From: Michael Lee Pemberton [mailto:kentuckyminuteman@msn.com]
Sent: Monday, September 24, 2007 5:06 PM
To: Chris Simcox
Cc: Brenda Chiles; Carolyn Crouch; Manager MCDC; MCDC National Operations Administrator; Becky
Subject:
Monday, September 24, 2007
Radcliff, Kentucky
To: Chris Simcox, President
Minuteman Civil Defense Corps
From: Michael Pemberton, Chapter Director
Louisville Chapter
Minuteman Civil Defense Corps
Re: Resignation
Dear Mister Simcox,
My attempts to recruit and organize volunteers for the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps over the preceding months and years have not resulted in a proliferation of local chapters across the Commonwealth of Kentucky. As the Chapter Director of the Louisville Chapter of MCDC, I have yet to attract sufficient volunteers to even establish a viable chapter in a city of over one million residents. In reviewing my lack of success, I accept full responsibility and insist on resigning my position and membership in the organization.
I am a strong believer in the mission of the minutemen, and will continue to support that mission. However, one of the major problems that I have consistently encountered in recruiting volunteers is in explaining the nature of the MCDC organization. I am retired from military service and have a good grasp of organizational structure, and as a historian I have acquainted myself with the development of the Minuteman movement and organizations. What I have not been able to discern or explain to potential volunteers is how the national organization functions. I have requested the MCDC bylaws and information to help me understand the inner workings of MCDC, but I have not received a reply to my request as yet.
I explain to prospective volunteers that MCDC is not a military, para-military, armed militia, or vigilante organization, but rather an organization of volunteers banding together to assist the nation in detecting and reporting illegal aliens crossing our borders and invading our communities. The question invariably arises as to the leadership and decision making process within the organization. I can explain the mechanics of applying to become a member of the MCDC, as well as field operations on the border and in the local community. What I cannot explain is the process of becoming an officer in the organization and the process by which decisions are made.
I have interviewed and been questioned by some prospects who have professional skills that would make them a valuable asset to the administration of the organization; people with skills in fields such as legal, computers, communications, business management, finance, administration, and security. When questioned by these and other prospects about serving in the higher echelons of the MCDC, there is the assumption that the most competent individuals are selected for each level of administration based on election by the other volunteers or a body of elected representatives selected for the purpose of discerning and electing the most capable candidate. These minutemen expect to have a voice in the operation and the leadership of the volunteer organizations in which they serve, a position with which I am in agreement.
Although I objected to and refused to submit the requisite Non-disclosure Agreement forwarded to me, I will respect the confidentiality of any information I may have had access to as long as MCDC has an exclusive right to it. Contrary to the terms of the proposed Non-disclosure Agreement, I will not consider information available in the public domain, that acquired through other sources, or over which MCDC might not be considered to have an exclusive or patent right to be subject to my obligation of confidence. After all, I brought the military background and skills necessary to conduct counterinsurgency to the Border Watch Operation, and MCDC simply provided the location. I shall turnover the recruiting banner and obsolete training manual in my possession to whomever you designate.
Regards,
Michael Lee Pemberton
