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Date: 03 Apr 2007 04:17:12
From: samsloan
Subject: Sam Sloan Candidate's Statement for June Chess Life
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I played in my First USCF Rated Tournament, the North Carolina Open,
in 1956. As a tournament player for more than 50 years, just about
everybody in chess knows me or has heard my name.
The USCF has annual revenues of $3.2 million, down from $6.5 million
at its peak. $3.2 million is enough for us to live very well. Yet, the
USCF has lost money for 9 of the last 11 years. There is no excuse for
this!
Since I was elected to the board, I have been fulfilling a campaign
promise to examine the books and records in detail to find out how and
why we lost this money. I have exposed corruption and improper
payments. One board member was forced to resign because of my
discoveries.
I have opened doors to the inner sanctum, revealing secrets the
insiders did not want revealed. I have received an award for "Shining
Light on the United States Chess Federation 2007".
I have only one vote on the board. I have not been able to stop the
improper payments and the financial hemorrhaging. Optimists on the
board say we will lose ONLY $50,000 this year. I say unless immediate
measures are taken, we will lose AT LEAST $150,000 and possibly
considerably more.
In meetings with the board, I have consistently advocated specific
changes that must be made RIGHT NOW to stop losses by increasing
revenues and reducing expenses. Other board members say it is
POLITICALLY UNACCEPTABLE to make any changes now and this must wait
until after the election.
AFTER THE ELECTION will be too late!!
I am a man of action. Everybody who knows me will tell you I get
things done. Two things we need to do are expand scholastic chess and
elderly chess. As people age, they want to keep their minds active.
Tournament chess would be an ideal way to help them accomplish this.
The baby boomers are a vast pool of potential members.
You will have seen strident attacks by some of my election opponents
and their anonymous Internet trolls. You should ask yourself, "Why do
all these people keep attacking Sam Sloan? Is it because he really is
one of the worst people in the world, or is it because, since he was
elected last year, their gravy train has slowed?"
Most of the other candidates and continuing board members are
insiders, the same people who were there when the USCF lost $2
million. Are you going to keep them there or return them to power? Are
you going to believe they will bring prosperity to the USCF, when
their actual record is one of milking the membership funds for their
own benefit?
I have specific plans and programs which I believe will bring
prosperity back to the USCF. I am available by phone or email to
discuss this any time. Are you going to give the USCF a chance to
prove that it can be done? Are you going to return control of your
federation to the same crusty curmudgeons who lost the $2 million in
the first place?
The delegates have voted to give me 100 words to explain my case in
Virginia. I have eight children. One of them is Shamema, whom many of
you met when I brought her to international chess tournaments. When
Shamema was eight years old, she was kidnapped by persons unrelated to
us and taken to Virginia. When I came to Virginia to try to rescue my
kidnapped daughter, I was arrested, tried and convicted of attempted
abduction of my daughter and failure to appear for trial.
Sam Sloan
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Date: 18 Apr 2007 05:30:36
From: samsloan
Subject: Re: Sam Sloan Candidate's Statement for June Chess Life
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On 4 Apr, 00:27, "[email protected]" <[email protected] > wrote:
> WHAT ARE SAM'S CHANCES?
>
> My judgment is that Sam Sloan's candidate's statement is fairly
> effective. =A0His claim that the Federation has shrunk and has lost
> money will be noted by many
> readers. =A0My advice to his opponents is to reckon that many members,
> even those who do not care for Sam, will have their concentration
> focussed on your record.
>
> I still rate Sam's reelection chances as a mid-to long odds bets. =A0The
> issue will be
> how great a toll has been exacted on his candidacy by the attacks,
> both
> anonymous (though we know that YOU and you and you are among the
> anonymice) and otherwise.
>
> Sam does have one piece of hope: =A0I have been in contact with some of
> you, and there are silent defectors who intend to support him. =A0One of
> them has even played the game of attacking Sam while silently
> intending to support him with a vote. =A0Indeed, Sam will pick up votes
> from those who are too timid to defy the powers that be publicly.
>
> I would rank Sam's performance on the board as an undeodorized breath
> of fresh air. He is the unwanted paradox. =A0More power to him.
>
> The photos from the USCF leadership retreat in Florida were
> depressing. Although I have been away from Federation affairs for 15
> years or so, I knew nearly every graying visage who was there. Some of
> those old battle tubs have been squatting on the Federation for 20,
> 30, 40 years or more.
>
>
>
> samsloan wrote:
> > I played in my First USCF Rated Tournament, the North Carolina Open,
> > in 1956. As a tournament player for more than 50 years, just about
> > everybody in chess knows me or has heard my name.
>
> > The USCF has annual revenues of $3.2 million, down from $6.5 million
> > at its peak. $3.2 million is enough for us to live very well. Yet, the
> > USCF has lost money for 9 of the last 11 years. There is no excuse for
> > this!
>
> > Since I was elected to the board, I have been fulfilling a campaign
> > promise to examine the books and records in detail to find out how and
> > why we lost this money. I have exposed corruption and improper
> > payments. One board member was forced to resign because of my
> > discoveries.
>
> > I have opened doors to the inner sanctum, revealing secrets the
> > insiders did not want revealed. I have received an award for "Shining
> > Light on the United States Chess Federation 2007".
>
> > I have only one vote on the board. I have not been able to stop the
> > improper payments and the financial hemorrhaging. Optimists on the
> > board say we will lose ONLY $50,000 this year. I say unless immediate
> > measures are taken, we will lose AT LEAST $150,000 and possibly
> > considerably more.
>
> > In meetings with the board, I have consistently advocated specific
> > changes that must be made RIGHT NOW to stop losses by increasing
> > revenues and reducing expenses. Other board members say it is
> > POLITICALLY UNACCEPTABLE to make any changes now and this must wait
> > until after the election.
>
> > AFTER THE ELECTION will be too late!!
>
> > I am a man of action. Everybody who knows me will tell you I get
> > things done. Two things we need to do are expand scholastic chess and
> > elderly chess. As people age, they want to keep their minds active.
> > Tournament chess would be an ideal way to help them accomplish this.
> > The baby boomers are a vast pool of potential members.
>
> > You will have seen strident attacks by some of my election opponents
> > and their anonymous Internet trolls. You should ask yourself, "Why do
> > all these people keep attacking Sam Sloan? Is it because he really is
> > one of the worst people in the world, or is it because, since he was
> > elected last year, their gravy train has slowed?"
>
> > Most of the other candidates and continuing board members are
> > insiders, the same people who were there when the USCF lost $2
> > million. Are you going to keep them there or return them to power? Are
> > you going to believe they will bring prosperity to the USCF, when
> > their actual record is one of milking the membership funds for their
> > own benefit?
>
> > I have specific plans and programs which I believe will bring
> > prosperity back to the USCF. I am available by phone or email to
> > discuss this any time. Are you going to give the USCF a chance to
> > prove that it can be done? Are you going to return control of your
> > federation to the same crusty curmudgeons who lost the $2 million in
> > the first place?
>
> > The delegates have voted to give me 100 words to explain my case in
> > Virginia. I have eight children. One of them is Shamema, whom many of
> > you met when I brought her to international chess tournaments. When
> > Shamema was eight years old, she was kidnapped by persons unrelated to
> > us and taken to Virginia. When I came to Virginia to try to rescue my
> > kidnapped daughter, I was arrested, tried and convicted of attempted
> > abduction of my daughter and failure to appear for trial.
>
> > Sam Sloan- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
Stop sniffing my ass. Go fight your own battle.
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Date: 15 Apr 2007 22:31:26
From: Ray Gordon, creator of the pivot
Subject: Re: Sam Sloan Candidate's Statement for June Chess Life
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On 3 Apr, 07:17, "samsloan" <[email protected] > wrote:
> I played in my First USCF Rated Tournament, the North Carolina Open,
> in 1956. As a tournament player for more than 50 years, just about
> everybody in chess knows me or has heard my name.
>
> The USCF has annual revenues of $3.2 million, down from $6.5 million
> at its peak. $3.2 million is enough for us to live very well. Yet, the
> USCF has lost money for 9 of the last 11 years. There is no excuse for
> this!
>
> Since I was elected to the board, I have been fulfilling a campaign
> promise to examine the books and records in detail to find out how and
> why we lost this money. I have exposed corruption and improper
> payments. One board member was forced to resign because of my
> discoveries.
>
> I have opened doors to the inner sanctum, revealing secrets the
> insiders did not want revealed. I have received an award for "Shining
> Light on the United States Chess Federation 2007".
>
> I have only one vote on the board. I have not been able to stop the
> improper payments and the financial hemorrhaging. Optimists on the
> board say we will lose ONLY $50,000 this year. I say unless immediate
> measures are taken, we will lose AT LEAST $150,000 and possibly
> considerably more.
>
> In meetings with the board, I have consistently advocated specific
> changes that must be made RIGHT NOW to stop losses by increasing
> revenues and reducing expenses. Other board members say it is
> POLITICALLY UNACCEPTABLE to make any changes now and this must wait
> until after the election.
>
> AFTER THE ELECTION will be too late!!
>
> I am a man of action. Everybody who knows me will tell you I get
> things done. Two things we need to do are expand scholastic chess and
> elderly chess. As people age, they want to keep their minds active.
> Tournament chess would be an ideal way to help them accomplish this.
> The baby boomers are a vast pool of potential members.
>
> You will have seen strident attacks by some of my election opponents
> and their anonymous Internet trolls. You should ask yourself, "Why do
> all these people keep attacking Sam Sloan? Is it because he really is
> one of the worst people in the world, or is it because, since he was
> elected last year, their gravy train has slowed?"
>
> Most of the other candidates and continuing board members are
> insiders, the same people who were there when the USCF lost $2
> million. Are you going to keep them there or return them to power? Are
> you going to believe they will bring prosperity to the USCF, when
> their actual record is one of milking the membership funds for their
> own benefit?
>
> I have specific plans and programs which I believe will bring
> prosperity back to the USCF. I am available by phone or email to
> discuss this any time. Are you going to give the USCF a chance to
> prove that it can be done? Are you going to return control of your
> federation to the same crusty curmudgeons who lost the $2 million in
> the first place?
>
> The delegates have voted to give me 100 words to explain my case in
> Virginia. I have eight children. One of them is Shamema, whom many of
> you met when I brought her to international chess tournaments. When
> Shamema was eight years old, she was kidnapped by persons unrelated to
> us and taken to Virginia. When I came to Virginia to try to rescue my
> kidnapped daughter, I was arrested, tried and convicted of attempted
> abduction of my daughter and failure to appear for trial.
>
> Sam Sloan
Sloan should be elected just for this statement.
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Date: 05 Apr 2007 15:22:31
From: Ray Gordon, creator of the pivot
Subject: Wrong strategy by Sam Sloan
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You're a strong candidate and you should be USCF President. I support
you for the board. But lying and attacking other people make you weak.
Why do waste your time attacking Polgar or Berry? She'll win no matter
what and he has tons of money. You need to attack people like Bauer
and Lux. That's your ticket to win the election. Do you want to win or
lose? Wake up my boy.
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Date: 05 Apr 2007 15:17:28
From: samsloan
Subject: Re: Sam Sloan Candidate's Statement for June Chess Life
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[quote="Randy Bauer"][quote="samsloan"][quote="Randy Bauer"]Stephen
Jones strikes me as a qualified candidate,[/quote]
Stephen Jones strikes you as a qualified candidate!! Boy, we really
had to pull teeth to get that one out.
Stephen Jones is the most magnificently qualified candidate the USCF
has ever had. He is a chess master who almost won the US Open one
year. He is a postal grandmaster. He has a Ph.D. in mathematics. He is
a lawyer.
Can't be more qualified than that!
And all you can say is that your election opponent "strikes you" as
qualified.
Sam Sloan[/quote]
I am genuinely sorry that I wasn't gushy enough for you, Sam. I'll
leave the gushing to others -- I recall you expressing a similar
gushyness about another candidate. On June 5, 2005, on the chess
newsgroups Sam Sloan wrote:
"In fact, if I am elected I intend to vote for Bill Goichberg for
president, even though this year, as in every other year, he opposes
my election.
Had it not been for the strong opposition of Bill Goichberg, it is
obvious that I would have been elected several times in the past.
Nevertheless, Bill Goichberg deserves the job. Bill has been directly
informed with the USCF for 41 years since 1964. Bill set up the USCF
rating system, which should really be called the Elo-Goichberg System
rather than the Elo System. More than anybody else, Bill Goichberg
made the USCF the organization it is today and nobody has a stronger
interest in the ultimate success of the organization than does Bill
Goichberg..."
Pretty strong praise for somebody you now regularly clash with on the
Board, wouldn't you say? Kind of makes me wonder what you'd be saying
about Stephen Jones in a couple years should you both get elected.[/
quote]
Yes. I wrote that about Goichberg, and I still adhere to it.
I feel that Goichberg was entitled to become USCF President, as he had
wanted to be for decades.
However, I feel that he has not done a good job as president. He had
his chance, and he blew it. I believe that the entire board, with the
exception of his lapdog, agrees with me. I believe that regardless of
who wins the coming election, Bills will be replaced and somebody else
will be president, although I do not know who that will be.
As soon as I won the election last July, Bill started writing letters
to the USCF's counsel asking for advice on how to stop me from taking
office or how to remove me once I had taken office. The legal bills
for Michael Matsler of the Law Firm of Rider, Weiner and Frenkel for
August 2006 was $2,790 and for September 2006 was $1998, for a grand
total of $4788. All of this was for responding to these letter from
Goichberg to Matsler. Thus, Bill Goichberg wasted $4788 in membership
dues money trying to remove a person who had been duly elected by the
membership from office.
The problem with Bill is that he runs the USCF like he runs the
Continental Chess Association, which is a one man show. He just
decides things on his own and announces it. He almost never consults
the rest of the board about anything.
Sam Sloan
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Date: 05 Apr 2007 06:30:58
From: samsloan
Subject: Re: Sam Sloan Candidate's Statement for June Chess Life
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Ron Suarez wrote:
So the long and the short of it is that the USCF is doing better than
it has done in the past but still is not to the point where things are
rosy.
Right. I agree!
There was one year that the USCF lost $500,000.
However, this year we are probably losing not much more then $300,000.
So we are doing better than in past years.
Congratulations to all!!
Sam Sloan
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Date: 04 Apr 2007 10:40:06
From: samsloan
Subject: Re: Sam Sloan Candidate's Statement for June Chess Life
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I agree with Bill Goichberg that there have been many improvements in
these areas.
However, I would like to note that the bulk of these accomplishments
can be attributed to outside contractors, especially to Mike Nolan.
I really like Chess Life for Kids and I think that Glenn Petersen is
doing a great job.
What I cannot figure out is what is the office doing? Are they doing
anything? I cannot think of even one single thing that the office and
the twenty or so people who are on the payroll there have accomplished
in the past two years.
Can you enlighten us on this?
I am guaranteeing a big financial loss this year. Let us see who will
be right: Me or Bill Goichberg?
Sam Sloan
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Date: 03 Apr 2007 21:27:32
From: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Sam Sloan Candidate's Statement for June Chess Life
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WHAT ARE SAM'S CHANCES?
My judgment is that Sam Sloan's candidate's statement is fairly
effective. His claim that the Federation has shrunk and has lost
money will be noted by many
readers. My advice to his opponents is to reckon that many members,
even those who do not care for Sam, will have their concentration
focussed on your record.
I still rate Sam's reelection chances as a mid-to long odds bets. The
issue will be
how great a toll has been exacted on his candidacy by the attacks,
both
anonymous (though we know that YOU and you and you are among the
anonymice) and otherwise.
Sam does have one piece of hope: I have been in contact with some of
you, and there are silent defectors who intend to support him. One of
them has even played the game of attacking Sam while silently
intending to support him with a vote. Indeed, Sam will pick up votes
from those who are too timid to defy the powers that be publicly.
I would rank Sam's performance on the board as an undeodorized breath
of fresh air. He is the unwanted paradox. More power to him.
The photos from the USCF leadership retreat in Florida were
depressing. Although I have been away from Federation affairs for 15
years or so, I knew nearly every graying visage who was there. Some of
those old battle tubs have been squatting on the Federation for 20,
30, 40 years or more.
samsloan wrote:
> I played in my First USCF Rated Tournament, the North Carolina Open,
> in 1956. As a tournament player for more than 50 years, just about
> everybody in chess knows me or has heard my name.
>
> The USCF has annual revenues of $3.2 million, down from $6.5 million
> at its peak. $3.2 million is enough for us to live very well. Yet, the
> USCF has lost money for 9 of the last 11 years. There is no excuse for
> this!
>
> Since I was elected to the board, I have been fulfilling a campaign
> promise to examine the books and records in detail to find out how and
> why we lost this money. I have exposed corruption and improper
> payments. One board member was forced to resign because of my
> discoveries.
>
> I have opened doors to the inner sanctum, revealing secrets the
> insiders did not want revealed. I have received an award for "Shining
> Light on the United States Chess Federation 2007".
>
> I have only one vote on the board. I have not been able to stop the
> improper payments and the financial hemorrhaging. Optimists on the
> board say we will lose ONLY $50,000 this year. I say unless immediate
> measures are taken, we will lose AT LEAST $150,000 and possibly
> considerably more.
>
> In meetings with the board, I have consistently advocated specific
> changes that must be made RIGHT NOW to stop losses by increasing
> revenues and reducing expenses. Other board members say it is
> POLITICALLY UNACCEPTABLE to make any changes now and this must wait
> until after the election.
>
> AFTER THE ELECTION will be too late!!
>
> I am a man of action. Everybody who knows me will tell you I get
> things done. Two things we need to do are expand scholastic chess and
> elderly chess. As people age, they want to keep their minds active.
> Tournament chess would be an ideal way to help them accomplish this.
> The baby boomers are a vast pool of potential members.
>
> You will have seen strident attacks by some of my election opponents
> and their anonymous Internet trolls. You should ask yourself, "Why do
> all these people keep attacking Sam Sloan? Is it because he really is
> one of the worst people in the world, or is it because, since he was
> elected last year, their gravy train has slowed?"
>
> Most of the other candidates and continuing board members are
> insiders, the same people who were there when the USCF lost $2
> million. Are you going to keep them there or return them to power? Are
> you going to believe they will bring prosperity to the USCF, when
> their actual record is one of milking the membership funds for their
> own benefit?
>
> I have specific plans and programs which I believe will bring
> prosperity back to the USCF. I am available by phone or email to
> discuss this any time. Are you going to give the USCF a chance to
> prove that it can be done? Are you going to return control of your
> federation to the same crusty curmudgeons who lost the $2 million in
> the first place?
>
> The delegates have voted to give me 100 words to explain my case in
> Virginia. I have eight children. One of them is Shamema, whom many of
> you met when I brought her to international chess tournaments. When
> Shamema was eight years old, she was kidnapped by persons unrelated to
> us and taken to Virginia. When I came to Virginia to try to rescue my
> kidnapped daughter, I was arrested, tried and convicted of attempted
> abduction of my daughter and failure to appear for trial.
>
> Sam Sloan
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