Have you ever assumed anything?
Ever engaged in 'just a little gossip'?
Ever held a position of power in the community? A position of trust? Ever taken a sworn oath to uphold duty?
Have you ever been a writer, an investigative reporter or columnist? Ever had the power of the media at your fingertips, either owned by another or created at your own hand?
Have a Facebook page? How about tweets, do you ever tweet 'just a little something' about what you read or hear 3rd party?
What does 'one more layer' of speculation matter? No harm, 'eventually it will work out'.
Ever had any of those kinds of thoughts?
Sure you have. You're a human being.
It's so noticeable and the topic of most conversations up and down the Roaring Fork Valley and I-70 corridor because we are one of the worst areas in the state for social abuse of others.
Yes, we are. We have an abundance of the kinds of stories like Rappaport and Condon. Don't believe it? Spend a couple months touching every single community in the state and their news sources. Do your own investigating.
Yes, we are.
Is it because we are an 'ugly people' with no conscience? Of course not. Is it because we live in an area of the state that has a higher level of material wealth, entitlement, highly intelligent professionals such as lawyers and politicians who have made their living from shrewdly calculating what others think and say? Is it because we've become so absorbed with ourselves that we don't even see decency any longer? Or is it simply logistics and the problem is a handful or two of powerful people with powerful social tools?
Could be. Maybe in part.
It's always best to take the higher road. Doing so usually gives the other person or issue exactly what they thought they wanted. Usually leads them to believe they've hit the jackpot of their own creation.
There is a world of difference between Scott Condon, who is employed by a powerful newspaper spending years targeting Glenn Rappaport with subtle flamer after subtle flamer (and) Glenn Rappaport finally stepping off to the side of that higher road with the realization that the time had come to speak to Scott Condon in a language Condon might finally hear.
A world of difference. Funny how that works when you give back to someone what that person thinks they wanted. There is no one left looking in the mirror today as Glenn's son writes in, other than Scott Condon. Very well done, Glenn.
A thank you goes out to the Aspen Daily News for being the first stop most locals make when they want their voices heard. That's an earned honor.
A special thank you goes out to Glenn's son, Nelson Harvey. For stepping off to the side of that higher road with his Dad. Well done.
"...but that’s precisely what happened. When Glenn resigned shortly thereafter, Condon’s press coverage played up complaints from some observers who thought he had acted improperly in the Rebekah Lodge case. Glenn was clean, but his name was forever sullied with the “conflict of interest” charge.
Furthermore, Condon published an article featuring concerns about the aesthetics of Glenn’s design for his proposed addition. (The design of the addition was not a part of the application.)
This set off a domino effect: The Rebekah Lodge owner scrapped the addition project, due to the negative press. Glenn lost his contract, and the town lost a pocket park. Most reporters can only dream of having this sort of impact, sinister as its effects may be.
I happen to know that Glenn resigned in 1998 for family reason — I was one of four children and step-children who had entered his life in the previous two years. Freedman’s contention, in her letter, that “ ... there is no indication that his family situation had changed,” is groundless and out of line.
Glenn Rappaport, my step-father, has been a dedicated public servant in the Roaring Fork Valley for 25 years. He has applied his energy to numerous public projects, often without compensation. His love for Basalt is unmatched, and he hopes to further serve the town as mayor. We won’t let erroneous press stand in his way." (Read the rest? Click title)
Nelson Harvey
Carbondale
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
1 comment:
Just a whisper in this valley can hurt a business. Everybody so afraid to look sideways at the power brokers. What Nelson is saying on behalf of Glenn is true. My own experiences even with staying so-called anonymous (what a joke when I can pull up to the pumps and even the illegals know who glenwoodsprings22 is but still an entire bunch of power brokers in Glenwood still are sitting around whining because they're being criticised by me under that handle. If that fact wasn't so damning to their cause it would be laughable)mirror Glenn's.
The best thing that could happen to this entire valley is for both the Times and the PI to finally get their work under a real boss who would clean them up or be bought out by a news man with full integrity. They both have huge power and it's the worst thing there could be for the entire valley. Somebody needs to go and it's not Glenn Rappaport.
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