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| A PAINTING BY BRIAN NICHOLS INSPIRED BY A VISIT TO ZIMBABWE |
As a member of a loosely-formed fund-raising
group in Peterborough, I had personally made seven month-long visits to Howard
Hospital, and we had very happily raised over $210,000.00 for the hospital and
for school fees for children in Cheweshe. I have contacted TSA in
Zimbabwe, Canada and in the United Kingdom to express my concerns and
frustrations. We learned that $18,000.00 worth of building materials purchased
in 2011, on my last visit, were now reported missing/stolen in addition to
$13,000.00 of the $20,000.00 just sent can not be accounted for. It is not
the loss of the funds that bothers me the most but the denial and cover-up that
is distressing.
I have never had any of my emails responded to,
either before or after the internal investigation. We have been told by
TSA in Zimbabwe that we cannot visit Howard Hospital, and they have even
wrongly suggested that we cannot be guests in Zimbabwe.
It is difficult to express how devastating this
lack of response from TSA has been. To deny and cover up corruption, to
cause unnecessary suffering and death, to lie and blame others, to silence
those affected and involved and to ignore our concerns is unconscionable.
I have lost faith in TSA as a Christian
organization and do not see the leadership as trustworthy. That is a
huge personal blow and to move forward has been extremely difficult.
My own faith group, The United Church of Canada,
has refused to ask TSA for answers or to officially express our concerns.
Our support for Howard Hospital has come from more than seven faith groups in
Peterborough and has been closely observed by our local media. The long-term
impact on the reputation of TSA is difficult to measure but I believe that it
has been significantly tarnished.
My belief in TSA as a trustworthy group, that I want to financially support, is destroyed and my recovery as a person wanting to do 'good work in the world' is presently pretty rocky. To knowingly harm vulnerable people in our world is a grievous sin and one that cannot remain unchallenged by those who know what is going on. I will continue to speak out against TSA until they right this wrong.
My belief in TSA as a trustworthy group, that I want to financially support, is destroyed and my recovery as a person wanting to do 'good work in the world' is presently pretty rocky. To knowingly harm vulnerable people in our world is a grievous sin and one that cannot remain unchallenged by those who know what is going on. I will continue to speak out against TSA until they right this wrong.
Brian Nichols in his studio.
27 comments:
Along with many others, I have followed this story right from the beginning, and each article I read amazes me further. I cannot understand why TSA is being allowed to get away with this. It is beyond belief for a Christian, allegedly humanitarian, organisation to behave with such a complete lack of morality, compassion and transparency, and, it would appear, to condone criminality in its worst form - robbing the sick and vulnerable - they very people they are charged to love and serve with the compassion of Christ.
Each article I read makes me feel physically sick, and the sense of frustration from reading them is palpable.
I am a member of TSA in the UK, and we have been asked to undertake prayer and fasting for the High Council. I really believe in the power of prayer, but I imagine many, many prayers have been raised on this subject already, all apparently to no avail. I know the Lord doesn't always give us the answer we want, and we sometimes have to wait to see any results, but these Christian qualities, which are the bedrock and basis of our faith seem to be sadly lacking in our spiritual leaders. That is incredulous.
Brian, I understand your despondency – but there has to be a day of reckoning for TSA. There is a verse in the gospels that says ‘wherever people will not welcome you or listen to what you have to say, leave them and shake the dust off your feet as a protest against them!”
Admittedly, the context is different, but the spirit of the words are relevant to this issue.
I am in a real dilemma over this matter. I never in my wildest dreams imagined that this situation could arise in TSA. I have always trusted in and looked up to senior officers, and admired their commitment and calling.
Where do us Salvationists go from here? Many are serving in corps who know nothing about this and my fear is that in walking away we will do even more harm to the Kingdom.
I do wish that this could be brought out in the open - BEFORE the high council meets - in such a way that TSA will HAVE to acknowledge the huge humanitarian tragedy that has arisen because of its continued prevarication and platitudes.
Take heart, Brian, that you are not a member of TSA! And please - don't let it affect your desire to do good works - there are many deserving causes requiring financial, spiritual, practical and emotional support in this sin-sick world - by giving up I believe you would be playing into the hands of Satan - how he loves it when Christians are in turmoil.
Apart from my weekly 'cartridge' I do not support TSA - I give my money to other worthy charitable Christian organisations - sad, or what - when TSA's own people could be filling their coffers! I must admit, I do find it painful to do, but to 'hit them in the pocket' is my only way of challenging what happens at higher levels. They will lose much more than they will gain.
UK Soldier
If a 2 page summary was written, who can assist in getting it in the hands of the HC? Admittedly, the HH tragedy might not be high on the list of concerns, but the elected General takes office essentially on his/her election. The HH debacle would then be in their briefcase!
USS active
I'm not in the legal profession, but I think I'm right in saying that , in UK law, if you post something addressed to a specific person, unless they cede this right to a secretary or someone, it's only to be opened by that person. So I reckon that letters addressed to individuals c/o the Renaissance hotel will be held at reception and given to the addressees when they pick up their keys.
Also - friend from UK, I completely agree. In future its half a tithe cartridge - if I want to worship at the local SA I have a responsibility to help keep the doors open - and the other half elsewhere!
Another UK
Sorry, I meant also to ask, has the HC been mentioned at your corps then, UK? Not at mine. Perhaps the whole things so low key the officer simply forgot. But there hasn't even been a list of delegates in Salvationist either and, as presumably they'll arrive Thursday at the latest for pre session Friday, next weeks a bit late. Obviously I can access it on the internet but not everyone has the facility and its harder to pray for people "I the abstract".
Another UK
Yet one more, 'another UK'. Our officer knew nothing of this scandal until I mentioned it yesterday. She now wants every detail convinced she's been deliberately kept in the dark.
There must be one officer out there willing to speak out? If not, what's left to believe in and fight for?!
Just back from Post Office. Letters en route to all HC delegates.
Feeling a bit less despondent about this. Even if not discussed formally at HC, bet it will be during recesses! And to try and ban that would actually raise the matter's importance, surely .
Praying!!!
(Name on file)
So far I've kept my personal comments to a minimum on the subject of HH and the Dr. Thistle fiasco. This is because except for what I've read on this site, being revealed in bits and pieces, at least until Dr. (Major) Watts chimed in, I didn't feel that it was my place to make comments on just those bits and pieces of what appeared to be a very complicated puzzle. I still refuse to comment too judgmentally on the Dr. Thistle dismissal as there still seems to be something of a "he said, she said" quality to the whole mishmash. I also find it interesting that Dr. Thistle himself (who is now a former officer)hasn't made any attempts to comment on the reasons for his own dismissal! It seems to me that if it should be important to anyone it should be important to him!
However, there are two related questions to this whole incident that I am wondering about:
1. Why is Joyce Mujuru allowed to show up at political functions in her SA uniform (I remember reading some time back that she was in uniform when the President of Zimbabwe was sworn-in) or as a previous article suggested, allowed to turn SA meetings into political rallies in the first place? Even if African SA leaders and the African IS are impressed and think that it gives TSA some sort of status in their own backyards, why isn't someone at IHQ standing up to this breach of SA principles and telling her to knock it off?
2. Since the Army in sub-Saharan Africa is growing by leaps and bounds, I'm also wondering how much of it has been influenced by the African Evangelical Church's attraction to the American Pentecostal penchant for the Prosperity Gospel? It seems to me that if you mix anti-Colonialism with a Prosperity Gospel type Xianity, run by indigenous leaders, an IHQ staff who might be afraid of threats of schism, or even worse being labeled racist, and you throw into that mix an influential layperson (soldier) politician, you've got a recipe for corruption somewhere along the line and at some point you're asking for trouble BIG TIME!
I still do hope FSAOF's efforts to get the HC to address the HH issue works, but knowing enough about how corporate minds work, don't anyone be surprised if at the very most a few well thought out, well written (usually by ghost writers!) platitudes aren't just thrown out by the powers that be. Yet like most, I do hope and pray for something much more. May God continue to Bless TSA (as He always has!) sometimes even in spite of itself!
Daryl Lach
USA Central
"You Must Go Home By the Way of the Cross, To Stand With Jesus In the Morning!
Thank you Brian Nichols for this exposee. For those of us who have been trying to bring this issue to light for almost a year now, it has been so frustrating working against gag orders put out by the Army and censorship on official SA websites. So a huge thank you to FSAOF for doing this exposure.
It is shocking and TSA's leadership is acting like a totalitarian regime. I quote, " In the promulgation of the totalitarian belief system, at first we are told we all have a right to an opinion (consultative leadership is the buzz word)...Soon under the iron control of an empowered totalitarian movement, facts become worthless, kept or discarded according to an ideological litmus test. Lies become true. And once the totalitarians are in power, facts are ruthlessly manipulated or kept hidden to support the lie.... The goal is the destruction of - the ability to think for oneself, to draw independent conclusions, to express dissent when judgement and common sense tell you something is wrong, to be self-critical, to challenge authority, to advocate for change and to accept that there are other views, different ways of being that are morally and socially acceptable."
This description of totalitarian regime applies to TSA in possibly various circumstances but particularly in this HH debacle. It is shameful for a Christian organization as outsider Brian Nichols has said.
Like other Salvationists writing here, our family has decided to withdraw financial support from TSA because we've lost confidence in the leadership. Also we do not agree with keeping this organization top heavy administratively with all these HQ's all over the world, which each get financed by a tithe as money passes through them. We will give a small cartridge to our local corps to cover our use of worship facilities but TSA has to right wrongs in the HH case and make some major administrative set up changes before we will ever again support them financially.
Please can someone explain the nature of SA Gag orders? What are they, how are they processed as to effectively silence salvationists? Is there some kind of threat or penalty attached that makes them effective? I had no idea they even existed.
Examples of gag orders are such as the following: All active officers in the Canadian territory have been told not to comment on line or off line about the HH debacle.
A number of former officers are posting Jolinda's excellent article on the High Council site, and each time someone posts it, the censor at IHQ removes it.
Another example is that no one has been given a reason why Linda Bond took immediate retirement; why there was no farewell meeting; or where she has disappeared to.
Secrecy and gag orders are how every militaristic organization functions. It is considered best to keep those on the front lines ignorant of the decisions being made by those in the war room.
Thank you. I am just concerned as to what kind of pressure in a Christian community is so effective in rendering intelligent and thoughtful persons silent and powerless to withstand it
Officers could find themselves disciplined for disobeying gag orders - probably why so many people write on this website anonymously. I suppose lay soldiers and officer soldiers could be dismissed for disloyalty to TSA. In the case of officers their officership could be terminated for disobedience to the lawful orders of a higher up officer. Dr. Thistle's officership was apparently terminated for disobedience to the instructions from THQ Canada to return to Canada.
Gag orders are serious business and keep the lay soldiers, adherents, and friends of the Army from hearing about things like this debacle - they are treated like mushrooms. It is the opposite of transparency.
Even retired officers received gag orders over this one I believe Dr. Watt mentioned in his posting. He obviously did not knuckle under. Wonder if that had anything to do with his wife's part time position being done away with as funding was cut for it, or if his speaking out was the reason they were told to turn in their keys to their corps building and remove anything that belonged to them from their corps building. Maybe it's just co-incidence - what do the rest of you think?
That's why two posters on here commended Dr. Watt for his consistent courage in speaking out about the truth of this situation for a year now.
Lots of ‘anonymous’ people asking questions!
To the person who asked ‘Sorry, I meant also to ask, has the HC been mentioned at your corps then, UK?’ – the answer is ‘No’. We actually had a DHQ officer with us yesterday, and the subject was not mentioned. The CSM did ask for prayer for the HC during the announcements, but only because he’d seen in it on the Internet and thought it was important. Nothing in DHQ newsletter at all.
I asked the officer if he knew about it and he said no. Reading about the shenanigans by our ‘revered’ leaders on this website I actually believe him.
I intend to print out excerpts of this sorry saga and send them to other corps in the division, and to bring up the subject in my conversations with fellow Salvationists, as I do not think it’s ethical or spiritually wise to try to stifle the truth.
I, too, am shocked that there are no details in Salvationist about the HC members. They list them freely on other occasions. Strange.
To Daryl Lach – I would imagine the reason Dr Thistle has said nothing may be personal and/or political, as he is now serving in Karanda hospital, Zimbabwe, and Joice Mujuru seems a force to be reckoned with. After being abandoned by TSA in spurious circumstances, Dr Thistle still has a family to care for, and is obviously still focused on his calling – to bring healing to sick people – he still inspires confidence, as people are now travelling to Karanda to be treated, he is still raising funds, and some of these are bound up in politics, if reports on this site are accurate. I don’t blame him one little bit if he refuses to be a political football and chooses to say nothing. In my opinion, most of us would do the same. This way, he gets to concentrate on what really matters – healing the sick and fulfilling his calling.
To the person who said ‘I am just concerned as to what kind of pressure in a Christian community is so effective in rendering intelligent and thoughtful persons silent and powerless to withstand it’ – I totally agree with you. I’ve served in TSA since a young age, and I had total confidence in what I perceived to be its biblically based spiritual leadership. But now – even after reading all this and having my eyes opened, I think I am still in denial that such a situation could ever come to pass.
But never having a reason to question TSA’s authority, I obviously have never done so. And now, faced with this situation, I am still at a loss as to how to proceed. I love the corps at which I worship: I love my fellow Salvationists, adherents and friends, and I love the leadership. They have done nothing wrong – why should I leave and cause further disruption to the Kingdom?
This has all come about through the actions of a select few at the top who have apparently forfeited their Christianity for something that no-one knows about. Position? Power? But it has rocked me to the core. And – I freely admit – I am like a rabbit caught in headlights – I don’t know who to turn to – the officers know nothing, DHQ are not saying anything even if they DO know – who can we go to? The people at the top have it all sewn up.
UK
Anonymous (Daryl) -
You stated:
"I also find it interesting that Dr. Thistle himself (who is now a former officer)hasn't made any attempts to comment on the reasons for his own dismissal! It seems to me that if it should be important to anyone it should be important to him!"
I can think of 3 very good reasons why he hasn't spoken up, even as a former. Those reasons are his wife Pedrinah, and two sons, James and Alexander.
Remember, the Thistles may have left The Salvation Army but they haven't left Zimbabwe to serve in another country. They have been begun serving at the Karanda Hospital. They may be out of the reach and command The Salvation Army (locally and internationally), but he is not out of the reach of the acting President of Zimbabwe (herself a Salvationist, and someone who has been alleged to have pressured the local SA leadership to remove Dr Thistle). I'm sure there is a certain amount of circumspectness of direct comment by the Thistles, especially since they know that their side of the story is getting out.
I would be interested to know how The Evangelical Alliance Mission is handling the influx of patients coming to Karanda now that Howard Hospital is, for all intents and purposes, a defunct facility.
There could also be legal reasons even in Canada why Dr. Thistle cannot speak out. He will have to receive some form of financial settlement from the Army for their pensions. Also perhaps their situation has legal ramifications since the Army forced him to break his oath as a Dr., which other doctors are saying may be a criminal act.
He may not be free to speak out at this time. One thing though, I believe the Thistle`s are still soldiers of TSA and in photos from Karanda they sometimes are still wearing SA insignia, just not red trim. In Toronto last month they attended Paul`s home corps here at Scarborough.
I hope they remain in TSA - could it be said `they are a thistle in the Army`s side`by their very presence!!
With everything being presented as fact and having presented the evidences on this private blog, maybe someone of the FSAO membership should care enough and report IHQ (as the global corporate HQ)to the police and Charity Commission for fraud, misappropriation of publicly subscribed funds/ materials and wilful corruption. When proved, which should not be difficult of course, the IHQ directors ( senior commissioners) will be punished for their misdeeds with a possible jail sentence, fined and banned from holding public office in the future.
http://charitycommission.gov.uk/how-to-complain/
http://www.londonfraudteam.co.uk/who.html
Re: Anonymous & reporting IHQ for fraud, etc...
I found this interesting article at http://www.charitywatch.org/articles/salvarmy.html (note that it is a few years old but the conclusions in the article remain in effect)
Some interesting clips of the article:
"While the parts of The Salvation Army that have been evaluated receive a high rating from AIP based on their financial performance, AIP members should be aware that the organization lacks an independent governing board. AIP encourages all religious and secular nonprofit organizations to demonstrate good governance by electing an outside board of directors that consists predominately of members who do not receive compensation or other financial benefits from the organization that they are governing. Otherwise, nonprofit directors may be tempted to place their own interests over the best interests of the organization. The absence of outside directors at any nonprofit could also lead to serious problems being swept under the rug and away from public scrutiny. "
---
"Many people believe that The Salvation Army is as American as apple pie but in actuality it is a global organization with its headquarters in London, England. The U.S. Salvation Army’s National Commander and governing board are appointed by the General, Paul A. Rader, who is the top ranking official at the Salvation Army International headquarters in London. The General is elected for a five year term by a group of senior Salvation Army officers called the High Council.
AIP asked Lt. Col. Jones if he foresaw any changes in The Salvation Army’s governing structure. He said no. After AIP communicated its concern that The Salvation Army’s governing body is rather insular for such a large charity, he said that to get to the position that The Salvation Army is in they must have the absolute integrity and that considerable checks and balances have been put in place over 30 years. He also said that the Salvation Army is very much a military-style organization and that people are given marching orders that they follow. "
"Following Independence from an oppressive white government, African leaders objected to anything smacking of white control. This perception and defiant attitude was very evident at THQ Zimbabwe, where even auditors from IHQ, London were seen as neo-colonial. Both the International Secretary for Africa and the TC (Africans and who were very good friends with each other) felt this way, the former balking at any supervision of the building of the new Howard Hospital, and the latter insisting that all donations come over her desk, be spent as she wished, and not be accounted for. A $250,000 donation for Dr. Thistle's work was refused because the donors could not assent to these conditions. Donations had a habit of being delayed or disappearing altogether."
JC Former officer
USA Southern Territory
The attribution to "JC Former officer" (which just happens to be me!) is incorrect. The correct attribution is to Major (Dr.) Jim Watt (R), in the FSAOF blog located here:
http://fsaof.blogspot.com/2013/07/the-trail-leads-to-harare.html?m=1
I came across this by Tina Ivany on http://artsforum.ca/ideas/regional-perspectives
…….A prominent name in the Salvation Army’s Zimbabwean branch is Joice Mujuru, the Vice President of Zimbabwe and a possible successor to Robert Mugabe, that country’s autocratic President. She also happens to be a captain in the Salvation Army. Mujuru lives on a 3,500 acre farm south of Harare, which the Zimbabwe Supreme Court found to be illegally seized from the farm’s owner. According to the BBC, Mujuru was purported to be implicated in a scheme to sell gold from the Democratic Republic of Congo to a European company, contravening European Union sanctions. She and her late husband are among the wealthiest and most powerful people in Zimbabwe with extensive interests in mining. According to BBC News, she is one of 200 Zimbabweans hit with European Union sanctions, accusing them of human rights abuses.
Then there is General Linda Bond, head of the entire Salvation Army, with headquarters in London, England, who issued the letter advising Paul of his removal and who continues to foster the lie that his “re-assignment” is all part and parcel of normal procedure within Salvation Army ranks. Allan Bacon, the 75-year-old former Director of Overseas Development for the Salvation Army Canada and Bermuda Territories begs to differ, stating in a letter to International Headquarters, that Dr. Thistle’s “re-assignment” is far from normal procedure, particularly in the case of medical personnel, because the Army has no one to replace them. In a scathing indictment of church leaders, Retired Officer Bacon says there has been a complete abrogation of leadership and that he is so disgusted with his church that he can’t bear to wear his uniform.
E-mails sent to the Army’s International Headquarters protesting Dr. Thistle’s removal are not dealt with in London, but automatically re-directed to the Army’s Canadian territorial headquarters. Comments posted on their website confirm unwavering support for Dr. Thistle and condemnation for the Army’s handling of this matter. General Bond, a Canadian who rose through the ranks to become head of the Salvation Army, declares that “systems of internal and external audit are in place and that a team under her direction will be heading to Howard Hospital as soon as possible to review and analyze the situation further,” but this investigation (if indeed there is one) should have happened as soon as Paul raised concerns, not after he was summarily dismissed. The Army’s official press release states that their first priority is to welcome the Thistles back to Canada. Nowhere does it mention where the money went, nor what they intend to do about getting it back.
Despite several attempts to force him onto a plane, Paul has refused to go. Although he left the hospital grounds within 24 hours of his dismissal, he remains with family in Harare. As he told his mother, he will not leave Zimbabwe until he knows the fate of his nurses and the Army provides answers to the other vital questions: where is the money raised in Canada and where does the Army intend to place him? Until he has solid answers about his own future and the fate of his nurses, he stands resolute in his beliefs, determined to help and support the people of this land he has grown to love.
Reports of corruption and missing funds are all too familiar in places like Africa, especially in dictatorships run by despots, but we expect religious and charitable organizations to live up to their principles and deal with the offenders instead of hiding behind their Red Shield. In their shameful handling of this disgraceful affair, the Salvation Army has made a huge mistake, tarnishing its good name and jeopardizing future fund raising. All of the hierarchy of this organization who failed to stand up for Dr. Paul and Captain Pedrinah Thistle need to give their heads a firm moral shake and hang up their uniforms.
UK
If the whole HH saga story ever was told and seen in balanced context, including the prolonged lead up to the ultimate transfer of the CMO then we would see a different picture emerge that would really surprise some or even disappoint many more.
Alas, we will never hear the whole story,(there is no need for that either) only the parts that (third?) parties involved want us to hear to support their argument against the other. Both principals have officially remained tight lipped - The SA and the CMO. Thank God for such professionalism however annoying for some;);)!
From an unemotional, uninvolved vantage point, there may well have been a lengthy underlying authority issue at stake as to who called the shots at that establishment, with THQ wishing to keep or even regain control of finance, property and personnel matters and that such authority would be manifestly applied.
Did THQ/ IHQ feel bypassed, side lined and perceive the CMO as a very successful 'lone ranger' doing, in their eyes, as he wished, however successfully and needed? Probably! Successful people are rarely liked and often deemed as unmanageable and vilified.
If, I say 'if' this matter was ever incidentally brought up during the HC build up this month, understandably the official corporate IHQ management perspective would prevail.
Commissioners André Cox, the Chief of the Staff, was born in Zimbabwe. He shared in a videotaped interview that his call to officership (to full time ministry) came to him in a strange circumstance. He was entering a movie theatre as a young man and in a vision he saw himself as a SA officer preaching in Africa.
Let's pray that for him a fresh vision has Capt. Paul Thistle in the operating theatre in HH.
FORMER OFFICER
Liverpool
To Anonymous who wrote:
" If the whole HH saga story ever was told and seen in balanced context, including the prolonged lead up to the ultimate transfer of the CMO then we would see a different picture emerge that would really surprise some or even disappoint many more."
While you state you are writing from "an unemotional, uninvolved vantage point", you do initimate that you have some knowledge of this issue that has yet to be present. I find this interesting.
You make several statements that I would like to comment on:
1) "the prolonged lead up to the ultimate transfer of the CMO"
If there was truly a prolonged lead up, then why did the leadership of The Salvation Army at all levels not prepare properly. Surely, if they had as much lead time as you indicate, they could have a vastly better job in preparing to rectify the situation. They could have set into motion the transfer of another qualified surgeon to come in and replace Dr. Thistle. They could have also provided more than 24 hours notice to vacate Howard Hospital and 48 hours to leave the country and return to Canada.
Even now, the legal processes to allow the currently appointed CMO (who is not yet, as far as I have heard, allowed to perform surgery) should have been started during this prolonged lead up. Poor planning on the part of The Salvation Army has caused untold suffering and death.
2) "Both principals have officially remained tight lipped - The SA and the CMO. Thank God for such professionalism however annoying for some"
There is a distinction between professionalism and secrecy & covering your backside. Professionalism would have been to take advantage of the prolonged lead up and make the proper arrangements for outgoing and incoming personnel.
3) "there may well have been a lengthy underlying authority issue at stake"
Lengthy underlying authority issues - I can see that. Where leaders can't or won't lead with principled actions and intelligence of leadership, they are bound to feel threatened by subordinates who can and are willing. A good leader would have found a way to channel "lone ranger" or "maverick" employees.
4) "If, I say 'if' this matter was ever incidentally brought up during the HC build up this month..."
We can only hope that it is brought up. And discussed. And a post-mortem review of what went right and what went wrong is conducted. I would hope the Army would learn positive things from issues such as this, like how to make the leadership better, and how to learn to channel the abilities and personality of "lone ranger" individuals who, in the long run, give so much more to the work of God and the cause of the Army than they take in petty power struggles.
5) "...understandably the official corporate IHQ management perspective would prevail."
Of course. Because the humbleness of saying "a mistake was made, but we're trying to learn from this mistake so we don't make them in the future" would be unthinkable of a Christian organization.
Jolinda Cooper I say Amen to everything you have picked this poster up on. As I read this posting by anonymous I thought I've heard this before - it was part of the Army's early spins on this story. If we people only knew everything that was going on behind the scenes, we'd understand the decision making. Also the secrecy described so often as required privacy and here described as professionalism. I wondered if this posting was written by a Commissioner involved in this debacle or by one of the Army's spin doctors.
I'd just like to add to your points
the following:
"Successful people are rarely liked and often deemed as unmanageable and vilified.: - that's truly the case here and I think is behind much of what has happened. TSA may very well have felt they were losing control of one of their own institutions. But they have shown they care more about their control than about suffering and dying humanity.
"If, I say 'if' this matter was ever incidentally brought up during the HC build up this month, understandably the official corporate IHQ management perspective would prevail."
- this is a very pessimistic view but seems to me to be expressed by someone who knows that change is impossible by people at the top who have long ago in their careers sold their souls to the system as it is. Also how does the HC discuss this issue with key players like Commissioners Chigariro and Peddle sitting there?
I feel as you do Jolinda that this poster mostly spouts the party line, but does bring up a couple of points that are valid.
I, too, would like to respond to anonymous -- with a recogntion for the very commendable work in trying to reestablish the work at Howard Hospital. Let me assure you that nobody wants Howard to fail. Let me remind you that it would have failed some time ago if Paul had not taken the initiative to raise his own funds. Somehow, IHQ has seen this instead as arrogance and disobedience. We are concerned, however, that "the official corporate IHQ management perspective [will] prevail" over compassion and even honesty, and the work at Howard and in the rest of the world will be compromised. On the honesty side, we have official reports that no money or materials are missing when clearly they are; that the hospital is thriving under the leadership of the new CMO when he hasn't arrived yet (I understand he starts tomorrow) and wards remain largely empty; that a surgeon has been appointed to Howard when, apparently, he will not be registered to do surgery; that no complaints of financial problems have been reported when clearly they have -- and most have not been answered, except with an official statement that "false accusations" have been made intended to "malign the Salvation Army". I can only assume that someone has such faith in the organization that they believe it to be infallable and have no fear of God when they write spin on its behalf.
On the compassion side, let me bring the discussion back to where IHQ does not want it to go, the resulting suffering and deaths that both Paul and I warned of, and anyone who thought about it should have expected. The first death I heard of was reported last August by several very upset Chiweshe residents. A woman of about 40 was brought by her children at the appointed time to check on her colostomy (Dr. Thistle had saved her life with a partial bowel resection), only to find the good doctor had been removed at 24-huors notice. Angry, the children appealed to the Provincial Governor who helpfully provided transport to Bindura Hospital. The doctors there, not specialists and not knowing her history, did what they thought was right, opening her up and reconnecting the bowel as best they could. On discharge, on the way home in a car, the wound broke open, her intestines spilled out and she died of shock, a respected woman and well-loved mother.
I know of several score of patients whom the community believes Dr. Thistle would have saved -- but following the arrest and torture of some of their community, they have taken no action. Had these things happened in Toronto, you can imagine the resulting court cases.
Those who have contributed to these pages believe that a wrong should be acknowledged and dealt with, not covered up in the process of "moving forward". We were taught that by you, our leaders. This blog is an appeal from friends, not enemies, of the Army. If you will not listen to friends, do not be surprised if you have to face an outside, public investigation that none of us wants.
We must not jump to conclusions here. We must get both sides of the story and not some tittle tattle and gossip.I fear this site is making a mountain out of a mole hill. The Salvation Army is far bigger than one man.
Uk Soldier
UK soldier - I would not call it a mole hill and the matter is very serious for those concerned and personally involved but you are spot on with the rest! refreshing post....
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