Post by admin on Jul 28, 2011 20:00:37 GMT -6
Elections in MUFON?
To the Board of Directors: Give us the Vote!
Friday, July 29th, at the Irvine MUFON Symposium—that’s when the Board of Directors will vote on whether there will be change and renewal in MUFON, or there won’t. That’s when the Board will decide whether MUFON will bring in a new, open system with upward mobility, accountability, and opportunity or it won’t. That’s when the Board will decide whether we will have elections in MUFON, or we won’t. Will the Board keep the system MUFON has had since 1982 in which the Board of Directors appoints itself? The Committee to Reform MUFON calls on this Board to give the Members of MUFON the Vote!
A formal Proposal went to the Board calling for elections
On June 19 the Committee to Reform MUFON sent a formal proposal to the MUFON Board calling for election of the Board of Directors and the Dir. of Investigation by the full membership of MUFON. The Proposal, which had many signers then and has many more now, outlined an easy plan to provide for elections. The Proposal can be read in full at www.reformmufon.org. Shortly we received notice from Clifford Clift that the Board would vote on the Proposal July 29 at its annual meeting at the Symposium in Irvine . That is just a few short days from now.
The Board is going to vote on the Proposal
If the Board votes ‘yes’ in Irvine we will have elections and choose our Board by voting. We would have a brand NEW MUFON! But if the Board votes ‘no,’ MUFON will continue to be run by a handful of people not accountable to us, the Members. If the Board votes ‘no,’ the Members of MUFON will continue to be called “subscribers,” without rights, liable to be fired “At-will” by the MUFON hierarchy, and none of us will have a say in how our organization is run.
At the end of the day July 29, will this Board give us a New MUFON? Or will it give us the same troubled MUFON we have had for the last 5 years? We call on this Board to give us a New MUFON.
Director Clifford Cliff says you have to be wealthy to be on the Board, and he points out that last year the Board gave $15,000 to MUFON. In the meantime, the 2900 Members gave $145,000 + to MUFON. We call on this Board to acknowledge by their ‘yes’ vote that it is the 2900 Members of MUFON who are financially sustaining our organization.
We are grateful to the current Board for their service
The current members of the MUFON Board—Clifford Clift, Tom Whitmore, Marie Malzahn, Robert Swiatek, John Schuessler, Tom Deuley, Dr. Bob Wood, Jan Harzan and Chuck Reever—have given years of service to MUFON. We are exceedingly grateful to them. If the vote is ‘yes’ and MUFON changes over to a member-elected Board, any member of the Current Board is free to run for election--and might well win. At the same time it is known three Board members wish to retire, and none of them, it appears, wishes to be International Director except for Clifford Clift who, we are told, will stay on as ID.
In the meantime, what about the scores of talented, dedicated people among the Members of MUFON who would greatly benefit MUFON if they had a chance to serve on the Board of Directors? We call on the Board of Directors to throw open the doors of opportunity in MUFON and give the members of this organization a chance to generate our own leadership.
A watershed moment in the history of MUFON
There are only a few days left until July 29th when the vote will be taken. This is a watershed moment in the history of MUFON. What direction will we take? If you agree MUFON needs a New Direction, NOW is the time to make your views known to the Board. Here are their email addresses and we urge you to write to them today asking each Board member to vote ‘yes’ on the Proposal before the Board calling for elections in MUFON.
Clifford Clift cclift@mufon.com
Tom Deuley tdeuley@mufon.com
Tom Whitmore twhitmore@mufon.com
Jan Harzan jharzan@mufon.com
Marie Malzahn mmalzahn@mufon.com
Chuck Reever creever@mufon.com
Robert Swiatek rswiatek@mufon.com
Dr. Bob Wood drbobwood@roadrunner.com
John Schuessler jschuessler@mufon.com
Here is the problem we have
In a recent issue of the MUFON Journal, ID Clifford Clift wrote:
"All 3000 people who belong to MUFON are Subscribers, which includes me. As subscribers, we only receive the MUFON Journal. "
This statement caused great consternation among many Members of MUFON. Here are two letters of response:
"Haven't you read the latest MUFON Journal? We are NOT MEMBERS! We are Subscribers...all we get for our $45 per year is a newsletter. All this time I thought I was a member of a non-profit organization. Cliff says we have NO say in this organization. I am not renewing my subscription next year."
I subscribe to at least a dozen magazines, including JAR, Archaeology, Open Minds, Skeptic, and others. NONE of them ask anything from me besides the annual subscription rate. (And most of them are much better written and well worth the money.) NONE of them ask me to "volunteer" my own time, money, and equipment to recruit more "subscribers" for them. NONE of them repeatedly send emails badgering me to pay an additional dollar amount to them based on how many other subscribers there are in my state. NONE of them ask me to sign forms that say I won't repeat what I read! NONE of them are asking me to go out in the field on potentially dangerous investigations, at my own expense. Am I wrong in having a problem with being called "ONLY" a "subscriber?"
What these letters show is the Members of MUFON are deeply involved in our organization and they do not want to be marginalized. MUFON is about the greatest issue of our time—the UFO phenomena. UFO research and investigation is demanding and requires commitment. MUFON is demanding and requires commitment. And the members of MUFON have delivered—for 40+ years of MUFON’s existence we have delivered—and now we have come of age. Clifford’s statement that we are “only subscribers” to a journal doesn’t fit the Members of MUFON. It doesn’t fit who we are.
That is why we call upon the Board of Directors to choose a new path. We call upon the Board to enfranchise, to incorporate, to embrace, and to trust the Membership of MUFON.
Give us a New MUFON! Give us the Vote!
To the Board of Directors: Give us the Vote!
Friday, July 29th, at the Irvine MUFON Symposium—that’s when the Board of Directors will vote on whether there will be change and renewal in MUFON, or there won’t. That’s when the Board will decide whether MUFON will bring in a new, open system with upward mobility, accountability, and opportunity or it won’t. That’s when the Board will decide whether we will have elections in MUFON, or we won’t. Will the Board keep the system MUFON has had since 1982 in which the Board of Directors appoints itself? The Committee to Reform MUFON calls on this Board to give the Members of MUFON the Vote!
A formal Proposal went to the Board calling for elections
On June 19 the Committee to Reform MUFON sent a formal proposal to the MUFON Board calling for election of the Board of Directors and the Dir. of Investigation by the full membership of MUFON. The Proposal, which had many signers then and has many more now, outlined an easy plan to provide for elections. The Proposal can be read in full at www.reformmufon.org. Shortly we received notice from Clifford Clift that the Board would vote on the Proposal July 29 at its annual meeting at the Symposium in Irvine . That is just a few short days from now.
The Board is going to vote on the Proposal
If the Board votes ‘yes’ in Irvine we will have elections and choose our Board by voting. We would have a brand NEW MUFON! But if the Board votes ‘no,’ MUFON will continue to be run by a handful of people not accountable to us, the Members. If the Board votes ‘no,’ the Members of MUFON will continue to be called “subscribers,” without rights, liable to be fired “At-will” by the MUFON hierarchy, and none of us will have a say in how our organization is run.
At the end of the day July 29, will this Board give us a New MUFON? Or will it give us the same troubled MUFON we have had for the last 5 years? We call on this Board to give us a New MUFON.
Director Clifford Cliff says you have to be wealthy to be on the Board, and he points out that last year the Board gave $15,000 to MUFON. In the meantime, the 2900 Members gave $145,000 + to MUFON. We call on this Board to acknowledge by their ‘yes’ vote that it is the 2900 Members of MUFON who are financially sustaining our organization.
We are grateful to the current Board for their service
The current members of the MUFON Board—Clifford Clift, Tom Whitmore, Marie Malzahn, Robert Swiatek, John Schuessler, Tom Deuley, Dr. Bob Wood, Jan Harzan and Chuck Reever—have given years of service to MUFON. We are exceedingly grateful to them. If the vote is ‘yes’ and MUFON changes over to a member-elected Board, any member of the Current Board is free to run for election--and might well win. At the same time it is known three Board members wish to retire, and none of them, it appears, wishes to be International Director except for Clifford Clift who, we are told, will stay on as ID.
In the meantime, what about the scores of talented, dedicated people among the Members of MUFON who would greatly benefit MUFON if they had a chance to serve on the Board of Directors? We call on the Board of Directors to throw open the doors of opportunity in MUFON and give the members of this organization a chance to generate our own leadership.
A watershed moment in the history of MUFON
There are only a few days left until July 29th when the vote will be taken. This is a watershed moment in the history of MUFON. What direction will we take? If you agree MUFON needs a New Direction, NOW is the time to make your views known to the Board. Here are their email addresses and we urge you to write to them today asking each Board member to vote ‘yes’ on the Proposal before the Board calling for elections in MUFON.
Clifford Clift cclift@mufon.com
Tom Deuley tdeuley@mufon.com
Tom Whitmore twhitmore@mufon.com
Jan Harzan jharzan@mufon.com
Marie Malzahn mmalzahn@mufon.com
Chuck Reever creever@mufon.com
Robert Swiatek rswiatek@mufon.com
Dr. Bob Wood drbobwood@roadrunner.com
John Schuessler jschuessler@mufon.com
Here is the problem we have
In a recent issue of the MUFON Journal, ID Clifford Clift wrote:
"All 3000 people who belong to MUFON are Subscribers, which includes me. As subscribers, we only receive the MUFON Journal. "
This statement caused great consternation among many Members of MUFON. Here are two letters of response:
"Haven't you read the latest MUFON Journal? We are NOT MEMBERS! We are Subscribers...all we get for our $45 per year is a newsletter. All this time I thought I was a member of a non-profit organization. Cliff says we have NO say in this organization. I am not renewing my subscription next year."
I subscribe to at least a dozen magazines, including JAR, Archaeology, Open Minds, Skeptic, and others. NONE of them ask anything from me besides the annual subscription rate. (And most of them are much better written and well worth the money.) NONE of them ask me to "volunteer" my own time, money, and equipment to recruit more "subscribers" for them. NONE of them repeatedly send emails badgering me to pay an additional dollar amount to them based on how many other subscribers there are in my state. NONE of them ask me to sign forms that say I won't repeat what I read! NONE of them are asking me to go out in the field on potentially dangerous investigations, at my own expense. Am I wrong in having a problem with being called "ONLY" a "subscriber?"
What these letters show is the Members of MUFON are deeply involved in our organization and they do not want to be marginalized. MUFON is about the greatest issue of our time—the UFO phenomena. UFO research and investigation is demanding and requires commitment. MUFON is demanding and requires commitment. And the members of MUFON have delivered—for 40+ years of MUFON’s existence we have delivered—and now we have come of age. Clifford’s statement that we are “only subscribers” to a journal doesn’t fit the Members of MUFON. It doesn’t fit who we are.
That is why we call upon the Board of Directors to choose a new path. We call upon the Board to enfranchise, to incorporate, to embrace, and to trust the Membership of MUFON.
Give us a New MUFON! Give us the Vote!
