Letters (Dec 30, 2014)

• A Reluctant $25
• ‘Your’ Community Radio
• Who Saw It Happen?
• Here's To Rationality
• Justice For Katlyn
• Where's My Stolen Truck Report?
• A New Year Wish

A RELUCTANT $25

KZYX&Z, P.O. Box 1, Philo, CA 95466

Mary and John and money-changing staff, accept this check for $25 for a Simple Living Membership.

I had to force myself to send this money, because I so don't have it to throw around and so don't want to reward you*, but I want to have a voice and a vote on the direction KZYX goes, and apparently this is the only way, even though you've got literally millions of tax dollars in grants over the last 25 years, so…

It's coming up on three years since I offered my show to you — description, long good history, letters of reference, letters to your Program Advisory Committee (which I found out a year later doesn't even exist), 15 years of samples, jumped through all your hoops, continued email contact and updating, and you've taken zero steps to put Memo of the Air: Good Night Radio on KZYX. Given my safe and wonderful and good-natured track record in teaching and publishing and radio I consider it to be a measure of your incompetence that my show was not on KZYX within six months. That would have been late summer of 2012.

*Two thousand (2000) (!) regular $50 memberships don't add up to what KZYX management scarfs up in personal pay, where none of the people actually doing the work of radio are paid a cent, nor even allowed autonomy in the content and operation of their own shows. That's one of the things that I'm going to vote to change.

Happy new year.

Marco McClean

Mendocino

Ed note: For 2013, KZYX’s Audited budget (from their website) says “Wages, salaries and related expenses” were $249,539. Membership in the 2000 range x $50 = $100,000. As far as we know there are five paid staffers at KZYX (also according to their website): John Coate, Mary Aigner, David Steffen, Rich Culbertson, and Diane Hering. 

‘YOUR’ COMMUNITY RADIO

Marco McClean,

Thank you for this wonderful letter. If I had anything to say about it, you'd be on the air at KZYX. But hey, who am I? I'm only a Board member. And a KMEC programmer, where I am very happy with KMEC's positive attitude and all-volunteer culture.

Did I mention that KMEC's total budget is less than $20,000, whereas KZYX's budget is pushing $650,000?

Did I also fail to mention that KZYX GM John Coate will not disclose his salary, even to the KZYX Board, nor the salaries of Programming Potentate, Mary Aigner, nor any other staff member?

Ah, your community radio station -- KZYX!

John Sakowicz

Ukiah

WHO SAW IT HAPPEN?

Editor,

Devastated Mother tells her story upon the death of the father of her son:

I am writing you to request contact information on the group of soccer players who witnessed Dan Saulsbury's murder. The DA did not keep Dan's body or give it to his mother, or even let her see him. They cremated his remains after the autopsy and I have not been able to even get that information. I am seeking justice for my fiance in the name of his son, Ronin Edward Saulsbury. Any other information that you have that would be helpful, please send it to me. I still haven't decided on a lawyer, but I am looking. Thank you very much.

Lyra Jubb

Point Arena

HERE'S TO RATIONALITY

Editor,

For crying out loud…

I thought the Giants’ victory might make you giddy, but did all the excitement fry your brain? Otherwise, why, a week later would you run that goofy column by Debra Keipp? (She, the psychic, “…works between the 3rd and 4th dimensions of reality…” ?????) There is no such thing as a psychic. They are all fakes, scam artists taking gullible folks’ money. And, they steal time from serious investigations, if the police involved are also gullible. (The day a psychic predicts a lottery, I might be interested.)

It’s a myth that psychics have helped solve crime cases. Tests conducted by the LAPD showed information generated by psychics was no better than chance would allow (Journal of Police Science and Administration (7, No.1, 1979). Joe Nickell writes there is not a single documented case of a missing person being found or discovered due solely to psychic information. (See the book he edited, Psychic Sleuths).

In the Laci Peterson case, the Modesto police received over 300 calls from psychics but used none. None! The one D. Keipp refers to is Noreen Renier, who has a long sullied career as nothing more than an actor claiming paranormal powers (She predicted Jimmy Carter would be assassinated after his election in 1980 (!) and Mondale would commit suicide). She has faked police hirings, fabricated missing person cases, and claims university teaching appointments and diplomas which are all bogus. A thorough fascinating investigation of her is chronicled in .

I contacted well known skeptics about this case and they very promptly and generously offered their help. Gary Posner, MD, founder of Tampa Bay Skeptics has written extensively of her career (including Tampa Bay Skeptics Report, Vol. 16 No.1 Summer 2003). Benjamin Redford, deputy editor of Skeptical Inquirer magazine also wrote about Renier and the Peterson case in his recent book, Mysterious New Mexico.

The Laci Peterson case was solved by good, solid detective work by the police, helped by Scott Peterson’s stupidity. His Christmas Eve fishing venture to the Bay was immediately suspect, and later blood was found in his truck and on a mop he used to clean his kitchen floor. The police made many trips to the Bay with the case resolving itself in April when a couple out for a walk found the fetus washed up at Pt. Isabel. Laci’s body washed up the next day further away. No psychic needed here.

The problem is that Americans have not been taught to think critically; precisely why I recommended Carl Sagan’s The DemonHaunted World when you were collecting titles earlier this year. It’s a gem of a manual for thinking critically and should be recommended in all our high schools. I hope you’re back on your normal crystal clear thinking track, Bruce. Hang on. Catchers and pitchers report in about 2 months!

Jayne Thomas

Richmond

JUSTICE FOR KATLYN

Dear AVA,

Since I've been stuck in here with some serious weirdos I've come to realize the problem with movies and books. They make evil look glamorous, exciting, when it's no such thing. It's boring and it's depressing and it's stupid. Criminals are all after cheap thrills and easy money and when they get them, all they want is more of the same over and over. They are shallow, empty, boring people who couldn't give you five minutes of interesting conversation if you had the piss-poor luck to be at a party full of them. Maybe some can be monkey-clever some of the time. But they are hardly ever smart. God must surely want us to laugh at these fools because if we don't laugh at them one way or another we give them respect. If you don't mock a bastard like, let's say, Garrett Matson, if you fear him too much, or even if you just look at him in an all solemn sort of way, then you are paying him more respect than I ever intend to.

Justice for Katlyn Long.

Daniel Shealor

San Quentin

WHERE'S MY STOLEN TRUCK REPORT?

Dear Editor,

I have had a recent experience with the Ukiah Police Department which left me bewildered and angry. My son drives a pickup truck that I am the registered owner of and pay the insurance premiums for. This month my son informed me that the truck had been stolen from the Wal-Mart parking lot. I asked my son to go to the police department and file a stolen vehicle report. He returned home and informed me that the officer he talked to refused to comply with his request.

I found this disconcerting and went to the station myself and requested the desired report to send to my insurance company and was also refused. I requested to speak to the Chief and was introduced to a lieutenant who also refused to complete a report. I again asked to speak to the Chief and was told he would be given a message, but that I probably would not hear from him.

This experience has left me without a stolen vehicle report requested by my insurance company and confused over the so often stated law enforcement slogan, "We are here to protect and serve!" I strongly believe I am deserving of the service I requested from the Ukiah Police Department.

Tom Mertle

Ukiah

A NEW YEAR WISH

Dear Editor,

May we become more mindful every day. May our hardened hearts be softened bit by bit. May our wilting spirits be uplifted. May reason reign supreme. May our weapons of war (those deadly drones and missiles) be converted into plowshares.

Let not profit be our purpose. Let love of money be uprooted once and for all. May self doubt be dispelled. Let not fear keep us from speaking out when confronted with injustice. May faith be deepened. May hope be sustained along the way. And may goodness be the banner we unfurl.

Diego JP Donahoe

San Diego