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The Tribune and Tom Fulks

July 4, 2017
T. Keith Gurnee

T. Keith Gurnee

OPINION by T. KEITH GURNEE

What is it about this pairing? Since the San Luis Obispo Tribune’s decision some months ago to “balance” conservative and liberal commentary between Andrea Seastrand and Tom Fulks, the Trib seems to have clearly favored the Pavlovian blather of the latter.

The contrast between Seastrand’s measured, calmly-stated conservative views and Fulk’s unvarnished, flame-throwing “hate speak” couldn’t be more glaring. Can’t the Trib find a liberal writer who can make his or her points with just a little less venom?

His latest diatribe wherein he maligned every community in our county is a classic case in point. How do his two supporters on the board of supervisors feel about his open trashing of the very communities they purport to represent? Better yet, how do the voters of those towns tolerate their elected representatives associating with him?

Maybe “nasty” sells newspapers. Perhaps the Trib enjoys that. But Fulk’s screaming vengeance against those he reviles doesn’t do much to further the type of civil discourse we truly need in today’s world.

Despite many attempts to encourage a more thoughtful discourse by allowing a common-sense moderate columnist to provide alternative views to those of the “extremes”, they have only been met with a deafening silence by the Tribune.

So with its apparently declining readership, why does the Trib persist in hanging onto Fulk’s negativity while coddling his extremism? It must indeed be the last gasp of both of them to prove to themselves that nasty sells!

Tom, if you truly hate the Central Coast as much as it appears you do, it’s high time for you to realize that you have outlived your usefulness here. If there is really “something rotten in Happy Town”, you need only look in the mirror to find it.


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Fulks did write, before he started his negativity, that anyone easily insulted should stop reading — Gurnee and his minions prove lot of folks ’round here are easily insulted.


Grow a couple.


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“Can’t the Trib find a liberal writer who can make his or her points with just a little less venom?”


The more liberal minded folks in our society have been kicked in the jaw. Many of them I would dare to say did not see the election turning the way it did. It has angered them, they are not sure whom to be angry with so they are angry with everyone.

Listening and not believing you have all the answers would be my advise to them. But to find a liberal writer that isn’t filled with “venom” at this point in time will not be easy.


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Tom who?


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Trib what?


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Is there an echo in here? Tom is a good writer. And, interesting. Not cut and paste and reading like a school assignment. Wishing away the Trib because every article doesn’t line up with your learned opinion is foolish. I never get to the end of Seastrand’s column. No one has to get to the end of Fulks. Keep it because local, responsible news reporting and Pickles.


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Tom is interesting but misdirecting the facts for entertainment. Clarity is never his goal it is Saturday Night Live not worthy of a point-counter-point dialogue.


So be hollow and entertained by mouthy Fulks!!!


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No he’s not. He’s not a good writer. He’s not interesting. He’s not responsible. He IS a jerk. And what’s the deal with the “Pickles” slomike?


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Tom is not a good writer. He is but a competent writer. He spews nothing but invective and so adds little to the discussion making his column a waste of space. Finally, the man needs a decent hair cut, shave and a stipend to allow him to up his wardrobe from 1980s Goodwill to at least 1990s JC Penny.


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Ah, the old “if you don’t like it, leave” argument, eh, Keith? I can see how it is disappointing for one to belittle his own country which affords him the freedom and liberty to belittle. It’s “spitting in the plate you eat from” as the saying goes.

However, if we start kicking out people that are unhappy, or hand-picked, pretty soon we’ll want to kick out “undesirables” etc. Not a policy I would support, nor any clear thinker, one would hope.

Instead, do what the vast majority of people in the county do: ignore the Trib and what’s-his-name.

As a side note, the last person on our street to have a subscription to the Trib cancelled it and my neighborhood (that I can see, anyway) is “Trib-free” – there’s a certain satisfaction in that. One would think J-schools would have taken notice a LONG time ago and realized, you really should not lean too far in any one direction… but alas, like most all of “higher education” it is less about education, and more about “high”… ;-)


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I never asked him to “like it or leave”. I just asked him to look in the mirror for what is “rotten in Happytown”.


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It seemed implied by the preface to your aforementioned point:

“Tom, if you truly hate the Central Coast as much as it appears you do, it’s high time for you to realize that you have outlived your usefulness here.”


Sure sounded like “if you don’t like it, leave” – I could be wrong.


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I think there is a basic difference between Liberals and Conservatives that is being overlooked or not properly understood here. Simple put, the left can not win a political or electrical argument or campaign by debating the facts. For them to win, they need to go on personal attacks and campaigns of half-truths and hate. We see this on the National stage with the “Resistance” movement against Trump. Void of ideas and issues, they attack Trump because he tweets, because he speaks to Americans rather than speaking to the chattering class in Washington DC. The Media and Establishment left hate him for they are the gate keepers, how dare El Trumpo bypass them.


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Was going to comment on “electrical arguments” but would rather agree, for the most part, with Rich here. I do not like Trump much; the East-Coast/New York bravado is slightly off-putting for me. My pick was Dr. Carson, who was far too boring and intellectual for either the right or left. Sure, all candidates have their quirks, but I’ve never *hated* another candidate. Not like the left hates. I remember full-well “Bush derangement syndrome” and now it looks like we have “Trump derangement syndrome” – that is, not just disliking their policies, but hating them as a person.

Obama, in my view, is one of the worst presidents since Wilson; however, I do not shake or seethe at the mere mention of his name. I have no animosity towards him as a person. I disliked his actions and vision while he was president, and he was so woefully unqualified for any position of authority, it just left a sour taste in my mouth for the whole process. Yet, I still don’t immediately spout vulgarities when speaking about him.

For the record, I didn’t care much for Bush as president, but I thought him very personable. The old “who would you rather have a beer with?” game, I would pick Bush over either Obama or Trump as a drinking companion, as the game goes.

Rich’s comment on the Media and Establishment is mostly spot-on, I would only add that the broadcast news agencies were trying their damnedest to put Hillary in and Trump out, even so much as ignoring reality until (literally) the 11th hour when even they could see their fantasy was never based on reality. They left election night with MASSIVE egg on their faces. I think that adds a level of “personal” to their hatred.

Do not blame the media or establishment, they will do what they have always done; rather, blame the lack of critical thinking by the vast bulk of the voting public. It’s like wanting to get “big money” out of politics (we only hear this when a republican spends more, though) – again, it is not “out of control” campaign spending, it is the “dumbassness” of the average voter to see something shiny at the last minute, and throw their vote towards something that will erode their own freedoms and liberties. No one thinks anything through much anymore, why should voting be any different?


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after the “grab ’em by the pussy” tape you still like Trump as a person?


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“electrical argument”? Is that related to the electrical college? trump doesn’t speak to Americans. That arrogant demented punk speaks to the minority goofball faction of Americans many of whom are having serious second thoughts about their support.


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Holy sheet- Trump is the biggest perpetrator of hate speech and non-truths in the history of the spoken word. Nobody disputes this. NOBODY.


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I hope you realize if you flip the villain and the hero in your post, a liberal could be the author.


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I’m beginning to understand the word ‘diversity’ now.

It means you allow only the opinions you agree with.


I’ll notify M.Webster of the change.


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As a supporter of important local community activities ccn reports, it also reports articles catering to a political group be it whatever you want to call it. And “Kevin Rice”, you spam the living heck out of the Tribune while providing no factual dialog up to critical issues locally here. Maybe you should stop while before you get ahead of yourself, please.


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Remember folks, this article is not “news” by definition, it is as stated; an “opinion piece”, I would like to hear Kevin Rice’s opinion pertaining his perspective and input towards the Tribune, which, as someone stated before, is at least “local”. Which is good. Why not stop the “red scare” and join forces CCN and Tribune and New Times, Atascadero News is too far gone down the jesus wagon, as to expedite local political corruption to the public? Just opinions here, i would love if we could all just come together under basic humanitarian mentalities. Like Ronny Reagan said kind of, ” if there was only some extra terrestrial threat to unite earth”.


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