Homeland Security honcho comes under ethical cloud

WorldnetDaily ^ | 8/7/03 | Paul Sperry

[FlyingA]

This is a llink to the Full Article.

Former Clinton loyalist accused of faking credentials, threatening employees with jail

[concerned about politics]

There. Now nobody has to go over to DU to check their responses to this news.

LOL. Thanks. You saved a lot of time for everybody.

[concerned about politics]

Are there no complete background checks on people anymore? Are they now politcally incorrect or something?

[joesnuffy]

the fact that this crook is a Homieland Security Honcho speaks volumes just one more typical govt. beurocracy staffed by incompetents
we 'pay for it' in every sense of the words

[FlyingA]

Hey Ranger, good point. What grat and corruption

[Mr. Bird]

This ("Diploma Mill" bogus degrees) is so common in Government that they may have overloked it because the person doing the "vetting" also has a bogus degree

You beat me to it. As I understand it (I've only read articles on it, I have no first hand knowledge), government employees can get an automatic pay boost when they obtain a higher degree. This is regardless of whether the position requires the knowledge ostensibly gained by the degree. Of course, this creates a market for "degrees", not knowledge, and the diploma mills are happy to oblige.

For those of you who hire people: if you don't recognize the name of the school, ask questions about it. Most diploma mills have names that sound like small liberal arts schools, but many actually come close to state school names. I can't remember any specifically, but one is named something along the lines of "Alabama State Technical College".

Calling or mailing to verify a degree does not help. The diploma mills know their product only works if it can be verified. Due diligence is the order of the day.

[FlyingA]

Laura Crabtree Callohan

What a name.

[FlyingA]

Financial problems could cost janitor security clearance
By Michael Rubinkam, The Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA — In 19 years of using his security clearance to sweep floors at a plant owned by defense contractor Lockheed Martin, janitor Michael Lynch has done nothing to arouse suspicion.
Co-workers and bosses speak glowingly of Lynch, a brain-tumor survivor who's active in his church, building homes for poor people in Maine and West Virginia.

But because he and his family have struggled financially, the government now sees him as a threat to national security. Defense Department officials believe the janitor may be tempted to sell government secrets to get out of debt.

Last month, they asked a judge to revoke Lynch's security clearance.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/companies/2003-08-06-janitor_x.htm

So as Bush's economy creates record foreclosures, bankruptcies and lost health insurance, late payments by customers - or more generally, bad credit for record numbers of people, then RECORD numbers of people will not be able to get a job because they are a terrorists threat. Remember the fools that come up with this stuff are experts (from Hamilton U) and are WELL PAID by YOU, the taxpayer, or more accruately, you THE TERRORIST.

[At _War_With_Liberals]

Why did Bush allow this woman to get this position?"

To avoid a scandal on their watch.

Bush destroys foreign enemies, but coddles domestic enemies of every persuasion.

I'm very disappointed with Bush. He puts politics over domestic leadership every time.

This story is so extreme a case of total interdepartment interparty widespread corruption that it is logical to come to the conclusion that the govt is so corrupt in ALL dpts that the American people would have a legitimate right to overthrow the govt as per the constitution.

[FlyingA]

If the employees at the plant had any decent security training they know to secure their computers and not leave important documents lying on desks in any case... but wait... we're talking about the U.S. government here. Would a janitor actually know whats valuable anyway? What could he do take photographs of the next generation stealth plane and walk out of the building? Even if you have pictures... they don't tell the really important stuff like what composites went into the planes construction, how the fire control system works.

[At _War_With_Liberals]

Look for Republicans to pretend this never happened, for the media to ignore it, and best of all...

Crabtree will retain a pension in exchange for her silence in not exposing broad segments of govt to corruption charges, thus protecting bush, clinton, fbi, et al....

A sad day for 'we the people'.

[At _War_With_Liberals]

Its time to consider hard working, smart, industrious Americans with excellent backgrounds who DO NOT have a degree. The degree has become devalued and used as a tool of discrimination.

I have hired people without degrees and some are incredibly talented workers.

I'm sick of liberal brainwashing about anyone not indoctrinated by lib education is 2nd class or uneducated. Screw them.

[FlyingA]

Deputy CIO at Homeland Security Department placed on leave

Laura Callahan, the deputy CIO of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), was placed on paid administrative leave last week after questions surfaced about her academic qualifications, a DHS spokeswoman confirmed

On her resume, Callahan, who was appointed to the position on April 1, said she received her academic degrees, including a doctorate in computer information systems, from Hamilton University in Evanston, Wyo.

However, the congressmen, including Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), contend that according to published reports, Hamilton isn't licensed by that state, nor is the school accredited by the U.S. Department of Education. The congressmen said Hamilton is a "diploma mill."

"What is troubling to me is that a senior official in the Department of Homeland Security in the office of the CIO would have a questionable degree in computer information systems," Maloney said in a letter dated June 4 to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge. "I would hope that checking credentials on a resume is a standard procedure in any background check."

http://www.computerworld.com/governmenttopics/government/legalissues/story/0,10801,81879,00.html

[RANGERAIRBORNE]

Mr Bird- How right you are! This is really a big problem which has been all but completely ignored- I found out about it when my wife was looking into going for a Masters degree, and answered some ads for what looked like reputable colleges. They were diploma mills, and I spent some time researching these places (I probably should have written it up at the time and posted it here or on another site).
There are a few good articles on this problem- I recall one from THE ATLANTIC several years back.
By the way, this is also a problem in the military and among teachers, when pay or promotions are tied to having an advanced degree. But Federal Government employees seem to be the biggest offenders- possibly because the chance of being caught, once that piece of paper is in your personnel file, is essentially zero).

[RANGERAIRBORNE]

Mr Bird- How right you are! This is really a big problem which has been all but completely ignored- I found out about it when my wife was looking into going for a Masters degree, and answered some ads for what looked like reputable colleges. They were diploma mills, and I spent some time researching these places (I probably should have written it up at the time and posted it here or on another site).

There are a few good articles on this problem- I recall one from THE ATLANTIC several years back.

By the way, this is also a problem in the military and among teachers, when pay or promotions are tied to having an advanced degree. But Federal Government employees seem to be the biggest offenders- possibly because the chance of being caught, once that piece of paper is in your personnel file, is essentially zero).

[FlyingA]

I urge you to read the URL...and keep in mind, this is the CIO of Homeland Security.

[Cyber Liberty]

Thanks. These excerpts are starting to drive me to distraction.

[Iowa Granny]

Worth the read.

[RANGERAIRBORNE]

Oops- the dreaded "double post". I thought I had caught it in time, but it slipped on through. Those electrons are slippery little buggers!!!

[FlyingA]

And also, this is one of the highest people HomeLand Security. If Homeland Security is going through everyone's background at the airport and everywhere now, then the least they should do is check the credentials of the people they hire, especially for their top positions.

[Mr. Bird]

And also, this is one of the highest people

Don't tell me she's on drugs as well....