X-Message-Number: 30421
Date: Tue, 05 Feb 2008 12:54:16 -0700
From: hkhenson <>
Subject: "Reform" again
References: <>

At 03:00 AM 2/4/2008, Tripper McCarthy wrote:

>Subject: Reform Alcor Website Launched!
>Date: Sun, 3 Feb 2008 23:48:05 +0000
>
>Reform Alcor Website Launched!
>
>Reform Alcor was started by a group of concerned Alcor members . . . .

One of the few advantages in living a long time and having an 
interest in EP is that you see repeating patterns that are due to human nature.

This isn't the first time, even for Alcor, that I have seen this 
pattern.  I was right in the middle last time.

The leader last time a political battle led to a split the leader was 
Saul Kent.  This time it's Dave Pizer.  Saul did manage to influence 
the board enough to get Carlos out and put Steve in.

If any of you want to listen to or read that board meeting in Dec 
1992 for insight, it was recorded and transcribed.  It really should 
be annotated because there is background information that some board 
members had and others didn't.  Then, not being satisfied by the 
results of his change, Saul and others formed CryoCare by mid 
1993.  A number of Alcor members moved their suspension 
arrangements.  We know how that turned out; among other things Tim 
Leary was not suspended.

I spent some hours yesterday reading CryoNet messages from April 1992 
to late 1993.  Heavy experience since Alexander Chislenko and Thomas 
Donaldson were posting at that time.

Here are a few posts by Steve Bridge.

http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/dsp.cgi?msg=1470
http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/dsp.cgi?msg=1476
http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/dsp.cgi?msg=1895

I would really appreciate it if someone would write up the 
history.  They could start with a time line of the events (mostly 
recorded on CryoNet) of how the last split in Alcor came about from 
start to finish.  Even with better insight from evolutionary 
psychology I can't say if my role in it was positive or negative.

A historical note is that Saul offered me the Alcor presidency early 
in 1992.  I thought about it and, feeling uneasy about it, turned him 
down.  At the time I was blind to the fact that it wasn't his to offer.

On a more general note, what's going on here is an attempt to change 
the political structure of Alcor rather than trying to fix the 
problems.  Politics is supremely addictive for reasons rooted in our 
evolution back in the stone age.  I.e., those who successfully pull 
off a coup see a substantial rise in the attention they get and their 
status.  That's why it's much more psychologically rewarding than the 
hard work of dealing with problems facing cryonics.  Some of those 
problems, such as the carbon and energy crisis, are on a global scale.

Keith Henson

PS.  If anyone want to know about global scale problems and what we 
might be able to do about them ask.

Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=30421