Boycott Humanist Hall - Bought and Paid for by Concerned Listeners - Save KPFA - Wellstone

Don't Boycott Humanist Hall -- Honor Free Speech
We love it when someone sends a sensational communication and refuses to sign his/her name -- it's really disgusting. Be that as it may we will respond briefly to this wild and absurd attack on Humanist Hall and the good folks who run it.
1) The saveKPFA fund raiser which took place there on August 6 was indeed described in error as a KPFA fund raiser in on the Humanist Hall web site. We, saveKPFA, asked that they take the listing down. At the event signs were posted on the door and at the entry table explaining that it was not an event for KPFA but for the saveKPFA slate for local station board. Every single person who came through the door was told this as well and folks who wanted to donate to KPFA were given donation forms.
2) The folks at Humanist Hall have the right to say whatever they want on their web page. You may not like it but they have a right to say it.
We say don't boycott Humanist Hall -- honor free speech. Let's talk about the real issues concerning KPFA and the local station board election.
Margy Wilkinson
Terry Doran
Mal Burnstein
for saveKPFA

To start with, you might consider identifying yourself and not operating from the shadows. All of the great activists who conducted boycotts tended to take personal responsibility for their actions. Public discourse is more effective when it is clear who is saying what.

You might consider reserving your boycott efforts for the evil parts of the corporate world and not target the tiny shred of progressive infrastructure that has survived attacks from authorities and the gross incompetence of progressive wannaby managers. Maybe take down BP first, and then go after HH, La Pena, BFUU, KPFA, etc.

Florence did not lie about the benefit being for KPFA. She made an honest mistake which she eagerly corrected later. Bonnie Simmons called me about the screw-up and I took down the post immediately while talking to her on the phone. Florence sincerely was trying to help the station financially and wasn't aware of the deep faction fight. Partly because of the vicious way she was treated by Vote-Indy-Radio, she gravitated toward CL/SaveKPFA.

Florence was never paid to say anything or side with anyone. As treasurer, I have my own issues with Vote-Indy-Radio people being very stingy with Humanist Hall while eagerly tapping our resources. I'll never understand how people practicing this almost-corporate extractive mentality, can save KPFA financially or even understand what KPFA stands for. SaveKPFA paid $300 for their slate benefit here and that is the standard price for almost all such events -- they were not given a break but treated like any other progressive group. Wellstone pays $200 to meet here once a month and that too is the standard price. Of course, we will favor people who acknowledge our expenses and sacrifices here, and try to help out. But nobody is being bribed or paid to say something! We don't claim things that we don't sincerely believe.

Yup, Florence is our president. We are very proud of her sincerity, integrity, heart, and intelligence, and your sneering at her says a lot more about you than her.

BTW, there have been many boycotts here before. Typically conducted by ex-customers who were kicked out because they were too uncooperative and disrespectful. The result has been to purge the Hall of other antisocial people and groups who wrap themselves in a cloth of progressiveness in order to hide their low character. We thank them for these boycotts for helping to make the Hall the great place that it is today.

Dave Oertel

I'm sure Humanist Hall doesn't want to be boycotted - who would?

But their actions are duplicitous and their explanation is self-serving and deceptive. They put out false publicity for an event at their facility and didn't take it down until ORDERED to do so by KPFA, which was not the beneficiary of the benefit event advertised on their behalf.

It is against the law to falsely describe funds from a benefit as going to an entity when they are not.

Bad mistake. Really bad.

What is your point? If you claim enough times that Humanist Hall tried to trick people into supporting the saveKPFA slate, then it will become "true"? Is this the Sarah Palin
school of dialogue? We know that we didn't try to trick anybody and that we were sincere (though ignorant) and that we quickly corrected the mistake. Once again, I repeat, KPFA did not ORDER us to take down the post. They simply explained the problem with it and simply ASKED that we take it down. Shall I repeat this 100 times more, or what will make you hear it?

If you are going to post something that puts people or places down. Be courageous enough to use your name to back up your assertions. Then we can can judge if you have a particular ax to grind.