The skinny on Mr Brown

Hey, kids, here's an interesting tidbit on Mr. Michael Brown, whiz-bang screw-up head of FEMA (via Rhodian Attic):

"Before joining DHS/FEMA, Brown was Judges and Stewards Commissioner for the International Arabian Horse Association from 1999-2001, a position from which he resigned under duress after an onslaught of lawsuits over suspensions he dished out to those accused of cheating at horse shows. While IAHA won the lawsuits, they were nonetheless taking a toll on the organization, and some faulted Brown's intransigence and imperious attitude (he was nicknamed "The Czar").

"Brown started his own legal defense fund before resigning, a move he said was necessary to protect his family's assets. However, some IAHA insiders claimed that this was what really led to his ouster. He raised money from breeders for the fund as well as IAHA, creating a conflict of interest. Also, his contract stipulated that IAHA was to pay all his personal legal expenses on top of his $100,000 annual salary, so some wondered why he even needed a personal legal defense fund. IAHA was so financially depleted it had to be merged with another equestrian organization and thus no longer exists. "