Franklin County stonewalling and BSB’s blind denial

2010 Buckeye at Buckeye State Blog has responded to Patrick Poole’s “Anatomy of a cover-up on Abukar Arman”

I won’t bore you with all the “Big Details” and “Damning Charges” lobbed by these wingnuts. The short version – they claim a committee oversees homeland security funding in Franklin County, but it doesn’t. They say a guy on the committee is a terrorist sympathizer, but he isn’t. They variously claim the Mayor and any number of Democrats appointed said guy, but they didn’t.

Their coordinated hit piece on the Franklin County Commission and Mayor Mike Coleman’s staff was all about the non-cover-up of this non-issue.

Let’s go through this point by point:

I won’t bore you with all the “Big Details” and “Damning Charges” lobbed by these wingnuts.

The blind denial. Fine, don’t bore anyone. How about a link? Maybe having BSB readers see the post for themselves is too much of a risk.

The short version – they claim a committee oversees homeland security funding in Franklin County, but it doesn’t.

This is a piece of either misinformation or disinformation put out by Hanna Greer, the Public Information Director for Franklin County. From her email to WTVN’s Dirk Thompson:

The Criminal Justice Planning Board does not oversee homeland security for Franklin County. Those functions belong to police and fire, the Sheriff’s office and the FBI. Any information about homeland security presented to the Board is also available publicly.

Dirk Thompson and Patrick Poole have already debunked these claims. From the Board’s own document dated December 2006, and still available at the Franklin County website (pdf):

The Board is responsible for comprehensive countywide planning and directing the mission of the Office of Homeland Security & Justice Programs. The Franklin County Office of Homeland Security & Justice Programs performs the fiscal and programmatic administration of the county’s federal justice block grants and the Urban Area Security Initiative, provides training and technical assistance for the justice partners and first responders, and is responsible for the development and evaluation of projects and programs operating in accordance with the Franklin County Comprehensive Strategic Justice Plan and the Homeland Security Strategy….

The Homeland Security Strategy is a sensitive document protected under the Homeland Security Act and is referred to in general terms herein.

Was Greer lying or just wrong? I have no idea.

They say a guy on the committee is a terrorist sympathizer, but he isn’t.

That’s the question. Please read Arman’s blog post “HAMAS Victory is a Victory for Democracy and Peace!” It makes a good case. But the Dispatch and Franklin County refuse to acknowledge that such writing even exists. Poole has more examples here.

They variously claim the Mayor and any number of Democrats appointed said guy, but they didn’t.

From the county website:

The Franklin County Board of Commissioners have appointed Abukar Arman, of Hilliard, to serve as a community representative on the Franklin County Criminal Justice Planning Board for a term ending in January 2006….

The Franklin County Justice Planning Board provides oversight for criminal and juvenile justice programs funded through Franklin County. Franklin County Commissioners Mary Jo Kilroy, Dewey Stokes and Paula Brooks appoint all of the board’s 23 members.

I’m not aware of anyone claiming that Mayor Coleman appointed him. He was appointed to the Board by the the Franklin County Commissioners. Kilroy and Brooks are Democrats, Stokes is a Republican. So it’s not “any number” of Democrats- it’s two, with one Republican.

(David Hickman claims that 2010 Buckeye works for Mary Jo Kilroy’s congressional campaign. I don’t know if that’s true. It would explain 2010’s post somewhat.)

Their coordinated hit piece on the Franklin County Commission and Mayor Mike Coleman’s staff was all about the non-cover-up of this non-issue.

Then why all the concern in the emails between Greer and Michael Coleman spokesman Michael S. Brown? Brown didn’t write, “So what’s the problem? Send them the information.” It was a coordinated campaign of bait and switch and stonewalling. The investigation Paula Brooks wanted never happened- the Dispatch was given a “short, clear statement… on status of individual,” without an investigation. And the County delayed their release of records to Poole and Thompson, favoring “Barb” at the Dispatch instead. Barbara Carmen did a he said she said piece and established nothing.

Also weighing in are BizzyBlog and NixGuy. BizzyBlog writes:

It looks like the Columbus Dispatch has been duped — and used — by Franklin County’s (mis)Information Director, who should be shown the door.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a blatant example of a government entity deliberately feeding information to an Old Media outlet for the express purpose of minimizing the impact of an impending New Media report…. and the Old Media outlet in question appears to have swallowed it whole.

For many in politics, that’s part of the MSM’s appeal, unfortunately. They’re much less likely to make waves than crazy, unhinged bloggers are- what with their agendas and all.

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