Having the Same Standards?

Last month I proved that maureen rupe lied about SC HB 277, the Fetal Pain Bill, in the March edition of the pooper-paper. She said that the bill gave a rapist rights to a child conceived during the rape. Not only was that a lie, it was proven to her and to the owner of the pooper-paper that it was a lie. I sent the bill, in its entirety, to both of them and had an iota of an expectation of seeing a correction or retraction in this month’s paper. If not a correction or retraction, I thought an addendum of further comment was necessary. You know, like Congress gets to “Reserve the right to revise and extend” their remarks? Yeah. Something like that. It wouldn’t mean that the rupester would have had to admit that she had done anything wrong, it would have been further comment on the issue.


Too bad I have higher expectations of rupester than apparently she does of herself. In this month’s pooper-paper (at the time of this writing, not yet available online), there is no correction, no apology, no effort to “revise and extend” (not even to blame the source of her erroneous information whose link she gave). She totally ignores last month’s LIE, writing as though it never happened. No mention. No “in retrospect”. Nada.


If the rupester would not write an apology for the error, I wondered if the owner of the pooper-paper would do so. Him? Nope. Although he knew that rupester had lied. Although I sent the bill to him and proved to him – if he took the time and made the effort to read it or even do a word search on it – that rupester lied, he chose to ignore the lie and let the lie stand.


To me, that tells you what the truth means to those two: rupester and the owner of the pooper-paper. It means nothing. It holds no sacredness. It matters less than a dot. It has no meaning and no honor. The truth is worthless to them if it does not serve their progressive purposes.


What alarms me most about all of this is the fact that there are those out there who took as fact the lie that rupester wrote. Some people bothered to look up the truth, finding the lie on their own. Others, fortunate enough to have a friend who reads my site, found out the truth via a friend and my site. Others, unfortunately, had nothing but the rupester’s words to consider as the truth. Of course, being in a supposed “newspaper”, some people believe that – of course – it must be the truth. Newspapers don’t publish lies. They only deal in the truth. Of course, that’s if they consider the pooper-paper a “newspaper”.


According to the Society of Professional Journalists’ website, journalists should:

“Members of the Society of Professional Journalists believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. Conscientious journalists from all media and specialties strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist's credibility.”


If you read the website, you find out that the truth matters to real newspapers and to real journalists (apparently that leaves out a very wide swatch of currently employed “reporters”). They state that, “Deliberate distortion is never permissible.” Unless you’re working for the pooper-paper, or some other progressive rag, the truth is supposed to matter. Deliberate distortions -- or anything short of the diligent, full, absolute truth -- are outside of the journalistic realm of possibility.


Well, so much for that idea.


In this month’s pooper-paper, rupester takes on both Rush Limbaugh and I and fails at both.


She writes that Rush Limbaugh should have “kept his mouth shut” regarding his reaction to the Sandra Fluke statements. Rush said that Ms Fluke was a “prostitute and a slut”. rupester says that now Rush is losing advertisers, big time.


Well, she’s not just stupid, she’s wrong. She could have checked the facts prior to posting her opinion on the issue, but she doesn’t care about the facts. Fact is, Rush is not hurting from his words, according to this Washington Post article. It states, “Contrary to the wishful thinking of the professional special interest groups, reports of sponsors fleeing the ‘Rush Limbaugh Show’ are grossly exaggerated. In fact, the program retains virtually of all its long-term sponsors who continue to have great success”. So when rupester says that Rush “wishes he had kept his mouth shut”, she’s not just wrong, she’s very wrong. Rush’s ratings are up, way up in many markets. Too bad rupester hadn’t checked her facts prior to writing her silliness. She could have prevented herself from looking foolish regarding her “kept his mouth shut” idea.


When she mentions the “blog that said this was free speech, and the old adage ‘sticks & stones’ applies and the young lady in question should not be offended as it will make her stronger”, that’s moi. She misquotes me a little, but that’s not to be a surprise. What I actually said was,


“March 7, 2012 Bill Maher has reasons for supporting Rush. I just support Rush. It's called "Free Speech" First Amendment protected. He's allowed to call names because they "will never hurt" her. He's not using "sticks and stones" so what is the problem? Rush is allowed to say, "slut and prostitute". What doesn't kill her makes her stronger, right? I think so. Besides, Rush getting involved is getting ms "pay for our birth control" fluke more attention than otherwise. It's free publicity for her cause. She's not unhappy with it. She knew he'd have to comment on the issue, she just didn't know it could be milked this long. The Wrongies went home and celebrated, partied and e-mailed back and forth all night for two nights because they were so excited. Trust me. Do a FOIA request for that and you bet your sweet bottom dollar that the e-mails will prove me correct.”


So where in there do I say that ”the young lady in question should not be offended”? I didn’t. rupester, of course, takes a little “poetic license” and writes whatever she thinks will do me the most damage. Too bad she fails in that, too.


Then there’s the hypocrisy of her last paragraph in which she laments, “The fact is, words do matter. They can be lethal as a knife stab in the body.” She then goes on with, “In discussions, in my opinion, when it goes from a debate to personal insults, then the attacker has lost the argument, and the discussion is over.”


Oh?


Does she have any recollection at all of her parting-shot article from her D1 Commie campaign? If not, let’s refresh your memory. rupester wrote:


"The Primary Election

"Thank you to all my friends and neighbors who voted for me in the primary. As for the nasty little group of former PSJ Civic League that found it necessary to have two websites opposing me, I could forgive them if they had argued the facts. To use twisted logic and downright lies to control an election is shameful and deceitful. One site was like a Nazi or Skinhead hate site, unbelievably malicious and vindictive, but the woman in question has harassed me for 14 years and I have kept the proof. Every time I worked for the benefit of the community, her hatred of me grew. She opposed the referendum for the ball fields, community center, Fay Lake Wilderness Park, as well as the Community Police Unit. She has attacked almost every community leader in Port St. John. Her name is Linda McKinney. Now, even after I lost the primary, I am receiving hate mail, the content and phrases of which are the same rhetoric as her site, which shows how dangerous hate sites can be.

"What concerns me most is the owner of the other website, Pete Costello, has now taken out a Political Action Committee on another person running for office who has worked for many years for the PSJ Community. So does this mean that all a radical group has to do is work against any candidate with smear campaigns, and they can control an election? Freedom of speech does not mean you can lie, harass and maliciously slander and libel.

"I have been threatened that I had better stop appearing before the county commission or any other entity, along with a barrage of personal insults, as well as being told to go back to England and leave everyone in PSJ the hell alone. Whoever you are, take time to read the U.S. Constitution. I am an American. You will never take away my rights because I will never hand them over. Cheerio!

"- Maureen Rupe"


So rupester herself resorted to “personal insults” in her post primary article. I was “like a Nazi or Skinhead hate site, unbelievably malicious and vindictive”. I “harassed [her] for 14 years and [rupester has] kept the proof.” Right. I am a Nazi Skinhead, malicious, vindictive harasser. Trying to hold someone to a set of standards in the public discourse is bad according to the rupester. It’s not something she likes. Whenever anyone proves something negative about rupester, she has to fight back with a personal mention in the pooper-paper. Accordingly, this month rupester had to write something bad about me.


I e-mailed rupester and the pooper-paper’s owner/publisher the truth about the article rupester outright LIED about in last month’s bird cage liner in plenty of time for them to get the correction or retraction into the April edition ahead of their 18th of the month deadline. Both refused to write the truth or publish the truth, or even correct or retract the BLATANT LIE that rupester told. That was their choice.


If the truth doesn’t matter to the pooper-paper then, as with Rush and his paying the price for his words, why should anyone bother reading the pooper-paper? If no one is reading it because they want the truth, not just the Wrongie agenda, why would anyone advertise in it? If, according to rupester’s gleeful tidbit, Rush should be losing advertisers because of his choice of words, shouldn’t the pooper-paper also lose advertisers because of theirs?

Millage Rates, Tax Increases that Aren't, and Assessed Values

In a local cage liner named "Happenings", a writer wrote an article called "Good Day!" I found a few flaws in the article and decided to write a few things against to straghten it out.

September 7, 2011: 6:32 a.m. For those of you who are subjected to the local pooper paper, you may have read rupester's article starting on page four of this month's rag. To which I must respond publicly, as rupester wrote publicly. I wrote a letter in response to the owner of the pooper paper, but I seriously doubt it will appear. So, I publish it here for the benefit of all:

"Randy,

"You're publishing Rupe's rantings against Infantini where it concerns money and figures? Really? Consider:

Trudie Infantini:

Trudie's Bio

"[E]arned her Bachelor's in Business Administration with an emphasis in Accounting from Florida International University. Trudie became a Certified Public Accountant and earned a Master's degree in Accounting from Florida Atlantic University.

"Within a year of moving to Brevard County, Trudie became a licensed financial planner. She worked for various Wall Street brokerage firms for five years and has even earned her Principal's license, which enabled her to run her own firm. She has maintained her membership in both the Florida Institute of CPAs and the American Institute of CPAs since 1983.

"In 2001, Trudie began work at Space Coast Credit Union as an Internal Audit Manager (Chief Audit Executive). In this role she was responsible for preparing and carrying out the annual audit plan, risk assessment, and coordinating efforts for the annual audit. She was also tasked with comparing budgeted to actual financial statements, analyzing tax laws and regulations to verify that SCCU was in compliance with such laws.

"Trudie worked as an Internal Auditor for the Brevard County Clerk of Courts, where she has seen first hand the waste and inefficiency in many County departments, and has allowed her the opportunity to analyze and question agenda items presented to the Board of County Commissioners. Currently, Trudie is a Professor of Accounting at Florida Institute of Technology.

Maureen Rupe:

Rupe's old campaign site with "Education and Experience.

"My education was over 40 years ago, and the education system at that time cannot be compared to the present day United Kingdom Education System. I attended an innovative school that concentrated on the technical aspects of various subjects. All students were required to pass a rigorous scholarship test to be allowed to attend this school. The Kettering Central Technical School was highly regarded and respected. Latin and French were taught routinely, along with many advanced courses, not included in schools today.

"At that time, Britain started education earlier in childhood (I started at 3) and 15 was the age to leave school nationwide, unless you attended grammar school or a technical school, as did I. The Kettering school has since closed and the education system reorganized to what it is today. All this is documented and can be verified.

"(NOTE: To see more on Technical Schools in England, you may wish to visit The History of Education in England.)

"Considering the facts, I think I'd take a CPA's word on financial things more than a person who left school at 15 and wrote on her "What qualifies me to run for County Commissioner?" page prior to reworking it, (initial page retrieved April 14, 2008), "When I was 17 and stubbornly refused to go to college" (her previous words for her educational background). Remember, "college" in England (where she was born, raised and schooled) is the equivalent to our 11th and 12th grades. According to (her own resume) she received no further formal education.

"Bachelor's Degree, Master's Degree, licensed financial planner, CPA and internal auditor or someone who left technical school at 15? Hmmm....

"Linda McKinney"
I have searched the BOCC website and cannot find anything that says there was a meeting on August 11, 2011. I have found one for August 2nd and 16th, but not August 11th. Therefore I can neither confirm nor deny the alleged words of Mary Bolin.

However, I would ask you to consider the following:
Andy Anderson, NOT A CPA: he has an A.A., in what it doesn't state.
Mary Bolin, NOT A CPA: she has a B.A. in Education. (Difficult info to find: it's not on her BOCC website Bio.)
Chuck Nelson, NOT A CPA: his degree is (Shock! Surprise!) Phys. Ed.!
Robin Fisher, NOT A CPA: he's a Public Relations major.

So, considering the studies and backgrounds of the other four Commissioners, I think it's reasonable to follow Commissioner Infantini's lead - especially when it comes to money matters -- and go with her recommendations. CPA v rupester and the four Commies? Yeah. Bachelor's Degree, Master's Degree, licensed financial planner, CPA and internal auditor Infantini every time!

September 7, 2022: 4:00 p.m. NOTE: I wrote to the County asking for a copy of the minutes of the August 11, 2011 meeting rupester quotes in her article. The response is below:


"Good morning Ms. McKinney,

"I was forwarded your request for the minutes of the August 11, 2011 Board of County Commissioners meeting. There was no Board meeting held August 11, 2011, however there were three regular meetings in the month of August. If there is particular subject or item you are interested in, we would be happy to research that for you.

"All completed minutes of the Board of County Commissioners meetings are posted on the Brevard County Government webpage, as well as the Clerk of Courts webpage.

"If you need anything further, feel free to contact me.

"Best regards,

"Tammy Etheridge
"Clerk to the Board"

So, I sent a request to the pooper paper's owner/publisher/editor that he print a correction in next month's pooper paper. We'll see if he actually does anything about it.

Update: I received the meeting notes from the County for a meeting that happened AUGUST 9, 2011. Contrary to what rupester asserts in her article, Infantini is not accused of the mentioned "sins". Read the meeting notes here. Notice that when Comm. Bolin is speaking, she does NOT mention Comm. Infantini at all. She never mentions any names. She just states that there is misinformation out there. rupester assigning words to Bolin in order to make Infantini look as bad as possible. This, to me, is NOT reporting. rupester is creating a misimpression and is trying to influence people to her way of thinking (as if she actually thinks?).

I have written to the pooper paper's owner and reminded him of rupester's history of proven plagiarism, possible copyright infringement, her assigning words to Bolin and errors in dates and facts. I have asked that from this date forward he label rupester's writings as "OPINION" instead of allowing them to stand as reporting. I have taken journalism and I know the difference between a fact, rhetoric and a hit piece. rupester's every mention of Comm. Infantini is a hit piece filled with rhetoric. I think it's time the pooper paper be held accountable. If you agree with me, write to Happenings and tell them it's time their writer be held accountable to the rules of journalism or have her writing labeled "OPINION". It's time.

*******************

That didn't do the job well enough, I thought. So I did a
whole page on the same subject. I hope you like the truth because there it is in cold, hard facts.