Although it's too early to write the history books just yet, it's probable that Mr. Spurlin will be most remembered for his Administration's lowest point -- the "Spurlin-Morgan" crisis that centered around a miscommunication and sparked a flurry of resignations and recriminations in March. The "Corporate Cheese," who admitted to taking a cue from business management techniques in his running of the club, never fully recovered from the perception that stonewalling on his part exacerbated the "crisis." Yet, in the late months of Summer, his respectability once again rose by his proving himself to be a capable leader. While the Spurlin-Morgan Crisis remains a large blot on his term in office, most of STF's leaders now think of him as a good man who faltered.

 

Already four tickets have formed around FComm-6 Seamus Hughes and AFComm-5 Butch Carter; AFComm-2 Mark Longanbach and his RL friend, SB202 BCO Bill Gunty; former President Greg Hertzsch and former AFComm-6 Alan Felts; and FComm-3 James Speck and AFComm-3 BJ Phillips. Also nominated and seconded is GMDir Stuart Coll. And this is just the conclusion of the first day of nominations. It looks like it could be a very complicated race, with five tickets already invovled. . . .

As pages are updated, new templates (which support CSS, a new branch of HTML) are being designed for them. STFers used to the old Chris Healey ID template (as seen on the WeBB OOC MOTD) should take their shapshots now: It is being superseded by the new ID3 standard [which itself is expected to give way to next Summer's blockbuster hit ID4, starring Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum --Ed.]. Also new on the market and quickly overtaking formerly-Seamusbarred places like Fleet Six(th) is "Garfield 2.0," a format designed by the FComm-4 and used on the Fleet Four homepage, the Academy website, and the Ensigns Guide to the WeBB. Also new is Garfield 1.2, a cleaner update of the old Garfield 1.0 format that can be seen on the Alliance and F4 MOTDs sporting the new-and-improved Garfield News Bar [A cheap ripoff of the Connie AWOL Bar, which is a cheap ripoff of the Titania Personnel Bar --Ed]. Meanwhile, the GWF 3.1 format that Garfield and Bourdaa claim "hurts their eyes" remains the standard in Fleet Two pages, if nowhere else.

 

The McParty VIII began as a Jello-oriented affair but quickly turned into a Cola War such as has not been seen in STF since Midyette days. Pepsi forces led by Adm. Ballway included such luminaries as Colin Wyers, Seamus Hughes, and Ginger Johnson but never formed a vocal opposition to the other forces at work. The "Coke Response Team," however, which often belied its name by making the moves rather than "responding" to anything, was by far the more broad-based of the two coalitions. Cdre. Larry Garfield was its nominal leader, although Charles Marschall and Mark Wilson both played major roles in its operation. Additionally, Stuart Coll, Jaret Hargreaves, and B.J. Phillips worked with the CRT's Coke force. Allied with Coke under the CRT umbrella were Jeremy Friedman's Root Beer and Sprite. Not to be forgotten were the numerous "independent" operators: Dr. Pepper, Vittel Bottled Water (with its notorious Francophile leader, Chris Ashley), Mountain Dew, and Brisk Iced Tea. A full roster of the participants is available on the WeBB OOC MOTD.

In its later month the McParty VIII deviated from its Cola focus. While it entered September with the thrilling Illinois Smith saga developing, it quickly became concerned with English dialects and accents, and then their Spanish and German counterparts. An effort was made to reintroduce the CRT-vs-Pepsi struggle, in which Messrs. Brian Moss and Izzy Harris played a part, but aside from a "Modonna" sighting nothing much came of it. The McParty VIII had come to a happy end, with no recognizable Cola Wars outcome. It is rumored that the McParty IX, penciled in for July 2000, will be even better. We'll just have to wait and see. In the meantime, enjoy a Pepsi and watch this space for election bulletins. . . .

 

The results of the contest will be published in a late October or early November WeBBsights issue. The winner will receive a bucket full of respect [which, combined with twenty-five cents, will buy you a phone call --Ed.].

 

Krystelle, 31, is currently a housewife, although in the past she did work for two small town newspapers as a reporter. Her husband, Frank McLean, is a taxi driver, and Krystelle is currently studying towards a Bachelors of Arts in English at the University of Athabasca. The couple have an amazing four children, ranging in age from 3 to 9 years old, and Krystelle serves as Beaver Pack Leader for her younger son's troop. In what passes for free time in her life, Krystelle likes reading Star Trek novels and other science fiction. The rest is taken up by a bird and a small, cute, adorable puppy.

 

Ever wonder what was happening on the ship you just joined before you joined? Ever wonder what all the fuss is about in Fleet Six, where someone is talking about a Fleetwide Sim but you don't know what it's about? Ever wonder what happened to the reports that WeBBsights used to do right here in this section about RPG activity? Want to know what goes on in your Fleet? Read Fleet Beat! SNN's newest paper covers all the juicy details of IC activity. The brainchild of Seamus Hughes, who returns to SNN as an Associate Editor, Fleet Beat is edited and managed by Hughes and newly-promoted SNN Deputy Editor Larry Garfield, and written by a staff of your fellow STFers from across the club.

 

Gates intends to look forward, however, not backward. "We've really jazzed this thing up. For instance, the new FAT-8192 system optimizes the optical chips for maximum efficiency. Of course, if you uninstall the software, the entire computer core is useless. On the plus side, though, it supports JavaScript, which I think has been a long time coming."

Onlookers questioned the reliability of the LCARS '76 system when dealing with Nyetscape products. The competitor (Nyetscape) argues that LCARS '76 contains coding that purposely shuts down its products. "I have yet to see an instance of that happening," said Gates. Constellation CO J.R. Stevenson then presented Gates with a mission log detailing how MAB Word 97 (one of MicroApple Bell's time-travel Betas) used the grammar checker to disable the ship's AI computer, GORBI, a Nyetscape product. "Just turn the grammar checker off," said Gates. "I do. It really doesn't do much. You should check the grammar yourself." [Of course, I hear that J.R. finds Word 97's GORBI-disabling side-effect to be the best part of the Office suite --Ed.]

In the end, though, LCARS '76 has proven to be as reliable as its earlier counterparts, and with more features. "A contract with the Semantics Corporation has wrought Bolian SystemWorks, a suite of software that checks and performs maintenance on LCARS '76. It comes with Bolian AntiVirus, and an option for ZIP rescue disks. Cool, huh?"

Marketing vampires from MircoApple Bell expect that LCARS '76 will be on the market just in time for Christmas 2384. Beta testing will be necessary to fix the estimated 1,573 bugs that exist in the Solitaire game alone. "In the meantime," noted Gates, "you'll have to content yourself with EUNIX or that pesky communistic LINUX. Whoever heard of a People's Operating System anyway? I control intergalactic software! It's all mine! Mine, mine, mine!"

When asked how he would deal with competition from other companies, Gates cryptically replied, "I'll use my awesome paranormal powers to make nasty things happen to them. Did I mention I have strange powers? I got them during a business trip to the Lawyer Planet. They don't have much to do there anymore, what with lawyers being banished and all. So they took up necromancy, and let me tell you, necromantic cookies are more moist and yummy than regular cookies."
 

Spurlin came to the presidency with the backing of most of STF Command, carrying endorsements from heavy hitters such as Mike Bourdaa, Deanne Morgan, Larry Garfield, and Mike Ballway. Spurlin took office on 3 March 1999, and his term began innocently enough, with a few administrative and mundane Edicts. The controversy began on 11 March with Edict #3. Two separate issues occurred one after another, which together resulted in the resignation of FComm-5 Deanne Morgan (now Deanne Ashton) and ACmdt Steve Ashton in protest of Spurlin's actions. Misunderstandings snowballed into a full tragedy (a complete report of is available in WeBBsights #23) and touched off the demotion and resignation of Morgan, the resignation of Steve Ashton, the self-demotion of Spurlin to Ensign, and the destruction of Spurlin's credibility within his own Cabinet.

Most of the rest of Spurlin's tenure was quiet -- almost too quiet. There were feuds and grudges created by the Spurlin-Morgan Crisis which lasted for some time, but did not write themselves into law, fortunately. Most of the actions taken by Spurlin between April and August were reasonable and necessary, if largely uneventful. The only problem was that many of them occurred without the consultation of the Cabinet. Fortunately, most of them did not require major discussion, but Spurlin's seclusion from his advisors continued to grow.

The next major issue developed in early August. Randy McCullick, CO of Fleet One's USS Ark Angel, had been on LOA for some time, having not informed anyone of the LOA except the WeBB software. When the LOA ran out, Spurlin replaced McCullick with Commodore Greg Hertzsch, an accomplished CO from Fleet Three. McCullick returned to STF very shortly after the change was made, and protested his replacement. Saying that he had been "Spurlinated," McCullick vowed to remove himself from STF until Spurlin's term ended (a move he later reneged). Spurlin was, however, correct in replacing McCullick (cf. Ardra's Advocate from WeBBsights #28).

The next major act of Spurlin was the promotion of Veep Colin Wyers to Admiral and FComm-5 Nikolle Burchett to Commodore in late August. Although very little was said about it on the WeBB, there was much talk in IRC and in private conversations. Many people felt that both promotions represented "rank inflation," though only FComm-1 Mark Wilson had the guts to say so publicly. In particular, the reasons cited for both promotions were flimsy at best, and in the case of Burchett had been used to justify a prior promotion (cf. Edict BSpurl-1-21 and this week's News section).

The positive highlight of the Spurlin Administration was the formation of the New Member Council. Although never Edictified and therefore technically unofficial, the NMC has had a positive contribution to STF. It is a committee of junior members of STF that exists for the purpose of helping new members get comfortable and finding ways to make STF less daunting for new members. It's largest contribution has been the push for the new Ensign's Guide to the WeBB. Although the site was coded by FComm-4 Larry Garfield, the majority of the content and design was provided by members of the NMC, and forthcoming articles on Role-Playing different species and character development will improve the experience for new members even more. The Guide replaces the series of disjointed help pages that formerly existed, and would not have been created without the New Member Council.

Spurlin resigned on 20 September, citing health concerns that prevented him from continuing his position as President.

The Spurlin-Morgan Crisis set the tone for the remainder of Spurlin's term. Bob "The Corporate Cheese" Spurlin ran on a platform that included his experience in the business world as a mover and shaker. It was, in fact, this facet of his personality and administration style which resulted in the Spurlin-Morgan Crisis (among other causes), and the ostracization of his Cabinet. While his brusque, businesslike approach may have worked downtown, it doesn't work in a social club like STF. Despite the despotic powers of the President, the club cannot be run despotically. Spurlin rarely consulted with his advisors, especially in the later parts of his term. This error cannot be blamed entirely on his administrative style, however. Spurlin had also been suffering growing medical problems; the result was that his time online decreased, and with that his ability to communicate with his cabinet and advisors decreased as well.

Whenever he was accused of taking some action which was inappropriate or in error, Spurlin stated that he had taken that any all his actions for what he believed to be the good of STF. Although that logic failed briefly during the Spurlin-Morgan Crisis, it was true in most cases that Spurlin's actions were necessary, if unpopular.

Bob Spurlin was not the best President in STF history. His style was very ivory-tower, higher-than-thou. For many reasons, he was slowly closed off from the club and from his advisors. His bureaucratic, overly-legalistic style did not mesh well with the nature of the social club known as STF. Yet these problems were not created out of malice or carelessness. Spurlin did not deliberately shirk his responsibilities, nor did he abuse his power, save for once during the Crisis which shattered his reputation and trust. Bob Spurlin was a good man. He was just not a very good President.
 

But no, another important event on an eight-month schedule approaches -- the end of the current President's term. Or should I say the end of the current President's predecessor's term, since FAdm. Colin Wyers is only serving out the time allotted for retired chief Bob Spurlin. El Espurlinador's term will end in early November no matter who's sitting in the hot seat; the one-month election period has already begun the quest to find a suitable heir to the throne.

Or has it? To look at STF events recently, you would think that the Cabinet has been looking ahead to November for two or three months now. The same rules that seek to diminish the impact of politics upon STF by curtailing political involvement on the BBs have made it possible to plan political careers in advance, by promulgating a rigid, predictable system of eight-month terms. The result is that although only one day has passed since nominations opened, five men have been publicly asked to run for President and accepted, and one more need only accept his nomination before becomming official.

These tickets will probably consolidate in upcoming days and a three- or four-way race will probably emerge, but that's not the point. The election rules were clearly written to minimize the impact of politics upon STF's bulletin boards. It was hoped that all the politicking could be contained within the one month out of every eight in which a Presidential election was taking place. Instead, we have now -- in the first day of nomination -- indications of five (and rumors of the sixth) distinct running-mate pairs.

But we could have told you about that a month ago. Even in mid-August, stories and plots were circulating around Email, IRC, ICQ, and the other off-the-BB communication systems on which STF's rumor mill depends. Autumn Elections '99 have been locked in as at least a five-way race since the middle of Summer. It really doesn't matter how this information came to be known, or exactly when it did, or even why candidacies were effectively declared so early. The $64,000 Question of the current election period is whether or not this mid-term politicking (remember that Mr. Spurlin's term still had fully three months left on it when scuttlebutt started asking about tickets) is contrary to the letter and spirit of our election laws, and, what's more, if it's damaging to the club.

For the most part, the election rules seek to insulate the fun and games of the BB's OOC and RPG areas from politics. As Adm. Bourdaa reminds us this week in his revamped EC webpage, most forms of political speech are prohibited on the ships, and a mid-August reprimand reinforced the unwritten law that angling for the President's seat during the non-election seven months of his term is verboten. Clearly if the August candidates had made their deals and plots in the WeBB OOC Area or on Bridge of the Kestrel, they'd be in bad taste or violation of STF law. But they kept, for the most part, to IRC, ICQ and Email. The latter two are completely outside of STF's jurisdiction and therefore no restrictions are possible. Within the former, the channel #Star-Fleet is owned and operated by the Internet Department and is considered an arm of STF. Adm. Bourdaa has made it clear that campaign restrictions apply equally to #Star-Fleet, and perhaps during the non-election months we should prohibit politicking. However, most of the Summer discussion took place in private rooms or by direct messaging.

Thus it seems as though the early formation of these tickets has taken place in such a way as to break few, if any, rules. Since the stated purpose of the election laws is to separate politics from OOC and RPG discussions, and the direct-messaging or Email discussions could in no way be construed as affecting official Club OOC or RPG areas, I think the spirit of the law was also followed. This brings us to a greater question: Was damage done to the club?

The easy answer here is that it's to early to tell. An increased focus on Presidential politics is hardly something to be applauded in STF; it could lead to personal vendettas against sitting leaders who would be incumbents, or against other Cabinet members who could be challengers. On the other hand, the idea of STF officers keeping their minds blank of Presidential ambition and then waking up on 4 October and saying, "Gee, I think I'll run for President today!" is absurd.

STFers thinking of ambition are not a problem. When this editor was a Commander (with experience and prestige equivalent to today's Lieutenant), he entertained dreams of running for Vice-President on an anti-Midyette ticket. The problems arise when politics reaches a personal level and begins to affect the RPG and OOC areas of the club -- perhaps by diverting attention and energy away from our club's "main event," the sims, or perhaps by "politicizing" the relationship between officers on different sides of a campaign fight. Even while yours truly was contemplating a run for the Center Seat, or at least the Seat Right Next to the Center Seat, he did not let it affect his dealings with the staunch status-quo supporters. And, it turns out, he did not let it affect his dealings with Mr. Midyette himself -- we eventually "buried the hatchet" and I served as his exec on the Constellation.

The lesson here is that the early start to this month's political season may be unprecedented, but it's not necessarily harmful to the club. Only when politics reaches a personal level will it damage the OOC and RPG life here, but if that does happen, stricter rules may have to be introduced.