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A letter to the editor written by Alan Marling recently appeared on the Livermore Vine, and has now been repeated in the Independent newspaper. It is a malicious attack on two outstanding citizens of Livermore and therefore needs a rebuttal.
Mr. Marling claims:
“[—] these latter candidates are supported in large part by an out-of-town billionaire (sic), Jean King and Joan Seppala, who owns The Independent.” Plutocrats King and Seppala also fund [—] many local special-interest groups —”.
An ad hominem attack is the lowest form of criticism. It is an attack against a person rather than positions taken.
As for “out-of-town”: Jean King is a decades-long resident of Livermore. Joan Seppala does live a couple miles outside the city limits, which hardly rates as “out of town,” the place where she has published the Independent Newspaper since 1963.
As for them being "Plutocrat billionaires,” that is an utter fabrication. Aside from a few Silicon Valley tycoons, it hardly seems possible to attain such huge amounts.
Jean King and Joan Seppala are very generous contributors to our community, contributing to every good local cause from health care, to conservation issues, to the arts – with no thought of personal gain.
Sure, they also contribute to political causes as well. Many of the rest of us also support political causes and candidates. It hardly seems controversial to me to support the urban growth boundary, South Livermore vineyards and wineries, or allowing Livermore citizens to vote on the location of Eden low-cost housing.
Shame on Alan Marling for his scurrilous letter! Differences of opinion on political issues are to be expected. Personal, and especially inaccurate, attacks are not acceptable.
Editor's note: Send your opinions on Livermore topics to editor@livermorevine.com. All submissions will undergo editorial review and must include author's full name.
