Clan Cunningham Society of America – Shuts the Door on Unification Talks with Clan Cunningham USA
Over the past several weeks I have tried to open the door to talks between Clan Cunningham USA and Clan Cunningham Society of America, only to have the door slammed in my face. Below are the e-mails send and received, only the names of some of the CCSA members have been removed to protect them from being expelled by the High Commissioner of CCSA, one of his favorite ways of dealing with CCSA members who dare to have independent thoughts about bring CCUSA to CCSA closer together for the sake of Clan Cunningham as a whole.
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March 4, 2008
To a Member of CCSA Board of Director (Bill Cunningham)
It has been some time since we last corresponded, and much has take place. For one thing we have moved from New Hampshire to Connecticut, as I have taken a position with a community hospital close to New York City. And for another thing, at our last tri-annual meeting of CCUSA I was elected the national Vice President for CCUSA. It is interesting to note that 7 members of our Board of Directors were never involved with CCSA.
CCSA Member Name, I am concerned about the state-of-affairs with in our Clan, Clan Cunningham. I was shock to read on the CCSA web-site that "This splinter group, CCUSA, is a boil on the face of Clan Cunningham". Bill as you well know name-calling has never settled anything. It is clear that if Clan Cunningham here in the US is ever to travel under a unified banner, it will take cooler-heads than Larry Augsbury, to bring us together.
We have an opportunity to travel under one banner that is coming up in 2009, The Gathering in Edinburgh. Unlike Larry's sentiment, we will welcome all Cunninghams regardless of their affiliation be it CCSA, CCUSA or unaffiliated. Larry is putting the organizers in a no-win situation. If they honor our reservation, which was made prior to Larry's reservation, they will incur the wrath of Larry Augsbury.
CCSA Member Name, I am contacting you as I see that you are listed Virginia State Commissioner for CCSA and as such you may be in a position to work with me to try to bring a resolution to the current state of affairs. I am writing to you not as an officer of CCUSA but as Steve Cunningham a proud member of Clan Cunningham. We need to bring to an end this vendetta that Mr. Augsbury has toward CCUSA and those who were once officers in CCSA. Mr. Augsbury, forgets he threw these individuals out of CCSA and so he in many ways is fully responsible for the formation of CCUSA. In short he brought CCUSA upon himself.
I am willing to travel to met with you to discuss unofficially discuss a plan that would bring both Clan Cunningham groups under one banner. I even offer to meet Larry Augsbury on neutral ground, say a Scottish Festival. Before you do anything at this point I ask you to read the latest posting by Mr. Augsbury on the CCSA web-site "What the upstart splinter group, CCUSA, doesn't want you to know!" and ask your self, are you comfortable with what is being said? Does this promote CCSA let along Clan Cunningham?
We can do better and the members of CCSA and CCUSA deserve better.
I look forward to hearing from you, and I hope that I have not put you into a difficult position.
Yours,
Steve
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March 8, 2008
To a Member of CCSA Board of Director (Brian Cunningham)
Congratulation on being the CCSA XXXXXXX, I know how tough it can be to keep a XXXXXXXX, as I too have a web-site that I manage, here in the Northeast.
I know that you do not know me, let me first introduce my self, I am Steve Cunningham and currently I am serving as the National Vice President for Clan Cunningham USA. I have been a member of CCUSA for nearly 5 years, I enjoy meeting and talking with my fellow Clan members be they CCUSA, CCSA or unaffiliated. Each you I travel to 5 to 6 Scottish gatherings throughout the Northeast, I have not gotten to Maryland yet.
Brian, I am very concerned about the rhetoric being direct by Mr. Larry Augsbury toward Clan Cunningham USA. First you should know that more than 60% of the leadership CCUSA has never held any leadership positions in CCSA, including myself. In fact Mr. Augsbury rejected my membership application after it had been approved by the CCSA Membership Chair.
There are a number of factorial and incomplete disclosers being made by Mr. Augsbury on the CCSA Web-site. For instance he talks about a trailer havening been taken from CCSA. Mr. Augsbury fails to report that a court Las Vegas, Nevada disagreed with Mr. Augsbury and CCSA and dismissed the case. The fact and truth here is that no trail was taken with out authority; no crime was committed by any CCUSA member in relationship to the trailer issue. I am sure you and any other member of CCSA can look into the Las Vegas, Nevada court records and find the ruling.
Brian, I am American of Scottish Clan Cunningham heritage first and a member of CCUSA second. I and the majority of the CCUSA Board, even those kicked out of CCSA to want a unified Clan Cunningham organization. In fact two years ago we submitted a plan to Mr. Augsbury which called for Board to Board talks. We offered to exchange our By-Laws as well as our Board list complete with address, phone numbers and e-mail addresses for CCSAs'. Mr. Augsbury, rejected our proposal, and stated he could do so without even informing the CCSA Board. I bet even to this day Mr. Augsbury has never informed the CCSA Board of our proposal. While I am talking to you as Steve Cunningham, not as the CCUSA Vice President, I can say with confidence our proposal to holed Board to Board talks still stands. Additionally our current President, David Pickens has offered to resign as the CCUSA President and sign a letter of intention, stating he will hold no Board Office in the new Clan Cunningham organization if Mr. Larry Augsbury is willing to do the same.
David and we believe that the success of a Clan Cunningham organization in America is bigger than one person. The question is does Mr. Larry Augsbury believe in the same values, that the success of a Clan Cunningham organization is more important, than his position and leadership of CCSA, something to ask him.
We have a great opportunity to bring our two organizations to gather, and to celebrate with our fellow Scots in Scotland in 2009 at The Gathering. Clan Cunningham will be their, under one banner, that is up to Mr. Larry Augsbury and the Board of CCSA.
I am offering to travel to meet you, any other CCSA Board member and even Mr. Augsbury in an open and public setting, providing an open and honest dialog can be had.
Brian, it is not my intention to but you in the middle of this, but I am sincere in reaching out to any CCSA member I can locate and ask him or her to at least listen.
There is an old saying there are always three sides to an argument, his, there and some where in the middle the truth.
You’re Kinsman
Steve
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March 12, 2008
To a Member of CCSA Board of Director. (Jack Cunningham)
XXXXX Cunningham forwarded me your e-mail concerning the 2009 Gathering in Edinburgh. Let me first introduce my self, I am Steve Cunningham the Vice President for Clan Cunningham USA and I have been on the details of our trip to Scotland in 2009, this is why Kelly sent me your e-mail address.
We, Clan Cunningham USA would welcome the participation of our brothers and sister of the Clan Cunningham Society of America. Unfortunately this is not a sentiment of your High Commissioner & Chairman, Larry Augsbury. On the CCSA Web-site refers to our organization as”a boil on the face of Clan Cunningham."
In conversations with Lord Semphill, he has requested that we CCUSA and CCSA do are best to bring these separating issues between our two organizations closer together or at the very least bring an end to the hostilities. Something we in CCUSA would love to see happen.
Jack, two-years ago we approached CCSA, through its High Commissioner, a plan that would have led to a possible reconciliation or the formation of a new Clan Cunningham organization. One that both members of CCSA and CCUSA would join together and work on behalf of all Cunningham's here in America. We proposed Board to Board talks, and to start the process we proposed that we exchange our organization By-Laws' and a complete Board of Directors list, so that all could be involved in the process. Mr. Augsbury rejected our proposal, and when asked if he had brought it to the CCSA Board, he said he did not have to, and he would not. Our proposal was fully discussed and debated at two Board Meeting, every member of the CCUSA Board of Directors was involved in the process, I can make these minutes available to you and any other members of the CCSA Board if it means we could move the process forward.
I have heard stories about the split that brought about CCUSA, both Mr. Augsbury and Mr. Pickens have given me their sides of the issue. I was not a member of CCSA at any time, and only joined CCUSA after carefully looking into both organizations. In fact over 60% of the members of CCUSA Board of Directors have never held a leadership positions in CCSA, and most have never been members of CCSA.
It seems with the 2009 Gathering in Scotland that we have an opportunity to bring our two organizations closer. I am sure that this will met resistance from Mr. Augsbury, and I must point out, he is a major road-block to the reconciliation process. Mr. Pickens has offered to step aside and pledge to take no formal roll in a new Clan Cunningham organization if Mr. Augsbury agrees to do the same. David believes the success of a unified Clan Cunningham organization is more important than him. The question is, does Larry Augsbury believe that a successful and unified Clan Cunningham organization is more important than his position as High Commissioner & Chairman of CCSA?
Jack, I believe a first step in bring to an end of the current situation, is to remove from the CCSA web-site all reference to CCUSA. Your web-site belongs to you, and all members of CCSA. Do the negative attacks posted on the CCSA web-site represent your views and those of the members of CCSA or are they one individuals view.
I have made this offer to others in your organization, I am willing to travel and to meet with meet with members of the CCSA Board of Directors, and yes, even with Mr. Augsbury, in a public neutral setting, I am sure we can find a fellow Clan organization that would host such an event.
Let's all work together, so we can all proudly march down the Royal Mile in Edinburgh with our Clan Cunningham Tartan flying high and proudly.
You’re Kinsman
Steve
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March 20, 2008
Mr. Stevens Cunningham,
I was forwarded your email message to Jack. If you sincerely wish "to bring
these separating issues between our two organizations closer together or at
the very least bring an end to the hostilities," and if it is true that "CCUSA
would love to see this happen," then you must begin by effecting the return
of our property in Mr. Lester's possession."
In the meantime, do not contact our officers directly, regarding CCUSA. All
email correspondence regarding CCSA should be addressed to
query@clancunningham.us.
Sincerely,
Larry Augsbury, High Commissioner Elect
Clan Cunningham Society of America, Inc.
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March 20, 2008
To a Member of CCSA Board of Director. (Jack Cunningham)
I received the attached e-mail from the High Commissioner Clan Cunningham Society of America today, as to the issue of the trailer, this is an issue between CCSA and Mr. Lester, which by the way has been settled by a court of law in Las Vegas, Nevada last year I am not sure what more I can do.
I want to give my response to your High Commissioner, serious thought as I truly believe we do have an opportunity to bring to end the friction between our two organizations. For this reason I will take the appropriate time to reply to him.
Let me concluded by saying it is not my intention to but you or any other member of CCSA Board member or not in a difficult spot. I feel that an open and free dialog between kinsmen is the only way we will solve this situation.
As to the 2009 Gathering in Scotland I can assure you that every member of Clan Cunningham will be welcomed at the Clan Cunningham Tent, including members of CCSA.
Yours,
Steve
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March 21, 2008
Mr. Stevens Cunningham,
Since you have chosen to ignore my request not to harass our CCSA officers personally, but rather to direct all matters involving the splinter group to CCSA's email address of query@clancunningham.us, Jack has taken the action to block your address from his email account. If harassment from you or any other splinter group officers to any CCSA officers continue, appropriate action will be taken.
I do sympathize with your cognitive difficulties, but don't call 911 when your next email bounces back. Simply refer to my previous email for instructions for contacting CCSA.
Don't flatter yourself with the gathering's business decision. With the objective of attracting tourism, we see how the choice of Bozo the Clown, or Mickey Mouse over Oliver North or G. Gordon Liddy could be made. Well..., then again..., probably not, but we understand the tourist attraction motivation.
We’ll warn any Cunningham’s we know making the trip to watch their back.
Have our trailer delivered to:
4575 West 111th Avenue
Westminster, CO 80031
and maybe we'll do lunch.
Larry Augsbury, High Commissioner
Clan Cunningham Society of America
March 23, 2008
C. Stevens Cunningham,
We at CCSA do not wish to engage in any further dialog with you or any other
CCUSA officer about a Clan Cunningham unification which will only lead to
more insults from both sides.
CCSA is about principles, and the celebration and propagation of those
principles that make us proud to be of Scottish Cunningham descent.
CCUSA was founded by unprincipled quitters, failures and users (not all -
but most) to further their best interest, not Clan Cunningham. What they
are really doing is seeking a convenient return on their investment - to
which you admitted to yourself early on in our previous futile dialog -
at the expense of Clan Cunningham.
Therefore CCSA will never be associated with the name of CCUSA, or with
any merger that even recognizes its existence.
We have welcomed many former CCUSA members, and always will. But what
CCUSA STANDS FOR will never be acknowledged or associated with CCSA.
It mocks the core purpose of our society. Perhaps some day you will
come to understand this.
This is the final message you will receive from CCSA regarding any unification.
If you wish to atone for the damage you have done to Clan Cunningham, you can
resign from CCUSA and join the upstanding Clan Cunningham Society of America,
as others before you have done.
Larry Augsbury, High Commissioner Elect
Clan Cunningham Society of America, Inc.
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Clan Cunningham USA will always stand ready to have a meaningful and productive
dialog with our fellow sisters and brothers associated with CCSA. One of the
principle differences between CCUSA and CCSA is that we are a democratic
organization in all of our dealings. CCSA is an autocratic organization with
only one person makes all of the decisions.
CCUSA stands ready, willing and able to unite Clan Cunningham under one banner
and will always work toward that goal; we invite all Clan Cunningham members
to join us in this pursuit.
Steve Cunningham
March 23, 2008