Sasha Lilley
Interim Program Director
ipd@kpfa.org
Lemlem Rijio
Interim General Manager for KPFA
igm@kpfa.org
Dear Lemlem and Sasha:
I learned from e-mail which was cc:ed to me yesterday that:
1. My appearance on KPFA Radio/Flashpoints yesterday was canceled shortly before the show;
2. My audio seminar and appearance to help KPFA/Flashpoints fundraising for an additional target of $15,000 was not desired; and
3. My appearance on KPFA Radio/Flashpoints is canceled for the indefinite future.
Before that time, I had no communication from you or any KPFA staff (other than the Flashpoints team) to:
1. Provide me with feedback –positive or negative — on my participation in the Community Business segment of Flashpoints;
2. Learn more about me and my professional or personal activities; and
3. Thank me for providing audio seminars and show participation to raise what I am told by Flashpoints staff was $45,000 to date this year.
I have no understanding of what your concerns are other than an e-mail rant from someone who does not know my name and has apparently not read my website to learn the basics of what I do.
I appreciate that providing citizens with an insiders understanding of how money and resources work is always a sensitive issue. So much political and economic control depends on the financial system remaining overly complex to busy people. My first experience with being censored was in the first Bush Administration. The situation at the New York Times got so ugly that the reporter had to resign. The Times Bureau Chief was rewriting the article without her permission. She caught it and stopped the story, and then resigned from the Times and retired from the industry. After watching numerous examples of censorship subsequently, I experienced a particularly painful experience in 1997 when the Washington Post spiked a story. That was when I decided to withdraw from investing time in response to requests from most corporate media.
I have been doing Flashpoints because I have great respect for Dennis and his team. The Flashpoints team help me accomplish my mission of “navigating toward a financially intimate world.” I miss doing the show. However, at your insistence, I have no choice but to cease and desist from making money and building listenership for KPFA/Flashpoints until some mysterious investigation finishes looking into some mysterious allegations.
Consequently, I would appreciate knowing precisely what your specific concerns are and on what facts and documentation you base them. I would also welcome knowing why you have not communicated them to me before the Community Business show was censored.
I welcome your reply. Please feel free to contact me if a phone conversation can be of assistance. I look forward to a timely clearing of these issues and a positive resolution in the highest and best interest of all concerned.
Sincerely Yours,
Catherine Austin Fitts
President
Solari, Inc.
cc:
blog@wordpressdevurl.com
dbernstein@igc.org
e.c.klein@gmail.com
nicole@pacifica.org
nora@riseup.net
Related Reading
CAF Note: This censorship happened immediately prior to the federal takeover of Freddie and Fannie: See Fannie and Freddie Become Penny Stocks
It appears there are additional allegations that I have not addressed yet from earlier correspondence. I am posting comments in ALL CAPS below for the record.
—–Original Message—–
> >From: Peter Byrne
> >Sent: Jul 24, 2008 2:07 PM
> >To: Lemlem Rijio , SF Bay View , Gray Brechin , Nora Barrows-Friedman , dbernstein@igc.org, catherine@solari.com, Gretchen Giles , JR Valrey
> >Subject: gold storm
> >
> >Dear KPFAers,
> >
> >My email on Sakowicz and Fitts seems to have had unintended
> >consequences. I sent it to Bernstein et al hoping to open up a
> >conversation about a problem with Flashpoint’s editorial stance on
> >vital Wall Street matters, not to shut down Flashpoints, a program
> >which I care about and support, as my family subscribes to KPFA.
THE E-MAIL WAS SENT TO EDITORIAL@FLASHPOINTS.NET. IN A SUBSEQUENT RETRACTION
MR. BYRNE SAID IT WAS A PRIVATE E-MAIL. THE TWO STATEMENTS APPEAR CONTRADICTORY.
> >
> >But I certainly do not have an ax to grind, nor do I have any link to
> >KPFA management, as is being suggested. In fact, I appeared as a guest
> >on Flashpoints a couple of years ago, after I wrote a piece for Mother
> >Jones on the Northern Command. And I have done a number of telephone
> >interviews with KPFA shows over the years on news I reported in print.
> >(Sorry about misspelling your name Catherine, but it is easy to make
> >spelling mistakes in email. Look at Bernstein: he called you “itts.”) I
> >have also received multiple national and regional awards for
> >investigative reporting, so it is not abnormal for people to take what
> >I have to say seriously.
> >
> >On the other hand, my email letter to the Bohemian and Flashpoints
> >editors was informal,
EDITORIAL@FLASHPOINTS.NET IS AN E-MAIL TO LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. THIS IS A PUBLIC VENUE.
it was not a published piece of investigative
> >journalism, nor was it sent to anyone but the recipients. Rather, it
> >was a broad, if provocative, take on the situation, which I regard as
> >problematic for the reasons listed in my letter.
WHAT ARE THE SOURCES OF YOUR INCOME AND WHAT ARE YOUR POTENTIAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST IN THIS SITUATION?
I was rather hoping
> >that it would engender a two-sided debate on Flashpoints about the
> >merits of investing in precious metals, etc. It would be interesting to
> >hear a counter point to Fitt’s schtick.
> >
> >Your draft letter to me was forwarded to me, Catherine, and I certainly
> >accept your factual self-description, although it does show you owning
> >gold
YES, OF COURSE.
and promoting investment in gold, etc.
I AM NOT SURE WHAT YOU MEAN BY ‘PROMOTING’. I RECOMMEND GOLD AS SAFE HAVEN WITH CAVEATS THAT IT IS NOT FOR EVERYONE AND SHOULD NOT BE USED UNLESS IT IS UNDERSTOOD. I WOULD RECOMMEND YOU LISTEN
TO OUR AUDIO SEMINARS “POSITIONING” AND “PRECIOUS METALS MINISERIES” (SEE http://WWW.SOLARI.COM/STORE) FOR THE FACTS OF WHAT I SAY.
A letter that I viewed from
> >one of your clients on your web site thanks you for giving her advice.
I MOST CERTAINLY DID NOT GIVE HER ADVICE. SAYING THAT I GAVE THAT PERSON INVESTMENT ADVICE
IS LIBEL. THE PERSON THAT POSTED THAT POST IS TO MY KNOWLEDGE NOT A CLIENT OF MINE OR MY COMPANY. IF THEY LISTENED TO MY RECOMMENDATION THAT GOLD WAS AN AREA OF INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY AND RESEARCHED IT AND MOVED FORWARD, THAT IS NOT INVESTMENT ADVICE.
> >Her portfolio is now 80% gold, 10% precious metals, 10% oil, as I
> >recall. (That sounds imbalanced to me.)
ARE YOU AN INVESTMENT ADVISOR OR STRATEGIST. EACH PERSON IS UNIQUE. WE DO NOT KNOW ANYTHING
ABOUT THIS PERSON, OR THEIR INCOME, ASSETS OR PORTFOLIO. GIVEN THEIR OTHER HOLDINGS, THIS MAY
OR MANY NOT BE IMBALANCED. AGAIN, MR. BYRNE, IT IS BEST NOT TO JUDGE WITHOUT FACTS.
IS AN ASIDE, IF YOU HAD LISTENED TO MY AUDIO SEMINARS YOU WOULD KNOW THE EMPHASIS I PLACE ON DIVERSIFICATION. YET, THERE ARE NUMEROUS INVESTORS IN THE CURRENT ENVIRONMENT WHO ARE NOT DIVERSIFIED WHO HAVE DONE QUITE WELL. THIS IS THERE CHOICE. THAT IS WHAT FREEDOM IS ABOUT.
> >
> >Sakowicz, on the other hand, discloses founding an “multi-billion
> >dollar” off-shore hedge fund, Battle Mountain Research Group, (does the
> >off-shore fund pay taxes? is it’s gold and other business transparent
> >to the public? did it short Fannie May?) In his recent BoHo article
> >Sakowicz steered people to gold investment brokers, and to Ms. Fitt’s
> >website, where she sells investment services strongly rooted in
> >promoting gold (which is a very questionable practice; I mean, if it is
> >so “safe,” then everybody would be in it, n’est pas?)
I AM BUILDING A FINANCIALLY SOUND BUSINESS HELPING PEOPLE UNDERSTAND INVESTMENT.
GOOD FOR ME!
> >
> >It is problematic for KPFA or any news organization to give a platform
> >to financial “experts” that have inherent conflicts of interest. I do
> >not know if Ms. Fitts regularly discloses on her radio segments, and in
> >print, that she stands to gain if people believe what she says,
> >especially if they are drawn to pay for her investment services, but,
> >even if disclosures have been made, it does not seem ethical to me to
> >regularly feature editorial comment on the nature of a business, i.e.,
> >Wall Street, by persons whose business is based in investing in Wall
> >Street–and selectively trashing financial portfolios in which they do
> >not invest.
> >
> >Furthermore, it is not like GOLD is, somehow, politically cleaner than
> >bank stocks. Gold mining devastates the environment, leaving behind
> >pools of cyanide-laced tailings for African kids to play around in, and
> >gold mining corporations horribly exploit third world workers. The
> >sooner the world gets rid of gold, and the depredations of market
> >capitalism, which gold epitomizes, the better, I say.
IMO, GOLD IS INDEED CLEANER THAN STOCKS IN BANKS ENGAGED IN FINANCIAL FRAUD OR SYSTEMIC CENTRALIZATION
http://www.solari.com/blog/?p=196
http://www.solari.com/blog/?p=858
> >
> >I do not know what the internal politics of KPFA are, but they appear
> >to be brutal, and not based on trust and professionalism. As a
> >subscriber and a journalist, who witnessed the terrible time when
> >radical conservatives hijacked Pacifica, and were defeated by mass
> >support, I urge management and Flashpoints staff to learn from the
> >Fitts affair. Flashpoints provides vital reporting services, especially
> >of topics blacked-out by the MSM. But everybody makes a mistake now and
> >then. The trick, Dennis, and LemLem, is to learn from it and move
> >forward in way that benefits the listeners, not just one or another
> >KPFA faction.
> >
> >In solidarity,
> >
> >Peter Byrne
> >tel: 707.338.6534
> >www.peterbyrne.info
Sasha Lilley
Interim Program Director
ipd@kpfa.org
Lemlem Rijio
Interim General Manager for KPFA
igm@kpfa.org
Dear Lemlem and Sasha:
Based on the Byrne e-mail below, I am formally requesting that the Flashpoints team be allowed to continue with the Community Business segment of Flashpoints and we have your permission to clear the air regarding events of the last week on the show.
Best,
Catherine Austin Fitts
cc:
dbernstein@igc.org
e.c.klein@gmail.com
nicole@pacifica.org
nora@riseup.net
Peter Byrne
Peter Byrne wrote:
>
>
> Dear Mr. Sakowicz & Ms. Fitts,
>
> I do apologize for any factual errors that may have appeared in the opinions expressed in my private emails. The substance of those private emails, of which I have not authorized publication–and I do not authorize publication in any format, including on Ms. Fitt’s website–were theories and opinions–i.e. inquiries– sent to my editor at the Bohemian with the intention of eliciting her private response. It was purely an informal matter regarding myself and an editor. It appears that my private email has fanned the flames of an internal struggle at KPFA and it is being used in ways (by multiple factions) that were not intended by me. After becoming aware of this dust-up I immediately sent a explanatory email to Ms. Fitts and the concerned parties explaining that I was not accusing anyone of nefarious activity, but that I simply had concerns about financial advisors appearing regularly on news programs if business-related conflicts are not disclosed. I appreciate the effort that you have each made to clarify your positions, and I have no further interest in pursuing this matter.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Peter Byrne
This morning I received two e-mails from Peter Byrne. I am posting them here along with my response.
Catherine
Peter Byrne wrote:
>
> Peter Byrne
> Dear Mr. Sakowicz & Ms. Fitts,
>
> I do apologize for any factual errors that may have appeared in the opinions expressed in my private emails. The substance of those private emails, of which I have not authorized publication–and I do not authorize publication in any format, including on Ms. Fitt’s website–were theories and opinions–i.e. inquiries– sent to my editor at the Bohemian with the intention of eliciting her private response. It was purely an informal matter regarding myself and an editor. It appears that my private email has fanned the flames of an internal struggle at KPFA and it is being used in ways (by multiple factions) that were not intended by me. After becoming aware of this dust-up I immediately sent a explanatory email to Ms. Fitts and the concerned parties explaining that I was not accusing anyone of nefarious activity, but that I simply had concerns about financial advisors appearing regularly on news programs if business-related conflicts are not disclosed. I appreciate the effort that you have each made to clarify your positions, and I have no further interest in pursuing this matter.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Peter Byrne
Catherine Austin Fitts wrote:
Peter:
I did not circulate your e-mail. You sent it to Dennis Bernstein and he e-mailed it widely, which put in the public space. That means it was used to libel me in public.
Catherine
Peter Byrne wrote:
Dear Ms. Fitts,
With all due respect, I request that you remove my private email from your web site. These private emails were not intended for publication in any form and, if they contain factual errors, I would not want such errors to be perpetuated.
Yours,
Peter Byrne
George:
If you go to solari.com, you will see a link to the missing money at the bottom of our home page on the left. That link will take you to a page where we have historically collected some of the links on the missing money.
Solari – Missing Money
http://www.solari.com/archive/missing_money/
If you do a search for “missing money” you can also usually pick it up pretty easily.
Best,
Catherine
Catherine: I read your intro to ” Crossing The Ribicon” by Michael Rippert. Of interest was the mention of $ 3.3t of unaccounted funds in the Defense Department. I would like to know where to look, for the most complete account of unaccounted funds in the U.S. Gov’t.
Thanks, George
This is not a comment — it’s a memo to the moderator.
Moderators: If you can put a strikethrough through “carol’s” name, that would be great. Concept explained here: http://www.tizag.com/htmlT/htmlstrikethrough.php
Thanks!
My question for Sasha Lilley is does she even listen to Flashpoints and Catherine’s appearances on the show? To read Peter Byrne’s letter, you’d like that all Catherine does is come on the air and say, “buy gold, buy gold, buy it from me.” I’ve listened to every show featuring her for the past six months, and nothing could be farther from the case. Has Sasha Lilley (or for that matter Peter Byrne) even visited Carol’s Catherine’s website? Does Sasha have a clue who Catherine is? Or does she know exactly who Catherine is and what she does, and that’s what’s so threatening? Catherine’s capable of doing this — http://www.solari.com/blog/?p=1299 — which doesn’t look too pretty for KPFA.
What a sad loss for Flashpoints and for alternative radio.