Theos-Talk Archives (August 1997 Message tl00371)

At 01:29 PM 8/16/97 -0400, Bart Lidofsky wrote:
>ramadoss@eden.com wrote:
>>       If you have followed all the developments surrounding the changes to
>> the bylaws which were made some time ago, you should have noticed that more
>> than one attorney member of TS has come to the conclusion that bylaw changes
>> were null and void because TSA itself did not follow its own bylaws when
>> changes were made.
>
>	Other than Sy, who else was there? I had read Sy's letters when he sent
>it out, and showed it to several attorneys, as well as the by-laws, and
>they disagreed with his conclusions (they did, however, point out to me
>the major flaw in the National by-laws, which I have been campaigning to
>have changed: it only requires a simple majority of the Board of
>Directors to dissolve a Lodge (it requires 2/3 to throw out an
>individual member). 
>
>>       If there comes a time when a litigation becomes necessary because TSA
>> tries to seize the property of a lodge, then we will see these issues and
>> other related ones brought up.
>
>	It depends. There are very few Lodges with an amount of property
>sufficient to be worth a lawsuit. New York already has language in its
>by-laws allowing National to take over the property (but NOT to remove
>it from the city) should the New York Lodge be dissolved, so I don't
>think it would stand up in court very well. I don't know about the other
>Lodges with considerable property (Seattle, the camps, etc.).
>
>	Bart Lidofsky

The other major issue that has not caught the attention of the membership is
the fate of all the property and assets and their management if and when the
National Charter is withdrawn/cancelled by GC. It has happened in Canada,
Denmark and some other countries and it cannot be ruled out in the next 30 -
40 years. In such an eventuality the trustees of TIT which will hold the
assets of all lodges, centers, camps, etc and they are not answerable to
anyone -- man or god and can almost get away with anything, as has happened
in other Trusts with a lot of property and money.

        ....................MKR