KPFA Board Endorsements

I don't agree with all your endorsements, but I greatly appreciate your organizing principle: you seem to be looking for the candidates who are actually _nice people_, regardless of their slate affiliation. I hope everyone gets that it doesn't matter what someone's politics are: if they are an ASSHOLE, they will be a bad board member.

A few thoughts on your list:

*8. Nazreen Kadir - not entirely sure, but I think she'd be okay
MY COMMENTS: Going by her posts on indybay, she looks like a bit of a "shoot first, ask questions later" attack dog--tossing accusations that KPFA is dominated by "neo-cons" and "pro-corporate funding" forces. I won't vote for her

Regina Carey - Avoid. Partisan player and not forthcoming about DCC position.
MY COMMENTS: I don't find the democratic party involvement troubling per se, but I see the partisanship, and it repels me. It also amuses me that the "Alliance" supporters on this website are trying to make hay out of the fact that the other slate got one endorsement from a progressive democratic club, while Carey IS actually steeped in Democratic Party politics.


Conn Hallinan - bright and well-connected, but too linked to the WDRC for comfort.
MY COMMENTS: I'm note sure what the linkage is--but, as I said, it's not the kind of thing that would trouble me. Aside from being bright, Hallinan seems principled and willing to work--I'll be putting him near the top of my list.

Sarv Randhawa - too wrapped up in the partisan actions of the last few years
MY COMMENTS: I shamefully admit to following some PNB meetings, and though Randhawa does not always vote the way I wish he did, he does frequently vote across "party lines." I've never heard him be anything but polite on the webstream, and he usually seems to have principled reasons for doing what he does. I'll put him near the top of my list as well.

Phoebe Sorgen - heavy new age component
MY COMMENTS: "New Age" is not a spoiler for me. Her work with the BFUU speaks well of her to me. She'll go near the top of my ticket.

Jim Weber - also too much of a partisan player
MY COMMENTS: I actually don't think he's a partisan--I think he just really, really, hates some people on one slate. I see no signs of an affiliation with an opposing slate. Anyway, the hatred won't serve him well, even if it's directed at assholes. I don't see him contributing much.

"Nazreen Kadir - not entirely sure, but I think she'd be okay
MY COMMENTS: Going by her posts on indybay, she looks like a bit of a "shoot first, ask questions later" attack dog--tossing accusations that KPFA is dominated by "neo-cons" and "pro-corporate funding" forces. I won't vote for her"

To: Disgusted,

HOW YOU WISH!

If YOU did your homework, you would know I do mine!

It was my decision to join the Alliance, and my decision to pull out. I am endorsed by them, and the other slate has contacted me and offered an unsolicited endorsement. KPFA has major problems with democracy which seems a new concept to Pacifica. That's why I am running. Anyone who doesn't want to see democracy in action at KPFA, shouldn't vote for me.

Nazreen Kadir

Nazreen, I don't doubt your sincerity about wanting to make KPFA work. I believe everyone who is running shares that desire. But it doesn't bode well, in my mind, to insinuate that those who don't vote for you don't believe in democracy. This is exactly the type of rhetoric that has made the LSB completely dysfunctional this year and something I fervently believe needs to STOP NOW before we lose our precious KPFA to internal chaos and further infighting.

Re-read my statement. And, please follow your own advcie.

In your statement Nazreen you said you dropped off the Alliance slate. Why did you decide to do that?

I live in the present and I guess I failed to appreciate People's Radio's historical legacy.

Nazreen, i'm uncertain what you mean about Peoples Radio historic legagy . Please elaborate.

Is that there are a lot of folks who are expert in this background. I am not the right person to elaborate. Suffice it to say I did not think it was relevant to my candidacy.

Hi,

I'm amused by the purported "new age component" moniker. If that means I reject cynism and persist in envisioning eventual world peace, I am honored.

I'm running for election because independent media is more important now than ever. Please skim my nomination statement:
http://www.kpfalisteners.org/phoebe/

My candidacy has been endorsed by David Cobb ('04 Green Party Presidential Candidate and Fellow, Liberty Tree Foundation for the Democratic Revolution), Joanna Macy (The Great Turning, deep ecology), Jacques Depelchin (director Ota Benga Alliance for Peace in the Congo), Don Goldmacher (Wellstone Renewal Voting Rights Task Force charter chair), Jennifer Kidder (Berkeley Honda picketer, ReDefeat Bush & Voting Rights organizer), Carolyna Marks (Peace Empowerment Process, World Walls for Peace), Carolyn Scarr (Ecumenical Peace Institute), Margo Smith (convener Gray Panthers), Social Justice Ctte of the Berkeley Fellowship of UU's, Berkeley Councilmember Dona Spring, pianist Nicole Milner, authors Elise Peeples and Adam David Miller, Ana Turetsky (Pres. AFT 711, AFL-CIO), many of my fellow Peace & Justice Commissioners, and Akio Tanaka (who's on the other slate.)

Please Google me. You will see that I have taken strong, successful actions to stop nuclear arms and the death penalty, prevent stolen elections, support the people of Haiti and Burma, etc. In these critical times, increasingly I prioritize efforts to end that root of most woes--mega corporate dominance of governments, media and our very culture. Within the purvue of an effective board member, I will continue efforts to influence KPFA towards even more progressive and alternative coverage, inspiring music, and listener call-ins.

May I also suggest that you consider voting for the slate I'm on, endorsed by Angela Davis, Norman Soloman, Kevin Danaher, Pratap Chatterjee, Aimee Allison, Larry Bensky, Andrea Lewis, Michael Eisenscher, Harry Brill, Scoop Nisker, many others:
http://www.kpfalisteners.org/endorsements.php
We pledge to bring civility and consensus-building to the board, and will work hard to expand KPFA's signal, increase its audience, and strengthen its community ties:
http://www.kpfalisteners.org/platform.php

Because my slate has only 8 candidates, and there are 9 openings, folks ask who else I recommend. I respect Akio Tanaka and David Welsh, with whom I have worked on activism projects. I look forward to meeting Vida Samiian because her statement impressed me. It is fine to publish plans to strengthen KPFA, and I do not recommend electing candidates who publish overly harsh criticisms that undermine support for KPFA.

Some have asked if it will help my chances if they vote for me in all 9 ranked voting slots, and that is not the case. I hope you will think I merit being first on your list.



For a thriving people and a just, sustainable world,

PhoeBe ANNE (sorgen)

Thank you for respecting my activism.
I don't understand why my blood needs to be replaced with "new blood"when Sarv and I were elected at the same time.

The writer mentions listening to PNB meetings and Sarv's politeness. Yes he is
polite. Am I not? I have raised the funds to attend most LSB meetings and speak
during public comment. Often on the
issue of supporting hard fought for civil rights laws that go unrespected.

I am the only LSB member unable to attend the KPFA sponsored reception
in Walnut Creek because it was NOT wheelchair accesible. I have been polite
about this 'slap in the face'but think you should know about it. I was registered
and paid for a wheelchair accessible room that was also not in compliance.

I ask your reconsideration of my exclusion from your list of favorites.
If reelected I pledge to continue my
activism to support transparency around our finances. We pay the bills and have the right to see where it goes! We can
have excellent programing at less cost.

Thank you for your attention and past support.

Jane Jackson

Jane Jackson IS NEW BLOOD!!!! She is the only person with a physical disability on the LSB!!!! No one is immune from disability. And the damn president George Bush is making a hell of a lot more every day

She is a wonderful activist!!!

We don't want to "publish overly harsh criticisms that undermine support for KPFA." We should just be content with the status quo. Too bad you and I don't view KPFA, or the world for that matter, through rose-colored glasses.

It would be a plus if all endorsers were voting members of KPFA. This is a volunteer position on a community radio station dedicated to progressive social change - I think! - not a political office with the US government. Although at times it seems that interacting with KPFA is like dealing with a government bureaucracy.

Don't worry, Nazreen, I'm a voting member of KPFA.

To update the endorsements:
Sasha Futran: Avoid. carrying a lot of anger, stated as "peripheral" in 99, not collaborative in style

Also, I think the #7 endorsement will have to change. Nazreen Kadir has been far too flip and snide on many of her comments on IndyBay. That will not make the board work. Replace with Jane Jackson or possibly Vida Samiian (although the concern w/distance and time remains viable).

Not "flip and snide." Why not reveal yourself and engage in an issues-oriented debate. There's a long-shot I may learn something from you.

Nazreen, you fall into the same trap as Peoples Radio and its clone, the Alliance for a Democratic KPFA.

You take the simplified arguments and claims, all of which are based on what happened in 1991, 1995 and 1999, and ignore the realities of the employment and operational changes.

You listen to rhetoric, but you never actually do the research to find out on your own; you decide to debate, but your arguments are pointless if you only use the false logic and biased information that you've exhibited so far.

Whoever this "anonymous" endorser is, they are doing the same, basing decisions on "what they heard" rather than any real information or knowledge. The "descriptions" that this person gives in both the endorsements and the condemnations clearly show that the "anonymous" person doesn't have a clue who the candidates really are.

... in law - "you take your tort as you find it." Same goes for management consulting. History is relevant if it's helpful.

No, I'm sorry, but ast's a matter of principal - I do not reveal my identity in public postings on the web. I do not consider it safe and prudent to do so, and actually I'm kind've amazed how many of you seem to consider it sane when it isn't. But that's your life, not mine.

Insider, I'm not basing anything on what I've "heard". I'm basing it on what I know.

i think we all need to watch out for these people who are posting anonymously. are they contributing something positive to the debate, or are they sowing disagreement amongst people who would have been able to work together and communicate civilly?

http://www.southendpress.org/2004/items/WarAtHome

1) What makes anybody think that an anonymous endorsement is worth the electrons it takes to store it?

2) I'm not sure what has been written by any of the anonymous posters on any of these threads that would make any of these posters fear any possible response. For more on anonymous posting, see my two comments at http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2006/10/15/18320449.php.

3) Anonymous claims that I am "not knowledgeable about radio". I have no idea what that means! How am I less knowledgeable about radio than most other listener candidates?

4) Anonymous also claims that I am "too stubborn about a narrow set of beliefs". If (s)he refers to my being firmly committed to the life-and-death struggle against imperialist capitalism in general and U.S. and Israeli imperialism in particular, I plead guilty. But I am not at all narrow; in fact I support struggles led or influenced by anarchists, Maoists, Trotskyists, council communists, indigenists, radical environmentalists and others -- whether violent or non-violent -- and I think all such viewpoints should be represented on KPFA's airwaves.

I ask people who agree with my positions to vote for me first or second in their ranking. Since I will probably be eliminated early in the count, these are the only votes for me that will be noticed. Remember that when I am eliminated, your full vote will be transferred to the next person on your list and you will have shown support for radical politics at KPFA without hurting the more electable candidates you support.

I endorse Aaron Aarons for your first place vote. I'd vote for him myself, but I think the LSB is a crock. Aaron will attend reliably, and always have something to say.

fyi-PhoeBe's updated endorsement list:
DANIEL ELLSBERG, Joanna MACY of the Great Turning/Deep Ecology, David COBB '04 Green Party Presidential Candidate/Fellow-Liberty Tree Foundation for the Democratic Revolution, GAIA's Patrice WYNNE, Reclaim Democracy's national Dir. Jeff Milchen, Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Institute's Ann Fagan Ginger, Wellstone Renewal Democratic Club Voting Rights charter chair Dr. Don Goldmacher, UNA east bay vice pres Rita Marin PhD, Dir. Ota Benga Alliance-DR Congo Jacques Depelchin, Berkeley Honda Picketer & Redefeat Bush organizer Jennifer Kidder, Haiti Action Com's Pierre Labossier, US Steering Com. TRANSCEND, Berkeley Fellowship of UU's Social Justice Com, City Councilmember Dona Spring, Ana Turetsky Pres. AFT 711:AFL-CIO, Gray Panthers Convener Margot Smith PhD, Ecumenical Peace Inst's Carolyn Scarr, World Walls for Peace Carolyna Marks, many Berkeley Peace & Justice Commissioners including former chair Michael Sherman, current chair Steve Freedkin, Diana Bohn of Potters for Peace & NICCA, Mark McDonald of the Funky Nixons, Boalt Law School lecturer/nationally renowned domestic abuse expert Nancy Lemon, homeopathic national spokesperson Dana Ullman, Zachary Running Wolf for Berkeley mayor, pianist Nicole Milner, poet Adam David Miller, musicians Jennifer Berezan & Hali Hammer, author Elise Peeples, photographer John Jensen, jeweler Clare Ullman, psychologist Sally Frances PhD, attorney Joyce Kawahata, anonymous BHS students, ACTIVISTS extraordinaires Cynthia Johnson, Hal Carlstad, Ingrid Kepler May, Akio Tanaka, Stephanie Thomas, Yvette Hochberg, Soula Culver, David Welsh, Walden Simper, more


"I am proud to endorse Phoebe Anne Sorgen's candidacy for the KPFA Board. Her history of successful and principled activism is exactly what Pacifica needs. Please join me in supporting Phoebe," DAVID COBB ('04 Green Party Presidential Candidate/Fellow, Liberty Tree Foundation for the Democratic Revolution)

"I endorse PhoeBe with considerable enthusiasm.  What a wonderful addition to the KPFA Board she would make," Harry Brill-Berkeley Honda Labor Coalition, Labor & Voting Rights activist

"It is a pleasure to serve with PhoeBe on the Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists Board. She can be counted on to act with intelligence and civility even in the heat of strong advocacy for the under-dog. PhoeBe will bring a needed balance to KPFA," Abbot Foote-solar energy champion

My ranked endorsements
1.Akio Tanaka
2.Bob English
3.Vida Samiian
4.Henry Norr
5.David Welch
6.Regina Carey
7.Dave Heller
8.Jane Jackson
9. Tina Flores *
Aaron Aarons *
*Uncertain. Will explain later.
Who am i? Just a listener that is very concerned . More about me later .

Here's my endorsements , Why Not ?
1.Henry Norr
2.Regina Carey
3.Bob English
4.Vita Samian
5.Dave Welsh
6.Aaron Aarons
7.Jane Jackson
8.Akio Tanaka
9.Dave Heller
I could not vote for any of the Concerned Listener Wankers. Hallinan sounds like the type of guy i might have a pint with in a pub but he comes out of the Stalinist Communist party doesn't he ? The rest of his people don't seem to have a clue about what's going on at Pacifica radio network.
I couldn't vote for all the Alliance for Democracy crowd. Sasha Futran's actions some years ago makes me too nervous . She might do it again .
My girlfriend gave me some shit for voting for Aaron Aarons . He's a crazy revolutionary she yelled. Doesn't this country need a revolution i said .
All kidding aside Comrade Aarons is a little too far left but so what ? He will keep them honest .

As the great Aaron himself wrote (and I guarantee you, he's not writing this), he expects to be eliminated early. You can help save him! Rank Aaron Aarons first on your ballot. Aaron shows up, unlike Eric Park or Miguel Molina. How many important demonstrations have you been to where you didn't see Aaron? Right! Aaron will represent your anti-Imperial interests, a major cause of conflict in our world today.

Don't forget, Aaron Aarons, rank him FIRST on your ballot. Help avoid early elimination!