I’m finally learning something about writing blogs, one should try to hold blog to a length the will hold the attention span of the reader. Therefore, this chapter will be much shorter and simply comments and a copy of a letter e-mail to the Arizona American Legion. Sean Collins has started pacing signs on to his campaign signs that simply “Military Hero”. It is a misleading and incorrect statement that leads one to believe that he was actually a military hero. In truth he was given the local award by the local Red Cross for pulling someone out of a wrecked car. Because he was in the military at the time they classified him as a military hero (local). Now he is trying to use it to mislead the general public.

Attached is the letter I sent to the American Legion, the next letter goes to the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Remember this when you go to the polls to vote.

Mailed to American Legion on 8/19

To whom it may concern:

Pima County has a candidate for Board of Supervisors, District 4, by the name of Sean Collins. He has made it a very large issue in his campaign and on his website that he was the “Military Hero of the Year”. Initially, that was his posted statement until I challenged him on it. Now he has changed it to read “Southern Arizona Red Cross Military Hero of the Year!”  When you drive through Tucson you will see Sean Collins election signs that have a large yellow sticker attached that says “Military Hero”.  I still find this very misleading to the general public.

This is a very personal issue to me: that a man would attempt to use a civilian award as a misleading comment, making one think he was a military hero

I am requesting that the Arizona American Legion governing body contact Sean Collins and express displeasure with his statement used in this campaign. It makes it appear from an initial reading that Sean Collins was a military combat hero.

I am also requesting that a letter be generated to all of the American Legion Posts in Pima County relating your decision in response to this complaint. I am sure there are many folks at the VA hospitals who would agree with me. At the moment I am attempting to obtain the e-mail address of the commanders of the Pima County, Arizona posts in an attempt to send my complaint to them. I am requesting that you do the same. I appreciate your attention in this matter.

Yours truly,

Robert Harris

member American Legion Post 109

I once made a comment concerning what was going to happen when citizens opposed the proposed open pit copper mine in the Santa Rita Mountains and the Coronado National Forest. Copper Companies, for decades, have been known for their dirty and rough tactics. Remember the strike of 1983 with Phelps Dodge? It was my first learning experience of how copper companies work the media.

Four years ago at  Patagonia during a Forest Service Meeting with the public and representatives of Rosemont copper at least five law enforcement agencies were dispatched in response to a “man down” call. A dispatch that was erroneous to use the kindest word possible. Border patrol agents showed up with fully automatic weapons, a sheriffs deputy arrived with a attack dog, forest service law enforcement agents, municipal Marshall and others that I cannot recall the names of just right at the moment. I would research it and give you more information but right at the minute time is too valuable. In addition to that my blood pressure is soaring concerning a story being released concerning candidate, Sean Collins. A candidate for district 4 Board of Supervisors and a candidate that I find in my research that has a more than a few problems.

I am researching the complaint and there are some truly interesting facts concerning it. I just got off the phone with the sheriffs department trying to verify that a call had been made by the Collins camp concerning the incident. On his website he “suggested” that anyone with information about the incident should call the sheriffs department.

Mr. Collins, I have some information about the incident, the timestamp on your camera seems to be pointing to a different day than when you say it occurred. The timestamp shows to be

01  03             08 31 30.

The number 30 is an incremental (second display). You can see it increment in the short video.

Personally, if I were interested enough to play detective and plant a camera to catch the so-called “vandals” I would ensure that it had the correct date and time on it. I have a tendency to believe that this is a made-up incident trying to gain sympathy for a losing campaign. At the moment I’m working on editing and clarifying the image of the so-called vandal and when I get it more recognizable I will post it. Perhaps we really will find out who the person is.

The information I have available right at the moment concerning an  individual who was running around town distributing copies of this “scandalous activity” is none other than Randy Graf. The man who is a paid employee of Rosemont copper, or at least a paid consultant, and happens to also be one of your staff members helping you on your campaign. Isn’t that just so sweet of Rosemont copper to help out. Sean Collins claims this incident occurred at mile 47.5 on Highway 83.  Is it possible that this video was furnished by Rosemont Corporation? Is it possible that it was done in advance, in preparation for using it another day? I am not “saying” that it was but what I will say is the timing seems to be perfect. To repeat again, my information for the sheriffs department is they should look at the timestamp that is registered in the lower right-hand corner.

Mr. Collins, if you want to truly help catch the so-called perpetrators furnish me with a complete copy of the video file and I will find you more information. That is, if you really do want more information about it. So far, in addition to the fact the  timestamp is wrong, I believe it was more than one individual in the pickup, a pickup which has an extended cab and equipment in the back of it that I’m trying to ascertain more information on.

The following excerpt is from Mr. Collins website. I’m sure he would like for me to tell all of you individuals in Tucson and the surrounding communities how his property is vandalized. Personally Mr. Collins. I really don’t believe it. Perhaps others will.

Quote

SMILE, YOU’RE ON THE COLLINS CAMERA

Tucson, AZ – August 3, 2012. On August 1st at approximately 10:00pm —at MP 47 ½ on State Route 83— footage was taken of an unidentified male removing a “Sean Collins for District 4 Supervisor” sign which was captured on the attached video. The Collins 4 Supervisor Campaign is issuing a $500.00 reward for any information that leads to the identification, arrest and conviction of the person responsible.

Sean Collins made the following statement: “A fair election process is one of our fundamental rights as a US Citizen. I am releasing this video with the full intention of prosecuting this person to the fullest extent the law allows.”.

End Quote

Chapter 3 of the convoluted story concerning Rosemont Copper Corporation and their attempt to manipulate Elections.

I have researched Mr. Sean Collins and found  a background with discrepancies in relation to the comments he  makes during his campaign. The largest plank in his platform is there is too much government spending and too many government handout programs. He complains that five of the biggest six employers in Pima County are government entities and there are too many federal handouts and programs giving money to the citizens.

His website has changed lately, but something is still on  that bears note:

Quote from website

Sean Collins, a Vail businessman and “2000 recipient of the Military Hero of the Year Award”, is challenging 15 year incumbent, Ray Carroll, in the Republican primary election on August 28th.

Quote ends

Military hero of the year award, how can one get much better than that?

The first time I read that, it gave the impression that I was researching the background of a man who must’ve charged a machine-gun emplacement with a grenade in each hand. Then I found out that the military hero of the year award 2000, was given by the local Red Cross for pulling a woman from a wrecked car. I checked the latest hero awards for 2012 and one of them was for a lady who rescued someone because they were choking on their dentures. Mr. Collins changed his website and if you continue to read, you will find that it says that the award, Mr. Collins received was by the local Red Cross. I do find the statement somewhat self-serving and misleading. As a matter of fact I found it downright deceptive!
I had a communication with Mr. Collins and asked him several questions:
1     Did you retire from the United States Air Force and now have government retirement?
2    Did you file bankruptcy?
3    Did you go over budget on your Dairy Queen?
4    Did you take a special loan from the United States government for veterans?
5    Did your Dairy Queen cost approximately $600,000?
6    Are you taking donations from Rosemont copper?

The answer to all  of the questions is yes. This seems a rather strange background for someone who claims to be fiscally conservative, and concerned about the people in district four. An individual who has trouble running a Dairy Queen does not seem to be fiscally conservative enough to be involved with tthe $1.2 billion budget of Pima County. Mr. Collins  expounds upon the excessive government and excessive government spending. He promises to curb the spending, reduce the budget and  ensure  we have plenty of water.

Well, the facts sometimes are a little different than the promises. He complains about Davis Monthan and all the government employers in Pima County. He retired from the military at Davis Monthan Air Force Base, the base which he says is carrying too much of our employment.

When he went over budget on his ice cream parlor (Dairy Queen),the only thing that saved him was a special Federal Government Loan program that covered loans that were high risk and lower interest rate. Ah yes, he was the first one in Pima County to get that type of loan.

He filed bankruptcy, blaming it on his first wife. He divorced her and remarried.

He is now working at Fort Huachuca military base on a government project and contract.

He is taking contributions from Rosemont copper for his campaign,  yet I don’t know of any meeting that he  had with the opposition to the mine. Many of his desired constituents are very much against the proposed open pit copper mine in the Coronado National Forest.

I have repeatedly asked Mr. Collins for an interview and have been ignored. I suppose I must fall back on the age-old journalism response of, “we offered him an interview and he did not respond.” Perhaps everyone does not find this behavior unusual for a politician but I find it unusual for someone who wants to be my representative. So for a man that derides the federal government and its programs, he does seem to utilize many of them.

On Mr.  Collins website, collins4supervisor.com, there is a paragraph related to an organization named “Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities” (TREO). The following is an excerpt from that web site.

Quote from the Collins website

The economic development organization of the area, Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities (TREO), is primarily funded by the City of Tucson and Pima County. Since TREO’s funding is primarily through these government entities and the County opposes the Rosemont Copper project, they are unable to support Rosemont Copper and the $700 million in economic development the operation will bring to Pima County.

End of quote

Reading the paragraph would lead one to believe that (TREO) feels they must knuckle under and kneel before the County Board of Supervisors, so they will not lose their financing when in actuality the paragraph is a contrived and untrue statement. The organization is a public and privately funded organization. Their policy is they do not “endorse” any specific project. They receive 58% of their money from private donations and 42% from various public organizations. Stressing the word various, Pima County contributes only 18% of their finances.

Mr. Collins almost makes you believe that the organization (TREO) is ineffective primarily due to a cut in funding. Nothing could be further from the truth. The following are some of the accomplishments of TREO for the year.

Metrics                                  one year 7/11 – 6/30/12

total new direct and

indirect job supported      2,964

capital investment             $63.7 million

total economic impact      $350.7 million

number of companies       15 companies

national earned media      3.5 million

These are hard facts, not half true one-sided campaign statements. Mr. Collins should be regretful for his statement concerning such a a hard-working organization.

Another comment from Mr. Collins website is the following:

Quote from Website

Add to this the recent report that Arizona has the second highest average sales tax rate in the nation and it is easy to see why it is too expensive to do business here in Pima County.

End of  quote

Actually, this is an untrue statement as it’s only half true. Arizona is number nine in the nation concerning sales tax, not the second. The following charts will illustrate total tax in Pima County. It can be agreed that the tax is higher than the average citizen would like it to be but what is misleading is to use the term Pima County. Actually Pima County’s tax rate is quite low concerning the sales tax.

Pima County, state and local retail sales tax.

State       County      Tucson      total rate

6.60        .50               2.0        9.1 %

Maricopa County

state       County      Tempe       total rate

6.60        .70                2.0         9.3%

Santa Cruz County

state       County      Patagonia   total rate

6.60        1.00             3.0        10.600%

Tucson as an example, has a combined total rate of 9.1% of which only .5% is County tax. Mr. Collins has grandiose statements concerning balancing the budget, one wonders what he intends to change about the sales tax to accomplish that

Quote from campaign website

Learn more about my involvement with the Vail Community Action Board

VCAB Statement

I have been asked a few times about my participation in the VCAB

(Vail Community Action Board)

and I would like to clear up any misconceptions regarding my membership.

After I saved a pregnant woman from a catastrophic accident, I hurt my back, requiring surgery and physical therapy. The physical therapy and recovery time from this surgery prevented me from being able to attend the requisite number of meetings as required in the by-laws of the organization. As a result of these missed meeting, I was not able to sustain my membership but was told, once ready I could return to being a full time member. The VCAB is very important to me and I look forward to returning as mutually agreed at some point in the future.

End of  quote

Now for the analyzing of the statement; this incident occurred, as far as I can research, in the year 2000. When he pulled a woman from the wrecked car the local Red Cross and I stress the word local, awarded him Military Hero of the Year 2000. The reason being military hero, is he happened to be in the military at the time working in the weather department.

The surgery and physical therapy, as far as I can tell and research, since Sean Collins will not give me an interview, occurred last year. Over a decade after the incident he has to have surgery and therapy. Not to make light of it but I would’ve understood it better if it had occurred closer to the time period.

Now we get to the Vail Community Action Board: Mr. Collins only attended two or three meetings, and he was told that he would have to reapply for membership, but it was not the guaranteed return that he tries to imply. He failed to attend the meetings and he failed to perform his duties. The bylaws of the Vail Community Action Board are quite specific about missed meetings, either excused or not.

There are times when writing a blog concerning politics that the subject matter is so convoluted and the incident so involved that one particular subject  will take several articles. The race concerning District 4 of the County Board of Supervisors is just such a subject. For today’s section we’re going to take up the subject concerning the local news and a particular Corporation, which locally goes by the name of Rosemont copper Corporation and Supervisor Ray Carroll and  newcomer Sean Collins.

There are always two sides to a coin, two interpretations of any subject, two views on any information. So today, we restrict ourselves to a video that was furnished to Sean Collins  which he has placed on his Facebook account. The video was furnished by Jeff Parker with the comment of, ” Thank you Sean, for standing up for the small business people in Pima County by throwing your hat in the ring. It seems we’re just too small for Mr. Carroll to concern himself with.” This video was produced during a “ROAST” of Rosemont Copper Corporation.

As a contributing factor to the description of Rosemont copper and the news agencies of Tucson, one must also take into account the incident where Rod Pace and Dan Ryan claimed that Rosemont copper Corporation was the number two tourist attraction in the state of Arizona. They bought television time to broadcast that exaggerated, ridiculous, asinine comment and as far as I can determine no legitimate news agency called them on the lie. This fact is easy to corroborate, I believe there still may be a copy of the video link on the Rosemont website. Of course after this article they may take it down. So when Supervisor Carroll talks about the news agencies selling out for the dollar then there appears to be a legitimate point. In the flyer for the event on May 21, 2010, there was a comment of “Poke Fun at Rosemont Copper’s Misleading Marketing” and I repeat “It was a roast.”

The individual who furnished the video, Jeff Parker, is that the same Jeff Parker that is , Director of Community and Environmental Affairs for BHP Billiton ? If so I wonder how he describes BHP as a “small company”? It is extremely difficult to find out information of who posts on Facebook, YouTube, or newspaper article comments. I am still striving to find out if Jeff Parker is the Jeff Parker of BHP Billiton. If so it would appear the copper companies are starting to cooperate in an attempt to intimidate our County Supervisor. For those who do not know BHP is an Australian company, and Rosemont copper Corporation is 100% owned by a Canadian company.

Stay tuned for the continuing saga of District 4, Arizona, Pima County and Rosemont Copper

January 14 was the last open meeting with the forest service concerning the draft EIS for the proposed open pit copper mine in the Coronado National Forest in the Santa Rita mountains. The number attending and participating in the discussion would be estimated to be between four and 500 people.

Rosemont supporters heckle Mr. Barber

Many of those in attendance supporting the Rosemont copper mine demonstrated a rudeness to a level unprecedented in any other meeting concerning the mine. It would have been bad enough if that rudeness had been directed to someone who deserved it but instead the rudeness was directed to Ron Barber, representative of our federal Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and a gentleman who was became well-known for his attempts to foster civility in politics. January 15 he was honored for his family’s creation of the fund for Civility, Respect, and Understanding which made the occurrence of January 14 a perfect example of what he is fighting against.

To those who booed, harassed and heckled I give to you a platform for your shame and I leave to Mr. Barber your forgiveness because I will not. You were heckling not simply a member of the audience but you were heckling a representative of a federal congresswoman who sent him to read her statement as she was probably simply unable to. She and Mr. Barber were injured doing what few politicians today have the courage to do, to meet and interact with their constituents. For doing that they almost lost her lived. I am unable to understand or comprehend in any manner the level of stress that the Rosemont supporters placed on Mr. Barber with their heckling, screaming and total disrespect.

I listened as many of you, supporters of Rosemont, bragged on how many years you have lived in Arizona or how many generations of your forebears have lived in Arizona. For that I am ashamed that none of you had parents that to achieve decency, kindness and social graces. We may disagree but neither of us have the right to behave as you did Saturday.

To those of you who are interested I am attaching a 7 min. video, audio showing the disrespect. Perhaps many of you seeing yourself or listening to yourself as you screamed while Mr. Barber tried to deliver congresswoman Giffords statement can show it to your friends, neighbors and family and show them how proud they can be of your behavior, personality I found abusing, childish and totally past the limit.

I also believe, that like children, when you bring someone to a party and they misbehave you are responsible for their apology. I hold Rosemont copper to the same standards as I would hold a parent who does not control their children therefore it makes sense, at least to me, the Rosemont publicly apologize for those that they invited to attend.