NEW RULES FOR THE MEMBERS OF THE BENIGN BC
(USA)......ALL IN THE SPIRIT OF ZERO TOLERANCE !

1. In order for this club to grow and prosper financially , members must attend duplicates on a regular basis , which means of course cutting back on holidays.  Members' holidays therefore are considered to be completely unnecessary. All members should realise that there is nothing better than bridge, and that they are damn lucky to belong to a club as good as this. Should any member cancel a duplicate to go on holiday , this will be considered by the Committee as being disloyal. Consequently , the Committee will assume that the member must be unhappy with his/her duplicate experience , and will cease to be considered as a valuable revenue source to the club. Dismissal will of course have to be seriously considered by the Committee. 

2. The Committee will consider it a sign of weakness and bad practice should a member cancel a duplicate on the grounds of sickness. It is the duty of every member to attend weekly duplicates irrespective of their state of health. No one wants to see small fields where results are disturbingly skewed. Moreover , a visit to the doctor by a member is considered totally unnecessary as sitting seats will be provided for those unable to stand or walk. The Committee believes that if members can make it to their doctors or local hospitals , then they are certainly well enough to attend the club.

3. If a member's relative or friend has died then that excuse will not wash with the Committee. Unfortunate as this may be , there is obviously nothing much which can be done for the deceased other than let others dispose of the body. Therefore , The Committee will not accept such a death as a legitimate excuse for not attending a duplicate evening. The joy of bridge should never be jeopardised by the misery of trauma and grief. Funerals , if members insist on attending them , will need to be arranged for mornings only in order to make sure they can get to the club on time before the duplicate session starts.

4. Should a member's death occur prior to the start of the duplicate , the member should have both the decency and foresight to arrange a replacement for him/herself to avoid any risk of inflicting this inconvenience on the club. In such circumstances the Committee have the right to take disciplinary action , and impose a life ban posthumously.