February 12, 2007
Dear Fellow Patriot,
After our last letter to you, it was our full intention to ignore the now subverted JBS and move on to the more important mission of saving America from the Insiders. However, the most recent, and potentially libelous, diatribe from Appleton dated January 26, 2007 is so deceitful that we felt another letter was needed to set the record straight.
Robert Welch said the time would come when it would appear that the world had become an “insane asylum, run by its inmates.” Sadly, that is exactly what has become of the very organization, The John Birch Society, Mr. Welch created to combat the problem he identified.
The Appleton “inmates” seem to think you are crazy enough to believe a story that is opposite to what you already know to be true. In other words, they are assuming you will believe their claims, rather than what you have seen with your own eyes.
Just a few examples
In their letter, they state that under Vance Smith, Tom Gow, and the oversight of the JBS Executive Committee, the JBS was “suffering from a $100,000+ monthly operating deficit....”
If that were the case, wouldn’t the immensity of that problem have been obvious? Wouldn’t debts to vendors have been so high that production would have stopped? Wouldn’t salary and especially expense checks to the field staff have been delayed? Wouldn’t the production of tools to support campaigns (books, videos, pamphlets, billboards, bumper strips, etc.) have been slowed down or halted altogether?
We could go on and on with insurmountable difficulties the Society would have had to deal with if this outrageous claim were true. But the simple truth was that up until October 2005:
• Books, videos, and all other campaign materials were coming out of Appleton so the JBS members could engage the enemies of freedom with truly effective campaigns;
• Field staff members were always paid their salary and expense checks on time;
• Bills to vendors were paid up to within 30 days;
• And the general membership was supporting the “Stop the FTAA” and other campaigns by confidently sending contributions to Appleton.
The insanity is that the Appleton “inmates” are asking JBS members to believe the opposite of what they already know to be true.
For instance, after October 2005:
• Effective concerted action campaigns and the tools needed to help carry them out have all but stopped coming out of the JBS home office;
• Field staff salary and expense checks have been delayed, sometimes for several weeks;
• And, unlike previous years, the subverted Society has sent several additional fund appeal letters out, and, because of financial shortfalls, has pled for money continually in the pages of their tabloid (the once esteemed Bulletin downgraded to save money).
Raising the necessary money to run The John Birch Society has never been easy. Those of us with long memories can remember the shortfalls that seemed to constantly plague the Society even in Mr. Welch’s day. But, with the regular income the Society would receive from its members and the occasional bequests that would come in, the Society, up until now, has survived.
And, yes, money from such bequests was used to help pay operating expenses, just as the donors intended and just as thousands of non-profits do everyday. And, we should add, just as the dissident JBS leadership is doing with the estate gifts it now receives.
And no, the accusations in their letter about a $100,000+ per month deficit are patently false, and many who signed the letter know very well that the statement is simply not true.
All JBS Council members received from us a few months ago a financial statement dated September 30, 2005. That financial statement indicated clearly that the Society was in as sound a financial position as it had ever been. All bills were paid when we resigned, and during the 14 plus years Vance Smith served as CEO, we had also bought and paid for the two JBS headquarters buildings in Appleton.
The insanity here is that most Council members, and the two JBS accountants who prepared the September financial statement, all signed the letter! It is truly amazing! (If you would like a copy of those financials, we’ll be happy to have them sent to you.)
The insanity goes on and on. You who work so diligently out in the trenches know, and can see with your own eyes, how the Society is currently doing. Please, answer the following questions for yourself. Since October 2005,
• Are there now effective concerted action campaigns, and the campaign tools to match, that can be used to fight the Conspiracy and help recruit others into our ranks?
• Are we growing here where I live? Do I see new members? New chapters? And, is my own chapter meeting effectively on a monthly basis?
• Do we in our area still have a Coordinator? And if so, do we ever see him? (Notice that the JBS letter lumps under one category both hourly office employees and the most important salaried employee, the field Coordinator — the man who helps bring about membership and chapter growth out in the trenches. Was this done to conceal the dwindling Coordinator number amongst the bloated office staff?)
• And finally, do I believe the Society is better off because of the coup d’etat-style change in leadership?
The JBS letter of January 26, 2007 was signed by virtually everyone — employees, Council members, et al. — as if they all wrote it. Could they all have written it? Is it possible that there can be complete unanimity to the point that dozens of people can write one letter? More importantly, do all the signers truly believe everything that is written in that letter?
We have to wonder if the Council members actually even read what they signed and whether employees simply signed the letter to protect their jobs.
Another reason for questioning the meaning of the signatures has to do with the letter’s criticisms of the former Executive Committee. It would appear that those criticisms must have come from some bureaucratic “inmates” in Appleton, for we have had no direct working relationship with most of those who “signed” the letter.
During the many years we served on the Society’s Executive Committee, we had the privilege of linking arms with a number of great patriots whose names we’re sure you will recognize. They included: C.R. Lewis, Thomas N. Hill, Joseph P. Grinnan, Dr. Phillip Binzel, and others. It is hard for us to believe that all who signed the letter actually wanted to accuse such truly great Americans of being mindless puppets of Vance Smith.
Another example of the irrational thinking in the insane asylum is the criticism that we “should have stayed the course, remaining part of the team, offering advice and assistance.” That is simply ridiculous! There was no “team” when we were trying to reason with Jack McManus and the others to prevent the unraveling of what Mr. Welch had built.
To realize the absurdity of this latest attempt at self-purification, imagine an obvious drunk taking the keys to the car while insisting that, despite your pleadings, he is going to drive. You refuse to accompany him. And then, after he wrecks the car, he accuses you of not being a team player and not having the interest of the car at heart, because you wouldn’t ride with him and give him advice.
One last point
It is obvious that there is no hands-on leadership in Appleton. Several people have revealed that neither Jack McManus nor Art Thompson stay in Appleton for more than a few days at a time. Nevertheless, those who wrote the January 26th letter state:
CEO Art Thompson has resided in Appleton since the leadership change was made.... John McManus is working under the same arrangement that he had under G. Vance Smith in that he lives in Massachusetts and frequently travels all over the country on JBS business.... He also travels to Appleton once each month and spends a full week at headquarters.
It was not G. Vance Smith — it was the Executive Committee — who approved Jack’s desire to live in Massachusetts. We did so because Jack was only a figurehead “President” with no administrative responsibilities.
It would seem the situation is quite different, today. Jack has now elevated himself to the top man in the JBS world by appointing himself Chairman of the Board of Incorporators. He and his small group of “incorporators” now have total authority when it comes to JBS directors and officers. No, things are quite different now.
And regarding Art Thompson, a motel down on the corner does not qualify as a “residence” in anyone’s book. The reports that we’ve received are that during the past 15 months, neither of these men can be found in Appleton more than a few days at a time. (It is interesting that the Appleton people who signed the letter did not notice that — or did they?)
Nevertheless, the real issues are leadership and the health and welfare of The John Birch Society. Through our own experience and from observing JBS leaders from Robert Welch down to G. Vance Smith, we know that running the Society takes hands-on, day-to-day leadership, and we know that the JBS members are not presently getting it. The bottom line — with no qualified or dedicated leadership in Appleton, The John Birch Society cannot and will not succeed.
We must move on
As we said in our letter of December 28th, it is time to move onward and upward. Those who have subverted the JBS are now in over their heads. After 15 months of covering one falsehood with another, they have painted themselves into a corner from which no freedom fight can possibly be waged or won. They are obsessed with their fabricated stories to the point that they will never let go until the Society is, in fact, in ruins.
Without the Society, we must do something and very soon if patriotic Americans are going to be able to work together to preserve freedom. As we move on to expand the RWU Freedom Committee, we intend to start modestly and within our means. As in the past, we will support Vance Smith and Tom Gow as they and their small staff begin to build what we believe will ultimately be a large and effective Robert Welch principle-centered organization.
Nevertheless, for this fresh start to succeed we must also learn from the past. As our friend Don Fotheringham has often stated: “If we are serious about attracting sufficient numbers of truly patriotic Americans, especially the younger generation, the [future] paid staff must be kept ‘lean, mean, and clean.’”
With the online university and the separate RWU Freedom Committee, there is no reason to stay in Appleton, Wisconsin. Yes, we are presently looking at Colorado Springs, Colorado as an appropriate place to establish our headquarters. Just as there was wisdom years ago in moving from Belmont, Massachusetts, to Appleton, Wisconsin, there are now ample positive reasons for moving somewhere else. Not the least is that this fast growing and desirable city is a place where we can attract the right talent to build an effective 21st century staff.
And, even though the “inmates” are obsessed with the notion, Vance Smith’s retirement is not one of the considerations for the suggested location. His purported retirement is only a hoped-for dream of those in Appleton, and will not take place for many years to come.
Our goals are clear and straightforward. It will take a few months before the RWU Freedom Committee will be ready to accept membership applications, etc., but all our time and resources will be focused on that objective.
If you would like to be a part of this transition to what will surely be a dynamic and “epic undertaking,” we would be grateful for your help. Such a significant and ambitious effort will need the help and support of all who are willing.
We have asked Kathy Braun to include a return envelope with this letter, and we will greatly appreciate any gift to the RWU Freedom Committee that you may wish to make at this time. (Gifts for the Freedom Committee are not tax-deductible. Of course, tax-deductible gifts in support of Robert Welch University’s online program are also very much welcome and needed.)
Thank you for the support you’ve shown for our shared concern regarding the mission and principles Robert Welch laid as foundation stones for The John Birch Society. Thank you in advance for your help in preserving them in a truly effective organization that a younger generation can use in carrying this great cause forward.
And as Robert Welch wrote in February 1974, let’s do “what we can do to restore some sanity to a world that seems to be losing both its mind and its heart.”
Sincerely,
Wayne C. Rickert
C. Walter Ruckel
Keith Van Buskirk
P.S. For those wishing to know the truth and have their questions answered regarding the events within JBS these past many months, we are including with this letter an extremely important booklet written by Tom Gow. We hope you will find it helpful.
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