One of the opponents of MCE (Mandatory Continuing Education) for private investigators recently wrote me and made the following accusation (this is a verbatim cut and paste from his email):
“Personally, I know nothing of running a corporation. But, I do understand NON_PROFFIT. But I don’t like the way you use your position in the Corp to flog the membership for dollars for your personal causes, LULAC, Nut Crack and all your other concerns of the world, then turn around and bash 80% of the industry. Logically, that makes you look stupit.”
It’s bad enough that he thinks that I “…look stupit.” I know this sounds like a Jeff Foxworthy joke and the guy does come from the Central Valley, but then, some of my favorite PI’s are from the Central Valley. But what’s greater concern to me here is that he apparently did not understand that he was de facto committing libel per se (he was apparently BCC’ing his emails to others) with his accusation that I was supposedly flogging the membership for dollars for my personal causes.
Any reasonable person looks at the implication of that statement and comes away thinking that I’m using my influence as a corporate director to get money for other organizations that I’m associated with. Since those people include CALI members who are entitled to look at the financial statements we produce for the Annual Business Meeting, reasonable people would wonder why there are no line items showing us sending money to LULAC or whatever he means by “Nut Crack.” In the context of how the opponents of MCE have irrationally accused us of engaging in a corporate cover-up (simply by following the law and heeding the advice of our corporate counsel), this is just the latest in a series of irresponsible and malicious accusations that increase the paranoia of a group of disgruntled dissidents.
Now, if I had actually gotten money appropriated to LULAC from CALI (or any other organization) without a vote of the board (no such vote will appear in the board minutes because it never happened), then the purported fact of such an appropriation as claimed by this guy would be a violation of Sections 504 and/or 506 of the California Penal Code, because utilizing corporate and/or non-profit money held in trust for purposes not intended by the trust is verboten.
I call him on this and he writes, ” It was a phrase not an accusation.” Are you kidding me? “…a phrase not an accusation…” What does that mean and how is it different. You still accused me of facts which can be interpreted as a crime.
So, after going back and forth a few times about the propriety of his statement and whether he will retract it (he won’t), this is his response:
“I had a good uncle and his name was J.T.. I hate to think of what he would think of you being called by his name. While you were reading about logic, he was involved in bringing peace to the world. You would not qualify to shine his boots.
I was gong to give you some shit then let you off the hook, but no, you won’t have it. You will never get it. You will learn nothing. Just keep running people away from CALI.
So sue me shithead…? (Sorry shit, did not mean to insult you.) I’m tired of your stupid nonsense and self-centered goals and bloated ego, sucking off the hard working PI and taking up valuable space on the Corp BOD. Go suck a lemon and stop speaking against the industry! Your 1968 and this is 2009. You represent nothing that resembles what I know to be Truth and Justice, and about 9,000 other PI’s agree with me. Just keep talking, your making our case for us.”
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Well, at least he spelled Stupid right this time…..maybe he doesn’t need MCE after all.