Well this morning Amy Goodman got kicked out of the studio in the middle of DN. But this evening brings a little better news in the Pacifica struggle. Michael Palmer was probably the best spokesperson for the power drunk control freaks on the Board -- he actually was capable of seeming reasonable and level headed when talking to dissenters! (Most of them can't deal with the public at all without foaming at the mouth or doing something weird.) The loss of Palmer is a victory for us and a real loss for the Board.
One down, a few more to go. Don't creep up behind Ultrice and tap her on the shoulder!
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Joseph Noonan Houston, TX jfn1 at msc.com
---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Tue, 15 May 2001 20:34:30 -0400 From: Juan Gonzalez <pacificacampaign at yahoo.com> Reply-To: freepacifica at recordist.com To: Juan Gonzalez <pacificacampaign at yahoo.com> Subject: {FP} Pacifica Board Officer Resigns
Dear Friends,
Micheal Palmer, treasurer of the Pacifica Foundation, has resigned.
Palmer, a vice-president in the Houston, Texas, office of CB Richard Ellis, a commercial real estate firm, was one of the key figures in the group of Pacifica directors who illegally changed the Foundation's by-laws to reduce democratic accountability to listeners and who sought to stamp out dissident voices and free speech among staff. He is also the board member who proposed in a 1999 e-mail to former chairwoman Mary Frances Berry the sale of KPFA and/or WBAI.
The resignation comes just a few days after members of the Pacifica Campaign in Los Angeles visited the corporate headquarters of CB Richard Ellis and spoke with a top assistant to the Chief Executive Officer of the company about Palmer's role in Pacifica. We also mentioned to the CEO the upcoming national day of action against CB Richard Ellis, slated for May 24.
After that meeting, we were informed that the office was flooded with calls and e-mails. Yesterday, Denis Moynihan of the Pacifica Campaign, spoke with Palmer by telephone, reminding him that the Pacifica reform movement was preparing protests at CB Richard Ellis offices around the country. (Previously, the Pacifica Campaign and other groups had picketing CB Richard Ellis offices in Houston and Long Island, NY.)
Clearly, Palmer decided that his continued presence on the Pacifica Board in the face of such widespread listener opposition was no longer tenable. We applaud his decision and wish him well in his future endeavors. At the same time, we reject his contention in his resignation letter that he was being hounded by a violent "blackmail" movement. Ours is a peaceful movement to restore Pacifica to its original mission.
While Palmer's resignation is an important victory, there are still several other members on the board who stubbornly cling to power. We urge them to listen to reason and to the pleas of thousands of listeners. All those responsible for the anti-labor policies, the censorship, the climate of fear and hostility in the network, must now step aside. It is time for new leadership, one committed to Pacifica¹s historic mission and one democratically accountable to staff, listeners and community.
Meanwhile, he listener boycott moves into high gear this week. On May 18, the five-day a week Free Speech Radio News will begin broadcasting. This will be financed in part by the generous donations many of you have made to the Pacifica Campaign. Already, 17 community radio stations have agreed to drop the Pacifica Network News (PNN) and to replace it with Free Speech Radio News. Verna Avery-Brown, the former PNN anchor, will now be the anchor of Free Speech Radio News.
Our movement is growing. We urge Pacifica Chairman David Acosta, Vice Chair Ken Ford, John Murdock and others on the board to do the right thing -- resign now! The Pacifica Campaign will not rest until ALL the hijackers have resigned from the National Board.
Please be sure and join actively in the boycott movement and protests outside the Pacifica stations. Let us redouble our efforts. And don't give a penny to Pacifica until the rest of the board has resigned.
In struggle,
Juan
E ********************************************** Mailing Address: The Pacifica Campaign 51 MacDougal St., #80 New York, NY 10012 Tel: (646) 230-9588
http://www.pacificacampaign.org pacificacampaign at yahoo.com
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