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The invincible man is a comics superhero.
The shield around Pinellas County probate court George W. Greer is seemingly invincible.
But he's no superhero.
Not only has he been allowed to engage in judicial homicide with impunity by causing the untimely death of Terri Schindler Schiavo, but the state of Florida has extended that impunity to violations of campaign law as well as his failure to qualify for office, violations of judicial canons and guardianship law.
Considering that George Greer has defied the President, the Vatican, the Governor, Congress and his church, it's no surprise that his latest conquest is the Florida Elections Commission.
In fact, it was a forgone conclusion. Pre-judged one might say.
The real question still is who's running interference for Greer?
Collusion-noun. A secret agreement between two or more parties for a fraudulent, illegal or deceitful purpose.
Someone has pulled out all the stops to protect George Greer.
That's not saying that he has done no wrong.
Just that there's been a pact made that he won't be held accountable.
The same day that The North Country Gazette published an article concerning a complaint pending before the FEC, by 1:40 p.m. that afternoon, Dec. 1, the FEC had issued a order finding the complaint legally insufficient. Suspicious timing at the least.
http://www.northcountrygazette.org/articles/120106ProtectionSociety.html
But the order that was issued dismissing the complaint didn't address the subject of the hearing which had been held on the matter on Nov. 14 in Tallahassee.
The order as signed by Chance Irvine, commission chairman, is actually a void order as it cites an improper cause of action and improper date.
In August, The North Country Gazette had filed a detailed complaint against Greer alleging violations of Florida Statutes 104 and 106 concerning Greer's political advertising for his last election campaign in 2004 which the FEC tried to promptly dispose of by claiming it hadn't been timely filed.
The FEC's executive director, Barbara Linthieum, dismissed the complaint based on a determination by David Flagg, FEC investigator supervisor who said the complaint was legally insufficient because the two year statute of limitations had expired.
Flagg claimed that because the TV commercial had been filmed on July 2, 2004, in the Pinellas County Courthouse in Clearwater, that more than two years had elapsed.
NCG took issue with Flagg's determination and said that the time clock for the statutes of limitation would begin running until the last time the political commercial was aired on TV which was on Aug. 30, 2004. Submitted as documentation to show the airing of the commercial were invoices from Greer's advertising agency.
The matter addressing the dismissal of the complaint on the grounds that it had not been timely filed was scheduled for hearing on Nov. 14.
The commission administration refused the complainant's request to submit the allowed statement to the commission members telephonically or by teleconference, at the Nov. 14 hearing, dictating that a personal appearance be made in Tallahasse.
Statutory law and case precedent detailing how the statute of limitations was calculated was presented in writing by the complainant to the commission.
Although the Florida Administrative Code dictates that "In a week to 10 days after the Commission meeting, the Commission will send complainant and respondent a written order reflecting the Commission's decision, as of the publication of the NCG article on Dec. 1, more than two weeks after the hearing, no such order had been issued.
Following the publication of the article, by mid-afternoon, FEC had issued and filed an order dismissing the complaint, claiming it was legally insufficient.
But FEC didn't address the subject matter of the hearing---the statute of limitations. Instead, they claimed that "the commission found that the complaint was legally insufficient because it did not contain sufficient facts to warrant an investigation".
That's like going to trial for murder and being found not guilty of speeding. The order of dismissal didn't address the actual subject of the hearing---probably because they couldn't legally support their claim.
The FEC's order also cites the wrong date the complaint was filed.
By issuing a finding that the complaint didn't contain sufficient facts to warrant an investigation, the FEC has in effect sanctioned the use of county and state employees during work hours, using their official titles and uniforms, including a county owned police cruiser for the purposes of influencing a judicial election.
It's no wonder that the more and more people in this country have less and less confidence in and respect for not only for the judiciary but for the government overall.
So much for oversight agencies, just another case of the fox guarding the hen house.
It's pretty clear that no matter what evidence is provided that money talks, George Greer walks. 12-04-06
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© 2006 North
Country Gazette
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