X-Message-Number: 1468
Date: 18 Dec 92 03:48:45 EST
From: STEPHEN BRIDGE <>
Subject: Political disturbances

Alcor members, friends, non-friends, and stunned onlookers:
 
     I am Steve Bridge, President-elect (after January 22, 1993,
President) of Alcor.  For the past week I have been here in Riverside,
interviewing Alcor staff about their jobs, discussing the problems and
needs of cryonics, and learning about the job from Carlos Mondragon.
I have been deeply impressed with the amount of cooperation from all
staff, and especially of Carlos's commitment to make this transition
(no doubt a painful one for him) go smoothly.
 
     There is an understandable amount of staff apprehension about the
new situation, about my abilities, and about the kinds of changes I
might bring to this job.  But each and every staff member is prepared
to do the best job they can in teamwork with whomever is President.
This is admirable and bodes well for the future of Alcor.
 
     I cannot say the same about some of the recent postings on this
net.  I am greatly disappointed in some of the complete irrationality
put on recently from Scott Herman and (most surprisingly) from Lola
McCrary.  Lola's phrase "or from your jail cell" in reply to Saul Kent
marked a new low in bitter slams from sane people.
 
     And then there is Scott Herman's letter.  As much as I want to
include the largest number of people in Alcor and as much as I am
willing to work with people of different opinions and personalities, I
am still at a loss to understand how Scott's head could have been
twisted so wrongly.  He is angry at the changeover in management and
so he invents plots under every carpet and murder in every eye.
 
     Scott has met me exactly twice, for a total of perhaps 30
minutes, some five minutes of which included direct conversation.  He
cannot know my thoughts, my management abilities, my opinions, or my
commitment to cryonics.  He certainly cannot know whether or not I
have to get permission from Saul Kent to "take a dump."
 
     This notion that I am somehow beholden to Saul for getting me
this wonderful (low-pay, high stress, life-disrupting,
romance-eliminating, risk-taking, insanity-putting-up-with) job and
that I will dance to his tune no matter what is a fairy tale, with
Saul as the wicked witch and with me as poor Jack lost in the woods.
I am an individual.  I have been a cryonicist for 16 years and I have
been influenced by any number of people, including some currently in
suspension.  Those of you with short-time involvement in cryonics or
with short memories may not know that over that 16 year period I have
have strong disagreements with Saul Kent, Mike Darwin, Brenda Peters,
etc. on any number of subjects, and I have had agreements and
cooperation with Carlos Mondragon, Keith Henson, Hugh Hixon, Dave
Pizer, etc.
 
     This is NOT a case of blind obediance, folks.  Here I must admit
some irritated amusement at suggestions that to be a really good
President I should now completely ignore all of the suggestions of
anyone who *wanted* me to be President of Alcor and ONLY pay attention
to the suggestions of those who did NOT want me to be President.
Pretty peculiar, huh?  Would anyone do that?  Seriously, would anyone
else try as hard as I have been trying to learn what people on BOTH
sides have to say?
 
     Some more things that disturb me about Scott's letter:
 
---  Keith Henson's original letter (which Saul was replying to) was
only written to the Board and to Saul.  He did not post it on the open
network.  Saul's letter was only written (as far as I know) to the
Board and to Keith.  I do not believe he posted it on the open
network.
 
     Yet Scott, without Saul's permission, posted Saul's letter.  I
recall an earlier series of arguments about this kind of unauthorized

posting last summer which led to some very rufflgloom+doom letter which added 
nothing positive to my knowledge or
preparedness for being president.  I told him so, privately -- the way
I prefer to discuss negatives.  Fortunately, Keith usually writes more
useful stuff, included a fine fund-raising letter which he spent
several days on recently.  More examples are easy to find.  I hope
that Keith and all of the other Board Members will recognize that
there is no benefit in me failing at the job of President.  I will
need the support and advice of all eight other Directors, plus all of
the Alcor suspension members that each of you like and those which
you may not like.
 
     Saul's message to Keith was to support Steve or to leave the
Board.  I would modify that somewhat, to all Directors, "Support Alcor
or leave the Board."  I recognize that sometimes Directors may believe
they are supporting Alcor by opposing some position or decision of
mine, just as some Directors opposed some decisions or actions by
Carlos.  Good; I can deal with that.  Sometimes I will certainly be
wrong and they will be right.
 
     I am NOT calling for Board changes right now.  That may change if
I see that some Director is refusing to participate or constantly
opposes every change I want, without good reason.  I do not suppose
that the current nine Directors are likely to behave that way.  It is
possible that at the next Board election in September I will see
other members that I think would make better Directors than some of
the current ones.  There is nothing wrong with that.  After all, none
of the current Directors received more than 6 votes at the last
election.
 
---  Scott writes "It takes 5 votes to manipulate the Board."  This
shows such a degree of hate and anger that it obliterates Scott's
understanding of how organizations work.  The principle of majority
vote is not "manipulation;" it is ORDER.  "5 votes" is how action gets
passed.  The only other choices are degrees of dictatorship and chaos.
 
 
     I will no doubt be ending many of many messages now with pleas
for cooperation, understanding, effort and ... money.  Make it so.

Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=1468