A hatchet job on a hatchet job rebuttal

Well, it took them about a month to get around to it, but the Trib finally published a rebuttal to the Sharon Esquivel-signed hatchet job on our 4th of July parade and John Tran.  And as if to underscore their reluctance to publish an opposing viewpoint, they chopped it up, removing several points, as well as the direct reference to the letter in question, the latter of which no doubt left numerous readers a little confused as to what exactly we were responding to.

Yes, "we."  There were two other people who helped write that letter; their names were among the things removed by the editors.

Here is the original Sharon Esquivel-signed letter, as published around August 30th:

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Parade's message

This past July 4th was a proud day for the people of Rosemead.

There I sat with my grandchildren alongside of me watching our pathetic Fourth of July Parade. People who have worked on parades in the past know that you cannot just throw one together in a matter of a month or two.

There was an effort, though; I will give that accolade to those who tried.

However, I was not very happy to see our mayor riding down the street with his ever so pregnant girlfriend at his side with no sign of his own children. What message does that give our young people? We teach them one thing in our homes, schools and churches and then our city mayor flaunts his indiscretions in a parade to honor our country's birthday.

Sharon Esquivel, Rosemead

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[End quoted material.  The letter is no longer available in their online edition; hence no link.]

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And here is the response published around September 30th: <http://www.sgvtribune.com/yourview/ci_7018311>

Lastly, for purposes of comparison, here is what was sent in via e-mail on September 4th, with only addresses and phone numbers removed:
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Dear Editor,

Regarding Sharon Esquivel's August 30th letter about Rosemead's 4th of July Parade, we find the belated criticism and outrage interesting; has she actually been dwelling over Mr. Tran's private life and public success for the last eight weeks?  How sad.

As parade committee members, we wonder: where was she when we needed her?  Ms. Esquivel implies she has parade experience; we made numerous public requests for volunteer help.  The goal for this year was simply to bring the parade back and show people a good time.  Novice parade planners all, we believe we succeeded. That a parade occurred successfully at all, in a short time, is testament to dedicated volunteers, City Staff, and the leadership of Mr. Tran. Her "pathetic" is a darn sight better than the usual "nothing," which is we got used to.

In contemporary society a pregnant fiancee of a small town mayor is hardly shocking.  Mr. Tran loves her, the unborn child, and his other children, and that's all anyone needs to know.  Anyway, how does this affect his ability to govern the city?

Rosemead's parade is back, we just had our first-ever concert in the park, and we have an Oktoberfest coming up on 10/27.  Whether it's big or small, pathetic or great, the point is that Rosemead is coming together again and moving forward.  That's a wonderful thing.

(signed):  Brian Lewin, Caroline Kunioka and Frances Chavez

A hatchet job on a hatchet

I noticed your letter only appeared in the Tribune, while the letter you responded to appeared in both the SGV Tribune and the Pasadena Star-News.  They do that a lot, don't they?

Do they even care?

Do people in 'dena even care?

Didn't think so.

Do they even care?

They don't, but it's only a matter of fairness:  If you're going to present one side of an argument, you really ought to allow a rebuttal to be presented to the same group.  It's like when they printed one of my letters in the SGV Tribune, only, but printed a couple of "rebuttals" to my letter in both the Tribune and the Star-News.

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For Rosemed, we're on the border between the Tribune and the Star-News circulation areas.   Most of Rosemead gets the Tribune, but San Gabriel and South San Gabriel and some people in Rosemead get the Star-News.  Again, print it in neither or print it in both, but treat "our" side the same way they treat the "other" side.