Hyya Sam
Ya mentioned "The good news is that by the time,if he ever gets there,Crist makes it to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue,Mel's advancing age and failing health(i.e. Penis Pump)will keep him from ever reaping the fruits of such a labor."---Getting (Sembler) his boy (Crist) to "1600 Pennsylvania" may very well be Semblers last Hoo-Rah. And your right he may not live to reap the benifits of getting "just one more" into the white house.
Yet two words creep into my mind in this regard 1) Legacy 2) Dynasty. For the most part he has this wrapped up. And I also tend to think he has been "reaping the fruits" for over a quarter of a century. Credit where credit is due, Sembler has made a huge name for himself in properties, strip centers/malls, stand alone buildings that always seem to be rented by the big boys in the Retail industry, Banking industry and Drug Stores (CVS, Walgreens and the like). Sembler has made such a name for himself that local Commercial Realitors think of him with God like reverence. Ok fair enuff, he made a name for himself in commercial properties.
But his and her (Betty's) thirst for power do not, and has not ended there. I needn't go into the mearly obvious sideline interests that evoke such rage in so many of us that have paid with our youth and adolescence. Perhaps if Mel woulda stuck to his vocation and ran his company and minded his own buisiness, hell sponsor a little league baseball team, or anything along those lines. Maybe then he would have a level of respect and who knows, a little of admoration from the community. Now, the public at large see him as a mogul and a cold hearted one at that. Recall the massive speaker that fell on a toddler while on one of his properties. At first, probably because of demands from the media and the general public, he or the "Sembler Corporation" agreed to take care of the childs health care bills. The childs family learned months latter (around x-mas time) that the Sembler Corporation had rescended it offer to take care of the expences. On or about x-mas day the family had to be evicted from thier home and the community jumped in to assist the family in finding adequate housing and care for the child. This did not sit well with the community at large. The Sembler Corporation now has a stain on it's reputation (as if it didn't already) within the community.
Yeah, my parents got sucked into the whole Betty Sembler pitch regarding her perfect son, Brent. Adoringly the parents eyes looked to the seemingly peacefull family, the handsome young son, proud father, loving/careing (gag) mother. And of course this was the Holy Grail for parents of that time period, amidst all the turmoil and paranoia of the 70's. And of course Ms.Pete was in a state of euporia with type of "unsolicited endorsement"...but come on, that was such a staged event and a regularly staged event. If it were not the royal Sembler family, it was the Case family and if all else failed Ms. Pete would "tell her story"about her heroin addicted daughter. In hind sight it had all the makings of a southern baptist revival meeting for the parents. These in-house promotions whipped the parents up into a frenzy. I recall scores of newbie parents being escorted out of the open meeting to have thier heads further filled with propoganda. With check book in hand parents sold thier children to the unqualified, unethical, untrained and the unscrupulious. Yes, the "pitch" was that good.
I didn't see your point at first about Charlie and Brent and thier responsibility to come forward. As far as Brent goes, he is a private citizen and as such zero obligation to say or do anything other than live the best life his has the opportunity to. Charlie on the other hand is in public office and as such should be required to offer full, open and honest disclosure about his past. Not that he hasnt closed down the boot camps and made some attempts...but this was all under tremendious public pressure to do so. I am sure Mel and Betty had a few sleepless nights when that descion went down.]
As a person, who I havent met, I like Charlie. But I agree with you, he is one of us, in a sence. He is a unigue position to speak up. Now I would bet he has had all his records sealed. Well, maybe not sealed, but lost. (Just like a vast majority of our records...not sealed, probaqbly not lost, but destroyed. As the saying goes "if it ain't on paper, it never happened" It would have to come directly from him (charlie). Put lets face it, if he were to do so it may very well be political suicide, not to mention crossing the Sembler family.
Sam, I agree 100%with you. But I for one am not going to hold my breath. The further one goes up the political ladder, the less likely he is to be forthright and spill the beans on his past. To many asses to kiss, to much groveling to up and discuss his past...which, well I haven't alot of hope or faith to think that he will. Self disclosure kills, especially in the game Charlie is playing now.
Much Healing
woof
