Shame on the San Luis Obispo Tribune, again

February 25, 2020

OPINION by T. KEITH GURNEE

Having written on this topic many times before, the San Luis Obispo Tribune keeps giving more excuses to take their editorial staff to task. The latest: their coverage of Adam Hill’s obscene emails and their recent editorial on the District 3 supervisorial race that attempted to provide cover for Hill’s indiscretions.

First, was their implying that the emails coming from Hill’s home computer may not have been written by Hill himself. How naïve! I’ve attached at the end of this piece a verbatim email that Hill sent me in 2017 from the county’s own website. It clearly demonstrates his culpability in writing obscene, salacious, and false nastygrams.

Having been on the receiving end of many such emails from him over the years, I have no doubt that he sent those emails to radio host Dave Congleton. Sexual innuendos are part and parcel of Hill’s own DNA.

That Hill browbeat Tribune reporter Monica Vaughn when she interviewed him about the emails should have clearly shown the Tribune Hill’s true colors.

Second, was the Tribune’s questioning of the timing of CalCoastNews’ release of Hill’s 2016 emails to Congleton. The Tribune has done its best to provide cover for Hill’s behavior for years in the hopes that Hill and his so-called “Progressive” allies would continue in power. Perhaps it was just because CCN scooped the Tribune that its editors felt they had to contrive another cover for his misbehavior.

Third, was the Tribune’s publication of letters decrying Stacy Korsgaden’s courageous disclosure of a series of female student complaints about Adam Hill’s performance as a Cal Poly Professor that revealed their discomfort with Hill’s constant airing of his sexual obsessions and his “sexual harassment and sexual coercion” of some of his students. Alleging Korsgaden’s ads “showed a lack of integrity”, what about Hill’s “integrity” in continuing this type of obnoxious behavior?

For those who are thinking about voting for Hill, these truthful disclosures must make it difficult for them to openly support and defend such a deeply troubled candidate. It’s hard to understand how anyone could elect such a person to public office.

And then came the announcement that the Tribune had filed for bankruptcy. Sad news indeed, but how does that give the Tribune the moral authority to imply that third district voters would likely support such a distasteful candidate? What an insult to third district voters!

Twelve years of Adam Hill has been more than enough. Come March 3, let’s retire Adam Hill once and for all.

Adam Hill email to Keith Gurnee:

From: Adam Hill [mailto:ahill@co.slo.ca.us]
Sent: Thursday, November 09, 2017 4:34 PM
To: T Keith Gurnee <tkgurnee@gmail.com>
Subject: RE: Slosense post

T. Bone, you little minx. It’s 2017! Everything is fluid now, no longer will your patriarchal controls be accepted by most humans! Lighten up, you’re no doubt attractive and even intelligible (not necessarily intelligent) to some—especially trolls with the same ugly old-fashioned impulses as you ! Why must you obsess over one human (me) who doesn’t dig your prescriptions?

I tried to let you down easy but you crave something I won’t and can’t give you. When you continue to obsess over me and accuse me of a variety of crimes and mismeanors and then have to get some wrecked/wretched blogger to carry out your garbage, all I see is a big bulbous, hilariously pompous sack of woe who needs to be hugged. A lot. Lots of hugs, T. Bone. You are one sad/mad hombre.

Alas, I must tell you again I am not interested in your affections no matter how you disguise them in your uniquely enigmatic manner of yawping. No matter how low you go, I will not give into your mysterious charms, though certainly there are others, especially the broken souls who have discovered anonymity has a friendship circle waiting in any online forum. What I am suggesting, is you look for love in the right places, T. Bone, those places where you can be accepted for who you are even if who you are is but a lie you’ve been telling yourself for 70 years.

Good luck and Godspeed, my little poisonous angel. Should you ever need a book recommendation or the name of good pizzaria in New Jersey, then feel free to contact me. (Actually, the satire applies to that too… it’s so difficult to say goodbye to one who obsesses so literally as to wet himself into words he must then see printed…but ta-ta.)


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Sending this from a County email address is a blatant violation of the rules.

An employee would have been reprimanded if not fired.

But Hill gets a pass because he’s elected.

Clearly he’s crossed that invisible line where elected officials think they are invincible and more important than those they represent.

He really does need to go.


The Board of Supervisors needs to pass a self governing “zero tolerance” to a list of behavioral discourse acts. Death on the Board is nothing new, the administrative aid can set in until a special election for a replacement is held. Additionally, this public embarrassment should be voided from the historical photo album and dark shadow would best be associated with the name. Sadly the civility discussion is not always effective. Mental illness is never an excuse, it is a bad choice for a vote. .


That is creepy…what is the attraction Hill supporters?…please explain…


Given his supporters are in large part nomad students with no real long term connection to the community any real surprise. Just promise them pot, free stuff, and act like they do and they’ll support you.


Students should have to vote in their home districts until they graduate…they shouldn’t be allowed to vote the city into ruins and then leave…


Lol, Arizona just tried that because State Rep. Bob Thorpe, R-Flagstaff did not want to loose his seat.


“they shouldn’t be allowed to vote the city” Why stop there, take the vote away from other classes of people (that won’t support the GOP) like in the old days when you had to be a white land owner to vote at all. Perhaps people should be only able to vote where they were born or only if the right sex.

/s


I would argue that Liberals are much more inclined to take away our personal freedoms. excessive taxation, forced medical insurance, paying for medical insurance for others, unconstitutional control of fire arms, failure to protect the rest of us from illegal immigrants are but a few.


That is a bit far fetched. What about renters? They are there temporarily, unless they are not. Should they not be allowed to vote? Students live here 4 years and their needs are every bit as important as the rest of us. They are paying for housing, buying groceries, using public facilities, driving, and many work as well. In addition, many live here before and/or after their time at Poly. At 61 years of age my needs and concerns are greatly different than the students, but, no more important.


Also note that District 5 now has 1,475 Poly dorm residents and this is their first election. Before the South Complex dorms were completed all the dorms were east and north of Grand Ave. and Perimeter Road and were in District 2. Add to that all of the larger private student housing complexes. And yes, students, if they voted at all, tended to vote back home. The SLO Progressives very effectively changed this.


First off, it’s Congalton.


Second, until those who don’t like Hill run a candidate that is palatable to the majority of voters, he will win. I’m sorry, Ms. Korsgaden simply is not the answer. Just as Donald Trump will win if the Dims run Bernie Sanders.


Ok. That email is just gross.


The Progressive agenda of a more powerful government, coupled with drastically reduced individual liberty is ordained by goddess. (or some half-baked humanistic mc-ideology if you’re an atheist)


If we are to achieve progressive utopia—and there is no doubt we will!!—then progressive candidates cannot and must not be held to the same standards as homophobic meat-eaters or xenophobic fossil fueler, Trumpists.


Adam Hill must be allowed to rise above the petty rules of decency, fairness and civility. The public must ignore his many troubling letters, speech and actions. And we must go even further than that; anyone from the “public” who draws attention to, or uses Adam Hill’s own words and deeds against him during a campaign is guilty of trying to hi-jack an election….a jailable offense!


Progressives get a pass, since they are the solution. All others are the problem. Never forget this.


This election season, let’s not focus on the character of the candidates. Let’s not let their personal thoughts, words and actions influence our votes. Let’s avoid bickering and arguing over who wrote what, under which fake name…..and above all, let’s not make the fatal mistake of actually believing that the content of one’s character has anything to do with their fitness for public office.


Progressives unite! Let’s put the boot on the necks of all who would stand in our way.


Vote Adam Hill! Don’t let decency, fairness, civility, truth, liberty or integrity derail the future of San Luis Obispo County.


Great “tongue-in-cheek” response or at least I assume it is…