Monday 13 November 2000

 

Dear Fellow Associates and Board Members and Sxxxxxxx Service Members-

The time has come to set forth in clear terms my fondly anticipated arrival and my depressingly untimely departure from the Sxxxxxxx Fxxxxxxx while illuminating and underscoring the unethical and corrosive collusion surrounding these events.

The Interview:

The events begin with my interview on a Wednesday in late July with Rxxxxx Sxxxxx, Lxxx and Jxxxxx Wxxxxx, Sxxxxx Fxxxxx, and Mxxxxx Kxxxxx. During this interview the job of Database Associate was described as assisting Sxxxxx Fxxxxx with data input and content output for correspondence involving gifts to the fxxxxxxx. I was asked why someone with my extensive experience would take a position which was so modestly compensated and I replied that I my prime concern was to actively live a life devoted to service. I assured those present that with my skills and experience I could take the data activitiy to an advanced level of efficiency and competency which it desperately needed.

After the interview was over Rxxxxx Sxxxxx called on the intercom phone and said that Jxxxxxxx Oxxxx and he were ready to see me in Jxxxxxxx’ office.

When I arrived at the office I sat down and was given a verbal outline by Jxxxxxxx (with punctuation’s by Rxxxxx) of the problems that had been connected with the Database. The problems centered on the inability to produce reports in a timely manner specifically the inability to produce results on specific queries requested by staff and board within acceptable time limits.

When queries were deemed by Sxxxxx Fxxxxx not within the capabilities of the program as written, an additional development cost was incurred by having the developers of the database interface come in and tweak the program. The fees were enormous and eating up funds that were better spent elsewhere. The problems remained even though there had been 18+ months and $300-$1800 dollars per week for the developers to come in to fix the problems. I was told Sxxxxxxx had used consultants to implement their current in-house solution and they were sure that their choice had been correct but that the process had gone off course and they were reeling from the continuous cost overruns from Hxxxxx Systems, the database interface developers.

At this point in the interview Jxxxxxxx and Rxxxxx asked me if I was willing to take on an expanded role which would include bringing the database up to a professional standard along with managing the network system and providing additional training for the staff. Many of the staff were having computer virus problems and system lockups. Sxxxxxxx wanted to save money by having an in-house expert. I said that I would be able to fix many of the acute problems and would work diligently on the chronic problems after the rush of the Xxx xxx xxx season.

Jxxxxxxx asked me if I would be willing to accept the position of Database Manager/Developer full-time after a three-month familiarization and probationary period with part-time Manager Sxxxxx Fxxxxx with the title of Database Associate? I accepted the offer as presented along with a salary increase after the training period and another increase after three months in the role of Database Manager. These terms implied an in-kind donation of the shortfall ($15,000 to $20,000) between what I could make on the outside and the amount Sxxxxxxx would pay. This arrangement balanced my need for professional recognition while keeping Sxxxxxxx’s budget in line.

Before the interview ended I asked ‘What was going to become of Sxxxxx Fxxxxx?’ It was stated by Jxxxxxxx and seconded by Rxxxxx that she was going to leave Sxxxxxxx at the conclusion of my training in the first week of November and was going to embark upon a career as a web author. Having just debarked on that journey myself and having found the field crammed with highly-seasoned professional-grade talent I asked, ‘What’s going to happen if she’s unable to make it as a web author and wants to come back to Sxxxxxxx?’ They assured me that that was not going to happen and that she was leaving Sxxxxxxx for good.

The interview ended and on closing I was informed that upon validation of my references I would be receiving an offer of employment with a mutual agreement to sign.

 

The Offer and My Written Acceptance:

I received a call from Mxxxxx Kxxxxx in the afternoon of the 3rd of August, Thursday wherein she stated that she had an offer of employment for me which I needed to come in and sign either that afternoon or the following day. I came in the next day Friday the 4th of August and signed the contract. Essential elements of the contract were that I start actual training on the 8th of August when Rxxxxx Sxxxxx was to return from a conference on the Eastern Seaboard.

 

At time she suggested that I backdate the agreement to the 2nd of August in order to expedite the processing of my medical, dental, and vision coverage to assure that they would start on the 1st of September. I was thankful for that suggestion and signed the agreement and dated it 2 August 2000. [This agreement is available upon request from Mxxxxx Kxxxxx as I gave her six extra copies on Friday 20th October for the use of the principals in this matter.] [The agreement is reproduced here.]

__________________________________

[The Agreement [verbatim] [on Sxxxxxxx Fxxxxxxx letterhead] begins here]

August 1, 2000

 

Michael Jordan

xxxxx xxxxx

xxxxx, xx xxxx

 

Dear Michael:

We are delighted to offer you a position with Sxxxxxxx Fxxxxxxx. Your skills and commitment will certainly make a difference in our Development Department and for the communities we serve.

Your title will be Database Associate. This is full time position (40 hours per week) with an annual salary of $xxxxxxx and full benefits. Your workweek will be Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm. You will be employed on a three-month probationary period.

After successfully completing your three months as Database Associate, you will be promoted to Database Manager with an annual salary of $xxxxxxx. Again, you will be in a probationary period of three months on this new position. You will have a performance evaluation after these three months and if merited you (sic) salary will be increased one step to an annual salary of $xxxxxxx.

Sxxxxxxx also offers its employees medical, dental &vision insurance as well as a generous vacation, sick and personal leave benefit package.

We acknowledge your willingness to making a two-year commitment to Sxxxxxxx. Your starting date will be August 8, 2000.

All of us at Sxxxxxxx are very excited about the opportunity to work with you and have you be a part of the growth of this wonderful organization.

This offer is effective today, August 1, 2000.

 

Sincerely,

[signature] 8/1/00

Mxxxxx Kxxxxx

Acting Executive Director

I accept this position and the terms, which have been offered.

[signature] 8/2/2000

mxxxxx mxxxxx Date

 

[this was the end of the agreement]

 

______________

The time periods are most relevant when divided into while Jxxxxxxx was on vacation, and after he returned from vacation.

Sxxxxx Fxxxxx:

Sxxxxx arrives late (after 9:30) every day and stops to pick up her lunch at 11:30 to 12:20. After reading her email and deleting mine before I can read it, she then works for 30 minutes more and leaves at 12:50pm except on Friday (11th) when she didn’t show up at all until I begged her to come in and help me with a search process. She arrived at 11:30 and stayed for 40 minutes and left again stating that her daughter was coming in from the airport that weekend and that she needed to pick her up at the airport. She took the weekend and took off the following Monday (14th) for her daughter again and then took off Tuesday (15th) sick came in Wednesday 16th at 10:30 for a confab with Lxxx Wxxxxx and was unavailable for training. They put themselves in an office behind closed doors and talked together in front of a computer. Pxxxxxx was out much of this time in the mornings so they generally used his office to talk in. When I asked them to show me what they were doing they said that I was about cleaning up the database and revising the Xxx xxx xxx database and that it had nothing to do with me and I needed to catch up the data entry and process the mailings.

 

 

I received a TOTAL of 8 hours training time with Sxxxxx during Jxxxxxxx’ vacation. She would discuss in general terms a process and then race through it and then rush off to another computer in another office to "clean the Database". She was only working in my vicinity two hours or less each day. She was not training me in the database functions of my position but merely using me to catch up on her data entry work which was three weeks behind when I came to work. She gave me an end of the month mailing of confirmation letters which had been due at the first of August to complete at the end of the first week. Instead of doing it together and moving on to other pressing projects she instead let me eat up two days doing the mailing while she was on a computer in another office. Once I walked in on her to find he surfing the Internet and she said that she was working on her other job which was updating the Sxxxxxxx Website. She was supposed to be training me and being sure that her work was completed before she handed the job over to me.

When Lxxx Wxxxxx would come in for a three or four hour period Sxxxxx would disappear regularly for a big breakfast (1 hour and 20 minutes) on company time (presumably paid for by consulting billing). After the big breakfast there would be 1 ¾ hours of work and then a big lunch with the consultant also while the consultant time clock was ticking.

Sxxxxx was careful in attending work on Thursdays which were the staff meeting days but she would always have to leave at her 12:45 time slot to make her afternoon classes. Thursdays were always filled with meetings and no training was ever done on a Thursday. Sxxxxx took off the entire last week of August and left Sxxxxxxx "for good" on the 22nd of September . She had not spent more that 8 hours total time with me training me for the job at that time. On the 22nd of September I assumed full responsibility for both Sxxxxx’s job and my own without any adequate training and preparation.

After Jxxxxxxx came back from vacation all of the mice came back to work in their offices and the holiday was over.

Jxxxxxxx came back from vacationing in Europe on a Friday and I was so happy to see him. I had a lot to tell him about my first three weeks at Sxxxxxxx. I made my first report to him regarding the contractor "bill-padding" and "featherbedding" and the all too cozy and inappropriate relationship they enjoyed with Sxxxxx. He said that he was pleased that I had put my fingers on all of the concerns which he and others had regarding the work of the contractors and he was happy that I was able to discover them independently.

He said that this was precisely why I had been hired and he looked forward to my continued proactive engagement in the process to correct the problems. He added that I needed to keep my discoveries limited to he and Rxxxxx and Mxxxxx and I said that I had no intention of exposing our plans of outing the contracting mess until the time was right. He suggested that I communicate to him through Rxxxxx to allow Rxxxxx to be in the loop so that Rxxxxx would not feel that I was usurping his own managerial role. I had my own suspicions that Rxxxxx was all right with what was going on as long as it didn’t go too far and become too obvious. It was inappropriate to share them with Jxxxxxxx at that time since I had not tested Rxxxxx to be sure that I was correct.

I was moderately encouraged at this first meeting and went back to my office to continue studying the training manual and continue to wait for Sxxxxx to arrive at work.

An hour passed and Rxxxxx called me on the intercom and wanted to meet with me in his office. I went up and he said that Jxxxxxxx had related to him the substance of our earlier conversation. "I had sent up some red warning signals regarding the contractors…" Rxxxxx said, "I didn’t know anything about this problem, why didn’t you talk to me about it before talking to Jxxxxxxx?" I was at a loss for words since I had three weeks to appreciate the tight camaraderie between Rxxxxx and Sxxxxx and generally assumed that nothing was to be gained by letting them know that I was watching. But I dropped that notion and decided to give Rxxxxx all of the information he needed to either vindicate himself in my eyes or hang himself.

I then proceeded to lay out all of the discoveries and the concerns regarding the expenses which were being incurred to inhibit progress and the threats my investigations had encouraged from Lxxx Wxxxxx two days earlier in the company of Sxxxxx. Along with concerns regarding the contractors, I reported to Rxxxxx Sxxxxx my findings of the severe bottlenecks, inefficiencies and unnecessary repetitions in the work flow resulting in tripling the work process unnecessarily, and needlessly placing the timeliness of the work product at risk.

In closing on that morning, I related to Rxxxxx my most serious concerns regarding the unethical collusion between the database contractors and employees which was resulting in "kickbacks" and "gifting". This dynamic was raising the price of the work being done and lowering its quality. People inside Sxxxxxxx were spin-doctoring the perception of the quality of the work being done, enhancing and distorting to benefit the database contractors. I said that morning that the work that I had seen on the database was of such poor quality that it could not have had more than two weeks of full-time programming to bring it to its present state of development. Rxxxxx said that the process had taken 18-24 months and that many had expressed similar concerns. Rxxxxx said that I had been hired to correct this continuing problem.

I told Rxxxxx that the investigation had to proceed quietly. If the contractors got wind that we were on to them and got scared, they could retaliate by locking the program and database server with passwords and refuse to give them up while in addition demanding contract extensions at even higher rates than we were already experiencing. I related that I had seen this unethical tactic used before I wanted to avoid it happening at Sxxxxxxx. I told Rxxxxx that I would pose myself in a diminutive profile so as not cause any alarm so that I could take measures in the background to assure that the database could be saved from the very real threat of highjacking by the contractors at Hxxxxx. I told Rxxxxx Sxxxxx that only Jxxxxxxx Oxxxx should be made aware of our discussion because I did not know at that time who was operating inside the organization aiding Hxxxxx.

Within 2 hours Rxxxxx had compromised the privileged nature of our conversation in a manager’s meeting. When Mxxxxx Kxxxxx told me later that day of Rxxxxx’s breech of my confidence I was horrified. However I gave him the benefit of the doubt assuming that this was a naive effort by him to escape responsibility. It also made clear to me that I had to keep him fully informed of every single detail of my efforts.

The following week there was a meeting of Jxxxxxxx Oxxxx, Mxxxxx Kxxxxx, Rxxxxxmond Sxxxxx, Pxxxxxx Mxxxxxx, Sxxxxx Fxxxxx, and the Hxxxxx contractor Mxxxxxx Wxxxxx. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the future of the database at the close of the current contract with Hxxxxx. I was not invited to the meeting. A discussion ensued for the better part of an hour without my presence and then Jxxxxxxx Oxxxx called me on the intercom and asked me to join the meeting. I did.

At this point Sxxxxx and Mxxxxxx proceeded to chastise me as having proposed security measures that threatened the integrity of the database.

Sxxxxx stated that my proposal that the donation entry and accounting entries be done concurrently would compromise the data by involving the accounting department. I view this as absurd because there were at that time already three or four people involved with entering the same data. The person who opened the mail with the checks, Mxxxxxx Mxxxxxx; the person who entered the checks into the Peachtree accounting system, Ixxxxxxx Ixxxxxxx-Ixxxxxxx; and the database manager/administrator Sxxxxx Fxxxxx or myself.

My proposal had been to enter it once and be done with it just the way big foundations do it. This is done to assure consistency and focuses responsibility and accountability where it belongs. My method would have also required the database to be relationally connected with the accounting department. Accounting would assume responsibility for the accuracy of the data entered and we would intrepret the data that was entered. There was no need to repeat the process three times.

Currently at Sxxxxxxx the three repetitions there were numerous errors introduced in program and campaign codings as well as in the figures themselves. There was absolutely no need for such fruitless, labor intensive expense.

I said that I would go about continuing to develop the existing database or upgrade to a more powerful and robust application like Microsoft Access which was made to provide solutions to problems like Sxxxxxxx was having. We already had the program on our systems and there were some truly remarkable solutions on the market like Raiser’s Edge which seamlessly integrate the accounting and database records.

At this point in the conversation Ms. Lxxx Wxxxxx broke in and started to tout her work calling it a "product" that had been licensed to Sxxxxxxx and that Sxxxxxxx didn’t own it and that she backed it with a "warranty". She was locking the database with passwords so that it couldn’t be improved without our first getting the opportunity to test it out. Ms. Wxxxxx stated that the interface couldn’t be altered without voiding the "warranty" and that in another 9 (NINE) months she would provide the master password after we had had a chance to work with it and see how good it was. She was also offering her extended consulting services ($85/ hour) to make sure we were satisfied with her "product".

I countered that we were still having continual problems with her work and we couldn’t afford any more development expenses. We needed the passwords to the programs so that we could correct the mistakes while building on the existing interface. Her view was that the program was her intellectual property and we could not alter it. She would instead continue her relationship with Sxxxxxxx indefinitely and make any alterations or extensions to the program. These changes were to occur at her normal rate of $85 an hour. For somewhere over 18 months Sxxxxxxx had consistently and regularly been paying $85 an hour to Hxxxxx Systems (operating out of a Mailbox Etc. address in Sacramento) and had little to show for it. Sxxxxxxx does not own the product which they had paid dearly for; it was essential to the running of their business; and they couldn’t fix it without involving the same people who had intentionally stretched out the development process to increase their revenues.

And Jxxxxxxx Oxxxx just sat there and accepted this without any comment.

Rxxxxx Sxxxxx looked puzzled like a deer caught in the headlights.

Sxxxxx Fxxxxx looked sweet and cute, while Lxxx Wxxxxx beamed triumphant.

Pxxxxxx left the room.

Mxxxxx Kxxxxx and I looked at each other simmering internally and thoroughly shocked.

 

Jxxxxxxx was the boss. He had approved the original terms of Hxxxxx’s contracting and he was not willing to cut Sxxxxxxx’s losses with Hxxxxx possibly out of a need to minimize the growing awareness that his decision regarding Hxxxxx and Lxxx Wxxxxx had been a big mistake. He was also unable to stand up to the threats and corporate blackmail that we had all just witnessed. And he wanted us all to swallow deep and live with and support his decision to roll over and not challenge Hxxxxx.

I left with a resolve to work within the constraints that had been placed upon me and to continue to lobby Jxxxxxxx for a more sensible approach while endeavoring to help him save face. I tried several more times to get Jxxxxxxx Oxxxx to show some backbone and get the control of the database out of the hands of Hxxxxx and bring it entirely in-house and I offered to do all of the work to accomplish it. He had to get the master password from Lxxx Wxxxxx to move this forward.

After that meeting Jxxxxxxx and Rxxxxx took completely different positions in conversations with me about resolving the existing problems in the database. They both began arguing Hxxxxx’s side instead of Sxxxxxxx’s. Jxxxxxxx even went so far on two occasions to announce in staff meetings that we were not to criticize Hxxxxx between ourselves and that it was unprofessional to hold them in anything but the highest professional regard. He said that there was buzz about Hxxxxx ripping off Sxxxxxxx and that an associate on staff was leaking all of our conversations back to Hxxxxx making them more difficult to deal with.

Mean and Dirty Tricks Commence:

I was well aware that they were retaliating because Hxxxxx began restricting my own password logon privileges by restricting my ability to enter data correctly and completely; denying me scripting capabilities and layout access; and my ability to save any data sets which I had created. Each time I started a task I had to start it from scratch and constantly "reinvent the wheel". This immediately made my job impossible to do. I complained to Jxxxxxxx and Rxxxxx to do something and they would come back to me and say that they had talked to Hxxxxx about this and that it hadn’t been done and that I just didn’t know how to use the program. They said they would schedule training for me with Compass Point. I looked at the training and found that it required scripting, layout and saving of work and since all of those functions had been removed from my access the training would be useless.

Rxxxxx and Jxxxxxxx attempted to appear totally ignorant of what was being done with my access to the program. I did research over the Internet and bought a password-cracking program designed for dealing with such intransigence and was able to break some passwords but not all of them. Being unable to use the features of the program made it impossible for me to keep from falling behind the work that was coming in every day. I kept pressing for the passwords and nothing happened. The reporting functions were partially disable with the alteration of my user profile so that incomplete and false data was being produced.

 

It was at this point that I turned to Mxxxxx Kxxxxx and told her of all of the things that I had brought to the attention of Jxxxxxxx and Rxxxxx. She said that she had seen what was going on and had tried to intervene but had been rebuffed. She also related that the same unethical techniques had been performed by Lxxx Wxxxxx and Sxxxxx Fxxxxx on the previous holder of my position, a woman by the name of Ixxxxxxx. They had run Ixxxxxxx off the same way they were doing me. Mxxxxx said that she had been encouraged by the fact that I was fighting back rather than leaving as Ixxxxxxx was forced to do. It was related to me by Mxxxxx that Sxxxxx had left many times before "for good" always to return. Mxxxxx suggested that I go outside the staff to the Board of Directors to make my case because she was both aware of and confused by the contradictory behavior of Mr. Oxxxx and Mr. Sxxxxx regarding their protections of Hxxxxx Systems and their in-house proxy, Sxxxxx Fxxxxx.

I made an oblique mention to Rxxxxx about the Ixxxxxxx incident and he said that she was unskilled and unable to do her job. Rxxxxx had no idea that I knew that to be an outright lie because Mxxxxx had given me the facts regarding her and had previously engaged both Jxxxxxxx and Rxxxxx over the incident involving Ixxxxxxx when it occurred albiet without success.

 

The methods that Fxxxxx and Wxxxxx used against me were exactly the same as they did to Ixxxxxxx. But why did they do any of this in the first place? What creates such self-serving ethical breeches?

It seems that Sxxxxx Fxxxxx was in the habit of threatening to leave Sxxxxxxx adrift every six months or so if she didn’t get her way financially and in vacation time. This forced Sxxxxxxx to find a replacement for her because the system was personalxxxed around her. They would bring in a person and she would "train" them and then abandon them prematurely. Take her vacation, and then return after being begged, and save the day! The most recent time this negotiating tactic was used by Sxxxxx was with Ixxxxxxx.

Sxxxxx had the complete cooperation of Lxxx Wxxxxx because Sxxxxx signed the authorizations for her hours at $85 an hour. Lxxx would do anything for Sxxxxx including getting her glass enclosed corporate seats at ball games at the Oakland Coliseum and buying her lunches and breakfasts and lord knows what else. Sxxxxx had to keep her job in order for Lxxx to continue billing Sxxxxxxx.

I certainly wouldn’t have gone along with any of these shenanigans since my purpose was to make Sxxxxxxx stronger through independence and was loathe to call in Hxxxxx for any reason. Pxxxxxx was very uncomfortable with the over-billing when it became his responsibility to approve Lxxx’s billing invoices after Sxxxxx’s 22 September exit. He was more than happy to share this concern with me.

 

Compromise and Corruption:

Corruption fed corruption unabated. The final responsibility rested with the Executive Director, Jxxxxxxx Oxxxx. He had been watching the process for a year or more and lacked the courage to put a stop to it. He was clearly aware of everything that was happening to me as he had been aware of what was happening to Ixxxxxxx before me and perhaps others.

Jxxxxxxx used Rxxxxx as his buffer, as a lieutenant to keep him informed while concurrently assuring a degree of plausible deniability. Once, when the three of us were in Rxxxxx’s closed office and I was presenting the core of my concerns, Jxxxxxxx jumped up an said he had to leave because he didn’t need or want to know what I was about to say. He left and Rxxxxx and I continued to talk. Afterwards I am sure he was told what I said from Rxxxxx but he left Rxxxxx holding the bag should anything come of the information revealed in the conversation.

 

My Recommendations:

Jxxxxxxx Oxxxx should be asked for his resignation at the upcoming meeting of the Board of Directors.

The protracted pain, confusion, and attempted humiliation, which he presided over in sacrificing me, was completely unwarranted and wholly unethical. His lack of courage while embracing equivocation continually compromises Sxxxxxxx’s mission and undermines the efforts of the core staff and those in the field in accomplishing the work at hand.

 

Additional Points to Consider:

 

The Saturday Morning Massacre

I believe that the Saturday morning massacre (16 September 2000) of Dr. Mxxxxxx, MD was an event that was planned in advance. The staff had been told on two separate occasions by Jxxxxxxx Oxxxx that they were not to be working in the building on the 16th at any time of the day because something was likely to happen of a highly controversial nature and we might form inappropriate opinions of what took place. After the event occurred as planned and Dr. Jxxxx was pushed to the breaking point the staff was instructed by Mr. Oxxxx that we were not to take sides in the issue and not to discuss the incident with the Board Members. And then, in the very next sentence out of Jxxxxxxx Oxxxx’s mouth, he said that we should sign a card to soothe satinder. cxxxxxxx cxxxxxxx.

Staff member Axxx Sxxxx asked about what had happened and was told that a squabble ensued when cxxxxxxx wanted to remain as a co-chair beyond her time. She said that she had to remain to uphold diversity at Sxxxxxxx. She wouldn’t be moved and drove Dr. Jxxxx to the point of utter frustration. It was considered by Mr Oxxxx unacceptable that two white men named Jxxxx would be co-chairs and follow two women named Ixxxxxxx, and cxxxxxxx. Basically the Jxxxx’ were race-baited and gender-baited.

When Jxxxxxxx Oxxxx described this incident, he suggested to staff that had Dr. Jxxxx had diversity training he wouldn’t have thrown his laptop computer down in disgust at the intransigence of Ms. cxxxxxxx. Rxxxx Txxxxx, the only staff member was not allowed to discuss the incident saying only that it "was distressing" - even though she was there. We were all deeply interested in knowing exactly what took place. Jxxxxxxx described the incident in such a way as to suggest that Dr. Jxxxx had flipped out momentarily and acted like he was lost and didn’t know where he was. An eyes wide shut blackout?

Ms. cxxxxxxx immediately went into a carefully controlled rage saying she was going to sue Sxxxxxxx, file an assault report, and obtain a restraining order against Dr. Jxxxx. (It appears in retrospect that this was nothing more than an elaborate plan on the part of Ms. cxxxxxxx and the Executive Director to force Dr. Jxxxx off the board. Unfortunately this is part of many board lxxxards toolkits, as many of you know.)

Axxx Sxxxx then inquired as to the condition of Dr. Jxxxx and if we shouldn’t also send him a card and wish him well and a speedy recovery. Compassion in action. Jxxxxxxx refused, saying that Dr. Jxxxx had to work this thing out on his own. (This in retrospect was done to keep Dr. Jxxxx from finding out how the incident had been framed and characterized by Jxxxxxxx Oxxxx to the staff and others).

I had to speak up at that point because the obvious nature of frame-up and ambush were too detailed to avoid confronting. I grew up learning that it takes two to tango and I suggested to the staff at that special meeting that Ms. cxxxxxxx had for many weeks been a ticking time-bomb giving off very negative vibrations and was unable to hide them. As I looked around the table that morning most eyes nodded affirmatively that they had also seen the same thing but there was also a non-verbal warning to me that I was illuminating the motivations of a sacred Sxxxxxxx institution, Ms. cxxxxxxx cxxxxxxx. Axxx Sxxxx was the only person who was able to address my concerns. She was visibly shaken and dismayed at the incident and the remedies which Jxxxxxxx was both enforcing and denying.

I went on to state that people in conflict find each other and that the confrontation was between Ms. cxxxxxxx and Dr. Mxxxxxx and that it was not our business nor within our qualifications to be involved in assessing the deep karmic confrontation that the incident represented. You must remember that Dr. Jxxxx never touched Ms. cxxxxxxx and that she had spent the previous day-long session muting and minimizing Dr. Jxxxx at the sight conference.

I was very concerned surrounding the self-destructive negative, and guilt-ridden personal projections of Ms. cxxxxxxx in the recent weeks along with her aloof demeanor and her need to have little photographs of herself pasted all over the Sxxxxxxx home office (on the printers, on the water-cooler, on the refrigerator, on the steps leading to the second floor, in the second-floor bathroom, on the candelabra in the center of the meeting table).

Recommendation: Issue a broad apology to Dr. Mxxxxxx, MD and ask him to return to the Board of Directors allow him to take his place as co-chair with Jerry Jxxxx and officially recognize his vast contributions in both service and money, for over 20 years to Sxxxxxxx.

 

Analyzing an Attempt to Neutralxxxe the Contributions of Wxxxxx Wxxxxx generally and at the Board Meeting:

Jxxxxxxx Oxxxx appears to be deeply obsessed in expanding his own power through Machiavellian maneuvering. One recent instance of this occurred during a staff meeting when the staff was asked to approve an attempt to revisit an unpleasant episode involving Wxxxxx Wxxxxx and a Buddha with a cell phone on an altar.

The history of the altar at board meetings was to be written for Wxxxxx to read at the coming board meeting and distributed to board members before the meeting took place so that meeting participants had it their hands before the meeting. This was something that had produced wide controversy among the Buddhists on the Board and Service Society and certain persons said that Wxxxxx had insulted them by making light (fun) of their religious preference.

My reading of the situation was that if words were going to be put in Wxxxxx’s mouth, he needed to put them there – not us! I suggested that he not be burdened with the effects of someone else’s words and that it would be better to transcribe what he said after he had said it. Any other method that was suggested would have Wxxxxx involved in a controversy before the board meeting had even taken place and that it would have the effect of disabling his effectiveness. Rxxxx Txxxxx seemed to understand what I was saying as did Axxx Sxxxx.

The conversation moved on to another controversy over manipulative bell-ringing which was to be brought back at the insistence of Ms. cxxxxxxx cxxxxxxx. The bell ringer, who was to be Ms. cxxxxxxx (and perhaps Dr. Ixxxxxxx), would ring when anything of import to her was said, to bring a hypnotic focus to things under discussion. The bizarre quality of all of this was recognized as potentially divisive and disturbing but she was insisting that it was to be. I reeled in horror at the level of malarkey we were all (fellow donors and staff) being asked to swallow unquestioningly while motions of self-aggrandizement replaced reason.

"What does this have to do with sight restoration?" I said, "Or midwives? Or diabetes? Or community grants? Or sustainable economic development?

With a straight face, Jxxxxxxx Oxxxx responded that Sxxxxxxx’s effectiveness was produced through revelations of people such as Dr. Ixxxxxxx, and Ixxxxxxx who were told by religious teachers in India and Nepal and Tibet, that their mission in life was to alleviate blindness, and serve others.

At the risk of being labeled the Jesse Ventura of the progressive service movement I responded that religion had nothing to do with eliciting those qualities except in the most obtuse of individuals. People made these choices on the basis of genuine concern for their fellow beings. Religion does not create that concern but instead exploits the results and co-opts resources as in Northern Ireland, Palestine, Tibet, and the United States. It is always in the best interests of Sxxxxxxx to steer very clear of religion and in this case Jxxxxxxx Oxxxx was involving us in an effort to reinstate it.

Mr. Oxxxx ended in saying that it was necessary for me personally to embrace the religious concepts surrounding Bhuddism in order to work effectively within the Sxxxxxxx Fxxxxxxx. I was aware that Jxxxxxxx had redirected the donor recruitment process through his manipulation of the mailing lists to focus on Bhuddists exclusively because our director, was of the opinion that Bhuddists were more willing to part with their money for worthy causes than Jews, Christians, Secular Humanists, Moslems, Hindus, etc.

Jxxxxxxx stated that it was very important for me to embrace this religious perspective of his as a Sxxxxxxx staff member. My thoughts were, "HOGWASH! Your way, or the highway?"

At this point in my employment, the door was being shown. Either I went through it on my own, or I would be thrown through it. When I had to schedule three days for community service during the week Oct 2,3, and 4; for a traffic violation three years before; the opportunity was seized by Jxxxxxxx and when I returned from completing my service I was terminated upon entering work on October 5th by Rxxxxxmond Sxxxxx.

Bxxx bxxx bxxx was right when he suggested in an article that Sxxxxxxx had lost its spirituality. It appears to have been replaced with meaningless ritual and religious trappings. There are plastic and ceramic Buddha’s all over the office, and quasi-religious ceremonies at staff meetings and retreats. A different brand of redneck than the one who has a plastic Jesus on the dashboard of his car, but just as mindless, divisive, and counter productive.

 

 

Some additional questions need to be raised at the Board Meeting in November:

Are Two Sets of Books Being Kept at Sxxxxxxx?

During the seven weeks at Sxxxxxxx I was ordered by Jxxxxxxx Oxxxx, Rxxxxxmond Sxxxxx, and Mxxxxx Kxxxxx to do something very troubling to me. They called me into a meeting during the last week of September 2000 and asked me to remove all evidence of nearly a half million dollars of donations from the database which did not appear on the main set of books. These donations were entered earlier in the year from the checks used to transfer the funds. In entering the checks, I worked from Xerox copies. These donations were for the most part occurring before the tax day April 15, 2000 and bothered me due to the appearance that they were on the books for purposes of income tax deductions and not really donations at all. Perhaps after being declared as tax deductions by the donors, they were switched to the status of "loans" by the financial officer and were paid back somehow to the donors in what appeared to be an attempt at laundering money for the purposes of income tax evasion. The donors in question are sitting on the board of directors. The amounts of the individual "loans" were from $60,000 to $230,000 each.

The staff was told by Jxxxxxxx Oxxxx that the money in the Sxxxxx project was "stolen". Where was it diverted to? In whose hands is the money now? Was it sent through Sxxxxxxx Service Society of Txxxxx to aid rebels in countries where the United States had an ongoing relationship in an end run around U.S. law?

Why the accelerated political involvement since the investiture of Jxxxxxxx Oxxxx into the role of executive director? His deep advocacy of overthrowing the Chinese forces in Tibet over the choice of the Panchen Lama, his high-profile personal involvement in the internal affairs of Cxxxx/Mxxxx, Gxxxxx, and the Txxxxx hoax in Ixxxxxxx in the Philippines has unfortunately involved Sxxxxxxx Fxxxxxxx in those areas. These actions are diverting Sxxxxxxx from its primary promise to donors that their money is being used in deep service, not deep politics.

The money to aid the Txxxxx is flowing through Sxxxxxxx Fxxxxxxx in what is described as a "pass-through" by Ms. Kxxxxx, and Mr. Oxxxx. I was instructed to erase all evidence of funds that had been passed through Sxxxxxxx for undescribed/unarticulated/undisclosed political activities involving the Txxxxx Group in the Philippines.

It is essential to note that these classes of political activities, when directed toward countries whose governments are recognized by the United States, amount to lobbying efforts by foreign governments. It should also be noted that these activities when interpreted by the U.S. Code may indeed require Sxxxxxxx to register as a foreign lobby and its director to register as the agent of foreign government(s). Sxxxxxxx must steer clear of such direct confrontations and return to its original concept of service.

Ixxxxxxx is absolutely right when he suggests that the direction and gravitas of Sxxxxxxx has been lassoed and pulled in a direction which leads it away from deep service. Sxxxxxxx is not Axxxxx Ixxxxxxx and the current executive director needs to be reminded that he is no longer employed with Axxxxx Ixxxxxxx and that continued high profile liaisons with Axxxxx Ixxxxxxx by himself and Sxxxxxxx staff need to be discontinued because the two organizations need to remain separate to be effective. Sxxxxxxx is too precious a concept to be jeopardized by unnecessary associations with Axxxxx Ixxxxxxx.

Mr. Oxxxx’s previous work as director of the U.S. Office of Axxxxx Ixxxxxxx was characterized by zealous, headline-making shrill pronouncements at hearings in the mid-1990’s against the Clinton Administration. These had the effect of eroding legitimate inroads and accomplishments in statesmanship, while inflaming an increasingly arrogant opposition to progress toward mature ixxxxxxx relationships in the emerging world. If you want to find out more of Mr. Oxxxx’s work at axxxxxx, just type in his name into Google.com in quotes along with Axxxxx, i.e. "Jxxxxxxx Oxxxx Axxxxx".

The bottom-line is that Jxxxxxxx Oxxxx’s remaining at Sxxxxxxx will needlessly politicize Sxxxxxxx creating ideological divisions with other organizations while diverting important contributions of time and energy away from the Sxxxxxxx Mission.

 

Let’s return to ideals of service. Thank you.

With deep commitment of service,

Yours truly,

Xxxxxxx xxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Please feel free to contact me at the above address.