Dear Ivan and List Friends:

Ivan you pissed me off this morning which is no good for my PD. For years
I have listened to the on going soap opera of you life and the never-ending
complaints about the NPF. If you were a man about it and were sincere in your
belief that your position was correct you would have long ago submitted the
claim to the small claims court for resolution. The cost to submit to small
claims court is nominal and I would put the fee up for you if you would get
off this topic. I am not taking sides in the dispute but I do feel that you
are blinded by the mot in your eye.

Now you are asking us to support your boycott against the NPF. The NPF for
many years has been the largest source of private funds for Parkinson
research. Director Emeritus Nathan Slewett has lead the organization with
tremendous foresight and dedication to finding the cure. Both he and Dr.
Lieberman serve in a voluntary capacity. When President Nixon and Bush halted
fetal cell research the NPF started to Fund research abroad to keep the
research spirit working. The NPF has amassed the largest brain bank available
to all researchers. They recently purchased the largest monkey farm to have an
adequate supply of primates available to research needs.
They have a net work of over 950 support groups and provide materials to the
public and support groups without charge.

They have stepped up to the plate when development's opened up opportunities
such as: Giving a grant of money in excess of $ 100,000 to Robert Johnson
Memorial Hospital after the gene discovery to purchase a new medical device
that reduced the research from 10 years to 6 months. When Dr. Martha Bream
discovered a new way to take a cloned cell through the blood brain barrier on
the back of a virus the NPF was there with more than 750,000 when the NIH
turned down her grant request.

There are some in the PD community that feel that the young researcher is
systematically excluded from grants because off an old boy mentality. The
young researcher coming into our field needs research support without being
corrupted by the thoughts of the long time researched who works to be sure his
peer review group will continue his grant for next year. With that thought in
mind the Alliance has teamed up this year to raise funds to support and bring
in new young researchers.

What are you offering to replace this tremendous effort put forth by the
voluntary and salaried workers at the NPF? All I hear from you is more carping
and more carping. Your comments are selfish and inner directed for your
satisfaction and offer little that could be off benefit to all who suffer but
still work for a cure for this disease.

Yes I am an Alliance Member and I'm proud to say so. I saw you at the last Pan
Forum and we are about at the same state of the disease but I am still doing
what I can to help by brethren with this affliction. I take personal affront
to a call for a boycott for your selfish reasons and submit my credentials
below to support my position on behalf of my fellow workers and friends who in
the most part work anomously:

 I am a member and co founders of NY PanHandlers a political lobby group.

 I attended three forums in Washington sponsored by PAN and have called on
over 120 Senators or Congressman.

I am the support group leader in Syracuse. I visited any number of support
groups upon request to promote Joan Samuelson and her advocacy arm.

I worked on or donated funds to support a number of PD projects such as PAN
video for lobby purpose.

Participated in the last two Unity walks and my sponsored team raised $ 2,000
or more each year.

I attended PAN fundraisers in NYC and NPF fundraiser in Pittsburgh and others.

I was Invited and accepted offer to join the Alliance to continue to advocate
for Federal Funds. I will travel February to NPF where I will gather with 17
other voluntary workers to attend a 2-day seminar on fund raising techniques.

I am organizing the first PD symposium in Syracuse of which I am then
originator and principle organizer. I a sponsoring a fundraiser in conjunction
with Symposium.

And my legacy to the PD Community when I can no longer donate by skills and
time to the Effort will be THE NATIONAL DATABASE of PD support groups.  The
Univ. of Mass has all ready used this tool, which is still in the development
stage. to contact and locate siblings to participate in Gene study funded by
the NIH and several other events one of them is a bike tour sponsored by Robin
Elliott of the PDF

And so you see that I am a tireless worker for the PD Community looking to add
something of value rather than tear down those who are trying to help
My Parkinson and me friend.

Ivan you add a lot to this list and you have ma sympathic friends here. But
you're continued comments about your problem with the NPF diminish your
stature and respect, which you enjoy on the list.

Now I have said it Its off my chest. I feel better