Brown spanked over forest fire

Only Henry Brown would make the government spend $100,000 to try to get out of a $4,747 fine.

This congressman, who ranks number one in the U.S. House for sending free mail to constituents (a blatant misuse of office for campaign purposes) is the ultimate waster of government money, as outlined in this story by the Washington Post:

Congressman's Battle With Forest Service Extinguished
Cost of Dousing Fire That Spread From Brown's Farm Is Paid

By Christopher Lee
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 4, 2008; A17

A long-running battle between the U.S. Forest Service and a Republican congressman who set a runaway fire that damaged federal land has been settled, with a $4,747 hole burned in the lawmaker's pocket.

That's the amount Rep. Henry E. Brown Jr. (R-S.C.) paid the agency on April 20 to cover the cost of suppressing the March 5, 2004, blaze that jumped from his property to the adjacent Francis Marion National Forest, charring 20 acres. Brown previously had paid a $250 fine.

The payment extinguished a four-year dispute marked by allegations of political pressure, a failed counterclaim by Brown and threats by the agency to garnish his wages if he did not pay up.

"It's done," Allison Stewart, a Forest Service spokeswoman, said this week. "We charged him, and he paid. We just needed to compensate the taxpayers for the amount of money we spent."

Brown's spokeswoman confirmed that he paid the bill but did not respond to requests for further comment.

Jeff Ruch, executive director of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, a watchdog group that has tracked the case, said the government spent more than $100,000 in staff time to collect less than $5,000.

At issue was whether Brown, who had permission from the South Carolina Forestry Commission to conduct the burn on his Cordesville, S.C., tree farm, should be held liable for the firefighting costs after wind blew the flames into the adjacent national forest.

Although Brown maintained that he acted responsibly, a Forest Service investigation found him negligent for, among other reasons, having little more than water-filled garbage cans on the back of a pickup truck for fire control. The agency determined that, according to federal law and policy, Brown should be fined and pay the firefighting costs.

The congressman fought back -- hard.

In a March 2004 conference call, Brown, a member of the House Natural Resources Committee, told agency officials that Forest Service programs might need more scrutiny if they pursued the matter, according to a whistle-blower complaint filed that September by two Forest Service law enforcement officials.

Brown has denied threatening the Forest Service, saying he merely discussed the need for a change in federal statutes to give authorities more discretion to waive violations when no negligence is involved. He also has acknowledged discussing the enforcement policy that spring in a meeting with then-Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth and Mark E. Rey, undersecretary for natural resources and environment at the Department of Agriculture.

"I don't believe I broke a law or acted negligently," Brown said in September 2004. "Acting solely as a private citizen, I voiced this to authorities. I never intended to use my position to further my case."

After the whistle-blower complaint was filed, Forest Service officials canceled earlier internal directives to "take no action" and announced that Brown would be sent a violation notice.

Brown kept fighting. In January 2005, three days after he received a bill from the Forest Service for $4,747, he demanded that the agency pay him $9,040 for a fire on federal land that spread to his property in 1989. The agency denied the claim, saying the two-year statute of limitations had run out.

On March 12, the Forest Service sent Brown an overdue notice demanding payment of $5,773.03, including interest and penalties, within 30 days. It warned that the debt could be referred to a private collection agency and that Brown's wages might be garnished. On April 9, however, the Forest Service sent another letter agreeing to waive more than $1,000 in penalties and interest, leaving the final bill at $4,747.18.

Brown scored a small victory. After discussions with the lawmaker, the Forest Service modified its regulations last month to make it more difficult for the government to seek criminal penalties against violators who allow fires to burn out of control onto federal land. Now the government must show criminal negligence on the part of the landowner, the same standard that landowners must show when prescribed burns on federal property jump to their land.

Ruch, head of the watchdog group, maintained that "Representative Brown got more than kid-glove treatment in this case. He was handled with asbestos mittens by a Forest Service petrified of enraging its political bosses. . . . Only repeated threats of exposure have kept even anemic enforcement against Representative Brown moving."

Stewart, the Forest Service spokeswoman, said the case was handled like any other. The agency has 321 similar open cases, she said, including 94 that predate Brown's.

"We just want to make sure that these sorts of actions are done safely and that the taxpayers of America don't get stuck" with the bill, she said.

Henry's dumb quotes

We thought you might enjoy seeing some of the dumber things Henry Brown has said over the years:

2002: Henry Brown works with Christian Coalition to curb free speech

"As usual, Henry Brown did not disappoint The Eye’s below-low expectations of his leadership and intellectual capabilities."

-- Charleston City Paper, 7/24/02, on a plan by Brown to curb free speech. More.

2002: Henry Brown is a pawn of the Republican Party, fellow GOPer says

"Henry is from the old school of `politics as usual' that just doesn't work today. He holds himself above scrutiny and is afraid to come out and debate the issues. He admits to letting others dictate his votes...All he does is follow along with what the Republican leadership wants him to do."

- - Republican Bob Batchelder in The State, 5/25/02. More.

2001: Henry Brown colludes with Christian Coalition to get more far right-wing candidates

"[Brown] said he hopes the [Christian Coaliton] under Combs sticks to its mission of recruiting candidates who are heavily focused on family values.

-- The Post and Courier, Dec. 6, 2001. More.

2001: Henry Brown wants to build more nuclear power plants -- in South Carolina

"My amendment didn't name the Savannah River Site, but I hope the study will explore the possibility of using it for nuclear power plants."

-- Henry Brown, Aug. 24, 2001. More.

2001: Brown says environmentalists are wrong about Cape Romain.

"I don't know that there's any scientific evidence that warrants further protections at Cape Romain."

-- Henry Brown, responding to a Feb. 8 story in which the National Audobon Society said Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge was one of the 10 most threatened refuges in the country. Also in the story, Brown implied Audobon members were "extreme environmentalists." Source: The Post and Courier, 2/8/01

2001: Brown admits he'll be a sheep to Republican leaders.

"I think that I'm a team player. Unless it's completely contrary to my line of thinking, I won't go against the leadership."

-- Henry Brown after being sworn in on Jan. 3, 2001. Source: The Post and Courier, 1/4/01

2001: Brown admits he won't be a leader in Congress.

"I'm not one for controversy. I'm not a power player, and I don't believe in running roughshod over somebody just because you've got the leverage to do so."

-- Henry Brown after being sworn in on Jan. 3, 2001. Source: The Post and Courier, 1/4/01

2000: Henry Brown admires a convicted campaign finance violator.

"I've got a lot of respect for Rod [Shealy]. He has a lot of political savvy."

-- Brown on campaign consultant Rod Shealy, who was convicted in 1990 of state campaign finance violations. Source: The Post and Courier, Feb. 26, 2000.

2000: Henry Brown doesn't understand basic worker rights.

"I'm confused as to why we need a minimum wage."

-- Henry Brown proved he was out of the mainstream when he questioned a fundamental business basic -- a minimum wage to ensure hardworking Americans have a working wage and are not exploited. Earlier in the month, Brown told members of the Charleston Pilots Association that he thought "the minimum wage ought to be market driven." Perhaps Mr. Brown believes plantation days should return. Source: AARP candidate forum, North Charleston, S.C., 10/6/00

2000: Henry Brown highlights his understanding of education.

"I don't understand how I could be said to be anti-education when the College of Charleston named a building after me."

-- Henry Brown. Huh? Note: The building, only temporarily named after Brown, was torn down shortly after the election. Source: The Post and Courier, Fall 2000.

Labels: quotes

Brown ducks debates again

Six years ago, Henry Brown had to be guilted into debating opponent Andy Brack in their bids to be the congressman from the First Congressional District of South Carolina. When Brown wouldn't debate, he sent painted brown rubber ducks marked "Brown" to reporters as a way to highlight how Brown was shirking his responsibility to face the public.

Now Brown is back at it, full of arrogance, secrecy and self-importance. And surprisingly, he's defending his fright for not appearing on a statewide debate tonight on SCETV. Through a spokesman, he's using the excuse that he won't appear unless other partys' candidates also appear.

This is hogwash. Shame on you Henry Brown. But who's surprised at the shenanigans of the most useless congressman in Washington.

While Henry Brown says he isn't ducking debates -- if it walks, talks and sounds like a debate duck, it's a duck.

OilBoy Brown isn't pro-environment

If you glance at today's op-ed in The (Charleston, S.C.) Post and Courier by Congressman Henry "OilBoy" Brown, you might be snookered into thinking he's an environmentalist. He says things like "we need to consider alternative energy sources" and "we must examine alternative sources that will wean us from dependency on foreign oil."

Don't let this stammering politician hoodwink you. When he says "alternative sources," he means:

• Drilling in the pristine Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which would destroy the nation's commitment to leave the area wild. In other words, Henry Brown supports breaking promises.
  
  
• Conducting offshore drilling off the South Carolina coast, a practice that could lead to environmental degradation, more pollution and loss of billions of dollars of South Carolina tourist dollars. In other words, Henry Brown supports weakening South Carolina just to appease big oil companies.

Not only does Henry Brown NOT support the environment, remember: he's the guy who burned down part of the Francis Marion National Forest.

Brown: Oil's boy tries to stick it to SC

Let's hope voters clearly see how the local environmental nightmare, Rep. Henry Brown, wants to stick it to South Carolinians by pushing offshore oil drilling.

According to an editorial in the Myrtle Beach Sun News, he may have created a real campaign issue for himself this year that will lead to his ouster:

As we have noted before, the prospect that gas and oil rigs one day could set up off the S.C. coast is daunting. Though any drilling would take place far out to sea, the potential for oil spills that reach shore would come into being. A good case can be made that our federal representatives should do nothing to jeopardize the state's attractiveness to tourists or to harm fragile beaches and marshes.

Henry Brown has been the leadership equivalent of the Exxon Valdez for South Carolina in his six years in the U.S. House. Let's hope voters will clean up his legacy by sending him home in November.

Brown and stealth pollutution?

The Charleston City Paper's Will Moredock offers a hard-hitting column against our challenged Congressman, Henry Brown, by suggesting he is aiding and abetting polluters of various ilk. He chastises Brown for encouraging drilling of oil off the South Carolina coast in his April 12 column:

"The oil and gas industries and their allies are working night and day — and very undercover — to lift this moratorium and open our coast to oil and gas exploration. And in doing so, they could be aided and abetted by none other than Charleston's own 1st District Congressman, Henry Brown (R-S.C.).

"As Brown told the Chicago Tribune last October, "If [oil and gas drilling] is OK for Alabama, Louisiana, and Texas, it should be OK for other states ... We are in an energy crisis and we should do everything we can to become more energy-independent — including offshore drilling."

"Curiously, he did not say that to any local media."

What in the world is poor Henry thinking? (Or is that an oxymoron?)