Corruption, Lies and a Dark Secret
My conversation with John Ward delved into some interesting territory. The most surprising turns was when we began to talk about the real reason why for FEMA is involved with the state. On the surface that my sound odd. After all, isn’t it FEMA’s task to be involved with disasters? That’s what I initially mentioned to John Ward, and what he had to tell me next was a bizarre saga of corruption and cover ups.
There is an excellent video posted by Chronicles of Olivia that showcases a town meeting in the city of Haywood, North Carolina. I asked John about what had prompted such a strange meeting. He explained to me that what went on had taken even him by surprise. The city of Haywood had called a meeting to discuss the housing situation going on in North Carolina. Seems simple enough, only there were two unexpected guests. Rep Mark Pless and another unnamed representative from FEMA. I asked John what was going on, ‘why on earth was a state representative in a small town meeting?’ I asked John. John answered back clearly as confused as I was. ‘To be honest, I’m not even sure him being there was even legal’. John told me.
As Olivia documents in her video expose, Rep. Mark Pless had taken it upon himself to accuse both John Ward and Reverend Amanda Fowler (a local pastor) of lying to the public over this issue. I don’t know much about Amanda Fowler but John Ward vouched for her as tirelessly working to get aid to displaced families. Rep. Mark Pless had some nasty things to say about both of these individuals. Rep. Mark Pless wanted to inform anyone listening that no housing crisis was going on, and that John Ward and Amanda Fowler were just ‘attention seekers.’ John told me that it didn’t end there. He later talked to Rep. Mark Pless in another setting shortly after posting the Representative’s phone number and e-mail on his channel, all of which was public information by the way. Within days Rep. Mark Pless had to change his phone number and blamed John Ward for it. Rather than be pleased at having caused such a stir, John sounded sad that the representative took this as a personal attack rather than attempt to do something to help the crisis.
The Truth About FEMA’s Presence in North Carolina
I asked John about the curious presence of FEMA at a small town meeting. Merely attending the meeting would have been strange enough, but as it turns out, an unnamed representative from FEMA felt it necessary to actually insert themselves into the conversation. The FEMA representative wasn’t pleased with John Ward’s videos either, and wanted to back Rep. Mark Pless by insisting that no housing crisis existed. To me this smelled a little fishy, a little too much like some sort of suspicious collusion, but John Ward declined to say anything on that matter. He did have some interesting things to say about FEMA’s work in the state.
‘I’ve been hearing that FEMA is basically AWOL, is that accurate?” I asked John Ward. ‘Well that’s not exactly true…’ John began. He then began to tell me that in fact FEMA is very much involved with the state of North Carolina. I had initially believed that the housing crisis had to do with a group of city ordinances. ‘Well that’s not exactly true’…, he then went on to explain how FEMA used their federal authority to ban any structures, whether permanent or portable, from being placed on affected land’. There are two very important facts you must understand. First, ‘affected land’ is basically everywhere in North Carolina. Secondly, banning the placement of structures on such land apparently doesn’t include tents. In other words, you cannot legally move an RV or tiny house onto ‘affected land’ to house families, but it is perfectly fine to place them in tents.
It was around this point that weariness seeped into John ‘s voice, and I knew I didn’t much longer. But I had to press him on this, I knew there was something horribly wrong going on here. ‘Why isn’t FEMA doing anything to fix this housing crisis?” He sounded weary as he delved into his speculations. ‘I really think this is a land grab’. This was something I hadn’t heard before, although the more I thought about it, it did make sense. ‘Who is behind all of this? Why would anyone try to take land in North Carolina?’ As I asked John this question, I racked my brain for any knowledge I had about North Carolina. It was hard to come up with a single reason why anyone would covet land in this part of America. ‘Well that’s a little complicated.’ John answered reflectively. ‘I think that there are a number of real estate developers who want this land for tax purposes.’ He went on to give me some rough numbers as to the cost of land in North Carolina, vs. somewhere in say New York. ‘North Carolina has some of the most beautiful land I have ever seen, and more importantly, they have a lot of land that has never been developed. I can understand a real estate developer building a luxury mansion with some of these views.’ he then began to explain property tax rates. ‘Already in North Carolina, property tax is a fraction of what it would be in other states, but with all of the damage from Helene, things are changing’. The way John Ward explained it to me, there could be millions of dollars involved.
‘Why is FEMA involved with this?’ I asked John Ward. John was explaining corrupt business practices, something I am well aware of. What I didn’t understand was why FEMA would be involved. John answered without even pausing to think. ‘I really think that FEMA is trying to turn all of these properties into a green space.’ I initially thought this might refer to a park or something of the sort. When I asked him to elaborate, John Ward explained that a ‘green space’ would be a large area where no one was allowed. I didn’t like the way this sounded. Truthfully, what John Ward was describing was a little out of my ballpark. I knew about corrupt real estate practices. I spent some time in the Atlanta metro area at one point, so I certainly know about shady dealings, and officials willing to (ahem) overlook certain codes for a certain dollar amount. But FEMA getting involved with this sort of corruption, and pursuing their own agendas smelled rotten.
Profiting From The Misery of Others
Everything John Ward was telling me was unsettling. It all reeked of greed and corruption. If this was all true, then hundreds of families were having their homes stolen from there. I do recall something similar going on in Hawaii not long ago. I simply cannot comprehend how someone could be so callous as to take advantage of the misery of others like this. Certainly I’m not naive. I’m well aware of how Starbucks spent years profiting from the slave labor of coffee plantations. I have heard stories of how Amazon treats their employees, and it’s brutal. I’ve also discussed the insidious evil of child trafficking. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am disgusted at this sort of corruption and callousness.
As our conversation came to a close, John Ward sounded as if he were about to fall asleep right then and there. I knew full well I needed to let the man go. Still, I needed one last question answered. ‘Is there any legal action being taken?’ We had previously agreed that this was a human rights violation. John told me that he wasn’t aware of anything currently. He mentioned that it was possible, a case may be in the works. He told me there had been a handful of layers express interest in the situation, but that he wasn’t a part of anything legal. ‘I’m not a lawyer, and I couldn’t tell you how much of this stuff is legal or not.’ There was a pause, and for a moment I was worried that he really was going to sleep on the line. ‘I just know this is wrong’. He finally said. A simple statement that says something about the kind of man John Ward was.
A Dual Story
After concluding my phone call with John Ward, my mind was reeling from everything he had told me. When I had first contacted John about doing an interview, I had a feeling that there was more he could tell me than what he had said on is videos. I was right, John was intimately involved with relief efforts, and supplied me all sorts of details about the real situation. The most surprising thing that John Ward had to tell me was the twofold story of North Carolina. He told me a story of corruption, callousness and lies. He told me about powerful corporate interests and the corruptions of federal agencies. Truthfully it was sickening. However, John had another story to tell me. He told me about the people who gathered together to help. Neighbors and friends giving their all to help. John Ward told me about the people who had come from states away to help. Random people who had never set foot in North Carolina, who didn’t know any of the people in need of help, yet showed up anyway. This is the kind of America that the national media is constantly trying to tell me no longer exists. The sort of love and kindness that is constantly being stamped out and ignored. I was both inspired and humbled after talking to John Ward. I am angry, and will be carefully monitoring the situation to see if any action is taken. Yet I am gratified to know that despite the hatred and division running rampant in our world, there are still good people who will rise up when needed. Made all the more poignant by the holiday season right now.
My purpose was to do everything in my ability to support the relief efforts. Talking to John Ward was done on a whim. I’m hoping that as a result you have all not only been better informed about what is so important, but I truly hope that you have all been inspired to love your friends and neighbors. As Christians we have been haranguing the world to no end about how we know ‘the reason for the season’ and how we ‘put Christ back into Christmas’. Let me ask you, who is really showing the love of Christ? These heroes showing up in North Carolina are living the words of Christ. I truly hope that we all learn a lesson from North Carolina.
