 |
 |
Julius, Thank you for the nice compliment. A note of clarification: Perry and I have been on the same page right along. The only recent modification of my position is that I would accept the meeting taking place in Miami. But in any case it is not my position to accept or reject anything but rather to hopefully act as a mediator (self-appointed) to clarify positions on all sides and see if some compromise can be worked out. It is a mystery to me how things got to where they are with multiple national organizations all fighting for control, donations and members. Because of my treatment facility my introduction to the groups was UPF which has recently merged with PDF. My local group in Madison has historically been totally unaffiliated with any national organization. The best I can put together the differences have primarily to do with personalities not substance or approach. I hear charges back and forth of corruption and I understand an APDA official was convicted of embezzlement a year or 2 ago but that shouldn't reflect on the numerous grass roots chapters that APDA has. Regardless of the personalities involved it is time to put this petty bickering to an end STOP THE PAROCHIALISM and ALL WORK TOGETHER TO FUND THE RESEARCH FIND THE CURE. My position about the Congress is not meant to be divisive although I recognize it has (hopefully in the short run) turned out that way, It is meant to enable a climate where the parochialism can end or at least be minimized. I see Jim Cordy, Dale, Bobby , and others who disagree with me on this issue of tactics as my allies in the war against PD. I still look up to General Cordy but this private respectfully disagrees on this one issue. I understand as a therapist who has worked with dysfunctional families how he felt. It is difficult to remain neutral in the face of the "craziness" of the situations like being unable to agree on a letterhead for the Udall Steering committee. It is easy just to get sucked into taking sides. I understand Jim would accept joint sponsorship but is burned out by the PD WARS. I hope he will accept what I have done along with Perry, Art Hirsch, Elliot, Ken and many others as assistance rather than opposition. If we can get all the Organizations to sponsor the Congress understanding that to reject the idea will be a major PR blunder we will have exercised PWP power that can go a long way to putting an end to self-serving parochialism in the PD organizations, FUND THE RESEARCH FIND THE CURE Charlie Julius Margolis wrote: > > I wish to strongly endorse Dennis Greene's request for information and > insight about the differences among our major organization and why the > differences persist. Now that Charley Meyer has reluctantly endorsed the > position of Perry Cohen which allow the Parkinson's Patients Congress to > move forward, I believe that we have a broad consensus. I hope that Charley > can answer Greene's questions since, among all of us he seems less consumed > with rancor and all of us respect his rationality and good humor. Possibly > he could formulate a questionaire to be addressed to the associations to > highly light their respective missions and why they find it so difficult to > cooperate. In any case I believe that he could analyze the difference > without stirring up an excessive amount of heat. > It may very well be that having several competitive organizations > may be better than one monopoly, but let's have more light about advantages > and disadvantages. > Jules Margolis, cg for Doris 74, 5 > > At 12:37 AM 12/4/97 +0800, you wrote: > >Nearly two days ago I posted a message to the list asking for > >information on the differences between the US national level PD > >organisations and for some historical insight into why there are so > >many. A day ago, Janet Paterson endorsed my questions and added one > >of her own concerning funding of said organisations. > > > >The silence has been almost deafening. > > > >The single response I did get, whilst welcome, did not actually > >address my questions at all. > > > >I have been trying to work out why there has been such a lack of > >response. I have come up with the following, no doubt incomplete, > >list of possibilities: > > > >1. No-one read the questions. > >2. No-one understood the questions. > >3 No-one knows the answers. > >4. No-one thinks the subject warrents any of their time. > >5. No-one thinks the questioner warrents any of their time. > >6. Everyone thinks foriegners shouldn't delve into domestic US PD > >politics. > >7. The answer is so complex that someone is still working on it and > >will post it sometime soon. > > > >Someone please take pity on me (and the others who I am sure would > >also like to know). Just a brief overview would help us understand > >why the American experience is so different to that of most other > >countries where the norm is a single national organisation > >coordinating several regional bodies. The democratic process cannot, > >of itself, be to blame. It is at work in many countries which have > >not experienced fragmentation. > > > >My questions are not idle ones. It was the combined might of the US > >PD community which wrung $100,000,000 for PD research out of the US > >govt. It is that same community which, of all the worlds PWP, stands > >the best chance of bringing some patient input into how that huge sum > >of money will be spent. Watching instead the post-Udall return to > >internecine warfare is bad enough, but not knowing the why and > >wherefore makes it worse. Its not unlike trying to read "War and > >Peace" for the first time without that page right at the begining > >which lists all the main characters. You know a lot is going on, you > >know it is important to the plot, but you can't quite figure out how > >it all hangs together. > > > >Thanks to whoever in advance. > > > >Dennis. > > > >************************************************* > >Dennis Greene 48/10 > >[log in to unmask] > >http://members.networx.net.au/~dennisg/ > >************************************************** > > > > -- CHARLES T. MEYER, M.D. Middleton, WI [log in to unmask]