Wow, where do I even start? Generally speaking, I refrain from commenting on the internal affairs of the Republican Party and its grassroots organization, the Republican Club. However, when this type of rubbish is sent out willy-nilly all over Town by mean spirited people, I think it is important for us all to stand up and say "Enough." I would do the same if someone were to mail out something this vitriolic about the Democrats, too. Especially if it was mailed out anonymously. It's been a very long time since I've seen such a hateful pile of trash in letter form. Thankfully, it's the first time I've seen it in our Town. I might as well start from the beginning.
The letter's writer or writers start out by attributing the letter to more than one writer ("we"). However, as the writer or writers refuse to take credit or responsibility, how can anyone be sure that it is not written by a single individual, posing as a multitude? For simplicity's sake and for the purposes of this critique, I'll take them at their word (always a risky thing to do with the Town Board's supporters, but I like to live dangerously).
They speak of unfair and disruptive tactics and then go on to describing "shouting, screaming and general disruption at town meetings." I have personally been to all of the most controversial Town Board Meetings and Public Hearings in the past year and not once has anyone - Republican, Democrat, Conservative or otherwise - screamed or shouted prior to the February 1 Town Board Meeting. At that Meeting, the only two people to raise their voices were the Town Attorney (because censorship often requires that you make it impossible for the other party to be heard) and myself (because I had the floor and only I had any legitimate right to speak; I refused to allow anyone to trample on my right to petition my elected officials).
"They've resorted to using sexually explicit language in their recent postcard." Really? That's funny. I've read the postcard. It's not my own style of handling issues, but to each his own. The point, however, is that there is no sexually explicit language in that postcard anywhere. Do the writers think everyone is so stupid that no one will notice that the postcard has no such language? The closest thing to sexually explicit language is the word "genitalia" which is a biological and medical term. Unless physicians and marine biologists are to be considered smut peddlers, the writers are truly grasping at straws with this claim.
"David O'Halloran and Shane Ricks, the so called leaders of the Republican Club." I was under the impression that Carl Chipman was the Club's President. Every Republican Club member with whom I've spoken has assured me in no uncertain terms that Carl is firmly in the driver's seat. My own impression confirms that. Apparently, the only people according to whom David and Shane are the "so called leaders of the Republican Club" are the letter's writers. No one else does, in fact, call them that.
"What can truly be a mob" is how the writers describe those callously locked out of their own Town Government's Meeting by the Town Board, despite a motion by Councilman Santosky to move the Meeting to a more spacious venue. That "mob" included elderly and disabled neighbors of ours, who stood in the freezing cold awaiting the outcome of the Meeting. I've been told by several of those locked out that they specifically asked the State Police if they could honk their horns and were told that the job of the Police was to ensure safety and non-violence inside, not silence outside. The police did NOT call in backup cars over the honking of the horns and the Sheriff's Department was called, I am told, by that same "mob" to which the writers refer.
"Why do these characters continue to say they represent Rochester Republicans when, in fact, they don't?" I and the Conservative Party have had our own conflicts with the Republican Club and I am sure we'll have differing viewpoints in the future. That having been said, never once have I heard any of their leaders purport to represent the entire Republican Party. What they have said to me is that they represent their Club's members and that they will work on behalf of the Republican Party's candidates.
Now comes a series of accusations which I will not repeat or dignify with an answer other than to ask, 'Where's your evidence?" If you know it to be true, you must have some way of proving it.
"Finally, we wish we could sign our names but we, like many of our town's residents, we're afraid they'll come after us next." Now this one is just absurd. As I said before, the Conservative Party and the Republican Club had some serious differences during the last election. Never once was I concerned that the Club would come after me, my candidate or any member of my Party. There can only be two possible reasons to make such an outlandish claim: (1) the writers know it's ridiculous but hope to use it to cause damage to their opponents - this is known as "lack of honor", or (2) they have forgotten to wear their aluminum foil hats and the CIA's attempts to read their minds have caused permanent brain damage (no doubt because of the difficulty the CIA would have homing in on and reading something so infinitesimal).
In all seriousness, there are only two conclusions to be drawn from this letter. First, the writers are cowards who lack the intestinal fortitude to take credit for this piece of trash. Second, they knowingly are trying to poison Republican against Republican in our Town by sending out something that is utterly false and vile.
Assuming the writers are, in fact, Republicans (who knows for sure?), this is a perfect example of why NY State needs a Conservative Party. Liberals are all too likely to infiltrate the Republican Party and do their best to pull it to the Left. Luckily, we Conservatives are here to provide a balancing influence and act as the conscience of New York's Political Right.
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