Coquille, alas, seems to be inhabited by a group, small perhaps, but a group nonetheless of very thin skinned individuals. Perhaps it is a genetic mutation but in keeping with the nature of such anomalies as those suffering from this inherent weakness they seek out others of their kind and band together with other members of their species for protection into, well, you know a group, a hive, a band or even a club.
These thin skinned people are recognizable for their unbridled willingness to hurl mud and sling poo at their perceived adversaries while immediately crying FOUL if a defense, particularly in the form of an offense is mounted.
Now, the former chief of police, Mike Reaves, has taken issue with Mayor Steve Britton going on offense in response to a letter written on behalf of the ex chief by a sitting city council member, Bruce Parker, accusing the mayor of being a criminal. The mayor volleyed back with a letter of his own and asserts unprofessional conduct by Reaves while he was chief. Granted, Reaves did not write the letter accusing Britton of being a criminal but then he never does his own fighting… he ALWAYS has someone else do it for him, in this case Parker.
Unable to take what they dished out Reaves and his wife employed George Derr, their lawyer who famously called Coquille citizens ‘unhappy unwashed‘ for disagreeing with Reaves, to write a ‘letter of intent’, (technically it should have been a ‘demand letter’) threatening to sue The Sentinel, the mayor and the City of Coquille, unless The Sentinel prints a letter of apology from Britton for 10 consecutive weeks!
Derr claims that Britton’s letter was published…
…with the intent to cause harm to Mike Reaves, his wife, Teresa, their children and their marriage.
Honestly, what do these people expect when they attack someone publicly? What was the intent of their attack? Surely, anyone expects if they shoot at someone that shots may be fired in return. How lame to cry foul when you fired the first salvo? Why fire the salvo if you can’t stomach being in the line of fire?
So what does The Sentinel and Mayor Steve Britton intend to do? Jean Ivey, editor of the paper decided that rather than throwing the letter in the trash, to instead have legal counsel write Derr to advise the Reaves to ‘put up or shut up’ and I received this email from Jean.
In case you are wondering why anyone would write a NOTICE OF INTENT TO SUE; no one would if they had grounds for a suit. If one has grounds, one just brings suit.
It is a guess on my part, but I believe Reaves is finding it much more difficult to be a bully now that he no longer has a badge.
Well, I’m ready to play…… Lets see what he’s got.
Jean Ivey
Ivey told me that she looks forward to the opportunity to prove to the Reaves’ that it is ‘much harder to be a bully without a badge’.
Mayor Britton had similar sentiments and told me, rather gleefully that he is, ‘grateful to the Reaves’ for providing the opportunity to publicly prove my statements’.
Really, what a colossal, whiny assed pussy Reaves is! More importantly, why didn’t O’Connor ever discipline Reaves for mishandling the firing of at least one officer amongst many other things, not to mention fire him? O’Connor never put the best interests of the city first.
Whether the Reaves will take the challenge is yet to be known but for the sake of the paper and our mayor, and having experienced the drudge and drear of a recent pointless and harassing lawsuit I hope the Reaves think better about it. Although, as a people watcher sitting in the people watcher stands with my people watcher mint julep in hand, watching the entire community air the Reaves legacy laundry and THE THIN SKINNED CLUB dumpster diving and pawing through trash looking desperately, DESPERATELY, for anything they can spin to their advantage, may have some serious entertainment potential…. for those of us suffering from Post Election Stress Disorder.
We will see how this plays out…
There is a severe lack of public manners in this community. Too many think nothing of inserting themselves into other peoples’ lives without invitation or speaking ill publicly about private citizens. What makes it so awful is that leaders of the community condone and participate in this behavior as if it is acceptable to behave this way in polite society rather than ‘schooling’ rude people and demonstrating a better way.
Parker may regard me and many other citizens as ‘unwashed malcontents’ but I can assure you I don’t hold him in high esteem either.
I’d like to know how Bruce Parker, as a member of our City Council, could get away with publishing such a slanted and slanderous letter about our Mayor in the first place? Parker’s obvious animosity towards our Mayor is disturbing, to say the least, and shouldn’t have been tolerated by the City Manager or by the other City Council members! In my opinion he should be forced to give up his seat on the City Council. Parker’s inability to measure up to our handsome Mayor has obviously left him a bitter little man.
(Santa Claus & “Shrek” – the only thing these two odd-balls have in common is their mutual jealousy of Britton)
It is a tight little club… The thinned skinned club Do you recall that Reaves and the ex Sentinel reporter were in attendance when my neighbor sued me for building a fence on my property? Is it any surprise that they would associate with someone like her or she with them? Like them, she can dish it out but cannot take it.
She lost badly that day, I was even awarded costs as you may remember, all so she could try to prove a point publicly.
Reaves, et al, should heed that lesson and not make the same mistake… but then it takes character to acknowledge mistakes have been made and even more to correct them.
Seems to me it’s become a really, really, really small circle-jerk !
How sad, and right out there in public – for all to see.
Won’t anyone tell them?