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Dirk Smillie's "Falwell Inc"

Posted: August 5th, 2008, 3:58 pm
by Sly Fox
I really haven't heard much buzz about this book. But Forbes Magazine has some excerpts ...
Forbes wrote:Book Excerpt
Falwell's Last Days
Dirk Smillie 08.04.08, 12:00 PM ET


Image

The first of five excerpts from Falwell Inc. Inside a Religious, Political, Educational and Business Empire by Dirk Smillie ($26, St. Martin 's Press, 2008).

On the last morning of Jerry Falwell's life, he awoke at 6:20 a.m., slowly rolled out of bed, showered, shaved, dressed and sat down in his study to bang out a storm of e-mail. It was Tuesday, May 15, just four days before the 2007 graduation ceremonies at Liberty University, the school he had founded 36 years earlier. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich would be coming to Liberty that Saturday to deliver the commencement address to 3,598 graduating students. They would assemble at Williams Stadium on the slopes of Candler's Mountain in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Click Here for Full Excerpt

Posted: August 5th, 2008, 4:13 pm
by bigsmooth
interesting excerpts. it looks like a good read.

Posted: August 5th, 2008, 4:26 pm
by thepostman
very interesting...I think I will be reading this one...

Posted: August 5th, 2008, 5:40 pm
by JDUB
yeah i'll probably read it too

Posted: August 6th, 2008, 3:05 pm
by Ed Dantes
Pretty awesome. Looks like a great read.

When Falwell gave away his autobiography, I was disappointed at how it barely touched on things like Liberty University and such (and the whole Larry Flynt situation). It looks like this is going to really shine the light on what Falwell believed was his true legacy.

Posted: August 6th, 2008, 3:21 pm
by Rooster Cogburn
Interesting!
http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/rush_ ... ?viewall=1
Despite raising an estimated hundreds of millions of dollars for the Christian right, televangelist Jerry Falwell died poor, a new book claims.

Posted: August 6th, 2008, 4:18 pm
by LUconn
Uhh, I'm fairly certain that not a single thing about Liberty Village in that article is true. People live there. I'm sure they don't want SWAT raiding their houses for practice.

Posted: August 6th, 2008, 4:37 pm
by Rooster Cogburn
I'm hearing that the Broke thing is not true either.

Posted: August 6th, 2008, 5:20 pm
by JDUB
he wasn't broke thats retarded

Posted: August 6th, 2008, 5:30 pm
by Rooster Cogburn
Do people for sure live up there?

Posted: August 6th, 2008, 5:36 pm
by LUconn
Yes. The houses in the back are occupied. I think even the stuff in the front is now occupied by students, but obviously that was not part of the original plan. The plan of the original developers who are not associated with Jerryland and then went bankrupt.

Posted: August 6th, 2008, 7:11 pm
by Ed Dantes
I got a P.R. release in my e-mail about Liberty village:::
PUBLICATION MAKES FALSE CLAIMS ABOUT
THE REV. JERRY FALWELL, LIBERTY VILLAGE


LYNCHBURG, VA Aug. 6, 2008 — The New York Daily News falsely claimed that the Rev. Jerry Falwell Sr. “lost most of his fortune to a doomed investment, a $20 million Christian community.”

The story cited “Falwell Inc.,” a recent book by Forbes reporter Dirk Smillie.

Falwell Sr., in fact, had no financial interest in the community known as Liberty Village referenced by the Daily News.

Jerry Falwell was not a businessman but was rather the pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church for 51 years and chancellor and founder of Liberty University. He never invested in any real estate developments of any type.

The Liberty Village project was developed by Savoy Senior Housing of New York City. Jacob Frydman was the principal behind that company. Frydman's company simply bought 140 acres from one of the ministries affiliated with Thomas Road Baptist Church in 1999 and attempted to develop a retirement village on the site. Frydman signed a marketing agreement with one of Jerry Falwell's ministries to provide marketing services to Frydman for a fee. Falwell's non-profit ministry received nothing from Frydman because his company bankrupted before the project was finished.

The New York Daily News also falsely reported that “the site has become a local police training ground.”

The site is not now a local police training ground. It was purchased by Liberty University in 2006 and is used for graduate and married student housing.

Posted: August 6th, 2008, 7:17 pm
by LUconn
It was once used it to train volunteer firemen when they burned down the unfinished and decaying apartment building there. Maybe he got confused with that.

Maybe Smillie should have done even a fraction of research before writing a book. Or heck, maybe he should have just googled this stuff and he probably would have wound up on here.

Posted: August 6th, 2008, 8:32 pm
by Cider Jim
LUconn wrote:I'm sure they don't want SWAT raiding their houses for practice.
I bet that's disappointing to Medic. :medic

Posted: August 6th, 2008, 10:17 pm
by thesportscritic
those idiots in New York need to get their facts straight.

Posted: August 6th, 2008, 10:19 pm
by Sly Fox
Knucklevision wrote:Family Upset About Falwell Report
posted 7:55 pm Wed August 06, 2008 - Lynchburg, VA
reporter: Brian Damewood posted by: Webteam


The Falwell family is disappointed in a New York Daily News report. An article published Wednesday claims the late Jerry Falwell died poor and lost $20-million in a failed real estate investment. Falwell's family says this claim is completely false. They say there's no truth to it at all. Jerry Jr. says his father never invested in real estate developments of any kind.
Click Here for Full Story & Video Link

Posted: August 6th, 2008, 10:21 pm
by Hold My Own
Idiot looked into HIS account and not HER accounts...he said for years he's to confrontational to keep money in his name.


No kidding LUconn...if he would have just found this site every answer to his mistake is here on this forum alone!!!




I'm wondering if Falwell Corporation is the same thing as Falwell Incorporation....we may have some fun with him if it's the same!

Posted: August 6th, 2008, 10:51 pm
by rogers3
Go get him HMO! Pretty irresponsible reporting... but then what can you expect from some idiotic gossip columnists. They aren't paid to think or be critical.

Posted: August 6th, 2008, 11:46 pm
by Rooster Cogburn
thesportscritic wrote:those idiots in New York need to get their facts straight.
Especially the ones that are LU alums. haha

Posted: August 7th, 2008, 12:29 am
by Hold My Own
There already a Falwell Corporation trademarked....soooooooooooooooooo that's what I'm wondering!

Posted: August 7th, 2008, 12:38 am
by Sly Fox
And here is the latest from the Wednesday night news ...
Knucklevision wrote:Update: Falwell News Report

posted 11:47 pm Wed August 06, 2008 - Lynchburg, VA
reporter: Brian Damewood posted by: Webteam


We heard from the author of a new book at the center of a controversy over the Reverend Jerry Falwell. The New York Daily News wrote Wednesday that Falwell died poor, losing most of his fortune in a failed $20-million real estate development. And the journalist cites that new book, Falwell Inc., by Dirk Smillie as the source for these claims. We talked with the family and Liberty officials and they are upset by this. We heard from Smillie, the book's author and he too says the Daily News flat out got it wrong. Wednesday night, Smillie emailed the Falwells apologizing for what he calls a 'headache'. Jerry Falwell Jr., Chancellor of Liberty University (web) - "It just irresponsible journalism." When Jerry Falwell Jr. first heard the news Wednesday afternoon, he thought it was from a tabloid. Falwell -"It was New York Daily News. So normally you don't expect a daily newspaper just to manufacture and fabricate stories like this."
Click Here for Full Story & Video Link

Anybody else having troubloe getting the WSET video player to work properly?

Posted: August 7th, 2008, 10:16 am
by LUconn
That article is funny. The NYDN is saying they're just reporting what they got from the book and the author is claiming that's not in the book.

Posted: August 7th, 2008, 10:21 am
by BJWilliams
Now this is a game of he said she said but would there be any grounds for a suit in this circumstance? (that whole mess with my friend Michelle got me thinking about that when I read the article)

Posted: August 7th, 2008, 10:45 am
by Hold My Own
The author is secretly loving this...as long as no law suit stems from it.

Posted: August 7th, 2008, 11:00 am
by Kolzilla41
Someone should email him the FF link and see if he get s on w/us