As Mary Lindsey spoke in front of the commission last night, voice cracking with emotion, I want to publish an excerpt of the Panagioti Paper in response to the CRB kicking him off as Chair of that Board and the Sub-Committee Witch-Hunt Committee. This was formed to investigate him. Mary who originally volunteered to be a part of the sub-committee, was so upset that Panagioti was actually defending himself in America.
Panagioti Excerpt:
Anti-immigrant racism
I am basing this position on several stated comments from the previous CRB meeting in January, where:
1) Mary Lindsey, a former political candidate and supporter of an organization, FAIR, (designated as a hate group by ADL and SPLC (Southern Poverty Law Center), both leading organizations on the subject), explained that she had been communicating with CRB board members on this matter, and promptly volunteered to serve on a subcommittee with the overt and clearly biased intention of removing me from my position on the CRB (she has since stepped down from the subcommittee.) Her efforts have been made both on public record and in local newspapers. She has also previously attempted such efforts against vocal supporters of immigrants’ rights, one example can be viewed here: http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2009/12/lake_worth_commissioner_cara_j.php
2) Mark Parilla, also volunteering to join on the subcommittee, expressed in the same meeting that he was currently working closely with FLIMAN (Floridians for Immigration Enforcement), also a group recognized recently as by SPLC as "nativist extremists" for their bigoted positions on immigration, many of whom have associations with white supremacists. The list can be found here: http://www.splcenter.org/get-informed/intelligence-report/browse-all-issues/2011/spring/the-year-in-nativism/nativist-extremists
Mary Lindsey Excerpt
While Mr. Tsolkas is at liberty to hold and express any opinion of me that he likes, it’s once again disheartening that these allegations and attacks on my character and integrity, without any basis whatsoever in fact, have been made publicly by a sitting member of the Lake Worth Community Relations Board, an agency of the City of Lake Worth. No attempt to ask me if the affiliations and allegations of bias are factual were made and moreover, not the slightest piece of evidence attesting to their validity was included in Mr. Tsolkas’ letter.
I will not insult the intelligence of the Lake Worth City Commission, the other members of the Community Relations Board, my friends in this Community, or degrade myself, by attempting to defend myself from his vicious and indefensible allegations nor by questioning his Constitutional right to publicly humiliate and embarrass me. I do, however, ask the City Commission and the Community Relations Board if this targeted and malicious behavior by a member of an officially sanctioned, citizens advisory board of the City of Lake Worth accurately reflects the intentions of the Lake Worth City Commission or the Community Relations Board’s mission to promote harmonious and amicable relations in the Community we all share.
I disagree with Tsolkos in his comments above. I don't even recall Mary ever having talked about illegal immigration whereas I do it all of the time. I don't consider Mary a racist at all nor do I consider myself one. We both believe in law and order. However, I defend Panagioti's right of freedom of speech and his right to present a defense on trumped up charges of the CRB and those politicos behind the action. Panagioti Tsolkos was answering charges he feels have no weight or validity. He talks about Lindsey, someone who volunteered to bring him down and thwart those very beliefs and his rights.
The worst part of the entire episode of the "Papers" is that Mayor Triolo and Vice Mayor Scott Maxwell felt his statements were so egregious that they both apologized to Mary Lindsey. Give me a break.
The best thing that happened last night was that the totally dysfunctional CRB will be sun-setted. No more seedy politics, at least in this Board.
7 comments:
nice job...a fair assessment, I think.
I think it's interesting that you have so passionately defended someone who wouldn't spit if you were on fire.
I am defending the right of free expression. I am defending his civil rights. I am defending his right to defend himself, George. This is not about whether he would spit if I were on fire. I guess you were talking about Panagioti and not Mary.
Lindsey says she doesn't want to degrade herself by defending herself but that is exactly what she did by writing this.
While Mr. Tsolkas has the right to his opinion and his freedom of speech, the point was he made all these allegations as a member of an officially scantioned advisory board of Lake Worth. I obtained Mr. Tsolkas' response from the City and am amazed at the tone and allegations. Believing in law and order does not make anyone a racist. I understand the apologies to Ms. Lindsey. The Mayor's and Vice Mayor's apologies were made to indicate that Mr. Tsolkas' comments as a member of the CRB do not reflect the intentions of the Commission.
Great, Stu. I think that the CRB should apologize to Mr. Tsolkos. I don't believe in witch-hunts whether they are 15th century or 21st. Certainly we have evolved as a society. Perhaps people can be an anarchist, a Democrat, a Communist, or whatever and say what they believe. His e-mail was a personal e-mail. So, to apologize to Mary Lindsey who happens to have the political clout in her corner on this one, won't buy it for me. I can tell you right now, a whole lot worse has been done to people in this city. To call someone a racist because they believe in the law is just plain ridiculous and many OF US certainly have been the brunt of that smear. It's a damn joke but no, politics has to be involved and people have to raise holy hell because they were freakin "defamed." Everyone needs to get a pair of balls and some stronger shoulders and allow people to have civil rights.
Bull-Horn Mary, What a convenient short memory you must have.
Post a Comment