FBI

Some Submarines that disappear under the waves should never re-surface where they're easily spotted.....

The FBI stands for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the United States Justice Department.

They are the nation's premiere law enforcement agency.

So, imagine my surprise when I saw an individual on the beach in Perdido Key in District 1-- not too long ago-- with a "tank-top" style shirt and a hat that displayed the "FBI" letters.

"What's this all about?" I wondered to myself.  so as I strolled by on my way to a favorite fishing spot near public access #3--I got a closer look at this individual.  Not FBI. Not even close.

Imagine it, a guy in his sixties with stringy, bleach blonde hair (think of an unattractive, out-of shape Jeff Bridges' character in the Big Lebowski) and with so much back hair it could be parted with a brush, big old beer belly and wearing a tank top and hat that had big FBI letters but that actually, in smaller print below, had an inapprpriate, fake moniker 

Creepy, weird, and most of all, INAPPROPRIATE.  That was the sense I was struck with.  How inappropriate.  

It's kind of like how some people do inappropriate things with confidential, privileged information.  

Inappropriate.  

The difference is--the fake FBI t-shirt guy isn't doing anything wrong with his inappropriate garb.  People in positions of trust who do inappropriate things with confidential information which they possess, however, enjoy no protection under the 1st Amendment.

That's the difference. 

At my recent town hall in Beulah last week, an audience question came to me that reminded me of the creepy guy on the beach and things that are inappropriate.  The question was--paraphrased--"why don't you tell the citizens which companies you are looking to attract when you are doing economic development deals?"(you can see the question and answer at 1:23 of this video)

It's inappropriate--that's why.

We lost a significant economic development deal because people who knew better did wrong and released confidential information.  That was an ethical breach by a former employee's office.  It should never have happened because we are in positions of trust and we are guided by laws and rules and ordinances when we work with confidential information dealing with economic development--that's why we don't release it and we handle it carefully.

People that should have known better and should have learned a lesson from project Fisher didn't.

But the lessons learned remain.  

Don't do inappropriate things with unlawfully obtained, unlawfully maintained, and/or unlawfully disseminated information.  Bad ju-ju--INAPPROPRIATE.

maybe criminal?