[nfbmi-talk] the mcb that couldn't shoot straight

joe harcz Comcast joeharcz at comcast.net
Wed May 25 23:04:47 UTC 2011


All this is just hilarious. Here Cannon and the agency continually contradict themselves, then outright lie and then in some sort of paranoid fashion claimed they were "duped" by Christine. Oh, my the paranoid delusions here remind me of both the old FOIA, bullet proof drape fantasies and fiasco (That is where Cannon because he wasbeing picketted by angry, mostly African-American consumers in 2008 had one of his aid-de-camps  aka henchmen look into security at MCB meetings including the possability of bullet proof drapes around the Director's table.). And that was before the famous "bb gun" marksmanship case here by the way.. The whole thing reminds me of the movie "The gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight". Puns and so-forth are intended here. Man, oh man if I was the arbitrator I just wouldn't have been able to keep from laughing these crooked shooting clowns out of the room. These are the folks that taxpayers pay in excess of one hundred  thousand each per year in salaries alone for? Cannon, Gammons, and the Attorney General's office wasted taxpayers money with all of this farce? Oh, then between chuckles at this and seeing the raw humor I also have to remind myself it isn't so funny, at least not the ultimate consequences for here in Michigan not only has Christine been abused by these clowns, but all consumers and all blind folks.

Still, it is funny. I would have paid a million dollars to get inside the head of the arbitrator during this thing though. Maybe he lacquered his face to keep from breaking out with a grin...I don't know how he did it. I really don't...

Quoting from the ruling:

"
Over the years the idea of having a shooting or marksmanship class was raised with 

Ms. Cornell by her students. She testified that she knew blind individuals can 

hunt in Michigan and that in 2008 she had taken some students to an archery 

range. The archery activity increased interest in deer hunting and target shooting 

and wondering how a blind or visually impaired person could safely go back to 

target shooting." Before the marksmanship class was undertaken, Ms. Cornell 

took her students paint ball shooting, but that did not satisfy the students and 

they continued to ask whether there was a more realistic way they could shoot. 

In early 2009, Ms. Cornell discussed the students' desire to shoot with Ms. Boone. 

The conversation led to the development of a performance objective on Ms. 

Cornell’s annual evaluation to explore opportunities for target shooting and/or 

paint ball in the area. Karen Cornell’s Evaluation dated 2/26/2010 noted that the 

objective had been met by helping to create a marksmanship class at Training 

Center. During Ms. Cornell's 2008 evaluation it was decided that she would 

investigate how such a program might be conducted while Ms, Boone would speak 

with Mr. Cannon about having such a program. Ms. Boone testified that she did 

speak with Mr. Cannon about the idea of a shooting class in early spring 2009. It 

was Ms. Boone’s testimony that in a telephone conversation Ms. Boone told Mr. 

Cannon about Ms. Cornell's idea, and he asked what Ms. Boone and Ms. Cornell 

had in mind. Ms. Boone stated that she told Mr. Cannon that Ms, Cornell didn't 

want to do a "one time thing" but wanted to look into teaching a class. Ms. Boone 

told Mr. Cannon that Ms. Cornell was going to check with places in the community 

about shooting opportunities at ranges and that they would also explore the 

possibility of having something on the Training Center grounds. Ms. Boone 

Christine Boone Page 20 of 36. 

Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic GrowthAAA 54 390 00896 10; Termination of Employment / Christine Boone 

testified that Mr. Cannon voiced some concern about safety, which Ms. Boone 

addressed, and that Mr. Cannon's conclusion was "we're all about combating the 

soft bigotry of low expectations, and . . . doing things that are not necessarily 

commonplace. So you have my permission to go ahead. . . ." 

Mr. Cannon acknowledged at the hearing that he had had a conversation with Ms. 

Boone about students engaging in some sort of marksmanship or shooting activity, 

although he had earlier denied any recollection of such a discussion. He testified 

that he thought Ms. Boone was discussing some sort of a field trip involving 

shooting rather than a "class." Mr. Cannon admitted that he had a discussion 

about shooting with Ms. Boone that was held in early 2009, and that he told Ms. 

Boone the matter could be explored further. Mr. Cannon testified that he 

commented that the shooting had to be safe, but it is noted that he did not address 

any matter involving any DELEG work rule or Civil Service regulations regarding 

firearms. 

Ms. Cornell took steps to meet her performance objective by discussing the issue of 

where and how students might shoot with employees at a local gun shop and with 

the Training Center's assistant director Bruce Schultz. Ms. Cornell asked a gun 

shop employee if there was a firing range or other location where blind students 

could target shoot and, although the person said he would check and pass any 

information onto Ms. Cornell, she never heard back from him. In February 2009, 

Ms. Cornell had a conversation about a shooting class with employees at the 

Training Center, including Dan Grover, a maintenance employee, and he suggested 

that target shooting could be done at the center. As Cornell remembers the events, 

Mr. Grover said that with 23 acres of land on the Training Center site there was 

plenty of space to safely use pellet guns. He specifically recommended a spot in a 

ravine with a large dirt hill behind it as being suitable for pellet gun shooting. After 

Christine Boone Page 21 of 36. 

Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic GrowthAAA 54 390 00896 10; Termination of Employment / Christine Boone 

discussing the idea further with Mr. Grover and another maintenance employee, 

Ms. Cornell spoke with Ms. Boone about the suggestion. Ms. Boone instructed 

Ms. Cornell to call the local authorities to investigate whether it would be legal to 

hold the marksmanship class at the Training Center. 

Following Ms. Boone's instructions, Ms. Cornell called both the Kalamazoo 

Department of Public Safety and the local Michigan State Police post to ask 

whether it would be legal to conduct a shooting class on the Training Center 

grounds with Ruger pellet guns, which she had decided were the appropriate guns 

to use. Ms. Cornell was told by the state police officer with whom she spoke that the 

Ruger pellet guns were BB class guns under state law, were not considered 

firearms, and, therefore, there was no legal reason that the class could not be 

held. He also said that he was familiar with the spot on the Training Center 

grounds that had been suggested. He recommended that Ms. Cornell should check 

with the Kalamazoo Public Safety Department because the Training Center is 

located in the city. Ms. Cornell called the Kalamazoo Police Department and 

received the same answer from an official there as she had from the state police; 

that the pellet guns were not firearms and there was no reason the marksmanship 

class could not be held at the Training Center. A contemporaneous note by Ms. 

Cornell reflects her conversation with the Kalamazoo Public Safety Department. 

The Appellee asserts that Mr. Cannon was duped, and that the decisions to hold the 

class on the Training Center grounds and to use the Ruger pellet rifles were made 

before Ms. Boone’s call to Mr. Cannon. The contacts with the state and local 

police agencies had also been completed by this time. The Appellee quotes Ms. 

Boone’s arbitration testimony: 

Christine Boone Page 22 of 36. 

Michigan Department of Energy, Labor & Economic GrowthAAA 54 390 00896 10; Termination of Employment / Christine Boone 

“I let [Director Cannon] know that Karen said she did not want tohave a one time thing but she wanted to look into doing a class. Soshe was going to do some checking with places in the community,

like shooting ranges and that and see what they had to say. And thatwe would also explore the possibility of having something on thecenter grounds since we did have 22 and a half acres, which when Icame was virtually unused, and ever since the time of my coming 

we've been increasingly bringing that property in to use so that itcould benefit our students.” 

The Appellee in alleging a conspiracy to dupe Mr. Cannon argues that Ms. Boone 

testified that she told Director Cannon that "we would explore the possibility of 

having something on the center grounds" even though Boone knew that Cornell 

was already planning on having the class on the Training Center grounds, and 

while she also knew that Ms. Cornell had already contacted "places in the 

community" – one gun shop in January of 2009. Ms. Cornell’s testimony indicated 

that she had decided where on the Training Center grounds to have the class, and 

had not pursued any other avenues after February of 2009, but it is not known 

whether Ms. Boone knew of this. In addition, Ms. Cornell had already 

contacted the local police agencies and received approvals, and had already 

determined the type of gun to be used – the Ruger air rifles. Mr. Cannon stated 

that the “notion of a class was never discussed for students, a shooting class, it 

never came up in our conservation. There was discussion about taking students on 

a field trip for a target practice experience like at a shooting gallery.” 

The Appellee asserts that Ms. Boone deliberately misled Mr. Cannon about an 

issue she deemed important, and that this deception combined with other lapses in 

Boone's judgment warranted termination. "



Joe



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