Hello everyone. Sorry this is so long, but I'm a long winded old coot.
My name is Jim Sawyer, I'm 60-years-old and I live in Orlando Florida. I don't have to go back very far to trace my Scottish roots; my Mum was born a Thomson, in Glenshee, Scotland. She met my dad, an American from Tenn., when she was just out of her teens. They were married and moved to the U.S. Some extended time after they had three other sons, I was born.
I'm here at the e-mail invitation of Stu Thompson. It seems he came across the Scotland/Thomson page I have on my personal Web site.
A few weeks ago, I was surfing 'Thomson' like I do about four times a year, reading all the prattle on the DHA site. I've been monitoring everything said about the name Thomson since the early days of computers and bulletin boards. (Yes, I'm a computer geek, I write html, Java and a few other code languages.)
It was about 3 a.m.; I had two or three Glenmorangie's in me and got pissed, in both ways. So, I set up a Google-mail address and dropped a few paragraphs on my page that basically said;
'I don't know about my fellow Thomson's, but I have had enough of Clan politics and people claiming us like we are Scottish cattle. We are a proud Clan with a history of poets, teachers and statesmen. So, if you are a Thomson, sharpen your basket-hilt and send me an e-mail at clanthomsonusa@gmail.com and I'll start a database. We will form the unofficial Clan Thomson U.S.A. It's FREE.'
I offered to to post a Web site and send out membership cards, no charge.
I put "Clan Thomson USA" on my site as satire. I had had enough of the stuff I had read dealing with the DHA and other clans claiming Thomson. A few years back Dugald contacted me about the Scottish page I had up then. Back then there were not as many personal Web pages as now and some how he found me. He sent me some info and I was happy to post some of his stuff on my site. Then this mess started
Love me or hate me I really don't give a damn who's Chief. I'm an American with Scot in my heritage and proud of it, but American first. I'd love to know my history back to the 1300's but as far as I can get is around 1550, but it's not going to change anything if I trace it back to year 0, and I don't plan to go bent knee to anyone. I've been there and seen where my Mum, grand parents and great grand parents lived and died, that is really as far back as it matters to me.
Something a very wise person told me one time, 'There's not just one answer.' I believe it's the same with us Thom(p)sons. There may not be one ancestor. Just be happy you have the heritage and the claim to the name.
Anyway, like I said, I'd had a few, and I typed my feelings on the site. However, I was surprised to find that I am not the only one with the same feelings.
I understand that groups have differing opinions and sometimes split, but that mess on the Web is the worst kind of publicity I have ever seen. It rubs the Thomson name in the mud, and that makes me angry. It looks like a bunch of primary school children in a schoolyard fight. If you want to go out on your own feel free to do so, but don't tarnish the name in the process.
I have worked in TV, news media, Web media and advertising for 40-years, and I can tell you that it's doing more damage than good. You can only compare it to the mud slinging in a political campaign. Think about how you feel and the things people say about a candidates who makes accusations about his or her opponent. It doesn't matter if they are true. The person saying making the statement looks worse than the person they are talking about. It looks like a last ditch effort of a loser.
Forget about the other guy. That's done and over, move on.
It seems from the reading I have done tonight on this forum that Stu and many of you feel some what the same way.
I did already have a link to Clan Thompson Society on my page and had made the comment after it that you seem to have it together. Then I got an e-mail from Stu Thompson. Stu told me "...we are trying very hard to get our act together and move on from the whole MacTavish/DHA debacle. I'll tell you up front that the CTS grew out of the old DHA membership... but we're working hard now to try and stand on our own."
I answered Stu and at his suggestion I am here to listen and learn. Don't get me wrong I don't make any claim to know the true path. I only answer to myself, but I'd be happy to learn anything you folks can teach me.
One thing, I did find it odd that in spite of the fact that you say you had an election and elected officers and were an 'official' group, I can not find a list of officers on the Web site. In fact, I can't find any group information. There is no information on size of the group, officers, state of residence, tax status, bylaws, mailing, nothing. In the metatags, M. Thompson is responsible for the Web site content. I don't know if that means M. Thompson is their Web master, group leader or supervising site editor. The copyright is owned by "Clan Thompson Society," so you have to be a valid entity or the copyright would not be valid.
(Metatags, for you non-html code types, are the gibberish you see when you select "View" + "Page Source" in your browser. Meta tags used to help search engines rank sites. They don't use it any more for that, but it's a great place to imbed copyright and other site information as well a function code.)
Anyway, to make a long story short, yea, I know too late, I'm here to listen and even drop in an opinion from time to time. If I like what I hear I might join, if you'll have me after you hear what I say.