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--></style><title>Re: [Vision2020] Response to Kimmell: Part I,
Discrimina</title></head><body>
<div>Interesting information. Worth knowing more about.</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>I wonder, however, why you, Wayne, feel the need to demean
others' religion in the process of raising concerns about unethical
practices. Is it because you are similarly guilty of
discrimination? </div>
<div><br></div>
<div>As it is you confuse the issues surrounding the alleged practices
by potentially raising outrage at not only Kimmell but yourself.
Somehow I doubt you would consider similar venomous language to be
acceptable by others in the community if it were leveled at groups you
support. Yet it seems being a liberal makes it OK to insult
others. Or is it just that those liberals who lack
self-control give a bad name to the rest? </div>
<div><br></div>
<div>If one bad apple doesn't spoil the rest, it certainly may make
the others be avoidedŠdespite their good character. I guess
that goes for apples and organizations (both liberal and
conservative).</div>
<div><br></div>
<div>s</div>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"><b>Preface</b></font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1">On August
27, 2004, a pseudo-folksy column by Paul Kimmell appeared in the<i>
Daily News</i> [appended below]. This column was an apparent
attempt to respond to some of the many criticisms made of Kimmell's
actions in his dual role as Moscow Chamber of Commerce Executive
Director and Latah County Commissioner. Because Kimmell's column
did not address certain important issues and dishonestly addressed
others, a multi-part response is in the works to set the record
straight.</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1">This first
part deals with discriminatory hiring/contracting practices – the
favoring of Christ Church Cult members/businesses in hiring and
contracting practices by the chamber and county – an issue that
Kimmell did not choose to address in his Pollyanna column.</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"><b>Discriminatory Hiring/Contracting
Practices</b></font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1">As
Executive Director of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce, Kimmell hired at
least five fellow Christ Church Culties as employees. Assessing
generously in his favor the odds of fairly hiring even one cultie from
all the possible applicants in the area at 1 in 50 (with replacement),
the odds of fairly hiring five culties are about 1 in
315,000,000!</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1">One of the
culties hired was Kimmell's current wife, Connie. Can you also
say NEPOTISM? [More about the Kimmell/Kimmel connection at the
chamber will be forthcoming in the posts on chamber
financials.]</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1">A few more
of the allegations that a considerable amount of chamber money was
spent in a discriminatory manner for part-time work and contracted
services are as follows:</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font
size="+1">§ <font
face="Verdana"> Hiring eight cultie children directly without any
attempt to find other children to do a special
project.</font></font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font
size="+1">§ <font
face="Verdana"> A disproportionate amount of catering done by Zume, a
cult member based business housed in the NSA tenement. [Some
chamber members are also not enamored by the quality of the alleged
comestibles served.]</font></font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font
size="+1">§ <font
face="Verdana"> A disproportionate number of entertainments at chamber
functions provided by Eric Engerbretson, a cultie and cultie
apologist. [According to some chamber members, a little of Eric
goes a long way.]</font></font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font
size="+1">§ <font
face="Verdana"> The contracting of the design, programming, and
maintenance of the chamber website to inexperienced, inept amateurs
from NSA for over $22,000.</font></font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1">As county
commissioner, Kimmell recently used his influence to help install a
cultie in a clerical position in the Latah County
Courthouse.</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1"><b>Effects
of Discriminatory Hiring/Contracting Practices</b></font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1">Discrimination based on religious preference/practice is
contrary to state and federal law. This is especially true of
public institutions and those organizations like the chamber that
thrive in part because of public tax monies received.</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1">There are
many secondary effects that can arise from this discriminatory misuse
of public money:</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1">Public
agencies who have contributed to the chamber either through dues or
grants can demand that those past contributions be returned for the
entire period that the discrimination has occurred. These
agencies can use court action to force the return of such monies, if
necessary.</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><br></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1">Further,
the public agencies themselves can be forced to return funds which
were given to them under laws and contracts prohibiting discriminatory
practices by vendors and/or other service organizations to that public
agency.</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1">Public
agencies giving money to organizations practicing discrimination (such
as the chamber has for the last three or four years) face a loss of
community goodwill. Just losing a little goodwill can cause a
public agency to lose a levy request or lose support for a budget
increase.</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1">I have
little doubt that unless the chamber apologizes for, stops the
discriminatory practices, and removes the individual (Kimmell)
responsible for them, that the public agencies supporting this past
discrimination with public funds will themselves be the object of some
very unpleasant community wrath, protest, and action.</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1"><b>As for
the pathetic chamber website</b>, chamber members have been willfully
and arrogantly ripped off. Besides its marginal graphical design
and overall structural inadequacies, important parts of the website
are dysfunctional. There is no search mechanism to find member
businesses [Google provides such programming free]. You can't
even use the web browser edit function to find a business since the
business names, etc. occur in graphic files! Hence, even if you
go through the slow process of going page by page to find a member
business, you can't copy the individual business information from the
graphic page. Further, it does not appear that simple
maintenance procedures that chamber employees could use have been
created; therefore the chamber is dependent on the NSA students to
maintain the website. Needless to say, the information on the
chamber website is out of date.</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1">A
professional could have created for the chamber a graphically and
functionally well designed website. Such a design would have
provided chamber members with the search ability and visibility for
their businesses and organizations they have a right to expect.
The website building and cost from a professional? Probably
under $5,000!</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1">Instead,
under Kimmell's religious discriminatory contracting practices,
inexperienced, inept students from cult business NSA have been paid
over $22,000 and the product is marginal at best. This is
con-artistry at its small town worst!</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1">Kimmell's
discriminatory practices also show that in addition to getting
"oversight" from Christ Church Cult Master Douglas Wilson as
a Latah County Commissioner, Kimmell's obeying orders from the Cult
Master is aiding the Cult Master's A-Religious-Kingdom-for-Myself
ambitions using our tax money.</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1">[Question: Do the culties knowingly hired/contracted
through these discriminatory practices, a process of community theft,
hypocritically continue to call themselves "Christians" or
have they in their heart of hearts (but not publicly) given up such a
pretense?]</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1">Obviously,
discrimination based on religious preference/practice is in itself
grossly unfair. It steals from everyone in the community both
opportunity and possible income. Therefore, this kind of
discrimination is little more than common theft and its perpetrator,
Paul Kimmell, is little more than a common thief. These
discriminatory practices in the name of the chamber make that
organization look like a bunch of common thieves also.</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1">Previous
posters have described Kimmell and other some chamber board members as
very "community minded" and "nice." Kimmell
may be "charming," but to describe him and his
co-conspirators using the words "nice" and "community
minded" when they are, in effect, common thieves using tax money
to finance their hateful discriminatory practices is a gross misuse of
the English language.</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1"><b>Silence
of the Chamber Board</b></font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1">Although
they have been asked several times and by several different persons to
comment on the above described discriminatory practices, members of
the board have not yet made any public comment on this issue.
[At least one member, however, has said, "It is none of the
public's business."]</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1">Although
the chamber board has been silent on this issue, one influential past
president of the chamber has commented. Jon Kimberling in a
series of exchanges with myself, made these remarks, perhaps speaking
for the present chamber:</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><br></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="+1">”Wayne - as past
president of the Chamber and someone who spent a year on City Council
working with Paul, I can tell you he is a man of great integrity.
The Chamber board questioned him about his hiring's. It is my
belief that he hired the best people for the job - some happened to be
associated with the church. I don't know about you but I have a
tendency to associate myself with people who have similar values.
Is that so wrong? ..."</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="+1">"Whatever the math,
there is still every possibility that the Chamber went through a
thorough process in each hiring and that the best candidate was
chosen.</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="+1">When I said: "I have
a tendency to associate myself with people who have similar values,"
Is that so wrong? I should have continued and explained that I
believe Paul networked with local business people, church members and
anyone else he knows to advertise the jobs. It was certainly no
secret at the Chamber and we were all encouraged to get the word out.
I don't deny the appearance of favoritism..."</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1">The
sentence comparing Jon Kimberling's practices to Paul Kimmell's
practices: "I have a tendency to associate myself with
people who have similar values. Is that so wrong?" perhaps
explains in part why the chamber has ignored not only state and
federal law but the rights and reasonable expectations of everyone in
the community in their hiring/contracting practices.</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"><b>Solution</b></font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1">There is a
simple solution that any prudent business person would pursue when
faced with the problems described above.</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1">1.</font><font
size="+1"
> <span
></span> <font face="Verdana"> Apologize to the
community which provides its funding for past missteps, and as far as
legally and fairly possible, correct them.</font></font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1">2.</font><font
size="+1"
> <span
></span> <font face="Verdana"> Design, write, and
scrupulously follow procedures which provide for advertising,
screening, and hiring/contracting such that all of the qualified
candidates in our community have an equal chance of being considered
and hired for any chamber position or contracted
service.</font></font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1">3.</font><font
size="+1"
> <span
></span> <font face="Verdana"> Immediately dismiss
Paul Kimmell as executive director. His open, arrogant violation
of state and federal law and his cause of the community loss of
respect for and confidence in the chamber by discriminatory practices
– stealing opportunity and income from all of us – and forcing his
religion down our throats and using our tax money in the process, are
grounds, in and of themselves, for instant
dismissal.</font></font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1">If the
chamber board refuses with the stubbornness and community
insensitivity they have so far exhibited to do these three simple
steps, they will certainly be surprised at the outrage and action that
will pour forth from insulted and concerned members of the
community.</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1">/s/ Wayne
A. Fox</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1">Wayne A.
Fox</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1">1009 Karen
Lane</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1">P.O. Box
9421</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1">Moscow,
ID 83843</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana" size="+1">(208)
882-7975</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><a href="mailto:waf@moscow.com"><font
face="Verdana" size="+1">waf@moscow.com</font></a><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font face="Verdana"
size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font
size="+1">______________________________</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> <br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="+1">From The<i> Daily
News</i></font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font
size="+1">______________________________</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> <br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="+1"><b>COLUMN: Trying to live
peaceable lives in Moscow</b></font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="+1"><i>Paul J.
Kimmell</i></font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="+1"> </font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="+1">As a child, I would
wander through Philadelphia staring at the Liberty Bell and through
Independence Hall not knowing what that "experiment in liberty"
was all about or that the men who signed the Declaration of
Independence had risked their lives, fortunes, honor, and reputations
for a very risky proposition.</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="+1">During my years of public
service, I've come to realize the great amount of scrutiny that one in
such a position is under. Much has been written of my dual roles of
late, both as a Latah County commissioner and as executive director of
the Moscow Chamber of Commerce.</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="+1">Unlike some in the media
and in the community, I am accountable to all of you in one form or
another. For the record, I wish to respond to some of these recent
attacks on my character and the organizations I work for.</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="+1">First of all, I want to
assure those of you involved in the chamber of commerce our financial
situation is not grim but in fact fairly healthy. In the 3 1/2 years I
have been with the organization, our bottom line has improved
steadily. While some of our numbers have been taken out of context, it
is difficult to explain them without looking at them as a whole and in
one setting, which is what our Executive/Finance Committee does every
month. They have realized areas that needed to be fine-tuned, and have
provided great direction to our outside bookkeeper, making sure each
account is properly categorized.</font></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><br></blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="+1">During this process, some
items have needed to be moved from the Chamber Foundation to the
Chamber - again, per the Executive/Finance Committee. That is what
some of these numbers that have been discussed reflect. This committee
is well aware of the Foundation's and the Chamber's status - none of
these decisions have been made without their direction, contrary to
what some have implied. This same volunteer-based committee and
Chamber Board continue to provide this important oversight while
making suggestions as to how we provide our membership and the
community with quality services. This is a group of small-business
owners dedicated to improving and protecting Moscow's quality of life
and business.</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="+1">I am also very proud of
our chamber staff and the tremendous amount of work they produce on
behalf of Moscow and its businesses. Like many of you, they're
overworked and underpaid, but I appreciate how well they represent
this community when the phone rings or a visitor stops in for travel
information.</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="+1">As the community's
"front door," the chamber is often the first impression
someone has of Moscow. We take this responsibility seriously and we
make sure it is a warm and inviting one. We operate on a fairly small
budget and we rely on the great generosity of our business community
to help us provide these services.</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="+1">Can we do better?
Absolutely.</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="+1">I'm often reminded just
how fortunate we are to live in a place where crime is low, the air is
clean and the culture is abundant.</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="+1">I am also very aware of
the importance in protecting these assets, our farms and farmlands,
our forests and lumber mills, our water and other resources, our
businesses and institutions and, most importantly, our people and our
community's rich heritage.</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="+1">Moscow is a great
community full of genuine, caring and active citizens. I am thankful
that I live in a country where I have not needed to worry about
liberty or freedom, that the past and present sacrifices of those in
the armed forces protect us.</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="+1">As of late, however,
there has been a small but loud group of displeased persons who claim
tolerance, yet they are showing how intolerant they are of other
religious and/or moral views.</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="+1">It's important for me,
and others, to keep in mind the majority of us are trying to live in
an area that we are convinced is one of the best places on Earth to
live and raise our families.</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="+1">I am concerned some have
grown suspicious of others in our community and harsh words have been
expressed. Accusations have been made about one another and those who
have control of the "public square."</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="+1">Moscow is far too good a
town for this kind of behavior to continue. Our founding fathers would
have expected more, and so should we.</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><font size="+1">* Paul J. Kimmell is
executive director of the Moscow Chamber of Commerce and a Latah
County commissioner.</font><br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite> <br>
</blockquote>
<blockquote type="cite" cite><br>
_____________________________________________________<br>
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serving the communities of the Palouse since
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<span
></span>
http://www.fsr.net <span
></span
> <span
></span> <br>
mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<br>
ØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØ<span
></span
>ØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØØ</blockquote>
<div><br></div>
<div><br></div>
<x-sigsep><pre>--
</pre></x-sigsep>
<div>Thanks,<br>
s<br>
<br>
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Sean Michael<br>
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