Cabals and membership boards

It both heartens and saddens me that Chase's proposal to amend the Developer Membership Board's approval process has met with seeming vehemence and accusations. The participants in the discussion have all contributed invaluable resources to Free Software, and it is wonderful that this dialog is taking place, because any vibrant community will continually evaluate its relevance and efficacy. Unfortunately, some of the responses have become accusatory and detract from the thrust of the conversation. Please, let's continuously - and gratefully - give and accept constructive criticism.