Your ownership of the Patriot-News has taken a once proud publication and turned it into an instrument for perpetuating corruption. READ AS FOLLOWS:
This is the paper you work for:
***************************
SUBJECT: Pennsylvania's Tony Soprano---Ed Rendell
Exchange of emails with Harrisburg Patriot-News
*******************
FIRST MESSAGE:
06/24/2009
From: "Robert L. Rice"
To:
Date: 06/23/2009 07:35 AM
Subject: Integrity and Courage
Mr. Kirkpatrick:
Your paper endorsed Ed Rendell in his campaign for the Governor's office. As the Patriot-News played such a salient role in putting him in office, it is no surprise that the Patriot-News remains mum about Rendell's gross excesses and in-your face corruption. It is curious that the Patriot so persistently looks the other way at the turmoil surrounding the Governor and his associates/appointees.
I am led to conclude that the Patriot is either embarrassed or intimidated by the Governor and his "connections", or that commands from the New York City ownership dictate against any negative publicity about Rendell. In my view, the Patriot has completely lost its journalistic integrity.
Robert L. Rice
11 Andes Drive
Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
************************
PATRIOT RESPONSE:
From: John Kirkpatrick | Editor & Publisher | The Patriot-News | 812 Market St, Harrisburg, PA 17101
CBarron@patriot-news.com [mailto:CBarron@patriot-news.com]
Sent: Wednesday, June 24, 2009 10:37 AM
To: laverner1@verizon.net
Cc: jkirkpatrick@patriot-news.com
Subject: Fw: Integrity and Courage
Dear Mr. Rice,
Publisher John Kirkpatrick forwarded your e-mail to me.
Thank you for your interest in our coverage. Would you be so kind as to tell me know exactly what corruption stories we're missing?
Having been on the receiving end of more that one extremely angry call from the governor over the years, I was surprised to see you believe we don't cover any negative news out of his office.
Thank you again for your interest. I await your reply.
Cate Barron
Managing Editor
The Patriot-News Co.
812 Market St.,
Harrisburg, PA 17101
***********************
MY REPLY:
From: Robert L. Rice [mailto:laverner1@verizon.net]
Sent: Friday, June 26, 2009 11:34 AM
To: CBarron@patriot-news.com
Subject: RE: Integrity and Courage
Ms. Barron or Mr. Kirkpatrick:
Finally, I struck a nerve. Judging from your response, Governor Rendell has indeed intimidated the Patriot-News staff.
Since one of you asked the question, I will respond to your question as to what corruption stories the "Patriot" is missing. In this respect it is not which issues you have missed as much as it is the LACK OF REACTION AND ACTION in response to the Governors statements, connivances, ethics brinksmanship and "pay for play" contrivances.
I assume that you know of all of these issues:
ONE: Rendell's old(?) law firm has been awarded multi-billion dollar PA Turnpike NO-BID contracts. This same firm has been been a major campaign donor to Rendell. In addition, the Turnpike Board of Directors who made the award to the Rendell law firm consists of Rendell appointees and Rendell reappointment of Ridge appointees. The reward that Rendell will receive from his old law firm upon leaving office is one question among others that the Patriot has declined to investigate. There are DEEP THROATS to be found on this issue which clearly involves much more than a conflict of interest.
TWO: Mitchell Rubin, recent Chairman of the Turnpike Board and Rendell appointee and campaign supporter is now under FBI investigation for his involvement in a $200,000 NO BID NO WORK Turnpike contract . Rubin's spouse, Ruth Arnao Rubin, was indicted and convicted alongside Senator Fumo of 125 counts of Senate Fraud. So then Rendell testifies for Fumo at the Fumo/Rubin trial and then fires Phillip Rubin, his Turnpike appointee, as being a bad guy. All of this smells of a failing unholy alliance that newshounds with persistency can unravel.
THREE: WALL STREET JOURNAL REPORT: It turns out that Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell’s Office of General Counsel has been negotiating a potentially lucrative NO-BID contingency fee contract with Bailey Perrin of Texas at the same time that the firm’s founding partner, F. Kenneth Bailey, was making repeated campaign contributions totaling more than $90,000 to the Democratic Governor’s 2006 re-election bid. F. Kenneth Bailey of the Texas law firm Bailey Perrin Bailey LLP donated $59,200 in cash and airfare to Rendell in the seven months before the contract award and $31,900 after the agreement was signed, records show.
FOUR: David Rubin, CDR Financial Products chief executive officer, donated $40,000 to Rendell, most of it when Rendell first ran for governor in 2001 and 2002. CDR in 2003 was approved as an adviser to the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, a NO BID contract that eventually would pay CDR nearly $600,000. The Rendell administration has awarded more than $1 billion in no-bid contracts since 2003, according to state records. Where are Patriot investigations, criticisms and commentaries on this?
FIVE: A source (now sources!) who will remain unnamed out of the state budget offices reports that state contracts have withdrawn from low bidders and have been awarded to another bidder as a NO BID contract. Yes, they bid in the original bidding process and yes, they were Rendell financial supporters. Sounds like bid rigging to me! You figure it out! Perhaps you will find a DEEP THROAT in these budget offices.
SIX: : Three of Rendell's press releases, involving savings on state paper utillization, state energy savings of 10% and economic development, were published by the Patriot without commentary, rebuttal or followup. Each contained gross exaggerations and one of the claims of economic development involved a $30,000,000 state grant to Comcast Communications for an "office building" in Philadelphia. Of course, Comcast was a major contributor to Rendell's campaign. The Patriot could have legitimately asked, "What will Comcast do if they do not get the grant." Obviously Comcast was not going to leave the state but the grant must have helped their bottom line immensely. This one is a real stinko!.
SEVEN: Two Luzerne County judges recently pleaded guilty to "public corruption" which involved incarceration of over 1500 children and the abrogation of the children's trial rights. The judges were sentenced to a ridiculously low eight years for their conspiracy in conjunction with a developer of state delinquency facilities in western and eastern Pennsylvania. Some of these children would have been from the Harrisburg area and I have no doubt that the parents pleaded directly to the Patriot-News as well as the Governors office. This issue right here cuts it for me. The Patriot gave only passing acknowledgement of the tantamount enslavement of these youths that has exposed our state and our Counties to many multi-million dollar class action suits. Justice only prevailed when the FBI acted to end this travesty. Rendell obviously knew of this but his inaction also has been self condemning. Where is the Patriot on Pennsylvania Courts Judicial Oversight Committee failure to act and the Governors Office inaction which allowed this to happen? Given the wide number of state, local juvenile officers and court employees who by inaction were complicit to this enslavement, the Patriot could assuredly have found a DEEP THROAT!
EIGHT: I cannot end this commentary without commenting on Rendell's collossal budgetary excesses which have brought the state to the brink of bankruptcy. His complete lack of fiscal discipline has the state at great risk with a near term time bomb of the pension crisis. I am reminded that Rendell was the PATRIOT'S GUY gaining your endorsement for election. Personally, I would be highly embarassed to admit it.
Pennsylvania has a rich history of government corruption. By all appearances, the Patriot-News has acquiesced to that environment and has surrendered the lofty goals of protecting the citizens from the high handed and selfish. Well, enough is enough, there is more but to what end when something is clearly lacking at the Patriot-News. I think it is the lack a public service mission and the integrity and courage to carry it forward.
Robert L. Rice
Mechanicsburg, PA
***********************************
A SECOND TOPIC OF EMAIL EXCHANGES
From: "Robert L. Rice"
To: "Letter to the Editor"
Date: 07/13/2009 07:02 AM
Subject:
Pimping for that Other Tony Soprano
The "Patriot" for Ed Rendell
Here we go again! Another Ed Rendell press release (Sunday, July 12)published verbatim by the "Patriot" without comment, rebuttal, verification or validation.
"Patriot" is a misnomer. Why don't we just call it the "Ed Rendell-News."
Robert L. Rice
11 Andes Drive
Mechanicsburg, PA
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
IF ANYONE HAS READ THIS FAR, EXAMINE YOUR HEART. THERE HAS BEEN NO RESPONSE TO THE ABOVE, THUS A FAIR ASSESSMENT WOULD BE THAT THE "PATRIOT" IS MOTIVATED BY SOMETHING OTHER THAN PUBLIC INTEREST. REMEMBER THE PRICE OF LIBERTY IS VIGILANCE. A "PATRIOT" DOES NOT SIT ON HIS HANDS IN THE FACE OF PERSON'S OR EVENTS THAT WOULD UNDERMINE OUR LIBERTY.
|
