Cease and Desist

SAICO and/or Go hands (3rd party company) requested “cease and desist”.  However, it was more related to the SA White Book.  We still do NOT agree with the following facts:

  1. SAICO receives NO MONEY or royalties from the sales of the White Book yet continues to endorse and sell 10,000s of books.
  2. Historically, literature sales in AA and other 12 Step programs have always been a major source of income, yet there are several people running the show who are NOT members of SA and collecting a salary
  3. AA and many other 12 Step programs publish their literature online for FREE
  4. We find it to be preposterous that the SAICO central office took such an AGGRESSIVE position threatening to sue webmaster over this matter
  5. It was NEVER webmaster’s intention to profit on the White Book nor violate any laws.  He could NEVER pay back what SA has given him–priceless gift and he’ll always be eternally grateful
  6. On our home page we clearly state: “This site is not endorsed by SA, nor does it represent SA as a whole”
  7. Read more

Here are some excerpts from the actual letter below…

For the record, here are the chronological facts:

  1. When we introduced the www.saphonemeeting.org website in 2009 it received support from one person – Chad C.  I sent out an email to a long list of members soliciting their advice that I knew and he was the ONLY person who replied.
  2. The www.sa.org and www.denversa.org webmasters have changed hands, but Chad C has offered lots of sound advice and guidance over the years.
  3. In addition, I worked very closely with Kay S. at the SAICO central office to follow certain attribution polices related to copyright laws (e.g. “Adapted with permission from ….”) and non-conference approved literature.
  4. The sole purpose of the website was to provide up-to-date phone number changes, codes and new meeting schedule as well as hosting the various custom scripts and formats for each of the meetings
  5. There are many SA Members and groups that continue to reference the website including 2215 and 2400 groups because they often do not have a secretary to lead the meeting and ask for someone to facilitate.  What better way to encourage consistency than to refer people to a website where any member can quickly download the script and lead the meeting.  That’s how most people got involved on the Noon teleconference.
  6. I prefer to stay out of the controversy with other people’s agendas and will continue to work together with people who are sensible on this matter.

For example, the Baltimore SA Intergroup has worked very hard to introduce new ideas to the fellowship and had one of the most successful International Conventions in the history of SA last year.  Many of the members who I have worked with for counsel and governance on the www.saphonemeeting.org project  are long-standing “SOBER MEMBERS” from the local area, which incidentally was Chad’s suggestion.   Moreover, Sexual recovery is up against the odds–Pornographic websites 4.2 million (12% of total websites).  The sexual advertising culture we live in today has a devastating impact on our society.  It is very, very dangerous when you consider “Child Pornography, Child Sexual Abuse and Human Sex Trafficking”.  Being a family man, which I know you are as well, it is critical that we work together towards the common good.  Not fight against each other.

Take for instance the New York Times Magazine: It ran a cover story on May 18 called “Naked Capitalists: There’s No Business Like Porn Business.” Its thesis: Pornography is big business–with $10 billion to $14 billion in annual sales. The author,  Frank   Rich Frank Rich , suggests that pornography is bigger than any of the major league sports, perhaps bigger than Hollywood. Porn is “no longer a sideshow to the mainstream…it is the mainstream,” he says.   The Country Revenue in China is $27 Billion (number one), South Korea $25B  and Japan $19B.  Sources: Real Truth, Enough, Wiki, Forbes, Family