Several months ago, rumour on the grapevine was that Pacifica was looking for "someone to handle" Pat Scott. This vague statement was never explained. The hiring of the "communnications director" appears to be the outcome. Many think this position was created to counter information spread by FreePacificans. If so, once again, futher sums of money are being diverted into keeping the truth about what the Scott Administration is doing to Pacifica from the public.

The following memo was issued by Scott regarding the new position. Following the text of the memo, Maria Gilardin reports on the Justice Department duties of Pacifica's new Communications Director--LG

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To: Pacifica Board members and station managers
From: Pat Scott

26 February 1997

Re: Communications Director

On Friday we hired Burt Glass to be Pacifica's first communications Director. Burt comes to us from the League of Conservation Voters in Washington DC, the "political arm of the environmental movement," where he served as a director of press relations during the recent election campaign.

Previously he worked as a speech writer and spokesperson with the U.S. Justice Department's community policing initiative. Before that he was program and PAC director at National Peace Action, formerly Sane Freeze and press secretary at Physicians for Social Responsibility. Burt currently serves on the national Peace Action PAC Board of Directors.

His duties as Pacifica's National Communications Director will fall into two broad categories:

Communicating with members of the Pacifica family of employees, volunteers, and supporter, (internal communications) and communicating to the general public via journalists with the mainstream, alternative, and trade press (external communications). He also will help design a strategic communications plan, shape compelling and consistent messages and work with Pacifica stations and affiliates to improve local press relations.

Inquiries for members of the press about national programming generally should be directed to Burt. He is working at our Berkeley office and can be reached by phone at (510) 843-0130, ext 253
or e-mail
pacno@Pacifica.org

Dear All, I have shaken of my deep chill about the hiring of Burt Glass and done some research on his past with the Department of Justice. Material in quotes is taken from the Web page of the Justice Department: www.usdoj.gov/cops

Here is my report:

The 1994 draconian Crime Bill dramatically increased penalties and added new offenses that can be punished by death. The bill is anti-poor, anti- immigrant and leaves immune the huge area of corporate crimes. "To implement the new law, Attorney General Janet Reno created the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, COPS."

Pacifica's new Communications Director, Burt Glass, was hired under the Crime Bill. He worked for COPS at the Justice Department, as an editor, PR man, and speech writer.

COPS administers $604 million in grants to put 100,000 more police into the communities. COPS also "provide(s) funds to acquire new technologies and equipment" and works with the Department of Defense to train soldiers who had left the service for police duties. "The Community Policing Consortium funded by COPS "..provide(s) training and technical assistance" to police across the country and "promote(s) community policing strategies".

The COPS program, according to its Director Joseph E. Brann, is going to provide the future leaders in law enforcement, "just as the ROTC program has provided the military with its future leaders"

The Crime Bill emphasizes policing over prevention and anticipates a huge increase in the already enormous prison population. Burt Glass worked in the strategic program that would expand and train the police force to deliver more people to the machines of courts and punishment.

That a person with Burt Glass's background would even be interviewed for job with Pacifica is a betrayal of all the values Pacifica stands for. Pacifica was founded in opposition to the abuse of government and police power. His hire is nothing less than a scandal.

Let's discuss what to do about it!
Maria Gilardin