How's that song go? "another day older and deeper in debt?"
Well, today's my birthday, and I've been thinking about the time I've spent, in my life, working for causes and organizations. I've actually done a lot of it. In automation, I've worked for the old Industrial Computing Society, which ever so slightly resurrected itself a couple of weeks ago when three of us former members had lunch with the (now former) Executive Director of ISA to discuss what went wrong, and how ISA could start it back up. I helped to found, and I serve as President of the CorgiAid foundation (www.corgiaid.org, if you want to make a donation). I've been active in civic affairs in several places, worked with Special Olympics, and other charities. And I've spent a lot of time working for ISA.
I never got paid for working for ISA. That's a claim many of us can proudly make. We did it for the profession, and for our society.
I will never be President of ISA. I will likely never again serve as an officer of the society. But I still care deeply for it, and I am extremely disheartened by what I see lately. ISA had really just turned the corner, under Renner. Now the ship is rudderless and drifting again.
If you care about ISA too, clap your hands and wish real hard.