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Open letter to Tom Fulks

May 28, 2015
Tom Fulks

Tom Fulks

OPINION By LESLIE RAMSEY

I knew you over thirty years ago when you were a reporter for the Five Cities Times-Press-Recorder. You did a good job following local politics and wrote pretty balanced stories, even about those people with whom you may have personally disagreed. We could talk to one another, and I had confidence that you would not intentionally misquote me or take a word out of context or pull any punches to make my boss look bad. We had a good working relationship that benefited both of us.

I don’t know what happened over the years, but your hate-filled, vitriolic writing is a far cry from the professionalism you demonstrated years ago.

The merciless personal attacks on people who have been duly elected to serve says more about your anger than their actions, whatever their alleged motives may be. What happened to you to make you so hateful? If I were still in my previous position today, I would never speak to you.

If your goal is to rile incumbents to try to make them misstep or misspeak, you are working very hard to get there. If your goal is to stifle honest communication, you are accomplishing it.

At a time when our county and the country at large face so many serious challenges requiring open communication and a willingness to work together creatively, you are spinning your wheels to slow down any search for solutions, destroy cooperation amongst diverse leaders, and ultimately sow hatred and fear among uninformed citizens. Why?

Whatever happened to the young man who sought the truth, worked with people, and made an honest living, in the process keeping the public informed and educated about local politics? Do you imagine your present role is a higher calling? Seriously?

It pains me, Tom, to be writing this letter to you. I would encourage you to do some real soul searching and ask yourself what happened along the way. I guess I liked the old Tom Fulks better.

Leslie Ramsey was the Administrative Assistant to the late Assemblyman Eric Seastrand from 1983-1990.

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I just went to the Tribune’s site to try and read some of his work but apparently the Tribune’s articles are too special for me because they keep blocking me from reading them. Even the Atlantic and USA Today and NY Times let me read their articles. Anyway, I got a look at Fulks’ mug and he looks like a heavy drinker to me, so I can’t say anything bad about him. Maybe if he ever gets to write for some second-rate pub like the LA Times, I’ll get to read some of his vitriol, but for now, keep up the good work, Tom Fulks!


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Delete your cookies and try again. If you visit more than three or four times they try to make you get a paid on-line subscription.


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Thanks for the information, but if it comes down to a choice between keeping my cookies, or tossing the Tribune, I’ll get my news elsewhere. The Tribune has never been a good paper – not in the 25 years I’ve lived here – and still isn’t – it’s just a last resort. Oh, and they have good mugshots.


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The Trivial is worse than nothing.


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Who the hell is Tom Fulks?


I have only lived in south county 54 years now, perhaps I missed it.


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Who the hell is Tom Fulks? That’s like asking “Who the hell is Walter Cronkite?” or “Who the f— are Woodward & Bernstein?”


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Another left-wing hater……writes for the Trib


http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2015/02/15/3491282/slo-county-contends-with-rule.html


I thin its whete Slowfaster gets most of her ideas


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Wait, I though he was a Right-Wing hater. By Left-Wing hater, do we mean, he hates the Left, or is of the Left, and hates Rigthies? We need someone to diagram these sentences. If the Tribune would just let us READ THEIR ARTICLES!!! we could decide for ourselves. Oh well, screw the Tribune.


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He swings from the left and hates. Sorry for the misunderstanding


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slophocles says:”If the Tribune would just let us READ THEIR ARTICLES!!! we could decide for ourselves. Oh well, screw the Tribune.”


Besides McClatchy hitting a new 52 week low $1.16 they have decided to get to know you better.


“A major shift in McClatchy’s organization is in audience operations. a major initiative called the Audience Research Database (ARD) is now at the center of that. Underlying the initiative is better understanding the patterns and needs of individual customers, connecting them with whichever piece of a McClatchy product most resonates with them to make a personal connection and elevate engagement. The ARD matches consumers’ online behavioral data with demographics and various public data — anything available on the individual or household – to help better develop a singular picture of each user to find where McClatchy products can be more personalized and targeted. Though more infrequent users will take longer for the system to get to know than heavier users. Even those who don’t log in can be tracked and patterned by device over time, he adds.

http://www.netnewscheck.com/article/40960/mcclatchy-reorganizes-adding-national-revenue-and-video-teams-while-putting-new-accent-on-data-management/page/1


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Like Woody Guthrie, I have a machine that kills fascists: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_machine_kills_fascists


I was unaware that my machine is also telepathic.


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Tom who?


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Right wing hypocrites now get offended at the slightest provocation.

They are part of the official Victimization Squad of privileged and entitled Whiners.


Poor babies !


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Oh, well, if he’s going after Whiny Right Wingers then more power to him. They are even more annoying than Whiny Left Wingers, which is saying a lot.


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are you this hateful naturally or do you have to work at being this way


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Pointing out racist morons is the easiest thing in the world.

One only need let them talk.

More freedom of speech, not less.


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This is pretty sad. She could have just gotten his email address or caled him up to share an ale. That would be productive. This is not.


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Holy cow, you kind of nailed him right there. Yikes!


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Wow…how does this letter change/prove ANYTHING?! Just because you don’t LIKE him or his opinion of others?


Here’s an idea for you…say these things to his face. That would be the adult thing to do, don’t you think Leslie?


Next irrelevant opinion piece please.


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Are you serious? I think a public letter – complete with one’s full name – is about as “to his face” as one may get in a civilized society. Perhaps you were hoping for some testosterone-laden “in-your-face” barroom tactic?


I like to believe that adults are not the “Oooo Oooo Say that to his face!” crowd. That sounds more like my teenage boys. Just saying.


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Excellant Opinion Piece Ms Ramsey


You posed the question; “Whatever happened to the young man who sought the truth, worked with people, and made an honest living, in the process keeping the public informed and educated about local politics?”


I think I can answer that question …… $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$


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Who does Tom write for now?


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The SLO Pay-As-You-Go Tribune. Ten cents a click – five if you subscribe.


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I, too, knew Fulks when he was human, and not just a merciless attack dog in the hire of a pair of local political thugs.


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Tom has become an attack dog from nipping the Mad Dog. Please show a little understanding.


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+1

Not sure if it’s true, so I’ll take it as hearsay, but the word play was witty.


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