| By Daily Outrage - Aug 6, 2007 4:25:11 PM ET |
Categories: Civil Liberties/Privacy, Consumer and Worker Protection, Civil Rights and Equality, National Security, Media Accountability, Ranting and Venting, Criminal Justice Reform
Abukar Arman of Hilliard isn't a terrorist after all.
He's a father, a volunteer at Habitat for Humanity and a victim.
In our nation's effort to insure security, we've become insecure, paranoid and hateful. Mr. Arman is exhibit A.
In today's Columbus Dispatch, which had written previous articles about him being under suspicion, we learn this:
"We did a background check and found no criminal or terrorist connections," said county Administrator Don L. Brown. "Mr. Arman is not a person of interest."
That's a nice admission, but it seems as if a series of apologies is in order.
RAB's Matt Naugle should be the first to issue a mea culpa.
In a July 17th post, Naugle did everything but convict him:
Here is the latest update from Patrick Poole of Central Ohioans Against Terrorism in Front Page Magazine. I have two first hand accounts that Patrick really has the Franklin County Commissioners in a major tizzy, and rightfully so…:
Central Ohio government officials were running for cover following my article last week, "Hometown Jihad: The Somali Terror Apologist Next Door ", which revealed that Abukar Arman, a vocal supporter of the Somali terrorist group and al-Qaeda-linked Islamic Courts Union (ICU), as well as several other terrorist individuals and organizations, was currently serving on the blue-ribbon board that oversees Central Ohio Homeland Security.
Originally appointed to the Franklin County Criminal Justice Planning Board, which oversees and directs the Office of Homeland Security and Justice Programs in March 2005, he has since been reappointed. Additionally, Arman also serves on the Ohio State Board of Education's Foreign Language Advisory Board, a position he was appointed to by the Board of Education this past March.
The day after that report appeared, Franklin County Commissioner Paula Brooks sent the following memo to Don Brown, County Administrator, and Karen Crandall, County Homeland Security director, demanding an immediate investigation into the claims made in my FrontPage article regarding Abukar Arman's support for terrorist organizations:
When the Dispatch and Naugle are done, Paula "I'll politicize anything and get bonus points if I can stab Kilroy in the process'' Brooks must step up to the plate.
More from the Dispatch:
Two commissioners, Marilyn Brown and Mary Jo Kilroy, didn't respond to Poole. The third, Paula Brooks, sent an e-mail to Brown on July 12.
"Don, I expect this to be investigated expeditiously," Brooks wrote. "If true, these allegations are definitely grounds for removal."
Brooks said her wording was stronger than her intention. "In hindsight, I wish that I had used the term fact-finding," she said.
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That's a Dispatch distortion firmly disproven by the email record from the county that the Dispatch has under an FOI. Either the reporter didn't read it or got "fished" by somebody with a stilleto nose.
The county's July 12 email trail shows clearly that all three commissioners and several county staff reacted swiftly that day to the phony "terrorism" issue raised by the loons at FrontPage. That's what government officials have to do -- whether bloggers (left and right) and political spin artists like it or not.
It started early the morning of July 12 with a Patrick Poole of FrontPage contacting County Public Affairs Director Hanna Greer and Homeland Security Director Kathy Crandall before 8 a.m.-- pushing his anti-Islam fiction and asking them for info on who recommended Mr. Armand's appointment. After passing Poole's email and article to Columbus police, Crandall recommends in an 11:29 a.m. email to all three commissioners that they hold an executive session of the commission for "providing a Terrorism Early Warning (TEW) briefing on the subject." Five minutes later at 11:34 am., Commissioner Marilyn Brown replies to Commissioners Mary Jo Kilroy, Paula Brooks, Administrator Don Brown, Crandall and Greer that "this is very important to do as soon as we can arrange it." At the urging of Crandall and Kilroy, Greer sends an email at 4:37 p.m. setting up the TEW briefing for a commission executive session for July 23.
Two minutes later at 4:39 p.m. on July l2, Brooks dictates her email from the out-of-state asking Administrator Don Brown to "investigate." Brooks was traveling that day and was not aware of all the action among staff and other commissioners in reaction to the Front Page article. But that Brooks email is what the wingnuts seized on -- without knowing of the TEW executive session.
It's all in the email trail given to the Dispatch (and others) under FOI. Somehow the Dispatch reporter failed to read the trail -- or got spun by somebody. Clearly, the three commissioners and staff together started the "investigative" ball rolling on July l2. And none directly replied or responded to FrontPage. Ultimately, the commission held its exec session for "personnel" on July 24 and the later result was Mr. Armand's resignation on a citizenship technicality.
Brooks owes nobody an apology. Progressives better start figuring out that Pryce, not Paula, deserves our sneakfish attacks.
Call Brooks a "moderate" or "non-progressive" or whatever label suits your personal agenda.
Nearly 5 years ago, Paula was on record at the Pentagon as a DACOWITS member questioning the invasion of Iraq BEFORE it happened. Ask the DCCC if her position on Iraq was acceptable.... before she dropped out of the 15th district congressional primary. Paula makes primary peace on July 2 --as Ohio Dems desire -- and you beat your sword into a hatchet instead of a plowshare. Also, unless you are a Pryce/Preisse tool, try not to use "Kilroy" and "terrorist" in the same sentence again (your first comment), It's not very progressive.
Rather than exit gracefully, Paula has continued to wield her machete. It's not good for the people. It's not good for the party.
Sorry, I'm with Swordfish on this one.
The real point is that we are fortunate to have such strong, positive candidates serving us here in Central Ohio. I look forward to voting for both of these great women in 2008. Swordfish and Kim are missing the point. This bickering within the party wastes time and energy that would be much better spent against the Republicans.
Don't get caught in their traps! Unite as progressives, moderates and Democrats! That is much more important than dwelling on a primary that never happened or a non-story propogated by Republicans seeking to divide us.
As for making "party peace", this is a shameless perversion --- she dropped out because she was headed for local party rejection. Our friends in organized labor (the real progressives in town) were set to punish her, big time. In fact, instead of "party peace", she crowed that she could have and would have won the election, but that it would take "time and money" --- true, but nothing to unify. More pouting than peace.
Finally, she also said that "even the Republicans" thought she was the right candidate. How is that "party peace"? The way I was raised, I do the opposite of what the GOP wants --- they simply are not looking out for Democrats and progressives and it's downright foolish to say so.
It's over. Get it? Help Mary Jo focus on Pryce and let Brooks help lead the Dem ticket to keeping the courthouse in 2008. Your personal agenda on this terrific web site undermines the goals of true progressives in Franklin County and Ohio.