LOS ANGELES (THE BRAMFORD TIMES) - A private intelligence-communications agency has unveiled the newest member of its team.

This morning, Griffith Colson Intelligence Service (GCIS) unveiled “FRANC”, (Field Response And Network Command), a security-communications system developed by The Griffith Corporation exclusively for GCIS. Griffith Corp is the technological and communications development unit of GCIS.

FRANC is a portable communications system that can only be activated by the sitting director of the private intelligence agency, according to a statement released this morning. The new system allows the director of GCIS  to assume direct command of all GCIS operations, networks and connected communications and broadcasting facilities in the event of a national or internal emergency. FRANC is programmed to be activated with the bar code identification of the director, giving him full command over all GCIS operations from anywhere in the world. Once activated, personnel and other GCIS staff can not override FRANC. It must be deactivated by the director.

For example, in the event the sitting director is on vacation, FRANC would accompany the director and in the case of an emergency, can be activated  with the director’s access card. The system, which is guarded in a thick, protective case, with yet another case inside,  contains a system that is essentially a portable communications and operations command center. The director can, at the moment of activation, run all operations, circumventing all personnel for the time of activation.

“FRANC is really a great new member of the team”, said Sara Bauer, a spokeswoman for GCIS, “It is a great innovation for us because it was custom designed to fit our needs exclusively, and no matter what the crisis, our clients, partners and friends will always know that someone will be able to remain in charge and operations will continue”.

The new system would also allow the director and  his office to command operations from a disaster site where, for example, an earthquake has taken place. It would allow GCIS to operate from the disaster site, while serving as a first responder or in relief operations.

GCIS received delivery of the new system this week. You can learn more about FRANC by visiting this LINK.

When he founded The Griffith Corporation in 2007 with Alysyn Bourque, his partner in life, love and business , little did he know he would be doing what he is doing now.

W. Edward Griffith is, at 43, a man who is confident that all government begins in the home and that his job as Director of Griffith Colson Intelligence Service (GCIS) is as serious an honor as any in his life.

He believes in people and their security. He insists that his recent criticisms of President Obama on issues like Israel and Iran are not political. Griffith defended the Mossad in the aftermath of the Dubai assassination of a Hamas leader and wrote  an article calling the killing justifiable homicide. He sees the private intelligence industry as a positive thing and has recognized the power of online media and has built a substantial and growing Internet media network. Alysyn is more than just the mother of their children and his partner. She is also Deputy Director of Communications at GCIS and one of the Director’s closest advisors.

We had the chance to chat with the Director over the weekend about Barack Obama, family and the private security and intelligence industry. This is what he had to say:




Q:  You oversee the day to day operations at Griffith Colson Intelligence Service. How do you see your duties there?

A:  Well, I have several honors in my life. One is my love for and life with Alysyn (Bourque). One is being a father to our two children and one is serving as Director of GCIS. The big part of my job each day is decision making. Our personnel work very hard at what they do because for us it is a passion and something we believe in. I don’t have to micro-manage our officers because they know exactly what to do and they take the initiative and do it. The largest job we all have is the gathering of information and intelligence. This requires GCIS  be on the clock 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We have personnel that do nothing else but monitor the latest reports and mine Internet data for vital intelligence. Then we have a team that analyzes that information and it ends up on my desk for approval to be deployed to our IntelCenter.

Q: So there are some reports you don’t approve?

A: There are. We do a cross-check on all information. First, because we want to make certain that the information we’re providing the public is accurate. Second, we will not run any information or intelligence that is overtly political. We never run anything that places our military, intelligence or law enforcement personnel in a negative light unless it comes directly from one of those agencies. We are not out to sell news, we’re out to deliver the best intelligence on the most vital topics to our national and global security.

Q:  So you never get political? What about your open defense of the Mossad during the Hamas assassination allegations?

A: Well, I didn’t see it as a political issue. Obviously politics spills into nearly every facet of our daily lives and this can be both unfortunate and unavoidable. But I did not see this particular issue as a political one. It was a matter of right and wrong. Our moral obligation to look at the issue and realize that whether or not Mossad was responsible for the assassination of the Hamas leader was a moot subject because another terrorist had been eradicated. It was not about politics for me but about the effort to combat terrorism.

Q: You have been openly critical of President Obama and his administration over the handling of the Iran nuclear issue and their approach to Israel. This wasn’t political for you?

A: Again, this was an issue of moral obligation to our allies. Look, we can’t always remove politics from the issue, as I’ve said. But it certainly wasn’t a matter of partisanship or political posturing. I am not running for office. I have no political capital to gain by being critical of the President on these issues. It is an obligation of citizenship in the United States to be critical of our leaders when they’re wrong and to give them credit when they’re right. It is not about Republican or Democrat or winning the next election. It’s about maintaining the character of our country. It’s about doing what we say we’re going to do and getting the job done even when it’s unpopular. I’m sure President Obama is convinced that what he is doing is the right course of action. I happen to think he’s wrong. First of all, our relationship with Israel must remain strong and uncompromising. We have made solid commitments to Israel and we need to stand with them. They are the balance in the Middle East, despite what their critics say. Secondly, the President’s approach to Iran is weak. Economic sanctions simply will not work against this regime. We have a history with Iran. We know what we’re dealing with. The President’s own military advisors and Admiral Mullen, who is Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, have all pointed out that while a military strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities should be a last resort, we’re there. Iran will, by all estimates, have nuclear strike capability against the United States within five years. Their ability to unleash devastation on Israel will arrive sooner than later. How can we consider any option other than a military one to make certain their nuclear development is halted, if not wiped out? To me it is a matter of decision making by the President. He will have to eventually make the tough choice to order a proportional response to Iran’s current activities and I would hope we would launch such a campaign with Israel as our partner in this thing.

Griffith’s family (right) is the foundation of every decision he makes

Q:  How do you see the private intelligence industry? With all of the bad press about Blackwater and private military and security contractors, do you think the private intelligence industry has a bad image now?

A:  Obviously whenever you have a relationship between government and the private sector and that relationship involves contracts and war there are going to be failures. I think the outsourcing of intelligence, security and military contracts is vital. First of all the private sector can often perform better than government. We know this. Look at the U.S. Postal Service. It was once the only way to get a package from one place to another. When FedEx and UPS came on the scene, it created competition for the government and we found that even if we have to pay more, we will certainly go to FedEx or UPS to send a package because we know it’s going to get there and get there on time. There is example after example of the private sector doing it better, more efficiently and more cost effective in the long run than government.

Q: How do you view the Blackwater failures?

A: I think, really, that is a question better left to the government and Blackwater executives. When they changed their name to Xe (pronounced zee), they made an effort to change their image. Yes, there were failures in Iraq, but you don’t punish an industry because of the few. There are government failures as well. I think we often lose sight of the fact that where there are human beings running anything there will be failures from time to time. The objective is to learn from those failures and do it better the next time.

Q: What role do you see GCIS playing in what is going on today?

A:  We have carved out a unique place in the private intelligence industry. Our concentration and focus has been to build a solid information and intelligence network support system for both private and governmental intelligence and security agencies. We continue to expand and to grow in this area. The main focus of Griffith Colson will always be the security of the American people and the security of our allies. Terrorism is a primary focus. Investigating intelligence information we receive to make certain it’s accurate and as solid as it can be is another focus. We analyize data constantly. We also have a team that focuses on finding and pin-pointing online activities where terrorist recruitment is taking place. To date, we have rooted out extremists on Facebook and a variety of social networks in cyberspace and we’re always searching. Our job never ends in that regard. I also think that we have an obligation to maintain the highest degree of integrity in what we do. Our code of conduct seems strict to many people, but our personnel follow it with honor and discipline. We are a small team. Probably a third of the size of Mossad, which itself is small. We’re not a huge corporation like Blackwater that employs tens of thousands of people. We’re not out to be the biggest in the industry. We’re out to be the best at what we do and to do what we do with integrity and a focus on the security of people. That is our greatest role.

Q: When you were Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of The Griffith Corporation, you began building a media network. When you stepped down to lead GCIS, you had broadcasting and publication interests at Griffith Corp and it continues to expand. When Griffith Corp. merged with GCIS recently some people wanted to know how that fit into private intelligence.

A: On the surface it doesn’t. When you look at Griffith Corp’s media venues, they have an online newspaper, an online arts and entertainment magazine, art and space channels. So it doesn’t look like it fits. But it does because it allows GCIS direct online reports and a constant flow of information that we can monitor. It also provides us with a solid media base in the event of a national or global emergency. The combined reader and viewership of these venues gives us a far greater reach to get vital information to the public. All Griffith Media resources are plugged into GCIS. So, let’s say there is a terrorist attack or the outbreak of war, all of those media venues serve as information sources for the public. They shutdown their normal operations and run only the updates and intelligence reports from the GCIS IntelCenter. As a result, we reach more people and contribute to saving more lives.

Griffith with Alysyn Bourque,(left)his partner in love and business (2008)

Q: And when there is no emergency?

A: Obviously the publications and broadcasting units generate revenue and report what they report. This is a business, but it’s also a mission. Security is not simply the job of government. It is a duty of citizenship and therefore a collective national and global effort. It is a full time job and requires dedication. Our team is dedicated and will remain so. Our partners, like Gary Aminoff, the ICTOA, FedHealth, Wiredog, the National Association of Investigative Specialists, and the list goes on and on, these are those in the private sector who offer the support to our infrastructure and our daily operations. They are as dedicated as we are and not a day goes by that we don’t appreciate and think of our friends and partners.

Q:  Do you have any parting words for our readers?

A:  I think if I could leave your readers with anything it is this. The foundation of any successful society is not found in government, but in our families from which all government is born. It is the first and most important form of government we experience. Some grow up in a home where the father is a terrorist or a dictator. Others grow up in a home where there is abuse and terror. All government, all terrorism and all issues of security start with the family and then pour into our communities, our governments, our nations and the planet. When a terrorist is raised to be a terrorist they are brought up in the home as such. When a child is raised to be patriotic and a good citizen they are taught that in the home.  The fact is family is the foundation and core of who we are as a nation. It is because our forefathers wanted a better life full of liberty for their families that they founded a new nation. It was because they wanted their children and their grandchildren to be free that they fought the wars of the past and continued to sacrifice for the sake of the next generation. So I have said all of that to say this. Our families come in different packages. We’re not all the same. But if your family is happy and safe, you have done your job. If we carry that into what we do outside of the home we will see the world around us improve. We will see those principles reflected in business and politics and even religion. Family is the first priority we have. Everything else is a result of how well we do there.

Q: Thank you so much Director Griffith.

A: Thank you. It is always a pleasure.


-Reported by Abby Stockli, Editor, ArtChix Magazine

Admiral Mike Mullen (above)

WASHINGTON (THE BRAMFORD TIMES) - The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said on Sunday that a U.S. strike against Iran would go “a long way” to delaying its nuclear program but that he considered doing so his “last option” right now.

“Military options would go a long way to delaying it,” Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters after speaking at a forum at Columbia University in New York.

“That’s not my call. That’s going to be the presidents call,” he added. “But from my perspective … the last option is to strike right now.”

GCIS Director W. Edward Griffith (above)

The Admiral’s statement echoed the month-old statement of W. Edward Griffith, Director of Griffith Colson Intelligence Service.

“Iran has already stated its clear and present policy of danger when it comes to their intentions for Israel. Military force will end up the only option, no matter how delayed, because sanctions will not work. While there is a moderate block in Iran and the Iranian people could call for revolution based on those sanctions, it is doubtful that they will be effective.”, Griffith said last month, ” When Iran brought its nuclear development project above ground the other day, I looked at someone in the office and said it’s a damn good thing I’m not in The White House right now. A concise, swift airstrike on that facility, as well as their research infrastructure would have been ordered. This administration may well be exhausting its options before such a move, but rest assured, before this is over, the use of military action will be used to eradicate the nuclear capability threat posed by Iran.”

A week ago, the private intelligence chief reiterated his call for military action saying  “The threats of economic sanctions against Iran are ineffective and laughable. The only option to place their nuclear program in check is to join Israel in a direct, proportional response, with preemptive strike capability in wiping out their nuclear facilities. Any option other than a military one is approaching the crisis blindly. And this White House is plagued with the blind leading the blind.”

This morning Griffith saluted Admiral Mullen for his statement yesterday and said “I am pleased that someone in this administration recognizes the time table on dealing with this threat from Iran”.

With the news this morning that The Griffith Corporation had snapped up yet another online publication, company CEO Bai Su said the deal is part of a much larger vision.

Griffith Corp merged operations with Griffith Colson Intelligence Service (GCIS) last week, becoming the technological and communications development unit of the private intelligence/security firm. Now, with ArtChix Magazine, The Bailey Monthly and The Bramford Times in its media center, Griffith Corp has made all of the dots connect.

“These acquisitions are good ones”, said Su in an email statement early this morning, “It is very much a part of the larger vision of a connected media network that can interface in the event of a national security crisis or a major global event”.

The current strategy involves six Griffith Corp Internet television channels and its three online publications.

Here’s the scenario.

There is a major terrorist attack. Griffith Colson Intelligence Service mobilizes its Communications Command Center and activates the Situation Room, which is reserved for live feeds during a major emergency. The Command Center then gets the green light from the GCIS director’s office to mobilize Griffith Corp’s own media center. As the Situation Room provides real time reports and intelligence briefings, Griffith Corp’s media center shifts gears. The Online magazines and newspaper suspend normal business operations and begin re-blogging the intelligence reports from the GCIS Situation Room. Daily news about Wall Street or Hollywood are replaced with real-time emergency instructions and intelligence briefings. With the number of readers and viewers enjoyed by Griffith Corp’s publications and broadcasting venues, the  increased availability to the public of real-time emergency information is achieved by saturating Griffith Corp’s media pool. GCIS, with Griffith Corp following, has just become a first responder.

While the company’s media network is a money maker for GCIS, it is also a security investment. The reports from the Situation Room are immediately carried by ArtChix Magazine, The Bailey Monthly and The Bramford Times. Those lives feeds are automatically translated to Griffith Corp’s six online broadcasting channels, with each channel running a live news ticker with the latest intelligence reports and instructions.

As a result of this scenario, Griffith Colson Intelligence Service has just multiplied its ability to reach the public by eight times the normal reach of the GCIS Briefing Room. The benefit? “The chance to help more people in the event of a crisis and to potentially save lives is the benefit”, says GCIS Deputy Director of Communications Alysyn Bourque. Bourque also serves as Chairman of the Board of The Griffith Corporation.

“It took Will and I three years to get here”, said Bourque, referring to her partner in business and love, W. Edward Griffith, Director of GCIS and former chairman and ceo of Griffith Corp. “We knew where we wanted to be and we knew it would take some time and work to get there. But we’re here and we will keep expanding”.

Bourque said the couple sacrificed and struggled to keep their vision alive and with the success of GCIS’s operations and contract negotiations, that sacrifice paid off.

The plan doesn’t stop here. Griffith Corp remains on the hunt for new, struggling media start-ups that it can snap up and ad to the company’s media center. Every cent in advertising and marketing revenue has been poured back into the operation. Now a unit of GCIS, Griffith Corp has become an integral part of the GCIS Communications Command Center. As plans are underway to move its operations to the nation’s capital (McLean, Virginia has been picked), staffers and officers are working overtime to make sure it’s ready in the event of an emergency or national security crisis.

“We constantly test ourselves”, says Sara Bauer, spokesperson for GCIS, “We are preparing to activate several drills to test our capabilities and not a single member of our team knows when that will be. Only the director and his assistant know. The drills will repeat themselves when we least expect it”.

The drills Bauer mentions involve a scenario like the one we outlined above. The Situation Room is activated with a mock emergency or crisis and the plan is launched.

The vision to use new Internet technologies and applications for security purposes just entered a new era. With the marriage of GCIS and Griffith Corp, the latest acquisition of The Bramford Times has just sweetened the honeymoon. But the honeymoon can’t last forever and as it draws to a close the real work is just getting started.


-Reported by Dallas Bianchi, Editor, ArtChix Magazine

LOS ANGELES (THE BRAMFORD TIMES) - Less than 24 hours after the announcement that Griffith Colson Intelligence Service and The Griffith Corporation will be moving their headquarters and operations to McLean, Virginia this year, the two firms settled speculation today about whether or not they would combine their efforts into one entity.

Griffith Corp has merged with Griffith Coslon Intelligence Service (GCIS) in a move that  will allow the media firm to offer more technically advanced security options to GCIS.

“The main thing here is we are creating a unified effort”, said GCIS Director and former Griffith Corp. Chairman W. Edward Griffith, “It’s positive for everybody”.

Griffith said because the work of both companies is so involved already, this latest move will allow GCIS to have full authority over the work of Griffith Corp as the intelligence firm’s technological and communications development division.

Griffith said the merger will be finalized in the near future, and he’s already informed his team of the deal.

Griffith, who is Director of Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, will remain on Griffith Corp’s board of directors and will still be involved in the security aspect of the company. Griffith’s wife, Alysyn Bourque, is Deputy Director of Communications at GCIS and current Chairman & CEO of Griffith Corp. In the merger deal, Bourque will step down as CEO, turning over the day to day operations to a new face. She will remain Chairman.

The deal also gives full ownership and authority of Griffith Corp to its new parent, GCIS. Griffith Corp owns and operates four online television channels and two online magazines. Griffith Corp will keep its name and logo as a part of the merger, while serving as a GCIS division.

Griffith believes Griffith Corp will be able to offer more enhanced security techonologies and options to GCIS because of the deal. The company will work exclusively for the needs of GCIS.

LOS ANGELES (THE BRAMFORD TIMES) - Most of us are still sleeping by the time Alysyn Bourque is well into her day. Her day starts at 3:30 am, the time she climbs out of bed with her other half, W. Edward Griffith. As he’s getting ready for his day, Bourque is gathering the clothes for laundry, getting the lunches packed for the kids and is getting ready for her daily pre-dawn run. The smell of Pumpkin Bread fills the house because before her jog she has already started baking. She will have a full day as Deputy Director of Communications at Griffith Colson Intelligence

Service, where her partner is Director.

When Alysyn returns from her morning run Griffith is already at work, reading the security briefings for the morning and preparing his team for a day of information delivery, intelligence gathering and cyber jihadi hunting. Alysyn gets the house in tact for the morning, gets the kids off to school and is dressed to kill, diving into her day as head of the GCIS Communications Command Center.

The couple usually meets up for lunch and to pick the kids up together from school. The work continues. Balancing family, business and a private intelligence firm is not always easy, says Avivah Beiser, Special Assistant to the Director.

“Will and Alysyn probably have the greatest challenges among  our team because they have children and a schedule so different from many of our own”, she says, “But it is fascnating to watch them. The Director always takes a break in the afternoon to practice football with his son and Aly is multitasking with GCIS and thinking about what she’ll cook for dinner that night. They are really good at it”.

The night begins to draw to a close around 6pm as the night crew takes the wheel at GCIS. For Will and Alysyn, spending some time as a family is priority number one. The kids are down for bed, and after wrapping up some last minutes reports, the couple will retire for the evening, cellphones on (just in case there is an emergency) and they watch a tv program and go to sleep. The next morning, it starts all over again. The days will vary. A doctors appointment or a school function may be added here and there, but the grand never changes.

Baking before dawn? This woman has it together!

LOS ANGELES - The head of Griffith Colson Intelligence Service said this morning that he believes the United States effort to impose sanctions on Iran will only prolong the inevitable need to use military force in order to stop that country’s nuclear development program.

In a Facebook posting this morning, GCIS Director W. Edward Griffith said he believes the Obama Administration is “exhausting its op

tions and using sanctions to buy time”, but added that military force will be necessary in the long term.

In the post Griffith said:

“Iran has already stated its clear and present policy of danger when it comes to their intentions for Israel. Military force will end up the only option, no matter how delayed, because sanctions will not work. While there is a moderate block in Iran and the Iranian people could call for revolution based on those sanctions, it is doubtful that they will be effective. When Iran brought its nuclear development project above ground the other day, I looked at someone in the office and said it’s a damn good thing I’m not in The White House right now. A concise, swift airstrike on that facility, as well as their research infrastructure would have been ordered. This administration may well be exhausting its options before such a move, but rest assured, before this is over, the use of military action will be used to eradicate the nuclear capability threat posed by Iran.”

GCIS is a private intelligence and security firm that monitors global intelligence and security events around the clock.

LOS ANGELES — The Griffith Corporation has reason to smile this morning, as its Griffith Media Center is enjoying a lead with two of its primary online television channels.

Chairman/CEO Alysyn Bourque reported this morning that the company’s Homeland TV Network and Griffith Broadcasting Network has moved far ahead of their two competitors.

Homeland TV Network (above) has overtaken its rival channel HSTV (below)

Homeland TV Network is enjoying a huge lead over rival Homeland Security Television, with 191,120 to the competition’s 42,825 in the numbers race. Homeland TV is celebrating its third anniversary. Griffith Corp.’s Homeland TV has long been the company’s crown jewel, with broadcasting focus centered on military and homeland security programming.

Griffith Broadcasting Network (above) has taken a substantial lead in art programming, overcoming rival channel Red Espresso (below) in a commanding takeover in the numbers game

Griffith Broadcasting Network (GBN), is an arts channel, with 217,255 to rival Red Espresso’s 39,272. GBN began as a family programming channel and seven months ago switched to exclusive arts programming. The channel sky-rocketed in the numbers.

“We have witnessed steady growth for these channels”, said Bourque this morning, “It is nice to have the lead in what we love to do”.

Bourque said the company is now focused on bringing ArtChix TV into the lead. The channel continues to explore production of original programs and is still trying to define its place in the network’s family of channels.

Bourque did say that the network has been ironing out some technical issues with network provider Livestream. The last 48 hours have been focused on resolving compatibility issues between the advertising programming and the exclusive channel stream.

“We’re working closely with Livestream to determine the best way to resolve these issues”, said Bourque in a statement this morning, “We are going to have these issues because the technology is constantly evolving and we need to constantly adapt. But it is all a part of the process and we are confident that it will be resolved shortly”.

Bourque said the network ‘is preparing to go to the next level, with premium HD broadcasting’, but that it must first resolve the current technical issues in play.

Griffith Corp. is also in the process of considering a move out of California to one of three states currently offering broadcasting contracts and incentives to bring the network to their regions. The company’s recent partnership with Griffith Colson Intelligence Service has guaranteed a place for the company in the security broadcasting field. GCISS operates Griffith Colson Communications, a channel focused exclusively on intelligence and national security programming. While both firms are independent, GCIS serves as Griffith Corp.’s primary security unit and partner in homeland and national security broadcasting.

-Reported by Samireh Samadi, ArtChix Magazine

She is confident and has come into her own. She is a sexy corporate chief, elegant and the epitome of style and class. She is a writer, human rights advocate and Chief Executive Officer of The Griffith Corporation.

Alysyn Ayrica Bourque has the world at her fingertips and she intends on seizing it. She has spearheaded the design and operations of the new Griffith Media Center and remains the force to reckon with when it comes to the day to day operations of the company she founded with company Chairman Will Griffith in 2007.

She is balanced, socially liberal and fiscally conservative. She remains committed to the company’s vision of “Investing in People” and she is the closest person to the Chairman. Alysyn Bourque is a mother as well, and the children she raises with Griffith are their highest priority.

Since founding Griffith Corp, Alysyn Bourque has learned much. She has becomed seasoned and she enjoys a new independence. When the company was launched, Alysyn was in Griffith’s shadow. She was the woman behind the chief and was one half of the power couple they had become. Her new-found independence is all her own. She has earned her own place as CEO and she no longer walks behind Griffith’s shadow. She is her own person with her own ideas and life all her own. While she shares the raising of children and corporate responsibilities with Griffith, Alysyn Ayrica Bourque maintains her own circle of friends, a relationship of her own and remains committed to writing. But Griffith Corp. is a priority to her. She has worked hard to build the company and a media network that will provide a legacy for their children.

Elegant, Alysyn (left) is

enjoying her life

Since the new launch of Griffith Corp’s media center, Alysyn Bourque talks to ArtChix Magazine editor Abby Stockli about the vision of the company, about her children and about the “real” Will Griffith.

Here is what she had to say.

Q: You are back at the helm of The Griffith Corporation as Chief Executive Officer. You’re very diverse?

AA:  The one thing I’ve learned over the years is that nothing is truly impossible. If we can imagine the possibility of something, no matter how absurd or extreme, then the potential for it must exist on some level of our awareness. I may not be qualified to fulfill some areas of life by the standards of much of our current society, but when I think about the origins of many of our disciplines and culture I remember that everything had to start somewhere from a basic premise. Success is a condition of the soul, not of one’s wealth accumulation.  Money has it’s place, but without character and integrity it is nothing more than “stuff”. Sure it has a purpose, but that purpose is only as good as that which is dictated by one’s own inner convictions and eternal perspective.

We revere those in elite positions…the doctors, scholars, executives, etc…and rightfully so; they’ve worked and studied hard to become the best at their positions. But the one thing about this country that is still hopeful is the fact that, relative to our Constitution, those people don’t dictate the potential in our lives. There is always opportunity to build from nothing and become greater than your beginnings, despite formal education.  History has proven this.

Q: Griffith Corp. recently acquired ArtChix Magazine, launched The Bailey Monthly and added a new online television station to its broadcasting network. What are some of your other plans to expand the company’s media reach?

AA:  Well, I don’t want to give away all of our secrets (laughs), but we do have a lot of new ideas being developed for sure. It will TRULY be a media venture, expanding into every area of life in one way or another.  We’re also in need of a larger staff, so we’re constantly on the look out for creative and talented minds who are also not afraid to put themselves out there for the bigger picture.

Q: Will Griffith is Chairman of the Board. You

know him probably better than anyone. For all of the publicity surrounding his art, what is the real Will Griffith like. The father, the man?

AA:  My goal from the beginning has been to stress that, despite everything we’ve heard or said about him, his role as a father is impeccable and unwavering. Our children not only respect him as a parent, they absolutely adore him as a person. He, somehow, finds a balance between being the firm hand of discipline and being considerate and compassionate with regards to their own unique personalities.  He allows them the room to develop their own perspectives, while teaching them the concepts of right and wrong as a framework for becoming good people. 

Like so many of us, he had to find his own way in life. Not having a good father figure to model after, he found people in his own life that he, innately, knew he needed to be the epitome of goodness and virtue to look up to. As a result, he was able to overcome the negative influences and develop context to his understanding of life.  Despite…or maybe BECAUSE of…his stumblings and poor decisions, he came out with a perspective that allowed him to pass that same ideology to his children, giving them the tools to become good people in turn.  In essence, he BECAME the model he needed himself.

Will Griffith has become the very father figure to

their children he needed

Q: What kind of a company leader is Will Griffith?

AA:  I learned early on to trust his instincts. I’m a relatively patient person. One of my personal mottos is “everything in it’s own time”. Having spent twenty years watching and learning from those around me who were successful in business before developing my own business, I took that experience and followed his lead when we began The Griffith Corporation.

Will’s experience in the political arena gave him an incredible instinct when it comes to people. I didn’t understand many of his initial corporate decisions, but I waited and tried to glean from his leadership. I discovered that many of his ideas were, surprisingly, light years ahead of what was already being developed. A few of our ideas were actually “adopted” (I’m trying to be kind!) by other entrepreneurs with whom we shared them…the original intention being, of course, to work with them in their implementation.  Oh well, that’s part of the risk.

I have to admit that if either of us were software programmers, the online development that would have come out - even two years ago - would have blown away the competition with it’s ingenuity and foresight.  I can tell you that, even now, if we could find someone who would be willing to invest their time into developing some of the ideas we have, he or she would become legendary in the internet broadcasting world.

Chairman Will Griffith (left)

Q: You founded Griffith Corp with Will in 2007. You’ve had your struggles. How has Will handled the ups and downs of building a business?

AA:  Initially, we had to struggle with “other quantities” obstructing our growth and perspective. Most of them were residue from both of our pasts, and, despite the beautiful people who supported us through it, we had to fight for everything we now have both personally and financially.  We knew where we wanted to go business-wise, but we eventually came to understand that none of that could be achieved until there was balance in our personal lives. Once that was brought into focus everything else began to fall into place.

The one thing I can tell people - especially couples, as we had been - is to never lose sight of the fact that supporting one another no matter what is the most difficult and important action you can take in building ANYTHING.  It’s hard enough dealing with the failures; it’s worse - and even destructive - to have to struggle with one another’s disappointed expectations. Don’t let your expectations of success be the foundation upon which you stabilize your emotions. Expectations should be realistic. Read the success/failure statistics to build a realistic understanding of the realities of business. 

More importantly, learn to get over yourself.

Q: Where would you like to see the company in five years?

AA:  Given the people we now have as partners and support personnel, I can honestly say that we have a serious shot at becoming a premiere media and human rights network. Our primary focus is the well-being of people. A corporation is only as solid as the people who are building it, and we’ve learned early on that if we take care of one another first, the company will grow from that attention to personal growth. There is no excuse for treating other human beings with anything less than compassion and dignity.

Q: What do you see as the core vision of The Griffith Corporation.

AA:  To reiterate, it comes down to investing in people.  We have always been human-rights oriented.  Even in raising our children, our primary focus is not religious or academic, but in giving them the tools to become GOOD PEOPLE.  In the same way, our focus, corporately, is to equip people around us to become the best at what they do. It’s not about control, it’s about empowerment.  We, of course, want to utilize talent and offer people opportunities to grow financially as we do, but if that person becomes destructive to the well-being of others they have no real place in Griffith Corp.  The Prime Directive, as it were, is to care for people. Everything else is negotiable.

Q: How do you think the Obama administration is handling the economy?

AA:  My own personal instinct is to not trust politicians, even if they’re in the Office of the President.  I’m a Constitutionalist by nature of my own leanings, but thoughtful in my considerations of the many legalities which derive from the interpretation of it.  Though we are THE United States, we are not A United States.  What I mean is we’re so busy, individually, fighting our Federal government for states rights that our Constitution guarantees, but we have yet to work together to truly make a unified stand to the Fed to enforce those rights. We are united in purpose, but divided in action.  

The one thing that I am disappointed in is the wedge that the mainstream media is allowed to drive between us as citizens. The disappointment isn’t in the media, alone, because, as I tell my children, you can’t blame someone else for the decisions you make. 

We, the citizens of this country, have ALLOWED ourselves to be deceived.  We listen to tidbits and form life-altering perspectives on so very little information. This is inexcusable, especially in a freedom-oriented country.  We have access to education, we have opportunities to develop our intellect, we have the promise of a better life if we CHOOSE to claim it. Obstacles are not barriers, but challenges to our determination to be stronger, more intelligent persons.  

We have forgotten our origins after only a little more than 200 years. We’ve gone from being a freedom-minded people to a rights-minded people.  We forget that so much of what we have is because people wanted the “freedom” to make their own choices without interference.  Now we think it’s our “right” to have everything given to us. It’s not our right to be educated, it’s our priority - a decision we must make because we wish to grow and take advantage of these 80+ years of life we are given. 

Until we take responsibility as individuals, the economy will never be stable enough, we’ll never be making enough money, we’ll never be truly satisfied…

CEO ALYSYN BOURQUE (right)

Q: You were in-charge of the design of the new Griffith Media Center. How will this media center be different than what you had before?

AA:  What we’re doing now is much more integrative and expansive. It’s primary focus is media, all other areas of the Corporation are located in separate websites linked through our networks. Eventually, we’ll have everything connected more efficiently, but for now we have a place to start, to profile what we’re offering.  As well, we have a team that is dedicated to their expansion and modernity. In time, the technology will change, newer features will be added, and there will be more opportunities for our supporters to interact and become a true part of the growth and excitement of Griffith Media Center, it’s projects and it’s affiliates.

As well, there is a lot of opportunity for other companies to advertise through us. We have great incentives and ad-placement, which can be negotiated through our main office or by contacting us at griffithcenter@gmail.com.

Q: Thank you Alysyn, so much.

AA: Abby, it’s always a delight to spend time with you. Thank you

By Abby Stockli, Editor, ArtChix Magazine

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Griffith Corp. Chairman Will Griffith is more than pleased, says Brian Colson, his Executive Vice-President and right hand at the company.

Less than 48 hours after announcing the acquisition of ArtChix Magazine, The Griffith Corporation peaked the charts today. At the close of business Thursday, the web headquarters of the company was off the charts, it’s growth immediate after news that it was preparing to launch its new online media center.

Today also witnessed the launch of The Bailey Monthly, a second online magazine owned by Griffith Corp. TBM Editor Kelly Colson, wife of Brian Colson, said the January issue was a testing ground for her people to begin charting its expansion and development.

Company CEO Alysyn Bourque is working around the clock, spearheading the design of the new media center. Griffith Media Center is set to be unveiled this week.

Griffith’s broadcasting channels are also under program expansion, with Homeland TV expanding its programming by 50% today. Viewership was up as ArtChixTV was unveiled earlier this morning.

Griffith Corp. also announced today that the company would begin its long-awaited stock buy-back program in April, with the network nearly debt free by then.

-By Ann Myers, Staff Desk, ArtChix Magazine

LOS ANGELES (THE BRAMFORD TIMES) - Griffith Colson Intelligence Service , a private security and intelligence-communications firm, unveiled its Monitor Room this morning, the brainchild of Alysyn Bourque, Deputy Director of Communications at GCIS.

The GCIS Monitor Room  (Visit HERE) allows instant access to all GCIS briefing rooms, connected publications and news feeds all in one room. An added feature is the Partners folder, which allows you access to the partners of GCIS.

Alysyn Bourque, GCIS Communications Chief (above)

“The Monitor Room is unique, in that it allows us to monitor all of our sister sites at once”, said Sara Bauer, press secretary for GCIS, “Deputy Director Bourque has made this a primary feature of the Communications Command Center here at GCIS”.

The new feature also allows GCIS staff to monitor each site for technical glitches or potential cyber attacks or hacker attempts.

The room is an integrated feature in GCIS communications operations. The Monitor Room is tied into the ICON, CINDI, VAST and NOAH systems at GCIS.

In related news, GCIS activated its Situation Room this morning after authorization from the director.

“The Situation Room will remain active in order to monitor, what Homeland Security is treating as a potential terrorist attack”, said Brian Colson, Deputy Director of Intelligence at GCIS.

The Situation Room was activated shortly after the foiled car-bomb plot in new York City during the night.

Deputy Director Alysyn Bourque

(above) leads team to increase GCIS network

LOS ANGELES (THE BRAMFORD TIMES) - The communications chief at Griffith Colson Intelligence Service (GCIS) is heading the team that will increase the private intelligence and security firm’s communications networking capability by nearly 10 times its current reach.

Alysyn Bourque, Deputy Director of Communications, said this morning that in the matter of days, the current VAST, ICON, CINDI and NOAH Systems will increase their networking capability, creating a communications network that is secure and, on paper, looks like a spider’s web.

Bourque said the VAST (Visual Application System Technology) system will launch its communications terminal, increasing the reach of GCIS to get vital intelligence and security news and information to the public.

“We estimate our reach will be ten times that of our current reach”, said GCIS press secretary Sara Bauer, “And Deputy Director Bourque has said that we’re ahead of schedule and that the terminal will be launched in the matter of days”.

Bourque, who is a member of the International Counter-Terrorism Officers Association and a former member of the British Bodyguard Association, has directed a series of GCIS communications operations and technological systems. Bourque is chief of the GCIS Communications Command Center, which operates all security broadcasting channels, as well as the GCIS IntelCenter. Her division also oversees the GCIS Situation Room, which has been activated only once since it was launched. The Situation Room is a reserve feed during a national or global emergency.

LOS ANGELES (THE BRAMFORD TIMES) - A private security and intelligence communications firm unveiled its latest technology this morning.

Griffith Colson Intelligence Service (GCIS) unveiled VAST, which is the acronym for Visual Application System technology. VAST basically allows GCIS systems to camouflage themselves in the event they come under cyber attack or security breach attempts.

The new system, spearheaded by Alysyn Bourque, Deputy Director of Communications and developed by the GCIS Communications command center and The Griffith Corporation, VAST is a software application that hides itself in all operational systems of GCIS. In the event a GCIS communications system comes under attack from an act of cyber terrorism or a hacking attempt, the system is activated by GCIS and moves into immediate defensive mode. VAST acts as a camouflage, changing the visual perceptions that attacker sees and alters existing GCIS codes, passwords and access information. In the matter of seconds, the GCIS systems under attack disappear to the attacker and vanish in cyberspace.

So how does it work? That information won’t be available anytime soon. Only a few selected GCIS personnel and officers have access to VAST and only a fraction of those know how to connect the dots.

“It is one of the best developments we’ve had thus far”, said Sara Bauer, press secretary at the intelligence communications firm.

“The system also creates back-ups in the event of system failures, which will allow for the redeployment of information and delivery of vital reports and information to the public without delay”, Bauer added.

The system is in its final phase of testing today and will be fully operational Monday.

LOS ANGELES (THE BRAMFORD TIMES) - The Griffith Corporation and Griffith Colson Intelligence Service announced this morning that it would launch a joint move this year and said their choice for the new home of their operations is McLean, Virginia.

In a joint statement this morning, the firms announced that they would begin moving forward on a transition of operations from Los Angeles to McLean, Virginia, where Griffith Corp will continue to serve as the technological development partner of GCIS. The decision comes on the heels of several security contract offers and one in particular that will require the intelligence and communications firm to work from Washington D.C.

“We are pleased to announce that we have chosen McLean, Virginia as the site of our new headquarters”, said Brian Colson, Deputy Director of intelligence for GCIS, ‘As our partner in the infrastructure of our network, Griffith Corp. will join us in this move”. Colson would not comment on a rumor that the two firms are planning a merger in April.

Colson said after months of deliberation, McLean, Virginia became the clear favorite.

The densely populated community of McLean is located between the George Washington Parkway and the town of Vienna, and is known for its many upscale homes, as well as its shopping and upscale malls, including the nearby Tysons Corner Center and Tysons Galleria which have ‘McLean, Virginia’ addresses.

McLean is home to many diplomats, members of Congress and high-ranking federal government officials, entrepreneurs and service businesses partially attributable to the close location to Washington, D.C. and the Central Intelligence Agency.

GCIS will be expanding its intelligence and communications network over the next three months in advance preparation of the move. Griffith Corp recently unveiled the ICON Project, which will advance the capabilities of GCIS to gather, sort and distribute intelligence, security and emergency information in the fraction of the time it now takes the firm. ICON is in full operation. GCIS also took delivery of CINDI (Cyberspace Information Network Delivery Interface), which helps ICON gather sort and translate information from any language, then targets delivery of the information to a chosen destination.

Griffith Corp, which operates four online television channels and two online magazines, said it would be retooling the company to offer technical support and technological development exclusively for GCIS. Talk of Griffith Corp merging into the intelligence-communications network has not been confirmed, but a source close to the decision making process speculated that Griffith Corp would soon become a unit of GCIS.

Colson was unable to confirm whether or not GCIS would maintain a field office in Los Angeles. He said that the issue was still being discussed and that a final decision on a Los Angeles office would likely come in late April.

“Clearly we have several factors we need to weigh before we can say with certainty whether or not we’ll keep a field office in Los Angeles”, said Colson, “It would be a wonderful opportunity to do so, but we’re just not sure it is necessary at this juncture. Keeping a field office in Los Angeles will depend heavily on the closure of some pending contract negotiations”.

The transition will begin in May with a final move to the Virginia/Washington area in July or August.

___________________________________________

The recent criticism of Sheriff Baca’s relationship to the Council on American Islamic Relations has been an emotionally charged barrage of reactions taken one step too far. For example, if the Israeli Prime Minister and the leader of the Palestinian Authority sit down to discuss peace efforts, does that mean that the Israeli Prime Minister has PLO ties? No. To suggest that Sheriff Lee Baca is a friend to Islamic fundamentalist terrorism is irresponsible and unwarranted. The fact that, as the leader of the nation’s largest sheriff’s department, Baca has a responsibility to keep the peace and protect the dignity of the people in his jurisdiction, and does so through extending a spirit of dialogue and cooperation that only shows how seriously he takes the concern of homeland security.

Lee Baca has defended Israeli military action against Hamas in the past. He has clearly succeeded in his duties as Sheriff of Los Angeles County, and, despite the political and personal criticisms leveled against him by opponents, he maintains his office with dignity and the welfare of the public as his primary objective.

When suicide bombers committed an act of terrorism in a London subway a few years ago, Sheriff Baca launched an effort to see what could be done to help prevent such an act in Los Angeles. He contacted the senior adviser to the L.A.-based Muslim Public Affairs Council, Maher Hatout, and, together, a campaign was launched to bring awareness to a national terrorism prevention cause.

Creating a partnership with the Muslim community toward these ends also created a relationship between law enforcement and religious and cultural leaders committed to preventing a terrorist act in their community.

For those who have taken jabs at Sheriff Baca for his efforts by twisting the facts of his relationship to certain groups, like CAIR, and suggesting that he is linked to a terrorist organization is an encroachment upon the honor of this man and his service to our country. Baca has served our country with distinction in the United States Marine Corps. He has served various sectors of law enforcement for more than four decades, and his relationship to the people he represents in Los Angeles is a good one.

I am always amazed at those who can only see the surface of any given issue and then make their judgments based upon such a limited perspective. If one examines deeper they find that the duties of the Los Angeles Sheriff require him to serve the people who have elected him. That means creating dialogue with Jew and Muslim alike. Serving the people of Los Angeles, whether gay or straight, rich or poor, young or old, black, Hispanic, Asian or white. What would his critics have him do? Is Lee Baca to alienate one sector of his community simply because that relationship is misunderstood? Is he to pull back his efforts to gain the cooperation of the Muslim community in Los Angeles in order satisfy his critics?


Keeping the peace is a tough job. It requires patience and the courage to listen. It requires an ability to look an an issue from another vantage point and not with prejudice and bias.

Lee Baca deserves more than what he is getting from his critics. He deserves to be recognized for his courage to listen rather than bow to the pressure of his critics.

Make no mistake - I have no stomach for the religious radical who preaches terror and violence. They have no sympathy coming from me, and my message of defeating them is unwavering. However, to attack the Sheriff of Los Angeles for trying to create dialogue with the cultural and religious leaders, who have a better chance at changing the mentality of those within their ranks than the politicians in Washington do, is simply irresponsible.

Let us suppose, for just for the moment, that Los Angeles came under attack. A bomb goes off downtown. The cause is an Islamic radical suicide bomber. We’re in a crisis. Emotions are high, as is the potential for reprisals against Mosques and Muslims in Los Angeles. Muslim emotions begin to ignite, and now there are protests and fighting. At this point, every Muslim in LA. becomes suspect. It is what we do when we lump everyone into a general category.  The unrest, violence, and reactions of mass hysteria must be managed…


Who better to pick up the phone and call the local Muslim leadership than someone like Sheriff Lee Baca?


He has already gained their trust, and hey know that if he tells them something they can believe it. They will take him at his word. One stone thrown into a lake will cause a ripple; in this case, one act of extremist violence can cause a ripple throughout Los Angeles sparking hate crimes and reprisals simply based on emotion. Lee Baca is in a unique position in that he has built a relationship with the Muslim leaders in his community to prevent just such a scenario as I’ve explored here and to keep the peace.

Before one launches into a litany of criticisms of the Sheriff for his efforts, examine the job he has to do and what it takes to get that job done. Lee Baca is as all-American as a man can be, and any suggestion otherwise is going against the grain of everything we stand for as a nation. We need to put our emotions in check and look at what the Sheriff has done and salute him for the courage to do it.


-W. Edward Griffith, Director


W. Edward Griffith, known to his friends and associates as “Will”,  is Director of Griffith Colson Intelligence Service. He is a member of the International Counter-Terrorism Officers Association, British Bodyguard Association, and  the National Military Intelligence Association. He also held membership in the International Bar Association, where he was a member of the IBA War Crimes Committee from 2009-2010. Mr. Griffith also served as Chairman of The Griffith Corporation from 2007 to 2010, where he founded Griffith Corporation Security Service and the Homeland TV Network. He resides in Los Angeles with his family, where he raises two children with Alysyn.

02/27/10

LOS ANGELES — As California fell under a low level Tsunami Warning today, following the earthquake that devastated Chile,  the Director of Griffith Colson Intelligence Service, a security and intelligence network firm, was out and about in the rain going door to door and handing out disaster preparedness manuals.

W. Edward Griffith took to the Los Angeles neighborhoods this morning in a door to door campaign to bring greater awareness to emergency and disaster preparedness and gave out copies of ‘It’s A Disaster…And What Are You Gonna Do

About It?’, which is published and distributed by FedHealth.

“You never know when disaster is going to strike”, said the GCIS chief, “But being prepared for any emergency or disaster is simply common sense”.

Griffith went door to door, telling residents that the manuals were a service of GCIS and provided by FedHealth, urging them to go directly to the section on tsunami and earthquake preparedness.

He added that these books should be made available as a part of emergency and disaster preparedness programs and urged local, state and federal governments to add the book to their services programs.

For more information on ‘It’s A Disaster’ and how to obtain additional copies of the book CLICK HERE


-Reported by Samireh Samadi, Editor, ArtChix Magazine