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Action Alert: Thank Dick Gregory
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Progressive Portal
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Dec 31, 2001 17:38 PST
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ACTION ALERT: THANK DICK GREGORY
Action dates:
Monday, Dec. 31, 2001 through Friday, Jan. 4, 2002
The new Pacifica Interim National Board, established in the
settlement agreement covering four lawsuits against Pacifica by
grassroots interests, voted at its first meeting Dec. 29 to bring
"Democracy Now!" back to the airwaves of the five Pacifica stations.
Dick Gregory parted ways with the other four members of the former
Pacifica board majority and supported "DN!". Without his vote, the
measure would not have been adopted. Please send letters of thanks to
him at the addresses indicated later in this message.
"Democracy Now!" -- Pacifica's flagship news and analysis program --
had been kicked off the air earlier this year. The "DN!" crew
continues to produce an expanded two-hour program each day
(previously "DN!" had been one hour), providing outstanding coverage
in the days and weeks after the terrorist attack of Sept. 11. The
program is heard on KPFA in Berkeley and on dozens of non-Pacifica
stations nationwide, but not on the other four Pacifica-owned
stations (in Los Angeles, New York, Houston, and Washington, DC).
Mr. Gregory's vote for "DN!" gave the measure the 10-5 majority
needed for passage.
Two other measures, passed by 9-6 majorities, will go before the
settlement judge for decision: lifting the gag rule, and dismissing
the lawyers for the former board majority, paid for by Pacifica. Mr.
Gregory voted with the former board majority against both items, as
did Barney Goodman, the representative from the KPTF (Houston) LAB.
The five former-minority members and the other four LAB members voted
for both measures.
Under the settlement agreement, an item needs either a two-thirds
majority (i.e., 10 votes) or a "balanced majority" (at least one vote
from each of the three factions -- former board majority, former
board minority, and Local Advisory Boards). There are five members
from each group. Any measure passed by a majority less than
two-thirds and not "balanced" goes to the judge for decision, where
its fate is uncertain.
To avoid sending almost every item to the judge, we need at least one
member of the former board majority to begin acting more
cooperatively and voting more reasonably. Perhaps Dick Gregory can be
that person. At the meeting, he indicated that he is following the
lead of his "brothers" Bert Lee and Wendell Johns, but that he is a
loyal listener to "DN!" so had to break ranks on this one. The clear
implication is that this is the only issue on which he has developed
independent knowledge.
We need to thank Mr. Gregory, and to educate him on the other issues.
Please send a POLITE message thanking him for supporting "DN!" last
Saturday, and asking him to reconsider his position on other issues.
If you can give him specific information and arguments regarding
other matters, such as lifting the gag rule and restoring the banned
and fired journalists, please do so. Mr. Gregory will need factual
information that can be documented. For example, it may be worthwhile
to send him news articles from recognized media outlets, and Web
links for further information.
We encourage a positive, cooperative tone. If Mr. Gregory is to part
ways with his colleagues on some other issues, he needs to know there
will be support for him elsewhere. The language of reconciliation and
peacemaking can be powerful, and may resonate particularly well with
Mr. Gregory.
Write to him at both of these addresses; sometimes one or the other
doesn't get through:
dick-AT-dickgregory.com (replace "-AT-" with "@")
feedback-AT-dickgregory.com (replace "-AT-" with "@")
If you want to let us know you wrote to him, send a BCC (blind
courtesy copy) or a separate message to
gregory-AT-progressiveportal.org (replace "-AT-" with "@"). However,
please do not put our address in the TO or CC fields of your letter
to Mr. Gregory, where it will be visible to him. Some people question
the sincerity of a letter when you make it too obvious that it is
part of an organized effort.
One more point of encouragement: Several lesser matters received
votes from some of the other board majority members. Leslie Cagan was
elected chair by a large margin. So there is at least a hint of
possibility that some members of the former board majority won't be
completely unwilling to exhibit some level of cooperation in the
future, especially if the judge rules against them on the two
measures passed by 9-6 votes on Dec. 29.
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