POLITICAL CORRUPTION IS A NATIONWIDE ISSUE AFFECTING ALL OF US. ALABAMA RANKS #5 AS THE MOST CORRUPT STATE. *DOJ 2007 stats
Something is very wrong in the Land of Cotton


PERTINENT ENVIRONMENTAL AND CORRUPTION ISSUES IN OTHER STATES ARE ALSO DISCUSSED


NO OTHER COMMUNITY, RICH OR POOR, URBAN OR SUBURBAN,BLACK, BROWN,RED, YELLOW OR WHITE SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO BECOME AN "ENVIRONMENTAL SACRIFICE ZONE."

Dr. Robert Bullard
Environmental Justice Movement Founder

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Alabama A&M Appointee Dr. Jerome Williams Has a Nerve (and a history)

Man's best fiend?
Dr. Jerome Williams, appointed to the Alabama A&M board by Governor Riley, hasn't wasted any time starting controversy in his new position. At least he's consistent.
HUNTSVILLE, AL -- The controversy over the Alabama A&M University Research Institute reached a new level Friday when a school trustee fired insults at another trustee.

The comments from trustee Jerome Williams of Birmingham came at the end of a 35-minute discussion at Friday's board meeting that centered on the research institute. The institute, formed in 1999 to handle millions in private and government research contracts on behalf of NASA, the Defense Department and numerous companies, has been the subject of an FBI investigation and an inquiry by A&M's accrediting agency.

Allegations have flown regarding possible misuse of funds at the institute, and a conflict of interest by Board President Pro Tem Odysseus Lanier, whose company once held contracts with the institute. Lanier has denied any wrongdoing.

The discussion Friday revolved, in part, around trustees questioning the value of the research institute and how worthwhile the partnership is to A&M.

"You lack credibility in this circle," Williams said to fellow trustee Rev. Tom Bell as the board sat around a horseshoe table at the Clyde Foster Multipurpose Room on the A&M campus. Bell is also a member of the research institute board of directors.

"You have demonstrated by your conspiring nature with (fellow trustee James) Montgomery you are not trustworthy," Williams continued. "You have demonstrated that again and again from what you have done, including going to Montgomery to tell lies (to state senators, which must confirm trustees) against the confirmation of trustee members."

At that point, a murmur rippled throughout the stunned audience in the room.

"My, my, my," Bell responded as the murmur grew louder. "My goodness. My goodness." 
Dr. Williams knows a thing or two about controversy and we're still trying to figure out how this unfriendly to those he is supposed to protect veterinarian who's seemingly somewhat of a conspirator himself, ever got this plum job with A&M. Oh that's right, Riley, in another fine example of his stellar judgment, appointed him. That clears it up.

Who is Dr. Jerome Williams? A man who seems to prefer to protect his friends at the expense of defenseless animals. He was involved in an egregious case of animal abuse in the early 2000s, and largely because of his expert medical opinion, then Birmingham City Council president Lee Loder got away with horrendous acts of cruelty.
According to a police report filed September 26, Lee Loder’s dog was The animal was chained up in a fenced-in area out of reach of shelter due to the chain being “wrapped and hooked on his neck,” according to the report, which added that the dog was soaked and shivering after two days of rain. Animal cruelty officer Dana Johnston, who investigated the case, called Birmingham-Jefferson County Animal Control, which impounded the dog until October 10, reported by Paul Clark, a carpenter working in the neighborhood. 

Clark described the dog, a 60-pound mixed breed named Stokely, as “skin and bones. I saw the condition of the dog. You had a chain that was so knotted up it was like a rigid bar. It wouldn’t even sag. For me that’s inexcusable . . . He had severely limited movement. I’d be surprised if he had more than a three or four foot radius that he could maneuver in . . . The dog’s ribs were sticking out and its eyes were sunk in. The dog was right at the point of starvation.” The police report confirmed that the dog appeared to be starving and was so emaciated that “all bony prominences [were] evident from a distance.”when it was released into the custody of Loder’s veterinarian, Dr. Jerome Williams (who will eventually return the dog to Loder). 
BCC Loder's dog Stokley when found
Williams examined the dog within 24 hours after impoundment. “I found the heart worms. I was told by the vet [at animal control] that she found intestinal worms and fleas.” Williams wrote in a letter regarding his observations to Judge Barnes, “Based on my personal observations of Stokely’s demeanor, his age, his vital indicators, his laboratory tests, and his medical history, I am of the opinion that the animal’s condition at the time of his impoundment was within acceptable normal range.” In an interview the day after the case’s dismissal, Williams described the dog as underweight when taken to animal control, but added that “skin and bones” was not a description that he would use, as the police report had.
Judge Barnes was later admonished and censured (with pay and a job) for his ruling.
Birmingham Municipal Judge David Barnes admitted Monday he violated judicial ethics when handling an animal cruelty case against City Council President Lee Loder.
The Court of the Judiciary is sued an order Monday of public censure against Barnes, accepting a plea agreement that Barnes submitted last week to avoid a hearing Wednesday on 21 charges of judicial ethics violations. Barnes accepted the public reprimand and is allowed to return to the bench immediately without loss of pay or benefits, said Charlie Waldrep, his attorney. Waldrep said the order against Barnes centered on his relationship with Loder professionally, as judge and council member. It did not cite him for a conflict based on their personal relationship as fraternity brothers who had known each other in that capacity for about six years, Waldrep said.
Other charges Barnes faced were dropped, including his refusing public access to Loder's case file, holding an improper hearing and dismissing the case against Loder without allowing the city to present arguments (2003 Birmingham News Record Number: 15220512)
Lee Loder was on the board of the Greater Birmingham Humane Society and never removed for his blatant cruelty to his dog.

The system fell apart at every level for Stokely. His tormentors never faced the charges they should have for what they did to him. It was a maddeningly frustrating case for many observers and no one has pressed Dr. Williams on the issue since.

For a veterinarian to say the things that Dr. Williams did about this poor dog, who had supposedly been under his care since 1996, he's either one of two things: damn near blind or he was protecting someone. Obviously it was not the dog, Stokley, which should have been his first priority as a veternerian.

Williams should do well in his new position with the notorious history of the Alabama A&M board. Clearly, given its glaring problems, men of honor and ethics need not apply. In fact, if you behave badly then all the better, you'll be rewarded as you move along your political way, courtesy of the goats at the top of Corruption Hill.

But William's is really pushing it starting controversy so early in his appointment based on his own past, and in our opinions, Dr. Williams has no business calling anyone a conspirator and untrustworthy.

Ironically, the page for William's practice, Red Mountain Animal Clinic, uses the slogan "Happy Trails." We bet Stokely might have a thing or two to say, if he could, about that nonsense.

This story is just another brick in the high wall of corruption that surrounds Alabama.

So Say We The Opinion Board Of The Vincent Alabama Confidential
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19 comments:

  1. What an absolutely disgusting excuse for an animal doctor and a human being!!!!
    I remember this case and all the talk was that it was one big coverup from start to finish.
    Typical that crook Riley would think of this monster in such high regard.

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  2. Riley knew about this because I personally (and 9 of my neighbors) sent letters to the governor's office when this appointment was on the radar. Not a single one of us got an acknowledgment from his office for our efforts.
    People stepped forward to adopt the dog, but Loder got him back for no good reason other than Judge Barnes and Loder were buds. And maybe because they wanted to keep the dog's real condition as much out of the public eye as possible.
    Alabama doesn't give a damn about its citizens, so why would we ever expect anyone in the machine to care about a dog?
    The longer I reside in this pit the more reasons I find to really hate this state!

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  3. Let us hope there is a special extra hot and miserable place in hell for all involved.

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  4. If this is how he treated his dog I would hate to see how he treats his own children.
    As for Dr. Williams, Riley knew what he was appointing and how many problems A&M has had for years. Same old same old still in charge.
    Sickening.

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  5. How many times do we see this happen over and over, get in trouble, caught red-handed, and slick your way out of it with a crooked judge who acts more as an enabler to wrong than an arbiter of justice?
    Would all the damn time about cover it?

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  6. Sounds to me like (bad) Dr. Williams is trying to lessen the hands that go into the pie of the millions available to the oversight of the board.

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  7. It breaks my heart to look at the picture of Stokely. His face says more than words about how miserable and unhappy he is, and has been for more than a little while. My Nana always said you could tell a lot about a person from the way they treated animals.
    You men are bastards for what you did to that defenseless animal!!!!

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  8. Lee Loder, a lawyer (typical) is one of those Alaska bound neighborhood leaders and has himself lined up with programs that make him look like a do-gooder.
    I don't see a do-gooder around here.
    I see a cruel man who deserved a hell of a lot more than he got.
    Dr. Williams lecturing anybody on ethics is the proverbial pot calling the kettle black. The Alabama A&M board has been mired in no-gooder for years now and the whole damn lot of them them should be banished!

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  9. Too many Riley appointees sitting on the board for any good to come from it. Their outlandish salaries match their egos and they'll only make certain A&M continues to be run into the hole. I don't think any of this is by accident on Riley's part, nothing ever is when it comes to him now is it?
    You almost have to wonder if Riley hasn't put certain people in place all over Alabama to have a steady flow of under the table money flowing to him.
    Loder is a real piece of work, I had not seen that story before. His choice of friends leaves a hell of a lot to be desired, almost as much as his attitude towards his dog.

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  10. Let's not let the Alabama senate off the hook either folks:
    MONTGOMERY - The Alabama Senate approved two of the four trustees that Gov. Bob Riley wanted to appoint for Alabama A&M University.

    Before wrapping up its special session early Thursday, the Senate approved Riley's selection of Birmingham veterinarian Jerome Williams and Chasidy Privett, the chairman of Action Technologies Defense Group in Huntsville.

    Stalling tactics blocked consideration of Riley's selection of Andre Taylor of Bessemer and Chris Robinson of Huntsville. Taylor is a retired vice president of Alabama Gas Corp. and Taylor is a strategic communications planner for the U.S. Army Materiel Command.

    Some senators said they didn't want to fill all four seats on the A&M board because they wanted Gov.-elect Robert Bentley to be able to make appointments when he takes office Jan. 17.

    Three were cleared out of the four eventually. Let's see what Boob Bentley does with this.

    A few years ago, $1.2 million went missing under the board, no one is in jail and no more about it. the money or the perps.

    Wonder where (and who) it went to?

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  11. It is not surprising that Riley appointed Williams -- birds of a feather. They all are.

    The only time it SEEMS political types look like they give a damn is 1) when they are on the campaign trail and 2) when they find themselves in hot water.

    They don't REALLY care about the people, or the children or the animals or the air we breathe or the water we drink. Nor do they care about the food, as bad as it is today, nor the deplorable condition of this State of Alabama.

    Thanks Max, for getting this information out to the public.

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  12. And if this animal cruelty was John Q Public, you know the penalties for animal cruelty are specific or are 'supposed' to be.

    The danger of allowing something like this to slide on by is the precedence it sets. Knowing the cunning manner in which Dr. Williams abused his authority as a veterinarian tells me more than I need to know about the character of this man. Not to mention the former governor, Loder and the whole lot of the assembly of those we refer to as the Legislature.

    They are the true sick puppies.

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  13. Williams would have lost the temporary appointment by Riley if he had not been confirmed during the special session in December. Who's in charge of the Senate Confirmation Committee?
    Why I do believe it's the Church of Christ, and the almighty dollar, spirits connoisseur senator Jabo Waggoner isn't it?
    Maybe his bible doesn't say anything about God's creatures and that they should be protected.

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  14. I'll tell you - this Williams character (or lack thereof) is just what they been needing over at A&M to complete their agenda.

    Sounds like the Rev. Bell has a load on his hands. He may need a little help on this one.

    Let's hope Williams has stepped in over his head and in too deep to dig his way out.

    Riley is gone....hahahaha.

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  15. Forget just vacating the A&M board, this whole dam state needs to be Cloroxed from top to bottom!!
    Every doggone day it's something else and how they got away with it thanks to crooked judges.
    Just today in the Mobile Press-Register:

    http://blog.al.com/live/2011/02/judge_rejects_prosecution_requ.html
    A Monroeville woman pleaded not guilty in Mobile last week to federal charges that she prepared fraudulent income tax returns and pocketed almost $600,000 in bogus refunds.

    U.S. Magistrate Judge William Cassady allowed Alice Mobley to remain free pending trial and denied a request by prosecutors to force her to stop running three tax preparation offices in Alabama. He called the proposed restriction an “unnecessary additional condition.”
    It's enough to drive you to drink. Maybe Jabo would loan me a little somethin' somethin' if I said I needed deliverance, like Pittman.

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  16. I used that clinic one time and never again! Overpriced and under serviced.
    Had I known this about Dr. Williams I would have never set foot in the place. I mentioned the incident with Loder to a neighbor who's lived here longer than I have, and she remembered it. She got upset just talking about it and did say it was a big deal with some of the community.
    He's a horrid man and should get out of the vet business.

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  17. i just came across this blog, and have just skimmed my way through it. i too am overwhelmed by the corruption in this state. i was the veterinarian that took care of lee loder's dog while he was at bjc animal control. we took very good care of him, treated for everything except heartworms. gave him "good luvin" whenever possible. he gained 15lbs or more while under our care. i also went to the hearing for this case as an expert witness and was not even asked to testify. the judge screamed at everybody especially the arresting officer for not following procedure. dismissed the case with prejudice which means no matter what the charges cannot be reinstated. it should have been clear to anyone from the photos that this dog was treated cruelly, and with intention.
    i think everyone is suspicious of bjc animal control. my website is being built to hopefully help provide information the public needs to know about bjc and what goes on there.
    i am writing in a section, "my story", about how i was attacked when i tried to open a small animal shelter on oporto madrid. i am sure we all know how desperately our abandoned animals need all the help they can get. but because i stood and always will stand up for the truth, corrupt individuals came after me in retaliation, including dana johnston, individuals associated with bjc, and who else i don't know. long story, but ended up in court. dana johnston and a city zoning official lied under oath in both their interrogatories (i have proof that will be set up on the website when i can get to it) and their depositions. my attorneys were too inept to pick up on the lies that were told. because of my health i had to give up the case. i never got any justice for what they did to me. i was very very sick, my life was absolutely destroyed, and because this area is so corrupt, i was afraid to turn to anyone because i didn't know whom i could trust to turn to for help.
    you can get in touch with me from the website.
    i dont live in birmingham anymore and i pray to God i never have to again.

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  18. DR. WOOLVERTON--

    Please contact us (email on the R sidebar) when you get your site up and running.

    We'd like to include it in our sites list.

    Thanks for what you do (and did) for Stokley,
    MAX & WINGER

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  19. I brought my cats to Dr. Williams in late 1970's, this was a mistake, the only one to survive was the one he didn't see, 4 out of 5, passed away, the one with cancer I could understand, but healthy 8 wk old siamese kitten, 2 year cat with mild case of pneumonia, and 6 month old cat with Hemobartonella he gave sm. doses of strychnine to, i now know this is not what you give a cat for this dz , no wonder this vet lies and gives false testimony, all this happened many years ago and I still at times get angry about the injustice done to my animals. By the way the kitten was there to be boarded while I was on vacation--when I returned he said it just died before they could do anything. Did it too go without food or water like Stokley????

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