Disney World

The 1999 Quadrennial Convention in Miami was a disappointment for me; I watched Charlie Little and Byron Boyd stampede the delegates at the expense of Roger Griffeth and Justice! While many reveled in the victory and the theory that "good times" were here to stay; I submit that this union has now been the victim of ineffective representation by the elected delegates!  Yep . . ., they couldn't even have maintained their "war chest" without fraud! 

With the $5 styled "war chest" and the $14 million the DOL allowed them to "misappropriate" from the JBI, they kept the UTU's head barely above water account the specious expenditures that have been "routine" since the "Little/Boyd Regime" took office in October of 1995! I specifically remember myself, Bob Cushing, and 3 other El Paso delegates, most of whom were also Local Chairman, pleading with Charlie Little and Neil Babineaux NOT to appoint Victor Biganoskie as a "DLC" because he had mishandled hundreds of SP hearing claims in a class action that was dismissed because of a missed time limit, forcing all concerned to find new attorneys and settle for pennies on the dollar.   Needless to say, within several months of the "Coronation" of "Team Charlie", Mr. Big bought his way into the DLC Structure!

I digressed, I wanted to tell my readers that on my way to the 1999 Convention in Miami, my family and I did Disney World as cheap as we could before we continued on to the Miami Convention!  I have just had the best vacation of my life for approximately three weeks; five days at the VHPA (Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association Reunion in Orlando - July2 - July 6), three days at the Disney Dolphin, and three days with my Brother Marty who lives just outside Miami in Coral Springs.

Lobby of Disney Dolphin - L-R - Lanny, Lela, Melissa,and Lana.

This time, I spent the extra $60 a day to stay in a first class Disney Hotel instead of the Disney All-Star and it was well worth it for a trip the girls will probably never forget! Here is our view from the Balcony - truly beautiful at sunset!

While Melissa had to fly home in order to conserve enough vacation to attend the Anaheim Convention, the girls and I continued to my Brother's in Coral Springs for Lana's 13th birthday party and some golf!

Of course, we avoided "Magic Kingdom" since Melissa and the girls will be able to visit the original in Anaheim! I will never forget my first visit when I was 12 years old - riding the Matterhorn! And realistically, our Union has similarities to Disney World, i.e., Fantasyland! Where truth and reality are replaced with "spin" and "fantasy", where the numbers may not add up correctly, but that's OK! Just "believe in your heart" that the "little UTU train" is sincere: "I think I can, I think I can, . . . I think I can"!

Personally, as cartoon characters go, my favorites have always been Popeye and Jimmy (Ah . . ., cricket . . . , not Alford - perhaps that should read Jiminey?).   Yo Byroon . . ., "I've had all I can stands, I can't stands no more" and I'm  going to "let my conscience be my guide" - You're History in my book!

You know why?  Not cause you sold out the UP/SP members in Yost; Not cause you misrepresented the Constitution to the Executive Board in my charges; not because you spent all your time in Seattle allegedly meeting with attorneys and whomever(?), not because you attempted to close the barn door after all the horses had left; BUT because you knew Smoot didn't give you a copy of the Executive Session Transcript and you NEVER lifted a fat "little" finger to stop the $100 G punitive damages to UTU and CSXT based upon a "known" lie! YOU SIR, HAVE NO INTEGRITY WHATSOEVER!

Ah . . . , say . . . let me ask you a question?  You're defeated and you have 30 days to go back to service with your Carrier. Instead, you opt to take a disability cause you're to out of shape to work a job; do you automatically get free insurance at the expense of the members for $100 a month like Billy Manning? IMWTK?

This concludes my wonderful vacation experience with the exception of viewing the VP's for 2002 and seeing how many actually worked 100 days to qualify for a Yardmen's vacation.  Should attending a "local union meeting" be considered a "day's work"?  How about traveling to some location?  How about appearing at a PLB, just having read submissions you didn't write and don't know shit about? IMWTK?