I recently blogged about St. Xenaro of Aztlan and how he seems to have a “martyr complex.” See that posting for context:
http://janbtucker.com/blog/2011/11/27/the-martyrdom-of-st-xenaro/
To reemphasize the point, here’s what Wikipedia says about a martyr complex:
In psychology, a person who has a martyr complex, sometimes associated with the term victim complex, desires the feeling of being a martyr for his/her own sake, seeking out suffering or persecution because it feeds a psychological need.
In some cases, this results from the belief that the martyr has been singled out for persecution because of exceptional ability or integrity.[1] Theologian Paul Johnson considers such beliefs a topic of concern for the mental health of clergy.[2] Other martyr complexes involve willful suffering in the name of love or duty. This has been observed in women, especially in poor families, as well as in codependent or abusive relationships.[3][4] It has also been described as a facet of Jewish-American folklore.[5]
So, check out the following exchange in which Steven Bruce Orcutt, aka Frank Runninghorse attributes his persecution to COINTELPRO as though it’s some grandiose government plot against him. What he is clearly not cognizant of is that if the government actually cared all that much about him and actually considered him to be a serious threat, he’d be behind bars. As an “oh by the way,” I’m not now nor have I ever been or used the name Monty Kroopkin, have never met nor communicated with him and I have no independent recollection of ever having heard of him before this was forwarded to me.
On Tue, 12/6/11, Frank and Ambika <dreamality108@yahoo.com> wrote:
From: Frank and Ambika <dreamality108@yahoo.com>
Subject: [pfp-scc] MORE COINTELPRO TYPE ATTACKS
To: “peaceandfreedom_party@hotmail.com” <peaceandfreedom_party@hotmail.com>, “Al Haber” <megiddo@umich.edu>, “Alex Shantz” <alexshantz@gmail.com>, “Craig Emery” <tantricbhangra@yahoo.com>, “Ed Rippy” <ed.rippy@mindspring.com>, “Ed Rippy” <ed50san_francisco@yahoo.com>, “Guerimo Richardson {PFP}” <northbayuprising@gmail.com>, “Guerimo Richardson {PFP}” <oneworldgreen@yahoo.com>, “Joel [PFP-sol] Schor” <dybenko@comcast.net>, “John Burnett” <redpanther36@att.net>, “Katey Ramsden” <ladykatey@yahoo.com>, “Kathy Guruwaya” <kguruwaya@yahoo.com>, “Larry Pinkney” <lecconsult@aol.com>, “Loca [Christine] Dingo Girl” <dingogirl@dingowolfwarrior.com>, “Marsha Feinland PFP” <m_feinland@IGC.org>, “Mary McIlroy PFP” <mcmcilroy2002@yahoo.com>, “Nick Holmes” <white_striper187@yahoo.com>, “Sherill Borg” <sheborgg@yahoo.com>, “Stan Woods” <swoods510@aol.com>, “Tarnel Abbott” <tarnelabbott@comcast.net>, “Tom Molyneaux” <tomm@tenorguitar.com>, “Victor Wu” <bus.1475@yahoo.com>
Date: Tuesday, December 6, 2011, 4:59 PM
PFP Leaders State wide & C5
I request a statement on the validity of these accusations
as they regard the PFP. I have asked SDS ,OGC
Real MDS to do the same . This is a urgent request as it is time to nip this COINTELPRO type “poison pen”
campaign in the bud before it goes any further.
Frank Runninghorse
PS ; I have never been in the IWW and only spoke at their meetings once or twice as a guest on Mumia Abu Jamal
and was warmly received and given a ovation. hat was over 10 years ago.
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Re: [November 24th] SLANDEROUS ATTACK ON MDS/SDS By “MONTY”? / Response
This is a response, from the real Movement for a Democratic Society (MDS), to the attack by Frank Runninghorse aka Steve Orcutt upon Monty, a member of the MDS Working Committee, and, by implication, our whole organization. Monty Kroopkin is a long time activist, trade unionist and member of the initiating group of MDS.
Everyone receiving this email was cc’d by Frank Runninghorse in a November 24th email (which is pasted below) that had the subject line “Slanderous Attack on MDS/SDS by “MONTY”?/Response.” when he responded to our post on the Occupy Contra Costa/Concord site after we commented, on November 11th, on the November 6th post, “A Coup: Occupy Contra Costa Has Split” at this link:
http://www.contracosta99.org/2011/11/06/a-coup-occupy-contra-costa-has-split/
After reading about Frank Runninghorse’s behavior in Occupy Contra Costa we felt compelled to respond then, as we do now. Then Frank Runninghorse was giving MDS a bad name. Now he has slandered our member, Monty, by casting the shadow of cointelpro on him, rather than asking MDS about the post and Monty’s credibility, before writing, out of ignorance, such an email.
MDS values transparency, participatory democracy, and horizontal, rather than top-down, power. For a long time prior to our reading of the unfortunate split in Occupy Contra Costa, we had received reports from people we know and trust about the conduct of Frank Runninghorse. Those reports all had these common elements: people witnessing and experiencing undemocratic practices including bullying, intimidation, and unilateral defiance of democratic group process. This included publishing leaflets in the name of SDS without approval from the Diablo Valley College SDS chapter, stacking of meetings for personal opportunism, dominating meetings, refusing to let others speak at Oscar Grant Committee meetings, verbal and physical abuse. The venues were varied [SDS, Oscar Grant Committee, IWW, Peace and Freedom Party] but the conduct was the same–including causing splits, due to his behavior, in SDS, the Oscar Grant Committee, and Occupy Contra Costa.
When we read the negative press that Frank Runninghorse brought upon MDS, by representing himself as MDS, during the split of Occupy Contra Costa, we needed to state the facts. Frank Runninghorse is not now and never has been a member of MDS (Movement for a Democratic Society) either under the name of Frank Runninghorse or any other name. He has never applied for membership. He did send emails and photos to Alan Haber of MDS that showed picket signs that had “MDS” written on them. But he has never become a member of MDS and there is only one MDS Chapter in the SF Bay Area. It is Movement for a Democratic Society–Bay Area also known as Bay Area MDS. He has never been in it or been to a meeting of it. A few days ago, he wrote, saying that he never knew there was a Bay Area MDS. Yet he has known about it for over a year. Making signs with fists that say MDS on them does not make him or anyone a member of MDS and it does not make an MDS chapter.
Monty is a founding member of MDS and he did not write the post on the Occupy Contra Costa site that Frank Runninghorse copied into the email below that he sent to all of you. Monty did, however, post it, upon a decision, reached by consensus, by MDS, that he should post it for MDS.
All who read this message, please know that this is official notice from MDS to comrades in California and everywhere that Frank Runninghorse is not a member of Movement for a Democratic Society (MDS) and any political organizing he has done or is doing is not in the name of MDS and MDS would like him to stop pretending to be MDS. People who believe themselves to be MDS members, based on their participation in the groups Frank Runninghorse has alleged to be MDS chapters are also not MDS members. They have been deceived or mis-led by Frank Runninghorse. Any such person, wishing to be a member, is welcome to join, according to procedures on the MDS website.
The so-called MDS chapters that Frank Runninghorse claims exist in Concord, North Bay, and Richmond, are not bona-fide MDS chapters. Calling oneself a member of any organization does not make it so, if there has never been an official organizational connection to the organization one poses as–that is true of unions, political parties, the Boy Scouts of America, and countless other organizations.
Even after telephoning Alan Haber, on November 28th, and being told what MDS finds objectionable about his, wrongfully, representing himself as MDS, Frank Runninghorse has proceeded to misappropriate and use our logo on an email flyer. He seems to feel no shame in not having contacted us to ask about Monty before painting him as possibly “Cointelpro.” There has been no apology. In fact, Frank Runninghorse acts like he has been wronged.
Some people are so disruptive in the movement and to the movement that they deserve criticism. We have no pleasure in having to make these criticisms. We hope this will prompt Frank Runninghorse to re-evaluate and alter his undemocratic behavior. We did not seek to know things about or be involved with Frank Runninghorse. We seek accountability, responsibility, and to build MDS. We are asking Frank Runninghorse to please cease and desist from representing himself as a member of MDS.
MDS is critical of the above, undemocratic behavior of Frank Runninghorse. We would want these points and others answered before we would consider Frank Runninghorse for membership or authorize him to represent himself as connected with Movement for a Democratic Society (MDS).
MDS began because of the need, we saw, for an organizational form allowing a large variety of groups to cooperate and advance a radical, participatory democratic politics. It was not begun to allow an individual or few to appropriate its name, and such credibility as it might have. We are open to respectful and substantive dialogue, presentation of evidence, and other sincere expressions of sincere progressives, including our comrades in the OWS movement around the country and around the world.
Date: November 24, 2011 6:25:00 AM GMT-05:00
Subject: SLANDEROUS ATTACK ON MDS/SDS By “MONTY”?
MDS COMRADES BACK EAST
We in Nor Cal MDS/SDS are wondering if you have or know of a member called “Monty”
who wrote this post [see below ] to a group that tried to expell MDS/SDS from “Occupy Contra Costa 99%”,
out here in the Bay Area.It was basically a Red Baiting attack with some ad hominem personal slander thrown in as well .They lost the vote 22-4 ,then quit the group when they couldn’t get their way. MDS/SDS is by far the largest organized group in the area. In the last 2 years MDS has organized 3 Bay area Chapters [Concord , North Bay & Richmond ] and 2 SDS chapters [DVC &NVC ] .We are also founding members and play a leadership role in the Oscar Grant Committee in Oakland.
So we are wondering if this guy “Monty” is for real. Is he a terribly misinformed and ignorant member ,who didn’t
have the curtissy , solidarity or wisdom to contact us first before posting such a bogus statement or is he just another
false name for Jan Tucker, a private eye, police agent who has consistently used the old COINTELPRO poison pen
technic to slander myself [ Frank Runninghorse ] and MDS/SDS periodically.
FYI , before we launched MDS in the Bay Area
we contacted the MDS national office . And we e-mail Al Haber with daily updates and reports.
We are extremely active in the Bay Area movement with about 30 active MDS/SDS members.Making us one of the larger groups on the Bay Area left.We have never met or heard of any other Bay Area MDS chapters or individuals. Is any of “Montys” post true or is this more FBI/COINTELPRO ,Jan Tucker shit. Please let us Know ,if you get this post even if you don’t have any information on “Monty”.
Also included is a set of pictures collected from ‘Indy Bay” over the last year that shows just a small portion of the actions
we have been involved , to give you a flavor of our activity.
Frank Runninghorse
DVC SDS elected community advisor
Diablo MDS , founding member & Treasurer
North Bay MDS ,founding member
Richmond MDS , founding member
Former Diablo Valley College ,student body President [1996]
Former Teamster local 283 , Detroit Mi, shop steward
Peace & Freedom Party ,Contra Costa Co co-chair
Oscar Grant Committee , founding member
Occupy Concord , founding member
#####################################################################
“MONTYS” BOGUS STATEMENT
November 11, 2011 at 9:41 pm |
#3Comrades of Occupy Concord,
We bring you greetings of solidarity in your struggles. Learning that Occupy Concord had come to end at its site of occupation was disappointing to us. Learning the role of Frank Running Horse aka Steve Orcutt and the group of people formed by him calling itself sds/mds was distressing. We are the core group of the MDS Organizing Committee. We are bonafide members of Movement for A Democratic Society (MDS). We wrote the MDS Constitution. We know who our members are. There is only one mds group in the San Francisco Bay Area–Bay Area MDS. Bay Area MDS has existed since 2007. Runninghorse aka Orcutt has never attended a meeting of Bay Area MDS and he has never become a member of the larger organization–MDS. Please know that regardless of the picket signs he makes, that falsely represent him as MDS, that any claims he makes to represent MDS are false. We are your comrades in the Occupy Movement everywhere. We regret that anyone might think that Frank Runninghorse aka Steve Orcutt has or ever had anything to do with Movement for a Democratic Society (MDS).
In love and struggle for truth, justice, peace, and a human revolution everywhere,
Movement for a Democratic Society (MDS)
As a staunch defender of civil liberties he came out for the right of LGBTI people to serve openly in the military, stating emphatically that “Everyone knows that gays have served honorably in the military since at least the time of Julius Caesar” and that “You don’t have to be straight to be in the military; you just have to be able to shoot straight.”
In 1994 he told the Washington Post that “When you say ‘radical right’ today, I think of these moneymaking ventures by fellows like Pat Robertson and others who are trying to take the Republican party and make a religious organization out of it. If that ever happens, kiss politics goodbye.” But perhaps his greatest condemnation of the transformation of the Republican Party into what it was becoming (maybe, degenerating into?) was when he warned his own party “Do not associate my name with anything you do. You are extremists, and you’ve hurt the Republican party much more than the Democrats have.”
