[Kzyxtalk] Lessons from 'The Farm'

[Scott Peterson]

Dear Mr. Coate,



I just read an interesting article about 'The Farm'. It's titled,



''Holy Hippies' Tells Story Of Pot-Fueled Spiritual Bus Caravan":



http://www.tokeofthetown.com/2011/07/holy_hippies_book_tells_story_of_1971_pot-fueled_b.php<http://www.tokeofthetown.com/2011/07/holy_hippies_book_tells_story_of_1971_pot-fueled_b.php>



It's based on an interview with a fellow named Melvyn Stiriss. Do



you remember him? According to Mr. Stiriss, several people went to



prison for growing marijuana in Tennessee. Do you remember them?



One of them was Stephen Gaskin, 'The Farm's charismatic leader.



I also read your personal account here:



http://smallsociety.com/porchlight_story.html<http://smallsociety.com/porchlight_story.html>



Including the part where you handed a pound of weed to a cop and got



away without being charged. Wow, Mr. Coate! That's charisma!!!



Mr. Stiriss was asked if he'd learned any lessons from 'The Farm'.



Sure enough, he did. 'I say avoid having a charismatic leader' His



exact words. How do you feel about that, Mr. Coate?



I wasn't raised with a silver spoon. My daddy wasn't a politician



like yours. I grew up three miles from the town of Mendocino. My



father worked in the local sawmill. My mother was an accountant.



They taught me to speak plainly about 'charismatic leaders'. In



our house, people like that were known as bullshit artists.



After you took over as General Manager at KZYX, three-quarters of



its net worth went bye-bye. You said it was the other way around.



In your resume right here:



http://johncoate.com/John%20Coate%20Resume%202016%20-%20Web%20Version.pdf<http://johncoate.com/John%20Coate%20Resume%202016%20-%20Web%20Version.pdf>



Okay. Look at your Form 990s for the past seven years. Right here:



http://nccsweb.urban.org/communityplatform/nccs/organization/profile/id/680050440/popup/1



Plus the audit that got done right after you left. Right here:



http://kzyx.org/Board/audits/MCPB-Audit-Report6-30-15.pdf<http://kzyx.org/Board/audits/MCPB-Audit-Report6-30-15.pdf>



Bullshit only goes so far in my neck of the woods, Mr. Coate. So



do artists in that particular media. Which seems to be something



you're very talented at -- bullshit artistry. You got a lot of



good people lapping it up. Some of them even went to bat for you.



Well, they've gotten a little quieter lately. And they're looking



at what you _actually_ did. Instead of the bullshit. So are the



major donors. Like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. They



don't appreciate bullshit art, Mr. Coate. In fact, they hate it.



So KZYX may actually lose all of its CPB funding. Over bullshit.



Or charisma. Whichever word you prefer. So now it's on the staff's



shoulders. To find minor donors. Or any donors. To pick up the



slack. It's also on the board of directors' shoulders. Who think



that finding major donors is _their_ responsibility. Thanks to



your buddy, Stuart Campbell. Another 'charismatic leader'. Who's



now on the board. So it's his responsibility now.



The 'language' you believed was easier to digest was charm, Mr.



Coate. Pure and simple. You were bankrupting KZYX. While you told



the Board it was the other way around. Look at the Form 990s. And



the June 30, 2015 audit. You did that for seven years.



You deserve public recognition for your contributions here, Mr.



Coate. All of them. So allow me to spread the word. About who you



are. And what you did. To KZYX. So let me come clean about this.



I'm not fishing, Mr. Coate. I've got your number now. Just like



those at 'The Farm' did.



Sincerely,



Scott M. Peterson



Mendocino



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -



>If you think that line from the auditor constituted a “policy” then I imagine it was a standard statement pertaining to his audit, not other MCPB policies.  As for me, I didn’t think about it much one way or another because the goals of such scrutiny were served in other ways.  If the Board asked for it, I gave it.  But even when they didn’t ask me for information, I supplied as much detail in all areas of the organization that I thought merited it, delivered in language I believed was easiest to digest.

I still think you are fishing for something you aren’t coming clean about.  And by the logic you supplied, one could surmise that the EFF does better than MCPB because they appoint, rather than elect, their Board members.

Anyway, have a good life.  Over and out.


John Coate
tex at well.com<mailto:tex at well.com>
john at edgeryders.eu<mailto:john at edgeryders.eu>
johncoate.com<http://johncoate.com/>
707-357-2223











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