Council Member Bob Isom

City of Yelm Mayor Pro-tem and Council member Bob Isom’s Letter to the Editor of the NVN published September 25th garnered this response:
wisewoman wrote on Oct 1, 2009 8:04 PM:
“Bob, Bob, Bob…you need to relax and take a deep breath. Lizards? Your reference just shows your ignorance and that you harbor an attitude which doesn’t serve any valuable purpose except to demonstrate your inadequate grasp of the people and the issues.

Surely you can find a more productive way to spend your time rather than being so dismissive and wasting time with such demeaning references.

By the way, Safeway has been carrying the specialty items we have requested from chocolate soy ice cream to organic chicken and beef. We have found most people to be considerate and interested in building a strong sense of ‘Community’, rather than detracting from such a worthwhile endeavor.

Rather than continuing to position yourself in an adversarial state-of-mind; perhaps your day tomorrow could be uplifted by placing your time and attention on ways to be constructive and working with everyone to enhance harmonious relationships in this town. I’ll be watching you! You can do better than this…you can be instrumental in finding the middle of the road and our common ground for the benefit of Yelm. ”

This was the Letter to the Editor published in the NVN September 25th by City Council member & Mayor Pro-tem Bob Isom [see my response at bottom to just one of Mr. Isom’s several incorrect comments]:

What will Knight, Klein try next to muzzle critics?
By Bob Isom
Published: Friday, September 25, 2009 4:41 PM PDT
Editor,

Once again I find that I must put pen to paper to point out the hypocrisy of Steve Klein and JZ Knight.

I will take your editorial, Please Dont Shoot the Piano Player, at face value, as I have found you to be fair and forthcoming in your dealings with the city.

I would refer you to The Thomas Jefferson Center Muzzle Awards of 2006, when the Yelm City Council was roundly criticized for allegedly attempting to abridge the First Amendment Rights of the citizens of the City of Yelm regarding Wal-Mart building in the city.

Some of the criticism may have been justified, but not to the extent carried on by Klein and some of the students of RSE.

Will there be such an outpouring of passion over an apparent attempt to use economic pressure to silence your criticism of Knight and/or Klein? If not, why?

It is becoming more apparent that Knight will use any means, including legal, to silence any opposition to her effort to stop growth in this community. This includes applying economic pressure to private enterprise, as well as filing lawsuits and appeals against governmental entities, such as the City of Yelm.

Even when proven wrong, such as by the state auditor, there is no relief from the incessant hounding.

If Knight/Klein feel they were represented unfairly, why not take out another full page ad condemning you, the paper and everyone else whom they feel has maligned them or been unfair? Better yet, save the money and write a letter to the editor, detailing point by point their grievances.

Are they afraid it wont be published? If so, thats taking paranoia to the highest degree. It appears to me that you have published untold numbers of articles slamming you, the paper and anyone else who disagrees with them.

It would appear to me that these so-called protectors of free speech only want it protected if the speech agrees with them, but will use any means to try and silence the opposition, no matter the economic cost.

I would ask, who is next? Safeway because it wont carry certain items that Knight/Klein want them to? A veterinary office in town because it doesnt treat lizards?

Whos next? What next small town local business will be targeted by those who professed to be the protectors of small town local businesses when big, bad Wal-Mart wanted to come to town?

I did not write this letter in defense of you, as you can fight your own battles. I wrote this in an attempt to point out the hypocrisy of those who want to appear to have the best interests of the community at heart. I seriously question their motives and agendas.

I know that I will once again be portrayed as the incarnate of evil and all that is wrong with the city. So, I will once again state that these are my thoughts and reactions, and this in no way reflects any official position of the city.

Bob Isom
Yelm

Ed. Note: I did not see such a diatribe from Mr. Isom when Safeway withdrew their NVN advertisements a few years ago!

Further, I find very interesting that the letter I wrote to Mr. Isom in response to one of several incorrect statements he made WAS published in the NVN. While I copied NVN Publisher/Editor Graves as a courtesy, since Isom’s letter to which I was responding was in his newspaper, my 741 word letter does not meet Graves’ 350 word maximum requirement. Mr. Graves has asked me to keep all of my letters for print under 350 words, indeed sending one back for me to edit or it would not be published. Though I acknowledge the letter is public property, since I sent it to a public official & copied the County Commissioners, where was the common courtesy from Mr. Graves to ask me if he could publish my letter? HMMM!

Click here for my Letter to Council member Bob Isom:

Where was the contract for the Golder study?
Letter to the Editor
By Steve Klein
Published: Friday, October 2, 2009 4:09 PM PDT