Posted on 07/24/2006 10:16:33 PM PDT by Anti-Bubba182
As supporters of the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, we were disheartened to read Jerry Seper's front-page article Thursday about questions and criticisms of President Chris Simcox's management of the organization. According to the article, the volunteer group has not made any financial statements or fundraising records public since April 2005 -- circumstances that have strained relations between Mr. Simcox and several of his top employees, some of whom have resigned in protest.
Mr. Simcox must resolve these problems quickly. Failure to do so would only encourage the organization's critics -- who have made no secret of their desire to see the Minuteman volunteers arrested for vigilantism. But more importantly, according to Mr. Simcox's estimate, Americans have donated $1.6 million to the corps because they believe in their mission to secure the southern border. In return, the least they should expect is transparency and the assurance that their donations went to help the volunteers in the field. But the truth is that no one except Mr. Simcox knows how much money has been donated and what it has been used for.
So far, Mr. Simcox has been unable to come up with a good explanation -- at least one that can be independently verified. And while he insists the money went to help field operations, workers at these locations tell a different story. For instance, Vern Kilburn, who resigned earlier this year as director of operations for the organization's northern Texas sector, told The Washington Times that only two checks for $1,000 came from Minuteman headquarters in October and that other directors across the country "are having similar problems." Some volunteers said that money promised by Mr. Simcox for food and supplies never arrived. "An awful lot of equipment I saw was donated," said Mike Gaddy,...."
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
It depends on who is defining your list of terms.
The Minuteman movement is all about PR.
They've moved mountains, PR-wise, last time I checked.
You're not one of the fools who thinks the Minutemen are going to single-handedly close the border with a few volunteers and grassroots donations, are you?
Just a reminder to you, since you seem so concerned about the Minutemen's donors: When they gave, those donors did not expect Simcox to close the border with their fifty or a hundred bucks. They expected him to do what he could to put pressure on the Congress and the President to do their sworn duty.
You'd have to be a fool to not recognize how well the Minutemen, led primarily by Simcox, have done exactly that.
And sadly, that isn't even enough. People can truly benefit with few accounting tricks...
I try to stay with local groups when possible...
Its what he does. Actually, it seems to be the only thing he does. His disasterous campaigns for elective office appear to be no more than a fundraising ruse. He'd run like a scalded dog if he were ever elected to anything and had to take a pay cut. LOL
More likely it's a bald faced lie, or sheer misreporting, from the reporter.
Notice that it isn't a direct quote.
Anotehr interesting comment from "frau budgie" at Redstate.
"Here's another problem: Apparently, the MMDC has used the Diener Consulting group, out of Pennsylvania. It's a group that generates donations to your political cause, but the problem here is that Peter Kunz, listed as a contractor that manages the fence, works for Dinert (sp?) Consulting. I have not been able to locate any actual construction credentials for him."
Well, that's not quite accurate. When you are truly 'big time', you can hire people under the actual program itself, with salaries falling under that category. Like I said, you have to be big for this to work.
I agree with you about the PR side. That was, and is, important. And "they" did a great job about it. But I do expect that most donors (i.e. conservatives) expect an accounting of where the money is going. It is simple stewardship, that is all. I wish that there would be information more forthcoming, because this damages the cause every day. Sometimes, we conservatives are our own worst enemies.
However, I do not mean that the critics are the ones doing the damage, but that Simcox is... He could minimize this PR disaster in a heartbeat.
I see so once again Simcox is the "Victim".THe article is from mid June, where is the clarification from Simcox?
They can't. All they can do is blame each and every reporter, even the ones that write supportive articles.
Simcox is as clean as the wind driven snow. LAME.
I see you are in good form tonight. Really enjoyed the posts from Mr. Danger.
By the way, I agree with your earlier sentiment...I also encourage people to use their resources to help close to home and with individual candidates they believe in.
However, I do not mean that the critics are the ones doing the damage, but that Simcox is... He could minimize this PR disaster in a heartbeat.
I had to laugh at that one...for him to satisfy your curiousity, he has to expend more money for things that aren't porta-potties and fence-building materials. ;-)
LOL, accusing someone of using pay toilets is almost as bad as calling them Hitler. :P
FGS, Bob. It's hotter than a blast furnace down there right now. Why do you expect him to build the thing overnight when the government can't even seem to do it at all?
.
I look forward to the day when a NAU thread is an occasion for launching the rolfcopters.
Dang, it's like a reunion!
Baloney if he has hired a contractor they work year round. Give me a break.
We all already know which old axe you've decided to grind by jumping in now on the side of the FROBL.
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