4 June 2006
Mr. John F. McManus, President
The John Birch Society
PO Box 8040
Appleton, Wisconsin 54912
Dear Jack,
I am not opposed to change! We whipped the British because we fought using our tactics, not theirs.
Change can be good, but it also can be bad, and I am not happy with the changes I see happening to The John Birch Society. Where is the leadership we were promised when the “new team” took control? We have been waiting for six or seven months now and we are not happy with what we see.
The new bulletin is an example. It looks more like a Thrifty Nickel than a bulletin of The John Birch Society. The survey in the bulletin is an embarrassment and is insulting to those of us who belong to the Society. As members, we know the problem. That is why we joined in the first place. It was the strong leadership provided by Robert Welch and his successors that kept us informed and on track. This member survey looks like it was designed by people who don’t have a clue! The truth is, they are probably not even Birchers. It looks like the Society is becoming more like the NFIB than the monolithic structure created by Mr. Welch.
Is the bulletin even edited? Art Thompson, in his message to the members stated that The New American needed to be changed to make it a “more publicly presentable publication” and added that this request was “not a rare occurrence”. Page four, in the TNA Update, a feature praising LeRoy Chaffee’s efforts in distributing The New American at his business states that when LeRoy closes the sale, he offers to reimburse new subscribers…if they are disappointed, “no one has ever asked for their money back”. LeRoy adds: “One thing that surprises me is the rarity of any discontent when I show the magazine to my customers. I have found that the majority are generally conservative and react favorably when the magazine is put into their hands”. Now the “new team” is talking about making it more reader friendly by making it more like the Readers Digest and adding more pictures. If we want to look at pictures we will buy a Dr. Seuss book.
Now it sounds like TRIM is on the chopping block. The problems plaguing TRIM isn’t as outlined in the bulletin, the problem is a lack of leadership and follow-up.
It’s a great idea to build a “ladder of understanding”, but what good is that ladder if it is leaning on the wrong wall?
Please Jack, authority needs to be returned to the Council and Executive Committee as it was before the removal of Vance Smith and the previous Executive Committee. The issue isn’t personalities, (including you Jack) but rather the mechanisms put in place by our founder, Robert Welch, to implement change. I am convinced, if we follow his program and plan, God will not let us fail, no matter how hard the trials.
Sincerely,
W. Rusty Barlow
13656 N. Laughran Rd.
Pocatello, Idaho 83202
P.S. GET US OUT!
cc: Others
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