Coming almost full circle, almost a year later, I believe the slap on the wrists by FBK on a then-burgeoning African American block has left very real scars, scars that will allow for Moseley to rule almost unopposed and that will surely have an effect on the '08/'09 UF-SG Executive ticket.
First let's see the switch. Upon Green's return for the Holiday break, we see a change in from his pre-Break outraged shock, which given a natural progression sans the break could have easily turned into more of a combative positioning. Instead, let's read his letter:
Date: Wed, 29 Nov 2006 16:42:52 -0500
From: "Samuel Green"
To: chris@christianduque.com
Subject: Hello
Christian,
How are you?
I hope that you had a great holiday break. The blog comments have grown quite fast and have become a phenomenon across the campus. Just to clarify, I just wanted you to know that I have never taken a stance on anything that may have occurred. Your intentions to pursue this matter is appreciated, but I believe people are believing that I charged you with this initiative. The responses and follow up articles have been overwhelming, but I believe that it has taken a negative turn and it is degrading my character.
Nevertheless, after taking the holidays to go home and reconnect with my family and God. I have accepted peace with everything that was at one point hostile or uncomfortable within my life. This situation and my overall involvement in SG has taught me to that I cannot make everyone happy and that people will believe whatever they want. At the end of the day, I am more concerned about my personal character and the positive legacy that I leave behind. However, I am more concerned with having the confidence to believe that I had the best interest for students at heart and that I worked hard for others. Today I am blessed and happy! I have moved on from this situation and am focusing on being the best Senate Pro Tempore doing what I was elected to do.
Thanks and God Bless,
Samuel
But putting the blame on Green is simply NOT fair. In fact, a large portion of the blame goes to Stephanie Garry and Lyndsey Lewis, both high ranking then-employees of the Independent Florida Alligator. After a series of pre-and-post emails, I was able to get this. Read how the student paper effectively leaves the students in the lurch. NOtice that the letter even speaks of countless other pleas to look into FBK's control of SG. Notice how the reporter, nor her editor, nor anyone on the current or past staffs HAVE LOOKED INTO THIS. It's clearly not impossible, even by the author of the letter's own opinion, just apparently too difficult for them to spend their time on. That's real reporting right there folks!
Date Tue, 28 Nov 2006 17:57:50 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Re: An Injustice Worthy of Print
From: "Lyndsey Lewis" llewis@alligator.org
To: "Christian Duque" chris@christianduque.com
Christian,
As a former SG reporter myself (and reader of your blog, believe it or not), I'm well aware of the situations you're describing. You're not the first person to offer these kinds of tips, and I doubt you'll be the last. The problem is convincing people to go on the record about this sort of information. I can't publish anything based on anonymous tips or non-credible sources, of course, so I'm reluctant to assign stories about Greek corruption or FBK conspiracies when there's no solid information to back up accusations.
Stephanie Garry and I discussed the Sam Green situation, but we're not necessarily going to publish something about it. I'll probably have one of my reporters look into this, but personally, I don't think the situation merits an entire story. Despite whatever private ties SG and FBK may share, they're not officially linked, and the last thing I want to do is run a story filled with unfair implications and unsubstantial evidence.
Thanks for taking the time to contact me and Stephanie. We always appreciate reader feedback, but I do need to add that this e-mail is not for publication.
Lyndsey Lewis
University Editor
Independent Florida Alligator
(352) 376-4458
I love how Ms. Lewis speaks of SG and FBK as two old friends or two individuals. The fact is any possible "private relationship" between a public body entrusted with representing ALL STUDENTS and its PRIVATE RELATIONSHIP with an organization that only represents a FRACTION of students is ---> NEWSWORTHY. But how can we fault poor Sam Green when we have MORONS covering the news? I'm taking a risk being sued here, but I don't care, I initiated contact as the author of a blog and I've waited a fair amount of time, either way, I'm doing what I feel is right by the students, anything that comes of it, oh well.
Ok, so now I'd like to put a few anonymous comments (anonymous to keep my sources' privacy intact, as promised).
I talked with ----- about Mr. Green. It was politics, nothing more. The A.A. Community knew the story. Green is in the middle of an SB president battle. By spring, it will have sorted itself out and he will likely be tapped.
Now, the Party Chair, as we know, is appointed prior to slating, and often becomes the Party Leader in Senate, but not always. An example of this happening is Laura Gonzalez, and example of this *not* happening is Sam Green -Laura remained Party Chair and Access phased out of R & A representation because they were 2 elections removed from office.
I hope this helps some. I wish I could sugar-coat the entire thing, but it wouldn't be what I truly believe. I ultimately see Sam taking a spot as Treasurer on Josh's camp. Politically it is the right move, and I don?t think he would do the worst job as SBT.
33 comments:
Wow... you don't get it. Nobody set out to block Sam. He was on the not recommended list. End of story.
He applied without the required points in minors, majors etc. He thought he would end up on the rec list - but the way it work is you don't get credit for a position (such as pro-tem) until you complete it.
This isn't some policy ment to keep people out, it is ment to keep the process fair. Why should he get credit for an incomplete job that we cannot judge him on. This would actually promote giving positions to people who had no merit as they could get them, apply to fbk, get in, mess up in the position, and it wouldn't matter!
This is a very simple concept - you need points to get in or else you have to have EVERYONE going to bat for you. If you look at Sam's vote totals had he been on the rec list he would have gotten in (BTW these are about the numbers anyone non-controversial applying to fbk get historically).
There was NO BLOCK by FBK or any individuals. Sam simply didn't have the points. This is not a story and the Alligator did the right thing by not printing this story because there was no foul play.
This story has gotten exactly the coverage it deserves... being on a shitty blog. You want to investgate FBK and SG and wrong doings go ahead - but this is not one of them. Look into how FBK picks the next president, look into how FBK supposedly has bribed people, any of that - just don't be a retard who chases a story that you MADE UP.
Anyone who's taken a journalism class knows that Lyndsey was completely correct. Your blog is purely a gossip rag; the Alligator, while printing its fair share of gossip, is still a student newspaper.
The Sam Green saga was important to SG drama, but it is not newsworthy. The general population of UF doesn't care, and Lyndsey is right--there's no way she could get any kind of tangible proof that could be printed.
Anon 3:31 you're an idiot. Sam was on the rec list and he was blocked. I was there I witnessed and took part in the whole thing. He was blocked by the SigEp, Theta Chi group. Boyles and Weiss tried to help him.
uhm, way to bring up old news after the subject asked you to drop it.
journalistic integrity-0, idle gossip-2.
This is part of the O.E.P.
it's NOT being covered as a current event
p.s.
I love how you call SG "the subject," been to any Klan meetings lately?
p.p.s.
Anon 3:31 you're full of crap. If it's not political, why didn't NINA get in? Shut up you tool. I bet you're not even in FBK. My sources are at the top of that group, you have no idea what the hell you're talking about, but I guess all the paragraphs make you at least appear learned.
You are a conniving piece of work Mr. Duque. Ms. Lewis is one of the most professional journalists to have passed through UF in recent years and her adherence to professional journalism should be lauded. You on the other hand, are an agenda driven blogger with no ethics at all whatsoever, that dwells on conspiracy theories while spending the rest of your time bashing on other people's character and defaming their good names. Lyndsey clearly asked you as a professional not to publish the e-mail she wrote to you and you did it regardless. What a guy.
Nina did not get tapped because she spent the better part of a year talking shit about the organization she attempted to join. Also, outside of being a bad president for her house, she had NO leadership qualifications.
Yeah, that's a good strategy for a leadership honorary-- invite people who are unqualified and disrespect the group.
Why didn't Bruce get tapped, was he not more than qualified? More qualified than many people in FBK right now.
Do any of you even know who makes the decisions in Blue Key? Who you need to know to get ahead at this university are? Who the people who are liked and those who are not?
There is a level at this school which you all don't even know about.
Well we are likely speaking out of line here but why don't you break it down to us Anon 10:26? Or you can always clue us in by e-mailing us at ufsgobserver@gmail.com. This will be purely off the record of course (unless you state otherwise).
I love how the Observer tries to get leads in MY COMMENT'S section. *Classic* But it's ok.
All you need to know about that level is this, my boy JCB is in charge :o)
Back when he'd talk to me and you all thought he was crazy for doing so and you'd write crap in the comments area and now...you're all kissin his ass. Ain't it funny how the tables turn and who busts out with the knee pads in the end?
I'll never trash him for all the help he's given this blog, but it's funny how the tables turn. Frank Bracco will surprise many of you in mere year's time.
I am confident that JCB will lead the System a little better than PA (though he was cool), I am hopeful that EJ and Frank will rise up the ranks, and I am especially hopeful that Ryan Moseley will be deported to Australia -- yeah I know, he's from England, but the mix-up will help make sure by the time he gets back to America, his term will have expired.
:o)
Wow... other than winning an election what has Moseley done that you haven't liked?
Better yet, what has JCB done seperately from Moseley that you like?
Nothing... you just like that JCB would talk to you and make you feel like you were in the loop, when he was now quite obviously using you like a cheap hooker.
Does it make you feel good to stand by someone like that? But I guess you could be getting some level of revenge to be mentioning him as a source (those things you never out) I mean... who really wants their name on this blog? Indy, system, or otherwise.
It was well known that JCB reads and comments in this blog; in fact he has been quite public with his that.
Again, it should be stated and clarified, let me go ahead and do that now. JCB has never served as a source for this blog.
His contributions have come in the form of advice, comments, and in very limited times, the formulation of interview questions.
CD
If you're going to continue to pretend to stand up for "the students," Duque, the least you can do is not be an arrogant prick about it. I still don't understand the fascination with year-old news, but it is the summer, so whatever.
It's one thing to have lower standards of information than proper journalists and to let your opinion roam freely over the vast spectrum of crazy you call home, but mocking dedicated journalists such as Lyndsey because they OMG actually want legitimate information they can publish is really rather pathetic.
The funniest thing, though, is that The Alligator has never had a problem publishing stories linking SG and FBK. Take, for examplethis piece. Or how about this one, written by *gasp* the lovely Lyndsey Lewis. Weasel out of that one.
I also hope you got permission from Ms. Lewis and Mr. Green to post their e-mails, because if you've started posting e-mails without permission, then I think we're going to see your wellspring of legit tips dry up very quickly (because, after all, we all know that you would never be so unethical as to post an anonymous, unverifiable tip as fact). Keep up the good work.
The reasons both were published was in fact for the benefit of the students. The Sam Green matter to show African American leaders that their bowing down went on notice and that future A.A. leaders might want to consider standing up more than once every ten years.
Ms. Lewis' statement went up to show the very sad and disturbing blind-eye the Independent Florida Alligator turns when it's given tips of SG-FBK dealings.
Both matters are of critical importance to the students. I'm not sure why you have to take cheap shots at me at every turn, but I'm sure we'll cross paths eventually. It's always so much nicer to hear these things in person.
So you didn't actually get their permission?
So... the question remains. Did they say you could post the e-mails?
Hey - no butting in. I'm workin' here.
No they didn't. Do you thing little boy.
Hey - take all the cheap shots *you* want, I just think your readership deserves to know that whatever e-mails they send you might be thoroughly misconstrued and posted publicly without warning. Also I think it's necessary that readership know that any time they call you on your flaming piles of bullshit, you'll ignore their points and try to intimidate them with implied threats of physical violence. So I'm glad you brought that up.
I made no threat, I just think it's very low of you to call me all these names, since we've never met and since I don't know you from a hole in the wall.
I'm very hurt is all, very hurt. But you are a terrific student leader and I'm glad you are fighting the good fight.
You caught me in a bad mood today, so I apologize for laying it on a little thick, but besides "arrogant prick" - which I'd think you'd take as a point of pride - I don't think I've called you any names.
Besides, I don't suppose you've happened to meet Ms. Lewis or Ms. Garry in person, have you? You seemed to have no problem labelling them "morons."
Christian,
You know nothing about the African American community's leadership. Who are you to speak on their issues?
I have insiders. I also helped elect 1 of 4 African American SBP's in UF History. That's more than the power-whores leading them these days, selling out their block for what/ The weakest exec. post? Please, they don't even get treasurer anymore.
I definitely think you are wrong. The people running things now are different. And they have gotten more than just an exec VP. If you look in Senate they practically control things. I think their treasurer is coming very soon.
Paul Drayton...you are dreaming. They're right where the system wants them. Their next Jamal isn't even at UF yet with how far they've been set back.
What is stopping the blacks from getting a treasurer?
Their leadership. Had they had the drive of '03/'04 (b/c they were in fact a very strong force of the Ignite Party), they would never have allowed the Sam Green block.
We can argue whether there was a block or not, I believe there was and the top people in the game concur. Once you recognize the Block, then you would clearly accept the weak position of the A.A. community.
The block occured because they already tapped 7 blacks that day. It would be crazy the give them another person. They were already screwing the other houses out of everything.
Paul is a very attractive candidate for treasure. I think despite their power grab in Senate that the AA community could pull Paul onto a ticket.
The AA community is getting nothing the next year. They are just tools. Two chairmanships in Senate are nothing. Get me a black Senate President and then we are talking. Does anyone would like to challenge Reilly next Fall for that spot? Nop? I didn't think so either. Then, just shut up and keep dreaming about the "power" that you claim to have. If you really had any power or balls, you would challenge the system and get your people in REAL positions.
Yes... but who is going to be Pro Temp?
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