The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

Definitely going to stay tuned to this one.

If these are legit . . . the DirectComm letter appears to indicate that Ray Watts used an outside firm to influence the Faculty Senate vote. Would need to see the full letter to be sure, but this certainly implies violations of Alabama's Ethics laws and probably more. I Claudius Bennett went down for a fraction of this. Really, really want to see more.

We don't just need an athletics task force. We need a DOJ task force. These people flout laws and regulations with impunity. It's way past time they faced some punity.

(02-20-2015 05:52 PM)58-56 Wrote:  Definitely going to stay tuned to this one.

If these are legit . . . the DirectComm letter appears to indicate that Ray Watts used an outside firm to influence the Faculty Senate vote. Would need to see the full letter to be sure, but this certainly implies violations of Alabama's Ethics laws and probably more. I Claudius Bennett went down for a fraction of this. Really, really want to see more.

We don't just need an athletics task force. We need a DOJ task force. These people flout laws and regulations with impunity. It's way past time they faced some punity.

The USDOJ should be all over them, for the way they keep shafting UAB/the city of Birmingham!

(02-19-2015 10:21 AM)hooverblazer Wrote:  Check this out.

https://twitter.com/vikingblazer91/statu...12/photo/1

https://twitter.com/vikingblazer91

Can anyone post what was "tweeted" for us that don't tweet?

(02-20-2015 06:09 PM)BlazerDave Wrote:  

(02-19-2015 10:21 AM)hooverblazer Wrote:  Check this out.

https://twitter.com/vikingblazer91/statu...12/photo/1

https://twitter.com/vikingblazer91

Can anyone post what was "tweeted" for us that don't tweet?

This account retweeted the highlights:

https://twitter.com/BirminghamsTeam

(you don't need a twitter account to read it)

(02-20-2015 05:52 PM)58-56 Wrote:  Definitely going to stay tuned to this one.

If these are legit . . . the DirectComm letter appears to indicate that Ray Watts used an outside firm to influence the Faculty Senate vote. Would need to see the full letter to be sure, but this certainly implies violations of Alabama's Ethics laws and probably more. I Claudius Bennett went down for a fraction of this. Really, really want to see more.

We don't just need an athletics task force. We need a DOJ task force. These people flout laws and regulations with impunity. It's way past time they faced some punity.

Like I said, stay tuned......

(02-20-2015 08:14 PM)CajunBlazer Wrote:  

(02-20-2015 05:52 PM)58-56 Wrote:  Definitely going to stay tuned to this one.

If these are legit . . . the DirectComm letter appears to indicate that Ray Watts used an outside firm to influence the Faculty Senate vote. Would need to see the full letter to be sure, but this certainly implies violations of Alabama's Ethics laws and probably more. I Claudius Bennett went down for a fraction of this. Really, really want to see more.

We don't just need an athletics task force. We need a DOJ task force. These people flout laws and regulations with impunity. It's way past time they faced some punity.

Like I said, stay tuned......

I will be watching this one also...

(02-20-2015 09:43 PM)dblaze Wrote:  

(02-20-2015 08:14 PM)CajunBlazer Wrote:  

(02-20-2015 05:52 PM)58-56 Wrote:  Definitely going to stay tuned to this one.

If these are legit . . . the DirectComm letter appears to indicate that Ray Watts used an outside firm to influence the Faculty Senate vote. Would need to see the full letter to be sure, but this certainly implies violations of Alabama's Ethics laws and probably more. I Claudius Bennett went down for a fraction of this. Really, really want to see more.

We don't just need an athletics task force. We need a DOJ task force. These people flout laws and regulations with impunity. It's way past time they faced some punity.

Like I said, stay tuned......

I will be watching this one also...

Well, if they used an outside firm to influence the vote, they didn't get much for their money.

They didn't have much of a product to market.

(02-20-2015 05:52 PM)58-56 Wrote:  Definitely going to stay tuned to this one.

If these are legit . . . the DirectComm letter appears to indicate that Ray Watts used an outside firm to influence the Faculty Senate vote. Would need to see the full letter to be sure, but this certainly implies violations of Alabama's Ethics laws and probably more. I Claudius Bennett went down for a fraction of this. Really, really want to see more.

We don't just need an athletics task force. We need a DOJ task force. These people flout laws and regulations with impunity. It's way past time they faced some punity.

I do not approve of the message any more than you do. I would agree that it was a BAD usage of university resources.

However, I do not understand how the president of a university using university funds to influence university policy even to influence the faculty senate vote-is any sort of an ethics violation or of any laws. Heck I have spent university funds at request of a President to influence faculty senate vote and a student referendum on a smoke free campus and other issues before. But I am glad it was a WASTED MONEY in this case

(02-21-2015 11:05 AM)uabbean Wrote:  However, I do not understand how the president of a university using university funds to influence university policy even to influence the faculty senate vote-is any sort of an ethics violation or of any laws. Heck I have spent university funds at request of a President to influence faculty senate vote and a student referendum on a smoke free campus and other issues before. But I am glad it was a WASTED MONEY in this case

You're not - at least I don't think you are - a registered lobbyist on contract. This appears (emphasis on appears) to possibly indicate that Ray Watts used a paid lobbying firm (not a UAB employee such as yourself) to influence a Faculty Senate vote. It's impossible to say without seeing the rest of the letter or possibly others, and knowing whether it's legit.

This would be a unique situation: Alabama's ethics laws are extensive on lobbying the legislature and state agencies, but apparently no one ever thought a lobbyist would be deployed against a faculty senate.

Is it a violation? I have no idea, but I believe it to be a question worth asking and I would like a definitive answer. It's certainly ethically questionable even if legal, and this use of public money needs to be examined regardless of any criminal implications. I would like to know if laws were broken, and I would like to know the full extent of these outside firms' private involvement in the public's business. So I'd also like to see the actual contracts for these firms and their billing statements. Since they're paid by UAB that should be a public record subect to FOIA.

As for it being wasted money ... lobbyists are forbidden by law from charging based on outcomes. They made an effort, a very substantial effort. But the Senators stood firm: the righteous can and did defeat the wealthy.

And as for wasted money: type "Ray L. Watts" into the google. I think you'll find the results interesting.

(02-21-2015 11:05 AM)uabbean Wrote:  

(02-20-2015 05:52 PM)58-56 Wrote:  Definitely going to stay tuned to this one.

If these are legit . . . the DirectComm letter appears to indicate that Ray Watts used an outside firm to influence the Faculty Senate vote. Would need to see the full letter to be sure, but this certainly implies violations of Alabama's Ethics laws and probably more. I Claudius Bennett went down for a fraction of this. Really, really want to see more.

We don't just need an athletics task force. We need a DOJ task force. These people flout laws and regulations with impunity. It's way past time they faced some punity.

I do not approve of the message any more than you do. I would agree that it was a BAD usage of university resources.

However, I do not understand how the president of a university using university funds to influence university policy even to influence the faculty senate vote-is any sort of an ethics violation or of any laws. Heck I have spent university funds at request of a President to influence faculty senate vote and a student referendum on a smoke free campus and other issues before. But I am glad it was a WASTED MONEY in this case

It's one thing to direct spending to influence the vote on university policy, but I think it's quite another to direct that spending for personal interests.

Has UAB been forthcoming with any FOIA requests? I know they finally coughed up [what appears to be] the entire Carr report, but I don't see them complicit in any other way. Somewhere in a data center lies all of the email smoking guns.

But somehow, the opposition has survived even the most egregious finds: the Mackin tapes, the coerced Stache confession courtesy of Mr. Brindley.

I think we all realize that Watts did quite a few backhanded things prior to the faculty senate vote.

Closed door meetings, threats, etc. all were made by Watts.

This is an all or nothing thing for Watts & the BOT & they aren't concerned one iota with how much money they have to spend or what illegal things need to be done to get their way.

(02-20-2015 06:16 PM)58-56 Wrote:  

(02-20-2015 06:09 PM)BlazerDave Wrote:  

(02-19-2015 10:21 AM)hooverblazer Wrote:  Check this out.

https://twitter.com/vikingblazer91/statu...12/photo/1

https://twitter.com/vikingblazer91

Can anyone post what was "tweeted" for us that don't tweet?

This account retweeted the highlights:

https://twitter.com/BirminghamsTeam

(you don't need a twitter account to read it)

Thanks 58-56.

I hope Vikingblazer is not at the bottom of Smith Lake. twitter account is gone.

You don't know what you don't know.

(02-23-2015 09:59 AM)ATTALLABLAZE Wrote:  I hope Vikingblazer is not at the bottom of Smith Lake. twitter account is gone.

No he got in a cement mixer accident & will probably be buried in all the PBJ cement used in UAT baseball stadium or rowing ctr

Remember I said "Stay tuned......." Check John Archibald's column over the next few days.

Awesome