To those in official positions whom I have offended with incautious comments, I apologize sincerely and fully. Further, I appreciate the recent suspension from my regular duties, which provided an opportunity for soul-searching regarding my own biases, particularly as it concerns the president, his staff and his supporters.
Just kidding.
It was just a vacation — a fun trip out of the country. And while I was gone, I see you all threw tossed aside the First Amendment, which, is not only my favorite, but is, you know, the first amendment. Nice going.
I once got into an argument with an editor when I wanted to describe Richard Nixon as a festering sac of pus. Another editor took offense when I described Bill Clinton and Al Gore as Fat Man and Little Boy, which were the nicknames of the two atomic bombs dropped on Japan. I lost both arguments. And, for the sake of the permanent record, neither time was it the editor of the Daily Journal, whose quasi-absolutist view of the First Amendment (We’re Number One!) pretty much matches mine. So, anyway, I have those in reserve should the occasion arise.
One of the more dramatic moments during the McCarthy era, another sustained episode of fear and loathing, was when attorney Joseph Welch confronted Sen. Joseph McCarthy with this poignant comment: “Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?”
The answer then and now is no. But maybe it is time to pose that question to those who continue to overlook, excuse and rationalize the behavior of a man whose only interest is himself and the abuse of power. For reasons I will never comprehend, people — some of them self-described Christians — continue to support a president who talks about hating his opponents.
MEANWHILE: Tuesday’s latest go-round between San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus and the Board of Supervisors may have stopped short of hate, but there was plenty of contempt on display.
Corpus came to the board to protest an impending decision to impose detailed oversight of the sheriff’s budget by the board and County Executive Mike Callagy. County policy allows for this when a department’s reserves dip below 4%. The sheriff’s reserves are at .045% — less than half of 1%. I am no math whiz, but this would be much lower than 4%.
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Corpus was jittery as she read a letter to the board — wringing her hands and fidgeting throughout her time at the lectern. When she was done and board members had weighed in, Corpus rushed back to say, “I need to call out Supervisor (Noelia) Corzo. As I’m sitting here, she is giving me dirty looks and it is unprofessional. … Have some respect.”
OK. I only watched the meeting online and Corzo was only on screen when she was speaking. What I saw looked like her normal face.
In the end, Corpus’ statement was more of the same: Everyone else is lying and it is someone else’s fault. The someone else on this day was County Executive Officer Mike Callagy, who, according to Corpus, busted her budget by meddling in her office, specifically by forcing unconstrained staff double overtime. It strains the bounds of credulity that she had no input on the spending that drew down her reserves to the point of near-depletion.
Callagy, visibly agitated himself, responded with vehemence: “This false narrative about the double overtime has got to stop. It has been debunked at every turn with evidence and it has got to stop.” He then went into some details about his version of the whole dispute over who did what, or failed to do, that landed the sheriff’s budget so deeply in the red. “I’ve never seen anything like it. The overtime went completely, completely out of control. It was like a free-for-all,” he said.
But perhaps the most interesting part of Callagy’s disquisition was an email from Corpus, part of a string of them regarding this issue, in which she wrote, “I take full responsibility for not providing more oversight on the double overtime.”
That email, provided to me, was written more than a year ago. Had she said then that she had made mistakes, that she was responsible for them and that she would seek out advice and support to help her do better, this ungodly mess might have been avoided.
In public life, never underestimate the power of a genuine apology.
For whatever reason — pride, hubris, bad advice from bad people, a lack of experience in the public eye — she chose a different, thornier path.
(4) comments
I'm old enough to remember when Biden demonized half the country while screaming and clenching his fists in front of a red screen. Gavin Newsom posts hateful rants against Republicans daily on his various social media accounts. But as long as they don't use the word "hate" this is all OK?
Trump is often an inarticulate messenger to be sure and I'm not a fan of his style. But for those who care about nuance instead of sound bites- the comments I believe you are referring to were at Charlie Kirk's funeral - a joking contrast to Erika Kirk's message of forgiveness. Most people, Christian or not, struggle with the concept of forgiving your enemies and Trump was simply keeping it real.
It appears we are headed toward a Government shutdown next week. Perhaps a more timely column would have been what will be impacted next week. With all the nonsense here and switch to even year elections it is hard to have trust and give failed leadership additional funds, perhaps a provision can be added that funds could be accumulated, but not spent until all leadership has changed. Callagy is well liked, but he is the County Manager, has a public safety background, and where the ultimate buck stops.
Mark - come on! Why also fall into the Demo trap. " a man whose only interest is himself and the abuse of power". Are you talking about Biden? He has gone but not before he enriched his family, slapped censorship on social media and sent the rabid FBI and the DOJ to drag Trump into court for every and any concocted crime he could dream up. If that was not the definition of abuse of power, I can't think of another stellar example.
Thanks for your column today, Mr. Simon. A few things… Welcome back, I hope you had a great vacation. I appreciate the latest update to the “As the Sheriff’s World Turns” soap opera. You don’t need to worry about the behavior of a man whose only interest is himself and the abuse of power. Treasonous Biden (and for many, treasonous Obama) are out of office. For reasons most people cannot (perhaps never) comprehend, Democrats — some of them self-described Christians — continue to support criminals and terrorists above that of the American people. These Democrats also support political assassinations and violent rhetoric against law enforcement.
Perhaps you can explain why so many Democrats hate American citizens, law and order, and Trump more than they love America. Thank you for your attention to this matter. BTW, what’s with pregnant women making videos taking Tylenol to “spite” our (yes, our) great President Trump? The only thing they’re spiting is their unborn child. Unborn child abuse? Stay tuned to a potential episode of Law & Order? Speaking of episodes, do you think our local soap opera will be featured on TV? Who will play Corpus?
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