COMEY AND FBI MISS THE TRUTH ABOUT LYING!

Thursday, April 26th, 2018

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

COMEY AND FBI MISS THE TRUTH ABOUT LYING!

Sad to say that the truth has become a diminishing commodity in America today.  Particularly when it comes to many branches of government. Remember the old adage that “I’m from the federal government and I’m here to help you?”  Too often, they are here to examine, investigate and even prosecute you.

A prime example of bungling, mismanagement and corruption are the antics, prominently in the news right now, of the FBI leadership. A criminal referral has been made against the former number two in command Andrew McCabe. The inspector general, according to The Washington Post,determined that McCabe lied to investigators four times, three of them while under oath.

This column wrote last week about former FBI head James Comey and his efforts to portray himself as being ethical and above the fray of partisan politics.  Now we learn that Comey is also being investigated for leaking classified documents, and denying that he had done so.  He blew off the matter by saying:  “Good people lie. I think I’m a good person, where I have lied,” Comey said.  So much for his above-board ethics.

Comey obviously adopts the longstanding FBI adage that they can lie to you but you can’t lie to them.  Yale law professor Stephen Carter puts it this way.  “Lying is terribly corrosive and ought to be discouraged, but where law enforcement is concerned, I’ve been telling my students for decades that true respect for justice requires a symmetry. If I’m not allowed to lie to you, then you shouldn’t be allowed to lie to me.”

Carter then puts the onus directly back on the FBI. “ If felony charges for lying to agents are important in order to preserve the integrity of the system of justice, perhaps felony charges for lying by agents are important too. That way the people who “must fear the consequences of lying in the justice system” would include those who serve the public.”

Comey is saying that the memos he slipped in secret to The Wall Street Journalwere his personal work product, and exempt from FBI regulations.  That lame excuse won’t pass muster.  He wrote memos about an FBI investigation on an FBI typewriter.  And he signed a required statement saying that he “will not reveal, by any means, any information or material from or related to FBI files or any other information acquired by virtue of my official employment to any unauthorized recipient without prior official written authorization by the FBI.”

Just last week, a former FBI agent, Terry Albury pleased guilty toleaking classified documents to a news outlet. This is exactly what Comey did. Albury is now facing up to 10 years in prison.  Isn’t what’s good for the goose also good for the gander?

The bottom line question is that if McCabe and Comey are guilty of lies under oath and giving out classified documents to the press, then shouldn’t they be prosecuted and face jail time for their actions?  Of course they should.  The consequences of lying or leaking should be a deterrent both to those being investigated as well as the investigators themselves.

The only recourse a private citizen has to protect oneself against devious and false questions by an FBI agent is to tell them nothing. Here in Louisiana, it’s a rule urged by defense attorneys and recognized by many in the news media.

The rule was best enunciated a few years back in Gambit, a New Orleans newspaper.  “If you are a public official in Louisiana, do not talk to the FBI.  Not under any circumstances.  Not even if you are innocent and have nothing to hide.  Especially if you are innocent and have nothing to hide.”

First there was Watergate and now there is FBI-gate. Isn’t it a shame that way too often, you just can’t be sure who the bad guys are?

Peace and Justice

Jim Brown

Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide.  You can read all his past columns and see continuing updates at http://www.jimbrownusa.com.  You can also hear Jim’s nationally syndicated radio show each Sunday morning from 9:00 am till 11:00 am Central Time on the Genesis Radio Network, with a live stream at http://www.jimbrownusa.com.

COMEY ALLOWED INJUSTICE IN LOUISIANA!

Thursday, April 19th, 2018

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

COMEY ALLOWED INJUSTICE IN LOUISIANA!

So our President is a mafia boss, an unethical liar and “morally unfit” to be leading the country. At least that’s the opinion of former FBI chief James Comey. In his recent interviews, Comey also has a problem with Donald Trump’s orange skin, his ties that are too long, and even the size of his hands.  Really important stuff from the nation’s former top cop.

If you have never heard of James Comey, and many Louisianans have not, he was FBI director under the Obama Administration, but was fired just after Trump took office. Since then he seems to have worked overtime in cultivating an image of being the only Boy Scout left, standing head and shoulders above politics and the politicians in Washington. So just what is he trying to accomplish?

I know well. You see, as many of you recognize, I’m a book publisher. I sell books. And that’s exactly what Comey is doing.  He has written a tell-all tabloid story on Trump of supposed salacious charges that question everything from Russian hookers to inquiries about the president’s marriage. Yes, it’s all about selling books and making money.  Georgetown law professor Jonathan Turley writes this week, “Comey is selling himself with the vigor of a Kardashian, and while proceeding to write a book to protect the FBI, he is doing that institution untold harm by joining an ignoble list of tell-all authors.”

Anyone following high profile public issues in Louisiana is certainly aware of how Comey bungled the biggest case he ever handled embroiling a former LSU professor. The incident involved anthrax attacks in the nation’s capitol that killed 5 people and infected 17 others, causing the entire U.S. Capitol’s mail system to shut down. Comey headed up the FBI investigation, and his incompetence and recklessness all but destroyed the reputation and health of LSU researcher Steven Hatfill.

It’s a long and convoluted story, but it was obvious to any neutral observer that Hatfill was innocent and the FBI had the wrong man.  Hewas a virologist (one who only studies viruses), and he never even handled anthrax.  But congress was screaming about an attack on America and the FBI needed a scapegoat. A fewunreliable rumormongers mentioned Hatfill’s name that led Comey and Company to pounce all over the blameless researcher.

So just what evidence of Hatfill’s guilt did Comey have on the quiet LSU academic?  Ah, don’t sell Comey short.  After all he had heard of a couple of guys out in California that had trained bloodhounds to supposedly “sniff out” anthrax.  Now remember, if you sniff the stuff, it kills you, but that minor fact did not deter Comey. He siced the bloodhounds on Hatfill and announced to congress that one of LSU’s best and brightest was the guilty party. The dog handlers were later found by a California court to be quite unreliable, with the judged stating that the prosecution’s dog handler was “as biased as any witnesses that this court has ever seen.”

But Comey persisted.  When he was asked by a skeptical Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz if he was sure that Hatfill was the perpetrator, Comey replied that he was “absolutely certain” they weren’t making a mistake.

Seven years later, Hatfill was exonerated and the FBI paid him $5.85 million because of Comey’s unjust prosecution. But he did not have the decency to apologize and acknowledge his serous blunder.  Comey’s sidekick, current special prosecutor Robert Mueller was just as graceless and unprofessional as Comey.  When asked about the false charges against Hatfill, Mueller would only say: “I do not apologize for any aspect of the investigation.” He added that it would be erroneous “to say there were mistakes.”

Comey did his best to destroy a decent and innocent LSU professor.  He has proven to be manipulative, incompetent and calculating. But hey, so what!  It’s really all about selling books, isn’t it.

Peace and Justice

Jim Brown

Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide.  You can read all his past columns and see continuing updates at http://www.jimbrownusa.com.  You can also hear Jim’s nationally syndicated radio show each Sunday morning from 9:00 am till 11:00 am Central Time on the Genesis Radio Network, with a live stream at http://www.jimbrownusa.com.

DOWNSIDE OF CASINOS IN LOUISIANA!

Thursday, April 12th, 2018

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

DOWNSIDE OF CASINOS IN LOUISIANA!

Several quick financial fixes are being discussed in the current session of the Legislature involving the expansion of gambling.  Here’s an interesting thought. Why is it that Louisiana and neighboring state Mississippi are always on the bottom of every national ranking involving virtually every aspect of a state’s quality of life? Yet casino gambling is widespread throughout both states at a level not found any place else in America outside of Las Vegas.

In Louisiana, the legislature is considering proposals to extend casinos into new parishes, including Tangipahoa, and allowing much larger facilities where present casinos are located.  Presently, the state has 15 so called “floating” casinos, a huge land-based casino in downtown New Orleans, four racetrack casinos, 200 truck stop casinos and over 1000 restaurants and bars that have video poker machines. Wow! You can sure make a case for more casinos can’t you.

Casino supporters point out that the state is broke and about to fall off this so called “fiscal cliff.” But isn’t it interesting that the more progressive states throughout the south, from Virginia and the Carolinas all the way across to Texas, have developed new economic development prospects that offer their citizens better job opportunities.

Let me share a personal observation of how successful casinos are here in my home state of Louisiana.  I was on my way to the state capitol in Baton Rouge on a Friday evening around six o’clock and was running about an hour early for a meeting.  There is a riverboat casino within shouting distance of the capitol, so with some time to spare, I drove into the parking lot. Now I’m not a gambler, but I am a close observer of the local economic scene.

Traffic was heavy and the parking lot was full, primarily with older model trucks and cars. I parked and stood at the entrance as hundreds of gamblers came and went. Many of the gamblers had driven to the casino straight from work. Friday was a payday for many of the risk takers, so there was money to spend. A large number of visitors had their working uniforms on with nametags.

I don’t want to disparage these folks, but I would assume that many of them live from paycheck to paycheck. There were bills to pay and kids at home that needed attention. Yet here they were with money burning a hole in their pockets. And what better way to invest for your family’s future than by hitting button after button on a slot machine, or spending hour after hour at the roulette or blackjack table?

Louisiana political leaders have always been after the quick fix.  It was oil and gas beginning back in the 1950s with no concern for the environmental damage or setting aside tax dollars for a rainy day fund.  Governor Buddy Roemer raised the issue that “the oil and gas for Louisiana’s future was in the minds of our 5th and 6th graders.” What he meant was that the mineral revenue is fleeting.  We have to teach and develop entrepreneurs and people who want to build small businesses.

The state should have been focusing on educational reform, with specific emphasis on developing a large tech talent pool.  Even the most basic clerical and mechanical jobs require computer skills. Instead, Louisiana opted to keep its citizens amused with domed stadiums, moviemaker tax credits, and more and more gambling. Lawmakers are now considering legalizing sports betting. Hey, let’s bring back cock fighting.  “Keep em’ fat, dumb and happy, and we will all get re-elected.”

Some will argue that if someone wants to throw away their money, so be it.  But study after study has concluded that there are dramatic increases in the social and economic costs, along with the upsurge in crime that can run into the hundreds of millions of dollars in Louisiana.  

There are many ways in the Bayou State to “Laissez les bons temps rouler.”  Expanding the present high level of betting is not one of them.  There are just too many other ways to have a good time, without gambling away our already fragile quality of life.

Peace and Justice

Jim Brown

Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide.  You can read all his past columns and see continuing updates at http://www.jimbrownusa.com.  You can also hear Jim’s nationally syndicated radio show each Sunday morning from 9:00 am till 11:00 am Central Time on the Genesis Radio Network, with a live stream at http://www.jimbrownusa.com.

SADNESS OVER MARCH MADNESS!

Thursday, April 5th, 2018

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

SADNESS OVER MARCH MADNESS!

Let me begin right off by saying that I am a college basketball diehard through and through. Like most sports fans, I cheer on my favorite teams in a number of sports. But at the top of my list has always been college basketball.

My dad was a star forward playing both junior college and AAU basketball. I had the honor of being Coach Dean Smith’s first recruit at the University of North Carolina back in 1968. I was a spectator in the Louisiana Superdome when the Tar Heels won two national championships. If you come to my office I’ll show you a ball sent to me by Coach Smith autographed by the entire 1982 championship team including Michael Jordan.

I’ve been a front row LSU basketball season ticket holder since the 1970s, and regularly talk basketball trash with legendary former Coach Dale Brown. All in all, I have bled for the college game. But I have a confession to make. The thrill is gone. These past few weeks, I didn’t become enthralled with March Madness. It was more like March Sadness.

Liza Minnelli said it best in the hit movie and Broadway showCabaret.“Money makes the world go round.”  We have tolerated for years the extravagant salaries paid to college football coaches. At LSU, for example, six of the seven highest paid employees in the entire university are in the athletic department, which Governor John Bel Edwards labels as “obscene.”  LSU will pay three former football coaches more than $12 million not to coach. Fired Coach Les Miles receives $133,000 each month with a total payout of almost $10 million. But at least we rarely hear of financial scandals involving players in the football ranks.

Basketball is where the financial bribes and continuing ugliness takes place. The FBI is presently investigating a number of college coaches as well as sports agents for payoffs to players to attend various colleges. Ten agents and coaches have been arrested with numerous allegations involving some 30 schools.  Seventeen teams that participated in March Madness are currently under investigation.

Two former LSU players have been accused of receiving cash payoffs from sports agents in a detailed report from Yahoo Sports listing numerous payments to dozens of current and former basketball players. A number of major basketball schools are being investigated, including programs at Duke, North Carolina, Texas, Kentucky, Michigan State, USC, LSU, Alabama and a host of other schools.

Numerous colleges are also being investigated for their academic shortcomings when it comes to athletes. A recent probe at my alma mater, the University of North Carolina, determined that a number of athletes received passing grades but never attended classes.  Now I bleed Carolina Blue, but UNC should have been put on probation for allowing such scholastic cheating. The NCAA turned its head to the academic deceit saying, “The NCAA defers to its member schools to determine whether academic fraud occurred.” The old “let the fox protect the henhouse rule” is how the governing body reacted.

One would expect that the NCAA, the ruling body over college sports, would be the wall of protection against the influx of the shady, money-grubbing influences on college players. But the NCAA itself has been obsessed with the bottom line dollar and will (get this) clear almost $1 billion a year for just the March Madness basketball tournament. And it should be noted that the NCAA president is none other that former LSU President Mark Emmert. Good or bad, LSU seems to always be in the mix.

Much of this corruption is caused by alumni pressures to win, no matter what the cost. But that’s not the way it should be, at least from my perspective.  Maybe I was raised and played these games at a time where we competed for the love of the game, and at best, an athletic scholarship to give us a decent education. I suppose it’s a changing environment and the current world we live in.

Oh, I’ll continue to keep my front row basketball tickets, and cheer on my alma mater. But it’s just not the same any more. And the fans, the colleges, and the teams themselves are not the better for it.

Peace and Justice

Jim Brown

Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide.  You can read all his past columns and see continuing updates at http://www.jimbrownusa.com.  You can also hear Jim’s nationally syndicated radio show each Sunday morning from 9:00 am till 11:00 am Central Time on the Genesis Radio Network, with a live stream at http://www.jimbrownusa.com.