Static And Controversy In KPFA Elections-"Fromers Pushing Liberals & Moderate Progressive"

Jonathon, shame on you. You have no idea of whether or not I am any longer a radical -- any more than you would know if I eat red meat or go to church. How could you? We haven't been active in the same political organization for several years and I do not recall ever working closely with you on any project. If you have a beef with something I've said or done, fine, bring it on. Let's look at it, talk about it. But in the meantime please keep your fanciful notions of my overall political point of view to yourself. Thanks very much.

It seems fairly clear the agenda of the Save KPFA - Concerned Listeners - Wellstone Democratic Renewal Club flotilla is to further neutralize KPFA programming towards the mildly, but not too progressive side of things. Besides the preponderance of attacks on fringe wingnuts and such, incumbent Matthew Hallinan lays out pretty clearly his current political agenda, which is to reach out to the center - to affect congressional races in Red California and pull "Reagan Democrats" back into the party.

Perfectly okay thing to do, if that is what wets your whistle, but not exactly the cutting edge of social justice. The recent Wellstone club newsletter encourages members tp vote for Save KPFA - and to participate in campaigns to "Take Back Red California". Presumably for the "blue side".

Not so different than Mary Frances Berry a decade ago - in essence.

The problem with using KPFA as a "tool" to "Take Back Red California" is that once you lure the blue dog types in - you don't have much choice but to neutrallize the programming to avoid scaring the new recruits, otherwise they definitely won't stay.

And there goes radicalism.

KPFA gets put to the service of the Democratic party and the American liberal-center majority, and the populations at the edges get nothing - just like they get nothing from the rest of the media.

And the mission of the organization is twisted beyond repair.

I realize the Democrats need more media, but that doesn't mean Pacifica is theirs to take away.

Vote Independents for Community Radio. http://www.voteindyradio.org to preserve KPFA for the movements that depend on it.

The fact that the till-tapping, millionaire thug Hallinans actually advertise their gang as helping the Democratic Party is outrageous and reactionary. The Democrats exist to keep the Reds (socialists) and Greens out of office. There is no other reason for 2 capitalist parties, paid by the same corporations to promote the same capitalist agenda. Thus, the Democrats sometimes mouth decent phrases at election time to make sure the workingclass that does vote does not vote Red or Green, but instead for the millionaire Democrats, who cannot and do not represent them. No millionaire can represent the workingclass. Once elected, the Democrats carry out the same anti-workingclass capitalist agenda as the Republican Party as that is what their corporate sponsors pay for. On the issue of Israel alone, that should be obvious. Israel is an American military base that exists to protect US oil profits in the Middle East and around the world. Every single Democratic and Republican politician by definition is pro-Israel, and therefore pro-war. The greatest profits are in war production, with oil being second and the war machine is the biggest user of oil, and that is why all these blood for oil wars exist: to maximize the profits of the capitalist class. The entire country needs to be rescued from capitalism and only a labor movement capable of organizing a general strike to take state power and abolish the profit motive, establishing socialism, can do that. Please vote for the slates that are pro-workingclass as follows:
The Voice for Justice for Radio slate:
Steve Zeltzer, Dr. Sureya Sayadi, Jaime Cader and Felipe Messina.

The Endorsers of the Voices for Justice Radio slate:
From: http://www.voicesforjusticeradio.org/endorsers.htm
Cindy Sheehan, Anti-war activist
Cynthia McKinney, Former Congresswoman
Gayle McLaughlin, Mayor of City of Richmond, California
Peace and Freedom Party California
Green Party of Contra Costa County Council
San Francisco Bayview Newspaper
Mary And Willie Radcliff, Publisher, San Francisco Bayview Newspaper
Gray Brechin, UCB Geography Department and Author "Imperial San Francisco"
Genoveva Calloway, Vice-Mayor, City of San Pablo
Jovanka Beckles, The Richmond Planning Commission
Education Not Incarceration, SF Chapter
Idriss Stelley Action and Resource Center (ISARC)
Trent Willis, Vice President ILWU Local 10
Clarence Thomas, Former ILWU Local 10 Secretary Treasurer
Francisco De Costa, Executive Director of Enviromental Justice Advocacy San Francisco
Roger Scott, Past President AFT 2121, Professor San Francisco City College
Bill Carpenter, Professor, San Francisco City College, Videographer
Todd Davies, Lecturer, Stanford University (endorsing Steve Zeltzer only)
Rick Hauptman, Chair, North Mission Neighborhood Alliance
Mary Ellen Churchill, Videographer and media activist
Lotus Fong, Community Activist
Philip Santos, Muscian, member of American Federation of Musicians
Ralph Schoenman, Co-Producer Taking Aim
Cynthia Servetnick, Member IFPTE Local 21, Save the Laguna Street Campus
Lisa Milos, UCSF CWA-UPTE Member
Mary Ann Ring, UCSF CUE 9 Delegate
Russ Miyashiro, ILWU Local 34 Assistant Dispatcher
Brad Wiedmaier, SEIU UHW, Architectural Historian, 113 Steuart St. Labor Center Project
Jemahl Ämen
Dr. Ahimsa Porter Sumchai, Phyisican, Environmental Activist
Charles Smith, AFSCME 444 Chief Steward
Diane Brown, Member of United Teachers of Richmond, CTA/NEA and Progressive Teachers Caucus of Richmond
Riva Enteen, former Chair KPFA Local Station Board
JR Valery, Producer of the Black Report (endorsing Steve Zeltzer only)
Skip Charbonneau, member SEIU 1000
Regina Carey, Community Activist Marin County
Lynda Carson, Freelance journalist & tenant activist
Peter Philipps, Founder of Project Censored and Professor Sonoma State University
John Mifsud, Artistic Director of Diversity Productions
Anore Shaw, Green Party member
Organizations after the names are identification only

The ICR slate is:
Listener Category:
Stephen Astourian
Naeem Deskins
Georgia Frazier
Monadel Herzallah
Cynthia Johnson
Hyun-Mi Kim
Janet Kobren
Tracy Rosenberg
Gina Szeto
Kate Tanaka
Staff Category:
Shahram Aghamir
Gabrielle Wilson

Endorsers of the ICR slate are:
From http://voteindyradio.org/node/4
Endorsments of ICR candates so far
Community Members
Alan Benjamin
Delegate to SF Labor Council, Editor of "The Organizer
Anuradha Mittal
Executive Director of Oakland Institute; author of "America Needs Human Rights," co-author of "10 Reasons to Abolish the IMF & World Bank"
Attila Nagy
Community activist, former KPFA LSB member, former Program Council member
Barbara Lubin
Founder, Middle East Children's Alliance and Co-founder, Friends of Free Speech Radio
Beshara Doumani
Professor of History, UC Berkeley
Carol Brouillet
Green Party candidate, US House of Representatives
Carol Spooner
Lead Plaintiff - 1999 KPFA Listeners Lawsuit
Christine Ahn
Korean activist, fellow at *Korean Policy Institute and *Oakland Institute, policy analyst at *Global Fund for Women, columnist for *Foreign Policy In Focus.
Cindy Sheehan
Anti-war activist
Dan Berman
public-power organizer; author of "Who Owns the Sun?" and "Death on the Job"
Dave Welsh
Delegate, San Francisco Labor Council, and member, Haiti Action Committee
David Barsamian
host of "Alternative Radio;" prolific author
Fadi Saba
South Bay Mobilization
Green Party of Alameda County
Greta Berlin
Co-Founder, *Free Gaza Movement
Henry Norr
*San Francisco Chronicle, *International Solidarity Movement, Listener Rep on KPFA Board
James Vann
Co-Founder, Oakland Tenants Union
Karen Pickett
Bay Area Coalition for Headwaters
Oakland community activist, *Co-Founder, Oakland Tenants Union
Maria Gilardin
TUC Radio, Save KPFA
Malkia Cyril
Executive Director, *Center for Media Justice
Max J. Blanchet
Free Speech Radio News
Meshe Monge-Irizarry
Education Not Incarceration
Noelle Hanrahan
Producer, Prison Radio, Former KPFA LSB member
Nora Barrows-Friedman
Former Flashpoints co-host, writer and reporter
Peter Phillips Ph.D
Professor Sociology—Sonoma State University
President—Media Freedom Foundation/Project Censored
Per Fagerang
Radio Free Ireland, KBOO-FM
Peter Franck
Media Action Marin, Social Justice Center of Marin, former President of Pacifica Foundation, Legal advisor to Mario Savio and Free Speech Movement
Sam Husseini
Communications director at *Institute for Public Accuracy and long time Palestinian anti-war and media activist.
Samera Esmeir
Assistant Professor of Rhetoric, UC Berkeley
Vida Samiian
Professor of Linguistics, CSU-Fresno
KPFA Workers
Adrienne Lauby
Producer, Pushing Limits, KPFA-FM
Anthony Fest
KPFA Weekend News, KPFA Unpaid Staff Organization Council, Staff Rep on KPFA Board
Ann Garrison
Weekend News, KPFA-FM
Bonnie Faulkner
Producer, Guns and Butter, KPFA-Radio
Dennis Bernstein
Host and Producer, Flashpoints, KPFA-FM
Khalil Bendib
Political Cartoonist, Host, Voices of the Middle East and North Africa, KPFA-FM
Lisa Dettmer
Producer, Women's Magazine, KPFA-FM
Malihe Razazan
Your Call, *KALW-FM, Voices of the Middle East and North Africa, KPFA-FM
Preeti Mangla Shekar
*Global Fund for Women and Womens Magazine, KPFA-FM
Renee Yang Geesler
Co-director, First Voice Apprenticeship and Host, Apex Express, KPFA-FM
Robbie Osman
Across The Great Divide, KPFA-FM
Ruthanne Sphiner
KPFA News Reporter
* for identification purposes only

You can read all the candidate statements at:
http://pacificafoundation.org/cand_list.php?sta=kpfa

You can meet the candidates at the following forums or hear them on KPFA:
For transit info or carpool to any forum call 510.332.7181 or email les_kpfa [at] pacifica.org


Thursday Sept.9 Black Dot Cafe 924 Pine St., West Oakland 6:30-9pm Hosted by JR Ministry of Information from blockreportradio.org and Hardknock radio

Monday Sept. 13 First United Methodist Church San Rafael (basement) 9 Ross Valley Drive ( Greenfield and Ross Valley Dr.) just off the Miracle Mile (Fourth St.) across from Bedrock Music near Cafe Gratitude). Potluck at 6:15pm / Forum at 7:15pm Sponsored by: Marin Peace and Justice

Tuesday, Sept. 14 Berkeley Community Media Public Access TV2239 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Berkeley 5-7pm

Sunday, Sept. 19 Sonoma Peace and Justice Center 467 Sebastapol Ave, Santa Rosa 2-5pm

Monday, September 20th Richmond Public LibraryCommunity Room/patio325 Civic Center Plaza (at MacDonald ) Richmond lots of parking co-sponsored byRichmond Progressive Alliance 6:30-9pm


O N A I R F O R U M S:


First Round:
Tuesday, August 31st 2-4pm
Wednesday Sept. 1st 2-4pm
Thursday Sept 2nd 2-4pm


Second Round:
Friday Sept. 10th- 7-8pm
Saturday Sept.11: 9-12noon
Wednesday Sept. 15: 7-8pm
Thursday Sept. 16: 7-8pm

Third Round:
Monday Sept. 27th: 8-10pm
Tuesday Sept. 28th: 8-10pm
Wednesday Sept.29: 8-10pm

Margy, if you want to argue how your politics remain radical and socialist, I'll be all attention. If you think I'm being judgmental, make your case.

It's ridiculous to act as though I'm not entitled to express an opinion about your politics, since you're a candidate. And don't act like I don't know you. We were both founding members of the Committees of Correspondence.

I'm fair game for whatever you care to say about my politics, and I'm not even running for any office.

IMHO, KPFA won't be improved by electing people to the Board who've left radical and socialist politics behind and embraced progressive reform politics.

There are undoubtedly plenty of offices I'd endorse you for Margy, but not the KPFA Board.

At the most recent debate at ILWU Local 34 on September 28, 2010 Margie Wilkinson wanted to cut out after an hour or so and go home. Apparently she felt put upon to even be at the forum to debate the issues. This is not a good sign for someone who is participating in the elections of a local community radio station. It also confirms the views of Nack that some of the candidates of formerly CL/Now "Save KPFA" are no longer radicals but in fact are there to make the station more "main stream" or a closer to NPR. There is also a question of why Wilkinson would want to torture herself by attending the numerous KPFA LSB board email discussions and long and tedious board meetings when she is having problems being in a debate on the issues facing KPFA one afternoon.

One SaveKPFA-Concerned Listener candidate, Margie Wilkinson, repeated the line that it is not the role of the LSB to micromanage the station or to make programming decisions.
Later another SaveKPFA-Concerned Listener candidate, David Saldano, admonished one member of the other side for making straw man arguments.