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Answering KPFA "Protector's" email
A KPFA "Protector" sent out an email blast featuring attacks on Rescue Pacifica's accounts of their malfeasances, calling them "Fiction" ("Facts vs Fiction"). This piece is to set the record straight, and counteract the Fictionalized narrative from the faction whose leaders are attempting to remove KPFA from the Pacifica network, whose unique mission is to present the truths not found elsewhere on the radio spectrum.
Disputing the narrative of the KPFA " Protectors", and on behalf of the Rescue Pacifica's LSB candidates:
James MacFadden, physicist; Don Macleay, business owner; Daniel Borgstrom, veteran and VFP activist; Donna Carter, a long-time California Nurses Association member; Elizabeth Milos, a Chilean human rights activist & UPTE union member; Adisa Armand, an educator; Pete Farrugio, bilingual education professor; Rich Stone, a long-term member of the KPFA Community Advisory Board; Code Pinker Amber Jayanti. We also recommend independent candidate Vicente Cruz, who has solid fundraising & event management skills.
More information about the candidates and ourplatform is at RescuePacifica.net
Answering a "Protectors" email
KPFA Protectors and Rescue Pacifica do agree on one thing: We Are VERY Different!
Facts or Fiction? This piece is to contest the false narratives put out by Kaldeveer in his piece with the same name.
In the interests of brevity, it does not present the claims of his piece, but rather our rebuttals.
The "disinformation campaign" has come from the multi-named faction (such as the KPFA"Protectors") which for years has been attempting to wrest KPFA out of Pacifica. Do not vote for any candidates associated with this faction which even now is still trying to put Pacifica/KPFA into receivership and up for sale - to themselves! Their candidates will be subject to this leadership which has tried to bring our station and network under their control with 2 or 3 autocratic bylaw proposals.
The Fiction is their false narratives, here are some of the real Facts.
Claim #1 - against James McFadden's article in Cointerpunch which contests an article by Kaldveer and Gendelman in a previous issue of Counterpunch advocating for the "New Day" autocratic replacement bylaws.
LSB rep McFadden wrote a satirical article to contest it.
Is it free speech to contest lies from the "Protectors'?
Claim #2
Budgets need to be presented in advance to the LSB so that they can review and discuss them in advance of the LSB meetings. It has been the practice of the "Protector" majority not to do so. A prior workshop offered by the majority-aligned business manager, is not sufficient. LSB members need time to consult with others of their choosing, not just the budget proposal originator. (Few of ANY LSB members attended the workshops mentioned.)
Claim #3: WBAI in New York WAS shut down.
FACT: The studio was raided by the Pacifica Executive Director and an armed guard. The ED fired the small staff, dismantled the new studio, ripping out wires, disconnecting equipment, contacting the landlady to terminate the rental and re-rent it, and terminating other agreements needed to broadcast.
The programming was removed from the air during a successful fundraising, and older, irrelevant programs from KPFA piped in instead. WBAI was the only station at the time which was increasing its listenership. Others were losing members, including KPFA. One excuse was not being able to make payroll, but an internal loan from other available funds was possible, and KPFA has done that on occasion for itself.
A factor in WBAI's finances were formerly exorbitant transmitter and rental fees, which the California stations don't have.
Should the Pacifica stations practice cooperation, or competition?
#4 The unpaid KPFA property tax -
was not caused by Pacifica. It was hidden from sight for many years; a KPFA treasurer pointed it out in 2013, and paid then, but that was it. (This occurred before the name change, which was necessary because of a theft of the name). Stations are responsible for their own property taxes. The National Office stepped in to help remedy the situation: the station was about to be put up for auction, due to years of unpaid property taxes. And the repayment amount was astronomical due to the loss of the non-profit discount.
No progress with financial concerns? Pacifica is now caught up with its audits, thanks to the efforts of an effective National Board.
Cooperating with management.
The LSB has various duties in governance. It can make policies for the General Manager to implement. It is supposed to evaluate the GM yearly and are partners in his/her hiring and firing. This is not "hateful", it is their duty.
See: https://pacifica.org/indexed_bylaws/art7sec3.html LSB.s, Powers and Duties - Articles A to M.
Speaking of cooperation and collaboration, why were 5 radio programs summarily fired from the airwaves, without consultation and collaboration? Or even courtesy and appreciation? See the bylaws link above.
Reinstate a democratic Program Council! See the link above to LSB Powers and Duties, Item G, about collaborative programming decisions.
Paying back the loan
There is a plan to pay back the loan. A percentage of bequests is to go towards repayment. Businesses operate with credit, and our loan is with a company which features loans to organizations like Pacifica, is supportive of us, and we are able to renegotiate the loan, which is a standard business practice.
And by the way, the loan replaced an overpriced predatory transmitter contract with an escalator clause, (made for WBAI by others) and saving the network several million dollars.
KPFA finances
KPFA may have a balanced budget (finally) but has lost a chunk of members and is down to about 12,000, a huge drop.
And by the way, it also lost a chunk of change when our GM sent $80,000 to secretly pay the high priced law firm which defended the attempted takeover of WBAI, at the request of the Executive Director (soon to be fired for the WBAI raid), but without authorization from the National Board.
About the sale of buildings,
Two "Protector" LSB members including our Treasurer agreed that the sale of KPFT's building in Houston was a good thing, as the building was beyond repair, and the proceeds could buy itself a better building and with money left over. Its condition was almost as bad as as the one adjoining KPFA, which we also sold, along with the National Office HQ, which moved to LA.
We are dealing with a majority faction on the Local Station Board which does not believe in their role in KPFA governance.
They have insisted that the LSB's main function should be to raise money and obey the GM. Yet they have not had a Fundraising Committee, (or other governing committees), until recently (and reluctantly).
Do not vote for any of this group whose leadership do not support the Mission of KPFA and Pacifica.
FOR MORE INFORMATION please visit:
http://RescuePacifica.net
http://PacificaInExile.org
https://elections.pacifica.org/wordpress
http://danielborgstrom.blogspot.com/
James MacFadden, physicist; Don Macleay, business owner; Daniel Borgstrom, veteran and VFP activist; Donna Carter, a long-time California Nurses Association member; Elizabeth Milos, a Chilean human rights activist & UPTE union member; Adisa Armand, an educator; Pete Farrugio, bilingual education professor; Rich Stone, a long-term member of the KPFA Community Advisory Board; Code Pinker Amber Jayanti. We also recommend independent candidate Vicente Cruz, who has solid fundraising & event management skills.
More information about the candidates and ourplatform is at RescuePacifica.net
Answering a "Protectors" email
KPFA Protectors and Rescue Pacifica do agree on one thing: We Are VERY Different!
Facts or Fiction? This piece is to contest the false narratives put out by Kaldeveer in his piece with the same name.
In the interests of brevity, it does not present the claims of his piece, but rather our rebuttals.
The "disinformation campaign" has come from the multi-named faction (such as the KPFA"Protectors") which for years has been attempting to wrest KPFA out of Pacifica. Do not vote for any candidates associated with this faction which even now is still trying to put Pacifica/KPFA into receivership and up for sale - to themselves! Their candidates will be subject to this leadership which has tried to bring our station and network under their control with 2 or 3 autocratic bylaw proposals.
The Fiction is their false narratives, here are some of the real Facts.
Claim #1 - against James McFadden's article in Cointerpunch which contests an article by Kaldveer and Gendelman in a previous issue of Counterpunch advocating for the "New Day" autocratic replacement bylaws.
LSB rep McFadden wrote a satirical article to contest it.
Is it free speech to contest lies from the "Protectors'?
Claim #2
Budgets need to be presented in advance to the LSB so that they can review and discuss them in advance of the LSB meetings. It has been the practice of the "Protector" majority not to do so. A prior workshop offered by the majority-aligned business manager, is not sufficient. LSB members need time to consult with others of their choosing, not just the budget proposal originator. (Few of ANY LSB members attended the workshops mentioned.)
Claim #3: WBAI in New York WAS shut down.
FACT: The studio was raided by the Pacifica Executive Director and an armed guard. The ED fired the small staff, dismantled the new studio, ripping out wires, disconnecting equipment, contacting the landlady to terminate the rental and re-rent it, and terminating other agreements needed to broadcast.
The programming was removed from the air during a successful fundraising, and older, irrelevant programs from KPFA piped in instead. WBAI was the only station at the time which was increasing its listenership. Others were losing members, including KPFA. One excuse was not being able to make payroll, but an internal loan from other available funds was possible, and KPFA has done that on occasion for itself.
A factor in WBAI's finances were formerly exorbitant transmitter and rental fees, which the California stations don't have.
Should the Pacifica stations practice cooperation, or competition?
#4 The unpaid KPFA property tax -
was not caused by Pacifica. It was hidden from sight for many years; a KPFA treasurer pointed it out in 2013, and paid then, but that was it. (This occurred before the name change, which was necessary because of a theft of the name). Stations are responsible for their own property taxes. The National Office stepped in to help remedy the situation: the station was about to be put up for auction, due to years of unpaid property taxes. And the repayment amount was astronomical due to the loss of the non-profit discount.
No progress with financial concerns? Pacifica is now caught up with its audits, thanks to the efforts of an effective National Board.
Cooperating with management.
The LSB has various duties in governance. It can make policies for the General Manager to implement. It is supposed to evaluate the GM yearly and are partners in his/her hiring and firing. This is not "hateful", it is their duty.
See: https://pacifica.org/indexed_bylaws/art7sec3.html LSB.s, Powers and Duties - Articles A to M.
Speaking of cooperation and collaboration, why were 5 radio programs summarily fired from the airwaves, without consultation and collaboration? Or even courtesy and appreciation? See the bylaws link above.
Reinstate a democratic Program Council! See the link above to LSB Powers and Duties, Item G, about collaborative programming decisions.
Paying back the loan
There is a plan to pay back the loan. A percentage of bequests is to go towards repayment. Businesses operate with credit, and our loan is with a company which features loans to organizations like Pacifica, is supportive of us, and we are able to renegotiate the loan, which is a standard business practice.
And by the way, the loan replaced an overpriced predatory transmitter contract with an escalator clause, (made for WBAI by others) and saving the network several million dollars.
KPFA finances
KPFA may have a balanced budget (finally) but has lost a chunk of members and is down to about 12,000, a huge drop.
And by the way, it also lost a chunk of change when our GM sent $80,000 to secretly pay the high priced law firm which defended the attempted takeover of WBAI, at the request of the Executive Director (soon to be fired for the WBAI raid), but without authorization from the National Board.
About the sale of buildings,
Two "Protector" LSB members including our Treasurer agreed that the sale of KPFT's building in Houston was a good thing, as the building was beyond repair, and the proceeds could buy itself a better building and with money left over. Its condition was almost as bad as as the one adjoining KPFA, which we also sold, along with the National Office HQ, which moved to LA.
We are dealing with a majority faction on the Local Station Board which does not believe in their role in KPFA governance.
They have insisted that the LSB's main function should be to raise money and obey the GM. Yet they have not had a Fundraising Committee, (or other governing committees), until recently (and reluctantly).
Do not vote for any of this group whose leadership do not support the Mission of KPFA and Pacifica.
FOR MORE INFORMATION please visit:
http://RescuePacifica.net
http://PacificaInExile.org
https://elections.pacifica.org/wordpress
http://danielborgstrom.blogspot.com/
For more information:
http://rescuepacifica.net
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