Stephen Lewis Writes The Reporter
I guess Jeff was right. It was the same Stephen Lewis from Rio Dell that has the beef with the local Democratic Central Committee. Nothing really new in his recent letter to the Eureka Reporter but it still makes one wonder where he's been all this time. The guy's been a Democrat for umpteen years and doesn't seem to know much about what his party is about. I can't imagine how it would be a surprise to anyone that the Democrats are in league with Local Solutions. Not sure if it's a good thing, or not, that this guy hasn't voted for years. I wonder how the guy would vote on certain issues if he did vote?
posted by Fred Mangels @ 7:59 AM
15 comments
15 Comments:
So how did, and why did, Patrick Riggs publish this guy's voting record? He isn't quite a public figure, so I think Stephen Lewis might have a case. And where would one check this record out anyway? Is it hard to get the voting record on someone? It seems that it would be alot of work just to discredit a "crackpot" or whatever Riggs called Lewis.
And this isn't the guy who used to be Sheirff, he is still in Arcata.
I believe this guy lives in Rio Dell. The old Sheriff was Dennis Lewis, not Stephen.
As far as voting records, Central Committees can get voter registration lists from County Elections. They can supply all kinds of information on the voter and his voting activity. Generally, the person requesting the list specifies what information is included on the list they request.
I've never paid attention to much of the voter info myself,except their address and other contact info. Whether releasing other info publicly is proper, I would think generally not. But, I kinda wonder, once a guy makes a fuss on some political issue, whether that might open him up for such exposure. I don't think I would of done so. I won't even publicly identify someone as a registered libertarian voter without their permission unless it's already become public knowledge.
I see one local candidate I simply referred to, earlier on, as having "libertarian leanings" publicly identified himself as a "registered Libertarian since 1972..." in the last issue of the North Coast Journal.
At the last election, I took my 17 yr old daughter along as a civics lesson (actually i've almost always taken her). Sitting in the in the entrance hall was a Republican party worker, and a campaign worker handed her a list. After I voted, my daughter was curious what that was all about, so we asked her. She was getting a list of everybody who had voted so far so she could call Republicans who haven't voted yet. The rest of the data (democrats, and those insignificant parties (yes Fred, I'm teasing)) lists I do believe were being posted on the wall. That experience leads me to believe that voting records are public information. So if that's right, Stephen Lewis doesn't have a point.
I'm surprised that Mr. Lewis considers himself a democrat. From the letters I remember that he wrote (of course, maybe Salzman actually wrote them) I got the impression he was a member of the "everybody else but me is horribly wrong" party. But then you righties think that' what the democratic party is, don't you?
Us righties?
Anyway, back to the story at hand, I think that Riggs has stepped over the line, and it was uncalled for. Think about it this way, he is showing a pattern of thought, with what he did with Lewis. If subject disagrees with me, I'm going to look him up, and hunt down his flaws. This is not normal folks. Riggs hunted this man down. Don't you think that's a little over the top for a person who disagrees with someone? Heck I know that the local Green party has tried to party crash another forum by posting death threats and then trying to report the forum to the police.
http://www.humboldt-forums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=75
Um, are you actually suggesting that the local Green party, as an entity, crashed another forum, and made reports to the police? Like what, they had a secret meeting and decided as a group to do these things?
As for my "you righties" comment, I really should've left off the you. I was playfully responding to language Fred uses when he refers to lefties.
I disagree with your early assertion, that he isn't quite a public figure. Mr. Lewis has been publically vocal about issues. Riggs didn't hunt Lewis down; he showed up at a meeting, and from the account Fred posted, it sounds like he was disruptive. And it's not his "flaws" Riggs posted. Mr. Lewis is claiming to be a democrat concerned about the direction of the democratic party. Mr. Lewis also appears in the media slamming the democratic party. Riggs is presenting public information to the public that undermines Mr. Lewis' claim; if he's really concerned about the democratic party, why doesn't he vote?
For the Greens, I'd say, if it wasn't a meeting, it was only because people didn't take roll that time.
So Jeff, you would have no issue with me going down and pulling your file as to when you voted, after all, you are published, and you have been publically vocal about issues.
I've voted in every election except 2 since I've been old enough to vote. Once because I was 18 and didn't realize I was eligible (I was smoking lots of pot in those days) and once because I was out of the country and didn't think to get an absentee ballot. I'm also more than willing to say how I voted on any issue or which candidate I voted for. And that's progress from a guy who has episodes of paranoid delusions, seriously. I can understand keeping how you voted private, but whether or not you voted, why would you want to hide that information?
As for the Greens, you are resorting to hyperbole aren't you? As much as I may have wanted to, I refrained from painting the Republican party with a David Duke paint brush.
Oh, one thing I forgot to mention: You can look at the list of registered voters in your precinct without much hassle on election day. They have the list posted outside polling places so people can make sure they're at the right precinct. Heck, I guess if you were really obsessed with who's registered to vote with what party you could drive all over the county and find out on Election Day.
I had to take a look at it, once I realized it was there. There were a number of people in the neighborhood that I was just dying to know what party they were registered with.
That list doesn't have voting history info, though.
Don't you know you're supposed to have passionate hatred for everyone who isn't a Democrat? Better start towing the party line or the good ol' boys 'll get ya.
You are right Jeff, if Charles Douglas, Michael Smith, and even Granny Green Genes herself stopped by a forum, and death threats magically started happening you'd be "down with it" wouldn't you? Some people can add, and for those who can't, they use WebTV.
Sorry anon, I don't understand what your saying? I'm not sure what "down with it" means. What's being added. I'm honestly not trying to be dense. I just don't understand what you're saying.
that should read: What's being added?
By the way, I'm only registered democrat because there is not a viable anarchist party. See if you can figure out if I'm joking or not.
I read on some site, years ago, about some group that called themselves "socialist libertarians". Maybe that's where you should go. I believe I saw that on disinfo.com but last time I tried to find reference to the socialist libs I couldn't. Not sure if disinfo is up and going anymore.
Yeah, but the key point is viable. If there are two armies in opposite trenches shooting at each other, I'm not going to pick a third army in a trench in the middle.
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