X-Message-Number: 699
From: M.Paulle
Subject: The Bold Beat The Cold (Alcor Move to Arizona)

I have appended below a fax message I received today from Michael Paulle,
in response to this past weekend's decision re: moving Alcor to a new
facility in Scottsdale, AZ.
                                                - KQB
FYI: You can reply to him via email at either:
      or  
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The Bold Beat The Cold


April 5, 1992, the day Alcor spun off its most powerful new competitor,
Alcor-Riverside.

Finding the only possible way to cap its stellar exponential growth of
the last few years, five members of the Alcor board, Carlos Mondragon,
Dave Pizer, Ralph Whelan, Paul Genteman and Bill Jameson decided to try
to move away from where cryonicists are dying, to where they are not.

In their chartered quest to improve suspension procedures, the board
mistook real estate speculation for an advanced life saving technique.

It's difficult to conceive of a group of people less in touch with its
constituents, outside of the White House.

The board listened for several hours to repeated expressed concerns about a
quick decision to offer on the new building.  The sincere concerns were
made by the forty-plus Alcor members present from all over the world.
Those concerns centered around the potential added cost and lack of
knowledge as to the political acceptance of Alcor in a new community.
The board acted as if they heard nothing and proceeded with a plan to
offer on the new property and not to even consider any further study.

In a classic example of myopia, the gang of five on the Alcor board failed
the eyesight test - that of being able to see our faint guiding star, Alcor -
by blocking it out with a handsome new building in Scottsdale.

With a rush to judgment that Earl Warren would have been proud of,
Carlos Mondragon, President of Alcor, cut off any attempt at compromise
and due diligence on the potential move, in favor of a precipitous
lunge into the arms of Dave Pizer and his "friend" in Scottsdale who
can "take care of" any political opposition to cryonics because Dave's
friend "has lunch with the mayor."

Not waiting for the response from letters Carlos says he sent to the
mayor of Scottsdale, Herb Drinkwater, and the county coroner, Dr. Heinz
Karnitschnig.  (Letters, no doubt, stating that Alcor is most famous for
decapitating and hiding the heads of corpses.)  Carlos forced a yea or
nay vote with "you can go forward or you can stick your head in the sand
with your ass in the air."

Actually, one of the few good ideas of the day came from Jack Zinn of ACS
who suggested that we get a "court ruling" on the legality of our kind of
business in Scottsdale prior to paying the option.  This eminently
reasonable idea was ignored by the board who had their own preconceived
agenda.

With Carlos, Dave Pizer and Ralph Whelan known to be yea prior to the vote,
the yes votes of Paul Genteman and finally Bill Jameson crushed the
opposition that wanted a measured study of our needs and abilities to pay
for them.  The opposition crumbled, Hugh Hixon mumbled "there is going
to be trouble," Keith Henson stumbled, Brenda Peters was ignored and Glenn
Tupler wasn't asked his opinion and didn't offer it.

Now for the good news.  Dave Pizer feels he can get the rent to Alcor in
the new building at "around $600 a month."  This is about 12% - 15% of
fair market rent for comparable space in the area.  Dave says he is willing
to avoid a potential conflict of interest by not voting, personally, in
the final vote of the purchasing entity.

Also, letters from the mayor and coroner, plus open arms at the ribbon
cutting, are Pizer's proclaimed and board-backed requirements for approval
of the move.

The fundraising for the purchase has to include donations for the extra
expenses incurred in the move, added employee time and effort, increased
electricity cost, added telephone and stationery expense.

Finally, a qualified renter, paying fair market rates for the Riverside
facility, has to be found.

If Alcor pays $600 a month rent, we can consider moving.  If we have to
pay more to satisfy the profitability requirements of the purchasing
entity, let's look some more.

It's sad that cryonicists can be as stupid as other human beings, but
there it is.

In Keith Henson's relating of the recent neurosuspension of patient
A-1260, and in the stabilization and transport of "Dennis" last December,
more than enough important problems were raised that don't have any
immediate answers.

As he says, the mistakes we make here can cost someone we all love a
chance to come back.

With this move and the inherent instability that comes with it, we are
embarking on a course that will conceivably jeopardize the revival of
anyone who dies in the next few years.

I am not willing to support that possibility.  We are not ready to
complicate our piteous abilities at this point.

On a day when we lost Isaac Asimov, let's think about important issues like
keeping our wonderful friends alive, as best we can, through concentrating
on cryonic suspensions and advances in research.

In a few years, when we are stronger, let's move mountains.  Until then,
don't die, okay, my beloved cryonicists, please!

                                     Michael Paulle

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