Category Archives: Bad government

The Matty warranty

Posted on July 25, 2015 by admin

By Joel Thurtell Detroit’s City Council is getting lots of pressure to approve Mayor Duggan’s deal to dice up Riverside Park for the billionaire Matty Moroun. People with no stake in the outcome of this issue are urging council to … Continue reading →

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Professor mayor

Posted on July 21, 2015 by admin

By Joel Thurtell Butch Hollowell, Mike Duggan’s mouthpiece, claims there was nothing to hide in his private emails to minions of Matty Moroun last spring as city officials cut the land swap deal involving Detroit’s Riverside Park. If there was … Continue reading →

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Being Black at UM

Posted on January 20, 2014 by admin

By Joel Thurtell “Being Black at UM” was the headline over my March 31, 1985 Detroit Free Press article about the life of black students at the University of Michigan. Almost 30 years later, Being Black at the University of … Continue reading →

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Bait and switch for press ‘freedom’

Posted on May 18, 2013 by admin

By Joel Thurtell Would some wise person in the media please explain to me how the government’s surveillance of The Associated Press’s phones translates into a new push for a so-called federal “shield” to insulate mainstream journalists from subpoenas? Somehow, … Continue reading →

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‘Michigan blogger’ to talk CABs to California

Posted on May 4, 2013 by admin

By Joel Thurtell At 2:15 PM on Friday, May 10, I’ll be in Sacramento telling members of the California League of Bond Oversight Committees how I learned about Capital Appreciation Bonds in Michigan 21 years ago. I’ll talk about how … Continue reading →

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Ashenfelter-Convertino: Essential reading

Posted on April 24, 2013 by admin

By Joel Thurtell A federal judge has ordered the Detroit Free Press to reveal the names of US Justice Department officials who illegally disclosed secret grand jury information about a former assistant US attorney, Richard Convertino. Convertino has sued the Justice … Continue reading →

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Convertino case: Judge orders Free Press to name sources

Posted on April 18, 2013 by admin

By Joel Thurtell Former assistant US attorney Rick Convertino’s lawsuit against the US Justice Department is still alive, despite a federal judge’s decision to let a Detroit Free Press reporter, now retired, off the hook as a witness in the … Continue reading →

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Stick-up at UM

Posted on February 24, 2013 by admin

By Joel Thurtell Two ways to make it big. There’s singer Petey Pablo‘s way: Put the money in the bag before I blow your head off. And there’s University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman’s way: Parley your fancy title … Continue reading →

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Kiriakou gets 30 months, Convertino snitches get a pass

Posted on February 12, 2013 by admin

By Joel Thurtell They say the Obama administration has gotten really tough with federal officials who leak government secrets to journalists. For proof, look at what happened to former CIA agent John Kiriakou. He revealed names of government operatives to … Continue reading →

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Hacking JOTR

Posted on February 9, 2013 by admin

By Joel Thurtell The New York Times is lucky. Lucky they’re a wealthy organization that can afford to hire a topflight computer security company when they find out that their computers have been hacked. I can kid around about my … Continue reading →

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