Re: Fwd: Save the Sierra Club from Hostile Takeover

* Nicholas Bonfatti <[email protected]> [2004-03-18 18:56:45 -0500]:

> Apparently there are a few separate attempts to change the direction of 
> the Sierra Club. Anyone have any more info about whats going on? 

NPR's Living On Earth had an interesting peice on it a while ago...

http://www.loe.org/ETS/organizations.php3?action=printContentItem&orgid=33&typeID=18&itemID=192




> I'm 
> not a Sierra Club member so I can't really do anything to help (no job 
> neither, so donating is out of the ?) 
> 
> l8a 
> ncik 
> 
> Begin forwarded message: 
> 
> 
> > From: "Wes Boyd, MoveOn.org" <[email protected]> 
> > Date: March 18, 2004 6:43:01 PM EST 
> > To: "Nick Bonfatti" <[email protected]> 
> > Subject: Save the Sierra Club from Hostile Takeover 
> >  
> > Dear MoveOn member, 
> > 
> > Are you a Sierra Club member? 
> > 
> > The future of the Sierra Club is at stake. 
> > 
> > Outsiders are trying to take over the Club by placing stealth 
> > candidates on the Club's board ballot this year.  This is driven 
> > by anti-immigration activists, and their tactics are underhanded -- 
> > they aren't declaring their real issue positions to members. 
> > They hope that low participation and confusion will allow them 
> > to stack the board of directors. 
> > 
> > You can stop this, but you must vote now in the Sierra Club board 
> > election.  You probably have already received the ballot in the 
> > mail. 
> > 
> > We've attached below an outreach from Groundswell Sierra -- a  
> > volunteer network of Sierra Club members working to defeat this 
> > threat.  This outreach includes a list of endorsed candidates. 
> > We recommending printing this email and having it on hand as you 
> > fill out your ballot. 
> > 
> > If you'd like more information on this threat, go to: 
> > 
> > http://www.groundswellsierra.org/takeover_index.php 
> > 
> > Thank you, 
> > 
> > -Carrie, Joan, Noah, Peter, and Wes 
> >  The MoveOn.org team 
> >  Tuesday, March 18th, 2004 
> > 
> > P.S.  You won't be hearing from the Sierra Club directly about 
> > this underhanded maneuver by anti-immigration activists.  Sierra 
> > Club 
> > staff cannot speak out about board elections.  It's up to us. 
> > 
> > You can review an article on this attempted takeover by former 
> > Sierra Club President, Adam Werbach, at: 
> > 
> >   Hostile Takeover 
> >   Anti-immigration coalition seeks control of Sierra Club 
> >   By Adam Werbach | 3.9.04  
> >   http://inthesetimes.com/comments.php?id=644_0_2_0_M 
> > 
> >   Key excerpt: 
> > 
> >   "In 1998 the membership voted overwhelmingly to stay out of the 
> >   (immigration) issue, restating that the most effective way to 
> > deal 
> >   with the impact of population on the planet is to reduce levels 
> >   of American waste and to raise the global status of women." 
> > 
> > P.P.S.  You can vote on line, but only with your paper ballot 
> > in hand.  For more information: 
> > 
> >   http://www.groundswellsierra.org/vote.php 
> > ________________ 
> > 
> > ACTION ALERT FROM GROUNDSWELL SIERRA: 
> > 
> >    The Sierra Club has been targeted for a hostile takeover by 
> > anti-immigration, animal rights and other groups who are running 
> > petition candidates with no Sierra Club experience for the Board 
> > of Directors. Don't take our word for it: The Los Angeles Times, 
> > Santa Fe New Mexican, Denver Post, and Philadelphia Inquirer 
> > have all warned that the threat is serious. That's why Groundswell 
> > Sierra - a diverse group of Sierra Club volunteers who are working 
> > to defend the Sierra Club - is asking you to support five 
> > Nominating 
> > Committee-recommended candidates who have over 75 years of 
> > collective experience as Sierra Club grassroots activists and will 
> > put their loyalty to the Sierra Club above their personal agendas: 
> > 
> > NICK AUMEN, Everglades restoration scientist and former 
> >         Sierra Club Treasurer and Vice President for Conservation.  
> > 
> > 
> > DAVE KARPF, Recent Director of Sierra Student Coalition, 
> >         and Chair of the Sierra Club's Training and national EPEC 
> >         field programs.  
> > 
> > 
> > JAN O'CONNELL, Sierra Club Treasurer, former Vice 
> >         President for Organizational Effectiveness, fundraiser in 
> >         the Sierra Club's beat-Bush effort.  
> > 
> > 
> > SANJAY RANCHOD, delegate to the U.N. Kyoto global 
> >         warming negotiations and Chair of the Sierra Club's 
> >         Sustainable Planet Strategy Team.  
> > 
> > 
> > LISA RENSTROM, leader of the Harvard project to 
> >         strengthen the Sierra Club's groups and chapters, former 
> >         Director, former Foundation Trustee, and former Chair of 
> >         the Sierra Club's fundraising efforts. 
> > 
> > Nick, Dave, Jan, Sanjay, and Lisa have brought experience and 
> > dedicated leadership to the Sierra Club. They have led our 
> > conservation priority campaigns, the Sierra Club's EPEC program, 
> > help strengthen the Sierra Club's financial health, run the Sierra 
> > Student Coalition, and represented the Sierra Club at UN 
> > conferences 
> > on the Kyoto accord on global warming. (For information on these 
> > candidates, go to our website, http://www.groundswellsierra.org )  
> > 
> >     At a time when the Sierra Club's own democratic process is 
> > being 
> > used against us, when our agenda and assets are targeted for 
> > takeover 
> > by outsiders, we are giving Nick, Dave, Jan, Sanjay, and Lisa our 
> > unqualified support. These are trusted leaders who have shown that 
> > they value the Club's mission and grassroots culture, and who 
> > believe 
> > only a united and strong Sierra Club can stop George Bush's 
> > assaults 
> > on our air, water, wild lands and wildlife.  
> > 
> >     Finally, we would be remiss if did not acknowledge the 
> > invaluable 
> > contributions former Board Directors Chad Hanson, Michael Dorsey 
> > and Ed Dobson have made to the Sierra Club's conservation work, 
> > and we wish them well in this election.  
> > 
> >     Please share this email with as many of your friends and other 
> > Sierra Club members as you can. Urge them to visit our website 
> > ( http://www.groundswellsierra.org ), 
> > and when their ballots arrive in early March, please VOTE!  
> > 
> >     There's a lot at stake. The following quotes explain why.  
> > 
> >     "We're only three directors away from controlling the board. 
> > And, once we get three more directors elected...[We'll] change the 
> > entire agenda of that organization." 
> >     -- Paul Watson, Sierra Club Director and animal rights activist 
> >        at the center of the take over effort. 
> > 
> >     "If they succeed. Our integrity, our credibility and our 
> > reputation will be severely damaged and we will be rendered less 
> > effective on all the issues our members care about." 
> >     -- Ross Vincent, long time Sierra Club activist. 
> > 
> >     "Fighting over immigration policy nearly destroyed the Sierra 
> > Club's effectiveness once; it cannot be allowed to happen again by 
> > electing people to the board whose purpose is to overthrow its 
> > established policies. We should not be battling each other when 
> > our main task must be to end the worst administration in the 
> > history 
> > of our nation." 
> >     -- Paul Ehrlich, Bing Professor of Population Studies, 
> >        Stanford University  
> > 
> >     "Sierra Club has an essential role and voice in the debate over 
> > the health of our environment. It is crucial that this voice and 
> > leadership are maintained and strengthened during these 
> > challenging times." 
> >     --Carol Browner, Chair of National Audubon Society, former 
> >        EPA Administrator, 1993-2001.  
> > 
> >     "Now more than ever we need a strong Sierra Club. With the 
> > Bush administration's assault on the environment, we need directors 
> > who care about its 112- year mission. Please support these five 
> > nominated candidates." 
> >     --Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Environmentalist and NRDC 
> >        Board Member  
> > 
> > Learn more: http://www.groundswellsierra.org  
> > 
> > ** PLEASE PASS THIS ON TO YOUR SIERRA CLUB MEMBER FRIENDS ** 
> > By circulating this to your personal contacts, you can help support 
> > the Sierra Club's democratic culture against outsider takeover. 
> > Please don't spam; spam works against us. 
> > 
> > ________________ 
> > Subscription Management: 
> > This is a message from MoveOn.org. To remove yourself (Nick 
> > Bonfatti) from this list, please visit our subscription management 
> > page at: 
> > http://moveon.org/s?i=2469-3447354-T0AAeOx5ogilrCNxKqvbOg 
> > 
> > 
> 
> 

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