George Rebane
Shill – (noun) a person who publicizes or praises something or someone for reasons of self-interest, personal profit, or friendship or loyalty.
Onion – (noun) a root vegetable that grows hidden from view, which when peeled reveals a monotonous succession of identical layer upon layer that provides no further illumination as to its contents while bringing a tear to the eye in the effort.
From time to time Ruminations is graced by the comments of that intrepid editor of our beloved Onion, yes, Jeff Pelline. In Jeff’s most recent contributions (here and here) he again grieves at how far below his expectations we local bloggers fall – presumably led by yours truly.
Having now taken Nevada County’s flagship newspaper to new levels in journalistic integrity and reporting accuracy, his reputation in the community has become known to all – he is truly a self-made man.
So it is with some gravity that the remainder of this community’s purveyors of information and comment must consider his recent assessment of us as being in a “bush league”. But apparently the instructional content of Jeff’s comments has achieved such a level of detail and intensity that several blogs have summarily banned him. I understand that the man must now use several computers in order to attempt a bypass of the established barriers. As I have said, in this community his impact is hard to avoid.
The force of his personality was further underlined by the Onion’s receipt of a last minute ‘invitation’ to sponsor next Tuesday’s election night bash at the Miners Foundry. Not being a bush leaguer like some of the other original sponsors, it was natural to leave the Onion in a class of its own. But this was not to be, and after some frank discussion with the Foundry’s Exec Director Gretchen Bond (oh, to have been a fly on the wall), the newspaper was added to the list of sponsoring organizations. All’s well that ends well since Ms Bond’s arm is again in a normal position, healing nicely, and no longer needs a sling.
Somewhere in all this I was also admonished “to disclose (my) Rotary club conflicts of interest”. While not sure that I have any conflicts of interest with or without Rotary, it is with some pride that I do disclose my membership in the Rotary Club of Nevada City and as an unabashed supporter of Rotary International. In this I am happy to join with many of our community’s leaders in government and business to provide what we can of our ‘time, talent, and treasure’. Guilty as charged.
Returning to the headline accusation – those who do know me would probably use some other and perhaps not so salutary descriptor for my relationship with our Board of Supervisors. But then, this is just another matter of accuracy for which the Onion is famous. Even though I am in general agreement with this Board’s governance of our county, the Supervisors would be the last to either identify or count on me as a shill for their concerted efforts. As noted before in RR, Jo Ann and I have contributed to the campaigns of Nate Beason, Sue Horne, and other candidates who promise, according to our lights, to do the right thing in office. In this regard, I challenge anyone in Nevada County to penetrate the carefully settled fog around our editor and elucidate his biases, ideology, or other interests.
To end this on a more productive note, I offer the Onion a constructive criticism. This morning’s report on County Treasurer Christina Dabis and her announced 2010 run for the BoS was lacking in a fundamental element of balance and completeness. The lady (as I am a gentleman) made a fairly naked and scurrilous charge against the sitting Board regarding its responsibility to appropriate and monitor county finances – “None of the supervisors ever called to see how the treasury was doing. Are they asleep at the wheel or what?”
From my reliable spies at the Rood Center, the reader should know that –
1. The BoS receives and reviews a Treasurer’s report every month;
2. The BoS knows the stable nature of the County’s investments as instruments of low volatility – bonds, CDs, money market shares, etc.;
Furthermore, Ms Dabis called a member of the Board for advice on how best to reassure both the BoS and the public as to the integrity and safety of the county’s monies. She was advised to get on the BoS agenda and give an update in public and with the press present, and/or provide the information directly to the media. She apparently took the advice as witnessed by her 9oct08 news article and her 27oct08 Board appearance. With a more robust application of what is taught in most schools of journalism, the Onion could have discovered this close consultation between the Treasurer and the Board, refreshed the lady’s memory, and appropriately advised its readers.
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