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

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.

10-4, summer, many thanks and message sent to the SH!T-people. Not that expect anything but the pregnant silence that is their standard when confronted with their own blatant bias.

Today's SHT discussed the debate between tres socialistas last night, and, while the article itself was OK, it's headline trumpeted how the debate focused on the whole DCF "crisis". Which makes it quite obvious that all this "mountain out of a molehill making" about Regier has been the leftmedia's collusion with the sociocrats in prepping the pizza-eating public on this manufactured "issue".

My favorite part is while all three demosluts are for smaller class sizes, it was "unclear" where the required $24 billion to implement this would come from. TRANSLATION: "We don't know where the hell we'll get the money."

Gotta get to work. Signing off...

Folks, this is a follow-up to my letter to the editor that I put on this thread in post #17, along with the email exchanges I subsequently had with the letter's editor, which I have posted here at #59 & #68.

The SHT Printed my letter today! Knock me over with a feather.

It's titled "Stop misinformation on Regier". This, after Wendy Dial told me outright a week and a half ago that they would not print it. I emailed a thank-you note to the SHT's letter's editor (Wendy Dial) this morning, and I just got this reply back:

Joe,

I think what was bothering me initially about your letter was that an important man like Regier allowed his name to be used and to stay on something he allegedly didn't believe in. At some point he had to have agreed to allow his name to be used, but he was a fool if he didn't read what it went on (even if he didn't actually compose the articles which DID have his name on them). That wasn't misinformation, as you stated. His name WAS on the articles and he apparently hasn't sued or made any kind of a legal disclaimer.

So I guess the semantics of "authored" vs. had-his-name-on allowed your letter to pass muster, and there was a certain momentum to the stories on him that got ahead of his media disclaimer, as you noted. Some people aren't convinced he didn't mean it. You apparently aren't one of those, and we try to publish letters representing all views (except the nasty, utterly mean-spirited ones).

Besides, I'm not afraid to give letters a second and third look.

You're probably no more enlightened about the decision change than you were a minute ago. Oh well. On to tomorrow's 9/11 letters.

Sincerely,
Wendy Dial

***

Will wonders never cease. Let Freedom Ring,

Good work, Joe. I saw it over my coffee this morning and cheered for your victory over the forces of evil at SHT.
Wendy's obfuscating reply is a mystery- we'll never know what on earth led them to a change of policy.
FYI- Mr. Regier is already out in the Districts, visiting the workers at DCF, encouraging them to join with him to make the department functional and responsible. It is the same pattern he used in Oklahome: enlisting the rank and file- and it helped him uncover the fraud and abuse in record time! Good for him!

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