It's really hard to deal with someone whose approach to truthtelling is more aspirational than actual. They want to tell the truth, but ... something always precludes that as a realistic option. History, for them, has no real occasions, and is in a constant state of revision.
Today the WPVM website has a post by the current Director of MAIN that contains this proposition:
Since May, 2008, staff has made three attempts (late July, mid-September, Jan. 5, 2009) to obtain documentation of station operations — currently known only to a handful of volunteers — in order to make these instructions more widely available. All three attempts failed.
On Feb. 24, we proposed that the suspended volunteers begin documenting their knowledge of station operations as a “good faith” first step toward their return to WPVM. That offer still stands.
Now, coming across that, the casual reader might assume that, you know, there was an offer actually made as recently as last Tuesday to the nine "suspended" volunteers: just document what you know, and we'll begin to think about letting you back in the station (leaving aside for now the fact that the volunteers haven't actually left the station, and that Kim Clark in her wonderful, gutsy, and insightful letter of resignation - notably not posted on the WPVM site, but posted below - acknowledged that she'd been grateful for their commitment and technical support). You might think that, dear reader, but ... how can I say this delicately? you'd be wrong. I've checked, and while I've not heard back yet from every one of the nine, I have heard back from seven; no such offer was made to any of those "suspended" volunteers. The Director might wish it had been made, but ...
A note to aspirational truthtellers: when giving an aspirational reinterpretation of history, it's a good idea to choose dates far enough in the past that no-one remembers what actually happened on the given day, and may have lost whatever records they made of it at the time. Just sayin'.
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Update. 3/4/2009: Just as I thought: I've heard from all nine of the banned now, and none received the "offer" Mr. Bowen claims he made. We can now declare that claim totally aspirational!
Kim Clark didn't mention anything about any lack of paperwork in her compelling testimony of what is wrong with WPVM and MAIN and what both need in order to survive and thrive. I suppose if he were to actually recognize any of her five actual points, the Exec. Dir. would have to...be honest. Reinstate the 9; the Board Decides the E. D.'s Role; Binding Arbitration; Hire (or Re-Hire?) a Manager; Invest in Equipment. Those are the issues Kim has brought forward.
ReplyDelete"There are people...whose small benevolences have a predominant and somewhat rank odour of egoism" (George Eliot _Mill on the Floss_).
ReplyDeleteNot to long ago the ED referred to the banned as "leaders," and now we've been reduced to a "handful."
ReplyDeleteHas he his hands full enough yet?
I wonder. We've so much still in reserve.
With the recent boards meeting and decision, they want to dissolve the WPVM sub-committee, they cannot picture WPVM without Wally's involvement AND they are removing Wally from day to day operations of the station.
ReplyDeleteWha wha WHAT?