All my domains are still down but should be back by tonight. If you have sent me an e-mail during the past 48 hours it's most probable I have not received it. If it's important, resend to jeffinputnam@gmail.com or call... I'm in the book.
There's quite the controversy up in Pawling with reporter Michael Woyton of the Poughkeepsie Journal pouring gasoline on the fire through what passes for journalism in the corporate media of today.
Republican Town Supervisor Beth Coursen, a Philipstown native, who has steered a rather independent political path over the years, is no newbie to criticism but this time it's taken on a dramatically nasty tone with Pawling Republican Party chairman Glenn Carey leading the charge. Why the war against one of his own? It's because he claimed that she called him a 'faggot' in a private conversation held as an aside during a public meeting. Mr. Carey took the floor - out of turn - and announced to those assembled his version of the details of this alleged affront. Ms. Coursen then apologized to the audience for leaving the dais thus accidentally allowing Mr. Carey's outburst.
Did Mr. Carey hear what he heard or did he hear what he wanted to hear? When he interrupted the town meeting and stepped before the public to make his pronouncement, did he do so from accurate memory or from selective memory? In other words, since his relationship with the Supervisor is almost always confrontational and angry words are often exchanged between them, is it possible that in the heat of the moment he simply misconstrued the conversation? I believe he did and he owes Ms. Coursen and the Town of Pawling an apology.
Here's the story:
At a meeting on July 2nd, 2008, Supervisor Coursen mentioned, after yet another round of public and pointed criticism from Mr. Carey, that the minutes from a recently held Comprehensive Plan meeting had not yet been posted to the town's website due to a backlog on the Planning Board clerk's desk. With the meeting continuing on, Supervisor Coursen rose from the dais to get a glass of water when Mr. Carey met her on the side and offered to come into town hall and post those minutes on his own. While that's a nice thing to offer, what responsible entity would allow a political enemy, especially - and note this - the chair of a political party, access to a town's website?
"Everyone knows what you are..."
Giving someone access to your website is giving someone the keys to your public relations kingdom. What would it look like if the Town of Southeast were to allow Democratic Party Chair Lynne Eckardt access to their website to post missing minutes? Would the Town of Carmel allow Republican Party chair Anthony Scannapieco access to their website? Does the Town of Kent allow me?
Let's look at two similar yet dissimilar statements. One comes from the accuser and was reported in the paper while the other comes from the source and is more likely the accurate of the two for what will become obvious reasons in just a moment:
"She took a step forward and said, 'I'm not giving you access to the town Web site, and you're a faggot and everybody knows it.'"
"She took a step forward and said, "Everyone knows what you are, there is no way you are getting access to the Town's website."The impractical grammar in Mr Carey's reported statement which any pre-law student could build an entire case on notwithstanding...
So you're angry and confrontational and the person before you is your political nemesis and you're always looking for something wrong with them, always looking to turn a word or a phrase to your advantage even if it's not genuine, always looking for fault. That's where Mr. Carey is coming from so which of those two statements are you going to "hear"? Which of those statements best supports your animosity and political goals?
(Trust me, this happens all the time. Those of you who received the acidic email post this past weekend, the most widely distributed email in all of email history, know exactly what I'm talking about.)Now for the test:
Q: What could Mr. Carey's sexual orientation possibly have to do with his access to the town's website?
A: Nothing. Absolutely nothing at all.
In this more objective light, Mr. Carey's version of the story crumbles into dust.
I'm guessing that Mr. Carey, who actually is gay and serves as a business manager at the Trinity-Pawling school, would not be that upset about being called out. He maintains a personal dating page at gay.com and it's no secret around town what his sexual preferences are, just as there are no secrets about mine. But he's apparently jumped on this bandwagon in a continuing attempt to undo the successes Ms. Coursen has had in Pawling since being elected to the Supervisor's seat. That the Poughkeepsie Journal was alerted to this story by another political enemy of Ms. Coursen's and felt it important to repeat ancient news while searching the rumor mills to find negative things to 'report', smacks of either political favoritism or just very poor journalism.
There was nothing in the published report about her accomplishments as Supervisor, only scuttlebutt about her personal style, an unsubstantiated overheard conversation, and most importantly, since Ms Coursen's version of the statement in question is nowhere to be seen, leaves the reader to discern the facts from an "he said, she said" argument. The Journal adding, "Coursen said the accusation was "categorically false." also makes it appear to the reader that negative words actually were exchanged.
"Everyone knows what you are..."
Yes, everyone knows what you are Mr. Carey: Everyone knows Glenn Carey is the chairman of the Republican Committee and as such should not have access to a municipal website.
That's where this story should have ended.
I'm criticizing Mr. Carey only because this latest attack is just one more in a series he has been involved with over the years with no other goal than to weaken and unseat a popular and dedicated independent-minded Town Supervisor - and one from his own party. And I am still confused as to how anyone who is gay could be a Republican and sleep at night or look at themselves in the mirror in the morning.
Still, if Mr. Carey's ego has been artificially injured by serendipitously being called a faggot, whether real or imagined, and he thinks he can make political hay of it, let me help him get over this tiny affront and better direct his efforts.
Here's what some notable Republicans have actually said about faggots like him and me:
Radio Commentator Alan Stang: ..."It was a total triumph for California faggots. Indeed, it gets worse. The new law will force every hospital in the state to support homosexuality or be sued if they don’t, and the law applies even to private and church hospitals."I can assure Mr. Carey that those quoted above would not give him access to their websites and it's not because of his political affiliation!
Jerry Falwell: (On 9/11) "... I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way -- all of them who have tried to secularize America -- I point the finger in their face and say "you helped this happen."
Gary Bauer: "... No to same-sex marriages No to saying that way of life is acceptable!"
Trent Lott: (the question: Is Homosexuality a Sin?) "Yeah, it is. In America right now there's an element that want to make that alternative lifestyle acceptable. You still love that person and you should not try to mistreat them or treat them as outcasts. You should try to show them a way to deal with that problem, just like alcohol ... others have a sex addiction or are kleptomaniacs."
Oklahoma State Representative Sally Kern: "Studies show no society that has totally embraced homosexuality has lasted more than a few decades... It is not a lifestyle that is good for this nation."
Pat Robertson (On Orlando, FL, hosting a gay pride celebration): "This is not a message of hate; this is a message of redemption. But if a condition like this will bring about the destruction of your nation; if it will bring about terrorist bombs; if it'll bring about earthquakes, tornadoes, and possibly a meteor, it isn't necessarily something we ought to open our arms to. And I would warn Orlando that you're right in the way of some serious hurricanes, and I don't think I'd be waving those [rainbow] flags in God's face if I were you."
And lastly,
The Campaign for Children and Families is boycotting McDonalds: "It is about McDonald's, as a corporation, refusing to remain neutral in the culture wars. McDonald's has chosen not to remain neutral but to give the full weight of their corporation to promoting the homosexual agenda, including homosexual marriage."
So Mr. Carey, skip the Coursen thing and bring some unity to your town by letting her continue to resolve Pawling's pressing issues, bringing in monies for the Whaley Lake dam and other projects and putting the town on a solid footing. Be a good Republican chair and back your own Supervisor. Or, move down here to Putnam County where our Republican Legislature and Republican County Executive will allow you to register your relationship. You are kinda handsome so call me or write. We'll date. We'll co-habitate, we'll register and I'll give you more fruitful things to think about - and that's a promise.
And for today at least, that's the News That Matters.
JmG
