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Freedom of the Press, Unless You Don’t Like the Press

 

Criticism of government finds sanctuary in several portions of the 1st Amendment. It is part of the right of free speech. It embraces freedom of the press.

-Thomas Jefferson.

 

Jefferson had it right, without freedom of the press there is no representative government. I guess that does not count with some residents here in Cerritos.

At last Tuesday’s council meeting, another Cerritos resident spoke at the public comment section of the meeting and said some very disturbing things about LCCN.

He first started talking about how he loved Carol Chen and “Jim” Barrows, so I am guessing the check cleared. You could tell immediately where he was going. The resident began his slanderous tirade by asking advertisers to not support the paper.

He was preaching to the crowd since the council had already voted to cut most advertising in LCCN.

This while the council kept other newspaper advertising intact, LA Times and Press-Telegram; newspapers that have written much worse articles about them than LCCN has.

The resident went on to say how the council “doesn’t get an hourly salary” and only gets paid $400 per month and how it was “fine that they ate $100 steaks.”

I guess he was confirming that we were correct about our Travelgate story about Chen, Edwards, and Barrows and how they spent $600 on one meal. He was wrong about the salary, the $400 is for a car allowance, they make much more in benefits and perks.

Ask yourself why someone would spend $50,000 to win a Cerritos City Council seat?

This is the same resident who, in July 2008 with Edwards, Chen, Barrows, Cho (yes, the same council four years ago) and Laura Lee presiding, pointed out how that council had a secret meeting to amend the two-term limit law and how “he did not like that.”

Somebody should have done a background check on this guy before sending him up to the dais.

The resident (racially) called out Councilman Cho asking if he knew what the six plaques on the wall were, (Constitution and the Bill of Rights.) He went on to accuse the entire council of not reading the Bill of Rights, alluding to the secret meeting, and said all of you (council) are accountable, if I want to know how much you are paid then I should get the information.

So apparently in 2008 he did not like Barrows, Edwards and Chen, even wanting them to term out.

Now all of a sudden they are his “best friends” as he put it.

Sounds like political amnesia again.

This is the same resident who in 2005 pelted test drivers from the Auto Square with rags and clumps of sod. He squirted water at them and demanded the city take action against one of the largest contributors of tax revenue to the city.

He threatened to organize picket lines at the Cerritos Auto Mall excersing his freedom of speech rights.

Rights that apparently does no apply to LCCN according to this resident.

Freedom of the press guarantees popular participation in the decisions and actions of government, and popular participation is the essence of our democracy.

-Corazon Aquino

 

 

  • retsofsirhc says:

    Funny you writing about “freedom of the press” when your “moderation” clenses reasonable comments posted on your “stories” in the past. Now you’re attacking a resident for expressing an opinion?
    Very Hearst/Murdoch of you.

    By the way, how goes the complaint the Service Employees International Union filed against you and your “paper” with the California Fair Political Practices Commission?

    No worries. I’ll call and check it out for you. Let ya know via city council public comments.

    Michael Cox, SEIU spokesman, said: “The SEIU rejects the racist comments of the ad. It’s important folks know it is not us.”

    I dare you to post this in the name of “free speech.”