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muffinlance · 5 years ago

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Ok so Kindling!AU Zuko probably would be pretty useless as a firebender right? I mean by the time he got banished he was probably like... instinctively afraid of fire, even his own (especially his own if Ozai trained him heh) Does this mean he pretty much stopped firebending? Or does he like... not care how afraid and even more burned he gets, he's gonna firebend because he won't dishonor himself even further and also like surely that's what his father would want from him? ;))))

No one called them Kindling, officially. The word never appeared on any written document, any report. It got censored out of letters home.

Unofficially, everyone called them that.

In the 41st Division, their unit was officially dubbed the 41st Fire Starters. Like all Kindling units, they were kept largely to camp outside of active duty. For better supervision in their training, of course. Their talents weren't to be wasted on scout patrols or minor scuffles. Their barracks were in the middle of everything, the non-bender units and command posts and sentries standing between them and the outside world. For their own protection, of course.

Not firebending was not an option. Not even for their newest recruit, the wobbly kid who was only going to have half a face once those bandages came off. Kuzon of Nara got a peek when he was in the hospital tents getting his hands rebandaged. He wasn't very good at bending. The kid must be worse, with a face like that. The kid was young. So was Kuzon.

The average life expectancy for Kindling in the field was three years. One of those was their training year.

The 41st Division's training year was ending soon. The new kid must have ticked someone off, to get assigned here just as they got their first marching orders.

(The new kid looked a hell of a lot like Prince Zuko, may he rest in peace. It was a training accident that claimed the young prince's life. Of course.)

(Under those bandages, the new kid's raw burn was the size and shape of a grown man's fist. If that fist was on fire. No one said anything about this. Of course.)

Kuzon didn't gossip about what he saw. He told everyone, but that wasn't the same as gossip.

"Hey, kid," he said in the dark of the barracks. (It was after light's out, and they'd been locked inside for their own good, of course.) "We're going to take care of you, okay? Wherever you came from, that's over now. They don't... they don't hurt us, here."

Kuzon had some scars too. Not from bending; his mum wasn't a bender. His mum complained that if she had to raise a piece of Kindling for the military to burn, the least they could do was pay to feed him. His mum had three other non-bender kids to look out for. It had to be hard raising a kid you knew you couldn't love.

"Not on purpose," Kuzon added, into the silence. The kid curled up tighter on his bunk. Maybe he even got some sleep.

Officially, the kid's name was Li. The kid was real slow about responding to that.

Unofficially, they called him Prince.

"Just a nickname, Sarge," Kuzon smiled at their squad leader. "Harmless, right?"

The Sarge let out a breath, and then got back to yelling them through their drills.

The kid had been cleared for training (too soon).

The kid went through water like he was running a fever (he was).

The kid came with them all to the hospital tent afterwards, and fell asleep sitting up while they chattered around him. While the healers wrapped their new burns, and checked their old. Kuzon nudged him awake before the nurse could set a hand on him. Prince did not like waking up to unfamiliar faces. Kuzon wasn't exactly familiar, but he was better than nothing.

"Where are you hurt?" the nurse asked. Clinical, perfunctory. It must be hard, helping patients who would never really heal.

"Just my face," Prince said.

The nurse's lips turned down. "I mean new injuries."

"Nowhere," the kid said, and he sounded so puzzled about it. Like after a full day of training, that was normal.

(Prince Zuko was said to be a crap bender. Such a tragic death. If only he'd been born with the talent of the rest of Sozin's line, that innate control that had let them ascend to leadership, their bending blessed by Agni himself.)

(A lot of the kid's scars had the wrong edges to them, if you knew what to look for. Accidents were accidents: they flared, they dotted little ember-trails, they didn't stop clean like a hand wrapped around a forearm.)

(Kindling were allowed to wear short sleeves during training. Encouraged, even, for their quartermaster's sanity. The kid never did. He barely ever lit those trailing edges on fire, either.)

"You never have to go back," Kuzon said, into the darkness between their bunks. "I know this isn't a great life, but it's better, right?"

"...I miss home," the kid whispered back.

"Yeah," Kuzon said. "Me too."

You could miss things even when they were terrible for you.

The Sarge had been working them extra hard since their deployment orders came. He didn't need to remind them that the only prisoners the Earth Kingdom ever took were non-benders. Kindling were dangerous enough to themselves.

The non-bending units were getting worked just as hard. The officers all looked like they'd swallowed lemon-kumquats. They stopped sometimes, and watched the Kindling squad at training. Watched Prince. Left, after a good long look, their expressions unreadable.

Now that the kid's fever had broken (now that he almost-trusted that they wouldn't lay a hand on him, with fire or not), he'd taken to yelling at their sloppy bending almost as loud as the Sarge. The Sarge allowed it. The Sarge might have been in love.

The kid's new nickname was Sergeant. Sergeant Prince, Sir Yes Sir, if they were being formal.

"I hate you all," the kid said, and only growled when they ruffled his chick-fuzz hair. (Their entire unit might have been in love.)

Deployment day. Camp was packed up, and distributed largely to the wagons and the backs of the non-benders. Couldn't really trust the Kindling not to light something vital on fire, after all.

"You've got your full three years until retirement," Kuzon tried to joke. (It wasn't a joke.) "We've already used one of ours up. Remember that, okay? You're the one who's going to be fine. Statistically speaking."

The kid's scowl was really good, with that scar.

They reached their new camp site, on the wrong side of the lines. The Kindling unit took one of its small pleasures in life: heckling the non-benders as they set up.

"You could help."

"With our delicate constitutions?" Kuzon gasped, a hand over his heart. The fake swooning was probably unnecessary, but it made Sergeant Prince snort. Which was pretty much rolling in the dirt laughing, from anyone else.

None of the officers were laughing. Or shouting more than necessary. The camp was reassembled to military standard, and not a polished-boot more. It felt hollow, somehow.

Their first fight made it pretty clear why. It was also their last fight, after all.

The kid was alive, the last Kuzon saw. They'd done that much right. Without a locked bunk room or checkpoints or sentries watching inside the camp as much as out, he could leave. Run. They made him run, scared him with fire when he wouldn't, gave him a few more non-accidental scars. They wouldn't look any different then the rest of the kid's collection, but they were.

Where would be go? He was as obvious as firebenders got. The Earth Kingdom would kill him on sight; he'd have to go back to the military. That was the real trap. Not the locks or the guards. There was no place else that let Kindling burn, even for the short time they had.

But the kid was alive. That wasn't nothing.

Kuzon hissed in pain when the soldiers flipped him over. They weren't trying to be rough about it, but they weren't trying for gentle, either. Just checking the bodies.

It hurt too much to hold his breath, so playing dead had never been an option. He just kept breathing in quick tight breaths, and gave the guys in green his best smile. More or less.

"You a bender?" one of them asked.

Didn't really seem much point in answering, all things considered.

The other one lifted Kuzon's arm--stopped lifting when Kuzon couldn't help the noise that brought out of him--and rolled up his sleeve.

Rough burn scars, and yesterday's bandages. Yeah, he was a bender. The guy's face twisted in disgust, but the way he set Kuzon's arm back down was almost gentle.

"They're all so young," the guy said.

"Yeah," his partner said. Which was about the only thing a man could say, when everyone knew the truth didn't change anything.

Kuzon of Nara didn't see much after that.

#way to bring down the average Kuzon #Kindling AU

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patriotsnet · 3 years ago

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How Many Republicans Are In America

New Post has been published on https://www.patriotsnet.com/how-many-republicans-are-in-america/

How Many Republicans Are In America

Democrats Return The Favor: Republicans Uninformed Or Self

Rep. Schiff: Only Question Is How Many In GOP Will Support Impeachment | Morning Joe | MSNBC

The 429 Democratic voters in our sample returned the favor and raised many of the same themes. Democrats inferred that Republicans must be VERY ill-informed, or that Fox news told me to vote for Republicans.;;Or that Republicans are uneducated and misguided people guided by what the media is feeding them.

Many also attributed votes to individual self-interest whereas GOP voters feel Democrats want free stuff, many Democrats believe Republicans think that I got mine and dont want the libs to take it away, or that some day I will be rich and then I can get the benefits that rich people get now.

Many used the question to express their anger and outrage at the other side.;;Rather than really try to take the position of their opponents, they said things like, I like a dictatorial system of Government, Im a racist, I hate non-whites.;

Where Do Trump And Biden Stand On Key Issues

Reuters: Brian Snyder/AP: Julio Cortez

The key issues grappling the country can be broken down into five main categories: coronavirus, health care, foreign policy, immigration and criminal justice.

This year, a big focus of the election has been the coronavirus pandemic, which could be a deciding factor in how people vote, as the countryâs contentious healthcare system struggles to cope.

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Donald Trump: Impeached In 2019 And 2021

On October 9, 2019 in Washington, D.C., President Trump answers questions on a pending impeachment inquiry.

On September 24, 2019, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced a formal impeachment inquiry into President Trump regarding his alleged efforts to pressure the President of Ukraine to investigate possible wrongdoings by his political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden.

The decision to authorize the impeachment inquiry came after a leaked whistleblower complaint detailed a July phone conversation between Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky in which Trump allegedly tied Ukrainian military aid to personal political favors. The White House later released a reconstructed transcript of the phone call, which many Democrats argued demonstrated that Trump had violated the Constitution.

On December 18, 2019, President Trump became the third U.S. president in history to be impeached as the House of Representatives voted nearly along party lines to impeach him over abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. No Republicans voted in favor of either article of impeachment, while three Democrats voted against one or both.;On February 5, 2020, the Senate voted largely along party lines to acquit Trump on both charges.

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How Is Senate Majority Chosen

The Senate Republican and Democratic floor leaders are elected by the members of their party in the Senate at the beginning of each Congress. Depending on which party is in power, one serves as majority leader and the other as minority leader. The leaders serve as spokespersons for their partys positions on issues.

The Institute Of Politics At Harvard University

A national poll of Americas 18-to-29 year olds released today by the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School shows that despite the state of our politics, hope for America among young people is rising dramatically, especially among people of color. As more young Americans are likely to be politically engaged than they were a decade ago, they overwhelmingly approve of the job President Biden is doing, favor progressive policies, and have faith in their fellow Americans.

In the March 9-22 survey of 2,513 young Americans, the Harvard Youth Poll looked at views regarding the Biden administrations first 100 days, the future of the Republican Party, mental health, and the impacts of social media.

As millennials and Gen Z become the largest voting bloc, their values and participation provide hope for the future and also a sense of urgency that our country must address the pressing issues that concern them, said , Director, Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School.

What we see in this years Harvard Youth Poll is how great the power of politics really is, said John Della Volpe, the Director of Polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics. With a new president and the temperature of politics turned down after the election, young Americans are more hopeful, more politically active, and they have more faith in their fellow Americans.

Top findings of this survey, the 41st in a biannual series, include the following:

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Do The Parties Have To Negotiate On The Rules

No. With Harris vote, Democrats could threaten to ram through a Democratic-written organizational plan that severely disadvantages the Republicans.

But Democrats may prefer negotiation to a solely Democratic plan because they may not be able to keep their own caucus in line to enact that option. Theres a long history of bipartisan gangs of institutional-minded senators who sought to play a role in shaping how the chambers rules are formed, and those senators would not support a Democratic-only plan.

Before there can be a vote No. 51, there must be votes 50, 49 and 48, said Richard Cohen, chief author of the Almanac of American Politics and a longtime congressional correspondent. Democratic senators who might have reservations about supporting the most liberal proposals, such as Sens. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly of Arizona, wont want to be taken for granted by others in the Democratic conference.

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Other Presidents Threatened With Impeachment

A significant number of U.S. presidents have faced calls for impeachment, including five of the past six Republican presidents. But few of those accusations were taken seriously by Congress.

There were even rumblings about impeaching the nation’s first president, George Washington, by those who opposed his policies. Those calls, however, did not reach the point of becoming formal resolutions or charges.;

John Tyler was the first president to face impeachment charges. Nicknamed His Accidency for assuming the presidency after William Henry Harrison died after just 30 days in office, Tyler was wildly unpopular with his own Whig party. A House representative from Virginia submitted a petition for Tylers impeachment, but it was never taken up by the House for a vote.

Between 1932 and 1933, a congressman introduced two impeachment resolutions against;Herbert Hoover. Both were eventually tabled by large margins.;

More recently, both Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush were the subject of impeachment resolutions submitted by Henry B. Gonzales, a Democratic representative from Texas, but none of the resolutions were taken up for a vote in the House Judiciary Committee.

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A Plurality Believe History Will Judge Trump As A The Worst President Ever; Less Than A Quarter Of Young Americans Want Trump To Play A Key Role In The Future Of Republican Politics; Young Republicans Are Divided

Thirty percent of young Americans believe that history will judge Donald Trump as the worst president ever. Overall, 26% give the 45th president positive marks , while 54% give Trump negative marks ; 11% believe he will go down as an average president.

Twenty-two percent of young Americans surveyed agree with the statement, I want Donald Trump to play a key role in the future of Republican politics, 58% disagreed, and 19% neither agreed nor disagreed. Among young Republicans, 56% agreed while 22% disagreed, and 21% were neutral. Only 61% of those who voted for Trump in the 2020 general indicated their desire for him to remain active in the GOP.

If they had to choose, 42% of young Republicans consider themselves supporters of the Republican party, and not Donald Trump. A quarter indicated they are Trump supporters first, 24% said they support both.

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Election Results : Veto

Republicans on track to keep U.S. Senate majority

See also: State government trifectas

Two state legislatures saw changes in their veto-proof majority statusâtypically when one party controls either three-fifths or two-thirds of both chambersâas a result of the 2020 elections. Democrats gained veto-proof majorities in Delaware and New York, bringing the number of state legislatures with a veto-proof majority in both chambers to 24: 16 held by Republicans and eight held by Democrats.

Forty-four states held regularly-scheduled state legislative elections on November 3. Heading into the election, there were 22 state legislatures where one party had a veto-proof majority in both chambers; 16 held by Republicans and six held by Democrats. Twenty of those states held legislative elections in 2020.

The veto override power can play a role in conflicts between state legislatures and governors. Conflict can occur when legislatures vote to override gubernatorial vetoes or in court cases related to vetoes and the override power.

Although it has the potential to create conflict, the veto override power is rarely used. According to political scientists Peverill Squire and Gary Moncrief in 2010, only about five percent of vetoes are overridden.

Changes in state legislative veto-proof majorites State

The laws largely focus on tightening voter ID requirements, purging voter rolls and restricting absentee and mail-in ballots.

Texas

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How Many Us Presidents Have Faced Impeachment

Only three U.S. presidents have been formally impeached by CongressAndrew Johnson, Bill Clinton and Donald Trump. One of those presidents, Donald Trump, was impeached twice during his single term. No U.S. president has ever been removed from office through impeachment.

In addition to Johnson, Clinton and Trump, only one other U.S. president has faced formal impeachment inquiries in the House of Representatives: Richard Nixon. Many other presidents have been threatened with impeachment by political foes without gaining any real traction in Congress.;

The framers of the Constitution intentionally made it difficult for Congress to remove a sitting president. The impeachment process starts in the House of Representatives with a formal impeachment inquiry. If the House Judiciary Committee finds sufficient grounds, its members write and pass articles of impeachment, which then go to the full House for a vote.

A simple majority in the House is all thats needed to formally impeach a president. But that doesnt mean he or she is out of a job. The final stage is the Senate impeachment trial. Only if two-thirds of the Senate find the president guilty of the crimes laid out in the articles of impeachment is the POTUS removed from office.

Although Congress has impeached and removed eight federal officialsall federal judgesno president has ever been found guilty during a Senate impeachment trial. Andrew Johnson came awfully close, though; he barely escaped a guilty verdict .

Are Canadian Senators Appointed For Life

Unlike the Members of Parliament in the House of Commons, the 105 senators are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the prime minister. Senators originally held their seats for life; however, under the British North America Act, 1965, members may not sit in the Senate after reaching the age of 75.

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% Of Delta Variant Cases Are In The Non

CBS News reported, The Delta variant now accounts for more than half of the new coronavirus cases in the United States 52%. Almost all of the new cases 99.7% are among people who have not been vaccinatedThe effort comes as cases are rising in 26 states. Hospitalization rates are up in 17 states 27% in Florida, almost exclusively among the unvaccinated.

States like Florida, Mississippi, Utah, and Kentucky are already being hit hard. All of those states voted for Donald Trump.

Biden Administration: Heres Who Has Been Named So Far

Return of the bipartisan gangs

After months of stalemate over the size and scope of a coronavirus relief package in the closing weeks of the last Congress, a group of centrists from both parties, led by Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, unveiled a $900 billion compromise plan that became the basis for the legislation that ultimately was approved by the House and Senate and signed by President Trump.

Manchin has said he hopes that model can translate into efforts in 2021.

Other Republican moderates such as Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska who helped on the COVID-19 aid package could also serve as powerful players if they decide to work across the aisle.

Progressives push for Senate rule changes

Liberal Democrats have pressed to get rid of the legislative filibuster so that they can pass major health care or environmental bills with a simple majority.

Biden has sidestepped questions about whether he supports doing away with keeping the 60-vote threshold, but several top Senate Democrats have signaled they back changing a rule that many of them once insisted was essential to the institution. There will be intense pressure on Biden and Democratic leaders to show they can pass some bills with GOP support, but if Senate Republicans stay largely unified to thwart the new administrations agenda, calls to eliminate the filibuster will increase.

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Poring Over Party Registration

This is not the best of times for the Democratic Party. No White House; no Senate; no House of Representatives; and a clear minority of governorships and state legislatures in their possession. Yet the Democrats approach this falls midterm elections with an advantage in one key aspect of the political process their strength in states where voters register by party.

Altogether, there are 31 states with party registration; in the others, such as Virginia, voters register without reference to party. Among the party registration states are some of the nations most populous: California, New York, Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Arizona, and Massachusetts.

The basic facts: In 19 states and the District, there are more registered Democrats than Republicans. In 12 states, there are more registered Republicans than Democrats. In aggregate, 40% of all voters in party registration states are Democrats, 29% are Republicans, and 28% are independents. Nationally, the Democratic advantage in the party registration states approaches 12 million.

Still, Republican Donald Trump found a route to victory in 2016 that went through the party registration states. He scored a near sweep of those where there were more Republicans than Democrats, winning 11 of the 12, while also taking six of the 19 states where there were more Democrats than Republicans a group that included the pivotal battleground states of Florida, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.

Argument No : Biden Is Responsible For This

Republicans have an opportunity to turn Americas longest war into something Democrats own. They are saying and probably will be saying for a long time that Biden owns the fall of Afghanistan.

Biden defends himself by saying that the 20-year war came under four presidents, two of them Republican. George W. Bush started it , and Biden said it was Trump who negotiated a peace deal with the Taliban that Biden argues left it stronger.

But Biden was the president who decided to officially end the war, Republicans counter. Heres the top House Republican, Rep. Kevin McCarthy , saying that whats happening falls squarely on shoulders.

Trump, who is considering a 2024 challenge to Biden, said in a statement that Biden surrendered to the Taliban.

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List Of Republican Presidents

The Republican Party is one of the two most successful political parties in the United States . Since 1868 to date, the presidency has been shared between the two major political parties. There have been 19 Republican presidents in the United States. Here are some of the Republican presidents in the history of the United States.

Which Party Is The Party Of The 1 Percent

How Evangelicals became Republicans

First, both parties receive substantial support. Much of it comes from registered voters who make $100K+ annually. However, Democrats actually come out ahead when it comes to fundraising for campaigns. In many cases, Democrats have been able to raise twice as much in private political contributions. But what about outside of politicians? Does that mean Democrats are the wealthier party? Which American families are wealthier? Republicans or Democrats?

Honestly, it is probably Republicans. When it comes down to it, the richest families in America tend to donate to Republican candidates. Forbes reported out of the 50 richest families in the United States, 28 donate to Republican candidates. Another seven donate to Democrats. Additionally, 15 of the richest families in the U.S. donate to both parties.

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Personnel Mail And Office Expenses

House members are eligible for a Members Representational Allowance to support them in their official and representational duties to their district. The MRA is calculated based on three components: one for personnel, one for official office expenses and one for official or franked mail. The personnel allowance is the same for all members; the office and mail allowances vary based on the members districts distance from Washington, D.C., the cost of office space in the members district, and the number of non-business addresses in their district. These three components are used to calculate a single MRA that can fund any expenseâeven though each component is calculated individually, the franking allowance can be used to pay for personnel expenses if the member so chooses. In 2011 this allowance averaged $1.4 million per member, and ranged from $1.35 to $1.67 million.

The Personnel allowance was $944,671 per member in 2010. Each member may employ no more than 18 permanent employees. Members employees salary is capped at $168,411 as of 2009.

Republicans Are Stopping Biden By Not Getting Vaccinated They Are Wiping Themselves Out

The Republican refusal to get vaccinated is not going to politically stop President Biden or put Donald Trump back into office. If anything, an ongoing pandemic crisis will give Biden even more motivation to push for the implementation of his agenda.

When Republicans cheer for not getting vaccinated, they are rooting for more death among their own.; Donald Trump sowed these seeds with his COVID disinformation, and the Delta variant is poised to wipe out Republicans who have chosen to listen to Trump instead of science.

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howwelldoyouknowyourmoon · 7 years ago

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Jonathan Park’ report – part 1. Complaint Concerning Church Funds

This information follows the post

Who is Jonathan Park?

Complaint Concerning the Apparent Waste and Misuse of Church Funds and Assets and Other Serious Problems Concerning Management of the FFWPU Funds and Assets It is with sincere regret that I have found no alternative but to make this formal complaint of wrongdoing in order to address and hopefully correct the serious problems concerning the deliberate waste of Church funds and assets by the Chairman of the Board and other directors and officers of the FFWPU USA (hereinafter “FF”). From January of 2016 first in the capacity of Executive Director of the Cheon Il Guk Foundation I alerted Dr. Ki Hoon Kim and Dr. Michael Jenkins and usually included Dr. Michael Balcomb when he served as President of the FF of the many instances of gross financial mismanagement at the FF and made repeated recommendations on the steps that should be taken to correct those mistakes. From April 2016 I began to serve FF directly as a member of its Board of Directors and from November 2016 I began to serve FF full time as the Executive Managing Director of the Office of Asset Management and Property Development. I have tried continuously since January 2016 to serve FF in my various capacities to correct improper, dangerous and mistaken asset management decisions and policies while also trying to do all the regular work of managing and developing FF assets. Unfortunately only some of the problems have been addressed, mostly through my intervention, and other serious problems have continued unabated. XXX has chosen to ignore my continual reports and reminders of the existence of these serious problems for the past year and it seems very clear that he had no intention of correcting any of the remaining problems. Rather after Dr. Michael Jenkins was removed from all business responsibilities around August this year XXX has sought to drive me out of the FF entirely. At a recent Board of Director’s meeting on Nov. 3 it seemed that almost no one on the Board was interested in investigating the allegations of corruption, malfeasance and mismanagement that I have brought but was mostly supporting XXX in his effort to drive me out of the FF. As the consultative body to the FF Board of Directors and as the representatives of the grass roots members of our Church from every region I formally and publicly make this complaint and request to the National Council for investigation and correction of the wrongdoing and mismanagement at the FF by its Chairman. 1. 1. FF Has Been Damaged By the Improper and Possibly Illegal Non Arms-Length Insider Dealings Between XXX and XXX (XXX and XXX Advisory Agreements) Over Several Years. About March 2016 while still acting as an advisor, I pressed for the termination of the Real Estate Advisory Services Agreement with XXX, (XXX, Managing Partner and Principal) dated February 9, 2015 due to the one-sided and onerous nature of the terms and fees in the Agreement (Attachment 1. February 9, 2015 XXX Advisory Service Agreement). I will not get into all the onerous terms of the Agreement here for the sake of compactness and because it was successfully terminated on April 30, 2016 but I will be happy to provide a detailed exposition of all the onerous features of the Agreement as a follow up if needed. There were two approved business plans under the XXX Agreement the XXX and the Ground Lease of 481 Eighth Avenue. In the XXX which was a $2.3 Million investment (composed of a house/church building at 123 41st Street worth $1 Million and $1.3 Million in cash) by the FF in a 50%/50% joint venture to build a student apartment building, on November 20, 2015 XXX issued a written statement of the estimate of the fees which it would collect from the FF and the project joint venture in accordance with it Advisory Agreement which came to a total of $1,012,087.30 (Attachment 2. November 20, 2015 XXX JV Strategic Business Plan with Exhibit A & B Fee Summaries). This is an extraordinary amount of fees given the size of the investment and the size of the expected return to the FF. These fees were just for service with no monetary investment by XXX. On the 481 Eighth Avenue Building 99 Year Ground Lease project, on January 13, 2016 at a meeting arranged for the FFWPU International advisory team to review the ground lease deal before it went to closing the projected closing statement showed a performance fee payable to XXX in the total amount of $23,609,658 which XXX had invoiced to the FF around November 2015 in a detailed letter requesting their performance fee (Attachment 3. Projected Closing Statement distributed on Jan. 13, 2016 in the Report Binder, Attachment 4. November 11, 2015 Performance Fee Calculation). I asked if this amount was correct soon after the January 13 meeting. I was told that the fee had been negotiated down to $3.3 million. I asked to see the documentation on this renegotiated amount. I only received the confirming documentation on this reduced amount on April 14, 2016 although I asked for it a few days after the January 13 meeting. It was fortunate that the XXX fee for the ground lease was ultimately negotiated down to $3.3 Million but the larger problem was that XXX was entitled to around $45 Million according to their February 9, 2015 Advisory Agreement. Even XXX must have thought this was outrageous so they invoiced the FF only $23.6 Million. If the 99 Year Ground Lease deal had gone through the FF could have been legally liable to XXX for the full performance fee. This is a good illustration of how awful the terms of the XXX Advisory Agreement was and the lack of business competence at the FF and the reason that the Advisory Agreement needed to be terminated as soon as possible. Even at $3.3 Million, XXX’s fee was double that of Eastdil Secured, the biggest real estate advisor/broker in New York City, who did all of the actual marketing work for the ground lease (Eastdil’s fee was $1.7 Million contingent on closing but since there was no closing they were only paid a fee of $25,000). Houlihan Lokey another prestigious real estate advisory firm was paid $300,000 (this was not contingent and was actually paid). XXX was responsible for drawing up the offering terms and conditions of a ground lease for 481 Eighth Avenue but they turned out to be seriously and fatally flawed. If the FF had completed the proposed ground lease deal advanced by XXX the high fee paid to XXX would pale in comparison to the financial and legal difficulties that the FF would likely find itself in if it had actually completed the ground lease transaction with Chetrit Real Estate Group, the highest bidder in the final round. Fortunately a month after the intervention by the international team Chetrit suddenly and unexpectedly withdrew their bid and dropped out of the picture and although there were several more bidders behind Chetrit this ended the ground lease project since all the bidders had submitted flawed terms due to the flaws in the basic terms and conditions set by XXX in the early stages of the project. Although neither the $23.6 Million nor the $3.3 Million fees were paid since the ground lease project disintegrated and never closed and only monthly management fees were paid to XXX about 10 months of time and around $1 million in expenses was wasted by the FF on this poorly planned aborted effort. In order to facilitate the termination of the Feb. 9, 2015 XXX Advisory Agreement Dr. Jenkins felt it was necessary to give a new contract to XXX. There was virtually no way to terminate the horrendous XXX Agreement without making some concessions to XXX. Although the worst parts of the XXX contract were extinguished and eliminated from the new 2 year advisory contract with XXX (a new company of which XXX was a Managing Director and Principal) the FF inexplicably agreed to pay a monthly retainer fee of $40,000 per month coupled with an arbitrary guarantee to pay a minimum of 20 months of fees (a minimum of $800,000) without a condition or requirement that any work be performed to receive the retainer. This was done without consulting with me as Global Asset Advisor. This is not just gross incompetence it is something even worse non arms-length insider dealing among disqualified persons (see IRS definition of disqualified person attached). In May I was still just an advisor to the FF and did not have the authority to overturn and retract this payment provision since it had been offered and accepted by the parties already. I had to hope for the best and look for opportunities in the future to correct if in fact the FF did not receive adequate compensating value. Since the end of April 2017 there has been virtually no work done by XXX for the FF. Yet they continue to be paid $40,000 every month. I have urged Dr. Kim (Dr. Jenkins later agreed and supported the termination of the XXX contract) to allow me to negotiate an early buyout settlement but no approval was given. As time passed and I recommended that we give a 30 day notice of cancellation which the FF has the right to do but Dr. Kim never allowed me to do so and XXx since apparently taking Dr. Jenkins position has indicated he is not interested in discussing termination of the XXX Advisory Agreement at all. Also there is a second part of the XXX Agreement Advisory added as an Addendum for advisory services pertaining to the acquisition of air rights arising from the property next door to our property at 4 West 43rd Street which are owned by JP Morgan. I recommended that this Addendum be terminated since the acquisition of air rights from JP Morgan failed on May 2017 due to Vornado Realty Trust, the owners of the property next door exercising their Right of First Refusal to purchase the air rights from JP Morgan. The total fees to XXX for this Addendum agreement concerning air rights acquisition was $873,000 which would have been paid had the acquisition from JP Morgan closed. XXX has taken the position that if FF were to do any joint venture with our neighbor, Vornado Realty Trust, using their air rights in any way we would be subject to paying them at least the acquisition fee portion of their fee which could be as much as $500,000. However, if we terminate the air rights acquisition advisory Addendum then XXX cannot assert any such claim after their 6 month holdover period expires. We do not know if we will ever do a JV with our neighbor Vornado Realty Trust but it would be prudent practice for the FF to extinguish any lingering liabilities which can be accomplished by giving a simple, proper notice. No action was allowed to be taken on terminating this Addendum agreement of the XXX Agreement. There is absolutely no justification to agree to pay XXX $40,000 every month for a minimum 20 months (minimum $800,000 or $960,000 if it goes to the end of the initial 2 year term). This is an unwarranted waste of Church funds. There is no legitimate reason not to terminate the XXX Agreement immediately. There is no reason not to terminate the Addendum of the XXX Agreement for air rights acquisition services since the acquisition failed in May 2017. It is a breach of fiduciary duty for the chief executive of the FF who has executive powers and responsibility over these matters to not allow subordinate executives to act in the best interest of the FF. Yet even though Dr. Kim was repeatedly reminded of these unjustifiable expenditures and lingering liabilities he prevented any corrective action to be taken. Dr. Kim deliberately and willfully allowed the wasting of large sums of Church funds for many years now in favor of XXX and his companies. The total amount paid to XXX’s two companies to date is over $1.2 Million. The damage and harm to FF would have been far far greater had there been no intervention from Korea by TM’s direction. The continuing waste of Church funds should be remedied immediately by the termination of the XXX Advisory Agreement and the Addendum to the Agreement. Based upon the past 2 and one half year history of and pattern or collusive and predatory behavior by XXX and the senior management of FF, XXX should be barred from ever acting as a real estate or financial advisor for FF. (Attachment 5. XXX Fee Summary Oct. 11, 2017. Summary of all the various fees paid or contracted to be paid to XXX/XXX/XXX over the past 2 and a half years. This draft of the summary was given to Dr. Kim and Rev. Buessing on October 12 in Dr. Kim’s office. Many previous drafts and reports were given to Dr. Kim throughout the past year and a half.) 1. 2. Putting the Church Tax Exemption At Risk Due to Non Arms-Length Dealing Between Disqualified Persons (see IRS definition attached). As a bonafide Church we are entitled to, and have, tax exempt status under the US IRS code. In general it is a violation of the IRS regulations for a Church with tax exempt status to engage in non arms-length dealings which benefits a private interest and hurts the Church and in particular such self-dealing between people who have a special relationship with the Church are doubly enjoined from such non arms-length dealings which benefits disqualified persons (Attachment 6. IRS definitions). The entire history with XXX/XXX/XXX is not only gross incompetence on the part of FF it is something even worse, non arms-length insider dealing (an excess benefit transaction) among disqualified persons. XXX is a close family friend of XXX and XXX and the employer of XXX the son of XXX and XXX. XXX is the executive in charge of Church properties in XXX like the XXX and XXX among others. XXX is the XXX of the Office of the XXX, True Mother. XXX has been working for XXX for approximately X years, the entire time that XXX has had an advisory contract with FF. XXX is in a XXX relationship with XXX. Even though cohabitation is one of the most grievous violations of church teachings and receiving the Blessing is impossible while in a common law marriage, XXX is promoting XXX to XXX to receive the holy marriage blessing while they are still living together. XXX XXX has virtual total control over XXX. XXX along with XXX deputies keep … XXX since becoming XXX’s deputy is now not just XXX deputy but is the Chairman or the de facto head of numerous Church XXX Foundations and recently became the overt XXX of the XXX of FFWPU and is the CEO of numerous business entities. It is because of the special relationship with the XXX and their backing, sponsorship, protection and constant recommendation and positive reporting that XXX receives, through the cooperation and collusion by XXX, special consideration and excess benefits on contracts and has free reign over the asset management work at the FF. XXX, XXX, XXX and XXX are all disqualified persons. By allowing a person with vast influence over every aspect of the running of our worldwide Church and the FF USA through appointment and promotion of XXX team members who are willing to collude with XXX and elimination of those who insist on objective, truthful, independent reporting to TM and by facilitating the channeling of illegal excess benefit transactions to XXX’s friends and family members, XXX is not only breaching his fiduciary duty but also putting the FF at risk of losing or at least tarnishing the tax exempt status with the US IRS. The contract with XXX’s company should be terminated immediately and the past payments examined for excess benefit transactions. An audit should be conducted to examine whether there are any other transactions with disqualified persons at the FF and its subsidiaries. 1. 3. Allowing the Wasting of Church Funds and Assets by Continuing to Operate the New Yorker Hotel, a Hopelessly Money Losing Business and Jeopardizing the Church’s Tax Exempt Status By Ignoring Prudent Investment Rules. This year the New Yorker Hotel (NYH) will lose approximately $12 Million, the biggest loss in a single year ever. Over its entire history the NYH has lost nearly $35 Million. Unfortunately the huge losses will not improve next year or in the years to come so the pace of the growth of the deficit will be staggering. This is due to the inexorable rise in direct operating costs (5.55% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the 11 year period 2006 to 2016) which is driven by the hotel workers union contract which can never be terminated and by the never ending capital improvement budget required every year (15% CAGR) to operate as a minimally competitive hotel plus other inexorably rising costs like real estate taxes (9.33% CAGR). The deficit created by these inexorable cost increases is worsened by self-inflicted management mistakes like the XXX Franchise Agreement which adds 5-7.5% to the cost but produces only a minimal gain in revenue. (Attachment 7. 2006-2016 Historical & 2017-2021 NYH Projected P&L and Cash Flow, Attachment 8. 2017 NYH Actual (through August 2017) and 2017 Full Year Forecast Monthly P&L) The NYH uses 62% (680,000 SF out of 1,090,000 Total SF) of the 481 Eighth Avenue Building and produces a $12 Million annual loss. Of the remaining 38% (410,000 SF) of the building 18% or 200,000 SF is used by the FF or a subsidiary of the FF (Manhattan Center Productions, Inc.) or is still vacant. Only 19% of the building (210,000 SF) is generating rental income yet it produces the entire useable net income of $10 Million from the 481 Eighth Avenue Building. But actually when you consider that the FF is responsible for funding the deficit incurred by the NYH the correct assessment of the financial performance is that the 481 Eighth Avenue Building, consisting of 1,090,000 gross SF, in the hottest submarket in Manhattan (Midtown West, Hudson Yards) produces virtually zero net income due to the losses at the NYH. All the net income produced by the 19% of the building leased to paying tenants is being consumed by the NYH losses. By any metric the 481 Eighth Avenue Building should be producing a minimum of $15-25 Million of net useable income every year, not $0. But in order to get to a minimal, rational return on the 481 Eighth Avenue Building asset it requires massive restructuring and professional financial engineering in order to implement a new strategy which overturns decades of neglect and unprofessional management. The NYH has survived until now only because the value of the 481 Eighth Avenue Building has grown steadily over time and this has allowed the FF to keep borrowing from the bank year after year to fund the deficit. The total debt on the NYH (guaranteed by FF) is now at $110 Million. No more borrowing on the 481 Eighth Avenue Building is possible even though there is plenty of asset value remaining because the cash flow from the 481 Eighth Avenue Building is so low and rapidly getting smaller due to the growing and permanent deficits of the NYH. It is likely that we will not be able to organically maintain the $11 Million of free cash flow from the 481 Eighth Avenue Building that we are required to maintain by the covenants in the loan agreements with the lender bank by the end of the first half of 2018 (Attachment 9. 481 Eighth Avenue 2015-16 NOI calculations submitted to the bank). We will have to start paying our lender bank large chucks of the principal of the loan once this cash flow covenant is breached. It will not be long before FF will be forced to sell major assets like the 43rd Street property in order to fund deficits and repay bank loans. In May 2017 with the support of Dr. Jenkins I presented these findings to Dr. Kim and convinced him of their validity and the coming consequences of not dealing with this dire situation proactively. He authorized me to work on a fundamental restructuring deal which I did immediately and was prepared to execute the implementation phase by August 2017. At that point Dr. Kim told me to halt all restructuring efforts and said that the NYH and the 481 Eighth Avenue Building would continue to operate pretty much as it had been in the past. I do not know whether he was genuinely interested in dealing with the NYH problems in May 2017 when he approved the restructuring effort or he was just lying or humoring me or buying time until he could find a way to eliminate me from FF asset management. Perhaps he will do a restructuring deal for 481 Eighth Avenue after I am gone and XXX can run the project and collect his exorbitant fees. Continuing to operate a for profit business which has no prospects for financial success just wastes the Churches resources and contravenes the prudent investment requirement which the executives and board members of a Church are required to follow. The executives and the board not following these mandated principles means that these executives and board members are not abiding by their fiduciary responsibility and also is putting the Church’s IRS tax exemption at risk. For a myriad of financial, legal and practical reasons the FF needs to exit the hotel ownership and management business and fundamentally restructure the 481 Eighth Avenue Building asset. For Dr. Kim to ignore these realities and not only not remedy them but prevent an executive with the requisite professional skills and experience from remedying them is more than just incompetence. It is gross negligence at best and could possibly well be conspiracy to harm the FF for the benefit of certain favored individuals. 1. 4. Jeopardizing the Church’s Tax Exemption Status By Continuing to Fund the Endless Deficit of the Washington Times Business and Operating A Fully Political Daily Newspaper Within the FF. Dr. Kim and senior executives at FF have been lying for years about the financial performance at the Washington Times. The Washington Times has never achieved breakeven and it is highly unlikely to do so in the future. If you include the underperformance of the real property which the Washington Times newspaper company occupies the Washington Times will lose $5 Million this year. Again continually wasting Church assets on a for profit business that has little or no prospects of financial success is contrary to the prudent investment principle which a church is obliged to follow. Not following this rule is again putting the Church’s tax exemption status at risk. In addition, running a full daily newspaper in the nation’s capital which deals with the whole gamut of political issues is inherently at odds with the principle that a church not engage in lobbying, promotion of legislation and supporting political figures. For these reasons the Washington Times should be moved out of the FF organization and put into a separate private foundation which does not have or want to seek church tax exemption status. 1. 5. Wasting Church Funds by Gross Negligence in Tax Planning Resulting in Payment of Nearly a $1 Million per year in Unnecessary Taxes I have pointed out to Dr. Kim and also to XXX the negligent manner in which tax planning is handled at the FF subsidiaries. I have already identified and pointed out to them at least a million dollars of tax savings which the FF can achieve very easily. Unfortunately Dr. Kim has never shown the slightest understanding or interest in implementing or even investigating these rather simple methodologies. There have been a number of very promising business opportunities which could benefit the FF significantly which I have brought to their attention but again Dr. Kim and XXX have not shown the slightest inclination to investigate or discuss them (For example a proposal from Live Nation to master lease 311 W 34th Street building for $3.0 Million Triple Net Rent per year, 2 years rent of $6.0 Million payable in cash in advance, $5.0 Million capital improvement investment made into the building at their expense plus 40% of the net profit from their operation. Attachment 10. August 7, 2017 Live Nation Proposal). I can only surmise that either they are incompetent or they think that I am incompetent or they are simply not interested in my having any role in executive business management at the FF notwithstanding the fact that TM requested me to come here specifically for such a mission and role.

Who is Jonathan Park?

Jonathan Park’ report – part 2. The Board of Directors

Whistleblower Jonathan Park removed from HSA Board, chaired by same person his complaint mentioned

http://familyfed.org/nationalcouncil/whistleblower-policy/

The Moons have gutted company profits by taking exorbitant salaries

Unconfirmed reports of numerous US properties being sold: Jacob House, Tiffany Building on 5th Avenue, etc.

HSA-UWC sold 5-plus acres off Taxter Road near Belvedere for $410,000 in March 2016

Chicago mansion owned by UC/FFWPU from 1975 was sold by them in May 2016

#Jonathan Park #FFWPU of US #HSA-UWC

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