Open Letter to Tim Wilhelm and the Community Of Stelle

 

FROM:        Rick Carter, president of The Adelphi Organization

DATE:         September 21, 1988

 

I am writing this letter to you all in Stelle in response to Tim Wilhelm’s public letter of August 12 to the Stelle Community. For those of you who don’t know me, I have been a member of The Adelphi Organization (TAO) for 9 years and was a member of The Stelle Group (TSG) for 5 years. I taught Human Devel­opment and Computer Literacy in TSG School in Dallas to the children for 4 years. In addition, I was Lemurian Philosophy Seminar Coordinator for TSG and reported directly to Robert Machiz and Malcolm Carnahan. I led over 250 semin­ars in Dallas, Houston, New York and Boston. I became a Director of TAO with Jimmye Foster and Lee Gilbert. I was also the Office Manager for TSG directly under Malcolm. These positions put me in a unique place to view the decision-making processes of both organizations. I will rely on that experience to present a more factual view of what is really happening in TAO.

Until now, people in Stelle have been receiving one-sided information about TAO. This is unfortunate because it has led to grossly distorted, judgmental views of the good people of Adelphi who are trying their best to preserve all that they feel is right and proper. I question the appropriateness of Tim’s making any statements to the Stelle Community about the internal affairs of Adelphi. I have come to resent the gross interference by the Board of Trustees of TSG in the internal affairs of TAO.

I wish that an avenue of communication had existed before Tim wrote his public letter. Tim’s judgmental statements made in his letter’s rumor section do not have a basis in fact. These judgments are unfair and dead wrong. Because of their inaccuracy, they are very hurtful to us here as individuals and very damaging to us as an organization and the work we are trying to do. I say to you, Tim, you had no right to involve yourself in the internal affairs of TAO. By so doing, you have ended up bad-mouthing a situation where you probably do not have all the facts.

I am going to address the judgments in Tim’s letter and then in a subsequent letter provide information that will give a more factual view of things in TAO. I am in a unique position to do this; for in addition to the offices I have held in both organizations, I have been in both political camps. I have experienced both viewpoints and now know the motivations of both sides. To my embarrassment, I supported Lee Gilbert’s and Malcolm Carnahan’s side until I became aware of their intentions and strategies to control the TAO assets and use them in ways opposed to Adelphi’s purpose and in ways by which TSG might benefit.

 

TIM’S JUDGMENT #1: that we who adhere to the original purpose of TAO allegedly see ourselves as doing God’s work simply by supporting Richard.

That is not our belief, We came to do a task in which Richard has a central role. We are willing to draw upon him and be co-workers with him. He doesn’t seem to need our support. Richard keeps forging ahead on his own. He has the Brotherhoods’ road map and Their support. After all that has happened in TSG and TAO, we would be damned fools to think that our association with Richard guarantees us anything. We are intensely trying to learn from the lessons of the past and are trying to develop a relationship that asserts that Richard is not the philosophy (a false conclusion Tim assigns to us in his letter). By close examination, we expect to develop a more effective relationship with Richard in his role as Emissary and as a man.

 

TIM’S JUDGMENT #2: that we believe we are exempt from God’s laws.

We certainly don’t believe we are exempt from God’s laws. Here Tim accuses us of fanaticism. Whatever decisions we have made have come from a deeply reasoned process. (In my case, a reasoning process of at least 18 months.) We believe we have made correct and just choices in accordance with God’s Laws to defend our rights and our property against the decisions of others who were squandering TAO assets and trying to undermine the purpose of TAO.

 

TIM’S JUDGMENT #3: that we don ‘ t respect democracy.

TAO was founded on certain concepts, the foremost being that we had a special task within the Great Plan and that Richard has a special role in that plan. We all agreed when we joined TAO to work within this purpose and specifically to help Richard. We understood that if any of us found this purpose wanting for ourselves, we were honor-bound to leave—not change it to suit oneself. Democracy, or rule by majority, in TAO was set up by Richard to help us in our task of learning self-responsibility and cooperation. When rule by majority is turned from upholding the purpose, and instead supercedes purpose, it crucifies the sanctity of personal contract. When majority rule turns to tyranny, it is no longer democracy. It becomes the taking back of social contracts given, and it leaves in its wake the people who contracted in good faith to achieve an agreed-upon purpose to which they have dedicated their lives, money and labors. Our decision to assume and safeguard the assets of the organization was an effort to not only preserve those assets for what they were originally donated, but also to defend against tyranny and once again establish democracy in its proper relation to the original purpose of TAO.

 

TIM’S JUDGMENT #4: that scum rises, implying we are self-serving, destructive followers of a personality cult.

Tim, these statements shocked me. In fact, they turned my stomach. Your judgments amount to little more than name calling and mud slinging and evi­dently reflect a prejudiced view from Stelle members in Dallas. I am going to list some cold facts to rebut them. It is time that people in Stelle understand the real injustices that are being perpetrated against TAO.

 

When I was director of TAO, I was aware of Lee Gilbert’s and Tim Farage’s plan to dissolve TAO and merge its assets with TSG. I also had discussions with Lee Gilbert and Malcolm Carnahan and others in which this idea was promoted. Until now, Tim, you have made it seem like TSG is on the side of right and justice. It is our concern that you are promoting a one-sided view of affairs internal to Adelphi since you could profit by Adelphi’s demise. I hope this is not true. And I hope that you can understand that the situation in TAO is the result of a flagrant disregard for the agreements each of us made when we joined the organization. We all agreed to uphold the Brotherhoods’ purpose and the wishes of outside donors to accomplish the work of the Great Plan. There have been manipulations and violations of TAO’s by-laws and of our IRS agreements by Malcolm’s people who wish to remain in political power and who are using democracy as their rationalization to justify their personal desires. They are taking from those who bought and built Adelphi the fruits of a decade of personal effort and are giving it to many who came down from Stelle and have never tithed to TAO and have done little to construct it.

TAO made a gift of over $15,000 to TSG to help pay its rent and run its school in Dallas for 3 months. Lee Gilbert announced that TAO directors spent another $50,000 in legal fees, at least $15,000 of which went to protect TSG from disclosing its mailing list to the public. The balance went to bring lawsuits that were aimed at destroying the purpose of TAO. $30,000 was allo­cated to remove RK as trustee of Adelphi’s land trust. As a director, I know there was no good case against Richard for misconduct. Genuine attempts at trying to support and work through problems with RK was finally overridden by other agendas that have since become manifest. RK opposed the merging of TAO other agendas that have since become manifest. RK opposed the merging of TAO into TSG as well as other plans and directions. In the end, people just didn’t want to work with him because he opposed their personal desires. To keep him from interfering, they “judged’ Richard, and in judging him they have disregarded our lives and our rights—rights vested in the agreements we all made with each other to pursue and test the Great Plan.

It consider the use of Adelphi’s donated funds against its own purpose and instead for the benefit of those who support TSG to be not only unethical, but further evidence of the disregard of the members’ rights. As long as TAO appears tied to TSG and is being raped, outside donors won’t support Adelphi. When in 1987 I quit my earlier term as a director, there still was $48,000 in TAO’s general checking account. When we moved the account, there was only $7,000 left. The TAO money in its bank accounts was transferred to prevent continued control over that money by persons now mistakenly claiming to be properly elected officials of TAO, namely, Jimmye Foster, Tim Farage, Stephan Dudash and Heather Norris. Removal of the funds to another bank was not theft. The money is still in the hands of TAO and is being held against possible eventual aid to TSG and further abuse by persons mistakenly claiming to be members.

We note with concern Tim Wilheim’s threat of “physical property damage and/or physical bodily harm.” We take Tim’s warning seriously and with deep concern; however, we believe it is incumbent upon us to pursue our course with dignity and courage despite any Trustee spokesman’s attempts to frighten us.

 

(A detailed history will follow)

 

Rick Carter

 

 

 

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