February 15, 1996

To: TNS ExCom, Volunteers, and Interested Members

From: Kevin Langdon, P.O. Box 795, Berkeley, CA 94701
        [old e-mail address omitted]

Distribution

Bob Kopp, Editor
John Cooper, Financial Officer
Jacquelinne White, Membership Officer
Kerry Williams, Ombudsman
Hal Darancette, Member-at-Large
Larry Jess, Member-at-Large

Ray Suttles, Elections Officer, Monitor, Greeter
Jim Grzegorowicz, Correspondence Group
Matt Urnezis, Archivist

Memos Included

Results of Voting on Motions

All six motions submitted to a vote of the Executive Committee in the last memo have passed. The motions are listed below:

KL motion #95-9, November 8 ExCom Memo, page 17:

Passage of a motion shall require a majority of votes cast; a quorum shall be defined as four votes cast on a motion.

KL motion #96-1, January ExCom Memo, page 2.

The Executive Committee shall assume as a body the duties of Loren Harris' position as Member-at-Large.

KL motion #96-2, January ExCom Memo, page 3.

A call for statements of candidacy shall be published in the earliest available issue of Vidya, with a postmark deadline 30 days from the postmark date of that issue. This issue shall also contain proposals for Constitutional amendments, including those I proposed in the last ExCom memo (with certain technical modifications) and any others anyone reading this memo cares to submit, with petition forms to for-mally place them on the ballot. The forms shall contain a box to check for each amendment supported, so that members may support any amendment or any combination of amendments they wish without the need for multiple petition forms. Members shall be asked to fill in the form and send it to the Editor, who shall determine which amendments have received the signatures of the square root of the membership and are thus eligible for the ballot. The following issue of Vidya shall contain the statements of candidacy, comments on the proposed amendments, and a ballot. The postmark deadline shall be 30 days from the postmark date of this second issue.

KL motion #96-3, January ExCom Memo, page 6.

An advertisement for TNS shall be published in the (American) Mensa Bulletin, to run three times at two-month intervals, with the following wording:

Triple Nine Society. The only democratically-organized society at the 99.9th percentile. Journal approximately monthly. $20/year. Partial list of qualifying scores: Cattell Verbal, 173; LAIT, 150; Mega, 24; SAT, 1470; write for brochure. Contact Membership Officer, Jacquelinne White, [address omitted]. Not affiliated with Mensa.

(John Cooper will make the necessary arrangements. I would like to apologize to Jacquelinne for misspelling her name in this motion as it was printed in the January ExCom Memo.)

Bob Kopp's motion #1, contained in his memo of January 5, included in the January ExCom Memo, page 16:

Kevin Langdon is appointed Regent, to serve until a Regent is chosen by vote of the membership in the 1996 election.

(I'd like to thank the members of the Committee for your vote of confi-dence. I welcome feedback from members on the ExCom Memo list on how I'm doing in performing my duties as Regent.)

Bob Kopp's motion #2, contained in the same memo:

The following statement by the Triple Nine Society Executive Committee shall be published in Vidya:

The Triple Nine Society regrets the negative characterization of Kent Shultz by former Editor Clint Williams in the context of the publication of Mr. Shultz' essay, ``The Mind of the Molester,'' in Vidya.

All seven members of the ExCom voted. All the motions passed unanimously, except Langdon #96-2, the election procedures motion (Kerry Williams voted no, with an explanation indicating that he objected to a single combined petition form; I was surprised anyone would object to this, as the alternative would be more than twenty separate petition forms), and Kopp #2, the apology motion (John Cooper and Kerry Williams voted no).

John Cooper commented as follows, in an e-mail message of January 28:

I vote affirmative on all of the questions in the ExCom Memo save a `NO' on Kopp #2. Thank you Pat Thomas for your astute research on the subject, and it's good to hear from you again. I'm still afraid Mr. Kent Shultz is not on my list of people with whom I care to share this planet.

I will report the results of all motions voted on by the Executive Committee in my Regent's Reports to the membership.

Vacancy on the Executive Committee

With my election as Regent, there is another Member-at-Large seat vacant. As I mentioned in the last ExCom Memo, I would like to deal with this vacancy the same way we dealt with Loren's seat. Therefore I move that:

* (4) The Executive Committee shall assume as a body the duties of Kevin Langdon's position as Member-at-Large.

This is the only matter to be voted on this time around. Voting members of the Committee, please send me your ``yes,'' ``no,'' or ``hold'' vote on this motion. (``Hold'' votes should be accompanied by comments on the motion to be held.) As this is not an urgency matter, I'm not including postcard ballots this time.

The Election

Ray Suttles is willing to perform as Elections Officer for the current TNS election, according to a note I received from him. He has also asked for help in carrying out the functions of Monitor and Greeter. I have asked John Cooper to notify Ray when new members are accepted, but I'm not sure what the Monitor is supposed to do.

We still need candidates for TNS elective offices; please consider running. Statements of Candidacy should be sent to the Editor. Also, if you have proposals for amendments to the TNS Constitution, please send them to the Editor.

Psychometrics Committee

I have not heard from Paul Maxim regarding his psychometric credentials; I did receive a card from, Henry Milligan, dated January 24, 1996. Henry wrote:

In your 1-15-96 TNS ExCom Memo, you noted that I had volunteered for the Psychometrics Committee, and requested a list of cre-detials. My only psychometric experience has come since 1989, when I tested for Mensa, with the WAIS test, and with the W-87 at-home exam for ISPE & TNS admission. Having been pleasingly shocked to qualify for TNS & ISPE through the W-87, I have become increasingly interested in the tests and testing procedures for all high-I.Q. societies, from Mensa to Intertel, TNS, ISPE and through Prometheus, Four Sigma and Mega.

My interest in the Psychometrics Committee is genuine, although my lack of a computer may cut down my usefulness for the committee.

This is good, as far as it goes, but I'd like to hear from Henry regarding his familiarity with the statistical methodology involved in test norming, whether through formal training or self-taught.

We need at least three members with a background in psychometric statistics in order to convene a new Psychometrics Committee--and such a committee is badly needed, as several people have pointed out recently. If you can contribute in this important way, please volunteer.

Legal Officer

John Kormes wrote to me recently; his memo appears on page 6. I would like to receive comments from readers of this memo on the motion to appoint John Legal Officer, in the light of his memo. This dissolves the HOLD on this motion. I'll publish comments on the motion and call for a vote in the next ExCom Memo.

Annual Meeting

I have not yet heard from the IQARUS Group regarding this year's annual meeting. IQARUS Coordinators, please let us know whether you're willing to take on this project. We need to put an announcement in Vidya soon.

TNS Web Page

The following memo was received via the Internet:

Date: 16-Feb-96 06:02 PST
From: Laura Darlene Lansberry [e-mail address omitted]
Subj: TNS Homepage

Kevin,

I am quite popular on the Net, and at Arizona Daily Star. I have my own Web Site. I also have the ability to put up a single page for TNS, both as a means of advertising and as a quick and ready reference for E-mail addresses for those of us who request it. If Bob will send me an electronic version of a past Vidya I can even put up a complimentary copy. I will do so if there are no objections but thought it only proper to ask. Since this was your baby from the first I thought I would broach it to you and let you tell me what approvals are needed . . . we don't need any more conflicts like the last one. I figure by writing the title out . . . ``Triple Nine Society (TNS) (999) A High IQ Society'' . . . the automatic webservers will pick up on all three versions of the name, that it is a High IQ Society and cross-reference for all to find. Naturally, anything I create I would first put up on a secret URL for the Ex-com to review before making it public. I have a knack for this sort of thing as you can tell by the number of hits on our homepage in such a short time, particularly concerning the controversial nature of our research material. We have had nothing but glowing com-mentary. I figure we can have a much better site than ISPE, for while I am a member of that august body, my heart still is drawn by the many years of association with the ``free-wheeling'' members of the TNS. This last battle broke my heart, people resign-ing, people tearing each other apart . . . that was the main reason I stopped writing and participating. I am no stranger to strong confrontation . . . but bitterness and destruction leave me cold. Privately I will acknowledge that I would never have done what Clint did in the now famous issue with Kent Shultz . . . but I also would never have used it as a forum to rip the society apart the way Kent Schultz did. Lest I inadvertently start this thing up again I will say no more, only that it was a sad chapter and more than one person was culpable.

Warmly,

Laura Darlene Lansberry and
Julia Cybele Cachia

Comments on the above by Kevin Langdon:

This is a great idea--but this isn't the first time it's been mentioned. Apparently a number of members are interested in putting up a TNS Web page. Therefore, I propose that we establish a Web Page Committee and call for volunteers to participate in this project. As pointed out in the memo above, the ExCom should look over the proposed Web site information, so let's not bother to make anything official until we reach that point. Unless there are serious objections, I intend to put a notice to the effect that we're setting up a committee for this purpose and that interested members should contact Laura in my Regent's Report in Vidya.

Next ExCom Memo

I anticipate publishing the next ExCom Memo in mid-March. Submissions for that memo should be by e-mail (preferred; [old e-mail address omitted]) or in hard copy form (with margins of at least one inch) to P.O. Box 795, Berkeley, CA 94701. Please try to be clear about what's intended for publication.; my apologies if I've guessed wrong about anything this time.

Comments on the January 15 ExCom Memo

I would like to comment on one of the points raised in Pat Thomas' memo contained in the last ExCom Memo. Pat wrote:

As I've stated before, Clint (like others) was provoked by MoM. I strongly doubt that very many TNS members, vilified by Shultz, would care to extend him an apology for Clint's rather restrained reaction to his essay

This and other remarks by Pat Thomas (as he mentioned, he's said it before) strike me as very strange. If somebody attacks males, or Americans, or high-I.Q.-society members, I don't feel personally vilified. I'm one person and another member of any of these classes is somebody else. Vilification has to be personal.

What's really weird is that Pat takes such personal umbrage at the idea that child molesters are manifesting aspects of our common human nature. What does he think, that they're possessed by the Devil? Of course, human beings can descend to all sorts of horrible things--and there but for the grace of God go I. I think that Pat protests too much.

ExCom Memo from John Kormes

John W. Kormes
[address omitted]
January 23, 1996

Dear Kevin,

Thanks for continuing to help TNS in its time of need!!! The ExCom Memo of 15 January, just received, confirms how much help is needed.

I have not had time to read the Memo in its entirety but, in scanning it, I have come up with a few observations which I will share with you--for whatever value it may serve. Unfortunately, I have many things on my ``plate'' right now and time is precious.

While I regret the passing of Loren Harris' wife and extend to him my sympathy on his loss (despite some of his vituperative comments)--and I do not know Hal Darancette at all, I have, on various occasions, provided what could be called legal advice to many people in the society including Barry Kington, Bob Gulley, Larry Jess, Bob Kopp, Clint Williams, Bill Kuehl, etc. I am surely not Kent Shultz' attorney or legal advisor. He has, on occasion, asked me what I though of one of his legal submissions and I have given him my comments. As a lay person, he does an excellent job of drafting pleadings and making legal argument. But since I know nothing at all with regard to the laws of the State of Michigan (albeit I graduated from Michigan Law School) there is no way that I could advise Shultz or indeed anyone except in the most general of terms on subjects with which I might be familiar.

Last year, for example, at the request of Bob Kopp, I met with a friend of his in Arizona when I was on vacation and endeavored to assist her with a problem she was having--noting, of course, that I know zilch about the laws of Arizona and offer-ing, if she wished, to try to find an attorney in the area who could give her proper assistance.

Messieurs Williams and Kopp also asked my opinion on whether they would be within their legal rights to publish certain materials. I told both of them that this was not my field of expertise, I knew nothing about the laws in their states and, as I recall, in both instances told them what I usually tell people--if in doubt, don't do it.

If Triple Nine wants me to serve as Legal Officer, as I did in the past, I will be happy to do so. My dedicatifon to TNS has been demonstrated repeatedly over the years. However, I will not stoop to defend myself against ridiculous attacks from cer-tain ``red-necked'' individuals under any circumstances.

I understand Jacquelinne White's comments in her letter of 28 November and believe she is sincere, albeit misguided. When I send a letter that is designed for certain purposes only I expect that it will be treated as such. Regrettably certain people to whom I have written have not reacted in kind and, as the old sayings goes: ``Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.''

Pat Thomas, in his letter of 7 December 1995, demonstrates that he, too, has joined the camp of Queen Bess. You have only to ask Bill Kuehl if I was ``. . . expelled from Intertel . . .'' This is something that Queen Bess has told many people. I only learned of it from Bill who advised me that although he had told her I had quit she kept insisting I have been expelled. It's a long story and I was going to start suit, but I suffered a stroke toward the end of 1985 and that altered most of my plans.

Pat also says: ``The rest . . . was mailed to Shultz in either Nov or Dec '93.'' I see no reason why Shultz would have written so many letters to Thomas, nor tried so hard to get ``. . . the rest . . .'' if Thomas had done what he claims.

Thomas continues: ``Hansen, Williams, even Shultz himself, left the fray long ago. . . .'' What about Williams' comments about the Shultz lawsuit? What about the Shultz lawsuit? And how can either Williams or Shultz be said to have ``. . . left the fray . . .''? The answer is simple. Once again, in an effort to extricate himself, Pat says whatever he chooses to say.

And, in the same paragraph (on page 11) he says that ``28%'' of the ExCom voted for an apology to Shultz. While I regret that poor health forced him to resign as Regent, the vote of the ExCom was not--by any stretch of the imagination--72% to 28%. Since Pat is clearly a very intelligent person, I am force to conclude that, once again, Pat says whatever he chooses to say--perhaps convinced that no one will dare question him.

I do not know Adelaide Jaffe. I do know that Queen Bess urged me to be certain to watch the TV show ``Jeopardy'' when her ``dear friend Adelaide Jaffe'' was a contestant thereon--and I did. In any event, Ms. Jaffe is surely entitled to her opinion.

I applaud your comments appearing on pages 14-16 and I hope that the members (at least those who receive the ExCom Memo) will take them seriously.

Last, but not least, I applaud Bob Kopp's comments on page 16.

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