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INTRODUCTION:
Dissatisfied with all of the previous attempts to return America to
its original mission, affirmation of the rights of the individual
and the spiritual journey thus enabled, Ms. Pillsbury-Foster began
an intense study of the issues, beliefs, and strategies utilized by
the various parts of American cultural and political movements with
the view of identifying tools that would work. In the
late 1980s Melinda concluded that what was needed was a radical decentralization and a parallel change
of institutional tools to ones that lowered the costs of conflict
and provided justice . She then began looking for
solutions.
Pillsbury-Foster's original research came from many years of hands on experience
with a wide variety of organizations with a broad range of missions,
including political campaigns and parties. Through the 90s her studies of political
philosophy coupled with the insights provided by developing
disciplines in sociology, cultural anthropology and neurobiology
provided the raw material from which she developed her approach to
change.
Working in politics through the Republican and Libertarian Parties,
Ms. Pillsbury-Foster had discovered that the form of an organization
always drove outcome. If you start with an acorn no amount of work
will turn the mature form into a tulip. Therefore the focus must be
local.
KEY
EXPERTISE:
·
Experience in rethinking new forms of organization for
human action.
·
Networking and organizing.
·
Experience within the existing political parties,
fraternal, and civic organizations.
·
Three years of experience in talk radio as a show
host.
·
Formulating ideology for use with cultural tools.
·
Reframing the paradigm using humor and history.
EXAMPLES OF PAST PROFESSIONAL
EXPERIENCE:
 Columnist:
The Lone Star Iconoclast
Pillsbury-Foster Writes a column every week on subjects each
of which take the reader out of the box of corporate thought.
Columnist:
Liberty for All, Novako, American Politics Journal, Oped News,
American Chronicle.
Talk
Show Host – Neighborhoods 21 Radio Network
Ms. Pillsbury-Foster co-hosts a talk show, A Globe of
Villages, three times a week. The show features all of the ways
that people can climb off the grids and back to freedom. Her
co-host is Connie Shannon.
Manager
– Dolores White for State Senate, 20th District,
Republican Party
Served as Campaign Chairman Chairman for the first campaign
and managed the second. During the second campaign, run in the
aftermath of the removal from office of Alan Robbins, the long time
incumbent, State Senator David Roberti moved into the seat to avoid
the effects of redistricting. Although he did prevail he was
recalled the next year because of the campaign launched by White and
Pillsbury-Foster. Ms. Pillsbury-Foster planned and wrote the
advertising and political satire for that campaign. Roberti barely
withstood the recall, forced to stand for election again. He then
lost his run for State Treasurer.
Member:
Advisory Board, National Coalition for Family Justice
The court system and law do
violence to families, ordinary women, men and children, every day.
Pillsbury-Foster acted as an advocate for families being crushed by
the court system and by abuse, speaking publicly on the subject at
conferences across the country.
Advocate:
Justice for Disabled Americans
The CPA,
accountants, other political activists, her then husband, and every
member of her family said it was impossible. They said the couple
would be paying for a minimum of five years because her husband had
refused to file his tax returns, concealing this from
Pillsbury-Foster. Although he owned nothing having always had his
employers withhold far too much, still the IRS had invented a return
and claimed he owed much, much more. Pillsbury-Foster made him go
to a therapist who agreed he was emotionally disabled. Checks
refunding monies levied began coming back. Eventually the entire
amount taken, $250,000.00, was received.
Chairman:
Second National Convention for the Republican Liberty Caucus
The event saw presentations
from prominent speakers from across the country on a variety of edge
issues. Speakers included The Right Reverend Robert Sirico of Acton
Institute, Eugene Volokh, Professor of Law at the University of
California, Los Angeles, Walter K. Olson, Senior Fellow, Manhattan
Institute, among others.
Regent:
National Federation of Republican Women
Pillsbury-Foster studied the organization while being active, noting
the strategies that marginalized women in the Republican Party
during the campaign for president by Ronald Reagan.
President:
Business and Professional Women, Santa Barbara
Chaired meetings, oversaw the
day to day business of the organization including fundraising and
speakers.
First
Vice President: National Federation of Republican Women, Santa
Barbara County
Arranged
for speakers, attended conferences, designed graphics, wrote
articles for general publication.
Founder
& President: Arthur C. Pillsbury Foundation
Pillsbury-Foster began her work
on the AC legacy at the behest of her father shortly before he died
in 1991. Arthur C. Pillsbury was one of the first proponents of the
idea of the Knowledge Commons, that information should be shared
transparently, an early expostulation of open sourcing. Pillsbury's
inventions included the circuit panorama camera, the lapse-time
camera for recording the life of plants, the microscopic motion
picture camera, the X-ray motion picture camera, and the underwater
motion picture camera. All of these were dedicated to ensuring that
people would have the truth and insight to decide for themselves.
None of these were therefore patented.
Member
– Libertarian National Committee
Pillsbury-Foster served on
the National Committee during the period when Ron Paul was
considering his run for the Libertarian nomination for President.
Candidate
- 20th State Senate, San Fernando Valley, Libertarian
Party
Pillsbury-Foster originated
the wrap-around bumper sticker for candidates with long names,
spending a scant $200 on the race she still managed several other
campaigns at the same time.
Libertarian
Party Office
Pillsbury-Foster started and
maintained a functioning office in West Los Angeles on Westwood Blvd
for the LP doing all the fundraising her self and finding staffing
from volunteers for three years.
Manager:
Managed 14 Libertarian Campaigns
Ran simultaneously 14
campaigns for candidates running for state senate, state
legislature, and Congress.
Normally
for a third party a full slate would have been prohibitively
expensive unless the candidates were 'passive,' taking no action,
having no literature or other campaign material except public
appearances arranged by other organizations free of charge. In most
areas candidates were passive, their names appearing on the ballot
while they did not campaign. Pillsbury-Foster arranged individual
literature, appearances, signs, precinct walking, and other campaign
tools for all 14 candidates on a minimal budget of $1,500.00.
A full
slate of candidates means many races. In 1980 the Libertarian Party
committed itself to a full slate across the country in support of
its presidential ticket, Ed Clark, Chief Legal Counsel for Arco, and
David Koch, Vice President of Koch Industries.
County
Chairman, Los Angeles, Libertarian Party
Coordinate and oversee campaigns and party business's. Chaired the
first meeting for Los Angeles of 250 activists in Down Town Los
Angeles.
50th
Birthday Party for Roger MacBride
Organized a fundraiser for
Libertarian candidates using the Birthday of Roger MacBride, the
producer of Little House on the Prairie, was the adopted grandson of
Rose Wilder Lane as the event.
Southern
California Vice-Chairman, Libertarian Party of California
Six terms - Introduced
projects and decentralized organizing, providing projects and
networking.
Chairman
– Libertarian Party, San Fernando Valley
Rebuilt an organization that was mostly defunct into a strong
and organizing political team.
Chairman:
Stamp Out Unfair Regulations.
With Walter K. Olson organized the first deregulation group.
Chairman
– Libertarian Party, West Los Angeles
Ran the
local organization, organizing fundraising, coordinated protests.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Credentialed Teacher: The Bradley
System
- Santa Monica College
- Charter Student,
- St. Stephens of Rome
BOOKS & AWARDS:
- GREED: The NeoConning of America
Book written in 2004 to tell the story of how those in the
pay of corporations carry out their work of deceit.
- A Tour of Old Yosemite
Book designed to tell the story of the Pillsbury children
growing up in Yosemite and, as the back story, the
accomplishments of Arthur C. Pillsbury, her grandfather.
- Honoree: Solvency Day, Libertarian
Party of California
Pillsbury-Foster was roasted at the Braemar Country Club by
seven prominent Libertarians including Robert Mish, Alicia
Clark, Gary Meade for John Fund, John Dentinger, Jack Sanders,
Bruce Lagasse, Jeff Hummel, Laura Crockett-Gordon, Joe Fuhrig,
and Less Antman. The event was held to honor Pillsbury-Foster
for her activism and to pay off the debt owed by the LPC to John
Fund.
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