Thanks to Governor Charles Crist, who swiftly responded to my Open Records Request (no charge):
There were at least 17 "mash notes" In support of 41-year old Atlanta developer PHILLIP MAYS' nomination to be County Commissioner: Ex-Commissioner KAREN STERN; her pet goober, current Commissioner MARK MINER; SHERIFF DAVID SHOAR; the PGA TOUR; the BOSELLI FOUNDATION; SIGNATURE (unsuccessful applicant to run County ampitheatre as government contractor), WASTE MANAGEMENT (globe-girdling waste firm founded as merger of mafia-controlled cartage companies as reported by the NY Times); JACKSONVILLE CITY COUNCILMAN ART GRAHAM; ST. JOHNS COUNTY REPUBLICAN PARTY; NATIONAL SAFETY COMMISSION; DRUMMOND PRESS; CHERYL DAVIS KNAPP; AMERICAN LEGION POST 194; LEWIS, LONGMAN AND WALKER lawyer WAYNE FLOWERS, GREG WHITE, Republican pollster/trickster/committeman JON G. WOODARD (and last but not least when you're dealing with the corrupt Republican political machine in St. Johns County), our incorrigible EX-SHERIFF NEIL PERRY of ST. JOHNS COUNTY. (Drum roll, please).
The Confederates (and their confederate) have just been empowered by Governor CHARLES CRIST.
Sorry, CHARLIE, but you're definitely not the People's Governor any longer.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
SUNSINE VIOLATION? GOVERNOR=APPOINTED COMMISSIONER DOES IT ON HIS FIRST DAY ON JOB?
Earlier today, at least one St. Johns County (Florida) Coybtt Commissioner reportedly met with PHILLIP MAYS, named earlier in the day by Governor CHARLES CRIST to fill temporarily the seat of indicted County Commission CHAIRMAN THOMAS GLAIZE MANUEL.
Is this is a violation of the Sunshine Law?
Florida's rigorous Sunshine Law takes effect immediately upon one being elected/appointed, and not swearing in.
With the Republican political machine in disarray, they keep doing things the same old way that got their pal THOMAS GLAIZE MANUEL indicted.
Crooked St. Johns County elected Republicans, you have the right to remain silent, but we wish you wouldn't.
The people of St. Johns County are fed up with your shennanigans and Good Ole Boy gooberishness -- our righteous wrath will help you be defeated in 2010 and 2012.
PHILLIP MAYS could not go through the first day as a Commissioner without meeting another Commissioner.
Shame on PHILLIP MAYS.
Shame on the partisan Republican Governor who would perpetuate the mediocrity of one-party misrule of St. Johns County, Florida.
USDOJ Press Release: FORMER GSA CHIEF OF STAFF DAVID SAFAVIAN CONVICTED OF OBSTRUCTION, MAKING FALSE STATEMENTS
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2008 (202) 514-2007 TDD (202) 514-1888
FORMER GSA CHIEF OF STAFF DAVID SAFAVIAN CONVICTED OF OBSTRUCTION, MAKING FALSE STATEMENTS
WASHINGTON – A federal jury in Washington convicted David H. Safavian, the former chief of staff for the General Services Administration (GSA), of obstructing a GSA internal investigation and making false statements, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich of the Criminal Division announced today.
The jury convicted Safavian of four charges in an October 2008 superseding indictment, following a six-day trial and three days of jury deliberation. The jury found that from 2002 until 2005, Safavian made false statements and obstructed an investigation into his relationship with former Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The investigation focused on whether Safavian, the chief of staff at the GSA from May 2002 until January 2004, aided Abramoff in his attempts to acquire GSA-controlled property in and around Washington.
The jury heard evidence at trial that Abramoff took Safavian and others on a golf trip to Scotland and to London in August 2002, and that Safavian made a false statement to a GSA ethics officer claiming that Abramoff did all of his work on Capitol Hill at the time Safavian was assisting Abramoff in acquiring GSA properties, and planning to travel with the lobbyist to Scotland and London. Safavian repeated similar statements to a GSA Office of Inspector General (GSA-OIG) special agent, again concealing the fact that Abramoff had business before the GSA prior to the August 2002 trip and that he was aiding Abramoff in his attempts to do business with the GSA. The jury also found that Safavian made false statements to an FBI agent investigating the lobbying activities of Abramoff, when he said he was not able to assist Abramoff in acquiring properties because he was too new at GSA. Finally, the jury also found that Safavian filed a false statement on his 2002 financial disclosure form without including information about the August 2002 trip.
The jury found Safavian not guilty of making false statements to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs by claiming to the committee during its investigation that Abramoff had no business before GSA at the time of the Scotland trip.
Safavian faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison on each of the four counts, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. A sentencing date has not yet been set by the court.
Safavian was initially indicted in October 2005 on charges of obstruction of justice and making false statements related to his association with Abramoff. A federal jury found him guilty of four charges in June 2006 but the verdicts on two counts, concealment of material facts to a GSA ethics officer and to GSA-OIG, were later reversed on appeal. Also on appeal, the court vacated and remanded for a new trial the convictions on charges related to the obstruction of the GSA-OIG investigation and making false statements to a GSA ethics officers and a Senate Committee.
Abramoff pleaded guilty in January 2006 to charges of conspiracy, aiding and abetting honest services mail fraud and tax evasion, and was sentenced in September 2008 to four years in prison.
To date, 17 individuals, including lobbyists and public officials, have pleaded guilty or have been convicted at trial as a result of the ongoing investigation into the activities of Abramoff and his associates.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Nathaniel B. Edmonds and Albert Stieglitz Jr. of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Trial Attorney Justin Shur of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section. The case and the ongoing investigation are being led by the FBI, with assistance in this case from GSA-OIG.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2008 (202) 514-2007 TDD (202) 514-1888
FORMER GSA CHIEF OF STAFF DAVID SAFAVIAN CONVICTED OF OBSTRUCTION, MAKING FALSE STATEMENTS
WASHINGTON – A federal jury in Washington convicted David H. Safavian, the former chief of staff for the General Services Administration (GSA), of obstructing a GSA internal investigation and making false statements, Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Friedrich of the Criminal Division announced today.
The jury convicted Safavian of four charges in an October 2008 superseding indictment, following a six-day trial and three days of jury deliberation. The jury found that from 2002 until 2005, Safavian made false statements and obstructed an investigation into his relationship with former Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff. The investigation focused on whether Safavian, the chief of staff at the GSA from May 2002 until January 2004, aided Abramoff in his attempts to acquire GSA-controlled property in and around Washington.
The jury heard evidence at trial that Abramoff took Safavian and others on a golf trip to Scotland and to London in August 2002, and that Safavian made a false statement to a GSA ethics officer claiming that Abramoff did all of his work on Capitol Hill at the time Safavian was assisting Abramoff in acquiring GSA properties, and planning to travel with the lobbyist to Scotland and London. Safavian repeated similar statements to a GSA Office of Inspector General (GSA-OIG) special agent, again concealing the fact that Abramoff had business before the GSA prior to the August 2002 trip and that he was aiding Abramoff in his attempts to do business with the GSA. The jury also found that Safavian made false statements to an FBI agent investigating the lobbying activities of Abramoff, when he said he was not able to assist Abramoff in acquiring properties because he was too new at GSA. Finally, the jury also found that Safavian filed a false statement on his 2002 financial disclosure form without including information about the August 2002 trip.
The jury found Safavian not guilty of making false statements to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs by claiming to the committee during its investigation that Abramoff had no business before GSA at the time of the Scotland trip.
Safavian faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison on each of the four counts, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. A sentencing date has not yet been set by the court.
Safavian was initially indicted in October 2005 on charges of obstruction of justice and making false statements related to his association with Abramoff. A federal jury found him guilty of four charges in June 2006 but the verdicts on two counts, concealment of material facts to a GSA ethics officer and to GSA-OIG, were later reversed on appeal. Also on appeal, the court vacated and remanded for a new trial the convictions on charges related to the obstruction of the GSA-OIG investigation and making false statements to a GSA ethics officers and a Senate Committee.
Abramoff pleaded guilty in January 2006 to charges of conspiracy, aiding and abetting honest services mail fraud and tax evasion, and was sentenced in September 2008 to four years in prison.
To date, 17 individuals, including lobbyists and public officials, have pleaded guilty or have been convicted at trial as a result of the ongoing investigation into the activities of Abramoff and his associates.
The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Nathaniel B. Edmonds and Albert Stieglitz Jr. of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Trial Attorney Justin Shur of the Criminal Division’s Public Integrity Section. The case and the ongoing investigation are being led by the FBI, with assistance in this case from GSA-OIG.
Crist Was For Diversity Before He Was Against It
Governor Crist was for diversity before he was against it. As a state legislator and constitutional officer, he was for diversity, even rejecting non-diverse judicial nominees recently as Governor.
Yet he can only name Republicans from St. Johns County, from wicked evil KAREN STERN (to the Northeast Florida Regional Planning Council) to PHIL PAYS (to the St. Johns County Commission).
Yet he can only name Republicans from St. Johns County, from wicked evil KAREN STERN (to the Northeast Florida Regional Planning Council) to PHIL PAYS (to the St. Johns County Commission).
Orlando Sentinel: Gov. Crist, lawyers argue over diversity of 6 judicial nominees
orlandosentinel.com/news/local/state/orl-nominations0508dec05,0,453310.story
OrlandoSentinel.com
Sentinel exclusive
Gov. Crist, lawyers argue over diversity of 6 judicial nominees
Aaron Deslatte
Tallahassee Bureau
December 5, 2008
TALLAHASSEE
Gov. Charlie Crist this week rejected six nominees submitted to him for an open seat on the 5th District Court of Appeal, saying the list wasn't sufficiently diverse because it contained no black nominees.
But instead of giving him a new list, a nominating commission of Central Florida lawyers took the unorthodox step of telling the governor to, in effect, pound sand.
Melbourne lawyer James Fallace, chairman of the commission, wrote to Crist on Thursday that after more "deliberation," it would resend the same names.
"It is the firm opinion and belief of our Commission that the above-named list of nominees certified to you on Nov. 6, 2008 . . . consists of the most qualified applications for nomination and your consideration for the current vacancy," Fallace wrote.
Crist has taken some heat over the diversity of his judicial appointments since he named two white men to vacancies on the Florida Supreme Court, including one created by the resignation of a Hispanic judge.
Monday, the governor sent back the six nominees to the Judicial Nominating Commission for Central Florida's 5th District. He complained that the list submitted for an opening on the Daytona Beach-based court of appeals excluded "at least three well-qualified" black candidates who were among the 26 that applied.
Crist singled out two of the applicants, Orange-Osceola Chief Circuit Judge Belvin Perry Jr. and Circuit Judge Hubert Grimes of Volusia County, as qualified for the seat.
"I requested that you give due consideration to diversity in the nominating process," the governor wrote.
The opening was created by the upcoming Jan. 5 resignation of Robert Pleus Jr. of Orlando.
Florida's Constitution dilutes the governor's power over judicial appointments. The governor appoints members of judicial nominating commissions, who in turn recommend up to six candidates for a vacant appellate or Supreme Court seat. The governor then must choose one of those nominees.
Several judicial watchers said Thursday that the showdown was highly unusual.
Crist's office would not comment on whether he would reject the list again or appoint one of the six nominees: four men and two women. Fallace also would not comment.
At least one organization that supports black lawyers, the Virgil Hawkins Florida chapter of the National Bar Association, applauded the governor's move.
Apopka lawyer Rachelle Munson, the group's president, said the chapter "strongly feels that the courts should reflect the diversity of this state. To that end, any ideology or belief that goes contrary to that is a disservice to this state and the community," she said.
"Absolutely there are qualified African-Americans that are worthy of consideration."
But one appellate lawyer applauded the panel's decision to stick by its guns.
Shannon Carlyle of The Villages wrote a letter of recommendation for one of the six nominees, Ocala defense lawyer Angela Flowers, and said Crist's move "undermines the entire judicial selection process."
She also pointed out that only one of the 5th District's 10 judges is a woman and that Crist's action potentially kept a qualified woman from joining the appeals court. The court also has one black judge.
"His demand is an accusation that the [commission] engaged in a discriminatory practice against minority candidates, and is wholly unwarranted," said Carlyle, a registered Democrat who said she was a Barack Obama delegate to the Democratic National Convention.
"I would have no qualms if the six recommended were all black, Hispanic, white, men, women, purple, yellow, ugly or supermodels," she said, "as long as they were the most qualified."
Aaron Deslatte can be reached at adeslatte@orlandosentinel.com or 850-222-5564.
Copyright © 2008, Orlando Sentinel
OrlandoSentinel.com
Sentinel exclusive
Gov. Crist, lawyers argue over diversity of 6 judicial nominees
Aaron Deslatte
Tallahassee Bureau
December 5, 2008
TALLAHASSEE
Gov. Charlie Crist this week rejected six nominees submitted to him for an open seat on the 5th District Court of Appeal, saying the list wasn't sufficiently diverse because it contained no black nominees.
But instead of giving him a new list, a nominating commission of Central Florida lawyers took the unorthodox step of telling the governor to, in effect, pound sand.
Melbourne lawyer James Fallace, chairman of the commission, wrote to Crist on Thursday that after more "deliberation," it would resend the same names.
"It is the firm opinion and belief of our Commission that the above-named list of nominees certified to you on Nov. 6, 2008 . . . consists of the most qualified applications for nomination and your consideration for the current vacancy," Fallace wrote.
Crist has taken some heat over the diversity of his judicial appointments since he named two white men to vacancies on the Florida Supreme Court, including one created by the resignation of a Hispanic judge.
Monday, the governor sent back the six nominees to the Judicial Nominating Commission for Central Florida's 5th District. He complained that the list submitted for an opening on the Daytona Beach-based court of appeals excluded "at least three well-qualified" black candidates who were among the 26 that applied.
Crist singled out two of the applicants, Orange-Osceola Chief Circuit Judge Belvin Perry Jr. and Circuit Judge Hubert Grimes of Volusia County, as qualified for the seat.
"I requested that you give due consideration to diversity in the nominating process," the governor wrote.
The opening was created by the upcoming Jan. 5 resignation of Robert Pleus Jr. of Orlando.
Florida's Constitution dilutes the governor's power over judicial appointments. The governor appoints members of judicial nominating commissions, who in turn recommend up to six candidates for a vacant appellate or Supreme Court seat. The governor then must choose one of those nominees.
Several judicial watchers said Thursday that the showdown was highly unusual.
Crist's office would not comment on whether he would reject the list again or appoint one of the six nominees: four men and two women. Fallace also would not comment.
At least one organization that supports black lawyers, the Virgil Hawkins Florida chapter of the National Bar Association, applauded the governor's move.
Apopka lawyer Rachelle Munson, the group's president, said the chapter "strongly feels that the courts should reflect the diversity of this state. To that end, any ideology or belief that goes contrary to that is a disservice to this state and the community," she said.
"Absolutely there are qualified African-Americans that are worthy of consideration."
But one appellate lawyer applauded the panel's decision to stick by its guns.
Shannon Carlyle of The Villages wrote a letter of recommendation for one of the six nominees, Ocala defense lawyer Angela Flowers, and said Crist's move "undermines the entire judicial selection process."
She also pointed out that only one of the 5th District's 10 judges is a woman and that Crist's action potentially kept a qualified woman from joining the appeals court. The court also has one black judge.
"His demand is an accusation that the [commission] engaged in a discriminatory practice against minority candidates, and is wholly unwarranted," said Carlyle, a registered Democrat who said she was a Barack Obama delegate to the Democratic National Convention.
"I would have no qualms if the six recommended were all black, Hispanic, white, men, women, purple, yellow, ugly or supermodels," she said, "as long as they were the most qualified."
Aaron Deslatte can be reached at adeslatte@orlandosentinel.com or 850-222-5564.
Copyright © 2008, Orlando Sentinel
GOVERNOR CRIST'S OPAQUE PRESS RELEASE ON APPOINTMENT OF ATLANTA DEVELOPER PHIL MAYS TO ST. JOHNS COUNTY COMMISSION
Home Meet Governor Crist Biography Pledge/Philosophy Contact Priorities Crist/Kottkamp Budget Safety and Security Property Tax and Insurance Reform Education Initiatives Adoption/Abuse Prevention Initiatives Civil Rights Healthcare Initiatives Open Government Plain Language Media Center News Releases Frequently Requested Records Notes from the Capitol Schedule Audio/Video and Photo Gallery Governor Crist's Weekly Podcast Executive Orders Speeches Downloads Legislative Actions Podcasts The Crist Team Lt. Governor Biography Pledge/Philosophy Contact Meet the Staff Gubernatorial Appointments Board and Commission Vacancies Judicial Appointments Pending Nominees for Judicial Vacancies Internships MyFlorida Contact GOVERNOR CRIST APPOINTS MAYS TO THE ST. JOHNS COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
December 23, 2008
Contact:
GOVERNOR'S PRESS OFFICE
(850) 488-5394
TALLAHASSEE – Governor Charlie Crist today announced the appointment of Phil Mays to serve on the St. Johns County Board of Commissioners. Mays will fill the vacancy created by the suspension of Thomas Manuel and will serve during his suspension.
Phillip J. Mays, 41, of Ponte Vedra Beach, is the owner and operator of Mays Equities Inc. Mr. Mays holds a law degree from the University of Florida College of Law and has been a member of the Florida Bar and Georgia Bar since 1992. He also serves on the Ponte Vedra Coalition and on the West Augustine Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) Advisory Board.
December 23, 2008
Contact:
GOVERNOR'S PRESS OFFICE
(850) 488-5394
TALLAHASSEE – Governor Charlie Crist today announced the appointment of Phil Mays to serve on the St. Johns County Board of Commissioners. Mays will fill the vacancy created by the suspension of Thomas Manuel and will serve during his suspension.
Phillip J. Mays, 41, of Ponte Vedra Beach, is the owner and operator of Mays Equities Inc. Mr. Mays holds a law degree from the University of Florida College of Law and has been a member of the Florida Bar and Georgia Bar since 1992. He also serves on the Ponte Vedra Coalition and on the West Augustine Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) Advisory Board.
FLORIDA TIMES-UNION: GOVERNOR CRIST APPOINTS PHILIP MAYS AS COUNTY COMMISSIONER TO REPLACE INDICTED REPUBLICAN THOMAS GLAIZE MANUEL
By Deirdre Conner
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist appointed Phillip J. Mays today to temporarily replace Tom Manuel on the St. Johns County Commission. Manuel is currently suspended from office. He is fighting federal charges of bribery.
Mays, 41, of Ponte Vedra Beach, is the owner and operator of Mays Equities Inc., according to a news release from the governor's office, and holds a law degree from the University of Florida. He also serves on the Ponte Vedra Coalition and on the West Augustine Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) Advisory Board, the release said.
Check back with jacksonville.com for more details or read Wednesday's editions of The Florida Times-Union.
Republican Governor Appoints Republican Developer To St. Johns County Commission
IN the immortal words of JIM GARRISON, Orleans Parish District Attorney and later Louisiana Appeals Court judge (hero of Kevin Costner's movie, JFK), "what do you expect from a pig but a grunt?"
Florida Times Union: Manuel's job popular -- 10 now want it
Last modified 12/1/2008 - 10:12 pm
Originally created 120308
Manuel's job grows popular: 10 now want it
Click-2-Listen
By CHRISTINA ABEL, Shorelines
Even though Gov. Charlie Crist said he has no plans to appoint an interim replacement for suspended St. Johns County Commissioner Tom Manuel, more people are filing applications for the seat.
Ten people have submitted applications to the Governor's Office to fill in for Manuel, of Ponte Vedra Beach, and the county's Republican Party has interviewed three of them.
Becky Reichenberg, the state committeewoman for the Republican Party, said three of the 10 applicants contacted her to set up interviews. She said party officials interviewed the three, but haven't been contacted by any others. She said she contacted the Governor's Office to pass on their opinions about the interviewed candidates. The three who have been interviewed are Cheryl Robitzsch, a civil engineer who lives in the Palencia area; Phillip Mays, a Marsh Landing resident and owner and operator of a recreation facilities company; and Henry Green, president of a gift importing wholesaler who lives in St. Augustine.
"They're all qualified. I enjoyed interviewing them," Reichenberg said. She wouldn't comment on any of the individual candidates.
Manuel was recently indicted on two counts of bribery by a grand jury. He's set to go to trial next month.
Crist has suspended Manuel from office but has no plans to appoint an interim commissioner. That, however, hasn't stopped county residents from applying for the position and requesting interviews with party officials.
Other applicants who live in district 4 include lawyer Anna Shea; David Mariotti, general manager of the Lodge & Club at Ponte Vedra Beach; Mark Middlebrook, a former journalist who in recent years has been involved in conservation issues; and Bruce Maguire, whom Manuel replaced on the County Commission in 2006.
Applicants who live in other parts of the county are retiree Terry Flesher of St. Johns; Harlan Westover of Nocatee, a retired fire department battalion chief, and St. Augustine lawyer Richard Lewis.
Christina Abel can also be reached at (904) 249-4947, ext. 6319.
Originally created 120308
Manuel's job grows popular: 10 now want it
Click-2-Listen
By CHRISTINA ABEL, Shorelines
Even though Gov. Charlie Crist said he has no plans to appoint an interim replacement for suspended St. Johns County Commissioner Tom Manuel, more people are filing applications for the seat.
Ten people have submitted applications to the Governor's Office to fill in for Manuel, of Ponte Vedra Beach, and the county's Republican Party has interviewed three of them.
Becky Reichenberg, the state committeewoman for the Republican Party, said three of the 10 applicants contacted her to set up interviews. She said party officials interviewed the three, but haven't been contacted by any others. She said she contacted the Governor's Office to pass on their opinions about the interviewed candidates. The three who have been interviewed are Cheryl Robitzsch, a civil engineer who lives in the Palencia area; Phillip Mays, a Marsh Landing resident and owner and operator of a recreation facilities company; and Henry Green, president of a gift importing wholesaler who lives in St. Augustine.
"They're all qualified. I enjoyed interviewing them," Reichenberg said. She wouldn't comment on any of the individual candidates.
Manuel was recently indicted on two counts of bribery by a grand jury. He's set to go to trial next month.
Crist has suspended Manuel from office but has no plans to appoint an interim commissioner. That, however, hasn't stopped county residents from applying for the position and requesting interviews with party officials.
Other applicants who live in district 4 include lawyer Anna Shea; David Mariotti, general manager of the Lodge & Club at Ponte Vedra Beach; Mark Middlebrook, a former journalist who in recent years has been involved in conservation issues; and Bruce Maguire, whom Manuel replaced on the County Commission in 2006.
Applicants who live in other parts of the county are retiree Terry Flesher of St. Johns; Harlan Westover of Nocatee, a retired fire department battalion chief, and St. Augustine lawyer Richard Lewis.
Christina Abel can also be reached at (904) 249-4947, ext. 6319.
County Commissioner Appointee Phil Mays Has A Private Website That Requires a Pasword
Phillip J Mays Inc
3340 Peachtree Road NE,
Atlanta, GA 30326
Phone: (404) 812-7110
www.maysrealestate.com
3340 Peachtree Road NE,
Atlanta, GA 30326
Phone: (404) 812-7110
www.maysrealestate.com
Phil Mays Often Asked for Local Government Favors Before Being Named to County Commission
KNOWN REPUBLICAN KAREN STERN, WASTE MANAGEMENT LOBBYIST, DEFEATED in 2006 AFTER SPENDING OVER $25/vote
KERRY McCARTHY, pay-for-play WFOY-AM Radio host and lobbyist for developers
See below. Just the kind of guy you want voting on whether bribepayers get zoning variances. He's backed by the ISSUES GROUP, SYDNEY PERRY (wife of ex-Sheriff NEIL PERRY), KERRY McCARTHY and KAREN STERN -- the same gang of robotic, Earth-destroying clones (and clods) who have done so much to destroy nature and wildlife in St. Johns County, Florida -- the proverbial "Gang That COuldn't Shoot Straight."
Beachfront home called a safety hazard
Beachfront home called a safety hazard
By BRYAN NOONAN
Staff Writer
Publication Date: 10/07/04
ST. AUGUSTINE BEACH -- Police are keeping careful watch on a beachfront home that began to crumble Friday night under the weight of dozens of stacks of shingles placed on the roof before renovations.
The condemned home at 1 Second Lane is a danger to people who may try to get near for a closer look, said St. Augustine Beach Police Chief Richard Hedges.
"It's a safety hazard, to say the least," Hedges said. "We have extra patrols to make sure there are no children that are curious that go by. If it does collapse, it could injure someone."
Trespassers will be arrested, said St. Augustine Beach Police Officer Sarah Smith during a patrol Wednesday. She said officers patrol the home on each shift, circling around and looking through windows to make sure nobody is inside. But that's as far as she'll go.
"I'm not going in it," Smith said. "I don't want the roof to fall in on me."
When the weight of the shingles caved the roof about 11 p.m. Friday, the walls of the home pushed inward and outward. Building officials went to the home Monday morning and condemned it immediately, saying the home could collapse at any time, according to Gary Larson, director of the Building and Zoning Department at St. Augustine Beach. He said a home has to have more than 50 percent structural damage to be condemned.
"The house is collapsing into the inside," Larson said. "Structurally, it can't be saved."
Outside the home are warnings posted: "No Trespassing," and "Danger. This building is deemed unsafe for human occupancy."
Larson said if you own a home built prior to 1970 and want to remodel, contact your city or county building department to get a recommendation on the integrity of the structure.
Phil Mays bought the home in 2001 and said it was in excellent condition. He said it survived the tropical storms in August and September, with only a few shingles lost. The home was restored about five years ago to maintain its old Florida character. He said the home had all pine floors, bead boarding on the walls and ceilings and new bathrooms, a Jacuzzi and steam room.
"That's why I bought the house," he said.
Though the tropical storms didn't cause so much as a leak in the roof, he said it was time to renovate it.
He said it was ironic that it appears to be the hands of man, rather than Mother Nature, that destroyed his home this hurricane season.
Now he is awaiting bulldozers to begin demolishing the home so he can get inside to see what he can salvage. He said with the unstable walls on all sides, even he is not allowed in the home.
He said he is still waiting for an insurance adjuster to check into the losses before he begins talks with the contractor.
"We need to get the insurance adjuster out there, that's the first thing," he said. "Until I talk to them, I don't know where I'm going to go next."
He did not know the value of the home, but said it was priceless to him with its old Florida-style renovations.
The roof contractor could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.
Click here to return to story:
http://staugustine.com/stories/100704/new_2627917.shtml
© The St. Augustine Record
By BRYAN NOONAN
Staff Writer
Publication Date: 10/07/04
ST. AUGUSTINE BEACH -- Police are keeping careful watch on a beachfront home that began to crumble Friday night under the weight of dozens of stacks of shingles placed on the roof before renovations.
The condemned home at 1 Second Lane is a danger to people who may try to get near for a closer look, said St. Augustine Beach Police Chief Richard Hedges.
"It's a safety hazard, to say the least," Hedges said. "We have extra patrols to make sure there are no children that are curious that go by. If it does collapse, it could injure someone."
Trespassers will be arrested, said St. Augustine Beach Police Officer Sarah Smith during a patrol Wednesday. She said officers patrol the home on each shift, circling around and looking through windows to make sure nobody is inside. But that's as far as she'll go.
"I'm not going in it," Smith said. "I don't want the roof to fall in on me."
When the weight of the shingles caved the roof about 11 p.m. Friday, the walls of the home pushed inward and outward. Building officials went to the home Monday morning and condemned it immediately, saying the home could collapse at any time, according to Gary Larson, director of the Building and Zoning Department at St. Augustine Beach. He said a home has to have more than 50 percent structural damage to be condemned.
"The house is collapsing into the inside," Larson said. "Structurally, it can't be saved."
Outside the home are warnings posted: "No Trespassing," and "Danger. This building is deemed unsafe for human occupancy."
Larson said if you own a home built prior to 1970 and want to remodel, contact your city or county building department to get a recommendation on the integrity of the structure.
Phil Mays bought the home in 2001 and said it was in excellent condition. He said it survived the tropical storms in August and September, with only a few shingles lost. The home was restored about five years ago to maintain its old Florida character. He said the home had all pine floors, bead boarding on the walls and ceilings and new bathrooms, a Jacuzzi and steam room.
"That's why I bought the house," he said.
Though the tropical storms didn't cause so much as a leak in the roof, he said it was time to renovate it.
He said it was ironic that it appears to be the hands of man, rather than Mother Nature, that destroyed his home this hurricane season.
Now he is awaiting bulldozers to begin demolishing the home so he can get inside to see what he can salvage. He said with the unstable walls on all sides, even he is not allowed in the home.
He said he is still waiting for an insurance adjuster to check into the losses before he begins talks with the contractor.
"We need to get the insurance adjuster out there, that's the first thing," he said. "Until I talk to them, I don't know where I'm going to go next."
He did not know the value of the home, but said it was priceless to him with its old Florida-style renovations.
The roof contractor could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.
Click here to return to story:
http://staugustine.com/stories/100704/new_2627917.shtml
© The St. Augustine Record
Traffic plan envisions changes to Holmes
Traffic plan envisions changes to Holmes
Improvements designed to mitigate impact of traffic from proposed developments
PETER GUINTA
peter.guinta@staugustinerecord.com
Publication Date: 08/07/06
The developers of two projects in West Augustine -- attempting to mitigate the traffic impact of their combined 1,083 homes -- have offered the county a $1 million plan to improve Holmes Boulevard from State Road 207 to Four Mile Road.
This plan must be accepted if the two developments are to go through.
Public hearings on the traffic proposal, and on the two housing projects themselves, are scheduled at Tuesday's regular meeting of the St. Johns County Commission.
According to commission agenda documents, the two projects are:
232-acre St. Augustine Lakes, planned west of Holmes Boulevard, south of Thompson Bailey Road and northeast of Carter Road on vacant agricultural timberland.
The applicant, Phil Mays of Mays Real Estate Investment Group of Atlanta, hopes to build 380 single-family units and 420 multi-family town homes there. The School Board estimates a total of 393 school-aged children will be generated by this project.
However, the county's Planning & Zoning Agency on April 6 recommended denial of this project in a 4-2 vote.
The Planning Division said it has "serious concerns" that 800 homes would all have to use one access road.
280-acre Morgan's Cove, planned north of County Road 214 east of Interstate 95. Fourteen of the 283 single-family homes will be equestrian lots and have barns and stables.
The site contains 117 acres of wetlands and will generate 125 school-age children.
The county's Planning & Zoning Agency recommended approval of the rezoning July 20 in a 5-1 vote.
Bill Hartmann, the county's transportation planning manager, told the commissioners in a July 25 memo that the proposal "will serve as the developers' commitment to build the transportation facilities necessary to serve the impacts of (those developments)."
The $1 million would pay for adding a southbound left turn lane and a southbound right turn lane at Holmes Boulevard and County Road 214.
In addition, improvements would include a southbound left turn lane at the King Street Extension at Holmes Boulevard.
The county's Concurrency Review Committee voted 3-0 to support this agreement.
However, the committee also found that there isn't enough existing road capacity for either project right now.
St. Augustine Lakes only has enough traffic capacity for 192 of its proposed 800 homes.
Morgan's Cove has capacity for only 20.
But there's more at stake than a delay. A county staff report said, "If the (concurrency) agreement is denied, the proposed rezonings for both (residential) projects cannot be approved."
Click here to return to story:
http://staugustine.com/stories/080706/news_4003238.shtml
© The St. Augustine Record
Improvements designed to mitigate impact of traffic from proposed developments
PETER GUINTA
peter.guinta@staugustinerecord.com
Publication Date: 08/07/06
The developers of two projects in West Augustine -- attempting to mitigate the traffic impact of their combined 1,083 homes -- have offered the county a $1 million plan to improve Holmes Boulevard from State Road 207 to Four Mile Road.
This plan must be accepted if the two developments are to go through.
Public hearings on the traffic proposal, and on the two housing projects themselves, are scheduled at Tuesday's regular meeting of the St. Johns County Commission.
According to commission agenda documents, the two projects are:
232-acre St. Augustine Lakes, planned west of Holmes Boulevard, south of Thompson Bailey Road and northeast of Carter Road on vacant agricultural timberland.
The applicant, Phil Mays of Mays Real Estate Investment Group of Atlanta, hopes to build 380 single-family units and 420 multi-family town homes there. The School Board estimates a total of 393 school-aged children will be generated by this project.
However, the county's Planning & Zoning Agency on April 6 recommended denial of this project in a 4-2 vote.
The Planning Division said it has "serious concerns" that 800 homes would all have to use one access road.
280-acre Morgan's Cove, planned north of County Road 214 east of Interstate 95. Fourteen of the 283 single-family homes will be equestrian lots and have barns and stables.
The site contains 117 acres of wetlands and will generate 125 school-age children.
The county's Planning & Zoning Agency recommended approval of the rezoning July 20 in a 5-1 vote.
Bill Hartmann, the county's transportation planning manager, told the commissioners in a July 25 memo that the proposal "will serve as the developers' commitment to build the transportation facilities necessary to serve the impacts of (those developments)."
The $1 million would pay for adding a southbound left turn lane and a southbound right turn lane at Holmes Boulevard and County Road 214.
In addition, improvements would include a southbound left turn lane at the King Street Extension at Holmes Boulevard.
The county's Concurrency Review Committee voted 3-0 to support this agreement.
However, the committee also found that there isn't enough existing road capacity for either project right now.
St. Augustine Lakes only has enough traffic capacity for 192 of its proposed 800 homes.
Morgan's Cove has capacity for only 20.
But there's more at stake than a delay. A county staff report said, "If the (concurrency) agreement is denied, the proposed rezonings for both (residential) projects cannot be approved."
Click here to return to story:
http://staugustine.com/stories/080706/news_4003238.shtml
© The St. Augustine Record
County OKs two projects
County OKs two projects
By PETER GUINTA
peter.guinta@staugustinerecord.com
Publication Date: 08/09/06
St. Johns County Commissioners in a 4-1 vote Tuesday approved two housing developments that will net them only minor improvements to Holmes Boulevard and expanded water and sewer lines for West Augustine.
St. Augustine Lakes, 232 acres west of Holmes Boulevard and south of Thompson Bailey Road, was given approval for 162 homes because that's all the traffic Holmes Boulevard can carry.
With more road capacity, developer Phil Mays would probably have secured the 800 homes -- 230 single-family and 570 multi-family -- he intends to build eventually.
Richard Davis, a long-time county resident who owns commercial property off Holmes, said traffic there is bumper-to-bumper now.
"That road is booked solid," Davis said. "It cannot take any more (traffic), because it can't handle it. (The developer) needs to do more."
The other development, Morgan's Cove, 280 acres east of Interstate 95 and north of State Road 214, got approval for 177 of its 283 homes.
The agreement with the county covers both developments. They must now build a southbound left-turn lane and southbound right turn lane at Holmes Boulevard and County Road 214 and a southbound left turn lane at the King Street Extension and Holmes Boulevard.
The developers did not say how turn lanes will increase the capacity of Holmes Boulevard.
These road projects will cost an estimated total of $1.28 million, county documents said. But the developers will be getting a $985,000 tax credit that will offset the $1.25 million in impact fees they must pay.
Commissioner Ben Rich, who cast dissenting votes on the transportation agreement and the two projects, said, "So, basically, the roads will not cost the developer anything."
St. Augustine attorney Doug Burnett of Rogers Towers, represents Mays and said he also plans to install $4 million in "site-related" improvements, such as internal roads, drainage and infrastructure.
The St. Johns County Planning & Zoning Agency had denied giving its recommendation to St. Augustine Lakes in April. The Planning Agency had said the project was not consistent with the neighborhood, could create adverse environmental impacts and had no traffic capacity.
However, county planning staff on Tuesday recommended approval.
Burnett said St. Augustine Lakes would have only a "small impact" and "greatly enhance" the area. The ball fields and a fishing pond will be open to everyone, he said.
The commission especially liked the 16-inch water and sewer mains coming to West Augustine.
Commission Chairman James Bryant said the two large mains will "greatly enhance the health, safety and development of West Augustine. Sometimes it's give and take on these issues."
Commissioner Bruce Maguire said the rezoning complies with county development guidelines.
"We are following state law with respect to property rights and the Comprehensive Plan," he said.
TEXT:St. Johns County Commissioners in a 4-1 vote Tuesday approved two housing developments that will net them only minor improvements to Holmes Boulevard and expanded water and sewer lines for West Augustine.
St. Augustine Lakes, 232 acres west of Holmes Boulevard and south of Thompson Bailey Road, was given approval for 162 homes because that's all the traffic Holmes Boulevard can carry.
With more road capacity, developer Phil Mays would probably have secured the 800 homes -- 230 single-family and 570 multi-family -- he intends to build eventually.
Richard Davis, a long-time county resident who owns commercial property off Holmes, said traffic there is bumper-to-bumper now.
"That road is booked solid," Davis said. "It cannot take any more (traffic), because it can't handle it. (The developer) needs to do more."
The other development, Morgan's Cove, 280 acres east of Interstate 95 and north of State Road 214, got approval for 177 of its 283 homes.
The agreement with the county covers both developments. They must now build a southbound left-turn lane and southbound right turn lane at Holmes Boulevard and County Road 214 and a southbound left turn lane at the King Street Extension and Holmes Boulevard.
The developers did not say how turn lanes will increase the capacity of Holmes Boulevard.
These road projects will cost an estimated total of $1.28 million, county documents said. But the developers will be getting a $985,000 tax credit that will offset the $1.25 million in impact fees they must pay.
Commissioner Ben Rich, who cast dissenting votes on the transportation agreement and the two projects, said, "So, basically, the roads will not cost the developer anything."
St. Augustine attorney Doug Burnett of Rogers Towers , represents Mays and said he also plans to install $4 million in "site-related" improvements, such as internal roads, drainage and infrastructure.
The St. Johns County Planning & Zoning Agency had denied giving its recommendation to St. Augustine Lakes in April. The Planning Agency had said the project was not consistent with the neighborhood, could create adverse environmental impacts and had no traffic capacity.
However, county planning staff on Tuesday recommended approval.
Burnett said St. Augustine Lakes would have only a "small impact" and "greatly enhance" the area. The ball fields and a fishing pond will be open to everyone, he said.
The commission especially liked the 16-inch water and sewer mains coming to West Augustine.
Commission Chairman James Bryant said the two large mains will "greatly enhance the health, safety and development of West Augustine. Sometimes it's give and take on these issues."
Commissioner Bruce Maguire said the rezoning complies with county development guidelines.
"We are following state law with respect to property rights and the Comprehensive Plan," he said.
Click here to return to story:
http://staugustine.com/stories/080906/news_4007057.shtml
© The St. Augustine Record
By PETER GUINTA
peter.guinta@staugustinerecord.com
Publication Date: 08/09/06
St. Johns County Commissioners in a 4-1 vote Tuesday approved two housing developments that will net them only minor improvements to Holmes Boulevard and expanded water and sewer lines for West Augustine.
St. Augustine Lakes, 232 acres west of Holmes Boulevard and south of Thompson Bailey Road, was given approval for 162 homes because that's all the traffic Holmes Boulevard can carry.
With more road capacity, developer Phil Mays would probably have secured the 800 homes -- 230 single-family and 570 multi-family -- he intends to build eventually.
Richard Davis, a long-time county resident who owns commercial property off Holmes, said traffic there is bumper-to-bumper now.
"That road is booked solid," Davis said. "It cannot take any more (traffic), because it can't handle it. (The developer) needs to do more."
The other development, Morgan's Cove, 280 acres east of Interstate 95 and north of State Road 214, got approval for 177 of its 283 homes.
The agreement with the county covers both developments. They must now build a southbound left-turn lane and southbound right turn lane at Holmes Boulevard and County Road 214 and a southbound left turn lane at the King Street Extension and Holmes Boulevard.
The developers did not say how turn lanes will increase the capacity of Holmes Boulevard.
These road projects will cost an estimated total of $1.28 million, county documents said. But the developers will be getting a $985,000 tax credit that will offset the $1.25 million in impact fees they must pay.
Commissioner Ben Rich, who cast dissenting votes on the transportation agreement and the two projects, said, "So, basically, the roads will not cost the developer anything."
St. Augustine attorney Doug Burnett of Rogers Towers, represents Mays and said he also plans to install $4 million in "site-related" improvements, such as internal roads, drainage and infrastructure.
The St. Johns County Planning & Zoning Agency had denied giving its recommendation to St. Augustine Lakes in April. The Planning Agency had said the project was not consistent with the neighborhood, could create adverse environmental impacts and had no traffic capacity.
However, county planning staff on Tuesday recommended approval.
Burnett said St. Augustine Lakes would have only a "small impact" and "greatly enhance" the area. The ball fields and a fishing pond will be open to everyone, he said.
The commission especially liked the 16-inch water and sewer mains coming to West Augustine.
Commission Chairman James Bryant said the two large mains will "greatly enhance the health, safety and development of West Augustine. Sometimes it's give and take on these issues."
Commissioner Bruce Maguire said the rezoning complies with county development guidelines.
"We are following state law with respect to property rights and the Comprehensive Plan," he said.
TEXT:St. Johns County Commissioners in a 4-1 vote Tuesday approved two housing developments that will net them only minor improvements to Holmes Boulevard and expanded water and sewer lines for West Augustine.
St. Augustine Lakes, 232 acres west of Holmes Boulevard and south of Thompson Bailey Road, was given approval for 162 homes because that's all the traffic Holmes Boulevard can carry.
With more road capacity, developer Phil Mays would probably have secured the 800 homes -- 230 single-family and 570 multi-family -- he intends to build eventually.
Richard Davis, a long-time county resident who owns commercial property off Holmes, said traffic there is bumper-to-bumper now.
"That road is booked solid," Davis said. "It cannot take any more (traffic), because it can't handle it. (The developer) needs to do more."
The other development, Morgan's Cove, 280 acres east of Interstate 95 and north of State Road 214, got approval for 177 of its 283 homes.
The agreement with the county covers both developments. They must now build a southbound left-turn lane and southbound right turn lane at Holmes Boulevard and County Road 214 and a southbound left turn lane at the King Street Extension and Holmes Boulevard.
The developers did not say how turn lanes will increase the capacity of Holmes Boulevard.
These road projects will cost an estimated total of $1.28 million, county documents said. But the developers will be getting a $985,000 tax credit that will offset the $1.25 million in impact fees they must pay.
Commissioner Ben Rich, who cast dissenting votes on the transportation agreement and the two projects, said, "So, basically, the roads will not cost the developer anything."
St. Augustine attorney Doug Burnett of Rogers Towers , represents Mays and said he also plans to install $4 million in "site-related" improvements, such as internal roads, drainage and infrastructure.
The St. Johns County Planning & Zoning Agency had denied giving its recommendation to St. Augustine Lakes in April. The Planning Agency had said the project was not consistent with the neighborhood, could create adverse environmental impacts and had no traffic capacity.
However, county planning staff on Tuesday recommended approval.
Burnett said St. Augustine Lakes would have only a "small impact" and "greatly enhance" the area. The ball fields and a fishing pond will be open to everyone, he said.
The commission especially liked the 16-inch water and sewer mains coming to West Augustine.
Commission Chairman James Bryant said the two large mains will "greatly enhance the health, safety and development of West Augustine. Sometimes it's give and take on these issues."
Commissioner Bruce Maguire said the rezoning complies with county development guidelines.
"We are following state law with respect to property rights and the Comprehensive Plan," he said.
Click here to return to story:
http://staugustine.com/stories/080906/news_4007057.shtml
© The St. Augustine Record
The anti-Christ -- GOVERNOR CHARLES CRIST NAMES DEVELOPER PHIL MAYS TO BE COUNTY COMMISSIONER IN PLACE OF THOMAS G. MANUEL, INDICTED REPUBLICAN
So much for diversity. We've got five County Commisisoners who are known Republicans, who dance and drink in public with other known Republicans. Ditto, five constitutional officers, all Republians.
So did our Governor, CHARLES CRIST, decide to name to our County Commission to counteract the inbreeding of this Ku Kluxed Klan county government, whose Republican COunty Commission Chairman is under indictment for bribery from a developer and his lawyer?
1.A community activist?
2. A homemaker?
3. A Democrat?
4. An independent?
5. An environmentalist and Green Party member?
6. An intellectual?
7. A professor?
8. A farmer?
9. A fisherman?
10. None of the above?
The answer is 10, none of the above.
Named by our phony-baloney "People's Governor," CHARLES CRIST, is the fox-in-charge-of-the-henhouse.
Our new County COmmissioner is one PHIL MAYES, a Republican "tennis club owner" and developer from Atlanta, a contributor to Commissioner MARK MINER.
Yes, a developer. An Atlantan. A Republican. Big surprise. One of those wretched Republican varmints who denudes wetlands, destroys forests and wants a government bailout for their reckless speculatin' peculating ways? Time will tell.
One with whom Governor CHARLES CRIST stays in Ponte Vedra every time he visits our area. Yes, politics makes strange bedfellows.
Our Governor has now directly contributed to the continuing corruption in St. Johns County -- he is in pari delicto. What do you reckon?
So did our Governor, CHARLES CRIST, decide to name to our County Commission to counteract the inbreeding of this Ku Kluxed Klan county government, whose Republican COunty Commission Chairman is under indictment for bribery from a developer and his lawyer?
1.A community activist?
2. A homemaker?
3. A Democrat?
4. An independent?
5. An environmentalist and Green Party member?
6. An intellectual?
7. A professor?
8. A farmer?
9. A fisherman?
10. None of the above?
The answer is 10, none of the above.
Named by our phony-baloney "People's Governor," CHARLES CRIST, is the fox-in-charge-of-the-henhouse.
Our new County COmmissioner is one PHIL MAYES, a Republican "tennis club owner" and developer from Atlanta, a contributor to Commissioner MARK MINER.
Yes, a developer. An Atlantan. A Republican. Big surprise. One of those wretched Republican varmints who denudes wetlands, destroys forests and wants a government bailout for their reckless speculatin' peculating ways? Time will tell.
One with whom Governor CHARLES CRIST stays in Ponte Vedra every time he visits our area. Yes, politics makes strange bedfellows.
Our Governor has now directly contributed to the continuing corruption in St. Johns County -- he is in pari delicto. What do you reckon?
Racist Bob Jones University Apologized for Racism, But Will Right-Wing FLAGLER COLLEGE EVER APOLOGIZE?
Statement about Race at Bob Jones University
At Bob Jones University, Scripture is our final authority for faith and practice and it is our intent to have it govern all of our policies. It teaches that God created the human race as one race. History, reality and Scripture affirm that in that act of creation was the potential for great diversity, manifested today by the remarkable racial and cultural diversity of humanity. Scripture also teaches that this beautiful, God-caused and sustained diversity is divinely intended to incline mankind to seek the Lord and depend on Him for salvation from sin (Acts 17:24–28).
The true unity of humanity is found only through faith in Christ alone for salvation from sin—in contrast to the superficial unity found in humanistic philosophies or political points of view. For those made new in Christ, all sinful social, cultural and racial barriers are erased (Colossians 3:11), allowing the beauty of redeemed human unity in diversity to be demonstrated through the Church.
The Christian is set free by Christ’s redeeming grace to love God fully and to love his neighbor as himself, regardless of his neighbor’s race or culture. As believers, we demonstrate our love for others first by presenting Christ our Great Savior to every person, irrespective of race, culture, or national origin. This we do in obedience to Christ’s final command to proclaim the Gospel to all men (Matthew 28:19–20). As believers we are also committed to demonstrating the love of Christ daily in our relationships with others, disregarding the economic, cultural and racial divisions invented by sinful humanity (Luke 10:25–37; James 2:1–13).
Bob Jones University has existed since 1927 as a private Christian institution of higher learning for the purpose of helping young men and women cultivate a biblical worldview, represent Christ and His Gospel to others, and glorify God in every dimension of life.
BJU’s history has been chiefly characterized by striving to achieve those goals; but like any human institution, we have failures as well. For almost two centuries American Christianity, including BJU in its early stages, was characterized by the segregationist ethos of American culture. Consequently, for far too long, we allowed institutional policies regarding race to be shaped more directly by that ethos than by the principles and precepts of the Scriptures. We conformed to the culture rather than provide a clear Christian counterpoint to it.
In so doing, we failed to accurately represent the Lord and to fulfill the commandment to love others as ourselves. For these failures we are profoundly sorry. Though no known antagonism toward minorities or expressions of racism on a personal level have ever been tolerated on our campus, we allowed institutional policies to remain in place that were racially hurtful.
On national television in March 2000, Bob Jones III, who was the university’s president until 2005, stated that BJU was wrong in not admitting African-American students before 1971, which sadly was a common practice of both public and private universities in the years prior to that time. On the same program, he announced the lifting of the University’s policy against interracial dating.
Our sincere desire is to exhibit a truly Christlike spirit and biblical position in these areas. Today, Bob Jones University enrolls students from all 50 states and nearly 50 countries, representing various ethnicities and cultures. The University solicits financial support for two scholarship funds for minority applicants, and the administration is committed to maintaining on the campus the racial and cultural diversity and harmony characteristic of the true Church of Jesus Christ throughout the world.
At Bob Jones University, Scripture is our final authority for faith and practice and it is our intent to have it govern all of our policies. It teaches that God created the human race as one race. History, reality and Scripture affirm that in that act of creation was the potential for great diversity, manifested today by the remarkable racial and cultural diversity of humanity. Scripture also teaches that this beautiful, God-caused and sustained diversity is divinely intended to incline mankind to seek the Lord and depend on Him for salvation from sin (Acts 17:24–28).
The true unity of humanity is found only through faith in Christ alone for salvation from sin—in contrast to the superficial unity found in humanistic philosophies or political points of view. For those made new in Christ, all sinful social, cultural and racial barriers are erased (Colossians 3:11), allowing the beauty of redeemed human unity in diversity to be demonstrated through the Church.
The Christian is set free by Christ’s redeeming grace to love God fully and to love his neighbor as himself, regardless of his neighbor’s race or culture. As believers, we demonstrate our love for others first by presenting Christ our Great Savior to every person, irrespective of race, culture, or national origin. This we do in obedience to Christ’s final command to proclaim the Gospel to all men (Matthew 28:19–20). As believers we are also committed to demonstrating the love of Christ daily in our relationships with others, disregarding the economic, cultural and racial divisions invented by sinful humanity (Luke 10:25–37; James 2:1–13).
Bob Jones University has existed since 1927 as a private Christian institution of higher learning for the purpose of helping young men and women cultivate a biblical worldview, represent Christ and His Gospel to others, and glorify God in every dimension of life.
BJU’s history has been chiefly characterized by striving to achieve those goals; but like any human institution, we have failures as well. For almost two centuries American Christianity, including BJU in its early stages, was characterized by the segregationist ethos of American culture. Consequently, for far too long, we allowed institutional policies regarding race to be shaped more directly by that ethos than by the principles and precepts of the Scriptures. We conformed to the culture rather than provide a clear Christian counterpoint to it.
In so doing, we failed to accurately represent the Lord and to fulfill the commandment to love others as ourselves. For these failures we are profoundly sorry. Though no known antagonism toward minorities or expressions of racism on a personal level have ever been tolerated on our campus, we allowed institutional policies to remain in place that were racially hurtful.
On national television in March 2000, Bob Jones III, who was the university’s president until 2005, stated that BJU was wrong in not admitting African-American students before 1971, which sadly was a common practice of both public and private universities in the years prior to that time. On the same program, he announced the lifting of the University’s policy against interracial dating.
Our sincere desire is to exhibit a truly Christlike spirit and biblical position in these areas. Today, Bob Jones University enrolls students from all 50 states and nearly 50 countries, representing various ethnicities and cultures. The University solicits financial support for two scholarship funds for minority applicants, and the administration is committed to maintaining on the campus the racial and cultural diversity and harmony characteristic of the true Church of Jesus Christ throughout the world.
White Christmas at Nearly All-White Flagler College -- Department of Education Office of Civil Rights Complaint Number 04-08-2149
St. Augustine, Florida is the place that made world history in 1964, with mean racists beating hell out of Andrew Young (twice), helping Lyndon Johnson break the Senate filibuster, leading to the enactment of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. Our Civil RIghts Foot Soldiers in St. Augustine, joined by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and hundreds of others, made it happen. Right here.
Racism remains a fact of life in our governmental institutions and private organizations, even including a college founded by the illegitimate sons of HENRY MORRISON FLAGLER, convicted monopolist and antitrust violator behind Standard Oil.
Currently under investigation for possible discrimination by the U.S. Department of Education, FLAGLER COLLEGE recently fessed up to just how lily-white it is -- the right-wing college in the middle of our beautiful City of St. Augustine turns out to be whiter than Ivory Soap.
Whiter than Velveeta.
Whiter than Wonder Bread.
Here are the statistics, straight from a December 4, 2008 letter from DoEd in my mail box:
Of 2447 students in St. Augustine and Tallahassee for the 2008-2009 school year, there are 57 African-Americans. That's 2.1%, or less than even Bob Jones University, which went to the U.S. Supreme Court to fight for its right to receive tax breaks while banning interacial dating.
Of 27,334 inquiries from prospective students, 2445 were from African-Americans, or 8.95%. Of that large number, only 92 applied (3%). Did Flagler's white-bread and non-diverse college catalog discourages African-Americans from applying?
Of that number (92), 35 wsre accepted (38%). Of that number, 23 enrolled (65%).
Now let's look at the FLAGLER COLLEGE faculty. No one has tenure. Ideational fluency is not encouraged at this illiberal college.
For the 2008-2009 academic year, Flagler has 91 full-time faculty, of whom 2 are African-American.(2%). There are 103 part-time faculty members, of whom 3 are African-American. (2.9%). DoEd says there are also "others," but they are not identified and further data is being requested (by me, one of the complainants).
Comparable numbers for my undergraduate alma mater, Georgetown University -- Asian American, 11 percent; African American, 7 percent; Hispanic, 5 percent; and Native American, less than 1 percent. Of course, Georgetown has a faculty union, tenure, and a 219-year tradition of respecting diversity, with students from around the world, unstunted by anti-literate educational energumen administrator-slavemasters like CHANCELLOR/REPRESENTATIVE WILLIAM L. PROCTOR.
Look at the FLAGLER COLLEGE Board of Trustees -- is there one African-American?
Look at the FLAGLER COLLEGE founders -- illegitimate heirs of monopolist Henry Flagler, including the late Lawrence Lewis, as racist and recondite a crew as ever drank soup without a spoon.
Flagler College was founded as a haven for the Flagler heirs' money, to avoid taxes on their Ponce de Leon Hotel, and as a way of 1960s' right-wing kooks to educate their children without subjecting them to reality (anti-war professors, liberal ideas, freedom of speech, desegregation). At its inception, FLAGLER COLLEGE discouraged interracial dating, just like Bob Jones University, which has since apologized for its racist policies. (See above).
Flagler students say they see few dark-skinned African-American students -- most are from the Caribbean. Flagler students long joked that the basketball team was the only place where one would find more than three African-American students at a time.
It is little wonder that the meanest man in St. Augustine -- WILLIAM L. PROCTOR -- stands atop this white-bread colossus, where faculty members have no union, no tenure and no respect from MASSA PROCTOR.
Ex-coach WILLIAM L. PROCTOR is FLAGLER COLLEGE Chancellor and 20th District Representative, and Republican Lord of All He Surveys, but as Bob Dylan says, "the times they are a-changin'!"
Long-tailed weasel, is he one of WILLIAM L. PROCTOR's ancestors? Notice the resemblance?
CHANCELLOR/REPRESENTATIVE/SCROOGE WILLIAM L. PROCTOR bitterly defends FLAGLER COLLEGE's deadbeat-dad relationship to our City of St. Augustine -- FLAGLER COLLEGE has property worth over $120 million but pays no payments in lieu of taxes (unlike Harvard, Yale and other academic institutions run by real mensches who are part of their communities). FLAGLER COLLEGE does pay some $121,000/year for two police officers, whom WILLIAM L. PROCTOR once asked to arrest David Thundershield Queen for picketing fascist PAT BUCHANNAN (on a public sidewalk in front of the auditorium).
So, they're having a white Christmas at Flagler College, except that our next President, Barack Obama, has appointed a Secretary of Education of honor and integrity, and I'm planning to pursue the inquiry against Flagler College to where DoEd actually investigates, instead of equivocates.
The DoEd OCR complaint number is 04-08-2149. The baby-talking bureaucrat who recently wrote to say DoEd could find no "facts" involving discrimination has afforded us 60 days within which to request reconsideration. We shall. And we shall overcome.
The notion that a government-subsidized "college" without diversity can exist in our midst so subsidized is obnoxious in this time of economic bubble-bursting. FLAGLER COLLEGE msut be desegregated, if it takes the 82nd Airbonre to do so.
What do you reckon?
Monday, December 22, 2008
FBI Director Robert Mueller: Corporate Fraud and Public Corruption: Are We Becoming More Crooked?
Robert S. Mueller, III
Director
Federal Bureau of Investigation
American Bar Association Litigation Section Annual Conference
Washington, D.C.
April 17, 2008
Good afternoon. It is a pleasure to be here among friends and colleagues.
Anyone who follows the news these days, and sees repeated references to corporate fraud and public corruption, might think the nation is in the midst of a moral crisis.
Have we, as a society, become more corrupt? Or have we in the FBI simply become more adept at rooting out fraud and corruption?
Corruption, in one form or another, is nothing new. The so-called “robber barons” of the Industrial Age cheated each other, their competitors, and their consumers. During Prohibition, public officials who decried the vices of liquor by day were bootlegging by night. Even the so-called Chicago “Black Sox” of the 1919 World Series played their part in American history.
As they say, the more things change, the more they stay the same. The robber barons of today have brought a laundry list of corporations to ruin. Billions of dollars lost, thousands of shareholders victimized, and pension funds destroyed.
We have seen a similar laundry list of politicians who have violated the public trust for their own benefit, from the halls of Congress to the city councils of small-town America.
It would seem that desire for the good life has become what Teddy Roosevelt once termed the “get-rich-quick theory of life.”
Today, I want to talk about the need for integrity—integrity in the marketplace, in the boardroom, and in government. I want to focus on the importance of integrity in the FBI’s mission as well. And I would like to touch on your role in this ethical calculus.
The FBI and Corporate Fraud
In the wake of September 11th, counterterrorism became the FBI’s top priority. Yet at the same time, we were confronted with a rash of corporate wrongdoing, including Enron, WorldCom, and Qwest. We needed to prioritize our resources to effectively combat both crime and terrorism.
Today, we have more than 1,800 agents working nearly 17,000 white collar cases, from public corruption and financial fraud to health care and mortgage fraud.
The number of corporate fraud cases we investigate has increased by more than 80 percent since 2003, despite the change in our priorities.
We obtained more than 490 corporate and securities fraud convictions in 2007. Thirty-three insider trading indictments were returned against employees of companies such as Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, and UBS Securities. A number of you may be more familiar with these cases than I am.
Last month, five former executives of National Century Financial Enterprises were convicted of a $1.9 billion dollar fraud scheme.
Last July, former Hollinger International CEO Conrad Black was convicted of racketeering, money laundering, and fraud.
And in June, three former vice presidents at Countrywide Financial Corporation pled guilty to insider trading.
As Wall Street analysts would say, business is booming for the FBI, and, by extension, for those of you who are defense counsel.
The agents and analysts who work these cases do some of the most complex, tedious, and—ultimately—significant work we do for the American public.
But we do not hold the slightest pretense that we could do this without the larger team—the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, and our partners in the United States Attorneys Offices, among others. Our success depends on these partnerships.
We likely will see more corporate fraud cases in the months to come, because of the ripple effect of the subprime crisis and its impact on the credit market.
And as housing prices continue to fall, more financial misdeeds will no doubt come to light. As financier Warren Buffett said in his annual letter to shareholders last month, “You only learn who has been swimming naked when the tide goes out—and what we are witnessing…is an ugly sight.”
We are investigating more than 1,300 individual mortgage fraud matters. Perhaps more importantly, we have identified 19 corporate fraud matters related to the subprime lending crisis—cases that may have a substantial impact on the marketplace.
We are targeting accounting fraud, insider trading, and deceptive sales practices. These investigations may well lead to other instances of fraud, from investment banks and private equity firms to hedge funds.
We do not take these investigations lightly, nor do we open corporate fraud cases without careful consideration. We do understand the impact that public disclosure of a criminal investigation may have on a company’s reputation and economic standing.
These investigations further emphasize the need for independent board members, auditors, and outside counsel. Shareholders rely on the board of directors to serve as the corporate watchdog. But often, we see conflicts of interest in the corporate suites.
Board members may be beholden to the executives they are expected to oversee. Many directors may be current or former senior executives, with a mutual interest in maintaining the status quo.
They may be key shareholders who want to improve the value of their investment. And if anything goes wrong, they may start circling the wagons, rather than sounding the alarm.
Hearing anyone say they are surprised by such behavior is like the police chief in the movie “Casablanca” announcing that he is “shocked…shocked” to find gambling going on under his nose in Rick’s Café…just moments before he collects his roulette winnings from the night before.
Many of you here today are those to whom business leaders turn for counsel. You are often one of the first lines of defense. You are the gatekeepers—the ones who must say, “This is the right thing to do.”
I will say that we in the FBI have also had our share of missteps resulting from inadequate internal controls. And we understand that we need to do a better job of ensuring compliance in our own house. To that end, we have recently taken a page out of the private sector’s book.
Last year, we created a Bureau-wide compliance program. The Office of Integrity and Compliance will help ensure that we comply with both the letter and the spirit of the laws and policies by which we are bound.
As we all understand, it is better for a company to self-report and remediate its own wrongdoing before the FBI and the Department of Justice become involved. Executives who let the situation escalate to the point of a sudden restatement—and a resulting loss of shareholder confidence—often do greater harm to the companies they are trying to protect than if they had exercised early intervention.
In my days as defense counsel with a firm representing corporate targets, I met a number of executives who could rationalize every bad decision. They would say it was “business as usual”—that they were acting in the best interests of the company, given financial constraints and the pressures of running a business.
And I would think to myself, “You broke about 14 laws before breakfast. How could you fail to see you were doing anything wrong?”
I saw executives who did not start out intending to break the law. They would argue they were playing by the same rules as everyone else. They began to believe their own explanations. But it is a slippery slope from behavior that skirts ethical or legal boundaries to behavior that crosses the line completely.
It calls to mind the saying: If you jump out of a window on the 100th floor, and you seem to be doing fine as you pass the 40th floor, that doesn’t mean you don’t have a big problem. Rationalization will not provide much padding when you hit the pavement.
The FBI and Public Corruption
I want to turn to public corruption for a moment. Unfortunately, the private sector has by no means cornered the market on greed.
Public corruption is our top criminal priority, for the simple reason that it is different from other crimes. Corruption does not merely strike at the heart of good government. It may strike at the security of our communities.
The vast majority of public officials are honest in their work. They are committed to serving their fellow citizens. Unfortunately, some have abused the public trust.
We have more than 2,500 pending public corruption investigations—an increase of more than 50 percent since 2003. In the past five years, the number of agents working public corruption cases also has increased by more than 50 percent. We have convicted more than 1,800 federal, state, and local officials in the past two years alone.
For a nation built on the rule of law—and on faith in a government of the people, by the people, and for the people—we can and should do better. Ultimately, democracy and corruption cannot co-exist.
The FBI is uniquely situated to address public corruption. We have the skills to conduct sophisticated investigations. But more than that, we are insulated from political pressure. We are able to go where the evidence leads us, without fear of reprisal or recrimination.
Many of our investigations are well known. Others may be familiar only to local residents, but they are no less important.
For example, 22 individuals from the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina have pled guilty to drug conspiracy, racketeering, and fraud.
A state legislator from Georgia pled guilty last month to laundering what he believed to be proceeds from the sale of cocaine.
And a long-term undercover operation in Arizona snared nearly 70 military and law enforcement personnel for accepting hundreds of thousands in bribes. These individuals conspired to smuggle cocaine, drug money, and illegal immigrants across our southern border.
But if you would sell your oath and your honor for drug money, where does one draw the line? For the right price, would such individuals permit terrorist operatives to enter the country?
In the end, it does not matter if the corruption is national or local. It does not matter if it is millions of dollars, or merely hundreds. There is no level of acceptable corruption. The violation of trust is the same. The damage to the taxpayers is the same.
We must continue to dedicate the resources necessary to investigate public corruption. For if we in the FBI do not handle such cases, no one will.
* * *
Politicians who betray the trust of their constituents harm the integrity of our government. Executives who betray the trust of their employees and their shareholders harm the integrity of the marketplace. Left unchecked, corporate fraud and public corruption will rip the very fabric of our democracy.
General George Patton once said that no good decision was ever made in a swivel chair. Integrity requires that we stay on course, that we stay true to principles of honesty, ethics, and transparency…without swinging back and forth to meet the demands of the day…without altering our position to suit the economic, political, or social climate.
At the turn of the 20th century, Teddy Roosevelt took on the robber barons. He targeted corporate fraud and corruption, and commissioned what later became the FBI to continue that mission.
Roosevelt asserted that “Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual, and of nations alike.” These words ring true today. Character will be our deciding factor.
It is my hope that by working together, we can reduce corporate fraud and public corruption. We each have a role to play.
Together, we can bring to light the wrongdoing that threatens our economy, our security, and the welfare of our nation. Together, we can help create a culture of integrity.
Thank you for having me here today, and God bless
Director
Federal Bureau of Investigation
American Bar Association Litigation Section Annual Conference
Washington, D.C.
April 17, 2008
Good afternoon. It is a pleasure to be here among friends and colleagues.
Anyone who follows the news these days, and sees repeated references to corporate fraud and public corruption, might think the nation is in the midst of a moral crisis.
Have we, as a society, become more corrupt? Or have we in the FBI simply become more adept at rooting out fraud and corruption?
Corruption, in one form or another, is nothing new. The so-called “robber barons” of the Industrial Age cheated each other, their competitors, and their consumers. During Prohibition, public officials who decried the vices of liquor by day were bootlegging by night. Even the so-called Chicago “Black Sox” of the 1919 World Series played their part in American history.
As they say, the more things change, the more they stay the same. The robber barons of today have brought a laundry list of corporations to ruin. Billions of dollars lost, thousands of shareholders victimized, and pension funds destroyed.
We have seen a similar laundry list of politicians who have violated the public trust for their own benefit, from the halls of Congress to the city councils of small-town America.
It would seem that desire for the good life has become what Teddy Roosevelt once termed the “get-rich-quick theory of life.”
Today, I want to talk about the need for integrity—integrity in the marketplace, in the boardroom, and in government. I want to focus on the importance of integrity in the FBI’s mission as well. And I would like to touch on your role in this ethical calculus.
The FBI and Corporate Fraud
In the wake of September 11th, counterterrorism became the FBI’s top priority. Yet at the same time, we were confronted with a rash of corporate wrongdoing, including Enron, WorldCom, and Qwest. We needed to prioritize our resources to effectively combat both crime and terrorism.
Today, we have more than 1,800 agents working nearly 17,000 white collar cases, from public corruption and financial fraud to health care and mortgage fraud.
The number of corporate fraud cases we investigate has increased by more than 80 percent since 2003, despite the change in our priorities.
We obtained more than 490 corporate and securities fraud convictions in 2007. Thirty-three insider trading indictments were returned against employees of companies such as Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Credit Suisse, and UBS Securities. A number of you may be more familiar with these cases than I am.
Last month, five former executives of National Century Financial Enterprises were convicted of a $1.9 billion dollar fraud scheme.
Last July, former Hollinger International CEO Conrad Black was convicted of racketeering, money laundering, and fraud.
And in June, three former vice presidents at Countrywide Financial Corporation pled guilty to insider trading.
As Wall Street analysts would say, business is booming for the FBI, and, by extension, for those of you who are defense counsel.
The agents and analysts who work these cases do some of the most complex, tedious, and—ultimately—significant work we do for the American public.
But we do not hold the slightest pretense that we could do this without the larger team—the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, and our partners in the United States Attorneys Offices, among others. Our success depends on these partnerships.
We likely will see more corporate fraud cases in the months to come, because of the ripple effect of the subprime crisis and its impact on the credit market.
And as housing prices continue to fall, more financial misdeeds will no doubt come to light. As financier Warren Buffett said in his annual letter to shareholders last month, “You only learn who has been swimming naked when the tide goes out—and what we are witnessing…is an ugly sight.”
We are investigating more than 1,300 individual mortgage fraud matters. Perhaps more importantly, we have identified 19 corporate fraud matters related to the subprime lending crisis—cases that may have a substantial impact on the marketplace.
We are targeting accounting fraud, insider trading, and deceptive sales practices. These investigations may well lead to other instances of fraud, from investment banks and private equity firms to hedge funds.
We do not take these investigations lightly, nor do we open corporate fraud cases without careful consideration. We do understand the impact that public disclosure of a criminal investigation may have on a company’s reputation and economic standing.
These investigations further emphasize the need for independent board members, auditors, and outside counsel. Shareholders rely on the board of directors to serve as the corporate watchdog. But often, we see conflicts of interest in the corporate suites.
Board members may be beholden to the executives they are expected to oversee. Many directors may be current or former senior executives, with a mutual interest in maintaining the status quo.
They may be key shareholders who want to improve the value of their investment. And if anything goes wrong, they may start circling the wagons, rather than sounding the alarm.
Hearing anyone say they are surprised by such behavior is like the police chief in the movie “Casablanca” announcing that he is “shocked…shocked” to find gambling going on under his nose in Rick’s Café…just moments before he collects his roulette winnings from the night before.
Many of you here today are those to whom business leaders turn for counsel. You are often one of the first lines of defense. You are the gatekeepers—the ones who must say, “This is the right thing to do.”
I will say that we in the FBI have also had our share of missteps resulting from inadequate internal controls. And we understand that we need to do a better job of ensuring compliance in our own house. To that end, we have recently taken a page out of the private sector’s book.
Last year, we created a Bureau-wide compliance program. The Office of Integrity and Compliance will help ensure that we comply with both the letter and the spirit of the laws and policies by which we are bound.
As we all understand, it is better for a company to self-report and remediate its own wrongdoing before the FBI and the Department of Justice become involved. Executives who let the situation escalate to the point of a sudden restatement—and a resulting loss of shareholder confidence—often do greater harm to the companies they are trying to protect than if they had exercised early intervention.
In my days as defense counsel with a firm representing corporate targets, I met a number of executives who could rationalize every bad decision. They would say it was “business as usual”—that they were acting in the best interests of the company, given financial constraints and the pressures of running a business.
And I would think to myself, “You broke about 14 laws before breakfast. How could you fail to see you were doing anything wrong?”
I saw executives who did not start out intending to break the law. They would argue they were playing by the same rules as everyone else. They began to believe their own explanations. But it is a slippery slope from behavior that skirts ethical or legal boundaries to behavior that crosses the line completely.
It calls to mind the saying: If you jump out of a window on the 100th floor, and you seem to be doing fine as you pass the 40th floor, that doesn’t mean you don’t have a big problem. Rationalization will not provide much padding when you hit the pavement.
The FBI and Public Corruption
I want to turn to public corruption for a moment. Unfortunately, the private sector has by no means cornered the market on greed.
Public corruption is our top criminal priority, for the simple reason that it is different from other crimes. Corruption does not merely strike at the heart of good government. It may strike at the security of our communities.
The vast majority of public officials are honest in their work. They are committed to serving their fellow citizens. Unfortunately, some have abused the public trust.
We have more than 2,500 pending public corruption investigations—an increase of more than 50 percent since 2003. In the past five years, the number of agents working public corruption cases also has increased by more than 50 percent. We have convicted more than 1,800 federal, state, and local officials in the past two years alone.
For a nation built on the rule of law—and on faith in a government of the people, by the people, and for the people—we can and should do better. Ultimately, democracy and corruption cannot co-exist.
The FBI is uniquely situated to address public corruption. We have the skills to conduct sophisticated investigations. But more than that, we are insulated from political pressure. We are able to go where the evidence leads us, without fear of reprisal or recrimination.
Many of our investigations are well known. Others may be familiar only to local residents, but they are no less important.
For example, 22 individuals from the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina have pled guilty to drug conspiracy, racketeering, and fraud.
A state legislator from Georgia pled guilty last month to laundering what he believed to be proceeds from the sale of cocaine.
And a long-term undercover operation in Arizona snared nearly 70 military and law enforcement personnel for accepting hundreds of thousands in bribes. These individuals conspired to smuggle cocaine, drug money, and illegal immigrants across our southern border.
But if you would sell your oath and your honor for drug money, where does one draw the line? For the right price, would such individuals permit terrorist operatives to enter the country?
In the end, it does not matter if the corruption is national or local. It does not matter if it is millions of dollars, or merely hundreds. There is no level of acceptable corruption. The violation of trust is the same. The damage to the taxpayers is the same.
We must continue to dedicate the resources necessary to investigate public corruption. For if we in the FBI do not handle such cases, no one will.
* * *
Politicians who betray the trust of their constituents harm the integrity of our government. Executives who betray the trust of their employees and their shareholders harm the integrity of the marketplace. Left unchecked, corporate fraud and public corruption will rip the very fabric of our democracy.
General George Patton once said that no good decision was ever made in a swivel chair. Integrity requires that we stay on course, that we stay true to principles of honesty, ethics, and transparency…without swinging back and forth to meet the demands of the day…without altering our position to suit the economic, political, or social climate.
At the turn of the 20th century, Teddy Roosevelt took on the robber barons. He targeted corporate fraud and corruption, and commissioned what later became the FBI to continue that mission.
Roosevelt asserted that “Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual, and of nations alike.” These words ring true today. Character will be our deciding factor.
It is my hope that by working together, we can reduce corporate fraud and public corruption. We each have a role to play.
Together, we can bring to light the wrongdoing that threatens our economy, our security, and the welfare of our nation. Together, we can help create a culture of integrity.
Thank you for having me here today, and God bless
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