X-Message-Number: 24690
From: "Billy H.Seidel" <>
Subject: Ben Best
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 07:40:53 -0800

Good reply Ben.

I feel the same way. If we could just put all the infighting energies into
better cooperation between all the cryonics groups we would all be better
off.

Billy H. Seidel


Message #24685
From: 
Subject: To Joe Waynick and others interested
Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2004 02:56:41 US/Eastern

   Joe,

   I want you to know how very upset I have felt about the exchange between
you and Robert Ettinger on CryoNet during the last few days. I had high
hopes of developing a good working relationship with you and my hopes
have taken a real beating.

   Robert Ettinger is correct when he says that he does not speak for CI.
I will add that he does not speak for me -- and also add that I am not
speaking for CI, but am speaking for myself. I believe that Bob has
been incendiary in some of his remarks and has fanned the flames of
mutual recrimination. Sadly, I have seen you get caught-up in this
mutual recrimination. It is sad because I very much want for good relations
between us.

   Although I am President of the Cryonics Institute, I despise
organizational
partisanship in cryonics. I am sick and tired of the way cryonicists have
exhausted their energies fighting each other -- when those energies are so
preciously needed to further cryonics and our mutual survival. There was a
spirit of good will & cooperation during the CryoSummit which failed to
take root, to my regret.

   Despite years of conflict and incidents involving the locking of horns, I
am
pleased to say that there are few cryonicists in any organization that I
feel
much hostility towards. I like to think that I have warm & friendly
relations
with most -- if not all -- of the people I know at Alcor. I can't think of
any of
the Alcor staff for whom I feel any dislike.

    Robert Ettinger made a statement which I wholeheartedly support. Namely,
the invitation for you to state specific modifications you would like to see
made
to text in the CI website. I have written very little of the text on the CI
website.
I have seen things I dislike. I dislike the concept of a comparisons page.
Even
if there was provocation behind its production, I think it fosters mutual
recrimination.

   In my first year as President I have not made it a priority to attempt to
re-write CI web pages (with a couple of exceptions). I think that my time
is better spent trying to improve CI operations and patient care -- and I am
disinclined to take actions which might instigate counter-productive
infighting.
But if there are specific passages which you find particularly offensive I
will
see what I can do to rectify the situation -- assuming this will not swamp
my time or produce too much internal conflict at CI. My time & energy is
limited and I seem to be engaged in on-going triage.

    I have personally written almost everything on my own website
(http://www.benbest.com/) and am interested in your comment that
some of the pages "heavily promote the CI perspective of cryonics" -- 
with the implication that this means an anti-Alcor persepective. I can't
believe that I express such a thing on my website. I mean no irony or
sarcasm when I request that you give me a specific reference to the
text you refer to. If nothing else, at least tell me the links. I admit that
I have spent very little time on the Alcor website.

    Again, it has been a goal of mine to improve relations between the
cryonics organizations and it genuinely upsets me to see this bitterness
and conflict. I am above all a cryonicist rather than a partisan. I cannot
purge every grain of competitiveness from my nature, but seeing this
fighting increases my resolve to increase my efforts.

                  -- Ben Best

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