100 Huntley St Interview Raises More Questions Than It Answers

I watched with guarded interest as Ron, and then Ann Mainse where interview by Jim Cantalon and Moria Brown respectively on 100 Huntley Street, and then watched again to make sure I was hearing correctly…to be honest I’m still bewildered.

To be fair, I have not commented one way or another on the subject of the Crossroads Board of Directors’ decision to have Ron step down as president of Crossroads over the ponzi scam fiasco preferring of course to get the goods from the horse’s mouth. At the outset David Mainse (former president and father of Ron) comforted the masses and basically whitewashed the event by stating that there was no need for concern and all would be revealed in due time. Personally, I feel the silence (over four months) has done more harm than good.

Crossroads call the people who support the ministry “partners,”  but they seem to have drawn a line as to what can be shared and what cannot. If they were truly concerned about the  partners would it not have been better to come clean right at the beginning than to leave in the dark the people who have supported them through the years? What was offered by Ron and Ann was little more than what we already knew except to say they lost a bit of sleep over the incident, and would make full restitution to the 40 or 50 people who were scammed with them…oh, and they were both naïve.

Now I have some questions that will most likely go unanswered in light of the statement Jim Cantalon made after Ron’s interview…simply stated that because he did not use a script or have any predetermined questions that this would somehow put to rest any furthers questions that people may have. Although I have a lot of respect for Jim I hope he is not naive enough to believe that this is over by any means. We don’t need to know where the toilet paper goes when we flush it down the toilet, until the toilet starts to back up…then we better find out where the problem is and fix it. What little has come to light, or perhaps what hasn’t,  is exactly what will continue to fuel the fire that this long silence has brought about. I don’t think privacy is an issue here, nor do I think that asking questions is like throwing stones as some have suggested. To whom much is given, much is required, and because those who are in the public eye have chosen to be there (no one forced them) they have forfeited the right to privacy especially when the very ministry they are involved in is supported by the public.

At the end of Jim’s interview with Ron, the marlette at the bottom of the screen blatantly declared Ron’s title as president of Crossroads Christian Communications. It begs the question why the board would reinstall Ron as president when in his carefully crafted speech he declared himself a “novice” when it comes to anything financial. Not that he needs to be a financial expert, but the fact remains that he failed to consult anyone with experience that may have given him some much needed advice before making a critical decision. Although I like Ron as a person he doesn’t exactly exude with confidence…which is ok, but not necessarily the image of someone who would be the president of a large ministry and making assessments that would involve the hard earned cash of their supporters. Personally, I would think twice before investing in a business where the leader keeps things under the table or doesn’t see the need to seek advice about things that seem too good to be true. In my opinion Jim is more astute and would be viewed as a more competent president, and Ron would be more suited as a host.

I also wonder why Ann was allowed to stay on as host of the couch potatoes when she was equally involved in the same scam that dethroned her husband Ron, and also removed Reynold and Kathy from their perspective positions.

Of course part of the problem was the interview itself. How could anyone expect an impartial interview when the host(s) is (are) employed by the people being interviewed. An outsider (perhaps Michael Coren) would have pressed for answers to the tough questions instead of leading everyone along the garden path to a happy ending. And speaking of endings, I was very dismayed after Ron’s interview when he announced that the following week would be yet another two week membership drive and fund raiser…with a huge smile on his face.

Business as usual…indeed!