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

[Raymond Roberson]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "joe harcz Comcast" <joeharcz at comcast.net>
To: <nfbmi-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2011 7:04 PM
Subject: [nfbmi-talk] the mcb that couldn't shoot straight


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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