Regier 'crisis' falters when facts known [Anti-Jeb writer matures; defends Jeb's new DCF chief!]

The Orlando Sentinel ^ | August 20, 2002 | Mike Thomas

[summer]

Tuesday, August 20, 2002

SENTINEL COLUMNIST



Mike Thomas

Regier 'crisis' falters when facts known

Published August 20, 2002

The attacks against Jeb Bush's choice to head the state's child-welfare department, Jerry Regier, show what you get by mixing an incomplete news story and nasty politics.

Excerpt:
It began last week when The Miami Herald wrote this story:

The man named Thursday by Gov. Jeb Bush to head Florida's notoriously inept child welfare agency is an evangelical Christian who views spanking that causes "bruises or welts" as acceptable punishment…..

All the ingredients were present for a juicy controversy.

There was a Christian conservative portrayed in a way that panders to our worst fears about extremist beliefs.

…

And lastly, there was a political campaign in which Democrats are getting desperate in their increasingly futile battle against Jeb Bush.

There is only one problem in all this: Regier says he did not write the offending words, did not agree with them and eventually left the group that produced the report because he disagreed with its views. This not only comes from Regier, who has a solid reputation as a straight-arrow, but also from the man whose name is on the report with Regier's -- George Rekers, a University of South Carolina professor....

There is no evidence his religious beliefs have affected his government work or any other evidence he ever believed, espoused or pushed those extremist views. All we have seen is vague sniping from liberal critics.

This feeds into complaints of media bias against Christian conservatives....

To read the complete column, click HERE.

Mike Thomas can be reached at 407-420-5525 or mthomas@orlandosentinel.com.

Copyright © 2002, Orlando Sentinel

[summer]

Wow! Good for Mike Thomas! While I do not consider myself a Christian conservative, but I am a former Dem and now an independent (and a FL certified teacher), I applaud his recognition of the incredible hatred the FL media seems to have of law-abiding Christian conservatives.

This is yet another decent column I have read from him, as I also enjoyed:
Vouchers - Idea Really Will Help Poor Children.

He is sounding less partisian, and more of an independent, in my view. And, more fair. To me, that makes him a much more interesting and credible writer.

Mike, this is a great change for you! I will not always agree with you (or with Gov Bush for that matter), but on this issue with Regier, I couldn't agree more with your last sentence:

If Regier is crazy enough to think he can help, I haven't seen anything so far to deny him the chance.

Kudos to you, Mike Thomas, for seeing through this nasty smear campaign against Mr. Regier! Let's wish FL's new DCF chief the best of luck in his new role!!!

PS For those who have not been following this media-invented controversy over Gov Bush's new DCF appointment, check out these posts for additional background info and links:

Where the FL Story of Jeb's New DCF Chief Should Have Appeared:"The Weekly World News"

CAPTION THIS: Rev. Jesse Jackson comments on Gov. Jeb Bush's new DCF Chief

[summer]

For index.

[summer]

FYI! :)

[summer]

FYI! :)

[summer]

This Mike Thomas is becoming an interesting columnist...

[summer]

FYI. :)

[FairWitness]

Thanks, Summer, for another good story.

[summer]

Thanks, FairWitness. And, let me tell you - posting this one was REALLY my pleasure! I am wondering if Mike Thomas lurked on FR recently, and maybe saw some of the links we all posted about this.

[summer]

Hi, I thought you might be interested in this post. Of course, I realize I could be wrong about that. :)

[Joe Brower]

Thanks for this info, summer. Just today there was a rant in the letters to the editor of the SHT parroting the whole line of slander being fomented by the radical leftmedia. I'll be using this to write a LTTE of my own today.

[summer]

BTTT!!!!!!! Thanks, Joe. :)

[js1138]

I worked for this agency back in the '70s. "Troubled" is a kind word. Criminal would be more accurate.

[Bigg Red]

Thanks for posting this, summer. Here in Maryland, I read, in today's Washington Times, about the disgusting attacks on this man by the Miami Herald and by Florida 'Rats. You can see the old Clinton team's prints all over this one.

Hold onto your hat! This vile character assasination and assault of lies is just a preview of what the 'Rats will be/are doing all over the country in order to maintain their corrupt grasp of power.

[Truth Addict]

If Regier is crazy enough to think he can help, I haven't seen anything so far to deny him the chance.

Mike Thomas has really come up with some fair-minded columns lately, and this is another one. I have always thought he was a gifted writer, although misguided, and it is good to see him taking on the liberal left when they use dishonest tactics to attack conservatives.

I also liked his column about vouchers helping poor minorities, not rich Republicans. He just may be coming around from the dark side and beginning to see the light.

[Paul Atreides]

Thanks for the ping! The Dembulbs truly are desperate. However, the lie is out there, so in a way, their job is done. They have such a cult following, they could have said the man is a martian and their sheeple would believe it. However, I am glad to hear that the intelligent people in Florida are outnumbering the loons.

[JoeSixPack1]

Thanks for the ping. I can't bring myself to read anything Mike Thomas writes as he is a card carrying puke liberal, with ideas and innuendo that would make even Reno blush, but he obviously had better medication when he wrote this. (I didn't read this one either)

GO JEB!!! :-)

[Joe Brower]

gals,

Here is the letter to the editor that appeared in todays SHT, along with the rebuttal I just sent to the paper a few minutes ago.

Bush DCF appointee a mistake

The rush to appoint the head of a troubled child welfare agency without checking the man's extremist background is another example of bumbling Jeb Bush's poor judgment. The appointee to the Department of Children and Families, Jerry Regier, co-authored an essay supporting physical abuse of children, asserting that leaving bruises or welts does not constitute abuse.

This appointee should be dismissed immediately before further harm is done to Florida's children. Jeb Bush is not the leader Florida needs. Let's show him the exit in November.

This is too much.

Rachel Ferrell
Bradenton

***

Letters Editor, The Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Re: "Bush DCF appointee a mistake"

A letter printed in your 8/20/2002 edition, "Bush DCF appointee a mistake", was either a thinly veiled attack against Florida governor Jeb Bush and newly-appointed DCF chief, Jerry Regier, or, at best, a textbook example of the saying, " One person tells a falsehood and a hundred repeat it as true". This letter simply parrots false statements made in a Miami Herald story which, if anyone bothered to check the facts, reveals itself to be patently incorrect.

The report that Jerry Regier "co-authored an essay supporting physical abuse of children" is a lie. If this is so, how could the Oklahoma Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) name Jerry Regier as the 2001 Administrator of the Year? As Mike Thomas of the Orlando Sentinel wrote in his 8/20/2002 column, "Regier 'crisis' falters when facts known", this disinformation was simply found on the Internet somewhere and subsequently published as "truth" without allowing any time for Mr. Regier to respond. The Miami Herald did, however, manage to gather a verbal attack from Mr. Regier's political foes in Oklahoma. Mr. Regier himself has publicly issued a statement refuting these false claims. The actual record shows that he did not co-author the writing in question, nor did he exercise any editorial control over it's contents. In addition, he long ago disavowed any relationship with the publishing organization.

The title of another column refuting these unwarranted falsehoods regarding Mr. Regier, authored by Cheryl Wetzstein in the 8/20/200 Washington Times, succinctly sums up this whole situation in it's title, "Attacks on Regier seen as 'politics'". One quote in this article hits the nail squarely on the head: "This is just the politics of personal destruction, moving from Washington to Tallahassee".

"This is too much". Yes, indeed.

Joe Brower

[summer]

Re your post #17 - An A+ for you, sir. Fantastic letter.

[summer]

He just may be coming around from the dark side and beginning to see the light.

I think Mike Thomas is undergoing a real change.

And, he doesn't have to support everything Gov Bush does to make me happy - it would make me very happy if in his column he just fairly evaluated each event on its own terms and merits (or lack thereof), as he did here.

Thanks for your post, Truth Addict. :)

[summer]

Re your post #16 - LOL!!!!!!!!! Joe, maybe, sometime, you could read the brief excerpt I posted from him. You might just thank me.... :)