commentary
Anja Larson
last night's meeting, I'd like to thank you for your sympathy
regarding my ousting, or absence of harangues if that's your
inclination, and the original boosts from Betty and Glenna, but nothing
this VFC board says at the moment carries any weight with me so long as
they assume some sort of moral superiority in their action in
preventing all knowledge of the owners' petition.
The petitioned owners' meeting on the 27th of August was perfect in
illustrating for the board that they are obliged to represent the
ownership's wishes, and not dictate according to moods and grudges.
They can cherry-pick whose opinions they want to hear, as was my
frequent experience on the board - and are still doing so while still
unseated. Unseating should not be so dramatic. If a majority of the
ownership is on the board at one time or other, there will be much
greater activity and informed action on the part of the owner-members.
It should not be an ego-trip, or remotely resemble a career move, at
this stage.
The board's current charge of any illegality in use of e-mail lists is
an obvious red herring to cover up for the fact that they didn't want
to go the co-op route, which is being told by the owners what the
owners want. By not freely acknowledging that a petitioned owner's
meeting was taking place, and the obvious differences in
interpretation, for instance, of the recent market study. Which I
didn't view as a "setback," as the VFC VP said in the Columbian this
week. I never did address all of this when seated, or take advantage of
every strategic opening for mass broadcast.
I could get into various other sentiments but these are way too many to
get into. I don't want to hear about who dramatically burst into tears
during what private mediation or what jokes were taken the wrong way.
I threaten to burst into tears but nobody cares!
Any other co-ops in the area will have to be not in competition with
this one, but trying to get some synergy going. I am liable to become a
prophetess of doom reminding people of child slaves in the cocoa bean
plantations of Africa, and migrant workers suffering brain damage from
pesticides, if some things (like the relevant topics I mention) aren't
talked about on a more consistent basis. I've obviously been much too
perky.
Thanks for fielding the various twists and turns of the food wars and I
know that food is a very touchy issue, class and culture and memory and
starvation. Doom, doom, doom.