Think I'm kidding? Think again:
Yes, it's the same engine, I found it first before the museum was even built, and I think I would feel better with it returned to me. ;)
Posted on 03/20/2007 10:09:34 AM PDT by jazusamo
The former Smithsonian inspector general who launched an audit of high-ranking officials and their business practices said yesterday that Secretary Lawrence M. Small tried to pressure her to drop the inquiry shortly after she announced it last year.
Debra S. Ritt said Small called her before the audit was widened to include his own compensation, but she still found it highly inappropriate. Ritt reported to Small at the time.
Ritt resigned in June about a week after broadening the audit -- originally a review of Smithsonian Business Ventures accounting and executive compensation -- to include Small's compensation, which is $915,698 this year. Ritt said in interviews Saturday and yesterday that Small called her to urge investigations of the Smithsonian's construction spending instead of the business unit.
"He called me to tell me he didn't want me to do the audit, that the audit wasn't needed," Ritt said. "He felt the inspector general's office was being manipulated by a few disgruntled employees."
Smithsonian spokeswoman Carolyn Martin said, "The secretary denies pressuring Ms. Ritt on any matter or regarding any inquiry."
Ritt, who resigned two months after announcing the audit, said the shrinking inspector general's budget, which Small controls, hampered the office's effectiveness and independence. "I could see the handwriting on the wall," Ritt said. She now oversees the audit division of the Small Business Administration inspector general's office.
Roger Sant, chairman of the Board of Regents executive committee and the only Smithsonian official to respond in detail to questions about the review, said such a call from Small would have been inappropriate if it occurred. "It would really surprise me," Sant said. "All the time I've been involved, he's been really supportive of the audits."
A. Sprightley Ryan, who had served as Ritt's general counsel, took over the review....
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Small's finished.
Oliver North Ping!
Followup to Smithsonian article re Lawrence Small.
Agreed...I believe rightly so.
Thanks for the ping. The Post article from yesterday went to the guy we were dealing with with our answer. We won't come to the Smithsonian for free with this crap going on. They wanted the Space Shuttle balloon for Pilot Day or some such. They just didn't want to pay for any of our time or expenses. Since it was the Smithsonian, we were considering it. Not anymore.
If this is the guy that's been keeping North and the War Stories film crew out of the new Air & Space museum at Dulles, good riddance. It can't happen fast enough.
What a beautiful piece of history. I can remember the old steam locomotives coming thru town in the early 50's. My grandmother lived a block from the tracks.
We lost a significant piece of Americana when steam disappeared from the Nation's rails, no doubt about it.
Yer Killin' me Smalls!
Ask Small for the Grey Poupon.
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