[nfbmi-talk] Straight Stuff
joe harcz Comcast
joeharcz at comcast.net
Sat Mar 19 20:01:54 UTC 2011
Great points all. And again I couldn't have been more proud of Fred and Dave
for laying the public record clearly on the table. As importantly and much
overlooked was the great character and great open statement by Larry that
basic service delivery has functionally broken down for all customers
especially in Southeast Michigan. This goes well beyond the NFB, MCBVI issue
and impacts all blind folks here in Michigan regardless as to affiliation or
lack thereof.
My gosh people in this region as documented by protests more than two years
ago by Advocates for the Blind, and once again by a customer don't even get
phone calls returned, don't even get through the application processes, or
even get to the point of eligibility for services! I estimate that tens of
thousands have simply been frustrated out of any connection with MCB
especially in this region over the years.
I also liked very much Larry's reference to establishing a "secret shopper"
program to verify and hold this agency accountable which is precisely what
the SRC did on MRS in 2007.
The truly awful thing going on here in these regards is also explicit
racism. I'll say it as these communities and particularly Detroit are
predominately African-American and since they are clearly denied the same
service delivery as other parts of Michigan than the actions are clearly
disparate treatment of African-Americans who are blind.
As an acknowledged liberal I've been incensed about those disparities for
years. It is perhaps more than ironic that Larry, an appointee of a
Republican governor had the intense courage to straight shoot on this issue.
This NFB versus MCBVI thing is simply a contrivance of Cannon who all along
has simply ruled by divide and conquer.
I think that Joe Sibley is a nice guy, thoughtful and well meaning. I really
do, but I also think that there are two factors involved with him on these
issues. One, is he obtained services in the Western Region where they are
much better and where the likes of Bernie Kramer fought a virtual guerilla
battle to defend his highly competent staff and the best delivery of
services. That goes to all the comments as well even yesterday and in
consumer satisfaction reports for the likes of Michell Viser. She is
nominally MCBVI, but more than that simply represents and always has the
finest tradition of staff who do the right, and positive things. In short
she does her job and does it well. But, even Joe knows and brought up again
yesterday the garbage around System 7 which by the way also goes to the RSA
compliance review and the total and absolute incompetence of the leadership,
effectiveness and accountability of Cannon and, indeed his entire Executive
Management Team as currently constituted.
Joe's other issue in my opinion is one that plagues many blind folks in
dealing with political situations and that is a lack of assertatioveness and
an innate repulsion by it. But, frankly we've been pushed to the edge and we
are in a sort of war here. All checks and balances, due process, and other
democratic (with a small "d") have broken down and the appointments of Larry
and Lydia are simply a first step and one step towards repairing a system
that has been ripped asunder under the more than malevolent hand of Cannon.
And again to be redundant but Fred, Dave and I have pointed out in the case
of Dave Robinson alone and in the public record that fact is most well
documented. He has simply and brazenly played fast and lose with every law
he is charged with applying to himself and the agency. Cannon hasn't
violated over the decade simply civil service issues. Nor has he simply
violated PA 260 and RS. Nor, has he simply violated the Rehab Act over and
over, but also the Open Meetings Act, the FOIA, and the Americans with
Disabilities Act. And these are all either documented in the public record,
or in court or other legal actions, but are even documented over and over
again on this list serve.
It is long since time that Cannon receives a vote of no confidence and is
removed.
Peace,
Joe
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mary Ann Robinson" <brightsmile1953 at comcast.net>
To: "NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, March 19, 2011 3:32 PM
Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] Straight Stuff
> Larry, Christine and Joe, I couldn't agree more. I pray that the
> commission board will begin to see the light soon! Blind people in this
> state deserve to be treated with dignity and respect and they need to
> begin receiving quality services now
>
> How many more students will be frustrated? How many more jobs will be
> lost? How long will the abominable unjust treatment of competent blind
> staff and consumers continue? How many more thousands of dollars will be
> spent on grievances, hearings and arbitration cases in the BEP before the
> commission board takes steps to clean house at the commission and replace
> incompetent and unqualified staff with employees who will provide blind
> staff and operators with the respect, services, support and assistance
> they deserve?
>
> Mary Ann Robinson !
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "joe harcz Comcast" <joeharcz at comcast.net>
> To: "NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Saturday, March 19, 2011 9:01 AM
> Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] Straight Stuff
>
>
>> Hi Chris,
>>
>> It would be interesting to share the shenigans of King and Zanger at the
>> meeting as blind folks couldn't see, literally what they were doing.
>>
>> Great for Lydia and Doug to point it out.
>>
>> Wow, I thought justice was supposed to be blind and I though MCB was for
>> the blind and not the Attorney General's office as a sort of extra-legal
>> overseer. Oh, and might I add what Assistent A.G. Michael King doesn't
>> know about the Rehab Act is a lot. That is clear from his legal breifs in
>> the Eagle case. I trully think that over all the A.G.'s office really
>> also wishes to effectively privatize the BEP program or take other means
>> to eliminate the preference.
>>
>> Joe
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Christine Boone" <christine_boone at comcast.net>
>> To: "NFB of Michigan Internet Mailing List" <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Friday, March 18, 2011 11:40 PM
>> Subject: Re: [nfbmi-talk] Straight Stuff
>>
>>
>>> Right on Larry! It was good to see you today at the meeting. Horrible
>>> to sit through was that Meeting, but our Larry Posont did us proud!
>>> Lydia and John were great and up-standing too.
>>>
>>> Public comments were fantastic , with special commendations going to
>>> Fred Wurtzel and Dave Robinson.
>>> Pat Cannon knows how to talk, and he does that very well indeed, but as
>>> Johnny Cash says, What's done in the dark shall be brought to the light
>>> and it is high time that a little light was shed on this smooth tongued
>>> man who has robbed so many honest, hard-working, blind people of so
>>> much.
>>> May the Lord bless and protect those who seek to do right by the blind
>>> citizens of Michigan.
>>>
>>>
>>> Christine
>>>
>>> On Mar 17, 2011, at 8:56 PM, Larry D. Keeler wrote:
>>>
>>>> I have read the article posted about Larry's appointment. Yah, it sure
>>>> is a bunch of hogwash! I only recently became involved with our NFB
>>>> colleagues because I got tired of having to get hastled because I
>>>> wanted to do what everyone wants to do! You know, have a job, raise a
>>>> family, go to church or the bar, walk down the street with pride
>>>> wheather I use a dog or cane, which frequently do both and occasionally
>>>> go fishing or cook for other folks! I want to do these things because
>>>> that's what people do, not because I want to have folks think that I'm
>>>> really different! Well, I am but not for that reason! That has
>>>> something to do with my personality or something! Any way, when I was
>>>> an opporator, Fred Wurtzel was my supervisor and even though he and I
>>>> sometimes sort of dissaggreed, he treated me well and I never got the
>>>> feeling that he was being sneaky in any way. Larry was also a
>>>> colleague in Bep as well. I admired the way he does business because he
>>>> always seems to shoot straight from the hip. It seems that with Mr.
>>>> Cannon the shannanigans are to be expected and we sure need to have
>>>> someone to make his circumloqutions clear to us! Now that I am becoming
>>>> active, I will look up to Fred and Larry and try to do what they do!
>>>> Also, because they are so much older than me! So, let the fun begin!
>>>> Intelligence is always claimed but rarely proven!
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>
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>>
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