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my husband wrote this; complete with typos:
Dear Mr. Mayor:
It is obvious to the casual obvserver that you have no sense of shame and no pride. You also have demonstrated that you have no sense of professional or public ethics and that you lack the moral fiber necessary to continue to serve in a position of public trust.
I do not care what any consenting adult does in the privacy of their own bedroom. I have long held the belief that all Americans, regardless of age, race, creed, sexual identity, religion or lack of religion, should be afforded all the same rights and protections under the laws of our nation. This is supported by our National and state Constitutions. You, on the other hand, have risen to power by espousing your desire to deny equal protection under the law to those who have lifestyles which your backers find to be offensive. You and those who elevated you to power have, in fact, expended a great deal of energy in legislating these beliefs and advancing this conservative agenda, all the while enjoying the social and legal benefits afforded to citizens who share the marital status of "one man and one woman". At the same time you have admittedly engaged in sexual behaviors that run contrary to the positions you have sponsored, supported and espoused as both a legislator and a mayor throughout your career. This is called living a lie. This is called abuse of power, regardless of how you may wish to spin it in an effort to make yourself look better.
You acknowledged that you have offered political favors to young men with whom you either did or hoped to have sexual relationships with. This is called an abuse of power. This is a violation of every canon of ethics known to the civilized world, despite what your may believe.
You have publicly denied any sexual abuse of minors and attempted to divert the focus from yourself to the two men who have made allegation of sexual abuses against you in sworn depositions. Your public statement was craftes in such a way so as to hint that we should not believe them because they are convicted felons. The insinuation in such a denial is that these two young men cannot be believed because they are criminals. Sir, you have already admitted to being less than honest yourself, and how can we now believe you? Furthermore, the preliminary information available to the lay public is that both young men are convicted of drug related offenses. As a former chemical dependency counselor, it has been my experience that young people who are physically and sexually abused frequently turn to alcohol and other drugs to mask the pain they have sustained from such abuse.
The manner in which you have attempted to deflect attention away from yourself and disparage these men in this matter is disgusting. If there is any truth to the allegations made, you may be found to be responsible not just for the abuse, but the effects such abuse, to the extent that this abuse contributed to other life problems for these youngsters. And if there are two, how many more are there out there we just don't know about yet? You are innocent until proven guilty on these accusations and I will try to remain openminded to the evidence, but am encouraging open and thorough investigation into these allegations and if there are other young men out there that have been affected, am hopeful they will have the courage to come forward, also.
Spokane City Ordinance C-32232 prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, and when an "employer" as defined by the ordinance solicits and promises employment to someone based on a promise of sexual favors, this is in clear violation of the ordinance. This ordinance states, in part, that it is a violation "...for an employer to discriminate by refusing to hire, employ or promote, by barring or discharging from employment, in compensation or terms, conditions or privileges of employment; unless discrimination results from a bona fide occupational requirement reasonably necessary to the normal operation of the employer?s business..." The ordinance defines an employer as "...any person, acting in the interest of an employer, directly or indirectly, who employs employees within the city, or who solicits individuals within the city to apply for employment within the city..." When you, as an employer fitting the above description, offer an internship to someone in order to gain sexual favor from them, you have then engaged in a pattern of behavior that by its act has the net effect of refusing to hire, employ or promote others who may be either more qualified or of a different sexual orientation than that person you have offered to hire, and hence in direct violation of this City Ordinance. I am no attorney, but I can only imagine there are some other state and federal statutes and regulations which have been violated, as well.
Based upon your own admission as respect your lack of ethics, morals and professional standards which you have sworn under oath to uphold, I urge you to immediately resign, and spare the taxpayers of Spokane and/or the State of Washington from the expense and public ordeal of forcing you from office. With work and heart, we can reach whatever we aspire to (where have you heard that one before, Mr. Mayor?), and We The People should aspire to making certain that bigots, liars, racists, homophobes, sexual predators and criminals are removed from their positions of power and are replaced by persons of integrity and a dedication to upholding the moral standards of a civil society.
By copy of this letter to the City Attorney of the City of Spokane and the entire Spokane City Council, I am requewting an immediate and thorough investigation to the fullest and most unbiased and non-partisan extent possible, each and every charge that is leveled against you.
By copy of this letter to the Spokesman-Review, Seattle Times and Seattle Post Intelligencer, I am requesting that this letter be published in all three newspapers in its entirety and call on the citizens of the City of Spokane and the remainder of the State of Washington to immediately begin a recall action against you as you clearly possess obvious character flaws that cannot be tolerated either at the local or state level.
Sincerely,
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