Jason, I can only offer you my opinion to answer your question, and here it is.

If I have a question of policy where ever I am at, I ask my immediate boss, I would pretty much want to get it in writing (or at least a reference), and then use that as an answer.   If I am then questioned on my behavior based on the answer I recieved from my boss, I should comply with whatever is being told at the time, and refer the one questioning my practice to my immediate boss who gave me direction on the practice that I was engaged in, and let the two of them duke it out, so to speak.

Of course this is VATSIM, and there are VATSIMisms that have to be taken into consideration, and like I said, this is MHO only.

Just by reading the posts in here, and nothing else, I'm getting the sense that there's a big gap in what some are saying the lack of communication lays.  DD's work for RD's, therefore, if a DD is not getting direction/guidance, I'm thinking that would be on the RD, not the EC, or BOG.  Military or not, there is a chain of command.  DD's should be looking to RD's for guidance, not the EC or BOG, also, the same holds true going downhill, the BOG, EC, shouldn't be giving direct input, (good or bad) to the DD's but to the RD's first, but, that is just MHO

ps.  this is a very condensed version of what I really would like to say.

Congrats Alan, I think I may fly into Atlanta more often now!