Kitchen:

I've had long meetings with the editor's as far as our relationship with Hell's Kitchen is concerned. Once Andrea abandoned her posistion as editor we realized that we really had no clue as to how this relationship operates or even where to take it. We've weighed the positives against the negatives and we have come to the consensus that this is not going to work out. While we appreciate the helping hand you have given us, there seems to be this rift of philosophy (and geography) that will not be crossed. You guys have said that you've spent hundreds of $s but quite frankly none of us has ever seen a copy of Hell's Kitchen with The Iconoclast included in it.* The only issue we did in fact see was the one that was doctored by people at the Kitchen in retaliation for an honest editors mistake with the Bukowski (sp?) poem last spring.**

Furthermore we cannot look past the fact that there seems to be a hierarchy among Member Organizations and we feel like we're near the bottom. Granted we never got into the full membership thing once Andrea left which didn't help our situation, but we cannot help feeling looked down upon, like the kids playing around with their new toy. The Iconoclast has established a decent base or readers and contributors in the Philadelphia area through dedication and hard work and creativity or all those involved. The sense of "we're better than they are" that won't make Hell's Kitchen work, in our minds, seems to be directed at us. We recall an issue we had sent back to us covered in red pen like we were English Comp students in college.*** Therefore, as of this moment, I hereby resign my position on the Court of Carissimus Diablo and The Iconoclast officially terminates any and all relationship it may have with Hell's Kitchen. Seeing as how we had not signed any binding Agreement as defined in Article 13, Section A of the F30DFK/MPALA we therefore feel no need to provide the "thirty (30) days prior written notice" mentioned in above-stated article and section. I know this is coming across as blunt and harsh but please don't take it that way. We wish no bad blood between the two organizations, and you know that we've tried to make this relationship work (going so far as to have one of our editors on the Court). Again thanks for your help in previous matters.

The Iconoclast

** Correction: it was not last spring, it was the fall. Honestly, Hell's Kitchen was not aware of that particular copyright infringement until the then editor of Iconoclast told us. What we did notice was that Iconoclast provided the Kitchen with proofs that included a piece originally printed by The Onion and crediting it to the Associated Mess. Needless to say, relations have been tense since then.

*** When Iconoclast joined, the other members of Hell's Kitchen were engaging in mutual editing. We assumed they would want to participate.