from the acting presidentAmerican Atheists in the FutureFrank R. ZindlerJust several weeks after I became Acting President of American Atheists, I discovered that the roof on the American Atheists Center in Cranford, New Jersey had been leaking for some time and water had already done considerable damage to books and other materials in our stock room. Worse yet, there were indications that the part of the roof covering the Charles E. Stevens American Atheist Library & Archives (C.E.S.A.A.L.A.) was also failing and that the special climate-controlled, fire suppression-protected rooms housing the rarest materials were in grave danger. As American Atheists officers and staff were in the very act of hiring a contractor to replace the roof, a heavy rainstorm penetrated the ceiling of the library itself, bringing down some ceiling tiles. Fortunately, prescient staff at the Center had covered the ranks of books with enormous sheets of plastic film and no serious damage was done. At the moment that I am writing this, the repair of the roof is nearly complete. The precious books, memoirs, publications, and ephemera that illuminate the path that reason has laid down over the centuries are safe ? at least from the elements. However, we will have to dip into our normally sacrosanct trust fund in order to pay the roofers the $77 thousand they will demand. Unless we can replace that money quickly, our financial future will be seriously insecure. We depend upon the earnings of the trust fund to support many if not most of the day-to-day operating expenses of the Center. Even a small reduction in that income will seriously impact our ability to function ? to do the things you need and want us to do. I ask everyone who can help to do so. Please add something extra to your normal contribution and indicate it is for the roof. With your permission, we will publish your name in an honor roll in the next few issues of American Atheist. Although the deadline for submitting applications for the position of president of American Atheists, Inc. is August 24, 2008, several absolutely excellent candidates have already applied. I can guarantee that if any one of them is chosen to be my successor in this office the future of American Atheists is more than secure ? it glows with promise. I am predicting a flowering of Atheism such as our nation has never witnessed throughout all of its history. The new president will be able to lead an organization that is less cumbersome and more efficient as a result of important projects now in full swing. Most notably, four affiliated American Atheists corporations (including C.E.S.A.A.L.A.) are being merged into the flag-ship corporation American Atheists, Inc. The reorganization will be transparent to members, but it will enormously reduce the numbers of headaches our new president will have to suffer in the line of duty. A complete overhaul of our financial procedures and an integrated computer database will save endless hours of needless effort for my successor ? hours that can better be spent representing Atheism in the world at large. American Atheists has always aspired to be a full-service organization for its members and for the cause of reason, separation of government and religion, and Atheist civil liberties. For many and good reasons, we have not always been able to deliver everything we wanted to. With your help, however, our new president will be able to depend upon a Web-site that will be state-of-the-art, a cable TV program Atheist Viewpoint that will be fully professional in its production, and a monthly journal that everyone will be proud of. My successor will, of course, continue with vigor to prosecute law suits in defense of the rights of Atheists and to maintain the wall of separation between state and church. In addition to all these things, however, the new president will preside over a fully functioning research library, where authorized scholars will be able to study the history of reason and the monuments left along the path leading to American Atheism. For too long this story has been suppressed, obfuscated, or simply consigned to oblivion. My successor will direct an expanded American Atheist Press, one that will not only be able to publish more new titles such as David Eller?s Atheism Advanced or Ren? Salm?s The Myth of Nazareth, but also finally catch up in the reprinting of Atheist classics that are perennially in demand. An educational outreach will be implemented with the aid of AAP publications. Finally, our new president will be able to depend upon the aid of a host of affiliated organizations ? organizations that in turn will look to American Atheists not only for inspiration and leadership but also for help of a more practical sort. For the future of American Atheists, the sky?s the limit. Assuming, of course, that the cost of the new roof doesn?t prevent lift-off!http://www.atheists.org/cgi-bin/membership
Dave wrote:
Thanks for the above quote, Dave. You have taught me how to deal with the malcontents in any group. I’m going to memorize this and spout it the next time I am criticized.
Ellen will never respond on this blog, and I don’t blame her. It’s beneath her dignity. Would you put yourself in a situation where you may be assaulted by dozens of people out there whom you don’t know, whose faces you can’t see, whose real names aren’t given and you don’t know where they are coming from or what axe they have to grind?
I wouldn’t.
Dave wrote:
Dave, with new presidents come new problems. What makes you so sure the new president won’t be worse than Ellen?
Of course the board will help him more by splitting Ellen’s tasks in three and hiring two more people.
Of course the board will help him by communicating with him, asking him what he needs, what the problems are–all the things they didn’t do with Ellen.
Of course the board will help him make decisions, advise him, offer solutions, suggest ancillary solutions to problems that arise–all the things they didn’t do with Ellen.
There is a learning curve with any new job, so it will take at least a year for the new guy to get up to speed.
And of course, he’ll have to be superb on CNN and Cable TV, charming to members, an expert on the history of AA, able to balance the books, be an acquisitions editor and copyeditor, or at least a managing editor, outsmart Rush Limbaugh in the media; manage the office help, manage the home office, do all the detailed arrangement for the annual convention and Solsticehelp choose litigation, lobby, raise money and of course, clean toilets.
Notice I say new “guy.” Anyone want to take a bet on that?
I predict AA will be looking for another president a year after this one is hired. AA does’t pay enough for any well-qualified person to take all this s**t.
Smartgal
Are you Ellen?
Smartgal
One thing is clear; whoever takes the reigns at AA doesn’t have a ghost of a chance at being any good in your eyes simply by the fact that he-or she-won’t be Ellen. This is an example of the chip I see on your shoulder. Loyalty to Ellen is all well and good, but you seem to have elevated her to goddess status. Ellen herself has moved on, it would seem. Why don’t you take your cue from her and hope for the best for the organization in her absence?
You seem bitter that the board may have learned from its past mistakes and is now trying to correct them. That this didn’t happen with Ellen there may have been due to bad communication on both their parts, yet you just want to blame the board. All we know from Ellen is that the board didn’t “listen to” her, but none of the context is provided.
I very much like and admire Ellen, and wish she could still be a part of the organization. But apparently it is her decision not to be, as much as it is the board’s.
We don’t know if the next president will be a man or not. We aren’t privy to the names in the pool of candidates. I assume you didn’t apply. But if it turns out to be a male, I will presume that he was the best candidate, not that he was picked for the presence of his y chromosomes.
You ramble on, contradicting yourself, first complaining how the board will help the new prez so much, and knowing that the duties are being shifted by the creations of other positions,then saying that no well-qualified candidate could do all that’s needed for the salary paid.
Why not throw away the sour grapes and get behind the new person and root for him/her to succeed and help the organization, rather than hoping for him/her to fail?
karen,
Thank you. ‘Nuf said.
What, I know Smartgal, and she is not Ellen.
Karen, I second Tarma.
Open and short letter to Ellen Johnson
Dear Ellen
I have admired your work for years and had been a member of AA for many years as well. On this blog I have been an outspoken supporter of yours following your fire by the AA board of directors. I have also been a vocal critic of the board and their lack of foresight in firing you. I have lost confidence in the effectiveness of the AA organization following your fire and I have not renewed my membership.
I must assume that since you have not spoken publically or taken any legal action in regard to your termination by the board that you have no desire to continue your work at AA. Is this assumption correct?
Would you at least give us your best assessment of AA’s future?
What – Why don’t you also ask Ellen why she doesn’t read this blog. lol
Joe
Are you implying that you know that Ellen does not read this blog and that you know her reasons for not doing so? I really don’t understand the content and intent of your last post let alone the lol.
What,
I relayed your question to Ellen. She really doesn’t want to start blogging at this point, but her answer to your question is pasted below.
What said:
Ellen replied:
Dave:
You are just SO incredibly clever!
Did everyone notice that Dave added a web address to my blog account? It appears at the beginning of my blog posts.
That’s really mature, Dave. I’m SO glad we have someone with that level of maturity representing our organization.
Arthur Brenner
brenner7@stny.rr.com
Announcement:
Ellen Johnson will be speaking tomorrow (Sat., Aug. 2) at the annual convention of the Humanist Association of Canada (in Toronto).
For more info, see:
http://www.humanists.ca/
Arthur Brenner
brenner7@stny.rr.com
Dave
That is just childish.
Authur
Thanks for passing on the question to Ellen. Please thank her for the response.
Will her speech be recorded in any manner?
What – I’m saying Ellen doesn’t read this blog, and she’s said so a few times to me and some others. That’s all.
It was funny to see someone try to address her here. I don’t know why she doesn’t read this blog other than the obvious, not wanting to see the ugly soap opera and all. Plus for her to chime in would obviously just make it a bigger mess.
For years I tried to get her to open a dialogue with the members that didn’t begin and end with one sentence e-mails to individuals. No dice. This blog is a great example of the type of communication I suggested, and that she wanted to avoid. It doesn’t surprise me that she doesn’t even read this.
Joe Zamecki
Austin
I find it interesting that the only “side” of the story we really have is (supposedly) Ellen Johnson’s, via Arthur and others, other than the stuff that was publically mentioned about Johnson and the board being unable to resolve their differences. Out in the real world, when a corporation president gets fired, it’s usually because of misconduct on the part of the president. The fact that the current individual board members (other than Zinder’s so-called open letter about the diaries) haven’t posted blatant anti-Ellen stuff to this board (or haven’t even tried to aggressively defend themselves) makes me wonder about the real reasons Ellen was fired and if those reasons, such as possible misconduct, are not publically available because it would be embarrassing to the organization and the atheist movement.
Doesn’t anyone besides me think it odd that there apparently hasn’t been a general membership meeting for years? Why not? What has Johnson been hiding? If there ends up being a convention next year and if by some chance there’s a membership meeting, I hope someone asks for an accouting of the books for the past several years.
Actually, I think some of you folks who are still members should ask that question right now. I believe the membership has a RIGHT to know where their money is and how it’s being spent and how it’s been spent in the past.
I’m betting there’s some pending legal action which would account for the silence.
Chet
Chet,
YES, There WILL be a members’ meeting at the next convention, and at every convention from now on.
Dave,
Outstanding. I couldn’t believe it when Ellen stopped having members’ business meetings at the conventions. I complained, but it did no good.
That’s a giant step towards having a good solid open dialogue with the members, and increasing transparency.
Seems ironic too…Now that Ellen’s gone, we get MORE transparency and open dialogue. I’m glad.
Joe Zamecki
Austin
Karen wrote
You are right, Karen, I do think this. I’ve been in the work world for many, many years and I know that people like Ellen Johnson are few and far between. It would surprise me if the AA Board could find someone with anywhere near Ellen’s skill set.
As for the rest of your comment dated 7/31, I find it offensive with lots of inflammatory words intended to provoke me like “chip on your shoulder” and so many other ad hominem remarks that I have concluded that you are the Board’s lackey. How much are they paying you? Your words are meant to discredit me and put me down, and discredit what I write here.
Well, you can suck up to the Board all you want, but I have my integrity and will not do that because the Board acted shabbily toward Ellen and caused damage to the organization that may take much longer to repair than that roof–and may, in the end, even cost the organization more than the roof.
I don’t care what you think about me–this isn’t about me–but be a little original, your cliche’s are boring. Can’t you do better than “chip on the shoulder”? I heard that one from you before and it’s getting a little tired. I think you are a self-righteous nonfunctioning ex-religioso who marches with whomever she thinks are the saints currently in whatever direction they’re going and I believe you get a certain amount of approval and encouragement from those who hated Ellen or made the stupid mistake of firing her.
I am not a turncoat. I will not turn against Ellen just because you think it’s time. And I don’t for one minute believe you when you say “I very much like and admire Ellen.” With admirers like you, who needs a Bart?
The Board made a mistake that it’s going to take years to fix. Everybody is waiting for the other shoe to drop. AA will go on. But it’s not going to be as good and it’s not going to be Camelot and its not going to have the imprimatur it had under Ellen.
As someone who has a close relationship with the media, I can tell you that the Board is going to have to get Hillary Clinton herself to match Ellen. You have a valuable asset like Ellen and you don’t just throw it away.
I’d say the AA Board made the fundamentalist evangelists some very happy campers by firing Ellen. Obviously, god is on the side of the Board.
SG,
If you ever, and I mean EVER, posted on any topic other than dear sweet Ellen, I might have a modicum of respect for you, seeing as though you’re supposed to be some kind of atheist activist, or whatever.
No, just kidding. Even that wouldn’t do it at this point. Oh dear, “it’s not going to be Camelot” and “the Board is going to have to get Hillary Clinton herself to match Ellen.” Boo hoo, poor, poor baby. Poor, wretched SmartGal. Waaaahhh!!!
Ellen. Is. Gone. Get. Over. It.
And then you hold Hillary Clinton up as a shining example to all womanhood? (pardon me while I go pound my head against the wall).
and karen,
You rock! But you already knew that