John Beale - Our Government's Leading Climate Change Expert

I really should say: John Beale WAS our government's leading climate change expert and was one of the EPA's senior policy advisors and certainly lead EPA by the nose. That "he was" is key because now he is going to jail for 32 months. Why? He spread lies about himself being in the CIA, and on missions for the CIA in Pakistan (while actually in cape Cod enjoying himself), apparently all to keep earning his pay but avoid actually working for a living while he was supposed to be carrying out his duties as a top advisor at the EPA. He made up those falsified duties saying he needed to be able to take off from work, one day per week, over 13 years. In 2008, he took off for over 6 months saying he was on a political security detail and charging the government for $57,000 worth of trips to California. He also took an official trip, a flight in first class to Europe that cost $14,000, when coach would have cost only $1,000 and allegedly flew first class other times because of a dubious back injury claim. There were numerous other deceptions. He pulled of scams over a 13 year period that netted him over $1,000,000.00 in government money.

Kudos to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy who smelled a rat relative to this embezzling thief's expenses and to Assistant Inspector General Patrick Sullivan, who spearheaded the internal investigation. Oddly enough, out of 40 employees interviewed, only one reportedly ever suspected Beale's claims, that he was working for the CIA, were bogus. My bet would be that plenty more suspected it but were smart or scared enough not to open their mouths and talk about it out of fear of retribution for never having brought it to light in the past.  

Now remember, they called him the government's leading expert of climate change! Makes me wonder what lies he may have told about that, not only to support all that climate change balderdash, but to fill his pockets with more unearned taxpayer funds.

Sources: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/12/18/epa-fraudster-sentenced-for-outrageous-cia-scam/?intcmp=latestnews

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/12/18/epa-fraudster-sentenced-for-outrageous-cia-scam/?intcmp=latestnews 

All the best,
Glenn B

AMC Lowes Movie Theaters- Gun Unfriendly?

I stopped by a local AMC-Lowes movie theater last night. I could not remember the last time I was at one of them, must have bee at least a couple of years ago, I am not a frequent theater goer. I was about to walk inside when I noticed something someone had told me about during a LEOSA seminar I attended last week. That was that AMC theaters do not allow firearms inside or at least have stickers proclaiming such on the bottom corners of their entry doors. Well, there were at least 4 outer entry doors, maybe six, and none had that decal on them. However, out of the same number of inner doors, two of them had a sticker, showing a red circle around a revolver with a slash through it and the words "No Weapons".

I had been about to enter to buy a couple of gift cards for folks on my Christmas list and upon seeing the signs started to walk away disgusted. Then I got the idea to give them a call to see if I could come in to purchase the tickets. I did that and explained to the person who answered that I was outside freezing my butt off, had come there to buy gift cards but was stopped in my tracks when I saw those signs. I also explained that I was a pistol license holder and was carrying. The manager (I am guessing he was a manager) said come on in. I did so and bought the gift cards, then left.

I had debated, for a few moments before going inside, whether to support such a theater then guessed that all the area theaters probably have the same regulation. Maybe I screwed up there but I know someone who wants to see some movies soon so I went in to buy the gift cards.

Maybe I should have stayed bit longer to ask about their no weapons policy to see what it excludes movie goers from carrying in their premises but I did not. Maybe I should have voiced my opinion of places that prohibit carrying of guns and knives and pepper spray but I did not. I am pretty disgusted with myself for not having done so and can assure you I have given myself a proverbial good hard kick in my ass for it. In my defense I was tired, grumpy and fed up with Christmas shopping and the rude arsehats one runs into in the Christmas shopping crowd and just wanted to get it over with that night. Not much of an excuse but it is all I have.

I have since looked up their policy on weapons. The only thing I could find on their website was a PDF file called "CODE OF CONDUCT". In it, there is an opening paragraph that says:

If you were to scroll down a bit in that PDF file, you would see this:

I have written to AMC Theater group about it though to try to at least show my disgust with that policy.

No legal authority is cited; however, I usually conform to the wishes of private property owners about what they allow and do not allow onto their property. What I will not do is accept that policy without trying to change it because in no way shape or form is legally carrying a firearm, as they state it, a dangerous behavior. I also doubt I will be buying any more gift cards from them in the future unless they change the policy.

All the best,
Glenn B