[Double Venom]

Just to let you know...
I am reading every valuable post. Turk is right except Minnesota! It’s MEECHIGAN not that really cold state. Second. I have direct contact with the roots in Ohio and of course with our adopted town of London. Making meetings, calls, what ever, are not presenting a problem.

However I know the extremely generous 'Gashole' gang, (Sorry if I said something good about you guys, but you are and no amount of hiding can change that!) would like to see the event moved a little further west. Then again our two largest participating groups to date, Michigan and the DC group would like to see it moved north or east.

My e-mail has been filled with suggestions to change charities for one reason or the other. ALL of them are more than deserving. I simply am at a loss over this. I certainly have no objection to changing, maybe even rotating, but it has to be decided upon by the Cobra Family!

The most important part about the Fling, and I have been told, needlessly by the way, countless times, that "WE" started as a family picnic so many years ago. The 'Family' comes first, anything after that is secondary. I couldn't agree more--period. If we raise money for any given charity then so be it. That is a good thing.

I have so many charities that I would love to see us help out with. Pat's idea and many others of helping out my fellow veterans really strikes home. To help my brothers in blue along with the firefighters families strikes very, very close to home. Muscular Dystrophy is another one that has struck too close to home for me. Mike has asked to have his favorite charity thrown in to the hat too. Mike (Braatz) works tirelessly for a Boy's Town type organization. (Sorry Mike, I know I have the wrong name!)

At least one of the answers is simple. The Fling as we know it will stay in London at least as long as our family wants it too. Should it go somewhere else? If it is chosen to do so then I will be one of the first to sign up where ever it is!

Do we pick a different charity?

Or should we have a lottery? Should all the proceeds of a Fling be thrown into a hat and the winning charity takes all?

Or, how about we pick more than one charity, and then divide the kitty up with each charity getting an equal share of the kitty?

"WE", and I do mean all of us need to make a decision on this and I would appreciate sooner than later. The planning and arrangements for the DVSF V is well under way. Bigger or smaller doesn't matter to me as long as we can keep bringing the Cobra family in masse together. You can't make a wrong decision here.

Ed 'DV' Combs
PS ... Do the Club Cobra Polls work? Should we have a poll on this?

Edit...Just as I posted this Mike posted the thread above. Actually CF received just over $12,000.00 This year. Not bad people, not bad at all. For 87 days and all the cancellations because of our sniper problem, the Cobra family did one heck of a job! Just another side note. What Shana or CF collects at the Fling, poker run money, donations, even some of the money taken in from our actions have not been credited to the Fling. In other words, the money that CF collects DOES go to CF of course, it's just that the Fling hasn't gotten credit for it.