How Reliable is Time Magazines Hit-Piece On Mike Brown's Resume?

Time Magazine, The Edmond Sun | 9 Sep 2005 | PhilipFreneau

[navysealdad]

I heard 3 days ago VAdm Allen was going to take over.

[PhilipFreneau]

>> I heard 3 days ago VAdm Allen was going to take over. <<

Where did you hear that, Sailor?

Signed,
Navy vet

[Malesherbes]

Yes, but if you subscribe to Time, they'll give you a free clock-radio.

[DWPittelli]

If all the material in his application for employment was on the up and up, and totally honest, he will escape prosecution.

Oh come on. If the factual errors are of the type "assistant to the manager" versus "assistant manager" there's no way to support a criminal prosecution. Kind of hard to prove criminal intent when you can't prove he could even remember the title distinction 25 years later.

What's really bad about this situation is it means no one competent will want to have his job in the future. Why take on that risk to reputation (which is great even apart from the resume issue) if there's a disaster and the mayor and governor feel like passing the buck?

[frankjr]

"No, it would not include 95% of Americans ~ on the other hand, it may well include you."

Heck yeah, it works every time. Catch me if you can!

[pepperdog]

"a news story reported by Time have learned that it never happened the way we remember it... "

You statement was just verified by KWTV News in Oklahoma City, everyone in Edmond is complaining that they were misquoted by Time. It reminds me of an acquaintance who was interviewed by "60" Minutes years ago. His advice after having all his statements cut to pieces and taken out of context was to never, ever trust the media to correctly quote you and to become totally mum when they are around. I guess he was right.

[okie01]

His advice after having all his statements cut to pieces and taken out of context was to never, ever trust the media to correctly quote you and to become totally mum when they are around. I guess he was right.

If you've ever wondered why Scott McClellan never seems to say anything, now you understand why.

One can't be open and honest with the MSM because the MSM won't be honest with the public.

[cyncooper]

Major Garrett reported several times today that Allen was brought in last Monday and that the decision was already made that Allen would assume the reins from Brown so he could get back to D.C.

Today's announcement was coincidental with the TIME story, which I agree with your analysis, is not exactly as it was portrayed most of the day.

[frannie]

I don't know who told what, but why do so many here jump on anyone that the NYT's finds fault with.

From the article the lady the NYT's quotes, states that's not what she said and did you notice the one person that could tell us what Brown manged to do is DEAD. Don't you think that the NYT's knew this.

[PhilipFreneau]

>>> You statement was just verified by KWTV News in Oklahoma City, everyone in Edmond is complaining that they were misquoted by Time. It reminds me of an acquaintance who was interviewed by "60" Minutes years ago. <<<

Thanks for the heads-up. I tried to access the KWTV web site, but they require a lot of personal info to register.

Anyway, the moral of the story is, never, ever trust the Main Stream Media, under any circumstance!!!!

[PhilipFreneau]

>>> did you notice the one person that could tell us what Brown manged to do is DEAD <<<

Not true. Read the Edmund Sun article at:
http://www.edmondsun.com/articles/2005/09/09/front/front.txt

[Eva]

If you think for a minute that Brown was not investigated thoroughly, you're very foolish. FBI checks are done for such simple positions as Coast Guard Auxilliary member, and you think that Homeland Security foregoes FBI background checks on nominees? Linda Tripp had an FBI file.

Either the FBI did a very poor job, or the reporter did worse than a poor job, he lied. The leftist media cares more about rebuilding the Democrat Party than they do about rebuilding NOLA and will stoop to anything to gain political points against George Bush. It's so bad that it is beginning to feel like we are watching a game of media limbo, "How low can you go?"

[cyncooper]

Here's a WaPo story from Wednesday reporting on Allen's assignment starting last Monday.

Garrett's reports today said the intention all along was for Allen to assume the lead role in the mission so Brown could return to D.C.:

Coast Guard's Chief of Staff To Assist FEMA Head Brown

Wednesday, September 7, 2005; Page A23

With Michael D. Brown, the embattled public face of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, taking harsh criticism for the slow federal response to Hurricane Katrina, the secretary of homeland security this week assigned a top Coast Guard official to help bail him out.

Vice Adm. Thad W. Allen, the Coast Guard's chief of staff, was assigned on Monday to be Brown's deputy and to take over operational control of the search-and-rescue and recovery efforts along the Gulf Coast. The unprecedented task of coordinating the massive effort was handed off to a leader and expert who was described by colleagues as unflappable, engaging and intensely organized.

~snip~

DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff handpicked Allen to essentially lead the federal recovery efforts in New Orleans. As Brown's deputy, Allen will work with Army Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honore -- head of the military's Joint Task Force Katrina -- to oversee, manage and lead all military and civilian recovery efforts.

~SNIP~

Again, this is an article from Wednesday, yet the reporters all feigned stunned amazement at today's announcement and their breathless "we have just learned" in retrospect sounds like so much canned crap.

[cyncooper]

Allen even did an interview on Thursday with NPR to discuss his new assignment.

I haven't listened to it yet, just googling.

[PhilipFreneau]

>>> Garrett's reports today said the intention all along was for Allen to assume the lead role in the mission so Brown could return to D.C.
...
Again, this is an article from Wednesday, yet the reporters all feigned stunned amazement at today's announcement and their breathless "we have just learned" in retrospect sounds like so much canned crap.<<<

The left-wing media is the most grave threat to our freedom since our nation was founded. They must be destroyed.

[PhilipFreneau]

Could I assume that a more favorable media (e.g., a more honest media) would have reported the event like this:

"Coast Guard Vice Admiral Thad Allen began reporting to FEMA chief Michael Brown on Monday, September 5, with the task of handling the day-to-day operations of the federal Katrina response. Friday, September 9, VAdm Allen was given full operational control of the day-to-day Katrina response, and Brown returned to Washington to plan the federal response for other potential disasters, such as Hurricane Ophelia.

Brown, who today completed the organization of the federal response for his 165th federally declared disaster, including his 3rd major hurricane disaster reponse, is the most experience natural disaster expert on the planet."

[PhatHead]

I'm getting tired of this questioning of Brown's experience in "emergency management."

For years, critics of Dallas Cowboys Owner and General Manager Jerry Jones have said he is not a "football guy" and ought to hire a "football guy." (Bear with me, the analogy is relevant, I promise...) This may have been true when Jones bought the team in 1989, but after 16 years as a General manager, isn't he a "football guy" by now? You may not think he's good at the job, but aren't we past the "experience" thing?

So here's the link for my analogy: since Michael Brown has been FEMA director, there have been (prior to Katrina) 153 Major Disaster declarations (including seven tropical storms, six hurricanes, three typhoons, five tornadoes, and tropical cyclone Olaf); 41 emergency declarations; and 114 fire management assistance declarations.

So is Brown a "football guy" yet?

Brown's tenure has not been without controversy, but it has been limited to criticism of allocation of grants long after emergencies - the sort of money-wasting scandals that are common to all Federal agencies. Following the multiple hurricanes in Florida just last year, Brown was touted to head Homeland Security!

Hey, i don't know much about the guy, but I do know a smear when I see it, and the MSM is well into the smear cycle on this guy...

[dr_lew]

Brown sounded like the NGO crowd. True, the Superdome evacuation was not under FEMA control, but Brown wasn't explaining why FEMA comes in later. He made it sound like FEMA was top dog.

I agree. He was really set up for a fall, and this came about because of the anticipation that this would be an extraordinary event. Bush pushed him to the fore, for mixed practical and political considerations ( the line blurs at that level, if there is a line ) and of course he would have given every assurance that he was up to whatever task. In the event, nature's maelstrom paled in the face of the bureaucratic maelstrom that he was faced with.

[muawiyah]

Look, whatever your qualifications, when you misrepresent them on a federal employment application you are commiting a felony.

Political employees can simply leave stuff out and no one will care. Still, they should be held to the same standard as everyone else.

[muawiyah]

Hardly the case ~ I am basing my judgment on "W"'s behavior in this matter ~ not the Time story. You really do have to assume the Time "newsies" got their facts wrong every single time, but that doesn't mean their sniffing around didn't uncover something bad.

Here, the "something bad" is probably a misrepresentation of either credentials, or experience on a job application (Form 186 or 991 depending on agency), and the parent Cabinet Level agency has had a history of this stuff since it was founded just 3 years ago.

It's simply this guy's bad luck to be working in the wrong place at the wrong time while Postal Inspectors, FBI, Treasury Agents, OPM personnel system experts, and Secret Service have a regular program underway to nail everybody they can with a bad claim concerning education or experience.