“If you are catching flak, you are over the target.” – variation on an Air Force maxim.
‘A traditional role of news media is to challenge the powerful on behalf of the powerless or disadvantaged in search of truth and justice,’ paraphrase from various elements of the Society of Professional Journalist’s (SPJ) Code of Ethics Page.
The Midwest Manufactured Housing Federation (MMHF) are the ‘owners’ of the Louisville Manufactured Housing Show. They sent a letter to the managing member of MHProNews 10 days ago, or less than two weeks prior to the event. That attorney’s letter said that show credentials for our parent company’s organizations – MHProNews, MHLivingNews and all others, or anyone associated with our team – were being denied.
No reason for the MMHF denial was stated in the attorney’s letter.
MHProNews’ publisher L. A. ‘Tony’ Kovach protested, as well as asked for reasons for the denial. No reason has yet been provided for the denial of show badges and entry passes.
Here below is the text of the most recent message from their attorney regarding this matter.
“Mr. Kovach,
I am in receipt of your email and the attached letter. As stated in my previous correspondence, you will not be granted access to the 2019 Louisville Manufactured Housing Show. MMHF contacted you well in advance of the show to save you the trouble and expense of traveling to Louisville. If you attempt to gain unpermitted access to the show, you will be removed.
Gregory T. Dutton
Attorney at Law | Frost Brown Todd LLC
502.779.8557 Direct...”
Note that the screen capture above reflects that each of the state association executives who make up the MMHF were in the CC line.
In fact, MHProNews had already booked accommodations and made other travel arrangements. Arguably, the MMHF and their attorney could surmise that to be the case. They might also know that lining up local legal representation on short notice would be dicey at best, as this sort of legal issue is likely to drag on for months, perhaps years.
In short, for the first time since there was no Louisville Manufactured Housing Show in 2010, the MHProNews team will regrettably not be in attendance at the annual event held at the Kentucky Exhibition Center (KEC).
But that doesn’t mean that this matter is over. More on that another time. The above or what follows should not be misconstrued.
News Media, Interviews, and You
Behind every dark cloud, there may be a silver lining if it is diligently sought. MHProNews’ protest over this matter isn’t over. Nor will it likely be over even after the event is completed.
That said, there were several interviews and other professional engagements that would have taken place. MHProNews planned to have a video crew at the show, which may be part of the unstated reason that show credentials were denied. It is manifestly unjust. But reality is what is. Given that our now 12 year old son Tamas Kovach comes with us to such trade shows, we did not want there to be in an incident that might adversely involve him.
So, a plan B is necessary. The first element of Plan B will be explained further below.
Let’s step back and ask the obvious questions.
Why would the organization credited in writing by the MMHF leadership and Show Ways Unlimited for the recovery of the Louisville Manufactured Housing Show after it was cancelled – MHProNews – now be blocked from attending the event, that in conjunction with others, we helped save?
The obvious and thus most likely answer is the news, fact checks, and analysis that uniquely takes place here on MHProNews.
Is it a stretch to think that the Omaha-Knoxville-Arlington axis, allies, and their surrogates were at work in this matter?
‘Hardly’ comes to mind. The details of that can be discovered over time. But note for now that George F. (F?) Allen, who was the surrogate called upon to ask for a “boycott” of this publication, is now being promoted on the MMHF’s Louisville Show home page. See the collage below.
The first takeaway is that the axis, surrogates/stooges and their allies apparently feared direct questions from MHProNews. They apparently feared that occurring on video.
Here is the text of the email from our publisher sent to show management, which was followed by the MMHF’s attorney’s first letter.
Subject Line: Dennis and Michele, registration and related for Louisville and Tunica
Dennis,
At this time, we would need the MHProNews.com badges for Louisville and Tunica, for the following:
L. A. ‘Tony’ Kovach
Soheyla Kovach
Tamas Kovach
Also
Tim Ward
Donald Tye, Jr.
Might be others, and will let you know.
Next, regarding the use of video and photos at the events. Please see the below.
Photos/Videos and The Right To Privacy | Hutson & Harris, Attorneys …
https://www.centraltexaslegal.com › Blog
Jul 30, 2015 – It is well-settled precedent that a person has no reasonable expectation of privacy in a public place. … There is no right to privacy in public, because a reasonable person would not expect to remain private in a public setting. Anyone with a camera who wants to take your picture can do so.
We want you to clearly state in writing that you will not prevent us from using video at these events. As you know, others are shooting video, and for you to keep us from doing so is a clear violation of our rights. Kindly confirm you have this, and will honor our rights.
Thank you.
Tony
Louisville Manufactured Housing Show Updates – Bitter Cold, Possible Snow Forecast, Says AccuWeather
As the email to Dennis Hill/Show Ways Unlimited above noted, the law provides for privacy in many circumstances. But in a public place, the law and the courts have widely held that the right to privacy is implicitly waved. There is ‘no expectation of privacy’ in a public place. More on that at a later time.
Invitation to Make a Difference, Have Quiet Fun at Louisville, And Help Regrow MH
The manufactured housing industry is arguably being artificially throttled from growth. See the article linked here for more details. MHI President Richard ‘Dick’ Jennison has stated publicly that the industry could be doing 500,000 new HUD Code manufactured home shipments. Okay, then why are we only at roughly 100,000 (+/-) shipments instead?
That’s a multiple-billion dollar a year question, with evidence based answers. At the heart of what MHProNews has been about since we launched in mid-October, 2009 is to be a voice and platform that could spark new, ethical, sustainable growth for the manufactured home industry, which means operations like yours. Regrettably, what has been learned is what MHI members Frank Rolfe, the founders of NAMHCO and others have said, that there are forces within in the industry that have failed for years.
Exposing that is a necessary, but not the only, part of the solution to what the evidence and money trail suggest artificially limits manufactured housing operations of all sizes.
MHProNews is hereby asking for 50 people who plan to attend the event to respond to the invitation below. It can be interesting, rewarding, and useful for the growth of the manufactured housing industry.
We need individuals inside the companies and organizations that are exhibiting – and/or show attendees – to step up to the plate.
There are several possible rewards for this. For example, there are laws that provide for whistleblower awards for up to 30 percent of recovery.
You ask the questions, and/or lawfully record with your smart phones with video or audio the public statements that are useful for exposing corruption and collusion inside manufactured housing. Contact us pre-show, at-show, or post-show, but we can explain how this is done.
Catching Flak
“If you’re not catching flak, you’re not over the target,” is the actual, common way the U.S. Air Force maxim is expressed. When one considers the others that publish in manufactured housing trade media, are they catching flak from the powers that be? No. Why? Logically, because they are not over the target. They are part of the echo chamber forged by the Omaha-Knoxville-Arlington axis, what MHARR President and CEO Mark Weiss called earlier this week, “the Illusion of Motion.”
KosmicDebris is a page of an anti-NDAA journalist cited the following quotes on a page. In quoting some of her work, we are not supporting or opposing her specific cause – as we’ve not researched that topic, but rather we note with ‘wheat and chaff’ interest some keen quotes she selected, as shown below.
“Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people” – John Adams – Second President – 1797 – 1801.
“There is no Left or Right — there is only freedom or tyranny. Everything else is an illusion, an obfuscation to keep you confused and silent as the world burns around you.” – Philip Brennan.
“One may well ask: How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others? The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
“We are fast approaching the stage of ultimate inversion: the stage where government is free to do as it pleases, while the citizens may act only by permission.” – Ayn Rand.
Note that the intersection of government power and private power over the government has been rising for some time and is exemplified in the photos shown below. Warren Buffett’s grandson served in the Obama White House.
“It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people’s minds.” – Samuel Adams.
They have money, and clear connections to political power. It is absurd on its face to believe what the Manipulative Housing Institute, err, Monopolistic Housing Institute, sorry, the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) claims is their clout. Where is the growth? The photo ops between MHI, key members and others with federal officials mean nothing if there is a lack of robust growth.
Warren Buffett helped elect and then sat with then President Barack Obama. Obama publicly awarded Buffett for his efforts. Buffett’s grand son was in the White House, as the Wikipedia citation above reflects.
Buffett is the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway. Berkshire Hathaway member companies like Clayton Homes and 21st Mortgage have dominated MHI’s executive committee, dues structures, and in other ways the Arlington, VA based trade group. Why was that clout used against manufactured housing? Why wasn’t that clout used for implementing the policies that could have taken us to what the Dick Jennison – MHI’s puppet president – pledged, namely, 500,000 new HUD Code manufactured home shipments?
These can be called allegations, or they can be called logic. It is increasingly self-evident that the normal resources used to protect or grow an industry, trade associations like MHI and several state affiliates of theirs – have been weaponized to work against the manufactured home industry’s independents interests.
This episode at Louisville is just the latest example of a larger struggle for the freedom from the tyranny of corporate giants and their politically connected masters. More on Louisville related as time marches on. Sign up for our industry-leading emails at the link to the bottom right, below.
Do the math. Even using Dick Jennison’s 500,000 shipment figure means that the industry should be about 5 times larger than it is today. Consider what 5 times more business would mean to your bottom line. This is about you, and others like you against the giants who have purportedly manipulated and colluded to throttle the industry, so they could consolidate it on the cheap.
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MHI CEO Dick Jennison’s Pledge – 500,000 New Manufactured Home Shipments
2019 Trade Shows, Next Battleground of the Manufactured Housing Revolution?
“The Illusion of Motion Versus Real-World Challenges” | Manufactured Housing Association Regulatory Reform
Motion – or, more accurately, activity – in and of itself, is not necessarily synonymous with, or equivalent to, realprogress, or, in fact, any progress at all.
