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Opinion
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- Written by: Lake County News Editorial Board
It's a good place, with good people, who have a right to expect to be treated with decency by their neighbors and other community members.
In election years, that can go out the window, but even in tough races we've seen people able, in the end, to get along and have meaningful discussions, even if they don't agree.
This year, we're seeing a new kind of campaign, focusing less on issues and more on damaging not just the candidates, but their families, friends, supporters – or even bystanders.
It's a campaign of collateral damage, it's immoral and it's got to stop.
Rather than appealing to the better angels of our nature, this campaign has sought to draw out the deepest venom from peoples' hearts, to prey upon their anger and weakness, and use it against any opposition.
Since last September, a shadowy group of supporters of sheriff candidate Francisco Rivero has been carrying out a deceitful whispering campaign that seeks to damage and destroy anyone who doesn't openly embrace their tactics. They've made destroying the law enforcement community members and others who challenge them a blood sport.
This group appeared less than a week after Rivero officially announced he was running for sheriff, and within a month of the arrests of two of the major supporters central to his campaign, as you'll see.
We chose to ignore the garbage being put out about deputies, others in local law enforcement and community members, knowing that it was lies being propagated by malicious people.
Silence is a powerful language in its own right, but one that often is given to misinterpretation. In our grandfathers' days, silence was a sign of strength and restraint – for some of us that's what it continues to mean.
Today, however, it also can be cast as complicity or cowardice.
In the context of this campaign, silence is no protection; if anything it led some people to believe there were no consequences for taking damaging actions. Sunshine is our chosen alternative.
One figure central to this shadow campaign is Tom Carter, arrested last August by the Drug Enforcement Administration for illegally growing marijuana. Carter is assisted by Brian Rushing, son of District 3 Supervisor Denise Rushing. Both are listed on Rivero's endorsements page. The third member of the core group is Bruce Forsythe. Several other active participants also are endorsers.
Carter, who owns local properties and businesses, is in major legal trouble; he's facing charges that could put him in federal prison for more than a decade. Additionally, some of his properties are likely to end up in the hands of the US government, which is seeking multimillion dollar forfeiture actions as part of its federal prosecution of Carter and his alleged marijuana activities.
Forsythe was arrested by the California Highway Patrol last Aug. 3 for driving under the influence and, in early September, just days before kicking off his defamation campaign, Forsythe was formally charged in the DUI case. He pleaded no contest last November and was sentenced to two years probation, a "wet reckless" education program, and fines and court costs.
Carter and Forsythe have been videotaped in close proximity to Rivero at his campaign events and Forsythe was recently seen discussing documents at an event with Rivero's attorney, Victor Haltom.
For a period, Forsythe had a work-trade agreement and lived on Denise Rushing's property. Earlier this year, after he and Rushing began to clash over his work, he left her property, which only seemed to have heightened his misdirected rage. She said she also asked her son to leave her property.
Rushing said she had nothing more to say about Forsythe except that she also was “the recipient of his obnoxious, threatening, demanding emails,” and was a target of his defamation campaign.
On March 12, the final day of candidates' filings, Forsythe – not content to simply libel and defame people – made anonymous and threatening phone calls to Mark Borghesani, whose family owns and operates Kelseyville Lumber, according to Borghesani's phone records. Borghesani's name appears on incumbent Sheriff Rod Mitchell's endorsement list; Forsythe threatened him with boycott as a result.
Forsythe forgot to cover his tracks in one important way – Kelseyville Lumber's phones have caller identification, and Forsythe's cell phone number came up. It was the same number for multiple calls in which he tried unsuccessfully to change his voice so he would sound like different people.
At that point, Supervisor Rob Brown, who had been getting a barrage of threatening and haranguing e-mails from Forsythe, did some research and unmasked Forsythe, Carter and Brian Rushing.
Borghesani hasn't been the only business owner threatened; there are several others, many of them in the south county. In one case, Jim and Hettie Hendrickson of Middletown, who process milk for Clover Stornetta Farms Inc., began receiving harassing phone calls threatening them with boycott if a Mitchell sign which hangs on their fence wasn't taken down.
The Hendricksons' fence – which belongs to them, not the company – is known as the “running fence,” where people in all kinds of campaigns have hung signs over the years.
“We've never been threatened in 20 years,” Hettie Hendrickson said. “It's the first time.”
She offered that a Rivero sign could also be hung on the fence, which it was. But the threatening calls kept coming. Another Rivero supporter and endorser, Renee Burkdoll, reportedly called the company's corporate headquarters to complain and was told that this it was still a free country and the Hendricksons had the right to hang the Mitchell sign on their property.
Finally, the Hendricksons had the Rivero sign taken down and returned to him, but they left up their Mitchell sign.
“The last time I checked, this was America,” Hettie Hendrickson said.
Denise Rushing has disavowed her son's activities. She said that she believes her son, who now is a student out-of-county, doesn't have the time to be deeply involved in the defamation campaign.
Lake County News also has been targeted by this group, especially in the wake of comments Rivero made in a March campaign appearance, when he insinuated that we had received internal affairs documents about James Beland, a former sheriff's sergeant, from the sheriff himself.
We told Rivero that we obtained the documents last year in connection with the Bismarck Dinius case, during which Beland's records were entered into discovery by defense attorney Victor Haltom, who since has begun representing Rivero.
Nonetheless, Rivero refused to correct his insinuations about the article. His campaign manager said Rivero wouldn't do it because he didn't like being told what to do. When someone who wants to be a public servant can't own mistakes or has an attitude that suggests he doesn't believe he does anything wrong, there is a serious, deep-rooted problem.
Rivero's insinuations about our coverage have been a clear attempt to chill any coverage of his campaign in a way that was not overtly flattering.
Since that time, harassment and personal attacks have escalated. We were threatened by Forsythe and told to take down all campaign advertising off of our Web site and eliminate revenue critical to our operations.
Many of Rivero's supporters are angry about him being the object of an internal affairs investigation for sexual assault. When an allegation is made, such investigations have to be done and they should be done as quickly as possible.
However, the allegations over the handling of Rivero's internal affairs investigation don't excuse the behavior of this shadow faction. At the very least, a part of Rivero's campaign has been taken over by an angry and destructive group of people who, in many ways, mirror his own rhetoric. At the worst, he's behind the scenes, urging them on, but acting surprised and disappointed when anyone challenges him on his role.
After weeks of getting nowhere with the Rivero campaign in late March and early April, we focused on setting up two televised sheriff candidates debates, which took place April 28 and May 5 and are on our site.
Hours before the May 5 sheriff's debate the situation reached critical mass. That's when Lake County News Editor and Publisher Elizabeth Larson received a credible threat of physical violence conveyed to us by a person who had knowledge of this shadow group. She was told that physical harm awaited her if she showed up to host the debate.
The matter was reported to the sheriff's office and safety precautions were stepped up. However, the attacks haven't stopped – from the time of the physical threat on, repeated unsuccessful attempts have been made to hack the Lake County News Web site.
Remaining silent has only caused an escalation and we regret that. The people responsible for this shadow campaign believe there are no consequences for their actions, which clearly are being taken for the benefit of one individual. Ultimately, we decided it was better to tell the truth than sit silently while good people are harmed.
A case in point: During the May 5 debate, Rivero pointed out off-duty deputies in the room and said, “I do have the courage to stand up. I'm standing here in front of you, in front of many of the deputy sheriffs that are out here in this audience, amongst many deputy sheriffs who I know have committed some pretty atrocious acts during the time of their, uh, of them being a deputy sheriff.”
Deputies and their wives walked out in disgust. It was a mean-spirited moment – the kind that has become typical in this campaign – as well as being a broad, opportunistic and sweepingly malicious statement that insinuated those men in particular were the wrongdoers.
Rivero signed a clean campaign pledge espousing transparency, a discussion of the issues without fear of recrimination, and which prohibits defamation, whispering campaigns, slander, attacks on a person's personal life and family, and coerced help for an election.
It also states: “I SHALL IMMEDIATELY AND PUBLICLY REPUDIATE support deriving from any individual or group which resorts, on behalf of my candidacy or in opposition to that of my opponent, to the methods and tactics which I condemn. I shall accept responsibility to take firm action against any subordinate who violates any provision of this code or the laws governing elections.”
Rivero has denied any connection to this shadow group that is clearly working for his benefit. He's also been unwilling to publicly repudiate them and their tactics, or apologize when he breaks the pledge himself. Whether or not he's directly linked, he must “immediately and publicly repudiate” such tactics, as the pledge states. He also owes those deputies a public apology.
Candidate Rivero has a moral, legal and ethical obligation to publicly disavow Tom Carter, Bruce Forsythe, Brian Rushing and all others among that shadow group acting on his behalf – whether directly or indirectly – who are participating in this campaign of defamation and intimidation. Signing that pledge was his first official campaign promise and one he appears set on breaking.
This past Friday, during a series of e-mail exchanges with Lake County News, Rivero was asked if he was going to denounce this group.
His answer?
Silence.
The Lake County News Editorial Board consists of John Jensen, Lake County News co-founder and site administrator; Dr. Carl Jensen, professor emeritus, communications studies and founder of Project Censored at Sonoma State University; and Elizabeth Larson, Lake County News co-founder, editor and publisher.
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- Written by: Keith Buter
I have been following the Clearlake airport saga over the last year, and, have come to the conclusion that it is time for the citizens of Lake County to begin thinking outside the box.
Our county board spends money for out-of-county people to do marketing and planning for our county's future. I believe it is time we take control, and come together to present our board with real local input. I question spending our money on big ad firms who look at Lake County as just another client. Our county's future is a personal thing to many of us.
I recently approached county Supervisors Denise Rushing and Jeff Smith and Clearlake City Administrator Dale Neiman with an idea for the south county's future should the Lowe's project fall through.
The concept divides the shares of redevelopment money into three sections. The old part of town and the airport split the money that’s left after the sewer system investment.
My concept is a long-term investment in the county. It is the belief that Lake County can be the premier vacation destination in Northern California. We need to create our own version of a cross between the attraction of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, and Branson, Missouri. Tourists spend money to be entertained and to have fun. The scope of the concept involves Lower Lake all the way through to Clearlake on Highway 53.
Considering the airport property is along a major highway, with a lot of traffic, it is logical to put businesses that draw people to them. My suggestion was to entice Starbucks and In-N-Out Burger into investing in our county. We all know the In-N-Out Burger would draw out-of-county business and also be a familiar sight to many tourists. These are just two anchor businesses that could help the city of Clearlake’s tax intake and the county as a whole.
I also suggested creating an avenue of the wines with special attractions that other wine counties do not offer.
I believe we all need to contribute ideas that could become a reality in our county. We as citizens have a responsibility to find ways for the citizens to make money and not have to leave the county to make a decent living. My feeling is we need to have the voice of the citizens speak to the board's decisions for our future instead of another out-of-county firm telling us what we need to do. Let’s be local and plan our counties future together.
I am asking for input from people so I can put together a comprehensive marketing plan that I can present to the Board of Supervisors. So if you want to help me go beyond the usual talk about – well they should do this and why don’t they try that – please get in contact with me at
The only way things happen in life is when we make them happen.
Keith Buter lives in Lucerne.
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- Written by: Congressman Mike Thompson
“This is not 1965, the oil and gas companies can drill offshore now with all the new technology they have and do it safely and not cause accidents,” a constituent wrote to me recently in an email.
“Drill baby drill” was the call from across the country not that long ago. If you didn't agree that the government should open more offshore area for drilling and exploration you were labeled anti-American, an environmental extremist or worse, a socialist. The latter being the label of choice by some for anyone that disagrees with them on anything.
Drilling offshore is and has been going on for sometime. And from day one, drilling proponents have said that “new technologies make it safe” and that oil spills shouldn't be of concern.
We heard it again last month when Sarah Palin spoke at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in Louisiana. “We don't need more studies. We need more action,” she said. “Let's drill baby drill. Not stall baby stall.”
If only we could “stall baby stall” the oil that is now spilling into the gulf coast. The Louisiana spill is leaking 210,000 gallons of oil per day – up four times from what British Petroleum claimed when they first reported the spill to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
It's hard to understand how British Petroleum could be so far off on their calculations. Now it sounds like it may take months to drill a relief well, during which time experts fear ocean currents could move the oil up and down the East Coast.
I have always opposed drilling for oil off the coast of Northern California and for good reasons. First, there isn't enough recoverable oil to benefit our needs vis-a-vis the risk. But that hasn't stopped some from pursuing leases to explore and drill.
Second, our coast is rich in marine life and is one of only four major upwellings in the world. Damage to this fragile ecosystem would devastate not only our district but an incredible amount of marine habitat throughout the Pacific Coast.
Third, our tourism industry is the life blood of many communities in Northern California and visitors don't buy rooms, dinner, or shop in area devastated by oil spills or cluttered with off-shore oil drilling equipment. Our fishing communities, tourism communities and related businesses up and down the coast generate billions in economic activity and should not be put in jeopardy by drilling off shore.
Last, but certainly not least, the beautiful, rocky and rugged Northern California coastline would make cleaning up a spill extremely dangerous and difficult. Some argue that the rough terrain coupled with equally rough seas would make clean up impossible. And remember, our coast is earthquake prone, which only exacerbates the spill concern.
It is particularly difficult to understand why some would continue to promote this policy at a time of great advancement of renewable energy.
Renewables are many years away from displacing oil and we will always rely on some amount of oil. However, we need to be doubling down on our efforts to develop renewable energy technology, put these new innovations into operation and get as far away from oil as we can.
This is a tall order but we're entrepreneurs, innovators and, most important, Americans. We can and we will succeed.
Congressman Mike Thompson represents California's First Congressional District, which includes Lake County, in the US House of Representatives.
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- Written by: Rev. Shannon Kimbell-Auth
On Thursday, April 15, in the state of Wisconsin a federal court judge ruled as “unconstitutional” something that almost every president in the history of our nation has supported – certainly each president within our lifetimes – as well as many of the signers of the US Constitution.
Judge Barbara Crabb of United States District Court in Madison, Wis., ruled that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional.
What is the National Day of Prayer? In 1777 it was the day that Congress set aside as a day of Thanksgiving to our “Divine Benefactor” for the new born United States.
In 1789 James Madison introduced the Bill of Rights to Congress; it included what we now call the First Amendment which reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
The same Congress, which passed the First Amendment, asked President George Washington to declare a National Day of Prayer in 1789.
The president gladly complied, proclaiming, “It is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor.”
The finest minds in American history have long recognized that neither the Constitution, nor the Bill of Rights, guarantees the people “freedom from religion.” Rather, the law of our land requires the courts to refrain from creating laws which establish religion or prohibit free exercise of religion; proclaiming a day of prayer and thanksgiving neither establishes a religion nor prevents free exercise of it.
The lawsuit that led to the ruling last week was brought to the courts by a Madison, Wis.-based group called the Freedom From Religion Foundation.
Their Web site describes their mission as follows, “The nonprofit Freedom From Religion Foundation works to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism [sic],” and to promote the constitutional principle of separation between church and state.”
Separation of church and state was not a constitutional principle according to any of the signers of the Constitution. In fact, the phrase comes from a personal letter from President Thomas Jefferson written to a Baptist minister guaranteeing him that the state would not do the very things that the Freedom From Religion Foundation are now doing.
The most poignant proclamations calling for National Days of Prayer have come at the darkest moments of our history, and have expressed the sighs of our souls and longing for a better future for our country.
My personal favorite was Abraham Lincoln’s 1863 proclamation two months after using the Emancipation Act and months before the horrors of Gettysburg:
“Whereas, the Senate of the United States, devoutly recognizing the Supreme Authority and just Government of Almighty God, in all the affairs of men and of nations, has, by a resolution, requested the President to designate and set apart a day for National prayer and humiliation. And whereas it is the duty of nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.”
There is an appalling hubris at work in the acts of organizations like the Freedom From Religion Foundation and Judge Crabb’s ruling which seek to strip America of its soul, leaving nothing but a political machine in its wake.
Evidently President Barack Obama also disagrees with Judge Crabb because he has pledged that on May 6 he will issue a proclamation calling for a National Day of Prayer.
As with many of our freedoms, we often fail to appreciate what we have until we are in danger of losing them.
Personally, when asked to help plan a National Day of Prayer event in Lakeport this year I said I was “too busy.” I see now a different response is required.
A National Day of Prayer event will be offered at United Christian Parish, 745 N Brush St. in Lakeport, on Thursday, May 6, at 6 p.m. All are welcome.
Rev. Shannon Kimbell-Auth pastors United Christian Parish in Lakeport, Calif.