Another IMPD Officer Arrested For Drunk Driving

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department may not be interested in enforcing drunk driving laws against its own officers, but neighboring police departments aren't giving them a pass. A 7-year veteran of the police department, 32-year old Christopher White, was stopped while off duty by a Hamilton Co. Sheriff's deputy after he saw White operating his personal vehicle in a reckless manner, weaving in and out of his lane and crossing traffic lines.

After White failed field sobriety tests, a certified chemical test was performed and he tested more than double the legal limit at 0.182. He was charged with two misdemeanors, driving while intoxicated with a blood alcohol level of more than 0.15 and operating a vehicle while intoxicated and endangering another person. White has been placed on administrative leave pending an internal investigation. A first-time alcohol offense typically results in a least a 30-day suspension according to department policy. White is a Noblesville resident. Don't just love the fact that so many IMPD officers live outside Marion County?

FELONY DRUNK DRIVING CHARGES DISMISSED AGAINST ROBERT BUTLER
While we're on the topic of drunk driving charges, remember Butler Toyota President Robert Butler being arrested for felony drunk driving charges last December after a car he was operating on I-465 on the city's northeast side struck two cars parked on the emergency shoulder, causing one of the vehicles to crush the legs of 25-year old Latin McKinney, who was trying to jump start his car? The quick actions of an Indiana State Trooper was credited with saving McKinney's life. Butler's blood alcohol level was more than double the legal limit at 0.184. Butler was charged by the Marion Co. Prosecutor's Office with two felony counts for operating a vehicle while intoxicated and causing serious bodily injury and causing serious bodily injury while operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol level greater than 0.08. On March 17, the prosecutor's office filed a motion to dismiss both felony charges, which Judge Annie Christ-Garcia signed the same date. Butler was directed to the BMV for a citation in lieu of the felony charges. Seriously? A different set of rules for the rich and powerful, eh?

Robert Butler (left) with his attorney Jim Voyles at his initial court appearance

Butler Auto Group Executive Facing Felony Drunk Driving Charges

Robert Butler (left) with attorney Jim Voyles

WTHR is reporting that Butler Automotive Group President Robert Butler, who frequently appears in the prominent Indianapolis car dealership's television ads, made his first appearance in court with high-profile criminal defense attorney Jim Voyles to face two felony drunk driving-related charges. Butler's car struck two cars parked in the emergency lane along I-465 last weekend on the city's northside, causing serious injury to 25-year old Latin McKinney.

The quick-thinking of Indiana State Trooper David Ploog is credited with saving McKinney's life. Ploog applied a tourniquet to McKinney's leg, which was bleeding profusely when he arrived at the scene before emergency responders were able to get to the scene. Butler recorded a blood alcohol level 0.18, or more than double the legal limit. He faces two felony charges for operating a vehicle while intoxicated and causing serious bodily injury.

Daniels Set To Announce Re-Election Next Month

Gov. Mitch Daniels is expected to formally announce his re-election bid on June 16 at Butler University's Hinkle Fieldhouse. There are already two announced Democratic opponents, including Senate Minority Leader Richard Young and architect Jim Schellinger. Former U.S. Rep. Jill Long Thompson may jump into the race as well.

If recent gubernatorial elections are any indication, Daniels has a pretty good chance of being re-elected to a second term. Indiana used to constitutionally limit Indiana governors to one term. Can anyone think of an Indiana governor elected to a full term who was defeated when he sought a second term? If my history is correct, the re-election rate is 100%. Otis Bowen was the first two-term governor. He was followed by Robert Orr, Evan Bayh and Frank O'Bannon, each of whom were elected to second terms.

More On 16-Year Old Accused Killer

Several reporters for the Star contribute to another lengthy story taking a closer look at Simeon Adams, the 16-year old accused of killing Nathan Trapuzzano and shooting another man. A fair amount of the information has been previously reported, while some information previously reported only in a British tabloid, the Daily Mail, makes its way into a local report for the first time. It claims that the only contact between Adams and law enforcement before his arrest after a bloody crime spree came on March 4 when his probation officer, Tracy McDonald, who has since been fired, knocked on the door of his home.

The reporters find that the county's juvenile justice system had deemed him only a "moderate" risk despite his known history of carrying a gun. It repeats juvenile court Judge Marilyn Moore's contention that his probation officer is to blame for him being on the streets for his failure to request detention of Adams after more than a dozen probation violations. The story notes that, although Adams had previously faced gun charges, a juvenile can only be charged with a misdemeanor for gun violations and those charges are typically bargained away by prosecutors because they are supposedly more difficult to prove. At least that's the explanation for why Adams' prior gun charges had not been prosecuted. During his first gun arrest, Adams blurted out to police during his arrest, "Hey, that gun is mine," according to police. When he was arrested a second time for an auto theft, he told his probation officer that he needed the gun he possessed at the time of his arrest for his protection. The prosecutors dropped that charged during plea negotiations.

An attorney from Richmond tells the Star that it's pretty much standard operating procedure throughout the state for prosecutors to dismiss some charges against juveniles facing multiple criminal charges in exchange for an admission of at least some of the crimes. "The approach is always we want to do the broadest amount of charges that we think we can get across the finish line," Kaarin Lueck said. In Adams' case, that meant he was sentenced for only home detention after facing multiple criminal charges from a series of arrests over a several month period. The story claims it would have been unusual for someone like Adams with a "moderate" risk assessment to be sentenced to detention. "Marion County has been at the forefront of such efforts to keep youths out of juvenile detention," the Star reports.

The story repeats IMPD's belief that Adams was one of the two individuals involved in the March 22 robbery of the C&C Midwest Firearms gun store on Crawfordsville Road, which was plainly caught on surveillance cameras, although he has not been formally charged in the break-in and theft of more than 30 firearms valued at $13,000. Only one of those guns have been recovered to date, and police claim that none of those guns were used to shoot Trapuzzano or his other shooting victim, Erick Douglas, another teen, Dailand Butler, who was shot in the same area two days before Trapuzzano's shooting or Adams, who was found with a minor gunshot wound late the same the day he is accused of shooting Trapuzzano. Despite earlier news reports claiming that Adams suffered a critical gunshot wound to the neck during a shootout with other juveniles, the Star now says that he "wasn't hurt that badly" in the shooting.

For the first time, the Star identifies the accomplice, Martez "Duh Duh" McGraw, who was with Adams when he shot Trapuzzano and Douglas, although it doesn't delve into the circumstances as to why that individual has not been charged with any crimes. Other media reports indicate that McGraw was already facing felony gun charges and resisting law enforcement for an arrest back in February. McGraw provided a sworn statement to police that Adams had ordered Trapuzzano to strip off his clothes after he forced him in between a tire shop and strip club on West 16th Street before shooting him. Court records also show that Adams had told Marvel Robinson that he had shot Trapuzzano "because white man tried to tussle with me."

The Star report includes the obligatory meme about how Adams was viewed by others around him as "likable", if a bit "mischievous." His former English teacher at the Math & Science Academy seemed smitten by him, who described him as being a bit chubby before his growth spurt. "I remember his eyes — hazel, light brown," Elaine Taylor said. "He was a short, chubby fellow," Taylor said. "He had personality. He was mischievous but likable. He liked to prank the girls. He'd make smart remarks on how they looked good or didn't look good." Taylor told the Star that he addressed her as "Ms. Taylor girl, despite her admonitions that he show more respect." "He acted up," she said. "I think he was seeking attention." He was a poor student, she said, often absent. "It was hard to get work out of him," she said, "but he was personable." The Star says Adams had his mother's name tattooed on his chest. She was pulled dead from the White River when he was a year old. His father, Robert Harvey, who signed his parental rights away, served time in prison for auto theft and robbery.

Is Dickerson Another Victim Of Democratic Racism Against Black Republicans?

An idea that became etched in my mind back in the early 1990s has been re-affirmed by recent political events here in Indianapolis in the Carson-Dickerson congressional race and in other states where African-American candidates are running for public office as Republicans: Democrats practice racism against black Republicans. Although African-Americans were traditionally Republicans because it was the party which freed the slaves, fought for the enactment of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments, integrated the armed services and supported the enactment of the first federal civil rights act, most blacks and Democrats today expect blacks to be Democrats. And if they are not, they are scorned, ridiculed and worse.

The defining moment for me on this point was the nomination of Clarence Thomas by President George H.W. Bush in 1991 to the Supreme Court and the ensuing efforts of Democrats to derail Thomas at all cost. Liberals made it clear from the outset of his nomination that they would “bork” him just like they did to Reagan’s controversial Supreme Court nominee, Judge Robert Bork. Unlike Bork, Thomas didn’t have a long paper trail to dissect, and when it became apparent that Thomas would win the support of enough moderate Democrats to win nomination, the Democrats resorted to the worst of smear campaigns to destroy Thomas.

Democrats would rely on a years’ old sexual harassment claim of Anita Hill, a former employee who worked under Thomas at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in their smear effort. Ignoring the fact that Thomas’ accuser was herself an EEOC lawyer who hadn’t bothered to follow any of the legal procedures over which she was supposed to be an expert to assert her claim in a timely manner, and that the only witness who could be produced to support Hill’s claim was a woman Thomas had fired because she called a fellow EEOC employee a “faggot” because he was gay, Democrats nonetheless pushed a claim which could never be legally proven as grounds for defeating his nomination. Thomas’ angry reaction to the Democrats’ witch hunt was understandable. He accurately described the effort against him to members of the Senate Judiciary Committee:

. . . as far as I'm concerned, it is a high-tech lynching for uppity blacks who in any way deign to think for themselves, to do for themselves, to have different ideas, and it is a message that unless you kowtow to an old order, this is what will happen to you. You will be lynched, destroyed, caricatured by a committee of the US Senate rather than hung from a tree . . .

Despite their best efforts to stop him, Thomas narrowly escaped defeat and was seated on the Supreme Court. For others it wasn’t over. In my home state of Illinois, a respected moderate Democrat, Senator Alan Dixon, was visited upon in the worst way for daring to support an African-American to the Supreme Court who did not “kowtow” to the “older order” of the ideal African-American. He lost in the Democratic primary to a State Representative Carol Mosely-Braun, an African-American Chicago legislator, who I knew from working at the Illinois House of Representatives as being both corrupt and dishonest. Dixon’s vote in support of Thomas’ nomination was attributed to his unexpected primary loss to Braun. Illinois voters figured this out and voted her out after her first term.

While candidates of both parties are known to sling mud at one another, it seems some of the worst is reserved for use against black Republican candidates. It’s happened in many past elections, and it is happening again this election year. In Maryland, Democrats are unleashing a ferocious attack against Lt Gov. Mike Steele, a black Republican who is seeking the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Paul Sarbanes (D). Black Democratic leaders there claim the use of “racially tinged attacks” on Steele are justified because he is a “conservative Republican.” The Washington-Times reports:

Such attacks against the first black man to win a statewide election in Maryland include pelting him with Oreo cookies during a campaign appearance, calling him an "Uncle Tom" and depicting him as a black-faced minstrel on a liberal Web log.

Operatives for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) also obtained a copy of his credit report -- the only Republican candidate so targeted.

But black Democrats say there is nothing wrong with "pointing out the obvious" . . .

This week, the News Blog -- a liberal Web log run by Steve Gilliard, a black New Yorker -- removed a doctored photo of Mr. Steele that depicted him as a black-faced minstrel.

However, the blog has kept its headline "Simple Sambo wants to move to the big house." A caption beneath a photo of the lieutenant governor reads: "I's Simple Sambo and I's running for the Big House" . . .

In neighboring Ohio, Democrats have been relentless in their personal attacks against Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell, a Republican candidate for Governor in that state. They created a fake MySpace site for Blackwell which includes numerous racially tinged comments. The site says, “My nephews call me Tom.” “Help a brother out. I have court dues.” In reference to “Who [Ken] would like to meet”, the site reads: “Ohio voters and in particular the white female ones. Ted Strickland's belt buckle.” A picture of Blackwell with former First Lady Barbara Bush is captioned: “How’d she taste?” His favorite TV show is listed as “Amos & Andy.” His favorite book, not surprisingly, is listed as “Uncle Tom.”

And then there’s Indianapolis where Rep. Julia Carson (D) reserves her most ferocious attacks for her African-American Republican opponents. The respected Butler University professor Marvin Scott saw years’ old sexual harassment allegations ala Clarence Thomas dug up by Carson supporters late in the campaign to smear him. And this year, we have seen negative allegations raised directly by Rep. Carson about Eric Dickerson’s personal finances and a 15-year-old unproven charge that he beat his wife. The facts and circumstances indicate that Carson and her supporters will do just about anything to destroy Mr. Dickerson in her quest to make him the 6th opponent she has vanquished to win the right to continue representing the people of Indianapolis in Washington.

At this point, it is worth taking a look at what happened earlier this year in Mike Steele’s Senate campaign and comparing it to Carson’s campaign to smear Dickerson. A Democratic Senate Campaign Committee worker pleaded guilty to misrepresenting herself as Steele by using his social security number to obtain his personal credit report. As reported by the Washington Post:

The episode took place in July as both parties started investigating the backgrounds of candidates in Maryland's marquee races this year.

According to the prosecutor's statement, which Weiner said was accurate, she used Steele's Social Security number to access his credit report on a Web site designed to let people view their reports.

Weiner pretended that she was Steele, even creating an e-mail address -- gopsteele@yahoo.com -- needed to obtain the report, the statement said. She also agreed to the "terms of service" on the site, which included a warning "not to impersonate another person."

Observant AI readers will recall that when Carson operatives nefariously obtained the 15-year-old police report on Dickerson hidden away in files from public view from local law enforcement authorities, in their zeal to smear Dickerson, the report was posted up on the Internet via Taking Down Words site without bothering to redact the social security numbers of Dickerson and his wife from the report. Horrified that this information had been posted on the worldwide net for consumption, Dickerson was first alarmed that he and his wife might become the next victims of identity theft. He immediately contacted the local social security office, but he was advised that neither he nor his wife could change their social security numbers to protect themselves from identity theft; instead, he was advised to notify at least the three major credit reporting agencies to put them on alert.

Regular AI readers will also be quite familiar with the daily musings of one of Rep. Carson’s most loyal political supporters and former Center Township Trustee clerk, Wilson Allen. For months now, Allen, in daily comments on this site and elsewhere, has dropped numerous items of a personal nature concerning Dickerson for public consumption. They’ve centered on a variety of topics, including other businesses, homes and property Dickerson allegedly owned besides his Buick dealership. Wilson often reminded Dickerson supporters of their candidate’s admonishment to “be nice” and not “beat up” on your opponent in the months prior to last week’s disclosure of the Dickerson police report. The Indianapolis Star confirmed it obtained the 15-year-old police report from a Carson volunteer. When Dickerson appeared on Abdul In The Morning to explain the 15-year-old incident a day after Carson told the Star’s editorial board that he “beat his wife to a pulp”, Wilson quickly posted this quip a full two hours before Taking Down Words posted the police report furnished by the Carson campaign volunteer:

BUT, Things are seldom what they seem, Skim milk masquerades as cream; ighlows
pass as patent leathers; Jackdaws strut in peacock's feathers. BUT. Black sheep dwell in every fold; All that glitters is not gold; Storks turn out to be but logs; Bulls are but inflated frogs.BUT, Drops the wind and stops the mill; Turbot is ambitious brill; Gild the farthing if you will, Yet it is a farthing still.

Is it not fair to ask if Ms. Carson’s campaign, which appears to have had possession of the Dickerson police report for months, with both Dickerson and his wife’s social security numbers on it, did what the Democratic staffer did in Steele's Maryland Senate race and use that information to obtain the Dickerson’s credit reports? I raised this issue with Mr. Dickerson in a telephone conversation I had with him earlier this week. Before the police report surfaced on the Internet with he and his wife’s social security number, he admitted to being taken aback by information bantered about concerning him on the Internet by Allen and other anonymous bloggers over the past several months, who claimed to have knowledge of his personal and business affairs. With the knowledge that these folks had his social security number for months, his suspicions have been raised as well. Given what happened in Maryland just a few months earlier, AI thinks U.S. Attorney Susan Brooks would be well-advised to investigate whether the Carson campaign, or someone acting on their behalf, illegally used the Dickersons’ social security number to obtain his confidential credit history.

Ms. Carson's racist campaign against Dickerson, like all the other racist campaigns mounted by Democrats across the country against black Republicans, must be called out for what it is. While the media is quick to jump on allegations that a white candidate, such as Senator George Allen (R-VA), is a racist because of statements he allegedly made decades ago as a college student, the current racist actions of Democrats against black Republicans is largely ignored. Rep. Carson is the first to scream racism whenever anyone attempts to criticize her. Well, turnabout is fair play Rep. Carson. Your campaign against Eric Dickerson is racist. And you should be ashamed.

Gulen Movement Influence Invading Hoosier State From The State House To The Schools, Media And Beyond

Fethullah Gulen

Ask the average Hoosier what the Gulen Movement is and you are likely to draw a blank stare. Fethullah Gulen, a charismatic but controversial Turkish imam, is to the Gulen Movement what L. Ron Hubbard was to Scientology or the Rev. Sun Myung Moon was to the Unification Church. Yet the movement Gulen founded is reaching and influencing key government officials, business, religious, community and education leaders in Indiana in ways most people could not imagine.

Since Gulen's self-imposed exile from Turkey in 1999, he has built a multi-billion dollar network of organizations and businesses throughout the United States and around the world promoting his version of Islam from a large compound he built tucked away in the Poconos. Gulen, who seemingly never emerges publicly from his private compound, choosing instead to communicate to his followers via the Internet and video recordings, encourages his followers to praise Allah by making lots of money, mostly for him, instead of building new mosques. The so-called Gulen Movement has sought to influence American politicians, business, education and civic leaders in a relatively short period of time with profound results, an effort that has reached deep into the Hoosier state.

Although the charismatic imam has grown into the most powerful religious cleric in Turkey, Gulen hasn't set foot in Turkey since he arrived in the U.S. to receive medical treatment in 1999. After arriving in the United States, he was indicted by Turkey's secular government for attempting to organize a stealth Islamic coup by urging his supporters within the Turkish government to take control of the government. Gulen insisted his statements were taken out of context, and he was later acquitted after he was tried in abstentia. Nonetheless, many inside Turkey and within the U.S. government view his growing web of activities and influence with suspicion.

Despite serious misgivings by the FBI about his motivations and intentions, Gulen found top officials within the CIA and State Department to vouch for him to allow him to remain in the United States and obtain lawful permanent residence here. FBI whistle blower Sibel Edmonds has reported the fact that among his top sponsors was a former top CIA official, Graham Fuller, who was exposed as having close family ties to Ruslan Tsarni, a Russian immigrant and uncle of Boston Marathon bombing suspects Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. According to Edmonds, Fuller, a chief architect of the Iran-Contra scandal that rocked the Reagan administration, has been behind CIA efforts to recruit radical Islamists to carry out terrorist activities to destabilize Russian and Chinese influence in Central Asia. Edmonds included Fuller on her rogue gallery of U.S. officials, in large part, due to his role in propping up and handling Gulen and his $20 billion plus network of non government organizations.

In addition to promoting a large network of charter schools, Gulen's nonprofit organizations in the United States have largely focused on: promoting Turkish culture through festivals and classes; seeking access to public officials, academics and other influential people in the community; providing all-expense paid guided trips to Turkey to American public officials and persons of influence; engaging in interfaith dialogue and outreach; hosting lectures, luncheons and dinners; and offering gifts and special recognition to American public officials and persons of influence. A 2008 RAND National Defense Research Institute report described the Gulen movement as being "highly nationalistic and heavily involved with promoting Turkish language and culture. It has been accused of spreading pan-Turkism and neo-Ottomanism."

A "60 Minutes" report by Lesley Stahl last year reported on how Gulen's network had established more than one hundred charter schools throughout the United States, the largest collection of charter schools in the country, including Indianapolis' Math & Science Academy. Together, they receive more than $150 million in public funding annually. Although the schools are not religious, Stahl reported on festering questions about Gulen's motivations. Stahl's report noted that many of the schools are staffed with Gulen followers from Turkey, who are brought here on work visas sponsored by the Gulen-backed schools to teach in a variety of areas, including English. That's led critics to accuse the Gulen charter schools of committing visa fraud by claiming a lack of qualified American teachers to fill teaching jobs at the schools. Stahl even learned that Turkish immigrant teachers at the schools are required to donate up to 40% of their salaries to Gulen's organization. Stahl found it difficult to find any critics to speak out about Gulen in Turkey for fear of reprisal, noting that his critics often wind up jailed.



Bilal Eksili presenting Sen. Richard Lugar Lifetime Scholarship Award

 

Gulen's activities in Indiana have been largely carried out by the Niagara Foundation, formerly known as the Holy Dove Foundation. Gulen's front person in Indiana is Bilal Eksili, a Turkish immigrant who has a far closer relationship with many of Indiana's top political leaders than most long-time political activists of either political party.

Eksili sits on the board of trustees for Indianapolis' Math & Science Academy, a publicly-funded charter school he was instrumental in establishing. Eksili ran Indiana's chapter of the Niagara Foundation until last year when he became the Vice President of the Turkish American Federation of Midwest, another Gulen-funded organization. Despite efforts at one time by the FBI to kick Gulen out of the United States, FBI Director Robert Mueller presented to Eksili's organization the 2008 Community Leadership Award.

Eksili, who has made large campaign donations to several Hoosier public officials, including Gov. Mike Pence and U.S. Sen. Joe Donnelly, has hosted numerous lunches, dinners and other events on behalf of the Niagara Foundation at which many of Indiana's top political, business, education, religious and community leaders have participated. He also solicits public officials and other leaders to accompany him on all-expense paid trips to Turkey. Advance Indiana obtained an e-mail solicitation that Eksili sent out in 2011 to persons who he sought to accompany him on a trip to Turkey. The following is a partial text of that e-mail, boasting about the number of influential persons who have accompanied him on past trips to Turkey:

You are cordially invited to join our Inter-Cultural Friendship Trip to Turkey.   Every guest is responsible only for purchasing his/her Indianapolis - Istanbul airfare.  We will cover all travel, lodging and food costs in Turkey. Your spouse is also invited.  

Other than our regular tour program, we will be welcomed by the Turkish academics, media members, government officials and by the leading businessmen of Turkey. In each city we will have a chance to have dinner with local families at their residents too. 

The Niagara Foundation (formerly known as Holy Dove Foundation) is a Non-profit foundation and aims to forge bonds of lasting friendship between Hoosiers and Turkish people by identifying what it is we have in common, by learning to appreciate and honor our differences, and by collaborating on mutually beneficial projects.   

In 3 years over 400 leaders from Indiana including many State Senators, Representatives, academics, media members  and leading businessmen have experienced this life changing opportunity and they all came back with remarkable memories.

We believe what makes Turkey particularly attractive as a travel destination is the fact that it has historically been one of the most interesting meeting places of different civilizations, not to mention its marvelous natural beauties, warm hospitality and world famous cuisine, which attracts  approximately 25 million of foreign tourists every year.  

The dates will be as follows: June 8th – 19th, and June 19th – 29th. Attached you can find sample itinerary and also you can visit our webpage for further information. Our webpage is www.theholydove.org , www.niagarafoundation.org  

Some of the Previous Travelers:Senator Brandt Hershman, Senator Vi Simpson, Senator Jim Arnold, Senator Karen Tallian, Senator Jim Lewis, Representative Linda Lawson, Representative Vernon Smith, Kevin Rader Channel13 . . . Sherrie Bossung Eli Lilly, Julie Dewitt . . . Jason Kloth Teach for America, Jason Dombkowski Chief of Police Dept in West Lafayette, Tom Harton IBJ, Roland Dorson President of Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce, Donald Knebel B&T Law, Bobby Fong President of Butler University, Scott Appleby Director of Kroc Institute at Notre Dame, Patrick & Melissa Mason Notre Dame, Barbara Lockwood Notre Dame, Kent Millard, St. Luke’s United Meth. Church, Dennis & Sandy Sasso, Beth El-Zedeck Synagogue, Suellen Reed, former Superintendent of Public Education, Judy O’Bannon WFYI, Lewis Galloway Second Presbyterian Church, Kevin Armstrong North Meridian United Meth. Church, Bonnie Maurer Printing Editor of IBJ, Virgil Madden Lt. Governor’s Policy Advisor, Chris Crabtree Lt. Governor’s Chief of Staff, Pierre Atlas Marian University, Sylvia Payne IUPUI, Bill Plater IUPUI, Dwight Burlingame Philanthropy Center, Gary Roberts IUPUI, Nancy Chism IUPUI, Grady Chism IUPUI, Valerie Eickmeier IUPUI, Laurie and Bill Schneider IUPUI, Darrel Bailey IUPUI.

The list of prominent Hoosiers participating in Gulen-funded trips to Turkey is astonishing to say the least. It's not surprising that so many politicians would jump at the opportunity to take part in an overseas junket to Turkey, but many people will be shocked that top media representatives, business, religious and community leaders took advantage of the free trips as well. Advance Indiana obtained a sample itinerary for one of the Gulen-sponsored trips, which included stops at a mosque, the Turkish parliament, Turkey's largest TV station and newspaper controlled by Gulen, meetings with government and media officials loyal to Gulen, and dinners in the homes of Gulen followers, along with plenty of time allotted for typical tourist trappings including shopping, boating, swimming and other leisure-related activities.

In February, Advance Indiana exclusively reported that another prominent Turkish immigrant, businessman Ersal Ozdemir, was accompanying Indiana Commerce Secretary Victor Smith on a four-day trade mission to Turkey during which Smith was planning to attend the Young President's Organization Global Leadership Summit in Istanbul at which Smith was presenting. YPO is an exclusive organization first established by the CIA back in the 1950s, which counts Ozdemir among its members. An IEDC spokesperson told Advance Indiana that Ozdemir accompanied Smith and IEDC officials on the trip to "introduce IEDC staff to leaders in the Turkish business community."

Advance Indiana has previously reported on the meteoric rise of Ozdemir in Indiana during the relatively short time he has lived here. Ozdemir has scored numerous government construction contracts from state and local governments and won tens of millions of dollars in government handouts for his private development projects after emerging as one of the state's largest individual campaign contributors. Ozdemir exerts enormous influence over Mayor Greg Ballard and the Marion County Republican Party, which houses its offices in a building owned by Ozdemir, as well as Carmel Mayor James Brainard. Ozdemir also recently announced that he had landed a professional soccer team franchise for Indianapolis. Speculation now abounds that the CIB, with Mayor Ballard's backing, will build or at least subsidize a new soccer stadium for Ozdemir's soccer franchise.

Former Supt. of Education Tony Bennett embracing Eksili

Former Indianapolis Council President Rozelle Boyd on Niagara-sponsored trip to Turkey

Former Gov. Mitch Daniels receiving an honor from Eksili at Niagara-sponsored dinner

WTHR's State House reporter Kevin Rader with group on Niagara-sponsored trip to Turkey
 

State Rep. Mike Speedy (left) on Niagara-sponsored trip to Turkey

U.S. Rep. Susan Brooks with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Eksili

Former Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman presenting Distinguished Citizen Award to Eksili at State House event


You won't want to miss this video produced in 2011 and narrated by WTHR weatherman Bob Gregory to see the extent to which the Gulen Movement has co-opted so many of Indiana political, business, religious and education leaders based on false assumptions about who and what they're all about.