11 MAR 05: FULLER 'N THICKER
Millard Fuller sure picked a fine time to visit Columbus. He came to town Thursday, one day after the Washington Post published a detailed report on his alleged misconduct at Habitat for Humanity. So he came to build - and personally rebuild....
The Washington Post finally identified the woman who accused Millard Fuller of sexual harassment two years ago. Her name is Victoria Cross - and she obviously isn't a big supporter of "Victoria's Secret."
Victoria Cross claims Millard Fuller asked her in February 2003 if a "full-grown beautiful woman" like her would sit on his lap. This supposedly occurred as they traveled from Americus to the Atlanta Airport -- which raises an obvious question. Who would have driven the car, while they did this?
. Millard Fuller told a Columbus TV reporter there's "no truth whatsoever" to Victoria Cross's claim - including an allegation that he touched her arm, cheek and chest during the trip. This part of the charge should be easy to prove. Let's find out whether they were in a Ford Focus, or an Explorer SUV.
But the Washington Post didn't stop there. The newspaper claimed five other women complained about sexual misconduct by Millard Fuller around 1990. It almost sounds like this religious man was trying to break Jimmy Swaggart's record....
Millard Fuller admitted Thursday he told one of the 1990-era accusers she had "beautiful blue eyes." But he called the allegations of sexual misconduct a Southern "cultural misunderstanding." Hopefully he didn't also force any co-workers to eat grits.
(There was an easy way to avoid this misunderstanding - but for some reason, Millard Fuller never organized a "Miss Habitat" pageant leading to Miss Georgia.)
The five accusers from around 1990 left Habitat for Humanity with big compensation packages. I'll assume that to mean they didn't need college students to help build their homes.
Millard Fuller reportedly would have been shown the Habitat door 14 years ago, but Jimmy Carter wrote a confidential letter to the Habitat board persuading them otherwise. The former President admitted he personally was prone to hugging and kissing female staff members. So that's where the Playboy "lust in my heart" line came from....
But wait, there's more! The Washington Post also found two leaders of Koinonia Farm in Sumter County, who claimed Millard Fuller had extramarital affairs while he was there. So the singing of "Kum Ba Jah" could have had multiple meanings.
Millard Fuller came to Columbus one day after the Habitat for Humanity board voted to affirm his firing. I didn't know a board had to "affirm" such things. After all, Donald Trump only has to say "you're fired" on TV.
(The Habitat board made sure none of Millard Fuller's supporters would cause a disruption. They moved the meeting on this vote all the way to South Africa.)
Millard Fuller contends the real reason he was fired is because he wants Habitat for Humanity to be run like a ministry, while the board wants to run it like a corporation. Think about this a second, and you'll see he's right. Jimmy Swaggart's ministry welcomed him back, while Boeing's board fired its C.E.O. for having an affair.
Despite the firing of Millard Fuller and his wife, he says people should keep working on Habitat for Humanity projects. In fact, volunteers who support Fuller might have incentive to work harder - as they can visualize a board member's head with every nail they hammer.
Millard Fuller spoke at a First Baptist Church dinner Thursday night, after helping with the Habitat for Humanity "Collegiate Challenge" earlier in the day. Fuller's wife Linda was with him - perhaps with one eye on her husband at all times.
Why would Millard Fuller keep working on Habitat projects after his dismissal? In his words: "I would never turn my back on the organization that I was privileged to help give birth to." I can relate to this a bit - but my old employer in Atlanta didn't ask me to assist them after firing me.
"I can still drive a nail," Millard Fuller said Thursday. "I can still saw a board." Of course, the last time he saw the Habitat board was about six weeks ago....
The first week of the Habitat for Humanity Collegiate Challenge ends today, with nine new homes built in the Benning Park neighborhood. It's sad to suggest this, but you almost wish some of the college students moved in instead of the people they're helping.
So where do the visiting college students stay while they're working? I think I found several of them Wednesday at St. Luke United Methodist Church. Either that, or mattresses were out for a gymnasium slumber party -- and 5:15 p.m. is awfully early to start one of those things.
E-MAIL UPDATE: We've had nothing from "Is Our City Safe" in a few days - but someone else would like to comment about public safety pay:
The Blog and the People in Blue
Do we have enough Police Officers to insure Officer Safety with Backup?
Do we have enough Officers to protect us in the event of a terror attack?
Councilors are Elected but they are not responsive to the needs of the electorate. They will not raise Police Pay or change the necessity to raise all city employee pay simultaneously. We need new City Councilors who are responsive to the electorate's needs.
Police pay starts at $24,000 a year. Police Officers cannot afford to pay for their children's school lunches, photos, or proms. LAW Officers work two and three jobs to keep the family in necessities.
Listen Up Police Officers: Get your retirees, auxiliary, or unions to set up a political machine that will not only help you, but will aid all of the electorate.
The Councilors, who will not raise your pay, STILL expect you to protect their homes. Additionally, they expect you to risk your life without providing you with your much needed police backup.
Police Officers, the next time you get a call to protect our elected officials who would blame you if you arrived 10 minutes late? Hey, maybe the burglars and rapists will be gone by then!
Police People Put Your People in Place on the City Council.
1. Get a map of the City Council Districts, and profile "the why and the how" each councilor was successful at getting elected in his/her district.
2. Set up a profile of what is needed in each council district and then find a retired officer or person of like mind, who fits the profile. Move that prospective candidate into that council district. Groom your candidate for the office.
3. Send your candidate to public policy classes, and public speaking classes. Groom your candidate to serve ALL the people in that district and the city.
Give the City Councilors something to worry about. Show them what real accountability is all about!
Replace the present CITY COUNCIL with Police Friendly City Councilors.
Deborah Owens
PS: I am ordering bumper stickers with:
Let's Raise Police Pay
It will be 15 inches, blue background and white lettering. Where can we give them away? If you can work that out I can order bumper stickers.
And, we need a day of solidarity, in which everyone can wear BLUE! Propose a day?
Deborah, as far as I'm concerned you can wear blue every day for the next month or so - since that's the color of my Kansas Jayhawks, and the college basketball tournament is approaching.
As for those bumper stickers: I'm sure Ranger Joe's and Shooters will let you hand them out. But there's one place which probably won't take them for a while - Don's Fine Foods in Phenix City.
I don't have the numbers to answer Deborah's questions in this e-mail. But how many police officers would we really need if terrorists went after Columbus? Organize the remaining soldiers at Fort Benning, and those bad guys will retreat back to LaGrange in no time.
It's too bad that police officers can't pay for their children's school lunches. But with my family growing up, we developed a way around that. Step one: go to the store and purchase a lunch box - or if you can't afford that, buy some sacks....
Uh-oh - a police "political machine" in Columbus?! If she means something like Chicago has, this could be dangerous. People who have been dead for years somehow will file advance votes....
(Philadelphia had something like this years ago, as Frank Rizzo went from police chief to Mayor. So what HAS Willie Dozier been doing for the last few months?)
But I'm not sure the "blue machine" candidates really need to take classes in public policy and public speaking. For one thing, under Deborah's logic current officers couldn't afford them. For another thing, we have a two-term President who never seemed to take those classes.
Mayor Bob Poydasheff was asked about this debate at a Thursday news conference. He assured reporters there have been NO plans to cut the public safety budget ten percent. At that point, someone should have played the Price is Right "higher-lower" game with him.
Mayor Poydasheff says when a proposed budget for public safety is worked out, "we are not going to put people on the street." Of course, police supporters would say that's the problem already....
OVERHEARD OVER HERE: A man and a woman were together Thursday at a local library, when the woman noticed something the man was writing.
"You could train to be a doctor...."
"Huh?"
"You've got the chicken scratches."
Now other items we've seen and heard from the last couple of days:
+ President Bush visited Montgomery to discuss Social Security - and one of the speakers who commented appeared to be an executive from Synovus. Considering the interest offered for bank accounts these days, be thankful the President doesn't want to move Social Security money to CB&T.
(The CBS Evening News asked Retirement Systems of Alabama C.E.O. David Bronner about the President's Social Security reform plan, and he was against it. Bronner should know about the risk of private investing - since U.S. Airways has cost the system a bundle.)
+ Delta Air Lines announced its latest budget cuts, including the elimination of pillows aboard flights. Big deal! I'm reminded of a line from a stand-up comic on FamilyNet's "Bananas" - are those small things pillows, or are they Chiclets?
+ Auburn University Interim President Ed Richardson told a staff meeting more personnel changes are coming, including a new Dean of the Agriculture School. Is it just me, or is every position on campus changing except HIS?
(The current Agriculture School Dean is on administrative leave, after less than year at Auburn. Maybe Ed Richardson's blaming him for a lack of rain last summer....)
+ The Georgia mens' basketball team lost 76-65 to Mississippi State at the Southeastern Conference tournament, and finished its season 8-20. UGA announcer Scott Howard said the team now can "look forward to the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands in November." So which team will Dennis Felton coach there?
(Ron Jirsa coached Georgia to the N.I.T. twice, and was fired after two seasons. Dennis Felton has taken the Bulldogs to only one N.I.T. in two seasons - so where's the talk of firing him? Remember, 8-4 wasn't good enough for Jim Donnan in football.)
+ Instant Message to Country's Barbecue: Congratulations on your upcoming 30th anniversary! But is it true what I've heard - that some of your TV commercials with Jim have been on the air almost as long?
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