Looking back 13 years ago finds CUNA's Operation Grassroots Across America in full swing. Credit unions in every state were busy drumming up credit union support by making educating members and legislators a priority. "If we give our members the information they need, they will know there is a real threat," said Arkansas Credit Union League President Donald Deems. "We feel facts and reason support credit unions." Also in that issue 24 credit unions in California pledged $100,000 toward an "independent" complete study of the nation's banking system. The study came at the prodding of Patelco Credit Union President Ed Callahan. "I was concerned over the ABA attacks and the use the ABA was making of a study of the credit union system done by a banking organization, the Secura Group, headed by the former head of the FDIC, Bill Isaacs. Our desire was that some group sponsor a comparable study of the banking system," said Callahan. "Now that their study is done, the banks are saying there's no good to be had in comparing the two systems after they worked us over. I'm not drawing any conclusions, I'm just questioning."