Home

Sheep! Send money to AAWS Inc. or else ... the lights will be out and most of you will be dead!

See original AAWS/GSO letter at bottom of this page.

February 9, 1996

George Dorsey, General Manager
General Service Office
Grand Central Station P. O. Box 459
New York, NY 10163

RE  November 1995 Gratitude Letter on
    General Service Office of Alcoholics Anonymous
    Letterhead signed by Tom Jasper and George Dorsey

Dear George,

I'm confused. If I was a newcomer to AA and was serving as a group treasurer, I would be even more confused. Is this letter akin to the infamous Birthday Plan letter a few years ago at this same approximate time? All under the guise of self-support? Why was this letter attached with the normal GSB quarterly letter of contributions received to date? Two issues concern me. First is the implication of who is who when written letters under differing letterheads is considered. The second issue is the extremely confused message in the letter text itself.

Letterheads and corporate and fellowship implications concern me. As group treasurer I make out the group contribution and mail it to the GSB which in turn acknowledges receipt and provides updates on contributions on the GSB letterheads. Contributions received by the GSB after the close of the quarter are automatically reflected in the next quarter statement. No problem there as I understand the GSO actually does the physical work. However, rather than doing a separate mailing, and for whatever reason ( read suspicions) included is a letter dated November and received in January, 1996 with an envelope dated l/6/96 by the post office on the letterhead as indicated above, GSO of AA. Shouldn't the letterhead been more reflective of its source? AAWS, Inc.? Isn't that who signed it? I was under the impression that the GSO letterhead would be used when a staff person was responding to a group inquiry or a conference matter. Is this an example of AAWS, Inc. meddling in its apparent quest for money, property, and prestige? The third concern on letterhead involves a group literature order being mailed in today to World Service, Inc. The check was made out to World Service, Inc. What is this entity? Is it a separate corporation? If different from AAWS, Inc than I would like a copy of its articles of incorporation and bylaws for my records. I was under the impression that AAWS, Inc. was responsible for the printing and distribution of literature. Has this changed? Does AAWS, Inc. in some manner feel responsible for what the GSO says? Are the two synonymous or are they different with different responsibilities, regardless of legal considerations. I know from the literature that Bill and others felt strongly that the fellowship should control the purse strings with the board(s) as custodians.

Now to letter content and its confusing and contradicting statements. What is the purpose? Isn't it masquerading under the dishonest 

Dodge 2/9/96 p2 

guise of a gratitude letter actually a plea for more funds from groups under the further guise of information to the effect that the percentage of contributing groups has declined. To add to the duplicity is the contradictory "behind the eight-ball financially". If not true, why include it? Are we a fellowship which places "principles before personalities"? If so then I am at a loss to explain to newcomers in the group what your Opening paragraph is implying. Is the General Service Office (and Conference) now ready to deify Bill W. with Crediting a birth as an Event, and a personal miracle to try once again not to drink as The Miracle which leads to the conclusions of your paragraph. I do believe others were involved who were more important. The event would have happened - Bill happened to be there. It is disturbing to think that AAWS, Inc is deliberately encouraging this thinking already rampant in the fellowship that AA is not simply a way of life, but a religion complete with its pantheon of gods, etc. A final remark is on the time sequence in the dates mentioned above - end of October 1995, sometime in November 1995 and a postmark of January 6, 1996. In this day and age of an extremely expensive computer system presently used at AAWS's instigation, again under the guise this time of being able to better handle group records, I question why it was not possible to more accurately reflect current contributions through November 1995 as the group had made a contribution in mid-November which would have tempered the judgment made in the post-script. Incidently, if the plea is really for more funds, then more detail on the financial situation should have been provided. After all, the October/November Quarterly report indicates at least an 11 month reserve, so is the financial situation less than true? If so, then is AAWS,Inc undermining its credibility, and even more so, the General Service Office credibility, as that is the letterhead chosen to send this letter out to the groups.

Is a letter of apology due to the groups for misinformation and confusion?
 
 

Love through Service,
[signed]
Bob D., Panel 36 Maine
P.O. Box 83
Stonington, ME 04681

Note new phone # Home 207-…-….
Bay View Rest. 367-….
cc  Ted and Elaine, Del and Alt. Del.
    Mary Jane R. - NE Trustee
    Jake H. - Past NE Trustee
    Annette. F - Fresno
    file


 
OX Free Counter
OX Free Counter