just publishing anything at all on the Internet ???
Because...
* The evidence is overwhelming that my termination was a "political hit." Specifically, clear evidence shows that I was fired simply because I write a blog that has to do with Don Siegelman. I feel certain that my original reporting on the Paul Minor case in Mississippi--and my own experiences with corrupt judges in Alabama--made certain folks in our state's Republican power structure unhappy. But I have irrefutable evidence that simply blogging about the Siegelman case was the driving factor behind my firing.
* Some might ask, "Schnauzer, sounds like you were blogging on UAB equipment and time. Isn't that why you were fired?" Nope. At a grievance hearing on my firing, the IT rep who conducted UAB's "investigation" stated that I had not written the first word on my blog using UAB resources. The university claims that I was "researching" my blog on UAB equipment. But part of my job description is to keep up with current events and issues that could become story ideas for university publications. The Siegelman case was the biggest story in Alabama for a two-year period, and Siegelman's codefendant (Richard Scrushy) is without question UAB's most famous alumnus. If I had ignored the Siegelman story, I would have been neglecting my duty. But in Karl Rove's Alabama, you can get fired at a public university for doing your job. I know because it happened to me.
* A word about my supervisor, Pam Powell: I've known Pam for almost the entire 19 years I've been at UAB. In my first seven years at the university, she sought me out to write for her publications, which I did (without compensation, I might add). In 1996, she hired me as an editor in her office. When I joined the group, we had four people (counting Pam) and five or six publications. When I was fired, we had 12 full-time people and about 20 publications. Doesn't sound like my performance was hurting the department does it? I'm 51 years old, and Pam has a clear pattern of preferring younger people in the positions that work closest with her. I've come to accept that and never thought it would have a major impact on my job status. But the fact is this: Pam has not been easy on folks who are in or near their 50s. During my time in the group, we've had three people who fit that description. Two of us were fired, and one almost had to be hospitalized when her blood pressure spiked due to job-related stress. In spite of that, I would describe my relationship with Pam as good--at least until her behavior took a turn toward the bizarre in December 2007. While I have serious concerns about my supervisor's behavior in this saga, evidence strongly suggests that her actions were not necessarily all of her own doing. In fact, evidence indicates that my termination was driven by political forces external to UAB. I have a real good idea about the path those forces followed, and who was driving them. Much more information will be coming about that.
Link:
http://legalschnauzer.blogspot.com/2008/07/blog-about-siegelman-lose-your-job.html:shrug:
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