Campaigns of Vilification

Barney has put this latest (probably not the last) outrage in perfect historical perspective. From his narrative we get a great sense of what sort of people put out our local newspaper, but also what sort of community we were forty-some years ago. Now I am wondering what this city is made of today. We are being presented with a clear test of community character here, and the results still appear to be very much unsettled.

There seems to be a vocal and articulate element in Santa Barbara who have kept abreast of the disintegration of the N-P and made active choices to respond, both by severing connections with the rag and by speaking out for justice for those injured by it. But it is also obvious that the vast majority of subscribers take the view that these issues are not their concern. Some actively approve of what's going on and see improvement in the product. Others may condemn the paper, but can't ween themselves off its daily presence in their home.

I'm wondering if now we will see any significant drop in subscriptions. Will local businesses shun advertising in this paper despite short-term inconveniences? And will citizens let it be known they won't patronize any remaining News-Press advertisers? I'm even waiting to hear if there's any limit to what slime a local attorney is willing to associate himself with and attempt to justify.

Obviously the News-Press is no longer a Pulitzer caliber newspaper, but I wonder if Santa Barbara is still a town that deserves one.

A considerable amount of unfair, inaccurate, or grossly exaggerated information has been written over the years about the John Birch Society.

Fairness requires that when highly derogatory charges are made about a person or organization, they should be carefully documented with verifiable factual data.

Mr. Brantingham asserts that:
"Outraged that a John Birch chapter was operating in the shadows here in Santa Barbara, carrying out cowardly attacks via telephone and letter, led by an area physician, Storke ordered what a principled newspaper should do: honest, hard-hitting news coverage to expose who and what was behind the secret attacks on Santa Barbara leaders. Reporter Hans Engh did the reporting. I had a hand in editing the series."

This characterization begs the following questions:

1. What specific "cowardly attacks" is Mr. B. referring to?
2. What verifiable factual evidence does Mr. B. have which connects the Birch Society as an organization to those "cowardly attacks" -- as opposed to other explanations?
3. The reference to an "area physician" who "led" the "attacks" probably refers to Dr. Granville Knight, a Birch Society National Council member who lived in Santa Barbara. What specific evidence does Mr. B. have to connect Dr. Knight with the "cowardly attacks"?

FBI files pertaining to the JBS (and many of its arguments) have been released as a result of my FOIA requests and they offer a unique perspective.

Senior FBI officials (including J. Edgar Hoover) routinely referred to the JBS in FBI internal memos as "extremist", "irrational",
"irresponsible", "fanatics" and "lunatic fringe".

For a 65-page report based, primarily, upon first-time released FBI documents and files, see the following:

http://ernie1241.googlepages.com/jbs-1

or contact me at: Ernie1241@aol.com

OK, Barney, your explanation is pretty much what I expected and is typical of what is presented by JBS critics.

1. Your original article clearly and boldly stated that...

"Outraged that a John Birch chapter was operating in the shadows here in Santa Barbara, carrying out cowardly attacks via telephone and letter, led by an area physician, Storke ordered what a principled newspaper should do: honest, hard-hitting news coverage to expose who and what was behind the secret attacks on Santa Barbara leaders."

Now, however, you state that "Although Dr. Knight was a leader of the organization at no time was he accused of actually making the calls." --and-- there is NOT ONE IOTA OF EVIDENCE PRESENTED to establish that Dr. Knight even knew about (much less condoned such alleged "cowardly attacks" OR that the persons who made the alleged "cowardly attacks" were members of the JBS.

Furthermore, you quote Mr. Veblen as stating that:

"We started seeing a surge of extreme right-wing political activity but had no idea who was behind it." Did Hans Engh reveal the identitiy of specific JBS members who were behind the "cowardly attacks"? And what was the official JBS reaction to whatever Hans Engh "revealed"?

2. Every organization attracts weirdos and wackos who sometimes let their zeal or personal demons overcome their reason or their manners. But what does that have to do with the official position of the organization?

3. Your article is reminiscent of the attacks made against the NAACP by racists during the 1950's and 1960's. They, too, published "exposes". Senior NAACP leaders were said to ahve "affiliations" and "associations" with "Communists" or "Communist-front" organizations. The NAACP was never mentioned without using the occasion to sully the reputation of the organization and its supporters by associating them with communism. This technique was used to discredit not just the organization and it leaders but the very concept of existence of legitimate grievances within the African-American community.

Incidentally, what is the difference between a "cowardly attack" versus a principled critic who just thinks you (a) have your head screwed on wrong and (b) you have repeatedly exercised extremely poor judgment? Wouldn't the tone and substance of the rhetoric of the principled critic be susceptible to mis-characterization by anyone seeking to discredit ALL criticism?

4. YES---Birchers were highly critical of our national leadership for what they perceived as inexcusable and relentless errors of judgment --- and Birchers were NOT shy about naming names and offering their evidence. But why is that a "cowardly attack"? And what does Dr. Knight have to do with this entire episode?

Although this isn't a thorough or direct response to Mr. Brantingham's article, I suddenly found myself creating an on-line account after surfing into your website. Periodically I scan the internet for family names/relatives, and was especially intrigued with this particular on-line article mentioning my great-uncle, Dr. Granville F. Knight. As the family historian of our Knight line, I was aware of his affiliation with the John Birch Society, yet did not know the degree. Reading this article prompted me to scan the internet for more info, and I quickly discovered he was a driving force in the California movement. And it didn't really suprise me; he was the one I was told to contact when researching our Mayflower lineage in the early 1970's. His passion in preserving the past, was passed to me, and also parralleled the Birch Society, inevitably sparking his interest and membership. Speaking of which, with a few more search keywords and mouse clicks I quickly found myself at JBS.ORG. AND agreeing with much of the laissez-faire attitude - not bad for a liberal (yet, I am still amazed at the Click-it-or-Ticket legislature.) Regardless, it is obvious the Cold War era was a time of change and I will say I appreciate Barney's article from an historical standpoint. But I certainly do favor ERNIE1241's sentiment. A few adverbs as 'supposed' or 'reported' sprinkled here and there might make the article clearly more accurate. markfhardy@yahoo.com