Who Are These Masked Men?

Once again, let's welcome Ron Marshall of the New Grady Coalition for a guest post. A battle continues to loom over funding for Grady and also whether or not Grady's board should be allowed to become privatized. Ron's views largely echo those of mine on that plan. Here is the piece...

victorious in having an invisible entity get all of the votes it needed to control the second largest employer in the state of Georgia. Not even knowing the legality of this deal.

Not even a peep of opposition from the media on how this just keeps moving forward without public input or participation from any public entity. Why hasn’t the media itself tried to find the pros and cons of such a deal? I have been hustled before but it usually happens in a dark alley or on a pool table. This is happening live on every channel and in every newspaper, but no reporter can identify the masked team that will create this $300 million miracle.

If the state representatives don’t stop this parade down a dead end alley and immediately hold hearings while they are in session, then we must demand the federal government step in and get some answers or get to the bottom of this mystery deal and shine the light on the players and who plans to benefit from this hush-hush deal. I have little faith in what I am seeing! Again the only thing I trust is time. The majority of our state leaders have hovered over this show for more than a year and have yet to act with much concern or conviction. I remember when the Indians were told don’t worry we will take good care of all of you.

The media exist to unmask masked men, get to the truth, even if they might be the potential big-time donors. How does the public know who is under the mask? How does the public know if the masked donor is wonderful or merely a commerce cattle rustler? Could somebody on the Commerce board be trying to conduct commerce? Would businessmen ever try to make a buck while conducting business?

I'm part Cherokee Indian, and we learned early on that even if it is voted on or signed you can’t trust it. I really get worried when some other members of this same board leave do to personal interest and quietly ride off into the sunset.

Trusting Strangers with Millions is how the Indians lost this country
Even Tonto learned not to turn over his home to an unknown man who says "trust me. Give me the deed to all your land, and I'll give you millions of dollars". We have to know who we are dealing with, conduct due diligence, see if all parties can deliver. We need to see the proposed treaty, examine it, and make sure it can't be changed. Will the Great fathers in the Commerce Committee keep their word? Or will Georgians end back on a trail of tears?

In the business captains we trust. Everyone else has to show facts. The media is asking Atlanta to just "trust us," that money is coming. I suggest people may want to turn to their church, but not their newspapers or other media, when it comes to matters of faith.

I don't mean to be cynical. This is going even farther than the Indian deal. The Indians believed in the blank contract. Someone is going to end up with a Billion dollar public asset (Grady Hospital) in property, but no one has even offered us any trinkets! At least the Indians got liquor as they were lied to. All we hear about is a blank piece of paper. All we get out of this is a coke and a smile.

When will the media start being that independent and incorruptible check on the power of both the elites and the power of government? Until printed claims without any proof can be, the public can't have any confidence in either their media or their government. We witnessed the history of your claims.

Where is the JCAHO report? Did the Hamburgler take it?
The most astonishing failure to report is the media's failure to obtain the JCAHO report that declares medical care at Grady substandard. Why does the media and the state not use its investigative powers to get to the bottom of the real story? If these two entities fail we must bring in the feds. Why is there a failure from the media to report on many federal and state investigations of Grady that have all come to the same conclusion? Why is the media fixated on creating the private board, when the real story is the lack of adequate care and employee protection at the $700 Million a year Grady Hospital< /st1:PlaceType>?

Grady is like the damsel in distress tied to the railroad tracks. Yet, the masked man claims he can do nothing until the train is run by a private board! Worse, the masked man is demanding to marry the damsel before he unties her!

Is there a conflict here?

To the newly self-appointed Grady CEO, Pam Stevenson, what a bold move. Stevenson claims she is the new Marshal at Grady and she sees no conflict of interest, we don't know if she is working with the men in the black hats or the white hats. We do know that this new Marshal refuses to obey Open records laws. The New Grady coalition wants to get to the facts, but we don't have the resources of the media. We need a posse. State, feds please help us.

The people of Georgia count on the investigators of the media to get to the truth, and not to parrot empty promises of magic money. If the media has reservation about exposing the masked team than the state must step up and show why they were voted on to represent and serve the citizens of this state. Everyone knows there is no such thing as a free lunch.

Whoever the media thinks it’s going to poney up the astounding amount of $300 Million needs to be named. Whoever is going to give that money is expecting something. What?