Some BOD members feel one way and others feel the other way. I
know what my position is and it is in support of the organization, in support of
the USHPA. I want the USHPA to do well and to continue to represent the hang
glider and paraglider pilots in the US. I want it to continue to offer third
party liability insurance and represent us to the federal bureaucracy. I think
that it is our best chance of having a national organization and that we need a
national organization.

But there may be a semantic problem. I have leveled plenty of criticism at the
USHPA, plenty at the Competition Workgroup, sometimes at the USHPA EC, sometimes
at the USHPA President, sometimes at the Competition Committee Chairman, rarely
at the USHPA BOD, very rarely at the USHPA office. But it is sometimes unclear
what I mean when I critique the USHPA. Who and what exactly am I critiquing?

The vast majority of the time I am critiquing a certain policy or action taken
by some part of the association. It is the policy or action that I am not in
favor of. For example: http://ozreport.com/13.211#0 or 
http://ozreport.com/13.212#0. You can find many more examples
here and
here.

I sometimes critique individuals and their actions. I have critiqued the USHPA
president for things that she has written in the magazine, for example. I have
critiqued the Competition Committee Chairmen for actions that he has taken (at
least I think I have).

But critiquing individuals, committees, policies or actions does not mean in any
way that I am against the organization. I just means that I disagree with the
current policies, etc. And this is my perfect right and duty as a member to do
so and to speak up when I disagree. It is also my job as a reporter, editor and
publisher.

Now you may be reminded of a similar distinction that is made when the press (I
consider myself to be the hang gliding press) critiques the US president, the
Congress, the proposed bills, programs and polices of the US Government. It is
not that that the press is against the US Government, it is critiquing the
current policies and actions of the administration, or the current Congress. It
doesn't want to replace the US Government with some other government, it just
wants the current administration and Congress to do the right thing.

When I critique the USHPA I am not wishing to get rid of the USHPA but rather to
change the behavior of the individuals currently administering the USHPA, or
replace them, or change their policies, or in some way get the USHPA to do the
right thing. I am more than happy to highlight it when the USHPA does the right
thing (for example, co-incidentally, see the article below).

So, no, I am not anti-USHPA, in the same way that I am not anti-American.