Thread: Don Allen Holbrook IEDC Rogue Former Member / Jeff Finkle Orchestrates Cover-up

International Economic Development Council

I note that Mr. Jeff Finkle the CEO of the International Economic Devlopment Council, and long time friend of Don Holbrook was aware of all the controversy in Red Wing and the subsequent termination of Mr. Holbrook for falsifying his resume. Finkle knows full well that Holbrook was misrepresenting himself and yet he continues to this day to cheer him on. What credibility can the IEDC possibly have when it rewards dishonesty and deceit???

http://www.realscam.com/f11/iedc-int...html#post20708

Originally Posted by Soapboxmom

Dragging out this court case is just hurting his reputation further and drawing even more media coverage now from Ohio as well.

Many people simply can't understand the difference between being "right" and being effective.

是故勝兵先勝而後求戰，敗兵先戰而後求勝。

• Thus it is that in war the victorious strategist only seeks battle after the victory has been won, whereas he who is destined to defeat first fights and afterwards looks for victory.

Newspaper article questions theme park player’s resumé | Pahrump Valley Times

Holbrook’s employment history was also put under a microscope by the Texas newspaper.

According to the article, he was hired and fired on numerous occasions and rang up thousands of dollars in dining, lodging, and travel expenses.

In some instances, he was on the job for less than two years.
The article stated that in 1996, Holbrook was hired by the Port Authority in Red Wing, Minnesota and was subsequently fired in 1998 for questionable spending practices and falsifying his resume.

economic developer says: February 15, 2012 at 5:50 pm
In America we don’t give rumors and opinions credence when they are not factual. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but that does not mean it factual. With regard to Don Hokbrook, the facts are he was wrongfully terminated by the Red Wing Port Authority under an allegation of resume fraud. He was given a public apology by that agency and they were made by the courts to admit they were wrong and paid j
Him approximately $100,000 for their false assertion.
Holbrook did not mail money into La Salle and receive a degree he turned in a thousand plus pages of online curriculum assignments including a 100 page Masters thesis and nearly 200 page doctoral dissertation to his assigned professors and it took him 4 years to do the work. The FBI issues a statement to all of the thousands of professional students telling them they had been fraudulently misled and it was no fault of the students. Holbrook immediately reported it to his employer and took the degrees off his resume. His employer told him it had no bearing on his own character or expertise and closed the issue. The other claims by the newspaper are just patently false. He has not been discharged ever for any spending or other wrong doings. He choose to not renew his contract in Lake Havasu on good terms so he could move closer to his parents. He has no disgruntled employers or failed projects, that is a fact.

The Red Wing meeting minutes conflict with that account, Holbrook:

...because of that
information Mr. Holbrook says he believed his diplomas would reflect a
completion date of 1991 for the MEA and 1994 for the Ph.D. Present university
policy would prohibit this. His degrees would reflect the actual dates of
completion....Commissioner Gorman noted that he was still using the
Ph.D, .....It is clear he did not have the degrees and it
certainly would not be current university policy for someone to use those
degrees until they have "completed their coursework",......In the February nth
letter (a week later) submitted by the same individual stated that Don Holbrook
first submitted his Master's thesis in 1991, so in the I" letter he states that it was
submitted in 1996 and the second time in 1991. He also said in that letter that
Mr. Holbrook was told in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996 to resubmit
his work which is inconsislent with Paragraph 10 E of Mr. Holbrook's affidavit
which states he did not learn he had to resubmit his papers until "months after
problems with La Salle University and the change of ownership in
administration" which according to La Salle occurred in July of 1997, These
facts are also inconsistent with Paragraph 10 M of his affidavit, which states that
after he learned his degrees had not been confirmed that he corrected his
statements on his educational status. What you have is, Mr. Holbrook had been
told annually from 1991 through 1996 that he has to resubmit his work. No
degree has been conferred and yet he continually represented himself as early as
1992 to Crookston that he had an MA in international marketing and to you in
1996 that he had an MBA and Ph,D., even though he had been continually told
year after year, you need to resubmit your work. You can draw your own
conclusion from that.......Mr. Holbrook has testified that La Salle University told him that he could use
the designations,

Not hard to discern the truth there, now is it.

I also note that Holbrook says he wasn't fired for any wrongdoings. What does he call completely misrepresenting his qualifications? How, about the background check folks admitting they did no work and refunding the money. The minutes also show he thought his contract was written so only he could fire people and that they must agree to separate with him and offer him the 6 months severance package he wanted. He also sought unemployment benefits which it appears were denied. No doubt he is going to silence his critics by publishing all the court documents related to this in their entirety on Google Docs or the like. I will certainly be waiting!

Soapboxmom

Just wait until Sue Seeberger actually checks out the clown she is sending threatening letters for. A fictitious MA in international marketing. A fake MBA and doctorate degree. And, unlike the story told to Craig Malisow his real problem wasn't the FBI raid. Holbrook was touting degrees for which he had been told he had not completed the coursework it appears from what is in the minutes quoted. And, he had been touting those non-existent credentials for years. That is hardly the same thing as having a degree conferred and finding out later it was bogus.

Holbrook seems to have had some initial success in the early-to-mid-1990s, working as the economic developer for the city of Crookston, Minnesota. However, he didn't seem to find much success after leaving Crookston. A gig as executive director of the Red Wing, Minnesota, Port Authority, was short-lived; hired in 1996, he was fired in 1998 after some of the Port Authority commissioners questioned his résumé.

Holbrook claimed to have a doctorate and MBA from LaSalle University, an online institution subsequently exposed as a diploma mill. While most LaSalle "students" simply wrote checks for their degrees, some poor saps actually thought they were writing term papers and theses for a legitimate university. Holbrook, who has said he wrote thousands of pages for LaSalle courses and spent years on his dissertation, appears to have fallen in the latter camp.

The Port ultimately fired Holbrook for what they believed to be fraud; Holbrook sued for breach of contract. The suit was settled out of court, with the Port paying Holbrook $160,000 to cover court costs, and the Port also issued a "letter of misunderstanding," saying Holbrook had not lied on his résumé, he just wasn't able to produce certain documents in time.

Holbrook's tactic is a crafty one. Even though he files or threatens cases that may have little or no merit, that scumbag knows he can spend his legitimate opponents into giving him his way. The Red Wing Port Authority had to decide if they wanted to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars fighting that bozo when there was little chance to recover attorneys fees and costs of court. Remember, in his 2007 chapter 7 bankruptcy he wrote off 1.29 million dollars in attorney fees alone. That is a lot of legal maneuvering! He also has around 20 grand in attorney fees on his current chapter 11 bankruptcy. So, any reputable attorney that checks him out is likely to run as he has an alarming habit of not paying his legal bills and to top it all off he is a hothead who seems to have trouble keeping his stories straight.

Soapboxmom

Keeping the focus on who said what and who paid what ignores the fact we have here a gentleman who effectively "spent the LaSalle cheque before it was cleared"

Setting aside any question of fraud or intent, at the very least such an oversight demonstrates an extreme lack of professionalism in someone claiming to be able to negotiate and facilitate multi million dollar projects.

It's very simple.

You just can't do it ESPECIALLY when dealing with public monies, as the CEO of Yahoo recently found to his detriment: Yahoo CEO resigns over CV "error"

Yahoo Board Reviews Educational Inaccuracy in CEO Thompson's Bio

Speaker Don A. Holbrook, Author, Ph.D, CEcD, FM

Don A. Holbrook, Author, Ph.D, CEcD, FM


Don Holbrook

Talk of the Town: EDC SAYS GOODBYE TO HOLBROOK

By Don Allen Holbrook, CEcD, FM, Ph.D. (Donholbrook) on Saturday, July 24, 2010 - 08:35 pm: Edit PostI continue to be amazed at the crazy self absorbed tactics people will use to justify their own short comings and lack of knowledge of issues. For the record even though the press and many of your citizens attacked me for absolutely absurd reasons, such as spending public tax dollars... which in fact I saved your community from allowing self-serving local officials both elected and appointed from filling their own pockets by posturing the EDC to invest in things that were to their own economic gain. My decisions which by the way were endorsed by the Board of Directors actually saved Wayne County over $1M in the first year alone. Thank God, my own reputation, character and integrity allowed me to survive the defamation and humiliating attacks of this small town in Indiana. Today the community is far worse off for not heeding my advice... economic outcomes speak for themselves. I am glad to have gone on to much better things which by the way my book is the #1 best seller in Economic Development world wide, so most folks think your county was dead wrong in your accusations.

That fraud has listed himself as a PhD in his current plug for speaking jobs. Even in 2006 long after it was clear he had had no such degree conferred on him, he still used the designation. His credibility is shot. Ohio should have no trouble nailing this clown!

Soapboxmom

One gets the definite impression they're going to be using this sorry saga in reputation management courses at universities and colleges for years to come.

And, I don't mean in the "what to do" section of such courses, either.

Originally Posted by littleroundman

One gets the definite impression they're going to be using this sorry saga in reputation management courses at universities and colleges for years to come.

And, I don't mean in the "what to do" section of such courses, either.

Well, maybe. There are four kinds of examples; Good, Not-so-good, Bad, and Don Holbrook....!!!

Holbrook PhD = Piled high and deep!!!

The Ohio article should be published on Sunday. Wait until you see who was cooperating with the media and who wasn't!

Minneapolis The Hairy Truth - City Pages

Five years ago the city of Crookston attempted to proclaim itself "the Bigfoot capital of the world." Don Holbrook, then executive director of the Crookston Economic Development Authority, told the Star Tribune that the small town wanted to drum up "alternative" tourism by opening a Bigfoot museum. To that end, Holbrook had told the Strib that the town would be doing more research into Minnesota sightings. Quast wrote to Holbrook, offering his services. When he never got a reply, it began to dawn on him that it might all be just a stunt.

Just when you thought this sordid saga (TM) couldn't get any weirder. Hilarious!

Soapboxmom

http://www.pahrumpnv.org/images/uplo...14_Backup3.pdf
Don Holbrook writes:

PH.D candidate at Walden University Public Policy, specialized in economic development objectives to create business investment.

If he is a candidate the degree has not been conferred on him yet, so why the past tense for specialized??? Is he no longer actively pursuing this? Check out the degree requirements and it will become obvious why he has dropped the ball. It has a huge legal component and judging from his online attacks he hasn't completed any of those hours. I am pretty sure attacking taxpayers and thtreatening them is not normal protocol. I also highly doubt he would be taught to stifle public debate about where public money is being spent. Public servants and those contracted with them should not be threatening taxpayers with litigation like this loser is doing!

Online Business/ Management Degrees

Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration – Law and Public Policy – Walden University

Law and Public Policy

Legal decisions and the law have a significant impact on the creation of public policy. Discover the relationships between law and public policy and access vital legal knowledge available to public policy practitioners. Gain a solid background in legal concepts, cases, and current trends that will give you a head start if you decide to pursue a law degree or if you encounter legal questions in your workplace.
Completion Requirements

• 82 total quarter credit hours
  
  • Core courses (35 cr.)
  • Specialization courses (15 cr.)
  • Foundation Research Sequence (12 cr.)
  • Dissertation (20 cr.)
  
  
• Professional Development Plan and program of study
• Four Ph.D. residencies to equal a minimum of 16 units
• Minimum of 8–9 quarters enrollment depending on the transfer of credits awarded

Time to completion may vary by student, depending on individual progress and credits transferred, if applicable. For a personalized estimate of your time to completion, call an enrollment advisor at 1-866-492-5336.
Core Courses

Course Code	Course Title	Credits
PPPA 8000	Foundations for Doctoral Study	1
PPPA 8405	Ethics and Social Justice	5
PPPA 8431	Finance and Budgeting for the Public Sector	5
PPPA 8465	Strategic Planning: Collaboration, Cooperation, and Coordination	5
PPPA 8111	Leadership and Organizational Change	5
PPPA 8115	Writing a Quality Prospectus	5
PPPA 8112	Governance and Public Policy	5

Choose one of the three following to complete the Core Courses Requirement

Course Code	Course Title	Credits
RSCH 8450	Advanced Mixed Methods Reasoning and Analysis	4
RSCH 8350	Advanced Qualitative Reasoning and Analysis	4
RSCH 8250	Advanced Quantitative Reasoning and Analysis	4

Specialization Courses

Course Code	Course Title	Credits
PPPA 8810	Fundamentals of Law and Public Policy	5
PPPA 8811	Legal Research for Policy Practitioners	5
PPPA 8812	Contemporary Cases and Issues in the Courts	5

Foundation Research Sequence

Course Code	Course Title	Credits
RSCH 8100P	Research Theory, Design and Methods	4
RSCH 8200P	Quantitative Reasoning and Analysis	4
RSCH 8300P	Qualitative Reasoning and Analysis	4

Dissertation

Course Code	Course Title	Credits
PPPA 9000	Dissertation	20

Course Descriptions
For assistance in deciding which online degree specialization fits your goals, request information or speak with an enrollment advisor by calling 1-866-492-5336. A list of international toll-free phone numbers is available for students outside the United States.

I am still looking for the course entitled litigation threats and intimidation techniques one should use to recruit public clients. Obviously, the ethics and social justice class is something completely out of his league.

Soapboxmom

Let him, no, encourage him to continue to post in the same vein, I say.

When people are selling or dealing in intangibles, perception is everything.

Where do you think peoples' perception of Don Holbrook would be at the minute ???

Even the sleaziest of reputation enhancement specialists has to have SOMETHING to start with.

What's even better, all of it is his own work.

All anybody has to do is wind him up and watch him go........





further and further downhill.

Consultant

EMCID



October 2006 – Present (5 years 8 months) East Montgomery County Texas
I have been a working project director under a consulting agreement to help create EMCID as the largest central time zone tourism destination in the US. It is anchored by the EarthQuest Theme Park & Resort, but we have expanded the concept to focus on ancillary and stand alone additional destination tourism concepts and opportunities to build the district's over-all tourism capacity even greater.

Now that Earthquest is a toilet flush, he is claiming there are ancillary projects. The shooting range nonsense he wants to bring in I imagine. I called again after giving the EMCID time to check records and I was told Holbrook was not under contract with them any longer, so what is he babbling about. Good grief!

Interim President & CEO (acting on pro-bono basis currently)

The EarthQuest Institute
Nonprofit Organization Management industry


2009 – Present (3 years) East Montgomery County Texas
I helped to found and organize the non-profite and developed the mission and objectives. I later negotiated for their acquisition of their future site for the construction of their public demonstration facility and showcase pavilion for green strategies and products that will raise consumer awareness. Currently EQI is not soliciting funds as they are awaiting the announcement of the new theme park developer by EMCID and the expected official business relationship that EQI desires to have with the new developer. At that time I expect the new board will hire a new President/CEO for renewed and sustained operations going forward. I am still a major supporter of this concept and believe in it's purpose greatly!

What a load of dung. If that is the case he needs to immediately make available the records required by the IRS and the Texas Non-profit Corporation Act to be available. After 1.4 million being blown, much of which was tax dollars funneled in through the EMCID and the donors money being completely wasted, I seriously doubt this thing will go forward. If Matthew Gardner and Don Lessem could get some experienced and honest people to manage it while they focused on their true talents in the science end, then it might be possible to resuscitate the thing. Holbrook with his $185.00 an hour salary expected needs to be sent packing!

Remember what Lessem said in the Houston Press:

Although EarthQuest was going to be built on land owned by White's empire, he preferred to focus on Evolv, leaving the hands-on stuff to his partner, John Marlin. When Lessem's idea of a nonprofit was incorporated as the EarthQuest Institute, White sat back and let Marlin take the reins. But Marlin and Lessem clashed, as Marlin's hands-on activities allegedly included screaming in Lessem's face for no discernible reason.


When asked if Lessem felt that Marlin pressured him into resigning from the board, Lessem puts it like this: "He walks into a board meeting and says, 'I don't like the way you run the organization, you have to quit.'...I sensed a certain pressure in there, subtly...But ultimately, I felt I had to go along with it, because his support of the entire project was at that point vital." (Marlin could not be reached for comment; multiple calls to multiple extensions at Marlin Atlantis's office went straight to voice mail. The Press left messages with two of Marlin's bankruptcy attorneys, as well as his wife, who for some reason was surprised to hear that no one ever answers the phone at her husband's office.)


Lessem outlined his concern in a few letters to the EarthQuest Institute board. In one he wrote, "Not one person among us has significant national or local contacts among the business and personal philanthropic communities. None of us has the right kind of board experience for leading what was chartered as an international educational effort. None of us has been able to set this organization on the right course...We all need to remember that this is an organization we SERVE, not our fiefdom to control."......But it seems there was plenty of bullshitting to go around, with much of it spewed by both McCrady and his dubious consultant, Don Holbrook. With Lessem out of the picture, EarthQuest's destiny seemed to be largely in their hands.

With all the money wasted and deluge of negative publicity, why is the board allowing Don Holbrook to have any involvement in this? He is viciously attacking anyone who asks questions or speaks out. Possibly some of those same Texans who have donated to the Earthquest Institute I might add. Does that a make Holbrook a good candidate for the head of a non-profit that will depend on public support for its thrivival??? Unbelievable!

Soapboxmom

Holbrook tells Pahrump:

Bachelor of Arts Dual Major, Urban Economic Geography & Environmental Science Wright State University, Dayton-Ohio, United States

Login
Ms. Patricia Kuderer was asked to review and comment on the packet of
information that Mr. Holbrook provided to the board. Passed out was a brief
overview of all of the evidence that has been given to the board. She affirmed
that in the appeal process you are permitted to look at new evidence that comes
to light. Ms. Kuderer started with the degree issues - what was said, who said it
and when did they say it. With respect to the BA I looked at Mr. Clinton's
report and representations that were made by Mr. Holbrook to Crookston and
then to the Port Authority, what was said in his deposition and then what was
verified by Wright State University. Also added was Mr. Fridell's letter and Mr.
Holbrook's affidavit. III J 982 he claimed to have a BA in urban and economic
planning -that is the degree, it is called urban and economic planning. At the
Port Authority he claimed to have a dual BA degree in City Planning and
Economics. Those are two separate degrees, with a minor in environmental
science and geology - again from Wright State University, same year. In the
deposition he claimed to have a dual BA degree in U~ban Planning and
Environmental Science - again from Wright State University in 1982, he did not
state any minor in his deposition. Wright State University confirmed he had a dual BA in geography and environmental studies in 1982 and no minor. What
was interesting about the student status obtained is the minor as it shows up in
the representation to the Port Authority and Wright State confirmed that Mr.
Holbrook does not have a minor in anything from Wright State.

In Mr. Fridell's letter he indicates that Mr. Holbrook has a BA degree in
geography and environmental studies, which is exactly what Wright State
University verified. But he also claimed that he had a minor in geology.
Original claim to the Port was that he had a minor in environmental science and
geology and now it is just geology. In Mr, Holbrook's affidavit he claimed a
dual BA degree in geography and environmental studies from Wright State
University in 1982 and no minor. If you look at the evidence you see changing
degrees. In talking to Wright State this morning that economics degree is a
separate degree and clearly Mr. Holbrook did not have a degree in economics,
he had a degree in geography and environmental studies, that's it. The courses that he took would qualify him for a planning concentration in urban affairs. A concentration is much different from having graduated with this degree. You
should also take note that there is no evidence that Mr, Dustin was ever given a
copy of your minimum qualifications, therefore he is not telling you that Mr.
Holbrook is indeed qualified to be your executive director based on your
minimum qualifications.

For latest scoop on Sasquatch, check Bigfoot clearinghouse


July 08, 1995|By Knight Ridder News Service
GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Everyone, it seems, wants to find out what Bigfoot is doing in Crookston, Minn.
Newspapers, television and radio stations from all across the country have called since news spread that the city plans to create a Great Plains Sasquatch information center and build a life-size likeness of the 8-foot human-animal.


Don Holbrook, executivedirector of the Crookston Development Authority, has heard from about 50 radio stations, more than 20 newspapers and several television stations.
"Initially, they think it's a spoof," he said. "We really are creating an information center that will track information on Bigfoot nationally.

"The only thing fictitious," he said, is the life-size rendering. There will be a statue of Bigfoot, using taxidermy to re-create the human-animal that researchers are studying.
Sasquatch will be inside the center, but signs outside will alert tourists and passers-by to the display.

The information center also will have casts of Sasquatch footprints found in other parts of the country. Holbrook does not know of any Bigfoot sightings in Crookston.
The idea struck the locals while cruising the Internet. They read about all of the research being done on Bigfoot sightings throughout North America and the world.
They also learned that there are more than 450,000 Sasquatch watchers in the United States alone.

Although Bigfoot sightings most often have come from mountainous areas of the Pacific Northwest or north of the Canadian border, there have been some from the Great Plains, Mr. Holbrook said.
The city plans to spend less than $10,000 for the information center, which likely will be placed in the existing county museum.

http://www.realscam.com/f11/iedc-int...html#post21033

I think the great State of Texas will pass on the "alternative" tourism you are offering, Holbrook!!!

Soapboxmom

EDC conversation, Holbrook controversy continues part of Chris Hardie's Weblog ~

« Look but don't touch? TechTalk on blogging, The Daily Nightly » Another Sunday, another industrial-park-sized batch of column inches devoted to the unfolding controversy around EDC president Don Holbrook, the EDC board, and apparent mismanagement, miscommunication and missed opportunities at all levels. I won't bother distinguishing between the "news" and "opinion" articles, as they all have similar themes from all sides of the issue: "EDC president's expenses detailed,""County taking action to step up oversight,""Wayne Co. spends more on development than others in state,""EDC has brought jobs to area during tenure,""Corporation might also share blame in situation,""Residents react to EDC,""Don Holbrook must go,""The threat to job creation,""A go-getter with integrity needed at helm of EDC," and "Sunshine the best disinfectant for what ails the EDC." Whew! I'll check and see what the Pal-Item's "per click-through commission" plan looks like these days...for now I couldn't find any other news organizations in the state covering this story. Through the Pal-Item's own reporting and with quotes from community members, the series does a reasonable job of covering the main issues here: serious evidence of financial mismanagement, poisoned relationships between and within the EDC board and staff, all sorts of public perception issues, and "big-picture" questions about the EDC's role and mission in our community. As much as the very public controversy builds on an already negative atmosphere surrounding economic development in the area, and as painful as it is to see that the impacts of this conflict could have a ripple effect for years to come, it again represents an opportunity for serious public dialogue about the issues that matter to us, and a chance for us as citizens to take responsibility for the future of our community. But for now, we all lose. This entry was posted on Sunday, December 4th, 2005 at 3:52 pm and is filed under richmond, in . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. 2 Responses to “EDC conversation, Holbrook controversy continues” Jeanne Says: January 5th, 2006 at 7:05 pm In response to your weblog about Holbrook. I am writing from Lake Havasu, Arizona. We have had our fair share of Holbrook through the years and looks as if the community at large is still not rid of him. He is proposing a low-income apt development, funded by tax payers, through the Arizona Dept of Housing. After finding out the information about Holbrook through the Pal-item, I was not surprised. The questionable behaviors he has made here in Havasu leave many with frustration. By no means do we want this man to develope as a neighbor, his integrity alone should be enough reason. We could use some tips on how to rid Holbrook ourselves. Any out there? Chris Says: January 13th, 2006 at 12:05 pm Thomas Kemp has filled in for me a bit lately as "that blogger who links to Pal-Item stories about the EDC," aptly noting in Wayne County EDC: Trouble Still Brewing? and More Wayne County EDC Coverage that "this story is far from over." The Pal-Item must have realized that too, since they setup their own special coverage section of their website and are starting to use alternatives to phrases like "concerns" and are now talking about how the questions around EDC activities "swirl." Chris

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Written by:Don Holbrook
Posted on:November 23, 2005 at 12:49 am I appreciate your candid approach to these troubling media stories. I have spent much of the first year reorganizing the EDC into a much more highly productive unit (within the staff itself) and focused a great deal of attention on reducing needless expenditures, unwarranted overhead, and adminstrative burden. These efficiencies are not painless but they have proven to be effective. In addition I have enhanced the EDC's public accountability by designed a far more public and accountable reporting process now available by e-mail to anyone whom is interested in our business. We measure our goals and effectiveness aginst real market based metrics for the first time. Let me give you some examples: 1.) increased employment (net jobs)- this is the first time in over five years that we have created more jobs than we have lost under my new focus. 2.) increased tax base - the EDIT taxes realized from the income taxes has risen by nearly $500K and is the fist time in several years it has went up instead of down and it is the highest it has been in over five years. This gives us more funds to do continued investment into industry parks, infrastructure, etc without taking it from the general funds. 3.) We have more deal activity this year through our new focus than ever in the entire history of the EDC and this equates to more inevitable successful company announcements. 4.) We have landed a new HQ manufacturing facility that will employ between 200-250 well paying jobs, the largest deal in the history of the EDC.
My focus is to reduce unnecessary expenditures that do nothing to assist or facilitate our client relationships. Spend our money on things that are important to our clients. This seems to have paid off well for the EDC. The EDC is on the short list for several additional major announcements with several thousand jobs at stake if we are successful. Another record for the EDC.
All this and yet we have trimmed the budget to lower than it was in 2003. That would seem to reflect we are being good stewards of the publics funds. I don't think many other government related agencies have been able to make those kind of cost adjustments and still perform at a record setting pace. Our travel budget has been lowered to less than it was in 2002. I have adjusted and reduced our overseas travels to more acceptable levels and focused our travels on domestic based business primarily.
With regard to the $8,000 office furnishings it was an entire office. I gave my old office to our SBDC director and purchased a new complete office for my own use. From Rosas office a local company I might add. office furnishings are expensive...but my office is the primary place all of these CEO's coming to Wayne county spend their time with me and I felt it should be appropriate and professional but not too flashy. We are in the business of setting good first impressions and I believe this was the right decision. We delivered all our services under our dedicated budget and will return funds to the county at the end of 2005. So we performed at a record pace with less than we were given as a total budget. Most private sector companies would say... "a job well done."
Now let me tell you what I believe is the root of all of this; Change! Change is inevitable but progress is optional. Change is required if we want to break the status quo and get new and better results. Staying the course would have produced the same results the EDC had been getting year after year. My new approach which is stylistically different and thus to some uncomfortable has been very positively received by our clients... thus our record setting year. But change makes many people uncomfortable because it requires them to change their own comfort zone, expand their own knowledge base and even be tolerant of others opinions of better ways to accomplish the stated goals. Some people adapt and learn to thrive in these competitive environments and some just rebell and want great results by doing the status quo. Most of you can recognize that the status quo is simply insanity to believe it will produce different results.
With regard to my former employment in Red Wing Minnesota the Judge exonerated me and forced my former employer to provide me with a letter of apology and misunderstanding and pay me $160,000 for the character assasination that they employed to deflect attention away from my real reason for termination. I turned in members of the board for violations of the law under self-dealing (Ricoh violations) and they wrongfully terminated me for my turning in the culprits to the legal system. During this process they inaccurately reported my education, accused me falsely of resume fraud, and defamed my character to my fellow economic developers. My family was stalked, threatened and we received hate mail and phone calls. My vehicle was vandalized to place threat letter in my front seat threatening my family's safety. So as you might suspect I have no desire to relive those times and put my family through that oncemore especially since I was fully cleared of any inaccuracies, wrong doing or allegations about my character and education.
With regard to my education. I like several thousand people was misled by LaSalle University in Louisianna. They claimed to be an accredited university and lied to us. Many fortune 500 executives, government leaders, elected members of all branches of government were also misled by this university. I did not just send money in for a degree I completed four years of research and papers several hundred pages to receive my degrees. None the less LaSalle was fraudulent but very smart in how they did it. It took years for them to get caught. I believed I was in a solid distance education based program. Once I receivd notice in approximately 1997 of their fraud I immediately brought this to my employers attention and asked them how they wanted to proceed. They responded in official communications that they appreciated my honesty and this situation did not change our relationship nor my ability or professional knowledge and experience to carry out my job. They stated no further action was required and none would be taken any further on their part. Still I felt it was only right to remove these unaccredited degrees from my resume and discontinue any use of them or mention of them in the future. It was this information that I had voluntarily provided to my past employer that they used for the basis to fire me. They had forgotten about their previous memoo some months earlier it seemed. This was one of the major reasons I was able to prevail. The judge in fact said how else would we want an employee to behave but just as I had proven I had acted upon my knowledge of the Lasalle situation. I have not used these degrees in the past three positions I have held. I did not use them in my resume for my position in Wayne county. I feel that this is only right to not disclose unaccredited degrees. I have two accredited degrees a bachelor of Arts from Wright State university with a dual major and an MBA from the University of Phoenix. Both of these are highly accredited schools. I am now considering my doctoral education through an accredited university in the near future.
I hope this information sheds some light on the true situation and helps you to regain faith in the inevitable mission of the EDC, my hopeful continued role in leading this fine organization to serve your best interests in the future, and our public accountability with regard to economic development matters. I want you to know I have done nothing wrong nor nothing that I am ashamed of that I would not discuss in public meetings. I try to live my life in such a matter that I can always discuss such matters in an open, candid and professional manner. I deeply appreciate your support in healing this situation.

Written by:Don Holbrook
Posted on:November 23, 2005 at 1:04 am We can change our future by agreeing to invest in the necessary infrastructure that is required to be competitive but it takes calculated risks and sustained efforts at facing the reality of what it takes to succeed. It also means losing old efforts that no longer work and trying new things. No one else will do this for us. We have to believe enough in ourselves to make the necessary investments. We cannot expect the market to do it for us nor the private sector to have the answers. The private sector is not a great catalyst. This is the purpose of the EDC... to lead us into new venues that are based on accepted and desired principles attrative to private sector companies and become an advocate for change and progress and taking the calculated investment risks to get us to the new outcomes we all desire. Many communities are thriving in these times and they all have that common element of self-driven investments in their vision for the future. It is up to us all to try to get outside of the box on how to achieve these new economic goals.

The Gloves are off: Wayne County EDC Showdown

Local businessman Michael Doherty, in an opinion piece today sums up the reaction of most community residents to the EDC controversy:

Holbrook spent more on relocation expenses (about $35,000 virtually tax-free) than the vast majority of Wayne County residents make in an entire year. Mr. Holbrook spent more on his desk than the tuition to attend IU East or Ivy Tech for a year. Every Wayne County resident is paying for that desk and relocation. Twenty percent (20 percent) of the county tax deducted from your paycheck every pay period is used to fund the EDC.
The board exists solely to foster economic development while protecting our investment. Regrettably, the board has turned into a glad-handing, cheerleading service for Mr. Holbrook. Not only has the board failed to fulfill its duties, it recently has rewarded Mr. Holbrook with a raise and a bonus in its “put up a united front” and “circle the wagons” mentality. Taxpayers can judge for themselves whether the board has acted responsibly. This taxpayer says no; they must go. Link.

The Pal-Item has not backed off on its coverage of this issue, rounding up views from local government leaders against the EDC president, Don Holbrook:

County commissioner Mary Heyob said she was shocked in December when the board of the Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County in December gave its embattled president a vote of confidence.
“I almost fell off my chair when it was read,” she said Thursday of the resolution backing Don Holbrook. “I couldn’t believe it.” Link.

But Holbrook is a fighter, and he is accusing the paper of running a smear job on his:

I think all would agree that the reporting on my personal background has been one-sided. I have chosen not to address the concerns publicly because the EDC Board, my employer, is fully aware of every question raised, and has to this point had no concerns with any of it. I understand the basic tenet of small-town journalism — scandal sells. As William Randolph Hearst said, “You bring me the pictures, and I’ll bring you the war.” He sold a few newspapers that way, I believe.

And this:

I call upon my employer, the EDC board, to resist the Wayne County Commissioners’ power play and make their decision regarding my future based on facts rather than conjecture. It’s time to say “enough” to bullying and yellow journalism. Link.

“Power play?” They are the governing body for the county. As the highest elected officials in the county, I don’t think they have to “play” for power.

But as the paper points out, if Holbrook is fired for anything less that “extreme circumstances,” the EDC will owe him 6 months pay. Nice contract.
This entry was posted on Saturday, January 28th, 2006 at 4:01 pm and is filed under Local Items.

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As the whole EDC mess swirls on and the gloves come off, the Palladium-Item, Richmond's local daily newspaper, has continued to insist that its role in fueling the fire of outrage over the EDC's affairs has just been about reporting the truth. It is with this sentiment that they've responded to public criticism of their aggressive coverage and editorializing, it is how they responded to concerns raised in an editorial board meeting I attended shortly after the initial series ran on their pages, and it is how managing editor Rich Jackson responds in an editorial column today. But Jackson and the rest of his staff surely know that the impact of their actions in this and every other matter they cover is not limited to the letter of the content they deliver; in a world of fast paced news delivery, short attention spans, and the need for sexy sound bites, the way the information is presented often has as much (if not more) impact than the "truth" that it might be trying to convey. In other words, the framing of an issue tends to trump the truth of an issue. This isn't their fault, but if credibility is important, it is their responsibility to acknowledge their role in that phenomenon.

Jackson, via his remarks, would have us believe that the Pal-Item's pursuit of the EDC story and similar scandals are solely about performing its duties of "watchdog journalism" - asking the hard questions and digging deep on behalf of public concerns. He invokes grand images around the intent of the country's founders, the dangers of unchallenged power, and the taxpayers` need for someone to protect them from the abuses of secrecy by public officials. And really, in my ideal version of what the local newspaper does, I agree with him that this obligation rises above all of the other kinds of information transfer that they perform.
But Jackson conveniently (though perhaps unintentionally) omits a few key factors from his soliloquy on credibility, and the most key (in my opinion) is that he and the Pal-Item staff get to choose how the fruits of their important journalistic endeavors are presented to the public, and in ways that almost completely determine how the information will be processed and used by their readers.
The size and font of a headline. The tone and connotations of the words used to sell and introduce a story. The photo that accompanies a story - how is it lit and cropped, what is the caption, how does it present the subject. The amount of column inches devoted to a story and its impact, and where in the publication they are placed. The quality and length of the quotes from sources that provide "balancing" viewpoints. The opinion pieces that accompany a major story, and if/how they blur the perceived line between reporting facts and editorializing on them. How many follow up stories are done. Whether or not a special section of the Pal-Item website is created to draw more attention to a series online. And so on. All of these variables could ostensibly be said to have little or nothing to do with the "truth" that they help deliver, but all of them make up the all-important framing of the information and how it will be received.
Just as the majority of the public may not have the time to do the research and uncovering that the Pal-Item admirably takes on, the same majority does not have time to follow up on the sources or the research quoted in the resulting articles, and cannot necessarily, then, create for themselves a balanced view of a given issue without significant time and resources that most do not have to spare. And so they rely on what's available: the Pal-Item and the few other limited news sources available. I will certainly agree with anyone who says it is the public's responsibility to verify the information from first hand sources if they are going to act on it (or perhaps even spread it), but we all know that this isn't how public opinion is formed in this town or most any other. People see headlines from afar, gossip about what they might mean, and at best bits and pieces of articles are skimmed and extracted for further digestion. The implications of a story, and the emotions and thoughts its presentation evokes, become the story itself. Any good journalist or page layout editor or news staff member knows this, too: framing trumps truth. (If you want to know why and don't want to take my word for it, I recommend Metaphors We Live By by George Lakoff and Blink by Malcolm Gladwell.)
Jackson notes that if the Pal-Item ever did make a factual mistake or some other error that required addressing, there's always the great rectifying tool, "the correction." But we all know that unless you're scrambling to make things right in the wake of your own Jason Blair scandal, corrections don't get front page headlines with a full page photo, and they very rarely contribute to refining the framing of an issue. How do you publish a correction apologizing for the size of a headline? And perhaps that's why no one has sought corrections or clarifications from the Palladium-Item on these difficult issues: they feel that it really doesn't matter in the end, when the principles of fair and balanced reporting on a given issue have already been superseded by printing what sells papers. Maybe that's the Pal-Item readership just not holding up its end of the bargain? Maybe we need more Letters to the Editor about how the Editor spends his or her time? You're reading mine.
I admire Rich Jackson and his staff, and I think that on the whole they do an excellent job of balancing the difficult requirements of being the only local printed news source in a town where news sometimes comes hard (see: every front page weather story they've ever had to write). And I admire that at least some there subscribe to some greater notion of objective truth that every citizen in our community has a right to access in some pure form. But I don't think they should fool themselves - or their readers - by denying that they have (and often exploit) the ability to present the different sides of that truth while also significantly shaping how it is received, and what people do with it. If they ignore that truth, no triple-checking of facts or Code of Ethics will restore their credibility as a journalistic entity.
This entry was posted on Sunday, January 29th, 2006 at 1:26 pm and is filed under consumer watch, richmond, in . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

4 Responses to “Pal-Item forgets that framing trumps truth?”

• Pila Says:
  January 30th, 2006 at 2:12 pm Interesting take on the Holbrook situation. While I'm glad that Holbrook's abuses of tax payer funds and the questions about the proposed dairy have been revealed, the way that the Pal-Item framed its reporting with constant coverage, sidebars, reviews, timelines, etc. was hardly balanced. There was something a bit self-congratulatory about almost everything in the Pal-Item's coverage of the EDC--including Jackson's editorial.
  Also, the paper's coverage has focused mainly on Holbrook's spending and questionable educational background, with a lesser focus(from the Pal-Item) of the EDC board's failure to oversee Holbrook and little discussion about how Wayne County government works or whether citizens ought to be paying an Economic Development tax in the first place. Perhaps an investigation of the cronyism in local government and what that cost the taxpayers in money and other resources would be a worthwhile story. I doubt that we'll be reading anything like that in the Palladium-Item anytime soon. Holbrook was an easy target because of his combative personality, his lack of local ties, and his failure to grasp simple business ethics.
• Nick Wilson Says:
  January 31st, 2006 at 6:22 pm I thinl the Pal Item did a great job on the coverage. It was the aggressive style that has led to the termination of a con man running the EDC. If the Pal Item would pursue all of the injustice and abuse by local elected and appointed officials we would be much better off. To Rich and his staff GOOD JOB.
• Chris Says:
  February 2nd, 2006 at 2:04 pm Rich Jackson responds to my post on his own blog - thanks! I don't think he has trackbacks going yet so I'm noting the link here for now. I think Rich and I both wish we lived in nobler times. More later.
• Don Holbrook Says:
  February 7th, 2006 at 9:18 am Rich Jackson Must Go…Paparazzi Style Conspirator of Misinformation!
  I have not found the situation in Wayne County unusual for small towns and thus the current situation and ineptness of how it was handled by the politicians was no surprise to me, after all it is an election year. I find the total disregard for the very straight forward facts and the lack of actual investigative reporting atrocious. The news coverage of my situation was totally one sided and maliciously directed by the editor of the palladium item to create the real life ending he sought for his fictional tale. While this may be well and good for the New York Times best fiction seller list it is no way to cover actual news. In deed, it is deceptive and disrespectful to the readers whom many believe whatever they read to be the actual truth. All the time the single minded editor of the Pal-Item focused his heinous pen and ink on me he completely disregarded what most simpleton reporters would have uncovered. The same things I found in my first year while in Wayne County. There are many things that should concern the Tax Payers that is for sure. First and Foremost is the process of governance. Secondary to that is the potential for misuse of public office and/or appointed offices to either directly or indirectly gain by the appointed or elected persons influence. Even a novice could uncover some of the obvious if they were truly observant of the politicians and elected officials. Let’s start with opening meeting violations. Do those occur in Wayne County? A matter of simple investigation may lead a real reporter and news staff to have uncovered those answers. These are meetings that discuss business as a group with others such as the EDC or any other persons with regard to county business that are not made available to the general public as the law requires. A simple visit to the Old Richmond Inn at lunch time on the day of the County Commissioners meeting day might have uncovered that answer.
  Secondary, what about the potential conflict of interest situations? Did any of the former board members attempt to misuse their board influence to either directly or indirectly gain from their appointment to the EDC board or the respective duties assigned or sought by them? Was this reported to the EDC board by the President? Was an official investigation conducted to determine if any wrong doing had occurred or was intended to occur? Was the silence of Don Holbrook his own will or was it influenced by the board position such matters? Was the reason for his termination and departure related to his possible reporting of potential violations or potential conflicts of interest violations related to any of the board members or politicians? Was his termination retaliatory or done to cover these matters up from possible public view? Odd how only three or four weeks after his raise and bonus for exceeding expectations he is now dismissed isn’t it?
  Several of the board members spoke out against my dismissal because they knew there was no misuse of tax payer funds no basis to the allegations made by the former board members and fueled by the Pal-Item. In fact the questions of EDC leadership lie not with the President but with the board of director’s refusal to follow the advice of their paid professional management team leader on many occasions. Their refusal to follow professional advise dug them into a hole that they could not get out of without sacrificing their own paid leader (does the term scape goat mean anything to you?) This scenario has now created a problem for me to clean up… albeit through the courses of professional intervention as provided for by our own national standards of ethics and protocol. In the end, this one battle does not conclude the matter. The general public will come to see that the dismissal of Don Holbrook was in fact the worst thing that could happen with regard to the best interests of the tax payers. My termination was a travesty with regard to prudent handling of tax payer funds. I only hope they wake up and get rid of the irresponsible editor of the Pal-Item, that voters discharge at the next election the incompetent county commissioners and remove the egomaniacal and simpleton in charge of their money at the County Council Jeff Plasterer. Heaven help you if he wins another election in your county… but spare no quarter in the voter booth with County Council members as well. They were all too narrow minded and lacked the smarts to recognize the efficiencies the EDC made in the budget over the past several budgets…so shame on them! If Jeff Plasterers intellect is the bright spot on the County Council then we need to rev up the juice and find another leader!
  Whenever you hear the words, “we don’t do things around here like they do in the big cities,” you should ask yourself, what do they mean by that? Do they have a different style and if so is it lawful or ethical? They actually may mean we consider ourselves unique enough that the law doesn’t apply in the same way, but our own interpretation works well for us. The State and National constitution makes no difference in population of communities as to how they must abide by the law.
  I hope you have a candidate’s forum for the next election and you ask the candidates to be specific and tell the voters how they intend to actually achieve economic development? Don’t let them just say they support the concept, make them accountable for their own wisdom as to how to get to the next level of creating jobs that pay living wages for your citizens! You then will find out how very little these people really know. I find it scary whom we elect to serve us as citizens and how little financial and common sense they actually have in most matters. To question my credentials when they are impecable is absurd. The situation with LaSalle was over 8 years ago and I acted absolutely correctly by removing all references to it from my resume back then and not using it since in my professional life. I reported that original university accreditation to my board 8 years ago as soon as I was made aware of it to ask for their concerns and they noted in writing that I had acted appropriately and they had no further concerns. This was because I acted in the professional manner one should and ceased using the doctorate title in my profession from there forward. How are those actions deceiving and fradulent? That is also why I prevailed in my court case against my former employer when they tried to use that to terminate my contract as grounds when the real matter was their misuse of their positions for indirect and direct gain. Rich Jackson and his staff used me and this entire community to propel their own careers... and my board did not have the spine to tell the public what was really going on. I reduced the budget expenditures in all categories below the previous administration and we increased productivity and deal flow at the same time. In the corporate world my bonus would have been much larger, and my board knew that but they were afraid to give me a meaningful raise due to the media barrage they had been enduring. All of this was shameful on many parties part. Thank God our country has a means to clear ones name and seek justice in such lynch mob type mentalities such as small towns like Richmond and their thuggery of self appointed leaders, inept elected officials (mostly) and power and glory hungry media zealots. So honest people can clear their reputation and be made whole in such matters as this. One other matter in the Pal-item voters poll there was no choice for negative comments about the Pal-item coverage... another sign of their arrogance and purposeful drive to create a viewpoint.
  Don A. Holbrook,
  University of Phoenix, MBA
  Wright State University, BA Interdisciplinary double major degree (Urban Economic Geography & Environmental Studies)
  Certified Economic Developer (CEcD)
  Certified Economic Development Finance Professional (CEDFP)
  Business Retention & Expansion Certified Master Consultant (BREI)
  Certificates in Municipal Bond & Tax Credit Finance (CDFA)
  Board of Directors, International Economic Development Council, (IEDC) Washington, D.C.

Written by:Don Holbrook
Posted on:November 23, 2005 at 1:04 am We can change our future by agreeing to invest in the necessary infrastructure that is required to be competitive but it takes calculated risks and sustained efforts at facing the reality of what it takes to succeed. It also means losing old efforts that no longer work and trying new things. No one else will do this for us. We have to believe enough in ourselves to make the necessary investments. We cannot expect the market to do it for us nor the private sector to have the answers. The private sector is not a great catalyst. This is the purpose of the EDC... to lead us into new venues that are based on accepted and desired principles attrative to private sector companies and become an advocate for change and progress and taking the calculated investment risks to get us to the new outcomes we all desire. Many communities are thriving in these times and they all have that common element of self-driven investments in their vision for the future. It is up to us all to try to get outside of the box on how to achieve these new economic goals.

Don Holbrook is constantly in the center of heated controversies and he was apparently victimized by the same conspirators even back then. The newspapers and bloggers just won't let him alone. Poor Holbrook!

The surprise guest at the meeting was none other than our beloved "Dino Don" Lessem. How cool is that! All the scoop will be forthcoming in the Tribune! I can't wait!!!

Don Holbrook, needless to say, was not invited to the party!

Pahrump may be in real trouble with Holbrook and Contour there. Before a shovel of dirt that town is going to have to spend almost 1 million dollars. The town manager and board are seeing stars and thinking Pahrump could ride on the coattails of Las Vegas and become an international destination. Maybe so, but the townspeople are expressing a tremendous amount of skepticism. If the Houston, Texas area can't round up funding after years of wrangling for its "Global Destination" Earthquest theme park, how in the sam hell is Pahrump going to raise 100s of millions of dollars. I am very afraid they will end up spending a fortune to land just where we are in Texas. All we have is lots of pretty drawings and a model plus millions spent. We have receipts for worldwide tours of numerous people associated with our pipe dream that were orchestrated by Holbrook and in the end accomplished nothing. Plus, we have tens of thousands in meals and entertainment paid for by the beleaguered taxpayer as well.

Assessing impact of tourism, latest idea loses key support | Pahrump Valley Times

Reality Based Optimist says: December 8, 2011 at 4:10 pm
From following these discussions over the past months… who could blame legitimate private sector business folks from wanting to actually put any meat into their discussions when it is debated so voraciously and usually negatively by the vocal uninformed minority in these marathon town board meetings by the arm chair experts of the vocal minority of the town.


If you ask the person making $7.00 per hour if he or she would be in favor of having more options locally to make $10 – $12 per hour in a dignified employment setting I think you would find the majority of folks would say… are you kidding of course we want this project to go forward if it leads to those types of outcomes. The exact outcomes the town board asked the Contour Group to address in realistic terms. Recommend something that will have the best chance of getting funded, built and create living wage jobs in the town of Pahrump. If the project starts out in fairy dust land no credible investor will make the first invest to get the project moving.
For example; if someone brings a process to the table that actually quantifies what would actually work in Pahrump, what would actually more than likely get funded by the private sector, and that would create new tourism with jobs and add to the public sector stability and ability to deliver services to the town residents… Why do we automatically assume it is a scam or scheme and why do folks publicly make themselves look like ignoramuses by name calling the credibility of these folks who have provided the town with references and examples of their work that has proven to be credible?


Perhaps the thought ought to be along these lines… just because we don’t agree or more to the point possibly understand the process… does not mean it is not valid and credible, it is just beyond our ABILITY to understand and since we have no knowledge of it and are thus ignorant factually as to such issues, maybe that is more an arbiter of our own shortcomings and not the folks bringing a credible process to the table with experience based knowledge that does understand how to create positive outcomes for the town of Pahrump. In fact, if any of those naysayers was so astute regarding these things perhaps they themselves would be far more financially successful than they may be if they themselves were observed in the full view of public disclosure on their own life successes, business successes and financial savvy. In other words those giving such obviously uninformed and illogical advice in these columns may themselves be the most suspect in the end, not those they seek to refute with anonymous debby downer commentaries.

That is Don Holbrook babbling on. Does he really think an amusement park type deal is going to bring $10-12 dollar an hour jobs? I would think it would make more minimum wage jobs. And, who would call $10 an hour dignified employment for adults supporting a family? Notice all the comments about water being an issue with these big ideas. Not to mention the townspeople have suggested that small things like bike trails, restaurants and the like are really needed on other articles.

Garland, TX is a little suburb of Dallas. We have a new really nice mall that went in several years ago. We are now wet, so many more nice restaurants have come in and we don't have to leave the city of find a place to eat. We have a great little local water park that is always mobbed during the summer. There has been some nice downtown revitalization. All that happened without a Don Holbrook or Contour. The international and global destination ideas sound really far fetched and incredibly risky. The obvious problem being how to get 100s of million in funding. Garland's sensible approach has been a win for the businesses and taxpayers and no big meltdowns or scandals were part of the deal.

Pahrump might want to seriously look into financing for this "international" destination before another cent is spent.

Soapboxmom

Hobrook, the gasbag, is at it again:

The First Amendment in the age of the Internet « economicdeveloper

How should we Address bloggers and defamatory online users when they spew Libel?

The bloggers should be held accountable as a tort crime for the economic harm and pay 5 years worth of damages as retribution for their libel including attorney fees.

The bloggers should be fined a flat fee of $50,000.00 per occurrence plus the web host should be liable for (10x) punitive damages plus attorney fees.

The bloggers & web hosting parent sponsor company if applicable should be forced to pay as a tort crime 10 years of average salary of the damaged party as a fine.

The blogger should be forced to pay a fine of $100,000.00 or serve 6 months in prison for libel. A company that aides such actions should be 10X punitive damages.
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What Constitutes Defamation of Character in Texas? | eHow.com

Public and Private Figures

• In Texas, a person who is a "public figure," a "limited public figure" or a "public official" must prove that the defendant acted with "actual malice" when making a defamatory statement. "Actual malice" is defined as making a defamatory statement while knowing it's false or with reckless disregard as to whether it's false or true.
  
  

Defenses

• Defendants who are accused of defamation have several possible defenses. According to Texas Legal Web, defenses to defamation include:
  --Truth. That the statement was true is an absolute defense to defamation.
  --Opinion. If the statement was presented as an opinion or speculation, not a fact or a statement based on fact, it may not be defamation.
  --Privilege. Statements made in court, by legislators while in the legislature and by judges while on the bench usually cannot be defamatory, even if they are "outrageous."
  --Fair comment on a matter of public opinion. Persons who comment on a controversy in the news are usually not liable for defamation, even if their comments turn out to contradict reality.
  --Poor reputation. Even if a statement is defamatory, a defendant may demonstrate it did not harm the plaintiff's reputation by showing that the plaintiff's reputation was so bad already that the statements could not possibly have made it worse.

• 
  Holbrook, defamation and libel are torts (civil) as opposed to criminal offenses. You are hopelessly confused about a number of legal principles. Do you think you can file suits all across the country and change all these laws you don't like and get a host of new criminal statues passed? Do you really think you will stop discussions about matters of public concern? Your lack of clients is due directly to your online attacks of taxpayers across the country in your twisted campaign to end public discussions of how tax dollars are being spent. Are your fellow Knights supporting your war on First Amendment rights???
  
• Holbrook Cease and Desist.pdf

Since neither you nor your lawyer has ever quoted and refuted any factual statement by me (as in identified a false statement) why would I bother paying my attorney to answer her. When you clowns come forward with the false statements of fact, you can be sure I will do the right thing. Otherwise, keep right on going with you public business suicide. That is your choice!

Soapboxmom

Gasbag says:

Free Speech gives you the power of opinion and expression, but not the right to commit libel as a blogger. Of course the ultimate test is proving the actual truth. But the burden of proof is on those committing libel not on the plaintiff.

Texas law reads:

The burden of proof in a civil case is on the party who initiates the case, the plaintiff. The plaintiff must prove his or her case by a preponderance of evidence. This means that the plaintiff's evidence must be more convincing than the evidence presented by the opposing party, the defendant.

Gasbag says:

In my case they forget I am a private citizen and as such not a public figure.

I already explained in detail that Holbrook would likely be ruled at least a limited public figure. Holbrook just can't resist making a complete fool of himself online. Even after being shown the facts that challenge his ridiculous rants, he doesn't make corrections as evidenced in his repost today with that ludicrous poll added. He should have read these before opening his big trap:

Defamation, Libel and Slander Law

Darnell v. Dobrott | Citizen Media Law Project

Soapboxmom

Originally Posted by Soapboxmom

Gasbag says:

Free Speech gives you the power of opinion and expression, but not the right to commit libel as a blogger. Of course the ultimate test is proving the actual truth. But the burden of proof is on those committing libel not on the plaintiff.

His only problem is that there will be no court case as he has no intention of bringing one, so the people exposing him have nothing more to prove than they already have. He seems to not notice that part. That's why he keeps crying on the interwebs.

Here is a pole for ya, Holbrook. Heck, maybe it will be a new career direction: