Bart Meltzer has resigned from the Board Of Directors. He wrote a long letter of resignation, taking full blame for the snowball effect that led to Ellen’s departure, and stating that it was about power and control. He obviously feels terrible — I can only imagine what this has done to his relationship with Ellen.An exerpt follows:
This is my formal resignation from the board of directors of American Atheists, Inc. and United Secularists of America. I can no longer serve on the boards because of the events that have transpired leading to the departure of Ellen Johnson.Specifically, I was the instigator to Ellen?s departure and caused irreparable damage to the organization and pain and suffering to Ellen and her family. Because of my own self interests, I tried to stop Ellen from doing the Bill Moore walk. Yes, I was concerned for Ellen?s safety but initially I also refused to work with Ellen to try and make this walk as safe as I could. I just wanted Ellen not to do this walk and I refused to listen to her plea to help make this walk safe.That?s what Ellen asked me to do when we first discussed this on the morning of March 6th, 2008. ?Help me make this walk safe? was Ellen?s exact request. I replied that there was no way to make a two week walk safe. Maybe there was no way to eliminate all the risks, but making it a little safer is exactly what I wound up doing anyway. So I should have just done that from the start. The Bill Moore walk WAS a noble cause for Atheism and American Atheists, albeit a dangerous one. However, it did not turn out to be as dangerous as I thought it would.The other (not so minor) issue is that I tried to ?Control? Ellen. I incorrectly assumed that I had that privilege because of our relationship, I was on the board, and this was a safety issue. I tried to force Ellen not to do something she had already made plans to do. I don?t know that I did this intentionally to control Ellen but I did it just the same. Intentional or not, it was wrong.
I can’t say his departure is a surprise to me, and I can’t say it’s the wrong thing to do (it isn’t). However, I think it’s a bit of an overstatement to say this one incident (the Bill Moore March) caused the firing. There were a lot of problems here, and most of them still exist. The Moore March was the final straw. All in my opinion — just applying logic to a very emotional situation.
Dave
Bart’s apology was very sincere. He expressed regret for his actions and took responsibility for the harm caused. I would like to see such sincerity from the other board members. So you say:
Three points: (1) You have said in the past that you are not in-the-loop and are acting only in your capacity as spokesperson. But your post is sounding in-the-loopy to me. (2) If the Moore walk is not the problem then what is? (3) If the Moore walk was the problem and it was Bart that precipitated this mess then when will Ellen be reinstated?
Thank you, Bart. I would still like to hear other people’s views regarding the last few months though. But this piece of information is nice to have.
Dave
I agree with What that you do sound very much “in-the-loop”. If there are other problems that are still present with Ellen gone, and now Bart gone, maybe the whole board needs to be replaced. That would be quite a task, wouldn’t it? In any event, it’s looking more and more like we need Ellen back.
I also agree that Bart’s apology seems sincere and I think he has learned something about himself and his relationship with Ellen in this process. Perhaps the two of them could shake hands, be adults and agree to let bygones be and start fresh?
This is an opportunity to rework what needs to be fixed. Rewrite by-laws if need be. Fix term limits. Set up rules/standards of communication. I don’t know what all needs to be done because you refuse to let us in on what the problems are. I don’t understand why it needs to be such a big secret. Are there ways some of us out here in blogland can help, or does one have to be in the NJ proximity to be of service?
I still believe that the Bill Moore walk had much more to do with an outdated ideal of ending racial segregation (it’s already gone in the US) than eliminating the estabolishment of religion in government affairs or promoting the liberties of atheism in America. Basically, the Bill Moore walk was an uncecessary PR stunt for American Atheists.
The problem with total replacement is a very destructive experience drain that might be difficult to recover from. In fact, that’s the main problem with term limits (especially in small, volunteer-based organizations like this one). I wouldn’t recommend it — even if it could be justified.
So far as the walk is concerned, while I want to see it as best intentions and all that, I never liked the “riding the coat-tails of the segregation” feel of the thing. Sure, Bill Moore had an atheist slant as well, but it doesn’t feel anything but overshadowed by that.
Hi all,
Like I said, I’m not on the board, and I am just applying logic here — I don’t think the board fired Ellen because of one incident. That’s all.
BUT, per request of Bart, here is his entire resignation letter, unedited.
Thanks for the letter, Bart.
The only way I will rejoin AA is if Ellen is reinstated as president.
Forgiveness is such a strange concept anyway. To give it is to place oneself in the absurd position of authority over another — which in my mind should require an apology all by itself. And to request it is kind of like dragging those you’ve wronged down with you. (But never mind my odd philosophies — they’re a work in progress and will remain so by definition of philosphy.)
Better than forgiveness is the restoration of one’s credibility in some measure, and that you’ve earned. Granted, I don’t know you Bart, so your story here dropped you down a fair number of pegs and then raised you up a couple. Funny thing is though, often it’s the upward struggle that matters most.
(While I always have to roll my eyes at the glowing praise ex-crack addicts get for staying sober next to the lack of attention people who never touched the stuff in the first place, it’s worth also noting on occasion that next having been challenged does not a champion make. Sort of like atheists who have never considered why they don’t believe, or that god/Jesus thing never really being in danger or capable of temptation.)
Anyhoo, good call. See a therapist — seriously.
Bart
This kind of apology is rare indeed. You set a good example to be followed not only by the AA board and AA members but for humanity at large. As a member of American Atheists I accept your apology and think your decision to leave the board a wise one.
Cynic
I agree with your perspective on forgiveness.
Bart,
How could someone be Ellen’s partner and not know her any better than this?
In your next relationship you should probably pay better attention.
I think Bart’s candid statement of what went wrong could go a long way toward making things better. And he is right to step down from the board. I don’t doubt that his personal concerns for Ellen’s safety were a driving factor in his actions. That’s all the more reason for him to excuse himself (and suggests to me he probably should have done so sooner), especially if there is a chance to get Ellen back in her post.
What he has done is given the other members of the Board of Directors and Ellen an opportunity to take a deep breath and sit back down to see if this situation can’t be resolved.
Unfortunately, there are now hurt feelings to be mended and bruised egos to be salved. But the situation is far from hopeless. I think if all the parties involved will simply sit down in a sincere effort to reconcile their differences rationally and with mutual respect, a better outcome can be achieved for all concerned.
If those involved genuinely have the best interests of American Atheists at heart, they should have no difficulty reconciling their differences.
And if the claim is now going to be made that “things have gone too far,” then I think the membership of this organization is entitled to a full and candid statement of all the factors that make reconciliation impossible.
My 2 cents.
In the last three years I became involved with activism and member of American Atheists 2 years ago. I now (try to) organize a group of 300 atheists and I have so many questions and things to learn. I once called the Office in New Jersey and to my surprise, I was transfered to Ellen and she was very nice, helped me out and showed genuine interest.
I attended the Conference in Minneapolis, I was excited, so many people to ask questions to and learn from. I attended every meeting, presentation and dinner that I could.
With a few exceptions I often felt like an outsider when it came to the “big names” of American Atheists and doubt that any would remember me if they tripped on my name tag, I didn’t expect hugs and kisses, but I also didn’t expect to hear as a response to a question to be “go read the constitution”.
During the Conf., I asked Ellen a question, she couldn’t answer it at the time and again was surprised to find out a few hours later that she was looking for me with the answer. Bart was also another that didn’t seem “untouchable” and I was very glad to have met him.
Bart’s letter again is the example of the leadership I hoped to find with this Organization. Not so much the actions he admitted to and his involvement, but his ability to accept the responsibility and work for the best interest of American Atheists, I hope the other board members will also reflect on their actions and motives.
I will not infer that the board will not do the right thing for American Atheists, but my concern is the loss of two members that made me feel welcomed and being left with those that left me feeling chilled.
My other cent:
A few of you look at the Bill Moore walk as a publicity stunt and pointless, I disagree. Atheists have a poor reputation in America, which I know isn’t news to you. Bill Moore was an atheist and died for a great cause, he should be remembered. Atheists have too few heros, this walk was to bring recognition to another Atheist in our history and we should embrace that. If all we do is sue, protest, march and complain we will be seen as such, It is up to us to show we are more than that. Showing that atheists always have cared and still do does show that.
Ellen Johnson has been a great spokesperson for American Atheists, Please reinstate her
Crispy Christ On A STICK!!!
What an overly drawn out and discombobulated mess that was!
How was this person even retained on the board in the first place? It’s no wonder AA has been long lacking in any great new ideas or major efforts, and as a result has fallen to the bottom of the barrel as an influential or even respected organization — especially among the atheist community itself. Neither Ellen nor Bart should be reinstated. It’s long overdue for AA to seek a whole new energy and for innovative ideas come to the forefront! In fact, I would welcome other stuck-in-the-mud board members to get the hell out now as well.
As for Bart, he’s obviously got some mental/emotional issues and should seek help. At least he had enough insight to see that resigning was the first necessary step in this direction.
George Ricker
Ditto.
Hallelujah! (pardon the expression)
I questioned this conflict of interest situation earlier, and it turns out to be far worse than I ever dreamed. This is what you get when the president of the organization is sleeping with a member of the board. Great, just great. Fantastic judgment, people.
If Ellen Johnson is reinstated, I will definitely NOT be renewing my membership. Then again, my renewal is in serious doubt anyway if there aren’t some serious and positive changes made. What an embarrassing mess.
I think it’s a good idea for you NOT to renew your membership under any circumstances, Tarpit. You don’t have a clue about what’s going on in AA yet you feel it incumbent upon you to comment on everything, usually against Ellen.
Moreover, your sexual mores appear to hark back to the churchy 1800s. You don’t seem to have a clue that Atheists do not follow the sexual mores of any church or religion or even the prevailing sexual mores of our society that hark back to pre-women’s lib days and male ownership of woimen as property. If you knew anything at all about AA, you’d know that its founder, Madalyn Murray O’Hair was strongly against the bourgeois religious control of peoples’sexuality. Madalyn herself had two children out of wedlock and enjoyed a healthy, roisterous sex life in and out of marriage.
I attended the San Antonio, Seattle and Minneapolis AA conventions and, as an organizer for atheism in NYC, let me tell you, Ellen’s life has always been an open book. She has referred, in many speeches to Bart as her “main squeeze” for years now. You had only to be at the Seattle convention to see Bart and Ellen being very lovey dovey in public.
Why would this relationship be considered a “conflict of interest?” It’s an open relationship between two consenting adults. What a “conflict of interest” is, is when a catholic priest rapes a seven-year-old altar boy. The priest’s interest is in sex, the kid thinks he’s obeying god’s agent. That’s a conflict of interest, kiddo.
We need Ellen. She did the right thing by trying to commemorate Bill Moore, who may be the first martyr of Atheism in this country. You have to know that the right to be atheist in a predominantly religious society is a CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUE.
To insinuate that the Board has anything more against Ellen than the fracas over the Freedom Walk is wrong and deceitful. There is nobody on the Board of AA who can replace Ellen. THERE IS NOBODY ON THE BOARD WITH ELLEN’S CONSTELLATION OF TALENTS. So please,lay off Ellen.
.
Smartgal
I don’t think Tarma was referring to Ellen and Bart’s marital status and making any judgment on it at all. The conflict of interest comes in with having a Board member being a loved one or family member of the President, which Bart would be considered to be. It puts both him and Ellen in the very difficult position of trying to remain completely objective about decisions while leaving their feelings for each other out of the equation. Obviously, this became impossible to do.
I understand your loyalty to Ellen, but you are letting yourself be driven by emotion. I suggest you step back and get another perspective on the entire situation, and not just look for signs of female persecution. I’m sorry to have to tell you that all your comments here have seemed like seething feminist conspiracy theory rants or ad hominem attacks against anyone who disagrees with you or doesn’t glorify Ellen. I like Ellen, and admire her. I’d like her back. But I know there is more to the story than we’re aware of. So please, think a while before you hit the send button on the next comment you dash off in anger.
To the person who wrote that Ellen’s “Freedom Walk” was a “stunt,” I post again the history of that walk in its Atheist-history context:
Ellen’s “Freedom Walk,” was intended to finish the civil rights mission of Bill Moore’s march to deliver a letter to the governor of Mississippi protesting segregation in that state. Moore never completed that walk 45 years ago because he was shot through the head and murdered on a lonely road–and this ranks for many of us as UNFINISHED BUSINESS in modern atheist history.
You have to know a little history here to know the connection between Madalyn Murray O’Hair and the Bill Moore event. (And yes, I realize that you are too young to know this–you weren’t even born when it happened.)
Bill Moore was a close friend of Madalyn’s, close enough that he slept at her house when he was in Baltimore. Madalyn encouraged him in his walk, and helped him prepare for it, even to the extent of choosing what message was going to be on the sandwich board he carried.
Madalyn was utterly devastated by Bill Moore’s murder. In her autobiography, AN ATHEIST EPIC, she wrote this about Bill: “He introduced me to the writings of Albert Ellis…he was kind, he was happy, he was gentle. I think we all fell in love with him. Garth did immediately. Bill did within hours. Mother was captivated…Bill and I were simpatico and he had it going with the kids. We never even had a disagreement. We got into the damndest in-depth conversations that this world has ever heard. I thought he was a male Madalyn Murray and he thought I was a female Bill Moore…”
Madalyn describes how she learned of his death:
“Bill [Murray, her son] was standing in the middle of the living room screaming at the top of his voice…He was as white as a sheet. “Bill Moore’s been shot.”..The wail came out of Bill, ‘He’s dead!’ Someone had driven past Bill Moore, parked the car on one side and as Bill had walked past, shot him through the brain. He was killed instantly. The man’s fight with Bill had been over Atheism. When it was found out that Bill was not only a ‘Nigger Lover’ but an Atheist too, someone determined to kill him and kill him he did.”
The above quotes are from Chapter 35 of Madalyn’s autobiography,AN ATHEIST EPIC, a whole chapter on Bill Moore.
So you see, Ellen’s Freedom Walk had everything to do with Atheism as well as civil rights. And even now, there is much belief in this country that atheism is a civil rights issue.
Madalyn feared that she too would suffer the fate of Bill Moore because of the rampant hate of Atheists in this country. Atheism was, she felt, a civil rights issue along with racism. And in truth, it is. Though today we have a Black man and a woman running neck and neck for the presidency, both of them have a better chance at that office than an Atheist does. Polls show that no one would vote for an atheist today.
Madalyn did in the end suffer the same fate as Bill Moore. Though she was murdered ostensibly for her money, the fact is, the police did nothing to help her or look for her or protect her or help prevent the crime. For all intents and purposes, the police in Texas were virtual accomplices to the murder of Madalyn and her family.
At the time of Madalyn’s abduction, no one on the AA board of directors did anything that might have saved Madalyn’s life, ostensibly because there was the thought that Madalyn may have indeed flown-the-coop from the country where she was so persecuted. To this day, many board members regret that they did not do so, and wish they had done something, anything, that might have saved Madalyn, Garth and Robin from the brutal deaths they suffered. (Garth’s skull, found in Madalyn’s grave, “did not have an inch on it that was not cracked,” said the IRS agent who was among those who found the bodies–which indicates he must have put up a terrible struggle.)
Ellen Johnson was “like a daughter” to Madalyn Murray O’Hair. There’s no doubt in my mind that Madalyn would have wanted Ellen to be her successor.
And there’s no doubt in my mind that Madalyn would have wanted Ellen to complete Bill Moore’s “Freedom Walk.”
If Ellen can be faulted in any way, it’s that she did not, or could not, explain to the world, and to the Board of Directors, the deep grief she still feels about Madalyn, and her sense of obligation to fullfill Madalyn’s goals. I tried to voice that when I wrote on this blog that I imagined Ellen running down South with tears slipping down her cheeks. I can only imagine the sorrow she must have felt when the bodies of Madalyn and her family were uncovered 7 years ago. I can only imagine Ellen’s emotional need to memorialize, in some way, Madalyn’s life and death.
That is why I weep for Ellen now: I feel she has been as misunderstood by the Board right now as Madalyn’s disappearance was 13 years ago. You can’t do anything anymore for Madalyn, board members, but Ellen is still here with us. Don’t let her suffer alone and isolated now, as you heartlessly punish her for an innocent and well-meaning act that was only meant to commemorate another innocent and well-meaning act 45 years ago.
Ellen was/is a terrific organizer and spokesperson for AA. She was more dedicated than just about anyone.
However, this does not mean she should be reinstated. I know both Ellen and Bart and frankly don’t know what is best for the organization.
I DO know, though, that many of the current board members are aging and perhaps should become board members emeritus and let some younger blood onto the board. The org needs new blood and new ideas. Obviously, a complete turnover at once is impractical.
I disagree that their personal relationship had any substantive negative influence on the org. This is not high powered finance with billions of dollars resting on decisions. I, too, was concerned for Ellen’s safety and told her so at the MN convention. I of course wouldn’t have gone to extremes to prevent her, but was concerned. I can only imagine what Bart, who loves her, must have felt.
I hope the org survives and thrives and find those who threaten to leave or not come back, etc. to be quite juvenile. Grow up, people, things aren’t always perfect or go the way you would like. It is your job to correct/improve them, not abandon them!
Karen wrote:
” I don’t think Tarma was referring to Ellen and Bart’s marital status and making any judgment on it at all. The conflict of interest comes in with having a Board member being a loved one or family member “
SMARTGAL RESPONDS:
Wrong, wrong, wrong. (1) Ellen and Bart are not married. (2) It is not unusual for both non-profits and for-profits to have family members or “loved ones” on the Board. For example, in Bill Gates’ new non-profit charitable organization, Board members and officer include his wife and his father. In the for-profits category, the Lauder family rules on every level in the Estee Lauder corporation.
Presumably, a family member or loved one knows the intent of the president better, is more loyal, has more motivation and is less likely to be doing it for money.
KAREN WRITES: “I understand your loyalty to Ellen, but you are letting yourself be driven by emotion…”
SMARTGAL RESPONDS:
Wrong on count one, right on count two.
1) My “loyalty” is to American Atheists. I am convinced, as a media professional, that Ellen is the best person to represent AA to the world. I have no personal relationship with Ellen Johnson except to listen to her speeches at conventions. They are GOOD.
2) What’s wrong with EMOTION anyway? Would you rather I talk in terms like “fidiuciary?” Religion indulges in emotion all the time with its promises of god love, sin, heaven. You use emotion yourself when you use loaded words like “seething” “feminist conspiracy rants.”
EMBRACE EMOTION. HUMANS NEED EMOTION IN ORDER TO LIVE, UNDERSTAND, LOVE, ENJOY LIFE. Don’t be afraid of emotion. Surrender to it.
3)I never used the word “conspiracy.” That is your word. I don’t think the AA Board is smart enough to be a conspiracy, anti-woman or any other kind. When I was in the Women’s Lib movement along with Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem, we always had to confront women like you who insisted that they were not being discriminated against, that it was all in our heads, and that they, personally, liked having doors opened for them. Betty would often point out that most white people didn’t think there was much discrimination against Blacks, either. You had to confront white people with photos of lynched Black men before they would admit that yes, maybe there was discrinmation. Spare me the tedium of bringing up statistics about women in our society.
I am aware that there are some women, sitting in their trailers chomping on Pringles, surrounded by their cats, typing in comments on blogs, who have never had any anti-female experiences and will swear on a stack of “The God Delusions” that to think the Board might have acted differently with a male than with Ellen is paranoia-ville. And Guantanamo is really a Club Med, right?
Dumbgal,
WTF is the matter with you????!!!! Please, lady, take your meds.
I don’t give a fuck what your dear Miss Ellen’s sexual relationship with Bart is or was…..EXCEPT….she was president of AA, EMPLOYED BY THE AA BOARD, and he was on the board. ERGO, CONFLICT OF INTEREST!!!!
And what’s up with all the stupid comments about “housewives” and “women sitting in trailers surrounded by cats.” You, madam, seem to be the only one around here guilty of misogyny (your favorite word). So sad.
Smartgal
UM, 1) I know, but that doesn’t mean I can’t refer to their “marital status”. Their marital status is “unmarried.
and 2) while it may not be unusual for that set of circumstances, it is nevertheless a CONFLICT OF INTEREST.
Smartgal
Smartgal
Maybe this will go through this time.
I have not seen her at conventions, where she is speaking to supporters. I have seen her on TV. In the face of antagonistic journalists, she sometimes gets discombobulated, repetitive, and shrill. As a media professional, I would think you’d have noticed.
There’s nothing wrong with emotion, but there are times when one needs to check it, like when making decisions. or when responding in knee-jerk fashion to posts on a comment board, IF one wants to present oneself as a thoughtful, insightful individual.
I supported women’s lib too, and I worked in the art world when sexual harassment was called doing business. So don’t think I don’t know about how women are treated. But I don’t use that experience to broad-brush all men and expect to find misogyny hiding in every corner.
And for the record, I don’t mind having a door opened for me, just as I will open a door for someone else-man, woman or child. It’s simple common courtesy. Women who get their noses out of joint over the door thing are out of focus.
I must comment – Ellen has been a very articulate and compelling advocate on TV and, while occasionally she, as anyone, is not always perfect, she has never been discombobulated or shrill. Most of these shows give her a 20 second response to a 3 minute rant (or ignore her if she is part of a panel).
Additionally, these posts need to get less personal and toned down several notches. This should be a sounding board for IDEAS and philosophical “proposals” and, yes, comments on what is happening, NOT a forum for personal attacks. At the very least, the personal comments could be a lot more civil.
Tarmac:
I actually agree with you on something (in addition to atheism, of course).
maizie,
Yes, well….if a certain other person didn’t perceive every friggin’ comment on the blog as an attack against all womanhood, it wouldn’t get so deep in here.
It sure would be nice to be able to post a comment on the issue(s) at hand without being personally attacked as being somehow “unworthy” of making a comment. If pushed, I will push back. And no, I don’t live in a trailer, and I don’t eat Pringles – though it is true that my husband and I are the devoted staff for 3 lovely and intelligent cats
Well, Smartgal, concerning Ellen?s reinstatement, yes, we are ?on the same page? with you, and maybe with regard to other matters as well. But it seems like there are at least two motivations on this blog. One, the commonsense desire to get Ellen back–with which Jeanne and I are in total agreement with you?and, two, all the other fulfillments of personal agendas like claims of misogyny; lack of understanding of the location of commas; abuse of old directors; “conflicts of interest” charges; innuendoes about incompetence of other AA members; orders to ?take your meds,? and other irrelevant issues.
We maintain that it would be important to ascertain with confidence, whether or not Ellen wants to return to this organization, and after that, then, please, someone, make a suggestion that does not include any accusation or criticism, but rather is of the form, ?Let?s all . . .?
Gil and Jeanne