Williams Vote

[bluemarlin2]

Is there any date certain set for the committee to vote on confirming Williams to the BOR? Think we should write all the members again just before the vote?

 

[maroonandsilver]

I'm pretty sure it is March 20.

 

[BWahlberg]

March 20th in the afternoon. Need to be calling/emailing those on the committee regularly, I have been.

 

[MsMaroon]

What committee is it, please?

God I hope the answer isn't too obvious; you know I hate looking like a fool . . .

 

[grizfromhel]

Senate Education Committee. Check it out at the Montana Legislature website. p.s. if the committee vote is affirmative, the nomination goes to the full Senate for vote. If the full Senate votes favorably, that's it. He's confirmed as a Regent.

 

[Harm]

There was a rather large campaign style write-up in the Helena IR today about Williams. It was sickening to read and very obviously trying to skew all naysayers as nothing more than disaffected fans, rather than concerned MT citizens. Basically said he gave the problems a voice in order to fix them, I had to stop reading while only on the second paragraph. I needed run to the bathroom and throw-up.

 

[grizonbob]

There was a rather large campaign style write-up in the Helena IR today about Williams. It was sickening to read and very obviously trying to skew all naysayers as nothing more than disaffected fans, rather than concerned MT citizens. Basically said he gave the problems a voice in order to fix them, I had to stop reading while only on the second paragraph. I needed run to the bathroom and throw-up.

I happened to see the letter that I think Harm is referring to. It was written by a liberal UM law prof and former ACLU lawyer named Jeff Renz. Friend of Williams, I suppose. Here's the link:

http://helenair.com/news/opinion/readers_alley/williams-is-a-good-regent/article_52273c84-8a93-11e2-b4a3-001a4bcf887a.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And part of it says:

"...when it comes to scrutiny, there is a new sheriff in town. That sheriff is Regent Pat Williams, who served in Congress for nearly two decades. He presided over Congressional sub-committees that dealt with expensive and complex budgetary items. Because of his background, Regent Williams’ questions to university leaders are far more probing, more demanding, and in the end, more helpful than any other regent that I have observed. Proposals have gone “back to the drawing board,” as Regent Williams drew out their flaws by his questions. I don’t want to suggest that other regents fall short. Williams’ experience simply means that he is better prepared. As a result, University leaders become better prepared.

We need to ignore the whole silliness about pointing out that UM had been “recruiting thugs.” I recall that not too many years ago, we used to make jokes about MSU players’ involvement with the criminal justice system. Lately, and I refer to far more than sexual assault allegations, I have been thinking that now the joke is on us. Arrests for DUIs, assaults, drunk and disorderly, resisting arrest, and vandalism, among others, swamp the positive aspects of UM athletics. As Regent Williams told the New York Times, “[O]ne of the premier universities in the Rockies has been scandalized by a few knuckleheaded students. . . the football team has been terribly hurt by this.”

That is what it boils down to. UM has been injured by knuckleheads, not by telling Jim Robbins that UM has been injured by knuckleheads. So the current petition to remove Regent Williams only shoots the messenger."

......

Now, I don't know if Williams really does a good job of asking tough questions at regent meetings. If so, that's a good thing.

But something struck me as I was reading the Renz letter. The knuckleheaded quote seemed off. So I googled it.

And guess what.... That quote wasn't from the NY Times story that recently came out and raised all the fuss. It was from a NY Times story last May. Yes, it is a much more watered-down quote.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/23/sports/ncaafootball/handling-of-sexual-assault-claims-brings-new-scrutiny-to-montana.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Renz is trying to make it look like Williams is quite the reasonable guy. He is hoping that Montanans will forget about what Williams said in the more recent NY Times story. Which is this:

“We’ve had sex assaults, vandalism, beatings by football players,” said Pat Williams, a former congressman and a member of the Montana Board of Regents. “The university has recruited thugs for its football team, and this thuggery has got to stop.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/07/us/rape-trial-of-jordan-johnson-starts-friday.html?_r=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Shame on Renz for trying to mislead people on what Williams actually said.

 

[grizfnz]

It will be a sad day in Montana if bull$hit like this results in 2Pat being confirmed to the BOR.

"Thugs, thuggery" and Thug Life....playa

Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk 2

 

[Copper Griz]

Is there any date certain set for the committee to vote on confirming Williams to the BOR? Think we should write all the members again just before the vote?

There is a special place in hell for politicians. Can't quite remember what level Dante had them pegged for, but it is nasty.