March 03, 2006 Jeff and Larry, please pass this information on the attorneys who have expressed an interest in possibly representing the Last Firebase Veterans Archives Project. It will be OK to share this with our friends and supporters. Let me know about any feed back you hear. For easier reading I wrote about myself in the third person. I have listed a few of the many provable claims the Last Firebase has against the above-mentioned government/quasi government entities. We can prove that the that officials of the City of Kinston, the County of Lenoir, the Kinston/Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce, the Kinston Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Pride of Kinston conspired to extort possession of our organization's CSS Neuse II ship by verbally threatening to withhold any and all tourism funding and that same officials acted on the threats by withholding funds and public tax generated grants from the Last Firebase. These are funds that are routinely awarded by the Kinston Convention and Visitors Bureau to other similar non-profit organizations. We can prove that the that officials of the City of Kinston, the County of Lenoir, the Kinston/Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce, the Kinston Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Pride of Kinston did conspire, threaten, attempt to discriminate and did discriminate against the Last Firebase Veterans Archives Project by shutting the veteran's organization out from support, funds and public tax generated grants that are routinely granted to other similar non-profit organizations. We can prove that Bruce Parson, as head of the Kinston/Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce and the Kinston Convention and Visitors Bureau and board member of the Pride of Kinston, conspired to force the resignation of Last Firebase chairman Ted Sampley by verbally threatening to withhold any and all tourism funding for the CSS Neuse II because of Sampley's Republican political activism, specifically, Sampley's national involvement in Vietnam Veterans Against John Kerry (VVAJK). Parson told Sampley that some "influential people" felt that Sampley was too politically controversial. Parson indicated that because of pressure from the same "influential people," the CSS Neuse II would no longer receive tourism money from Kinston Convention and Visitors Bureau as long as Ted Sampley had anything to do with the CSS Neuse II.. We can prove that Parson later acted on his threats and withheld funds and public tax generated grants from the Last Firebase that are routinely awarded by the Kinston Convention and Visitors Bureau to other similar non-profit organizations. We can prove that Parson illegally used his official position and powers to attempt to force Last Firebase chairman Ted Sampley to sign ownership of the CSS Neuse II over to Parks and Recreation in exchange for the award of a $65,000 Gold Leaf Grant for the CSS Neuse II. We can prove that after Parson, obviously operating under the false impression that he had coerced an agreement from Sampley to transfer ownership of the CSS Neuse II to Parks and Recreation, applied for and secured from Gold Leaf a $65,000 grant specifically for the CSS Neuse II and that after it was approved Parson and others conspired to keep the grant's approval secret from Sampley until Sampley signed a written agreement transferring ownership of the CSS Neuse II to Parks and Recreation. We can prove that when Sampley informed Parson that he had made no agreement for the Last Firebase to relinquish ownership of the CSS Neuse II, John Marston of the Pride of Kinston and Paul Busick, former director of the Global TransPark visited Sampley at his Broken Eagle restaurant and attempted to convince him that for the "good of the boat" Sampley should turn the vessel over to Parks and Recreation. Marston and Busick did not know that Sampley had been tipped several days earlier that the $65,000 Gold Leaf grant for the Neuse II had been approved. We can prove that Marston and Busick repeated Parson's original statements to Sampley that
Sampley was too politically controversial because of his anti John Kerry activism and that
because of pressure from "influential people," the CSS Neuse II would no longer receive tourism
money from Kinston Convention and Visitors Bureau as long as Ted Sampley had anything to do
with the CSS Neuse II.. We can prove that the that officials of the City of Kinston, the County of Lenoir, the Kinston/Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce, the Kinston Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Pride of Kinston acted on threats to shutdown all support for the Last Firebase by unjustly causing the $65,000 Gold Leaf grant designated by Gold Leaf for the Last Firebase's CSS Neuse II ship to be returned unused to Gold Leaf because Ted Sampley refused to resign as chairman and relinquish ownership of the CSS Neuse II to Kinston/Lenoir County Parks and Recreation Department. We can prove that Pride of Kinston Director Adrian King and Pride board members John Marston, Micheal Dunn, Tommy Lee and Bruce Parson lied to the Pride board when they argued before the Pride board that the $65,000 grant that Gold Leaf had sent to the Pride for the Last Firebase CSS Neuse II ship project could not "legally" be used for the ship unless ownership of the vessel was transferred to Parks and Recreation. We can prove that no such stipulation exists in the terms for distribution of the Gold Leaf grant. We can prove that, about a week before the Pride board voted to send the $65,000 Gold Leaf grant back to Gold leaf, Ted Sampley met with King and Kinston City Councilwoman Alice Tingle (in Tingle's office) and offered the full co-operation of the Last Firebase with the Pride of Kinston in the distribution and utilization of the $65,000 Gold Leaf grant. We can prove that, about a week before the Pride board voted to send the $65,000 Gold Leaf grant back to Gold leaf, Ted Sampley met with Pride of Kinston Board Chairman Hardy Creech and that with the exception of relinquishing ownership of the CSS Neuse II to Kinston/Lenoir County Parks and Recreation Department, Sampley pledged full co-operation of the Last Firebase with the Pride of Kinston in the distribution and utilization of the $65,000 Gold Leaf grant. We can prove that Pride of Kinston Director King and Pride board members John Marston, Micheal Dunn, Tommy Lee, Bruce Parson and Deputy City Manager Phil Robey lied when they argued before the Pride board that Sampley was "totally" uncooperative with the Pride and that what they really meant by "totally uncooperative" was Sampley's refusal to surrender the CSS Neuse II to Parks and Recreation. There is evidence that will prove that officials of said government/quasi government entities conspired to actively discourage private citizens from donating funds to the Last Firebase Veterans Archives Project. There is evidence that will prove that officials of said government/quasi government entities conspired to slander and then cause to be printed in the Free Press and on the internet false claims of safety code violations onboard and around the Coast Guard registered CSS Neuse II ship. These false claims of code violations caused great damage to the CSS Neuse II ship project by giving the public the false impression that visits aboard the CSS Neuse II are unsafe. There is evidence that will prove that officials of the Chamber of Commerce, the Kinston Convention and Visitors Bureau, as late as Saturday, March 04, 2006 conspired to remove mention of the CSS Neuse II from public tax funded literature published by the Kinston/Lenoir Chamber of Commerce and the Kinston Convention and Visitors Bureau. We can prove that officials of the City of Kinston, the County of Lenoir, the Kinston/Lenoir County Chamber of Commerce, the Kinston Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Pride of Kinston seriously violated the Last Firebase veterans rights to free speech by harassing, slandering and hindering the Last Firebase veterans in their effort to recreate the ironclad CSS Neuse ship as a memorial tribute to Americans who fought, died or were captured while serving in the military service of the Confederacy. If we decide to move forward with a lawsuit, I want the board to understand that the people, who we will be suing, work and operate at the leisure some of the most powerful businessmen in North Carolina. Filing a lawsuit will be the equivalent of poking a finger in the eye of a 500 pound meat grinding guerilla. Once we start, we cannot back down. We must stay the course until we win. These people are arrogant and they are accustomed to always getting their way and never being questioned or challenged. There is no doubt that most of them are going to lie, but, if we hire attorneys that are good at taking sworn depositions, they will be able to uncover and expose the lies because so many people are involved. Two of the most important witnesses in the lawsuit, if we sue, are going to be John Marston and Bruce Parson, because they have had the most direct contact in trying to have ownership of the CSS Neuse II taken away from the Last Firebase and passed to Parks and Recreation and both have very close contact with the so-called "influential families." Marston, I understand, is a very well healed insurance salesman who often represents the interests of the Brody, Harvey and McNairy families is various dealing (including real estate contracts) with the Pride of Kinston and the Chamber of Commerce. Marston serves on the Pride board were he has powerful influence . I heard it said once that "Marston speaks and the Pride board jumps." I have often wondered how Marston has managed to do so well selling insurance in Lenoir County, one of the poorest counties in the nation. Parson was plant manager at the Kinston Neuse Corporation (KNC) until his corporate headquarters abruptly reeled him in and told him he could either accept a transfer to the Ohio plant or take his severance package. Parson chose the severance package. On or about the same time KNC officials were ordering Parson transferred, they replaced all the local contractors Parson had been working. Parson later landed the job as president of the Chamber where he stayed for two years before abruptly resigning July 1, 2005 to start in a newly created economic development position with the Global TransPark. Parson started his new job at $85,000 Aug. 1, 2005. While working at the chamber, Parson also run his specialized blinds and window dressing business, which netted him an additional $30,000 to $50,000 annually (I can't remember the exact amount that I was told) and this is in addition to his chamber salary. No one in government or at the chamber that I know of ever complained about Parson running his blinds and window dressing business at the same time he was supposed to be working for the chamber. In fact, Parson, I was told gave some pretty good deals to a number of Kinston and Lenoir County officials. Kinston councilwoman Alice Tingle told me that Parson did her windows. She did not say how much she had to pay Parson, if anything. About a year ago Kinston business legend C. Felix Harvey walked into Parson's office at the chamber and handed him a check for $5,000 to "redecorate" Parson's office. In February 2005, Lenoir County Manager John Bauer unexpectedly handed in his resignation telling county commissioners that he was leaving his post in mid-March to become the manager of Pender County. He also handed the commissioners a letter in which (I saw a copy of the letter but I can't remember the exact wording) he complained that too much county business was being decided at the Country Club. In the letter, Bauer bitterly complained that the Committee of 100 had given Parson a $7,000 (I think that was the number) bonus check that Parson did not deserve for securing the Smithfield expansion. Bauer said in the letter that Mike Jarman was the one that did the work and should have been the one to receive the bonus. Mike Jarman was later hired to take Bauer's place as Lenoir County Manager. In any case, this information about the "backroom boys" dealings of Marston and Parson may prove to be helpful if we proceed with filling suit. Lastly, if we file, we will not be able to depend on the Kinston Free Press to give unbiased coverage of the suit, if any. Free Press Publisher Pat Holmes, who is also serving as news editor deciding what stories the Free Press should cover and how, serves on the Chamber Executive Board and heads at least one Chamber committee. Let me know what you think and what we should do. |