Here's what bothered me about what Seamus was doing. First, he's a Callahan operative, and is trying to divert attention away from some hard-hitting videos posted on Youtube by Simao. Second, Seamaus refused to tell me which of the three candidates he was talking about, in effect smearing them all. Third, Seamus lacked the courage to identify himself and take responsibility for his accusation. Fourth, my own research leads me to conclude that the charge is unfounded. Finally, even if it were true, one bad check charge is insufficient to persuade me that a person is financially irresponsible. I'd have to see a pattern.
Just last week, Geeting was preaching that he was not going to write about those silly Republicans running for Bethlehem City Council. "It’s a waste of my time and your time to be thinking about these dudes." Yet just a few days later, he wastes his time and yours, not by thinking about them, but actually smearing one of them with a lie.
According to Geeting, "Turns out Antonio A Simao bounced a check at a BJ’s back in 2007 and never paid, as the case is still open." Well, that's partially correct. It appears that someone named Antonio A. Simao was charged in 2007 (never convicted) with bouncing a check somewhere. The case remains open because there's been no conviction; not because the check remains unpaid.
But is this the Tony Simao running for City Council? The birthdate listed on the citation is not Tony's birthdate.. And guess what? The Tony Simao who is running for City Council has at least one cousin whose name just happens to be "Antonio A. Simao." Moreover, the citation itself makes pretty clear that it was never served on anyone, certainly not the Tony Simao running for City Council. Tony told me he's unaware of any citation. Finally, nobody was ever actually found guilty of bouncing a check.
It's highly likely that this bad check charge, never pursued, was intended for someone else.
Like Seamus, Geeting made no effort to actually determine what happened. He never bothered to contact Simao. But that was not his purpose. The truth is irrelevant. Like Seamus, he's doing Mayor Callahan's dirty work. Before publishing an untrue accusation, perhaps he should have asked himself why Seamus and Callahan were unwilling to take responsibility.
With this latest irresponsible post, Geeting has pretty much destroyed what's left of his credibility.
If you want to comment on this post, you'll have to take responsibility for what you write.
Updated Tuesday, 10:19 AM: Geeting has posted a new blog, bragging about how many hits his original Simao post garnered. He makes no apology for his failure to conduct even a cursory investigation into information fed to him by Callahan operatives. He instead asks, "[D]o you really believe that there are two Antonio A Simaos living in Bethlehem, born on the same day exactly ten years apart?" Had Geeting done any sort of investigation, he'd know (1) two Antonio A Simaos do live in Bethlehem; and (2) the birthate listed on the citation is not that of the Republican candidate.
His post was a willing smear, engineered by "Seamus" of the Callahan camp. And today, Geeting proves he's an "ends justify the means" kind of guy. He's willing to use outright lies if it serves his agenda. That's why he has no real credibility.