Open Letter to the (Private?) Press
The following was sent to Therese Bottomly, Betsy Hammond, and Jamie Goldberg at The Oregonian; Marc Laney, Carolyn Ryan, Lauren Katzenburger, and David Philipps of The New York Times; and Leo Shane and Howard Altman at Military Times.
I’ll be blunt: I don’t trust reporters and news editors, not after what I saw during the election cycle. That’s why I’m forwarding this email to card carrying members of the so-called “Free Press,” including
Leo Shane and Howard Altman at Military Times
David Philipps, Lauren Katzenburg, Marc Laney, and Carolyn Ryan at New York Times
Therese Bottomly, Betsy Hammond, and Jamie Goldberg at The Oregonian
I think you’re biased, and I have evidence to support that hypothesis. The good news is you have the opportunity to prove me wrong. The forwarded email and attachments tell the story of a state obstructing civil rights, all you have to do is "pull string" using these breadcrumbs as a starter. Trust me, the rabbit hole is DEEP. But all I expect you to do is ...your job. If you and your employers want to claim the mantle of the so-called Fourth Estate, then prove it - hold bad actors accountable to public scrutiny.
But there's a catch!
If I’m right, that you are acting out of a private interest (advertiser pressure, your own feelings, etc.) then you each expose yourself, individually, to a civil suit under 42 USC § 1983 and (within your individual work environment) possibly § 1985. You will quickly discover that Oregon, specifically the Legislative Assembly and the State Police, have worked themselves into a kind of stand off - one claims I was a threatening presence while the other claims it is a nothing burger, 'nothing to see here.' On Monday morning, if neither of them budges, then I notify the Department of Justice of the violation of my Constitutional right to political determination.
Only you get to determine if this becomes a full blown Mexican-American Standoff, in which three parties all have mutually conflicting corrupt motives who are doomed to mutual destruction. If all three of you (ORLA, OSP, and the Press) refuse to do the work entrusted to you by the American public then you might all come tumbling down. But if someone starts doing the right thing, that pressure is relieved (except for any party still refusing to act in good faith).
If ORLA and OSP don't want to do the right thing, then first thing tomorrow I'll visit the FBI Field Office in Portland. I wanna make myself clear, I am NOT giving the same deadline as ORLA and OSP. But I am not going to protect you either. Consider this an (un)professional courtesy, one gunslinger to another, that I see your flank exposed. Watch yourself, Johnny Ringo, or "I'm your huckle bearer."
No need to reply, btw, I'm a voracious consumer of the news. All that's left to do is your job. If you dont like it, then find other work that doesn't claim to serve the Constitutionally-protected public interest.
