air america "scandal" is all-air, america

This so-called Air America "scandal" is as thin as sin's little sister, and even uglier. Expect this to go the way of like "Jeff Gannon" and MSM coverage of Rush Limbaugh's public flatulance.

Here's the text of Air America's press release.

If the allegations of mismanagement and corruption at Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club are true, it is absolutely disgraceful.

As reported in the Wall Street Journal and the HBO Documentary, Left of the Dial‚ the company that the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club officials gave money to, Progress Media, has been defunct since May 2004.  That company was run at the time by Evan Cohen who has not had any involvement in Air America Radio since May 2004.

The current owners of Air America Radio have no obligation to Progress Media‚s business activities.  We are very disturbed that Air America Radio's good name could be associated with a reduction in services for young people, which is why we agreed months ago to fully compensate the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club as a result of this transaction.

We at Air America Radio strongly believe in the mission of Boys and Girls Clubs to provide a safe and nurturing place for young people to learn and grow. As a result, we recently allowed the same club, Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club, to use our name in a fundraising effort for a summer camp for children in their community.

The funding for Camp Air America was raised and collected entirely by the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club, and Air America promoted the camp on air and urged support for it. A link on our web site sent those interested in contributing to the camp to the Gloria Wise web site. Regrettably, the camp did not survive the closure of the Gloria Wise organization. We have offered any individuals who contributed to the camp as a result of Air America's promotion the option of a refund paid for by Air America Radio and the Club offered the alternative option of having their donation redirected to Kip's Bay Boys and Girls Club.

Comments

[seybernetx]

Who on earth wrote this press release? The release starts off "If the allegations of mismanagement and corruption ... are true". Then a couple paragraphs later we see "we agreed months ago to fully compensate the Gloria Wise Boys & Girls Club as a result of this transaction".

I guess Air America is saying they don't really know if the got the money or not, but they're returning it anyway.

At a minimum, this makes Air look confused and disorganized.

[Michael B.]

Mainstream Media Breakthrough:

The first major non-blogosphere mention of the brewing Air America Scandal
(Stealmoneyfrompoorkidsgate) debuted today at the right-leaning Washington Times. Check out their op-ed entitled "Robin Hood and Air America" at http://washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20050728-081354-1414r.htm

or www.washingtontimes.com and click through to the Op-Ed page.

[Michael B.]

Oh my God! Not only did the Boys & Girls Club divert $480,000 tax dollars to Air America, they even named a camp after them!! I am not kidding, check it out at http://www.gloriawise.org/campexp.html

This whole thing smells worse than a South Seattle Beach!

[Josh]

Michael B. I checked it out and it's true, the Boys & Girls club named a camp after Air America. It's called...wait for it....."The Air America Experience"

I wonder if the counselors go through the kid's pockets at night stealing change for the Air America coffers.

How do you AAR supporters sleep at night, stealing money from children no less! Tsk, Tsk.

[Michael B.]

Hey Blathering Michael: Even Air America acknowledges that they need to pay back the taxpayer money they "misapropriated" from the Boys & Girls Club and a Senior Citizens Alzheimers Program. Your utopian, pure wonderchild broadcaster has been paying AL Franken, Jenaene Gerafaolo et al with money meant for innter city children. At this stage this is hardly arguable.

What I am waiting for is the nasty, sarcastic yet witty article (think Limbaugh on drugs or Siegel in France, Or Lapin and the Bingo Baron) on the Air America Scandal. Let me help you. While writing the article pretend it's KVI, that will help your creative juices flow as you try to find just the right level of smarminess (is that a word?).

Oh, I need to sneeze Ah, Ah, Ah-hypocrites!

[blathering michael]

We've been through this before, dude, and it hurts my feelings that I have to do this again and again with you. You know I wouldn't lie to you and you know I call spades spades, left or right, if the owners of AAR were culpable, I'd call it out sarcastic, witty and nasty as you like it. I do not believe there's any there there. Time will tell...

[dualdiagnosis]

Why is the first reaction- ThisisabigfartlikeRush?

Instead of a rush to judgement, how about some actual reporting, or making a call to air america?

The credibility (ha) of sites like kos,du,atrios, etc. is measured in how quickly they seem to circle the wagons instead of real interest in truth telling.

[PeakLimiter]

Now we have potential wire fraud, forgery, and fraud by deception, and probably a host of other potential charges against Mr. Cohen for his actions with Gloria Wise and Air America. Ms. Graves also tells the New York Sun that AA has agreed to pay back $800K over the next two years, not just the $480K originally noted by the Bronx News. Fortunately, Gloria Wise remained solvent, despite the wording in Piquant Media's earlier statements which tended to suggest otherwise.
Clearly, though, AA did not pay a dime back before this investigation broke open. Nor did they agree to pay back the illegal transfers immediately, which again underscores their fragile economic status. They still have to meet that payroll, including that of their stars, who apparently don't mind taking their money ahead of what's owed to the poor kids, elderly, and Alzheimers patients served by Gloria Wise...

...Air America had better get out in front of this, and its supporters should stop blaming the blogs for AA's miscreancy and demand that AA resolve the issue forthwith. Two years of dragging out payments for stolen money means two years and more of albatross-dragging for an enterprise that cannot afford any more baggage than it already has.