RESPONSE TO KCMONITOR LETTER TO EDITOR OF 4/1/04

This following was written by me (Steven B. Andersen)  to the editor of the Klickitat County Monitor in response to an attack on my representation and character regarding AOCS.  The letter I responded to was unsigned, so a reader would assume it was written by either the editor herself, or a someone of the same motivations.  I later found out it was written by Janice Sauter, the immediate past editor, current senior reporter, and author of the column "Gorge Reality Corner."  Gorge Reality is an organization that champions property rights and is critical of the Gorge Commission, as is AOCS.  It was therefore shocking that Ms. Sauter would attack me in this way, unless there are ulterior motives in wishing my credibility destroyed and AOCS to fail.  I believe the untruthful statements that appeared in the letter she wrote were libelous and extremely inappropriate given the common causes each of our respective organizations have.  I believe the letter has maliciously damaged our cause and has done serious harm to me personally.   Gorge Reality did have a web site on line where similar untruths about me were prominently presented.  This web site was suddenly taken off the web after I made my feelings about it known to a third party.  It will be interesting to see what it looks like should it return.  I would hope it will be cleaned up and present issues and facts honestly.  The characterization of myself that was on that site was not truthful. as anyone knows who is familiar with the facts or looks at the documentation of  record.

The editor would not allow me to present a full response to the unsigned letter that Ms. Sauter presumably wrote.  I was allowed to trim it to a shorter version, which is scheduled for publication in the April 8th issue.  Why she would allow an attack against me, and then not allow a full opportunity to have me address the malicious nature of the letter, can only be surmised.  Here is the full version that was not allowed to be printed:

April 4, 2004

LETTER TO THE EDITOR 

Klickitat County Monitor

Re:  Unsigned 4/1/04 editorial “Anderson barks after he’s bit”

One of the most profound statements that came out of the Watergate hearings was from a Republican legislator who said “Don’t confuse me with the facts.”  In other words, for him loyalty was more important than truth and honesty.  I was told by the new editor of this paper that the person who wrote the above referenced unsigned editorial was Janice Sauter, the immediate former editor.  For those who think Janice Sauter walks on water, nothing I can say here will matter.  This letter is not written to you.  It is written to those  readers of the KC Monitor who have an open mind and respect truth and honesty. 

Propagandists know that by mixing in a little truth with lies, the lies become credible and readers will accept them.  The unsigned editorial does just that.  It mixes truth with untruth to achieve an objective.  And that objective was clearly stated in the first few lines of the unsigned editorial:  to expose me of “misrepresentation.”  The letter then goes on to make statements about me as if they were true.  The new editor’s opening letter for the Opinion page states that “we reserve the right to refuse to print letters that are offensive, untruthful or inappropriate.”  Given this letter presumably was written by the immediate past editor, one would naturally believe that anything she would now write would be “unoffensive, truthful and appropriate.”  A “loyal” reader would find this conclusion to be axiomatic.

You don’t have to believe me (you can check the facts for yourselves), but I can tell you without hesitation:  what was written in that letter was, to me, offensive, untruthful and extremely inappropriate.  I can prove it, and intend to do so.  I will expand upon one example from the unsigned letter:  the Johnston tragedy.  All you need to do is go to the county case file pertaining to the Howard Johnston gorge protection overlay zoning violation and read it for yourselves.  As the Klickitat County planner I was not the cause of Mr. Johnston’s troubles.  Mr. Johnston was the cause of his troubles.  During the enforcement period, I granted Mr. Johnston extended time to bring his violation into compliance with the law.  In Klickitat County, no permits can be issued for activities on land that is in violation of county code until the violation is corrected.  I could have used my authority to force compliance immediately, but instead, worked with Mr. and Mrs. Johnston during a time of hardship, to bring the property into compliance with the zoning that they were obligated to abide by.  It is unfortunate they took as long as they did.  He was unemployed for a period of time, which further complicated their progress.  Later, as a consultant and part of a team that the Johnston’s retained, I testified on their behalf before the Gorge Commission, arguing for their cause. I later did other work for the Johnstons after the Gorge Commission’s action.  The Gorge Commission, unfortunately, was not compassionate.  This is a prime example of the important difference between local land use control and control by an unelected commission.  We worked with the Johnstons to achieve scenic protection, the commission did not.  Now I am being attacked for it.

Commissions, officials, and others, need to be held accountable for their actions and what they say and put in print.  I have never hidden the fact that I am fighting for my clients’ rights (that was made clear at the outset on our website at www.AdvocatesOfCommonSense.com and in my testimony to the Gorge Commission in February when I announced it).   It is axiomatic that I would benefit from my clients’ benefiting from any success I might achieve.  That is what I do for a living, and hope to continue to do.  I am also a libertarian concerned about environment quality.  Liberty and quality of life are not mutually exclusive.  We must protect the environment we inhabit.  I don’t need to apologize to anyone for these facts and beliefs.  Advocates of Common Sense was initiated by me and, regardless of what the unsigned letter alleges,  more than “one” client participates.  Some of the participants are not even clients, but people who cherish liberty and environmental quality.  And it should be explicitly understood that not all of my clients are members.  We are still growing.

What I believe is very inappropriate about the unsigned letter is the damage it does to my ability to fight for my clients’ rights and my ability to provide for my means of pursuing happiness here in the Gorge.  One could conclude that the author of the unsigned letter, and the paper in which it appears, wish to destroy me if, in fact, what’s in the letter is untrue.  I can prove that it is untrue, as can anyone else who will check the facts.  My “story” regarding the scenic area maps is documented in three binders on file with the county.  I haven’t changed it, nor have I found Ms. Sauter’s representation of my work in this, or in work I performed for the Gorge Commission, honest.   There is more than a subtle difference between mapping the location of existing land uses (part of a land use inventory which I did do) and mapping land use designations for regulatory purposes (which I did not do for the Gorge Commission, contrary to what Ms. Sauter alleges).   Ms. Sauter seems more interested in destroying the messenger than accepting facts.   I spent many months researching allegations of gerrymandering of scenic area map boundaries to conclude there was no “smoking gun.”  The official maps of the scenic area the USFS published were taken from maps that the Congressional committee’s used when crafting the scenic area legislation.  These maps are stored in the state archives in Olympia for anyone to see, and copies are included in the binders I submitted.  I have been “bitten” all right; with sharp teeth!

If you have any concerns or questions that stem from the unsigned letter, or from other written or verbal representations of my work or character, I would encourage you to contact me by phone at 541/478-0500, or by e-mail at cascadeplanning@gorge.net. 

Sincerely,

Steven B. Andersen

Mosier