I've been watching this (and other) argument unfold for a while and I've had enough beer to speak my mind as a member of the class of 2008.
All the damn are freaking retarded. First off, The fire is built by the fish and for the fish, under the supervision of the (mostly) sophomores who take direction from the JRPs who work with the SRPs to get the damn fire built. Non-leadership Old & deceased people's input, while not ignored outright, has probably been taken into account long before they (olds) speak up about an issue. While a lot of people are frustrated with what happens within the organization with little (perceived) input/impact on the decision making, I have confidence in them (senior leadership) to make responsible choices for the current bonfire and for future generations of Aggie Bonfire. They were chosen for a reason and let them do their job.
That said, Burn night is the culmination of all the efforts of the workers as they present stack in all its glory to the entire Aggie Spirit to watch it burn as it represents our desire to beat the hell outta t.u. While to some, burn is just a time to make room for the next bonfire, to others, burn is the Bonfire. There is NO place for any smug superiority from the builders of bonfire over those who only watch it burn. Bonfire does not mean the same thing to everyone. That whole part about selflessly giving all the time, blood, sweat and tears does not give you a right to patronize and be condescending to those who didn't help build it. Not to sound like a hippie, but everyone has their own contribution to the Spirit.
Finally, Student Bonfire as an organization (from what I can tell, and I'm just a position-less junior with no official saying whatsoever on any issue) is doing what it needs to do to 1. keep the tradition and knowledge of how to build bonfire alive, 2. to take a proactive approach to fixing safety issues that were abundant with the old ag bonfire (fixing problem before they arise eg. before an accident instead of only fixing problems as they occur) and 3. raise the awareness of what bonfire is and what it means to the Aggie Spirit to the student body.
To take a slight tangent that is off topic, I'd like to discuss that last point. What does SBinc do when the litigation is through? There will come a time where the administration will have to make a descision on the future of bonfire. SB Inc. and BCS's mission as organizations are to make sure the tradition doesn't die. BCS may not build it, they may not support SB Inc.'s actions, but they ultimately have the same goal: They want bonfire back. As much bitterness as there is between the organizations, there needs to be some sort of silent agreement that we want the same goal. They do their part to make sure the administration doesn't push around an ill-informed student body/government and we'll do our part to make sure the process of building it doesn't die.
Good night (morning really) and I'll see you Saturday bright and early.
