Friday, January 25, 2008

AN OPEN LETTER TO NEW SOCIETY PUBLISHERS

Jan 25, 2008


Chris and Judith Plant
New Society Publishers
P.O. Box 189
Gabriola Island
BC, Canada V0R 1X0


Dear Chris and Judith:

For more than two years, based upon the expert advice of my agent, Ken Levine; a well-known Beverly Hills law firm specializing in literary and entertainment law; and ultimately a New York agent representing major authors. I held the belief that New Society had seriously underpaid me royalties for my book "Crossing the Rubicon: The Decline of the American Empire at the End of the Age of Oil".

In the summer of 2006 I openly charged New Society with underpaying me on my website, http://www.fromthewilderness.com, based upon what were then two separate, professional evaluations of your own accounting statements. Both of those evaluations concluded that I had been underpaid by close to $40,000. This was due to the fact that New Society commingled books sold to me with actual book sales, something that is such a deviation from normal accounting practices in the publishing industry that people with decades of experience didn’t even consider it.

I was quite outspoken about my dissatisfaction with New Society in the Peak Oil community based upon this and previous experiences. After paying several thousand dollars for accountings, including a recent one with the Claudia Menza, literary agency in NY, which initially concluded that I had been underpaid more than $59,000, I learned that we were all wrong when Claudia finally discovered your unusual accounting practices.

Inasmuch as I have been the victim of very serious and unfounded allegations about my own personal conduct and ethics, I know how painful such incorrect allegations can be, no matter how they originated. Now that I am certain that I was not underpaid I am correcting the record.

Sincerely,


Michael C. Ruppert

18 comments:

Lawrence Peterson said...

Mike,
One of your greatest qualities is your rigorous honesty and willingness to set the record straight. You continue to be an example to others of the higher ground.

Lawrence

Rice Farmer said...

This one thing I have always admired about MCR: He is always looking for the truth, even when it means correcting his own mistakes. Publicly.

Suzan Koch said...

Dear Mr. Ruppert, This is not in response to your apology to the New Society Publishers, but instead, an opportunity for me to say thank you for all you have done to learn the truth, speak out the truth and publish the truth, as best as you know it. I was quite saddened when you felt forced to leave the country and then fell seriously ill. As a subscriber to the FTW, I was also bereft at its loss and wondering how you were faring. A couple of times I googled FTW, but saw no reemergence of the paper. Imagine how thrilled I was this evening to happen to type in From the Wilderness again, and find this blog. I hope that you have truly recovered and that you remain well. Sincerely, Suzan Koch

A peon said...

Chavez Urges Withdrawals From U.S. Banks

Steve said...

I also say thanks for setting the record straight. At the time I wondered why a publisher would deliberately underpay you, considering the type of books they publish. I am glad you received your fair share, especially since I bought the book.

I appreciate the straight and fact based reporting FTW did. I miss the stories you all did. I gained a great deal of information and insight from the book as well as from the FTW site. It has made me a more informed consumer of all types of information (news) sources.

Best wishes.

Peter J. Nickitas said...

You are a mensch amongst humans, Mike.

Peter N., Minneapolis

DLW said...

Dear Mike Ruppert,

I have only one thing to say. Come back to us. Please. More and more people are discovering you were right all along.

Dominique, France.

Unknown said...

Lawrence and Rice Farmer -- you said it -- I agree!!! Mike, we really miss you and wish you would come back and mingle with us a bit.
I just watched Escape from Suburbia a few nights ago in a town meeting and when you popped up on the screen everyone smiled and shook their heads yes, knowingly. We can't help it! :) You changed our lives.

Unknown said...

Mike, and all those behind and before him: THANK YOU!

I am sorry for the silence of the many, but know that you do and did made a difference...

It is time for others to step up and take the place which you prepared for us.

Love

Rice Farmer said...

The gas tax debate rages in Japan. Lines have been drawn in the sand. Lawmakers have put up their dukes. One side says that the tax should be allowed to expire on March 31. The other side says it is needed for road maintenance, and will try to keep the tax by hook or crook. No matter which side wins, unless oil gets really cheap again, this will be one more nail in the coffin of the car culture.

And then there's this:

Nissan exec: Car culture is fading
http://money.cnn.com/2008/01/14/news/companies/taylor_detroit_nissan_future.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2008011409

This trend has already become quite pronounced in Japan, and automakers are starting to worry.

Tyler Havlin said...

Mike,

It was an honor getting the chance to meet you. Speaking with you face to face is an experience I won't soon forget.

Thank you for everything.

Tyler Havlin
Eugene, Oregon

Rice Farmer said...

US mortgage crisis creates ghost town
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080127183107.ahcwfxrz&show_article=1

Well worth a read. The future is here. This sentence really caught my eye. "Thieves have stripped many homes of the plumbing, the doors, the windows, the aluminum siding."

Suburbia is dying and is now the killing field for asset strippers.

Tyler Havlin said...

American Drug War
The Last White Hope

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7089575692716747795&hl=en

Anonymous said...

Randall Tobias has been appointed by the new mayor of Indianapolis to head the airport board for Indianapolis to oversee a $1.2 Billion expansion project.

In case you've forgotten, in April 2007 Tobias was forced out of his positions as head of the US Global AIDS effort and head of USAID after being discovered frequenting prostitutes. He's a guy who's spent a lifetime covering up corporate and government crimes.

Anyone have any clues on what he might be planning to cover up at the Indianapolis Airport?

I'm highly suspiscious. Last spring, the State of Indiana hosted the most comprehensive live training event in US history to respond to a nuclear terror event. It included active duty military, reserves, national gaurd, State police, local law enforcement, and fire/rescue over a two week period. They used the airport in Terra Haute, IN, under the assumption that Indianapolis Intl Airport would be out of commission.

Additionally, the new mayor is a retired Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel. The governor is a former member of the DHS council and is former Bush OMB director. One of the mayor's primary efforts is to place full control of the police department under him rather than under the elected sherrif, who currently has full control.

Maybe my nose is just too sensitive, but from my perspective, something is starting to stink.

Chris XVX said...

Just another example of what a class act Mike is.

johnny said...

Michael You Rock!

I hope this comment continues to encourage you and others here.

I just posted the information for this Thursday's full page Wall Street Journal ad from GATA on the Global Bank Gold Suppresion Scheme.

If your interested, just go to the ad directly:

http://www.gata.org/node/
wallstreetjournal

Or you can find it at my blog:

http://saynotoglobalgovernance.
blogspot.com/

along with some highlights from this past weeks World Economic Forum in Davos.

Thanks again Michael.

johnny

johnny said...

P.S. Michael and everybody.

My number one reason to say no to global governance is:

1. Global Central Bank corruption, fraud and abuse with no accountability

johnny

miskit said...

Your dedication to honesty and humility is really appreciated.

One more note on a subject you have discussed before, (the Iranian Bourse sans US dollars.) It appears as though 5 middle eastern undersea communications cables have been cut in the last several weeks. ilovebonnie.net has more in depth info. (She?) sees a connection in the disconnection. What do you think?