The Truth means trouble.
On Tuesday night, Truth persevered. Again. Ah, the Truth. It's not as sexy or as exciting as Lies, but it's much more durable. It's definitely more defensible. It keeps good company, standing shoulder to shoulder with Faith and Justice. Lies can seem invincible with impressive wins for fame and fortune, but in the end, Truth usually comes out on top. And when it does, Truth means trouble.
First let's talk about Tuesday night. Before a packed house, special investigator Barney Knight presented his findings after a closed session by the City Council. With an initial statement, Barney announced the innocence of Yost Zachary. The room erupted in cheers and celebration.Barney expanded on his findings, but the results remained - innocent of allegations. Mayor Weber then read a thoughtful statement that was to represent the council as a whole. It was evident these were his words, and I believe they were heartfelt. Mayor Weber reiterated Yost's innocence, noted the admirable way Yost held up during the whole ordeal, noted the burden to his life and family, and expressed his belief that everything is complete and the city must now move forward. This was followed by each council member giving a short statement, followed by four citizen's being allowed time to express their feelings. With that, a collective sigh was breathed and the meeting adjourned.
It 's hard to describe if you weren't there, but the meeting had a flow and feeling all it's own. It was a feeling of accomplishment, of certain progress. For Yost, it was vindication, the release of a crushing weight. For those who supported Yost, it was the recognition of justice served. For those that advanced MOB's agenda of lies, it was a feeling of relief to walk away from a situation that had become untenable. Everyone had a reason to feel good. Banners waved, politicians politicized. What was not evident was the restraint exercised by folks like myself that understand what else this means. It means trouble.
I found the individual statements by each council member revealing. With no emotion, Mayor Pro-Tem Gil Lillard stated this was over and time to focus on the City Bar-B-Que. Councilman Jane Kitner is eager to focus on the Arboretum. Professor Garner stated that although he thought "where there was smoke there was fire", he is now finally convinced there is "no grand conspiracy". Mayor Weber along with Councilmen Baker, Giddings, and Scibielski offered thoughtful and compassionate reflections. More about that later.
Preparing for this post, I came upon the Waco Trib editorial dated Thursday August 19th. By the time I reached the end, I had an epiphany. It was this -- that the Truth would mean trouble.
Point of Reference -- Epiphany: a sudden intuitive perception or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple or commonplace experience or occurrence. Like reading the paper.
I agree with many of the thoughts voiced in the editorial, well at least in the first column. But as the editorial progressed, I was dumb founded by two glaring omissions. The first was this-- as the editors laid blame to O'Bric and those that carried his message, they never once acknowledged the damage done by the Trib. As professional wordsmiths, they fully understand how their story presentation can validate one viewpoint over another. From pre-election until halfway through the summer, the Trib was reckless in their representation of events. Numerous times they would reiterate MOB's allegations while giving no presentation of facts. They would print pictures of MOB and KOB smiling, Yost with a frown. In June I asked Trib reporter Erin Quinn why she never checked Mike's allegations for truth. She point blank told me that was not her job; that she simply reported what was alleged and it was up to readers to determine what was real. In a follow up conversation, I asked why her articles were weighted to MOB's perspective - she said no one else seemed interested in talking to her. I replied no one trusted her due to her bias presentations. Then as her articles became more equitable, Trib headlines screamed sensational bylines. Headlines are approved by managers, not by reporters, so this points to a selfish desire on the paper's part to serve their own interest over fidelity to the story.
Secondly, was the editorial statement that "we shouldn't judge those who demanded investigations too harshly. In the face of serious allegations, city leaders were right to order investigations, one internal, one independent - the last costing local taxpayers $25,000".
Excuse me for a second, I feel a little throw-up in my throat. There, that's better. This is nothing more than a self-serving statement to provide cover in a "sheepskin" of compassion.
Epiphany Revelation: A fundamental problem with leadership today is that they want the benefits of power without the burden of responsibility and accountability. Point in case, there never were serious allegations, only unfounded, wildly worded allegations by one man. NO PROOF WAS EVER OFFERED BY MIKE O'BRIC. NO PROOF WAS EVER UNCOVERED BY THE TRIB OR AN INTERNAL INVESTIGATION BY THE NEW COUNCIL. The new council is made up of a majority of new members, all that had the campaign support of MOB. How do you develop the logic that if this group, our new leaders, can't find any foundation for these allegations, that the citizens should pay for an additional independent investigation? That is precisely the kind of thing that fuels the Tea Party movement. Did you read the 40+ page report? Even investigator Barney Knight acknowledged how silly some of allegations are. So no, there never was any proof of serious allegations. And $25,000 is not the real price tag of this last investigation -- that only covers Barney Knight's fees. When you add in the cost of the city attorney fees plus time spent by staff members to collect data for the investigation, the price tag will more likely be between $40,000 -- $60,000. The Trib should and would know this if they took the time to verify statements made by others.
For the city to fully heal, we must ensure this situation is not repeatable, with MOB or the next deceiver that comes along. We must be diligent and examine all the reasons we got to this point. We must review the decision making process of our leadership, and have full disclosure of all the facts - costs, allegiance's, etc. We must know the extent of their MOB relationships and have public statements from them that they no longer adhere to his agenda. They must be scrutinized and held accountable for their actions. Our leaders should have no objection being held to the same standards we expect from our city employees. And that is why the Truth means trouble -- our civic leaders must be held accountable to the same standards they exact on others. When they weld power, it must be with the understanding that they too must justify their actions both ethically and financially. When they don't, then there must be a consequence. They can not be above reproach. Without accountability and it's personal ramifications, expect more power abuse in the name of personal agendas and "allegations".
And for our friends at the Trib, get out the Caster Oil. "Physician, heal thyself".
