First of all - Marty "I Should Know Better" Schladen does have a huge conflict of interest covering the gay benefits issue and he's just about done hiding that fact it seems. His latest report on reformed homophobe Tim Hardaway dug Shcladen's little problem even deeper while further diminishing any respect as a journalist he has left.
Quick note on Hardaway... If you think his views on gay people are any different now than they were when he stated his dislike for them four years ago, you're an idiot and a moron. He lives in a world where his face and name provide his income. When he says something moronic like he said in 2007, his income disappears instantly. His reformation was engineered by a team of handlers and PR professionals so that he could regain his earning potential. When he speaks on the issue, you are hearing the words put into his mouth by someone else so that he can continue earning a sizable income.
Quick note finished.
You might remember back during the last local election where Schladen slandered Representative Cortney Niland, a private citizen and an entire local real estate company. Schladen wrote an "news" piece based on a hypothetical premise he sold as fact in an effort to damage the reputations of the aforementioned individuals and corporation above. He purposely introduced erroneous information in the article to sway the reader's opinion of Niland and others. He broke a major rule of journalism, nearly got the paper sued (they later wrote a glowing tribute to the owner of said corporation as an apology) and shamed himself. Well, he's not done shaming himself here and is likely to be sued after his latest effort at implying that a crime has been committed when clearly none has been committed.
Take this excerpt from his latest piece:
"Meantime, District Attorney Jaime Esparza last week said he would look into complaints that Brown and some other clerics are breaking Texas election law by gathering recall signatures in their churches, which are nonprofit corporations.
Brown's Tom Brown Ministries website lists five churches where people can sign
petitions including his own, Word of Life Church.
Section 253.094(b) of the Texas penal code says, "A corporation or labor organization may not make a political contribution in connection with a recall election, including the circulation and submission of a petition to call an election."
Violations of the provision are punishable as a third-degree felony."
Anybody who does a little research knows that the church may, or may not be organized under a 501(c)3 designation. Most likely it is. The word "corporation" appears in relation to the 501(c)3 filings, but it is obviously different from what the spirit of the law implies in Section 253.094(b). Schladen is hoping that people will lock onto the innocuous use of the word "corporation" when it incidentally applied before or after "nonprofit." Most of the time you never see anyone refer to a 501(c)3 as a "nonprofit corporation" unless you read a lot of legal documents.
Oh wait... I didn't post Schladen's final thought on the issue! He writes"
"The Legislature in its latest regular session removed the prohibition against political expenditures by corporations from the law. But the move was to keep Texas law out of conflict with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision last year in the Citizen's United case, the Texas Senate Research Center wrote."
WHAT?
Schladens quotes a law that has been wiped from the books in order to show that Pastor Brown is breaking the law! Why did Schladen imply that Pastor Brown was in violation of a law that he knows no longer exists? Why Pastor Brown doesn't sue the El Paso Times for this egregious defamation of his character and the Church's public image is beyond me!!!!! Schladen is literally making up laws as he goes!
Do you trust the paper now? This is the second time Schladen has pulled out the hypothetical card and shredded the reputation of an innocent person or persons.
And just a quick note that nobody has yet to realize here - the question is about the church's federal tax exemption, not their state tax exemption, so why are they using state laws to prove up their case? Do they think we are that stupid?
I'm not fan of Pastor Brown, but I'll at least attack him with the truth. You don't have to invent crap to make the guy look bad.
If you're a part of the "No Recall" crowd, I'd be separating myself from this bullshit that Schladen is writing and that the mayor is crying about. You will end up looking like a group of fools at best and pack of liars at worst. If you have to make it up as you go, people are going to see right through you. Learn from Lyda Ness who pulled this same stunt and lost - twice. Integrity is earned through hard work and honesty - it is lost the instant you start lying.
My advice to Jody Casey and the rest of her crew is to distance yourself from a direct fight with Brown and start campaigning FOR the three embattled politicians. Anything that will be made of Brown's actions in a legal sense will take place well after the recall effort is done. Hanging your hat on a legal challenge will ensure your loss. And let's not forget - people don't like you attacking churches. They see you as attacking the entire flock when you attack their shepherd.
The editors at the EP Times must be absent, or asleep at the wheel to let Schladen's writing go unchecked. Who would let a guy quote a law that has been taken off the books to imply that someone is breaking that law? It's idiotic! And it is no doubt allowing a reporter turn his column into an editorial. Schladen has a personal agenda here and It's a scar on the journalism profession that he's allowed to write about this subject in the manner that he does.
Have you ever noticed the Times likes to annoint some people their favorite good guy "saints," and others their bad guy "sinners."
Why was it necessary to bring in someone from the outside, especially one who needs to rehabilitate his public immage?
Can only say Pastor Brown's group must have people running scared.
Just take this issue to voters and let them decide. Why are they so afraid?
Posted by: Old Fart | August 19, 2011 at 10:21 AM
The voters decided once already and it was overturned. Wonder if council will overturn a recall vote? They can't, but I think they are that brazen. Maybe they can campaign for Obama if they lose their seats in a recall.
Posted by: voter | August 19, 2011 at 10:33 AM