• Audio Statement: Download or Stream to Media Player (mp3 format)
• Nomination Statement
• Candidate Questionnaire

My name is Jim Weber, 650-796-2001

I have been a devoted KPFA listener for many years. I have been a teacher for 40 years, with a BA in English and Drama, and an MA in Education.

I am a teacher devoted to children and youth who deserve the education that many are denied, like the 4,000 betrayed Black high school dropout boys on the streets of Oakland today, with no education and no future. I am a war veteran, devoted to stopping the endless exploitation of teenage bodies as cannon fodder for immoral wars. And I am devoted to saving the democracy that America is now losing.

I want to be elected to the LSB to lend my voice and my vote to the honest progressive pro-democracy LSB members who have, so far, been prevented from making this Board a democratically functioning body of like-minded people with a common purpose. My motive to seek election to the LSB is to support the court ordered LSB mission: to promote a more democratic relationship between the listeners and the station.

I realize that the listeners to KPFA are the many progressive people who, like myself, are attracted to founder Lewis Hill's values of free speech, democracy, and non-violence. However, after regularly attending every LSB meeting since the Board was created, I have witnessed the constant destruction of any possible democratic process.

From my search for answers, I learned a lot about the problem we face. Attending every LSB meeting to monitor the LSB activities since it was created, with my limited ability as an audience member to communicate to the Board and alert them to the dangers I was discovering. My comments and notes were appreciated by many on the Board, were ignored by a few who were unable to understand the problem, and my views enraged those who were organized to destroy democracy on the Board.

One Board member from this latter group, an attorney, sued me for $5,000 damages. At the trial the Judge, after reviewing the case, declared that expressing my opinions was not a crime, and he suggested that this foolish lawsuit be dropped, which it was.

KPFA needs a Board that uses their power to protect KPFA from the same harm that was inflicted upon WBAI in New York, by their LSB. The flaw in previous Pacifica elections that made this harm possible was that listener-voters were denied adequate information to make informed voting decisions. Therefore many frustrated voters didn't vote, and my hope is that this will change in November with more voters, who are better informed,

The outcome of the approaching November 2006 election is still a mystery. So my candidacy is simply to join in a united effort with the remaining honest progressive pro-Lewis-Hill Board members, along with those new honest Board members elected to represent the progressive listeners, and protect our progressive station.

Clue to listeners-voters: Watch out for the attack-dog approach of angry candidates. Progressive people don't bite.

1. Why do you want to be on the Local Station Board?

As a devoted long-time listener, who has attended all LSB meetings, I am aware of the conflicts that exist on the Board that limit the effectiveness of the Board to do the business required. A court had ordered the creation of LSBs to promote a more democratic relationship between the listeners and the station. I want to support the achievement of this effort, which has so far been unsuccessful.

2. How do you envision the Local Station Board working with the Pacifica foundation, KPFA and the community?

My communications with the Pacifica National Board and its members reveals the same conflicts, fears, and dissentions that threaten KPFA and Pacifica, which has already harmed WBAI. Even though the stations and Pacifica have a common purpose, they are all isolated from each other with inadequate communications, and are also, all isolated from listeners. A more collaborative and effective democratic relationship in the network requires a more effective and collaborative relationship within each Board. The key ingredient to the successful future of the entire foundation is with the now-isolated listeners. When the foundation was in trouble in 1999, the trouble was visible to the listeners, who demanded to get their stations back, and they successfully rescued the foundation. But today, 75% of the WBAI listeners have changed stations and have closed their checkbooks because today's troubles are invisible to them. In this artificial isolation, they don't know what is happening, and we can't expect listener support unless we share some democratic power with them. These same troubles threaten KPFA today, with our isolated and neglected listeners, and I want to help with the solution.

3. How could the station better serve its listeners?

The answer is on the Internet. In Google, type, "Rescuing Hug", a story which is additional proof that we are all born as perfect humans, born with the compassion that makes us human. This tiny infant, only hours old, saved her dying twin sister. But as we grow up some of us replace our natural compassion with unnatural fears. This fear of listeners, fear of fellow Board members, fear of caring about others. The fear of losing power because we have to share power with others is crippling the network. The solution is simple. It's all done with words, and the most important words are "democracy" and "courage", both of which require compassion.

4. Describe some actions you would take to increase the influence of the station in underrepresented communities and to increase the diversity of the listening audience.

When WWII ended and Lew Hill started KPFA, America had a population at that time of 140 million people, mostly WASPS. Today we have 300 million people, and WASPS are a minority. But KPFA and Pacifica still tend to still see their audience of progressives as only WASPS. Willie Ratkliff served on the KPFA-LSB for 2 years as the Board member who probably received more votes than all candidates put together. He is the publisher of the "Bay View", probably the most pro-democratic, most pro-justice progressive Black newspaper in America. Willie is leaving the Board in frustration. From the very first LSB meeting in early 2004 Willie was treated with disrespect. Willie and his wife Mary are dedicated KPFA listeners and are an un-tapped resource that had been neglected. An alliance between KPFA and Bay View would have helped KPFA join the 21st century diversity of America. We are losing a valuable LSB member because of our fears. But Willie and Mary continue to have the spirit, the motivation, and the ability to be an asset to KPFA's search for diversity. They can bring the Black progressive community to KPFA if the station would just take the lock off the door. It would also not be hard to attract other diverse communities using less isolation and better communication.

5. What source of funding, other than listener donations, do you feel KPFA should solicit?

The only restriction to accepting any support from anybody is the need to avoid a quid-pro-quo contract that weakens KPFA's independence with external influences and controls.

6. Please state briefly the skills, experience, educational background, work history, organizational affiliations, areas of community service, areas of interest and expertise that you would bring to the Pacifica network as a member of the Local Station Board.

I have a BA in English and Drama, and an MA-Ed in Education. And having been a teacher for 40 years I have two obsessions. One is with education and the need to reform schools to educate ALL children, and eliminate any children being branded as "rejects", like the 4,000 Black high school boys on the streets of Oakland today without a future. My other obsession is war. As a war veteran, no day passes without remorse and sadness for the cruelty of war. And I have great respect for Louis Hill because he had the courage to resist, that I did not have at age 17. I am with Veterans For Peace, and participate in all their activities. Having traveled to many countries in all parts of the world, my thoughts and interests are global. And I live with sadness for the global injustice and cruelty suffered by innocent people and children in all parts of the world, and I see Pacifica as part of the solution by helping to create an America that opposes cruelty. I currently work with troubled youth in juvenile hall and in alternative education programs.

7. Do you anticipate missing any Local Station Board meetings due to family or job related problems?

No. I am semi-retired and have no pressures to interfere with my commitment to KPFA.

8. On which Local Station Board Committees* are you interested in actively serving, and/or if you are a current Local Station Board member, on which committees do you currently serve?

As a new member I would be interested in Governance, Personnel, Programming