Posted on 05/12/2017 8:26:19 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
This week's topic: Two firings, one national and one local, may have raised more questions than they answered. Please offer a take on the ouster of FBI director James Comey and/or BVSD Superintendent Bruce Messinger.
The BVSD's termination process for Superintendent Bruce Messenger may have seemed abrupt and the players involved were sometimes maddeningly tight-lipped, but the school board followed established protocol to the letter. As a result, most people seem to believe the procedure was fair and honest and, if not thrilled with the result, at least satisfied that there is a process and the process worked.
The Mad Hatter's tea party that is the Trump administration, on the other hand, follows nothing. It is constantly changing, swirling, morphing into something that may reflect the last thing Trump heard on TV or the last person he spoke to. Or it may just be an unpremeditated outburst as the reptilian stem in Trump's brain signals a perceived threat at which point a tweet may begin to take form.
Trump threw his spokespeople — including his vice president — under the bus with nary a passing glance when he decided to change the narrative on how James Comey's termination came about. He apparently did it on a whim while he was in an interview with NBC's Lester Holt.
All notions of serious debate slowly dissipated over the past 100+ days as the White House staff realized critical discourse in this administration is like howling into the wind. At the end of the day, everything just depends on the mood of the president.
Whims, moods, tweets, outbursts. We hold our collective breath and count off one more day of this presidency.
Fern O'Brien, fobrien@fobrienlaw.com
Despite the best efforts of reporters from the Daily Camera, we do not know why former BVSD Superintendent Bruce Messinger was fired. The school board met in secret session after secret session, shrouded by attorney-client privilege, while they investigated a personnel matter. Was the offense that led to his termination so egregious that it alone was reason for dismissal? Or was it simply the straw that broke the camel's back and allowed those on the board who didn't like Messinger to ramrod through his dismissal?
The board claims they followed state statute that permits secret meetings regarding personnel matters. Maybe they are right. Maybe they did follow the law. And unless you're willing to spend thousands of dollars on hiring an attorney to challenge their decision in court you have to take them at their word.
It is easy to understand that there are a lot of personnel matters regarding those who work in the public sector that should not be aired in public. But when the matter involves the head of an organization that impacts the lives of 31,000 students and 4,300 employees, maybe it is time to change the law. Just as other high-profile public figures completely understand that their behavior needs to be held to a higher standard and misdeeds will be discussed in the public square, proceedings serious enough to merit the firing of the superintendent need to be discussed and debated in the clear light of day.
Chuck Wibby, cxwibby1@gmail.com
This week, "House of Cards" actors, who say even HoC can't out-crazy Trump, have been out promoting the long-awaited season five. Diehard fans will be able to do some serious Netflix binging starting May 30, but unlike the last season, released 15 months ago, there was a stark contrast between the show and our political climate.
During season four, I'd guess many people, like me, enjoyed the show's preposterous story lines about Washington's inner workings because they seemed so far-fetched. However, in this season's trailer Kevin Spacey, who plays lead actor President Francis Underwood, slaps us in the face with a dose of our current reality when he proclaims, "We can control the conversation." There is so much truth to that statement. The typical news cycle has been turned into mincemeat by Trump's very well-timed tweets and contradictory interviews. While his spokespeople are talking about how Comey's firing came about through a DOJ recommendation (Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein), he's telling people he would've fired him anyway because he wants to make the FBI great again (let's not forget the praise he threw upon Comey late in the election when Comey came out about HRC's emails). Now Rosenstein has reportedly threatened to quit.
The rest of us are reading all this not realizing that Trump is indeed controlling the conversation. We the people now have no one to investigate his administration's ties to Russia. You can't write any better political fiction. HoC will be boring in comparison.
Michelle Estrella, michelleboulderDC@gmail.com, https://twitter.com/estrellaboulder
President Trump again has surprised the press by fulfilling a campaign promise, this time by firing James Comey. This incident is so consistent with Trump's past that I am puzzled about the reaction. For one, on the campaign trail, Trump said that he would appoint a Supreme Court justice that would make sure that Hillary Clinton would pay for her un-American emails. And surely by now, he knows that the Supreme Court doesn't do that, the FBI does. Second, one aspect of Trump's personality is to wake up and make a decision. Whether it is tweeting about Obama's wiretaps, dropping a bomb on Syria because they used chemical weapons or passing a health care bill, he makes quick decisions based on his gut. Third, what was it that brought Trump fame and (more) fortune? "You're fired!" All of this drives liberals crazy. His base loves it.
The Bruce Messinger situation is similar to the Comey firing in only one aspect — that no one seems to know what happened to him. When I first read that he was suspended, I made an assumption about what had happened that I will keep to myself out of consideration for everybody involved, since I have no information. Amazingly, nothing has leaked to the press. Teachers want to know why, but all seven board members have decided that it is better if we don't know. He is a public employee. The public has a right to know why he was dismissed.
Rett Ertl, rettertl@hotmail.com
America's famed peaceful transition of power has seen better days. The left's cry to resist has metastasized into a call for total revolt. Meanwhile, President Trump keeps blithely throwing chum off the back of the ship of state and wondering why there are so many circling sharks.
Democrats are obsessed with the thought that Russian meddling in the election cost Hillary the presidency. Their current outrage is the notion of Trump team/Russian collusion and the sudden firing of James Comey, who was mid-investigation into same. Never mind that the FBI's acting director, Andrew G. McCabe, told the Senate Select Committee on Thursday that the investigation was continuing uninterrupted.
The right feels Comey botched the investigation into Hillary's private email server, giving her a pass; the left feels Comey announcing the reopening of the investigation, just days before the election, hurt her chances.
Back in November the left wanted Comey fired; now they're upset that he was. Can you people please make up your minds? That Comey had shown glaring incompetence over the course of his tenure is a matter of record. Comey's dismissal was overdue but the timing was awkward to say the least — more chum, more sharks.
The aim of the Democrats is to incessantly clip and cripple Trump whenever they can from here on out. They ache for a Nixon-like impeachment — they have since the day Trump was sworn in.
It's going to be a long four years.
Don Wrege, donsopinion@gmail.com
The Camera's editorial advisory board members are: Mara Abbott, Judy Amabile, Rett Ertl, Michelle Estrella, Fern O'Brien, Cha Cha Spinrad, Alan Stark, John Tweedy, Chuck Wibby and Don Wrege. (Steve Fisher is an emeritus member.)
Government official gets fired. For the first time in history, the media gives a crap.
Boulder Daily Camera = Fake news.
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