Showing posts with label Steven Doyle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Steven Doyle. Show all posts

Friday, June 17, 2016

Greensboro's ruling class, the News and Record and the Rhino Times only different; Rigged Elections "DNC Used Media to Rig Election for Hillary

"DNC Used Media to Rig Election for Hillary

...leaked emails show the DNC colluded with mainstream outlets to heavily favor Clinton.

Ever notice how favorable emails by Mike Barber appear in news print
immediately after messages are sent, 
Margaret Moffitt, Steven Doyle and John Hammer?

“Our goals in the coming months will be to frame the Republican field and the eventual nominee early and to provide a contrast between the GOP field and HRC,” reads an email dated May 26, 2015, referencing the former secretary of state by her initials, posted by “Guccifer 2.0” — after the Romanian hacker who allegedly accessed Clinton’s private email server multiple times.

If Hillary Clinton shouldn't receive a national security clearance,
how can she become president, unless the press helps make it happen?

Just like how the News and Record won't report Nancy Vaughan 
lying about when who hired a lawyer, or why and how who paid for the lawyer

One of the strategies listed for “positioning and public messaging” states, “Use specific hits to muddy the waters around ethics, transparency and campaign finance attacks on HRC.”

Zack Matheny, Zack Matheny

...this collusion to steer the narrative in Hillary’s favor appears to have gone unnoticed

...this series of leaked emails show a meticulously plotted coordination between DNC narratives touting Clinton, rather than Sanders, as if she had been the presumptive nominee from the outset — precisely as activists and fair elections advocates had suspected.

Like the redistricting debate last year
which Mike Barber has now confessed was just bullshit
by wanting to drop the lawsuit

Under the heading “Tactics,” the document states, “Working with the DNC and allied groups, we will use several different methods to land these attacks” — including, under the subheading, “Reporter Outreach”:

Amanda Lehmert now works for the City of Greensboro

“Working through the DNC and others, we should use background briefings, prep with reporters for interviews with GOP candidates, off-the-record conversations and oppo pitches to help pitch stories with no fingerprints and utilize reporters to drive a message.” And under “Bracketing Events,” the email states: “Both the DNC and outside groups are looking to do events and press surrounding Republican events to insert our messaging into their press and to force them to answer questions around key issues.”

The non-riot downtown after Chris Wilson invited East Greensboro youth
to watch a movie starring mostly white people
followed by massive disinformation by the City, Council and the Rhino Times 

...“Our goal is to use this conversation to answer the questions who do we want to run against and how best to leverage other candidates to maneuver them into the right place.”

...the irony of the former First Lady pontificating on ‘stacked decks’ for the elite bears a startling degree of hypocrisy in this context.

Nancy Vaughan, Mike Barber and Zack Matheny
who now want to borrow $25 million for 'downtown'

...as Sanders continued to experience success despite a veritable media blackout, a few mainstream outlets resorted to outright hostility to achieve a pro-Clinton message.

...To say the corporate, mainstream media has been complicit in a coordinated effort to grant Hillary the nomination would be an egregious understatement of reality. Though irate voters and journalists with actual integrity across the country immediately called out the Associated Press’ premature announcement Clinton had won the nomination as farce, it’s clear — particularly with these leaked emails — that had been the end game from the outset.

Ask Marc Ridgill among others

US Uncut reported neither the DNC nor the Clinton campaign returned request for comment.

DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz’ even rebuffed claims Sanders had not received fair treatment in the press during an April interview with the Daily Show’s Trevor Noah:

“You know, as powerful as that makes me feel, I’m not doing a very good job of rigging the outcome, or … blocking anyone from being able to get their message out.”

http://theantimedia.org/leaked-emails-dnc-rig-media-hillary/

Monday, June 13, 2016

Updated; Updated; Mayor Nancy Vaughan, the City of Greensboro and the News and Record's Margaret Moffett lied to the public on Vaughan's legal [subsidy] bill

Jeff Sykes, June 9, 2016; City pays personal legal fees for Mayor Vaughan

The City of Greensboro has paid more than $8,500 in legal fees for an outside law firm to personally represent Mayor Nancy Vaughan in a case involving environmental cleanup funds for the South Elm Redevelopment, more commonly known as Union Square.

...In an article published in the Greensboro News & Record in October, it was reported that Vaughan intended to pay her own expenses for hiring Amiel Rossabi to represent her personally during the legal proceedings. ...A Rhino Times article in January reported that Vaughan "hired Amiel Rossabi, of Rossabi, Black and Slaughter to represent her personally, the day before the deposition.

And the City did nothing to counter the reported facts
that Vaughan didn't hire a lawyer in October, 2015
as the City hired Rossabi in September, 2015 for the deposition
meaning City Manager Jim Westmoreland and other staff lied to the public
and the News and Record reported the story as transmitted by the City

"Rossabi advised his client Vaughan not to answer the questions asked during the deposition including: “Mayor Vaughan, have you ever been deposed before?” As well as, “Would you state your full name for the record, Mayor Vaughan?”


The first time Vaughan was deposed, she hired Amiel Rossabi,
of Rossabi, Black and Slaughter to represent her personally,
the day before the deposition. 

Who told John Hammer Amiel was hired the day before?

The deposition devolved into a verbal battle 
between Rossabi and Robert’s attorney, Scott Hale of Boydoh & Hale.

Patrick Kane of Smith Moore Leatherwood and Carruthers
were also present for the deposition but didn’t become involved in the verbal brawl.



In a memo dated June 7, 2016 and released following a record's request by YES! Weekly, Chief Deputy City Attorney Jo Peterson-Buie addresses the $8,545 legal payment to Rossabi's former law firm. Rossabi Black and Slaughter billed the city for Vaughan's legal fees on Feb. 17 of this year. The firm broke up on May 1 and the new firm, Black Slaughter Black requested payment. Rossabi formed Rossabi Law Partners and confirmed that the payment for representing Vaughan should go to his former partners.

The memo states that the city entered into a contract with Rossabi Black and Slaughter on Sept. 21, 2015. 


I have asked for a copy of the contract from the City

The memo states that Rossabi represented Vaughan at her deposition on Oct. 21. The memo mentions no additional representation. 

Vaughan, the City, Margaret Moffett and the News and Record lied to their readers
Greensboro's taxpayers and the public

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Margaret Moffett; City to pay mayor's legal bill for deposition, Saturday, June 11, 2016 7:12 pm

"Taxpayers will pay more than $8,500 for the private lawyer Mayor Nancy Vaughan used last year during a deposition in a downtown developer’s lawsuit against the city.

Before the 2015 Greensboro City Council election

Vaughan said in October [2015, right before the election,] she would use her own money to pay the attorney who represented her personally during the deposition

After the City "entered into a contract with Rossabi Black and Slaughter on Sept. 21, 2015
meaning Mayor Vaughan and Margaret Moffett lied, 
as Jeff Sykes reported the Sept. 21, 2015 contract info on June 9, 2012,
meaning the News and Record purposefully mislead its readers
for the benefit of Greensboro Mayor Nancy Vaughan and Jim Westmoreland

On Friday, Vaughan said she changed her mind after learning from City Attorney Tom Carruthers that it would be “entirely appropriate” for the city to cover her fees to Amiel Rossabi.

The contract for Rossabi's services 
was "entered into a contract with Rossabi Black and Slaughter on Sept. 21, 2015
meaning Mayor Vaughan and Margaret Moffett lied

When did the conversation take place?

So Vaughan hired Rossabi, who directed Vaughan not to answer many of the questions during the deposition.

Which isn't true, as the City hired Rossabi on September 21, 2015
to represent Nancy Vaughan at the deposition
directly before a City Council election
meaning the election was rigged with the help of City staff and the News and Record

Paying Rossabi’s bill puts the city in an unusual position, since it is simultaneously arguing that it should not pay former Police Chief David Wray’s legal fees.

...Vaughan said she made the right decision letting the city pay Rossabi’s bill.

The decision was made in September, 2015 before the City Council election
and then Nancy Vaughan lied about it with the help of the News and Record's Margaret Moffitt

“There was no logical reason why I would be deposed,” Vaughan said. “It was a strong-arm tactic to force a settlement. I wasn’t going to be bullied by the opposing attorney.”

“It’s unfortunate that we’ve wasted so much money on this case.”

http://www.greensboro.com/news/local_news/city-to-pay-mayor-s-legal-bill-for-deposition/article_48327874-9e0a-5372-981f-686d2f2f08a0.html

Nancy Vaughan and City staff were not honest, fair or responsible
to Greensboro's citizens.

Nancy Vaughan used her office for personal gain
by saying she was paying for council after the City signed a contract
with the same attorney for [dissimilar] services before an election;


So what work did the firm receive from the City
and how much more have they made total?

So it's not just "more than $8,500"?

How much more did they receive for services rendered,
and still undisclosed by the City or mayor Vaughan?


Public confidence in the integrity of its local government has been harmed
and now it looks like Amiel Rossabi wasn't prepared
and is now misleading the public as the contract was signed in September, 2015;

https://www.facebook.com/jeffreyhsykes?fref=nf

Hat Tip; Actual journalist Jeff Sykes
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That being said, watch the whole thing disappear...

Monday, May 30, 2016

Dear businesses looking to relocate or expand in Greensboro, North Carolina

Our elected leadership, of which some appear to have been “purchased” by entrenched special interests through campaign donations, and some City government employees, regularly act to retard potential profitability in order to support “chosen” for-profit businesses who provide “grants” or campaign contributions in exchange for monopolistic government contracts like Mike Barber's First Tee of the Triad and Zack Matheny's DGI.   Legislated benefits like free streets and sweet real estate deals are unavailable to the non-wheel greasing general public, but only to those who have funded the campaigns of the inexpensive stooges who fork over taxpayer owned resources to their masters.  

As we wait for City Council to decide which 'necessary' infrastructure debt is to be voted on in the upcoming election, at least $55 million in debt voted on by Council justified with bullshit math which Margaret Moffett, Susan Ladd, Allen Johnson, Doug Clark and Steven Doyle at the News and Record didn't bother to investigate, directly lined the pockets of Council campaign contributors, which has never been reported and most likely will not be, as it would be counter to Warren Buffett's broader interests for a local paper he owns to point out what Warren does best.

Disappointment may follow expectations of Greensboro’s News and Record, that used to be our paper of record and the Rhino Times, our most 'conservative' weekly, now owned by HB2 supporter Roy Carroll, defending free market capitalism and support for local for-profit small businesses against Greensboro's bought and paid for fascistic government intervention for the upper crust.

The News and Record and the Rhino's 'editorial boards' appear to be indifferent to the entrepreneurial spirit that made America a great country.  John Hammer has his head so far up Roy's ass he can't hear the behind the door insults he justifiably receives for betraying his profession by selling out and shilling propaganda for profit paid for by his reader's tax payments.

Many may be coming to realize that an oligarchy of a majority of Greensboro’s elected leadership, elite business interests, news executives and top city and county employees have set upon the course of transferring wealth out of the hands of taxpayers and small unconnected businesses to a select chosen few, while the overwhelming majority of the population remains unaware, because Margaret Moffett, Susan Ladd, Allen Johnson, Doug Clark and Steven Doyle won't do or are prevented from doing their jobs.

How else could the News and Record not point out local bigs like Roy who funded the legislators who voted for HB2?  They all seem to be on the same team when it comes to shielding local elites from public scrutiny.  That's how public corruption is allowed to happen.

Oligarchy

A form of government in which all power is vested in a few persons
or in a dominant class or clique;

Government by the few.

Dictionary.com

The following is from Roy Carroll's Rhino Times, written by John Hammer, who defended HB2 for Roy, who contributed to a bunch of the legislators who voted for it without being held to account via multiple acts of journalistic cowardice by Margaret Moffett, Susan Ladd, Allen Johnson, Doug Clark and Steven Doyle at the News and Record.  

Some of this needs to be copy and pasted before Roy and John take it off the Rhino site, like they did with the local net worth article, and after John went under, and after the News and Record did the same on multiples of occasions within five years or so;

"...In cities that have passed laws similar to those in Charlotte, men have been apprehended for hanging out in women’s bathrooms and locker rooms.  Their defense was that they identified as women...

Except Pat McCrory couldn't come up with any when asked about it on national TV, 
making North Carolina look bad, costing us jobs and economic growth, 
and John Hammer and Roy Carroll were with Pat on the subject until they went silent
after it become clear Roy Carroll and friends hurt our City and state with their actions

...It’s hard to believe that the fact that men should use the men’s restroom and women should use the women’s restroom is controversial... Who knew that men had a fundamental right to go in the bathrooms and locker rooms designated for women?

...One aspect of the ordinance that the Charlotte City Council seemed to ignore is the fact that men are frequently arrested for drilling holes in the walls of public bathrooms and peeping at women.

...If these men are willing to risk arrest by drilling peepholes and peering through them, do people actually believe they would hesitate to claim they are transgender in order to have access to a woman’s bathroom?

If a man says that he identifies as a woman, who is to say that he doesn’t?  Before Bruce Jenner had surgery and became Caitlyn Jenner, he certainly looked nothing like a woman, but he says he identified as a woman.

He/she didn't have surgery, meaning John Hammer misled the public on the issue

...State Rep. Jon Hardister of Greensboro brought up an aspect of HB 2 that has received little press.  Hardister said, “Charlotte overstepped its authority."

The High Point Market, better known as the furniture market, is ignoring an old adage, “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”  The furniture market receives $1.2 million for marketing and $1.2 million for transportation from the state each year.

In the state budget passed last year, state Sen. Trudy Wade, who represents High Point, fought hard for the furniture market and got the allocation raised by $544,000 per year to the present level.

John Hammer threatened the Furniture Market for Roy Carroll
to advance support for HB2 and the legislators Roy funded who voted for it
which the News and Record won't report via cowardice

By joining the onslaught of opposition to HB 2, the furniture market may have put that funding in jeopardy...

http://rhinotimes.com/Content/Default/One-Click-Reading/Article/NC-Restrooms-Same-As-They-Ever-Were/-3/6/1126
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More from John and Roy;

Most of what I’ve read in the mainstream media about the whole bathroom brouhaha has been either wrong or based on faulty information.

...the majority of people agree with HB2, whether they know it or not.

Apparently not, now including Art Pope, John Hood and Pat McCrory etc... 

...The debate has little to do with transgender people using one restroom or shower or the other.  That’s a smokescreen.  The issue is what is set out in the Charlotte ordinance – whether our society wants to have gender-neutral facilities or facilities segregated by biological sex.

Not really

Charlotte’s ordinance required all bathrooms, locker rooms, showers, saunas, everything except maybe OB-GYN examination rooms, to be gender neutral.

Not really

...The reason the opponents of HB2 are trying to make it sound like transgender people are being discriminated against is political.  The people out protesting may believe the issue is about transgender people, but it appears the folks calling the shots want gender-neutral bathrooms.  They want all of us to act like there is no difference between men and women – wake up one day and be a woman and the next day be a man.  There is the problem of biological differences, but they ignore the fact that men and women are physically different.

http://www.rhinotimes.com/Content/Default/Columns/Article/Weekly-Hammer-May-19/-3/7/1214
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Tuesday, April 26, 2016; A few questions for the City of Charlotte concerning HB2

http://greensboroperformingarts.blogspot.com/2016/04/a-few-questions-for-city-of-charlotte.html
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More from John and Roy, which the News and Record didn't have the guts to call them out on;

"...The law treats all people the same.  

No it doesn't and it's not enforceable

What HB2 establishes is that in North Carolina people are required to use the restroom that corresponds with their biological sex.  The Charlotte ordinance – which Charlotte did not have the authority to pass...

Not really, otherwise the state could have just sued Charlotte,
but they didn't

Since transgender is not defined, this would have allowed men to use the women’s restroom and women to use the men’s restroom.  In effect, all restrooms and locker rooms would be gender neutral.

Not true 

Blatant lie not identified by the News and Record

HB2 allows any business including the High Point furniture market to have gender-neutral restrooms if they so desire.  The decision is left up to the owner of the business.

,,,Vaughan allowed state Rep. John Blust, who is a candidate in the Republican primary for the 13th Congressional District, to speak first and gave him some additional time to explain what the state statute he voted for did.

Blust said that the topic was one that he was almost embarrassed to talk about in public, but that the state had been forced to regulate the behavior of people in bathrooms.  He said, “it seems common sense that everyone use the bathroom based on their anatomy.” Blust said, “Charlotte did not have the statutory authority to do what it did.”

Not really

...Blust was allowed to start again and said, “As the parent of a young daughter, I’m not willing to have her, her classmates, teammates and friends, go into the girls locker room and undress in front of someone with the male anatomy.” 

Which wouldn't happen in real life,
just like it doesn't happen now in real life

...The legislators held public hearings and heard everyone who signed up to speak on the bill before it was passed.

Bullshit, and John Hammer and Roy Carroll know it, 
and so does Margaret Moffett, Susan Ladd, 
Allen Johnson, Doug Clark and Steven Doyle at the News and Record, 
who committed journalistic malpractice by not pointing it out,
meaning they are just as at fault as John, Roy, Art Pope etc... 
for the economic mess our state has found itself to be in

...Chris Hardin, a candidate in the Republican primary for the 6th Congressional District, got shouted down by opponents to HB2 several times.  He said the law was not about discrimination but about common sense.  He said that allowing the Charlotte ordinance to stand would have had a detrimental effect on law enforcement.

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And again from John Hammer and Roy Carroll, which wasn't reported by the News and Record;

"Rep. John Blust of Greensboro, a candidate for the 13th Congressional District seat, said nobody in Raleigh was talking about HB2.  He said, “I haven’t said anything about changing or repealing anything.”

Really?

Blust said that he was completely misquoted in the article and what he had actually said was that he hadn’t heard anyone say anything about amending the bill so he couldn’t comment on it.  ...Blust said, “I don’t even like to show a blink of an eye over this.”...

Rep. Jon Hardister from Greensboro, who is quoted extensively in the article, said the quotes were technically accurate but taken out of context.  He said, “I was surprised when I saw the article, not because of my quotes but because of the way they were presented.”

...A constitutional amendment would make the law requiring separate bathrooms for men and women more powerful.

Sen. Trudy Wade of Greensboro said, “We have not discussed changing anything at all.”

Rep. Harry Warren from Salisbury, who, like Blust, is a candidate in the 13th Congressional District race, said, “I’m not in favor of going back at all on HB2.”

Apparently not anymore after these folks turned our state
into a national discrace

State Sen. Andrew Brock, also running for Congress in the 13th District, said, “HB2 is a great bill.”

Hardister said, “I’m not working with anyone to repeal the bill or to amend it, but discussions are taking place and there could be changes.”

Hardister said he thought it was possible the portion of the bill that made it more difficult to sue over discrimination in state court could be amended.

Hardister said that one of his complaints about the coverage of the bill in the N&R is that it made it sound like protections for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community had been repealed, which he said was misleading because “LGBT was not a protected class before HB2.”  He noted that the legislature had not made LGBT a protected class...

Jon Hardister was all in until Art Pope, John Hood and Pat McCrory 

What the law does do is make it clear that local jurisdictions can’t create their own protected classes but that the decision on protected classes will be made at the state level."

http://www.rhinotimes.com/Content/Default/City/Article/More-HB2-Misrepresentations/-3/18/1195

Friday, May 20, 2016

An email sent to the News and Record's Marquita Brown and Steven Doyle on Say Yes to Education and Say Yes Guilford

Good morning,

As I left a message on Marquita's voicemail, how much money is Say Yes targeting to pay out for next year?

If 3,500 students qualify, how much is going to go to each student?

How much money does Say Yes Guilford have on hand to fund the scholarships?

As the number should about double in year two, how much does Say Yes have set aside?

As the number should about double again over the next two years, how is Say Yes going to pay for it?

If 3,500 kids get $1,000 each, it will cost $3,500,000.

Times four is $14 million per year.

They don't even have the $35 million they say they have 'pledged' in hand.

How is it sustainable?

Simple unanswered questions which haven't been answered for months.
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Most Guilford high school seniors apply for Say Yes scholarships

http://www.greensboro.com/blogs/the_chalkboard/most-guilford-high-school-seniors-apply-for-say-yes-scholarships/article_7d5276c0-c6c3-5370-b8fd-d79753209b0c.html