HoundDog, I think your 'first' proposed action is a hopeless task and there is nobody to do it. At best AMA should represent all modelers if there is to be a separation between 'us' and 'them.' The Communal Bathhouse Operation is counterproductive to separating modelers from the AP/AV users that bought their rigs (that are nearly indistinguishable from our models) from Wally World or a camera shop for use as 3D mobile camera platforms, and little to no experience that modeling provides regarding the need to maintain separation from manned aircraft or putting people on the ground at risk from our operations. AMA is the only game in town as far as representing modelers goes, but they have decided to represent only those that have paid them directly ( that is, not just as taxpayers that pick up their share of the tax burden) to do so, and further, in reply to 'second' proposed action are hell bent on chasing the $$$ that commercial users of similar craft have in their pockets, so the needed separation of interests you speak of isn't going to happen either. It's repetitive I know, but we are being sucked in with the same pool of users less likely to be well informed enough to operate safely and responsibly, and it is our AMA that is sucking us into that pool.
Being knowledgeable of the safety code and rules is no challenge to anyone with an IQ north of par golf. The simple guidance in AC 91-57 can be compressed into about two lines of text, yet it has been the essence of of rules needed to establish an excellent safety record of modelers for over 3 decades. That is the record of
all modelers even though AMA claims it as their own and corrupted it with a stragegic punctuation change and added a lot of 'don't run with scissors' level of detailed rules for their own members. I think too much detail in rules defeats the purpose of having them. It seems to say "you don't have to think, just do what we say" rather than appeal to exercise of good judgement and taking responsibility for your actions, and be reminded that if/when you screw up you risk putting every other modelers freedom to fly as well as your own.
So then, I'm not really disagreeing with what you say should be done, but have some reservations about what could accomplished in a practical sense. I am suggesting that AMA members should be asking the bosses to provide some real leadership rather than chasing the gold at the end of the rainbow, building their empire and egos (as in becoming "significant," the measure of performance they have adopted for themselves - see prexy report in Mar MA edition) and instead stick to promoting and preserving model aviation per their charter. They might better use the
PR force they have assembled to respond to events reported in the media that blacken our image, at least as a part-time aside from their current direction to sell/induce more AMA memberships. They might better respond to FAA proposed rule making that more rules are not needed, rather than sticking with the current posture that more rules are fine but our dues paying members should be excluded from them.