In the comment section under "Selectmen and Dork defy meeting ban"

By: mike9f on 8/1/09
Just read Steve Holmes Letter to the ST. I am disgusted. Below is what the Title of the Letter to the Editor should have been.

Race baiting? Or was Robert Slager really just looking out for all of Wareham’s residents including the Cape Verdean Community?

As we all know, there are a number of ways a person or people can be discriminated against. Discrimination can be direct or indirect. Indirect discrimination appears to be equal treatment but is unfair on certain people because of a particular personal characteristic.

I can certainly see why Mr. Slager would hypothesize what could have been construed as indirect discrimination. Here’s why:

1) It is generally believed that the Wareham Observer is widely followed by the Cape Verdean Community. There was extensive coverage of the Oak Grove School and Community center matters in that newspaper. In fact, if it were not for the Wareham Observer, many of us would not have any knowledge about the Oak Grove School or the Cape Verdean Community’s desires.

Bob Brady failed to place an ad for his July 30th meeting in the Wareham Observer, a newspaper widely believed to be read by the Cape Verdean Community. This was the only local paper that Mr. Brady did not place an ad.

2) It is also generally believed that an overwhelming majority of the Cape Verdean community are strong supporters of the Board of Selectmen because they believe that the Board of Selectmen effectively represent the interests of the Cape Verdean community.

If it is true that an overwhelming number of the Cape Verdean population are supporters of the Board of Selectmen and the vast majority read the Wareham Observer instead of the other newspapers, then Bob Brady’s meeting invitation was inherently unfair in that it limited a disproportionate number of the Cape Verdean community from attending by not providing them with the same notice.

I am by no means trying to imply that Bob Brady was trying to discriminate against the Cape Verdean Community. I genuinely believe that he did not have any intention of doing that. He just wanted to keep everyone who might speak in opposition to his agenda out!

Steve Holmes seems to be an intelligent man, I think he was smart enough to see a genuine observation by Slager and was able to sufficiently blur the line to manipulate it into a headline. I also believe that the vast majority of people will see the validity in the above arguments.

Let this be a lesson to all of us that it is inclusion rather than exclusion that will avoid situations such as this. The BOS, John Donahue, and Robert Slager have nothing to be ashamed of.

Now, I'm not brain surgeon, but if you speak with an attorney at the ACLU, and she states that there was no discrimination based on race, religion, or gender, how can you possibly come up with the drivel this fool did?

Let's examine a few facts:

ACLU says there is no discrimination.

The protest amounted to 0 attendance

Angry Cape Verdean lady is not pleased with Slager.

Some of us knew that a very intelligent person reached out to the Cape Verdean community. Now if it was a major supporter of the Clown Car (Selectmen, Moderator, Editor of the Pravda), where did the protest go?

Mike9f, first, you are not a lawyer, that much is clear. Second, next time contact the ACLU (like I did). Third, if you have to stretch the truth to make it fit, you are probably making a mess where there wasn't one before.

If you want to email me or discuss this further, I'm all for it. I've read the chats and I can tell you, people in glass houses should not be chucking stones. Yes, I find your explanation a political masterpiece of nonsense. The basic facts are, unless you start coming up with something better than "general believed", you might just not try to explain it.

My email is eyesofbear77@aim.com . Please take your pompous hat off and try to use facts instead of gibberish and misdirection. Have a great day