X-Message-Number: 1341
From: 
Subject: CRYONICS Re Paul Wakfer departs
Date: Fri, 20 Nov 92 14:24:44 PST

I was rather out of sorts last night when I started to reply to 
the hot news flash in Message: #1333 - "Paul Wakfer Cancels Suspension 
Contract."  I am don't think I am in a much better mood tonight, but I 
will give it a try. 

>    This is to inform you that I have terminated my suspension
>contract with Alcor.  

[deleted]

>    The following are some of the specific reasons for this action:
>
>1)  The primary reason is that, since the termination of Alcor's
>    contract with Mike Darwin, it is not possible for Alcor to provide
>    the quality of suspension for which I contracted.

This is, of course, the second time Alcor has been without Mike's 
services during the time Paul has been a member.  The first time was 
(by any reasonable measure) *much* more serious, and we heard not a 
peep from him.  Though the current crop of talent is not as 
concentrated as it is in Mike, it is spread among a lot more people.  
And, I think you would find if you looked at the most recent half 
dozen suspensions, that luck plays a *major* part in the quality of 
the suspension you are going to get, Mike Darwin or no Mike Darwin. 

>    Secondary reasons are:
>
>2)  The continuing tenure, as President, of a man who has, I believe
>    shown gross incompetence in that position and, in addition, gross
>    lack of personal integrity.

If the kind of progress Alcor has made in the last several years is 
the result of "gross incompetence," I will sign up for some more.  And 
if you have had problems dealing with Carlos, I am not surprised.  
Taking over Alcor's sole supplier of suspension services and announcing 
you were getting out of the business is not the way to stay on good 
terms. 

>3)  The continuing presence, on the Board, of Keith Henson, Dave
>    Pizer, Carlos Mondragon, and Hugh Hixon each of whom (for very
>    different reasons) I consider unfit for service on that body.

I am honored that you include me in such distinguished company.  The 
last time I got run down in print it was with Douglas Hofstader, 
Gerard O'Neill, Marvin Minsky, Noam Chomsky, and M. C. Escher.  The 
guy responsible (Lyndon LaRouche) is now in jail for credit card 
fraud.  I have certainly tangled with more interesting people than 
you. 

>                                                                   In
>    addition, I believe there are very good reasons why the Board of
>    Directors should not include *any* employees.  The Board must also
>    commit to changing the method by which it is elected to allow for
>    regional and member participation.  Both the present method and a
>    fully democratic method of choosing board members are
>    unacceptable.

You are encouraged to go off and form any kind of organization you 
want.

>4)  The continuing absence of technically competent transport and
>    suspension personnel including anyone suitable to organize and
>    conduct transports and suspensions.  Mike Darwin is currently the
>    only person in the world competent for that job.  He must be given
>    full responsibility, authority and cooperation to do that job and
>    to build a professional team for that purpose, including
>    replacements for himself.

Paul, you have been around Mike Darwin long enough to judge for 
yourself how likely this is to come about.  I don't think there are 
enough people in the *world* with the combination of traits you need 
(including a streak of masochism) and certainly not in the tiny world 
of cryonics. 

>                               Any Alcor Directors or employees who
>    are not fully honest and cooperative must get out of the way.
>    There are sufficient qualified Alcor members who *are* happy to
>    work with Mike to replace those who have wanted him gone.

Name them.

>5)  The Board's official sanction of the use of Endowment Fund
>    principal for operational needs and the rejection of the advice
>    and concern of the Endowment and Patient Care Trust Fund advisory
>    committees which led to their mass resignation.  

According to what I hear, one member of the committee was embarrassing 
the others to the point that they had to quit.  Did you read Riskin's 
report?                                               

>                                                         Alcor must
>    institute an inviolable policy to never again use anything except
>    the real dollar earnings of the Endowment and Patient Care funds.

Right.  You are given 6 hours to come up with $30k or the state will 
close the doors.  Your choice:  close up shop.  Mike Perry is in a 
major accident in Mexico and must be flown out.  Your choice:  Let him 
rot.  Somehow, I think there are more important things than keeping 
all the money under the mattress.  (By the way, these were repaid to the 
fund.)

>6)  The overcharging of the Patient Care Trust Fund for operating
>    expenses and the consequent virtual theft of funds from helpless
>    patients to get more money for Alcor's wasteful operational
>    purposes and the continuing negligence in making that fund a fully
>    independent trust.

This *sounds* serious.  But I happen to know that the charges against 
the fund are reasonable.  Have you priced out space and labor charges 
recently?  Alcor's patients get a lot of care for what we pay.  Re 
making the fund an independent trust, just how do you relieve the 
Board of that responsibility? 

>7)  The absence of staff and volunteers who are passionate zealots,
>    who eat, sleep and breath cryonics, eagerly working day and night
>    seven days a week, and ready to move heaven and earth to thrust
>    cryonics and immortalism into modern society, and to win the
>    battle with deathism.

I responded to this last night.  Absolute nutcake stuff which will 
scare off the kind of sensible people we want as members.  Take a deep 
breath and try reading it aloud (and with feeling) from "passionate." 

>8)  The conciliatory, try to please everyone, bandaid approach taken
>    by the new Directors, when wholesale changes are needed *now*.

Like putting you in charge?  You certainly expressed the opinion to me 
that you could run the operation.  I note with amusement that if the 
board were to make any substantial changes now, it would look like 
they were turning Alcor over to the lunatic fringe. 

>9)  The irresponsible hiring of new staff when the present ones are
>    not working nearly effectively enough and there is no money to
>    pay for the new staff.

I believe the new staff member has more than paid for himself in new 
members signed up.  There are situations where more people *are* the 
answer.  Think about that the next time you drop a 1000 pound 
sterilizer on your favorite voltmeter. 

>10) The irresponsible abandonment of computers adequate for their
>    needs and which were largely supplied to them gratis.  And the
>    subsequent purchase and installation, at a cost of considerable
>    time and money, of computers which are more powerful and deluxe
>    than is reasonable in comparison with the money that Alcor has to
>    spend and what its spending priorities should be.

Paul, I am a terrible tightwad on spending money.  But not when it 
comes to tools.  (I recently sprung for another spiffy computer 
myself.)  I saw what they were using, and they needed the upgrade.  If 
you think the toys they were using are so great, make an offer. 

>11) The continued recruiting of clients at the expense of perfecting
>    the product which they are being asked to purchase.  Concomitant
>    with this salesmanship is the distortion of the real, current
>    possibility of actually ever coming back if one is suspended now.

Paul, I will offer you a pinch of snuff if you can figure out how to 
"perfect the product" or even come up with an objective way to 
*measure* the possibility of coming back.  Frankly, I think a person's 
chances are not so hot after the LA County morgue gets through with 
them, but if the patient pays their money, we will freeze whatever we 
can get back.  And *nobody* is "asked to purchase."  We lay it on the 
line that they are buying into the unknown and must use their own 
judgement as to what it is worth.  People mostly come to Alcor, 
usually after hearing about us on the media or from their friends.  
Would you have us turn them away? 

>12) The secrecy in Alcor Board meetings concerning things other than
>    client confidentiality in a continuing attempt by certain
>    directors to hide their real selves, and to keep the facts
>    concerning the strife and turmoil encompassing Alcor, from
>    suspension clients.

One of many topics has been *your* background.  Would you like us to 
debate it in public and put it in the minutes?  It simply amazes me 
that someone so vulnerable to a *single phone call* should continue to 
irritate so many people.

>13) The continuing lack of openness, objectivity and candor in the
>    pages of Cryonics.  If Alcor wishes to keep Cryonics 'clean' for
>    recruiting purposes, then start a newsletter for members only in
>    which Alcor's problems can be fully and openly discussed.

An elementary point of law is that the *publisher* is responsible for 
what they print.  Alcor has enough liabilities without going out and 
looking for them.  By all means, take the responsibility yourself and 
start a completely open newsletter for Alcor members.  I will even 
contribute to paying for an ad for it in Cryonics, and I am sure that 
you would get at least a hundred pages a month to fill it.  Heck, I 
might well contribute that amount *myself*.

>    Under the terms of my suspension contract, I have requested an
>immediate refund of my $35,000.00 prepaid suspension funds plus
>accumulated interest as was guaranteed by Alcor's President when I
>signed up.  I will be investing my money into the cryonics research of
>Cryovita and Biopreservation in the hope that by the time I need
>suspension we will have vastly improved the viability of the
>procedure.

As I said to Mike, I wish you the best of luck.

[deleted]

Keith Henson

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