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September 5, 2008 - "Enough is Enough! On Aug. 15, 2008 Leo McDonnell was served a subpoena initiated by R-CALF-USA and its directors to appear for deposition Sept. 10,^, 2008 in the continuing litigation against past president Chuck Kiker, past director Jon Wooster, Dennis McDonald, and as stated on the subpoena, “John Does 1-5.” It’s ironic that Leo’s deposition will take place almost ten years later to the day that the original dumping suit against Canada was filed.   Even more ironic though is that this all appears to be happening with the knowledge and approval of people Leo considered to be trusted friends like Herman Schumacher, Kathleen Kelley, Johnny Smith, and Randy Stevenson to name a few.  The fact that Leo McDonnell has to spend money to defend himself against the very organization he founded is a travesty.  All of the time Leo has spent away from his family and his business traveling around the country trying to get R-CALF off the ground wasn’t  enough.  All of the money Leo has spent including co-signing notes to the bank to keep R-CALF from going under wasn’t enough.  Now Leo and Sam have to spend more time and money to hire legal council to defend themselves against the “new R-CALF.”  

Mike and I would like to know how many R-CALF members understand that part of your dues dollars are possibly being used to sue some of the original members of R-CALF?  How many of you people that will donate a calf for a roll over auction this fall understand that some of that money may well be used to sue the very people who spent their time and money to get R-CALF started?  Do you know how many members have left since the board shake up, or that R-CALF shut down their Washington DC office because as one director said, it was a waste of resources to keep an office open in Washington DC?   What is R-CALF’s deteriorating financial situation?  While this witch hunt has been going on against some of the original members, what has R-CALF won for you?  They lost the over 30 month case, which as we understand, their own lawyers told them they had a 99.9% chance they would lose, and what did that cost you in dollars and political clout?  Too bad they would not pursue a legislative alternative to stop the over 30 month rule like Leo and Chuck wanted to.  Obviously their odds could not have been much worse.   If a corporation was being run this poorly there would be a house cleaning before it went bankrupt.   We think R-CALF’s house cleaning should start with the out of control CEO and the directors that are too weak or complacent to do the job they signed on for.        

If you think we get any joy out of writing this letter, you are wrong.  No one believed in what the original R-CALF stood for more than we did but we refuse to sit by while this is being done to Leo and Sam.    This letter is meant to shed light on some of the things a few  of the so called leaders in R-CALF are doing, and if you as members don’t start raising some hell about it we doubt R-CALF will last.   That’s not good for any of us cow-calf producers.  If you already know all of this is going on and agree with it, that’s your business, but we believe there are a lot of contributors that don’t know any of this is happening and it’s high time you did.  

Sincerely,

Jack McNamee -  Miles City, MT 

Mike Karrels - Terry, MT                                                                              

September 3, 2008 - "Congratulations!  Any loss of R-CALF and Bill Bullard is of interest to me.  In an unrelated matter, he also just lost a case where he settled out of court after attempting to sue the subdivision in which he lives.  He tried to stop them from paving their roads for a multitude of reasons.  The interesting fact of this case is he used Edward Nord - R-CALF's attorney - to file the suit."

August 5, 2008 - "R-CALF Loses Again!  The lawsuit that R-CALF filed against Dennis McDonald was dismissed by order of the court on August 1, 2008.  McDonald filed a Motion for Summary Judgment and Judge Todd Baugh, Billings District Court, granted that motion.  The complaint R-CALF filed now is focused on Jon Wooster as the only remaining defendant.  However, R-CALF has now turned their sights on Leo McDonnell whose deposition is scheduled for September 10, 2008.  This litigation is nothing more than an effort at childish retribution.  R-CALF as an organization is crumbling and this type of lawsuit is all they have.  R-CALF has spent an estimated $100,000 on this lawsuit and as long as producers across the country continue to fund this foolish endeavor R-CALF will continue to strike out claiming others are responsible for their demise.  Today it is clear that R-CALF continues to exist for two primary reasons:  to finance frivolous litigation and to pay Bill Bullard's $160,000 plus annual salary.  It is very apparent that Mr. Thornsberry could never handle Leo McDonnell’s fame in fine tuning R-CALF to it’s prominence in the cattle industry.  He wanted to be the top dog so bad; he took the whole organization down with him.  Every dirty trick he has pulled so far has backfired.  Too bad; it was a good organization once with good people at the helm."

July 11, 2008 - "Congratulations, Chuck, on winning your motion against the R-CALF lawsuit!  I'm looking forward to seeing the Judge dismiss this entire ridiculous and costly litigation.  What a tragic waste of producer money!"

May 28, 2008 - "I am amazed that money is still being poured down a rat hole on this matter.  To pay an attorney to discover Leo's contact information is beyond nuts.  If they've purged his information from their files then they ought to go look at the original corporate documents filed with the State of Montana where Leo was listed repeatedly along with his contact information as the pivot point for R-CALF.  After all, Leo's listing as the agent for R-CALF on state paperwork was the excuse Bill Bullard used for allowing the corporation to be dissolved, which put the entire USDA lawsuit at risk.  And now they can't supply their attorney with Leo's contact information which hasn't changed in decades????  How long are ranchers going to fund Bill's, Max's and Randy's self-serving folly?"

March 31, 2008 - "The madness is out of control.  As difficult as it is, the truth needs to come out and this lawsuit frenzy needs to stop!!"

March 30, 2008 - "This nonsense must stop.  Whether R-CALF is right on certain issues or not won't matter if producers are afraid to be associated with an organization that is going to look ridiculous for filing complaints against former members."

March 30, 2008 - "Bill and Max need to pull R-CALF out of these silly lawsuits against ranchers and focus their efforts (and my money!) on something more productive."

March 28, 2008 - "Has someone within R-CALF lost their mind?  We just heard that R-CALF is suing former members and going after Leesa Zalesky.  Please tell us that isn't true.  That will really make producers wonder what R-CALF's focus is.  Using membership money for lawsuits is not a very effective use of limited resources.  And, it makes R-CALF look ridiculous in many people's eyes.  What can  you hope to gain in credibility by suing your own members, former and current?  Even if  you're right, the organization will look petty for having done this.  Please rethink your position."

March 14, 2008 - "I was sorry to learn that the director from my area, Ann Werner, resigned.  I guess we'll never learn the reason why (because of the confidentiality statement Thornsberry made her sign), but I wonder if she just didn't get fed up with the lack of integrity from Bullard and Thornsberry, in particular regarding the lawsuit against fellow producers.  Or maybe she was repulsed by all the secrecy that is now reigning at R-CALF.  As a member from her district, I think I have a right to know the answer, but I understand she probably won't tell me because she might get sued if she did!"

March 14, 2008 - "So now that the actual trial has been set for a year from now, Bullard will somehow have to come up with another $100,000 plus.  What is he going to use as a ploy to get producers to give him that much money?  He can't tell them truth or he'll just get laughed at.  It's pretty obvious he's going to have to come up with something 'cause there's no way in hell any producer in his right mind wants to sink his hard-earned dollars into this ridiculous lawsuit.  Too much money has been wasted already on this (unauthorized by producers) - R-CALF directors better wise up or they'll be left with no members and a $200,000 legal bill to pay!"

March 13, 2008 - "During the hearing on Monday, Bullard stated R-CALF lost 3,000 members because of McDonald's remarks.  The judge noted that McDonald must be a tremendous orator because talking to 25 people for five minutes resulted in 3,000 people, none of whom were present, to quit R-CALF.  This, of course is more of Bullard's nonsense.  He has previously stated R-CALF has lost no members (more of Bullard and Thornsberry's lies).  Thornsberry has previously stated he knew of only two people who quit R-CALF.  

Have Thornsberry or Bullard ever considered that their own stewardship of R-CALF has resulted in the loss of membership?  According to Bullard they've lost 3,000 members.  Others have calculated that R-CALF has between 5,000 to 6,000 members, which would mean on Thornsberry's watch R-CALF has lost 6,000 to 7,000 members.  Still others estimate the R-CALF membership at 3,000 to 4,000 based on R-CALF's income statements.  Looks like Thornsberry and Bullard may be responsible for losing as many as 9,000 members on their watch and while R-CALF has been under their stewardship.  These two people may have done more to silence the voice of independent cattle producers than any other two men ever."

March 11, 2008 - "I had a conversation with someone who attended the hearing yesterday.  It appears Bullard is now trying to blame McDonald for R-CALF losing over 3,000 members!  I think he's got it all wrong - he and Thornsberry need to look in the mirror . . . . they only have themselves to blame for that one!  You can only manipulate and lie to people for so long before they get the real picture - this just tells me there are 3,000 very smart people out there."

February 27, 2008 - "Paranoia knows no boundaries at R-CALF.  They forcefully evicted a member of the press, escorting the poor fellow from the open session by using security guards.  No cattle organization has ever become so paranoid and radical as has R-CALF during the direction of Max Thornsberry and Bully Bill Bullard.  The reporter evicted was Steve Dittmer and his description of the event can be read on this site and elsewhere on the web. Mr. Dittmer reports there were 110 people at the convention.  To put that in proper perspective, R-CALF had over 100 participants at the first convention in Rapid City in January 2000.  The United States Cattlemen's Association (USCA) drew nearly 300 to attend a town hall meeting last week in Miles City.  Between Thornsberry and Bullard they have destroyed a once proud organization."

February 23, 2008 - "It's unfortunate that those who traveled to Omaha to the convention were not allowed to question the R-CALF board about the amount of their money spent on litigation.  Do these guys forget who they are working for?  To intimidate folks to the point of threatening eviction from the convention is not the R-CALF of old.  I suppose the board is hiding accounting information because they know they've done wrong and are afraid membership will evict them all from office!!  Come on R-CALF members - it's time to take back your organization and get rid this current and inept board!  We deserve better!!"

February 22, 2008 - (Regarding the R-CALF convention and the two security guards hired; refer to Timeline for further details)  "If we all remember our literature lessons, in George Orwell's 'Animal Farm', things really got out of hand when the head pig (Major?) started with his "body guards" (the pups he had trained).  After that anyone who disagreed, disappeared.  To hell with accounting for all the litigation, how much are Bill's rent-a-cops costing."

February 22, 2008 - "Wow! I shouldn't be shocked after all that has happened this last year, but I guess I am.  I am in utter amazement that any organization that touts democratic and free ideals would kick out someone from the press.  The insane are truly in charge of the asylum! Of course, I believe Thornsberry's "rules" referred only to the audience and how they should act, not the other way around!" 

February 21, 2008 - "I just read an article from Chris Clayton, DTN Staff Reporter, that quotes R-CALF President Thornsberry as stating, "R-CALF is set up so the leadership must follow the policy. They cannot go off on a tangent or on their own path and if that does happen, the leadership and membership of R-CALF can change that leadership immediately." 

It seems Thornsberry does not adhere to his own statements.  Isn't leadership now going off on their own tangent by filing the lawsuits against former members and directors?  Where is the R-CALF policy directing leadership to file these lawsuits? Since it doesn't exist, I would suggest R-CALF members follow Thornsberry's advice and "change that leadership immediately."

Hypocrisy never recognizes itself.  What has gone on with good money from hard-working people is a tangent being conducted by a few people without regard for the membership, or for letting the membership guide the board.  The parallels these days between NCBA and R-CALF are stunning.

R-CALF leaders of today constantly belittle and attempt to discredit fine people who have their sights set on what's best for the industry.  Jealously and insecurity drive them rather than what's best for the overall industry.

When the Farm Bill underwent serious and sensitive negotiations in the House of Representatives a few months ago, USCA's lobbyist was right in the thick of things.  Guess where Mr. Bullard was?  Sitting in a corner in a hallway by himself talking on his cell phone.  He has no credibility in Washington, thus neither does his group. 

The members left at R-CALF are holding onto a dream of what used to be, not what they have today."

February 17, 2008 - "Can somebody explain to me the purpose of the lawsuits?  From what I can tell R-CALF leaders are mad because some documents appeared on a website that they didn't want anyone to see.  I thought this was a "member organization".  If so, don't members have a right to see all documents generated from their outfit?  Bullard's salary is something that should be available for the membership to see - we are essentially his employer so we damn well better know what we're paying him.  The other thorn under their skin is the Larsen Report.  That report is still on the internet, all you have to do is search "swifthorses larsen report" and you can read it.  Seems like a thorough and impartial evaluation that members, as employers of R-CALF staff, should all read.  Why didn't the R-CALF office send this around to all the members?  They paid for it - they have a right to read it.  Does anyone know if any of the recommendations were followed?  I bet if membership had been given the chance to read it something would have been done to rectify all the problems!  This report was written two years ago - we probably wouldn't be in this mess if problems had been taken care of back then!!"  "P.S.  I don't see the word "confidential" stamped anywhere on that document. . . so why in the hell has $100,000 been spent on a lawsuit."

February 17, 2008 - "Now I know why people are now calling R-CALF by the name R-LAFF.  What a joke.  I can't go to the convention, but if I could I would demand the Kiker lawsuit be dropped immediately - pouring more and more money into this is ridiculous.  Poor business management.  Poor leadership." 

February 16, 2008 - "This probably isn't a politically correct question, but are Bullard and Thornsberry unstable?"

February 14, 2008 - "I just received my Montana Cattlemen's newsletter in the mail today and read the explanation from the MCA Board of Directors on what's been going on with R-CALF this past year.  I was shocked and had no idea of the craziness taking place.  I decided to learn more so got on this website.  Thank you to whoever is putting this information up - members have a right and need to know what's taking place.  As an R-CALF member I am disappointed that the current R-CALF leaders have pretty much destroyed in my eyes whatever integrity the organization once had.  What are they thinking, suing former members and leaders - what a waste of my money and lack of integrity!  These guys are nuts!!  It sounds like they're childishly jealous of the new U.S. Cattlemen's Association and are acting like second graders filing these lawsuits.  Unfortunately, it is at the producer's expense." 

February 3, 2008 - "It is very disturbing and disheartening to read all of the details regarding the actions of the current leaders of R-Calf.  My overall observation is that somewhere along the way, Board members forgot to check with those they are supposed to represent, before they initiated major actions, such as removing Chuck Kiker as the President of R-Calf, which in turn led to Leo McDonnell and other good people leaving the Board, key committee positions or leaving the organization completely.  

Mistakes and poor communication may have occurred on both sides of an issue, but now it is nothing more than personal vendettas and a lack of professionalism that has destroyed the original R-Calf that many worked so hard to start.  What’s seems to be left is a group of self serving people in leadership positions and the innocent members at large, who don’t know yet what has happened within R-Calf.  So they will continue to throw their hard earned money into litigation, some of it used for legal actions membership may not support if they were given the details.

Bylaws, fiscal responsibility and accountability mean something to most people and most hardworking ranchers will not tolerate or support what has happened and continues to occur under the current R-Calf leadership.

We must continue to have a respected voice in Washington DC to counter NCBA on the issues that caused R-Calf to be founded in the first place.  As our Senators and Congressmen hear about the internal struggles within R-Calf, how can they consider R-Calf a credible or stable national voice for the industry?  I’m grateful that a group of people were willing to found USCA to continue to represent our industry if the R-Calf Board doesn’t get the organization back on track and under control quickly."  

February 1, 2008 - "What's happening at R-CALF is an abomination - the pockets of ranchers are being picked and their hard earned money is being used for crap that they not only don't know about but will have absolutely no affect to their bottom line.  What a tragic waste of resources."

February 1, 2008 - "This isn't the same R-CALF we first joined - what a shame that the top guys who are now running the show are bringing it down - how do we get rid of them and get things back to the way it used to be?"  (You need to attend the R-CALF convention in Omaha, NE on February 20-23 and ask the hard questions so fellow R-CALF members are made aware of what their leadership has been doing and can decide for themselves if that is the course they wish to continue.  Don't let them skirt around answering the facts.  You have an absolute right to know (1) How much producer money has been spent on the lawsuits against Lane, Kiker, Wooster, and McDonald, and don't take their word for it because you may not get the truth, so demand to see the actual invoices from the law firm of Eric Nord since March 2007 - this is your absolute right as a member; (2) What does R-CALF expect to gain in the unlikely event R-CALF wins and does the gain justify the amount of money spent on an issue unrelated to the cattle industry; (3) How much money is still owed to Stewart and Stewart and what are their plans to pay the debt; (4) What has been spent on the OTM rule to date; (5) Ask for a financial statement for 2006 and 2007, setting forth all income and expenses.  These are questions every member MUST have the answer to in order to understand the present financial status and direction of the organization.)

January 31, 2008 - "Very thorough website.  Learned a lot and I was totally unaware of what was happening with R-CALF.  Guess they won't be getting any more of my money."

January 31, 2008 - "I am shocked to learn about how my money is being spent.  What's wrong with those guys?  Even $1 spent on these lawsuits is too much!!"

January 30, 2008 - "I am a member of USCA and R-CALF.  Both organizations are working for the same end result, just going about it in different ways.  I don't understand R-CALF's new policy of why they would not want us to support both groups.  With that kind of attitude it is pretty clear if I had to make a choice which one it would be."