Gallegos Letters
So, I get my first letter to the editor published in over a year today. The first published, because it's the first one I've sent in since starting this blog. I got to thinking, after I did the post about my blog anniversary, how this was supposed to help me get more proficient in writing letters to the editor.
After making some comments regarding the Paul Gallegos campaign, I realized I could use one of those posts for a letter. I cut out some of the words and sent this one in. Not as readable to me in hard copy as it seemed when I sent it in. Oh well. My point has been made.
Why the Eureka Reporter? No particular reason except I get the impression the E/R gets letters published quicker. I suspect that's because they probably don't receive as many as the Times- Standard, although I don't know that for sure.
It used to be that I'd send the letters to all local papers, assuming the subject was something that would be relevant to all the different readers. Someone told me, though, that recently they were really grilled about whether their letter had been sent to any other papers.
I know the San Francisco Chronicle is the only one that ever asked me if I'd had the letter in question published in any other paper. But, I figured maybe the papers are getting touchy about publishing stuff other papers have already published so decided to send it to one paper, just in case.
The Eureka Reporter just left a message on my answering machine asking me to confirm if I did, in fact, send them the letter, and that was that.
Interestingly, the letter right after mine was another one about Gallegos. This one accusing him of being soft on crime- Specifically: marijuana related offenses. Well, so what? I couldn't care less if he's not cramming the jails full of pot smokers.
I suspect that's part of the reason law enforcement seems pretty much in the Worthman camp. I can't help but wonder, though, if this soft on crime charge, by some in the law enforcement community, is akin to the outlandish claims by the Gallegos groupies that crime is at it's lowest rate in however many years because of Gallegos.
No way to say for sure how true that is. The only thing that is for sure is that this is just more of the usual politics we see in any heated campaign.
posted by Fred Mangels @ 8:50 AM
30 comments
30 Comments:
What is Dikeman running on that has substance?Oh,fellow Dems please don't endorse Paul,please!please!please!But if you do endorse,endorse me!!And hey,I give out free water bottles.
Just my opinion, but the only real substantive issue is how the D.A.'s office is being run and, additionally, whether Gallegos has created an unpleasant work environment.
The actual day to day operations of the office are beyond the most of our abilities, as laymen. Law enforcement seems to be backing Dikeman, and I would feel it safe to say they would have better knowledge of what goes on in that office than most of us do.
Whether their dislike for Gallegos is simply a result of his being seen as "soft on crime" and lenient on marijuana offenses, I can't say for sure.
My gut feeling is that the work environment at that office has deteriorated, though, simply because of all the staff that have either left or been fired.
The apparent mishandling of that incident with the old lady should be an interesting challenge for Gallegos. It may in the end diminish the importance of the backing of law enforcement.
Perhaps. I'll have to admit that I'm just curious if he's ever showed up at the scene of a shooting before?
Is that normal, or did he just want to be there for the press to notice?
Photo ops: Every politician does them.
Well it was only a block or so from his office. Besides, everyone else was there. And if he wasn't there would you also find that suspect?
I would hope whoever made the decision to shoot is on administrative leave until the investigation is finished.
If this lady was such a threat,then why wasn't the building evacuated?Why didn't the sniper try something with a tranquilizer gun? Was there even a protocol given?Don't think so.With all of the enforcement and weaponry surrounding the federal building at the Nov.2nd protest,thank our lucky stars that no protesters brandished anything resembling a weapon.Anon 11:55,is right,administative leave is necessary for the shooter,and possibly a few others.
Administrative leave is the usual procedure for officers involved in shootings, or so I've been led to believe.
I wrote: "I suspect that's part of the reason law enforcement seems pretty much in the Worthman camp.".
OOOPS!!! I've just been reminded that it's Worth DIKEman, not WORTHman. Silly me. I know that. Trust me.
I guess the rest of you, with the exception of the one who gave me the heads up on this, must be just as dyslexic as I am, since this was the only correction I've received, so far.
"At 11:47 AM, Fred said...
Perhaps. I'll have to admit that I'm just curious if he's ever showed up at the scene of a shooting before?"
Hey Fred - the answer is no he hasn't. Even more funny is that Gallegos drove to the scene, got out of his car and then went back into it to grab the files he had for the photo op.
What a narcissist!
As for being soft on crime, he is. Ask the probation officers who do the reports for sentencing. Ask the cops. Ask the victims whose cases have been pleaded down. Of course there will always be plea bargaining but there is a limit.
Wife beaters inelligible for probation and on parole being offered probation.
Major drug traffickers receiving Prop 36 drug treatment.
That is just a sample because the list is too long.
And your right, the office has completely deteriorated. Someone has to do something before it is completely broken.
Ask me more Freddo!
uh huh.
capnandcommander, I want to know more.
capnandcommander is Chris Crawford.
hey capnandcommander,you really think that the office wasn't deteriorated when he took office?Worth brags about working there for 25 years,what's he done there to boost morale?The truth is that its been in shambles since the early 80's,and hasn't been able to recover itself since. Why couldn't folks get Mr.Bey elected instead?The pepper spray incident then lawsuit was Paul's fault?As a matter of fact,most of Palco's crimes were committed during Farmer's reign.And how many shootings by the police like this has there been for him to show up at?
mresquan: You evidently are living on some other planet. The DA's office is a shambles because of lack of leadership, no active DA and with good lawyers running in droves out of the office or the county. If it was such a mess over the last years then why were attorney's recognized as prosecutor of the year and why were programs recognized on both the county and state level as "state of the art?" The pepper spray incident dealt with the sheriff's department as the DA has nothing to do with approving it - but nice job at revisionist history.
Gallegos has not criminally prosecuted MAXXAN for 3 years.
As for him showing up for the photo op - if he hadn't run back to his car to fetch his files to look busy it might be less hilarious, but he forgot there were about 100 people watching him.
I think that any shooting is a tragedy, but attempting to turn this into a "press event" without the investigation being conducted and knowing ALL of the facts is just plain wrong. Frankly, that type of rhetoric is self-defeating for all
The office was not in shambles previously. It ran very well prior to Gallegos's arrival. That office has been devastated by his inadequacies (think Bush).
Worth is the morale of the office. He is always there on the weekend, he takes work home every night, and will help out any of his colleagues with their cases. A leader leads by example.
Some people just want Paul because he'll prosecute Palco. I know that these people hate Maxxam, but there are others matter that a DA's office deals with...namely, murderers, armed robbers, and child molesters. Gallegos gets a D minus on those crimes.
The only reason that office still runs (barely) is because of the employees that were there before Gallegos that are devoted prosecutors. It runs in spite of Gallegos.
I think this is al hearsay.
Actually I heard the office needed a paint job ever since Terry puked up a Porter Street sandwhich. That and the fact they need new chairs since all those deadweights never leave to do anything.
Don't even get me started on those IBM Selectrics.
IT'S THE FACT THAT PAUL AND HIS SUPPORTERS HAVE ATTITUDES LIKE THAT THAT SO CLEARLY ILUSTRATE WHY PAUL ISN'T FIT FOR THE OFFICE. HE MAY BE A FINE LAWYER, WHO KNOWS. HE ISN'T FIT TO BE DA.
HE HATES THE COPS, HE HATES THE OTHER LAWYERS IN HIS OFFICE - SET THE MAN FREE. LET HIM GO BACK TO GALLEGOS AND GALLEGOS LAW FIRM, WHERE HE CAN MAKE MORE MONEY AND NOT BE SUBJECTED TO ALL THIS POLITICAL DRAMA.
OH. WHOOPS. FORGOT. HE'S THE DRAMA QUEEN.
9:36 - You must be a Salzman clone (or Salzman) for calling the employees of the DA's office deadbeats. Wonder what the labor unions would think of that. Rally behind a "boss?" that abuses his workers and call them deadbeats. Your empty rhetoric is truly enlightening of your limited view of the world
I personally like empty rhetoric. It makes blogs more fun.
Looks like Mr. Crawford is a bit touchy.
You really think what you say on this blog will actually alter the way someone votes?
9:36 you are right that new chairs are needed at the DA's office. One for deadbeat Paul and one for deadbeat yougofree.com since they don't do much work.
How many cases has Jeffrey "yougofree.com" Schwartz handled? More than Stoen, surely.
Seems to me the issues are starting to surface. they're being aired.
Wil they truly get examined? Or will the media brush it off as so much campaign rhetoric?
Fred, from the Eureka Reporter: "Dikeman said he has serious reservations about the death penalty and he said he would like to see marijuana decriminalized.
“I would like to see marijuana decriminalized,” he said. “Notice that I’m not saying legalized, I’m saying decriminalized and taxed heavily.”
Dikeman said that if he were district attorney he would abide by the Board of Supervisors’ adopted resolution regarding medicinal marijuana.
He said the resolution states, “If you have beneath this limit and you have the approval or recommendation of a physician then you’re not going to be prosecuted and I would abide by that determination because (Proposition) 215 is the law regardless of what they may say in Washington, D.C.,” Dikeman said."
Cool.
Read Daniel Mintz's article in the McKinleyville Press and Independent. The issues are finally getting aired.
Fred: the soft on crime charge is real.
Paul gave a 2 year sentence to a southern calif. man convicted in the largest heroin bust in humboldt's history - over 2 pounds when the guy fully confessed to transporting the dope up here and taking loads of cash down to so.cal. Even more troubling is that the guy was on parole for trafficking drugs, had numerous convictions in for other felonies and the guy fully confessed to all of it. He'll be out in 1 year and back selling dope.
That the guy who had his car specially outfitted to hold the heroin in hidden compartments?
"“There is evidence that someone (or) a group in the (Los Angeles) area send traffickers to Humboldt to operate. Vehicles with sophisticated electronically operated smuggling compartments (are) very common,” Prose said. “Mexican nationals from the L.A. area bring the heroin up and take the money back. It’s a very organized affair.”
Right now, he said the task force has six vehicles in its custody with custom-built areas for smuggling drugs." ER
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