions and statutes of the Fraternity, most of them that I have witnessed within my 21 years of membership have not had as their direct intent to synergistically combine legislation with internal revenue growth and fundraising simultaneously.

Sure the proposed and implemented amendments have served us on various levels, but there have not been any paradigm-shifts other than the avoidance of lawsuits involving hazing for the most part.

Let's crack open the safe of what we thought was holy and move some things around (even if within a trial period or limited experiment within a province or certain span of the International Headquarters(IHQ)).

For heaven's sake, even this deserves its own number as a Present Tense Crazy Notion and I will number it here.

Present Tense Crazy Notion #5 created immediately and spontaneously is to allow trial periods or limited experiments within a various province or certain span of International Headquarters (IHQ).

I will come back to Present Tense Crazy Notion #4 before I lose this current train of thought. Present Tense Crazy Notions will become the acronym PTCN as well.

Most of the decisions inacted have been on a permanent basis and never temporary or for a known trial period. We have typically required that heaven and earth must move as well as the current phrase "boil the ocean" in order to get anything passed or rescinded. It has been an all-or-none proposition in most cases altogether.

Why not state up front that a certain decision may be revoked, amended, or revisited at a later date? Why not allow certain decisions to be put into effect within various provinces, chapters, or even individual members as a limited trial test as done by every pharmaceutical company known to man (as well as within the alleys or street corners mind you)?

Can an organization of human beings really ever consider itself as having made permanent decisions? Democracy evolves whereas a theocracy is infinite and permanent (it does not have to change for it is already perfect).

By not having this flexibility without requiring 2/3 of members present at a Grand Chapter for a sufficient quorum, we have limited the effectiveness of an entire organization based upon how many Brothers were typically physically present every two years within a city on a revolving chart--known as Grand Chapter Grand Conclaves.

Even when the Grand Board of Directors have had to make constitutional and statutes amendments, the decisions were supposedly on a permanent basis until the next Grand Conclave and never on a trial basis.

As you might can tell, the geographical and time-based restraints upon organizations is becoming (or has become) a huge pet peeve of mine within this or any organization that is supposedly global in nature.

By having such trial periods or experiments, we can obtain the best of both worlds in working out any organizational or single individual behavioral kinks, idiosyncracies, and unforeseen effects of potentially bad legislation while expanding to the entire Bond only those changes that will be truly (and proven) beneficial.

We should not have the mindset at any time that any legislation enacted will stay in place forever when living in a changing world and/or shield a party or individual(s) or idea or concept until the next Grand Conclave takes place.

Now let's revisit PTCN #4.

PTCN #4 is an attempt to 'play with' (for the lack of a better phrase at this moment) or better yet 'experiment' with the notion of the constitutional membership requirements of our organization.

Where has it been recorded of the rationale and proven minimum required load of membership? What is the dollar cost of administration upon IHQ for having a chapter of 7 undergraduate members and 10 alumni members?

What is the significance of such a constitutional requirement? I just realized that the 10 alumni members might be a historical reference to our 10 Founders, but even this has to be placed on the table as we know that only 9 returned to the yard the following semester due the family needs of one, and the inner workings were mostly created by 3 to 5 Founders altogether.

Most of these PTCNs that are coming down the pipe will tie my favorite leadership principle of M&M together. One M is money and the other M is for members although they can be reversed at any time on demand as needed.

Micro chapters would be allowed to exist without having the current 7 undergraduate and 10 alumni members requirement.

Is it not possible that some campuses, small towns, and/or cities could benefit from having a chapter of two or three in order to get the ball of achievement rolling initially and lay the foundation for future success, keep the local chapter alive or for rebuilding purposes 3 to 5 years later after a membership violation incident had taken place?

Sure, there would be inherent restrictions upon the amount of activity on some micro chapters but there would also be some micro chapters that would either outperform and/or outgrow larger chapters currently in place.

The whole overarching goal of these PTCNs is to fully release growth and achievement by any means necessary and by any measureable criteria currently in place or could be created.

A micro chapter status would definitely not hurt the esteem of members who are suddenly left as the chapter of 2 members as it is currently possible. It would just change the game and flip the script for new strategies, perspectives, and activities to be implemented.

Is it also impossible to currently believe that there could be 4 to 7 members within a chapter that are right now nothing less than dead wood for no other reason that they can be?;)

If the current membership requirements were expressed as being with the intent that out of the 7 or 10 there would basically exist a core of 2 or 3 who would essentially keep the chapter on top of its paperwork, financially viable, or out of trouble with the campus administration, then I would say "Ok, leave it alone";)

But as anyone knows that there will be those individuals that will rub someone of significance (such a college or university president or administrator) or some governing council the wrong way and put everyone on their bad side.

Removing and/or adjusting the current membership requirement would serve as a way to get and/or stay on the yard while allowing room and opportunity for future growth.

Another rationale is that the current route of expanding membership to a new campus or city is full of potential opportunities for hazing or misinterpretation of the expectations of what "Good Kappas are supposed to be about".

Why allow someone or some group the opportunity to plant weeds instead of seeds?

Why put the weight of a burden on the shoulders of someone (new or inexperienced members) incapable or unable to know how to remove it?

Peer pressure has done more to kill our organization than to motivate it.

But peer pressure can be turned around if one cares enough to use it as a medium.

Micro chapters could work (please note that I said could) well for both the undergraduate and alumni levels of membership.

They also could fail miserably and possibly no worse than what was experienced in Florida recently. It was a situation that screamed out for micro chapters if I have ever heard of one.

But even in the case of failure, the failure and damage would be minimized (with a few members) while the potential upside is limitless.

Dynamic micro chapters would indeed grow and attract quality members. In fact, there would clearly be a need for micro chapters to keep an internal journal or blog (viewable by worldwide Fraternity members only--various access issues could be determined later) of some type to discuss ways of dealing with growth and decay (although this could be a PTCN, I'll fry other fish first).

There is already a paid, officially-sanctioned role regarding undergraduates within our Fraternity to handle such activity and information.

If there is a consideration that micro chapters would not be conducive environments for Brotherhood, just ask anyone that was in such an environment like a line of 2 or any other scenario imaginable.

The focus is that micro chapters would not be expected to remain micro chapters for long.

On the other end of the spectrum, super chapters would be able to extend their reach and depth all at once.

The military model for organizational structure would be used for super chapters especially and expanded throughout the Bond.

Super Chapters theoretically might cooperate, compete with, or replace provinces as they are currently called and known as. Or better yet, why not allow provinces the responsibilities and authority that I am about to suggest for super chapters?

Super Chapters would be able to organize and deploy themselves anywhere worldwide based upon actual and perceived need without requiring prior permission from Grand Chapter.

One central theme surrounding the recent PTCNs is that successful chapters and individual members should be given incentives and additional rights and privileges for positive performance and achievement than what they are used to now.

Numerical size alone would be only one criteria in determining what is a super chapter (although it is the first within this proposal).

There are several provinces that are more than capable enough already and should be encouraged to branch out beyond their current geographical boundaries.

Maybe it is the case that the boundaries are not fully enforced or even exist but that the provinces have essentially believed that they exist based upon their actions.

But a super chapter would be able to have a meeting, event, or service program comparable to a provincial meeting now within any city it desires at anytime it desires.

Such events would be open to current members regardless of their current residence or membership or chapter affiliation.

Currently, provinces are simply bloated and overweight without any incentives to improve other than the number of Grand Chapter officers and appointments they have in comparison to other provinces as well as coverage within The Journal.

Super Chapters would be able to go anywhere and do anything to elevate the status and welfare of the Fraternity.

One criteria for such a status as super chapters would be the financial contributions to Grand Chapter (versus provincial dues currently paid).

Create a license for a super chapter based upon the number of members and/or affiliated chapters as well as their payment of a super chapter fee (or license) and let them demonstrate their worth worldwide.

The super chapter would be able to receive or assess a membership fee from its individual or chapter members as well.

For example, a super chapter from Michigan would be able to hold a regional meeting in Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles, or even within the Caribbean for members to attend workshops, award ceremonies, things normally done by provinces now, and donations to charities (regardless of charity presence locally, regionally, or nationally).

Such an event would stimulate the Fraternity worldwide and offer the opportunity for more diverse opinion, strategies, and oversight of activities than current provinces would have the capability and capacity for now.

There is more to come on PTCN #4 and other PTCNs already known.

I personally like to release each blog entry as soon it reaches a point of fatigue on my part and/or potential usefulness;)

Please share your thoughts and feedback!

Yours in the Bond!

Present Tense Crazy Notion #3, But Somebody Already Beat Me To The Punch;)

During or near the end of my last post (Present Tense Crazy Notion #2), the follow up crazy idea popped into my head but I did not have the strength to go on.

Lo and behold while it was still within my spirit, I saw a couple of websites this past weekend that informed me that it had already happened and is still going on to a certain degree.

There are more than a few dirty secrets not just within Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. but within all fraternities period. Then again, we must add the full slate of sororities to the accused mix as well.

There are more than a few episodes of directly and indirectly colluding together to maintain interorganizational harmony. Within such episodes, the mentality is that if we stay away from certain areas, then others who might become our competition would stay away from ours. It is truly, "Don't touch ours and we will leave yours alone".

I must admit that I never considered this idea until recently realizing that we are living within an age that nothing about our present sense of being organized human beings is untouchable.

Therefore what was accepted as the norm is now being placed on the table for discussion for possible change, rearranging, and further development.

When I saw the websites, I saw another one regarding an identical situation with Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. that mentioned that the Interfraternity Council (IFC) legal counsel had advised its member organizations that "little sister organizations" should be immediately disbanded due to placing the organizations at risk of legal liability.

It says specifically:

"According to the IFC (The InterFraternity Council, governing body for white fraternities), auxiliary groups posed a threat to the single-sex status of Greek organizations which, under the U.S. Civil Rights Act, are allowed to discriminate against members of the opposite sex. But that status may be whittled away in the courts if Greeks maintain organizations of the opposite sex that perform many of the activities of a full member, such as paying dues and helping with pledging, while not enjoying full membership. This fear is underscored by a Nebraska court case in which a little sister (for a white fraternity) sued for, and won, membership in her fraternity because she was engaged in the same activities as the brothers."

Legal liability is the greatest fear of all modern-day Greek-letter organizations. Just mention to an officer the possibility of the group being sued, and the Red Sea that appears within the organization will suddenly open.

Organizational behavior, mindsets, and previous internal doctrine will suddenly rearrange themselves in efforts combining both disciplined order and suicidal chaos to stay alive and unfortunately, remain within the same terrible shape that the organizations currently exist.

Let me end the building suspense and confirm the idea within some minds by simply showing the link that have photos to visually express Present Tense Crazy Notion #3:

http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/Vines/8490/kappkitt.html

Here is a link that revealed to me the extent at which young ladies have organized themselves within the aftermath of being left alone until the next fundraiser, social event, or service program is undertaken.

I have saved the images to my hard drive just for future reference in case the website suddenly disappears.

The impact of this Present Tense Crazy Notion #3 is that there are fraternity brothers who will say to themselves "If this is going to be the case, I might as well go to church and avoid having to pay dues".

My Brothers, this is the direction that you as an individual are clearly going in by force or by choice.

The gates of maintaining secret and separate organizations are going to fall by choice or by force.

My thoughts on this later. This is not a proposal at all, but just an identification of an idea that I myself would have never considered before. The rationale and pros and cons must be very interesting though.

Yours in the Bond!

New Entity with Kappa: Key Brothers!!!

I just saw an e-mail regarding the distribution of proposed changes to the Constitution and Statutes.

It mentioned:

"1. Distributed via email to any and all addresses on file of those
listed above.
2. Distributed through the next edition (Special Conclave Edition) of
the Confidential Bulletin.
3. Posted on the Grand Chapter Website.
4. Distributed via email to our current list serve and key Brothers to
distribute as appropriate."

Number 4 mentioned "Key Brothers" as if there is a current or potential need to restrict or guarantee the publication of potential changes affecting the entire Body to a critical few members.

This is clearly a Freudian slip that indicates the real need for the concept of "One Man One Vote".

If it is remotely considered that the masses may not fully be informed through the current means of internal news distribution, then we shall keep the core informed by those who have been preselected or judged to be efficient to inform the financial and active core.

What is not said is speaking too loud that we cannot hear what is said.

Where is the statement of the need to inform everybody?

Have we advanced to a state of financial strength to have effectively and agreeably write off an untold number to wine, women, and song? Have we thrown in the towel to say that they are unworthy, unlikely, and unnecessary?

Yours in the Bond!

Present Tense Crazy Notion #2: Kappa-Span

My first present tense crazy notion was proposing that our Fraternity turn itself inside out in terms of what has been generally accepted as esoteric as a goodwill gesture to provide mankind a vehicle for greater achievement.

I was against and still am against any present day information that has been classified as esoteric being sold or revealed in a forceful manner.

If the esoteric information is going to be revealed, we should be the ones to keep our destiny within our hands and do it ourselves versus being forced to do so.

By choice versus by force is the essence of my proposal and I cannot foresee anything to change this perspective.

With this disclaimer being made, here is my Present Tense Crazy Notion #2. It should knock anyone out of their seat and raise individual and collective blood pressures in the short-term but not in the long-term.

Hopefully any dissenters will still see my love for the Fraternity throughout the proposal;)

As a matter of fact, the idea raised my own blood pressure before I asked myself the question "Why not?"

So here it is with one more disclaimer as to the rationale behind it.

Granted, I know that it may not work in every situation and for every individual Brother, but it may do so within some settings for sure. The situations where it could work would be worth the effort of it all.

The idea is that after the initial opening for meetings of all levels, the meeting itself should be recorded so that members can play the meetings back on devices such Apple iPods.

I would have fought this idea myself and others might be inclined to do so now as the idea reeks of potential abuse by Brothers not currently attending meetings as they currently exist.

You know how hard and impossible it is to herd cats and Kappa Brothers are no different;)

Yes, there is a certain psychographic profile that would ask themselves and others why should they pay dues and be present for a meeting when they can get it as an podcast?

But at the same time, there have been Brothers for ages that told a third party such as a spouse or girlfriend or other party that they were going to be attending a fraternity meeting and were engaging in unknown business elsewhere;)

Can I get an Amen?

I have held virtually every office of leadership within the local chapters I have been a member of. I know that the 80-20 rule is strictly adhered to by every organization mankind has witnessed on earth.

But at the same time, recording the meetings would have the impact directly on the Bond itself of directly and indirectly recognizing who is helping, leading, and pushing the chapter forward as well as who is being a hindrance, anus, and demoting chapter morale and effectiveness.

Could it be possible that everyone might take up too much time in expressing their thoughts, positions, comments, memory of the good old days on the yard, running them ****, and pontification on various issues simply because there is a recording device rolling?

But isn't this is what is happening now without recording devices being present?;))

Who has not had to endure someone slipping into a near Alzheimer moment and relive their past glorious days? Who has not burdened a meeting with such instances themselves;)

Have we progressed to the point where we are taking ourselves too seriously and failing to be able to laugh at ourselves?

Are we totally incapable of being wrong, silly, or self-deprecating?

This moment I am reminded of the various young princes within the movies "Gladiator", "Braveheart", and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy as well as other cinematic experiences that would have preferred death versus being potentially seen as weak.

But we know from viewing them as outsiders that what they were afraid of being perceived is what they were already carrying and demonstrating as a clearly identifiable characteristic.

There was a principle that I learned as an undergraduate member and have preached and practiced it ever since as it relates to individual and organizational achievements.

Most individuals and organizations are either concerned with Image or Performance.

My undergraduate chapter Mu Theta practically slaughtered the entire campus and other BGLOs to run the yard with steel gloves with this concept.

If the supposed competition is heavily focused on their image and considers themselves untouchable as a result of their opinions about themselves, then flip the script and focus on the undeniable performance benchmarks to identify who is really number one.

Then as the performance is being certified within official and unofficial recognition, the image suddenly leapfrogs ahead at warp speed and you can then coast a little bit based upon your newly discovered and earned momentum.

This principle allows either an individual or an organization to maximize its resources versus experiencing feast or famine when implemented.

Image and Performance are essentially like two convicts chained together on a chain gang making a jail break from the prison of failure or two closely-aligned teammates running a three-legged race;)

Another reason to implement this Present Tense Crazy Notion #2 is that it would very effectively serve as a calling card for potential members (existing Brothers) to join
various chapters (if a choice is possible) when moving to a new city.

Using this concept for a noninitiated individual is a sacred cow within my own mind that I am not ready to kill yet;)

Someone has to pay some dues to sing the blues as the old beer commercial said;)

But if I were moving to a new city and the mp3 files of the various meetings of chapters were available, one could say that the listener could and would very easily identify where the action of progressive achievement (or lack of it) really is.

One could identify which chapters match my current demographic profile, lifestyle, and mindset as well as where one may potentially make the greatest impact (strong, progressive Brother joining a chapter in decline or stagnant).

I know that there would also be some extremely clever jokes or lines about various statements made within various chapters such as "this statement is going to be off the record", "I move to strike the previous comment", and/or "don't tell anyone that I said" etc.

But isn't this what technology can do for the Bond overall?

Isn't it possible that more Brothers might become more interested within individual Brothers, Chapters, and/or Provinces other than their own?

Who as a responsible chapter officer would not listen to sound recordings of other chapters possessing a reputation of both image and performance worthy of emulation?

Although the crazy notion could be expanded to video, I am not sure if one could drive safely and look at Kappa-Span at the same time:D

I just discovered the phrase for this concept and have entered it within the subject line as a result. C-Span is essentially the model while the concept initially proposes audio recording only.

Brothers who dip into meetings and slip out would have a grace period still in effect with audio that would totally expire with video;))

But who knows whether someone would go as far as to digitally use CGI effects to make Brothers active, inactive, present, or absent;)

We can have fun with the concept as well!!!

The concept in its present form suggests that we could reclaim and retain more contributors than we have historically done so.

I wonder if it will become possible for another organization to beat us to the punch in implementing such an idea.

But as it relates to Grand Chapter and the IHQ, this concept would be a significant, paradigm-shifting, and raison d'etre for individuals to remain financial AND active members.

It could be said that such recordings might be a such source of both revenue and enjoyment just like songs are for record labels. The Fraternity should immediately seek to be the central and exclusive source for such content and chapters would upload their meetings to a secure server owned or leased by GC accessible to IHQ.

Financial Members would be able to download their own chapter's files free while having to pay a small fee to obtain content from other chapters.

This concept is already expanding while creating this post alone!!!

There is nothing that should prevent this idea from being implemented in the course of a year or less!

The idea could be now expanded to video now as it relates to various events, fundraisers, Guide Right programs, etc.

We would have Kappa TV as a technology and concept currently being tossed around as IPTV (Internet Protocol Television). Here are the Google results for the acronym and phrase for more links!

Who knows how many photo-opportunity seeking Bruhs would rejoin and become more active (financially and otherwise) after they consistently saw the Bond in video;D

Better yet, this crazy notion would serve to reduce the short and long-term strain on Brothers in reading the official publication known as The Journal.

Since The Journal is sent to financial members, receiving highlights or limited access could be granted to unfinancial members.

The editors and contributors of The Journal would be able to use their skills in video format and other Brothers with experience in producing audio, video, and textual content would have a magnetic forum that would effectively provide a call to arms for them to utilize their skills and talents.

Granted, not every Brother or level of organization would be able to be as effective in using multiple multimedia formats. But starting with one and expanding their effectiveness to other formats would be a great reason to stay Bonded.

No struggle, no progress.

This concept would also serve to document a lot of the history that we are missing at the micro levels of Kappa. Because we miss the fine details, we suffer the consequences at the macro level and vice versa.

We could also seek to quickly recover any tangible and intangible assets upon Brothers joining the Chapter Invisible and prevent situations like the recent copy of the Ritual on eBay.

Furthermore, the idea and present-tense crazy notion #2 heavily leans on the notion and question of why are we tying down multiple Brothers and lifestyles with the mundane processes found within present-day meetings anyway? Is it not possible that the concept of fraternity meetings could be revamped and made more productive by conducting business faster than the speed of light via e-mails, conference calls, and other technology and leave the meetings to a low-tech concept of focusing exclusively on pure Brotherhood?

Isn't that what the word Fraternity is all about anyway?

Would impact would this have on reclamation? Are present-day meetings too much of a sacred cow to be considered as a reason for a great BBQ cookout (there is a book entitled Sacred Cows Make Great Hamburgers)?

I'm looking forward to either comments on the original and derivative forms of the Present Tense Crazy Notion #2.

If there are no comments, then regardless I will know that there will be a day where Kappa-Span or Kappa TV will come to pass in one form or another.

To this end, I shall be satisfied with the incremental steps of achievement witnessed as a result of this blog entry.

Here is a link to a blog entry that I created on my personal blog on why organizations and the upper echelons of government such as Grand Chapter and IHQ should not overlook how and why individuals are using technology to create disturbing change within society.

Yours in the Bond!

Thank God for An Official Response....Finally!!!

There has been a breakthrough and the esoteric information is no longer available for sale on ebay.

An e-mail from the Grand Polemarch Samuel Hamilton has been forwarded to several mailing lists where the subscribers are predominantly Kappas.

I just checked the Official website for Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. and there are no direct links to the e-mail itself.

But upon doing a search for the e-mail with the word "eBay", the link and URL of the message does appear.

What point am I leading to or trying to reference as subtle as I possibly can?

The point is that if you did not know of the situation through other means or somehow witness the issue being raised in your online or offline presence, then you are the kind of person that the concept policy of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is supposed to protect.

I congratulate our leadership for doing the right thing in making the request of eBay to remove the item from the eBay marketplace. I know that the process was not a simple one as the maze of corporate America can be a death-trap laced with all kinds of boobies of misinformation and speaking to the wrong personnel.

What is still missing from the situation is the applied foresight and wisdom to recognize the system that brought the issue to the table in the first place.

The issue was raised by a very alert Kappa Brother on the internet mailing list called NupeNet. The issue was not raised within a formal meeting of any kind. It did not require the approval of a quorum. It was not sanctioned as an official Kappa means of communications.

Our top tiers of leadership have been extremely reluctant to give any recognition to the NupeNet other than as a nuisance or a group of renegade, trash-talking, but inactive and unfinancial group of Kappas with a internet connection since the NupeNet was in its embryonic years in 1994.

The former opinion is totally subjective by the infected bureaucrats within our Bond and the latter opinion is farthest from the truth as any congregation of members is possible.

Granted, no one would normally and formally recognize the telephone system or the fax machine as being vital for bringing such an issue to IHQ's attention, but we're not talking about inanimate objects here--we're talking about living, walking, and talking human being members!

This is the lesson and motivation that has been missing within the upper and larger levels of our organization.

I do not know if the Brother who first saw the auction and information is active or financial. But I do know that he felt more comfortable in using the wisdom of a crowd such as the NupeNet versus determining whether or not his observation would be victorious after running the gauntlet of a committee, board of directors, chapter, etc.

The moment the NupeNet and internet were identified as additional venues for the Bond, they should have been fully embraced versus being identified as a potential threat.

Instead of worrying whether or not an opinion of an elected position might be misconstrued and placed on the internet, the NupeNet should have been used as a platform and microphone to express the thoughts and visions that all Kappa men should aspire to.

Such forums should be aggressively used at all costs and even to the potential cost of being misunderstood, underappreciated, and totally ignored.

Who knows how many incidents of hazing and other inappropriate activities on both an individual or collective level could be prevented, corrected, and repaired versus until waiting after the fact to do damage control within the media and with attorneys present.

Here is what I want to see:

Every Kappa Brother who feels that they are qualified to be recognized as a Man of Achievement and/or seek higher roles within our Grand Fraternity should have a blog at a minimum.

I want to know your thoughts, opinions, history, and other information about your life before and since joining Kappa prior to hearing your name upon the lips of other Brothers affiliated with your Chapter and Province who are suddenly pushing you as a candidate for office.

Cream does rise to the top and it should not take the years that many have paid their dues to get the placements that they have. I know that many will want the current system to remain in place, but there are ideas and concepts that will truly take us to the next level but are going unnoticed, unnutured, and kicked out like food poisoning just because a certain individual or group has not endorsed them.

The proposal and request for more individual Kappa blogs also should work to identify and forewarn the membership of those who are more interested in giving their resumes a shot of steroids while not being sincerely and totally concerned for the greater welfare of the Bond and the communities in which we inhabit.

The parade of resume and photo-opportunity seeking card carrying members have reverberated throughout the years in the physical forms of hazing, and other nonproductive activities less than the noble cause of achievement.

You may think that they are not connected, but these dots really are.

I will call this concept Kappas Who Blog and it does not mean that every Kappa man who has a blog is interested in later being a candidate for an office, but that each and every Kappa Man does indeed have a voice whether or not the voice is popular and accepted within various levels of our organization.

I will create a link on this blog if and when I am notified of your blog's existence.

There are proposals that will be just as paradigm shifting and initially viewed as heresy just as the statements of noted scientists, philosophers, and theologians have been. But without seeking the wisdom of the crowd of Kappa, we are reduced to suffer the benefit of the legislations and guidance of the short-term focused and true-degenerative concept called "The Coalition".

There is a mailing list of Kappas entitled "Jobs for Kappas" (I think) that has been just as successful as the NupeNet (or possibly more financially lucrative).

I do not know whether this list has been given an official status, but as the past has indicated, such usages to connect the masses have been given the cold shoulder.

Again, thanks for work involved to remove the esoteric information. Now just work a little harder to make a greater difference on the micro and macro levels of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.

But since no formal appreciation for the NupeNet will take place, the NupeNet will have to appreciate its existence and unofficial appreciation and recognition found within the Grand Polemarch's message where he said " I call upon all of our members to forward any and all information containing esoteric material to International Headquarters for safe keeping" (bold font added).

Yours in the Bond!


Bibliography:

Neophyte Fever: Wishful Thinking or Simple Maturity?

At times it seems that I wish that I could regain the neophyte fever that I was infected with upon crossing the Burning Sands back in 1984.

I wish that I could find the enthusiasm to drive for multiple hours on end in a simple search for others who shared a rich and glorious history with me in our Founders, innermost secrets, and methods of operating and undeniable victories.

I wish that I could be just as proud of another chapter's flyers for a dance, Guide Right programs, and attractions of a huge crowd for an event as I was for my own chapter.

But those days are gone with the era of a Sony cassette walkman;(

Those days were quietly ushered away moment by moment when I witnessed the transactions of smoke-filled rooms loaded with plenty of mirrors.

When I saw that another Brother would not be allowed to run for provincial office when the nominating chairman had his credentials in plenty of time, those days were taken away.

When I saw that regardless of what had successfully passed within a committee would create a sudden emergency and rapid transactions of scratch my chapter's back and we'll get yours in return, those days were taken away.

When I saw that in spite of what politically may have been legitimate and serve an actual purpose for a greater good at another time and place within the same closed door, backdoor and hallway moments become tainted, corrupt, and laced with envy, jealousy, and illwill, those days were taken away.

When I saw a former national officer insist on being elevated to a near-Founder status, those days were taken away.

When I saw that it was more proper for silence to speak lies and imply truth instead, those days were taken away.

When I saw the repeated excuse for nonattending members to steal moments with another lover while leaving the organizational burden upon others, those days were taken away.

When I saw the utter humanity being exposed within a group that I held in esteem of superheroes, those days were taken away.

In light of the fact that we are all human and all make mistakes, one may wonder why do I still extend the courtesies of brotherhood, goodwill, and esprit de corps?

The simple answer is that I cannot leave knowing that Christ Jesus did not turn away from mankind when we were mired in the same miry sinking sand.

I am here to minister, not to run for office, not to seek higher position, and not to endorse any candidate other than the best candidate that I have found to assist us in fulfilling who we say we are, what we say we are going to do, who we are going to become, and what we say we are going to have. His name is Jesus Christ.

Yes, there are those that say that they are believers and have more years of membership within earthly and heavenly bonds than I. But when I witness anything less than achievement in all human endeavors, believe me I am going to approach the mike.

Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. has been proven to me since my ministry began in 1996 to be one of the fishing holes as an avenue to advance the Kingdom of God.

Some others have not been called to such a mission and both they and I must respect each other's mission, capabilities, and desire to fulfill our individual and collective Kingdom missions regardless of where we must fish and win souls.

Inside the house or outside on the street, we must return to being on our knees in humility if we are the achievers born and bred since 1911.

Yours in the Bond

Ritual Resale on eBay: Rape or Consensual?

Since the buyer of the esoteric ritual has read all of the pages to his or her heart's delight, they are looking to flip the item and move on in full confidence of our innermost collective identity.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=976226390

To foolishly send signals towards our highest levels at IHQ for a call to arms is a proverbial waste of time.

The first buyer got away with a successful transaction and we cannot seem to think that this one will be any different.

If there was a market for the contents of the ritual to be placed on t-shirts and successfully sold, then the proper coalition might contact an attorney on how we could obtain damages since the entrepreneur did not pay a vendor's fee.

The truth is that the actions of a truly curious and serious collector like this now reseller may actually work for the good of Kappa versus the further demise and end of our Noble Clan.

The drum has been sounded far too long for reformation to granted access into our dynamic organization and for the public release of critical information (esoteric wisdom) for the greater good of society.

Such calls have gone noticed but without any activity.

While whispers, nudges, and nods to watch certain individuals (Brothers) among us have proceeded at the speed of light via e-mails, high signs, and telephone calls, nothing has been done of notice for individual chapters, provinces, and at the Grand Chapter level to witness.

Have we now reached the thresholds of witnessing what we have not seen done through organized effort is actually being performed through inactivity?

I dare say that we have.

As long as the current and future resellers do not protest actively at our provincial and Grand Chapter meetings or upon the individual campuses with signs and banners bearing single phrases or sentences held by most as our secret treasure, then we shall not witness any acts to retain anything held of value by previous generations of Kappas.

We only had one single opportunity to remain a virgin and we witnessed that nothing was done. To seek to regain virgin status upon the pending birth of a second child requires immaculate self-disception indeed.

Yours in the Bond

The Next Level Is Actually Kappa 4.0

If I had to write the message again, I would say that the next level of Kappa mentioned within my post is actually Kappa 4.0 versus Kappa 2.0.

Here are the following stages in my opinion with the starting dates for each phase.

Kappa 1.0: January 5, 1911 Founders starting our Grand Fraternity
Kappa 2.0 January 1994 Brothers actively begin to locate one another via e-mail and mailing lists
Kappa 3.0 April 28, 2005 Authentic Kappa Alpha Psi's Ritual placed up for sale to general public on ebay
Kappa 4.0 Date unknown occurs when Kappa Alpha Psi either allows virtual chapters and/or Phi Nu Pi is publicly revealed on IHQ's website.

The revelation of Phi Nu Pi then has an immediate multiple impact on several organizational pillars of the Fraternity while allowing a remnant to individually and collectively practice the ideals of the Fraternity without the threat of lawsuits, destructive internal politics, and coercive acts of manipulation for the sake of an unified front.

Responsibility for Achievement and Brotherhood then is fully expected and required at the local level versus being further held hostage by upper levels as it is now.

I am sure that the upheaval within the Fraternity is debatable while certain events mark unquestionable milestones. Hazing did not and will not ever produce another progressive benchmark within the Fraternity.

I'll end this message now as I could and will go on otherwise for the rest of my life;)

But one more comment I will say for the record: the truly disgruntled want reformation back to the days and spirit of our Founding and its ideals versus hazing at will.

Anyone of the belief within the status quo has already taken the blue pill.

Review of Kappa Ritual Sale on eBay

Brothers All,

I have just conducted my own review of the esoteric Ritual that was recently sold on eBay at:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3972178181&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&rd=1

In reviewing the winning buyer's history, it appears to me that the individual is a collector of rituals from various fraternities.

I will further say that the person is someone who is a private collector of esoteric materials or possibly an author or reporter who is gathering items for a future book.

Therefore at this point in time, our information will not be shared in a wholesale manner.

Years ago and possibly even more now in light of the heated commentary shared by Brothers on the matter, I proposed releasing Phi Nu Pi to the world if our secrets really had any power to them.

Now on the eve of my rapidly approaching 40th birthday, I now say that it really does not matter since the world does not recognize us as a collective force but more of a group of individuals centered around a common theme.

Never in my life before or during Kappa, I would never imagine seeing our Ritual sold on eBay or through any other means. It has put a bad taste in my mouth to know that it got out of our hands and control somehow.

But this failure occurred on the local level undoubtedly. Until it is revealed that IHQ did not seek to end the auction or purchase the item itself, blame cannot be placed anywhere else.

The sale of esoteric material will be placed up for auction again since the winning bid in this auction was $3,250.00. I believe that a negative precedent has now been firmly established that we cannot walk away from.

Before I would see us potentially held hostage due to someone's extortion to expose us on any level, I would say that we would take matters into our own hands and reveal who we really are as well as the words and statements once held in complete confidence. This is and was the essence of my position always.

There is nothing within our private knowledge that distinctly states "This is what *** means and this is what to do when *** is done".

The presence of brothers is needed for the real transfer of knowledge to occur. This is where the Bond truly comes alive. No one is truly initiated in an one-on-one manner.

The slogans and publicly shared phrases created by an ad and PR agency say:

Training for Leadership: It's who we are. It's what we do.

Have we fallen to a level of being no more than a traveling road show convening every two years for the hundreds of thousands of dollars we can spend within conclaves and annual provincial meetings?

I fully respect the positions of Brothers who brought the sale to our attention and their personal words on the State of the Fraternity that bring us to this point in time.

Overall, we must return to the days of fulfilling our Bond within Brother-to-Brother interactions since our larger assemblies have gotten drunk with the power of unbalanced budgets, trivial politics, and short-term poisons.

Chapters (local and virtual--eventually) are the best place for the Bond to come alive.

Until desired change begins to appear on the horizon that we all can agree upon, I would not worry about the sale of the esoteric document on eBay at this time since there are bigger fish to fry, bake, and cook elsewhere within our lives.

We need an internal revolution before the external revolution can really occur. Right now we are still treading water professionally.

My prediction is that there is indeed a new day of Kappa coming (before or after our 100 year anniversary) as the dynamics are occurring elsewhere within society. It will be a destiny of Kappa 2.0 indeed. The difference will be the exit from the glass house we have been collectively forced to dwell within.

Viva Le Kappa!

Yours in the Bond,

Roney Smith
http://www.yoursinthebond.com