INJUSTICE IS SERVED

Sometimes you have to get up and make a fuss when something unjust is done. However, there are times when things happen which you have no control over, and you can do nothing about. Sometimes there are risks involved with trying to get the right thing done. There is a situation at the moment that I could be punished for even illuding to it here. As my blog is a public forum, if anyone who reads it from this organisation is offended, I could have a similar punishment dealt to me as has been done to another member.
However, as the constiution states that it must be reasonable that somebody is offended by my comments, I will not name names or point fingers.
It is not the fact that someone has been punished for breaking rules they didnt break, or that the punishment was made up and not anywhere in the constitution. The MAIN problem I have is that the procedures put in place to resolve issues like this were bipassed, and resulted in a severe punishment after only hearing one side of the story and that the league voted that this was okay, which sets a precedent for the future.
So now I am worried. My good friend is suffering, which breaks my heart, and makes me want to yell and scream and stamp my feet to get my point across. But then I think, what will happen to me? I am not a very important member, as in, I am only on one minor committee, I am not a star player, and my professional skills are never utilised. So who would care if something happened to me?
My friend (the one who is being punished) has spoken to me about her theory that it is two people in power who do not like her, for one reason or another, and have swayed others to paint her in a bad light. She has come to me on more than one occassion in tears because she found out someone she thought of as a friend hated her, and thought she was a bad person. I don't know why these two in power don't like her, perhaps she rubbed them the wrong way, but that does not give anyone the right to bipass rules and punish someone unjustly!
At the meeting, a member said that this desision had been made to protect all of the members, and we have to support our desision makers. I do not agree. How does setting a precedent for unjust and unlawful (according to their own constitution) punishment protect anyone?
Their claim is that my friend made statements that illuded to the league or it's members in a negetive, and offensive way, and they recieved several complaints. They had a responsibility to act on these claims and punish. But no, they didn't! If they had recieved complaints, the process which is in place states that the complainants should seek a grievance councillor, who will talk through and rectify the problem.
I know that many of these comments were not about the league or it's members. One of the people in charge stated that all the comments were made in response to emails and communications between them. But no! I was there when she wrote many messages, and on one occassion had just had a conversation about how Burlesque had just become the new "acceptable alternative" (you know, I do Burlesque oh-ho-ho aren't I soooooo cool.) and how lame it was that something so good was being tainted by untalented people. And about how her performances (fire breathing, angle grinding) were not in demand. There was NOTHING in or around that comment about ANY member of the league in question! Sure, the sentance before that commented on how much she missed attending training. But how is that negetive at all? One of the members tried to make it out that when she refered to "Fringe people" she was talking about the members, but no, she was talking about the organisers of the Fringe Festival not accepting her!
I went a bit off track there, but my point is that all these comments were taken out of context, proper procedure was not followed and now people are afraid to update their facebook.
In fact, I am sure that myself and one other member are going to have similar events happen to us because these two in power hate us as well, or even just hate us by association.
It's bullshit and it's corrupt and it's illegal.
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