DEMOCRACY (Letter to Independent Coast Observer)

In the recent ICO, a gentleman I’ve never met called me a “liar”, a “radical right wing nutcase” and “ignorant” with a “prejudiced mindset”. In my 28 years as a federal civil rights investigator, negotiator, and ultimately career head of the Office for Civil Right’s policy division, I was trained to examine such statements for hard evidence. In this instance, I could find no evidence to support the fellow’s charges. Unfortunately, his lack of evidence wouldn’t stop someone so inclined from believing his statements to be true. However, I doubt that anyone who knows me well, or who is familiar with my strong commitment to the rule of law and fairness would give much credence to the charges.

When folks say they “want more facts”, they often mean they want the facts with which they agree, not the ones that present another view. That’s why, for example, when I sat down to negotiate desegregation plans with school superintendents  or with college presidents (and/or their lawyers), I always had a bucketful of facts as well as an intimate knowledge of the law and regulations affecting their discriminatory practices.

Conservatives are a numerical minority in this community, but we have a right to have our views presented in the ICO and other fora. We know from countless conversations around local dinner tables that our views and politics are an anathema to many, even those with whom we have strong friendships. So be it. It’s a fact that some on the Left resort too quickly to  “Alinsky” type slanders as a knee-jerk reaction to differing views. We conservatives in the CCV believe we can hold our own in any debate on issues and appreciate that the Editor of the ICO publishes, week after week, letters with a range of views. That’s democracy in action!

Jim Littlejohn

TIMING (Letter to Independent Coast Observer)

“Timing has a lot to do with the outcome of a rain dance.”

This bit of folk wisdom arrived in my in-box at about the same time an ICO contributor suggested President Obama’s timeline “is not always ours.”  

The truth of both statements was evident as Americans watched Mr. Obama   bask in the attention he received for presiding over the killing of America’s Most Wanted Terrorist.  In a speech rife with references to “I,” “me” and “my,” our Narcissist-In-Chief triumphantly announced the success of a comprehensive mission put into motion nearly ten years ago by then-President Bush – and subsequently opposed by then-Senator Obama.  

With campaign season upon us, this administration’s timeline for exploiting another “gutsy, defining moment” could not be postponed.  Obama’s address, broadcast within three hours of bin Laden’s death, gave him an immediate bump in the polls – and may have compromised our ability to effectively utilize information seized in the raid.  

  

Had Obama stayed mum a bit longer, intelligence experts tell us we likely could have disrupted the entire al-Qaida organization in a very short time. Also, some administration officials are concerned that leaks of details best left secret jeopardize the safety of Special Forces involved in such operations. 

Last week a frustrated Defense Secretary Robert Gates remarked, “We all agreed that we would not release any operational details from the effort to take out bin Laden.”  As Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell summarized, “The more that’s in the public domain the less likely we’ll be able to pull these operations off in the future.”  

Which brings to mind another time-tested truism: “Loose lips sink ships.”

President Obama couldn’t wait to spill the beans, for the opportunity to campaign as a war hero.  I can’t wait for the opportunity to put a grown-up back in the Oval Office.

Linda Clyne