Deconstructing Al Klemm's "diffusion of misinformation" | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's Note: This article originally appeared in the Beaufort Observer.

    Barack Obama is a master of its use. Al Klemm and Alan Jordan are running a close second. What is it? It is the use of the Straw Man.

    Wikipedia.org defines "straw man" as: A straw man or straw person, also known in the UK as an Aunt Sally,is a type of argument and is an informal fallacy based on misrepresentation of an opponent's position. To "attack a straw man" is to create the illusion of having refuted a proposition by replacing it with a superficially similar yet unequivalent proposition (the "straw man"), and to refute it, without ever having actually refuted the original position. This technique has been used throughout history in polemical debate, particularly in arguments about highly charged, emotional issues.

    Some people (like Barack Obama) use Straw Men because they know they can't sell their real solution to the actual problem. Others (like Al Klemm?) fall into the Straw Man trap because they don't understand what the actual problem is. They choose a "solution" then apply it to the wrong problem. He's like the drunk looking for his lost keys under the streetlight, nowhere near where he could have lost them, because the light's better where he's looking.

    Notably Klemm uses the Straw Man argument in what is claimed to be "diffusion of misinformation." While "diffusion" means "spreading," it is ironic that Klemm and his cronies use a specious form of debate and claim at the same time that they are trying to clear up "misinformation" while admitting they are spreading it. Of such is the level of debate we get from these advocates of ill-conceived ideas.

    The idea is what to do about an antiquated jail.

    The irony, again, is that no one is contesting the need to fix the jail problem. But both Sheriff Alan Jordan and Al Klemm argue the obvious. A proposition not one official in the county has contested.

    But watch how it always ends up. The ultimate conclusion is not to fix the jail problem but to either build a new Law Enforcement Center and/or to move the county law enforcement operation, including the jail, out of the downtown area.

    It is worth remembering that the one and same Al Klemm argued that we need a school bond issue to fix certain "problems" in our schools, then proceeded to spend $6.4 million of budget to build schools where they are not needed. Argue one thing, do something entirely different.

    But we would suggest that the REAL issue they all ought to be debating is how to pay for whatever it is that is going to be done. The real issue, we think, is whether the County at this point in time should take on more debt or whether it should seek to buy some time until the economy improves and we pay off more of the debt we are now laboring under.

    A secondary consideration is how large a jail does Beaufort County need, now, for the next few years and then ultimately long term.

    But notice that you hear nothing from either the Sheriff or Mr. Klemm on those points.

    The issue is not the condition of the present jail. The issue is what to do about it.

    Another point you should remember when you hear Mr. Klemm's misinformation is that every jail in the state is inspected on a regular basis by the state. But have you seen any of those reports that say that the current jail does not meet state standards? To our knowledge the state has never issued but one (more on that later) warning to close the jail unless specific standards are met. Sheriff Jordan, addressing the City Council, says he's worried about the Federal government or "some judge" dictating how to solve the jail problem. But he has yet to produce any evidence that the Federal government or any judge has ever interceded in circumstances such as Beaufort County now has. Another apparent Straw Man.

    Sheriff Jordan also warns that the County could face lawsuits if an employee or inmate is injured in the jail. That too is a Straw Man. We challenge Sheriff Jordan to produce a couple of such suits that have gone against a county because of the physical conditions of the jail. We can't find a single one in recent history. Jails are inherently dangerous places. And inmates and employees do get hurt. But because they do does not mean that the proximate cause was the physical facility. More often, it is a case of contributory negligence such as an inmate instigating a confrontation or an employee not following procedures. Certainly legal liability should always be a concern. But it should be a concern whenever Sheriff Jordan sends his SWAT team out to make an arrest also. The county has in fact, been hit with more lawsuits from those circumstances than from the jail. Moreover, the most dangerous situation in the jail--which brought the threat from the state--was created by the Sheriff himself approving the installation of plastic glass, a violation of the building code, which cost the County over $40,000 to correct. And the Sheriff knows that the County has much more liability exposure from the reported policy that the department chooses to not respond to "certain" calls for help. Deliberate, officially sanctioned, negligence in failure to perform is a much greater liability risk than anything in the jail, whether from physical violence, fire or flood (Mr. Klemm's straw men).

    But the despicable thing about Mr. Klemm's arguments is that he posits only his Straw Men and fails to even address the real issues: 1. Are there viable alternatives to building a new jail at this time?, 2. If built, how large does it need to be?, and of course, 3. should it be put in the Industrial Park?

    But again, the main issue is how it's going to be paid for and how does the cost relate to the other needs the county has--particularly the school system--at this point in time and what is expected to be faced over the next decade. We have heard not one word about Mr. Klemm's proposed Long Range Capital Facilities Plan.

    And the second major issue Mr. Klemm is not addressing is the impact of these decisions on the county seat's downtown. In that regard, the jail again is not the issue. The issue is the other law enforcement and judicial functions of county government. Mr. Klemm, or anyone else intent on putting the jail outside of town needs to explain how they are going to prevent the "domino effect" inherent in moving the jail.

    We challenge Mr. Klemm and his cohorts to stop their campaign of straw man misinformation and address the compelling issues that need to be settled before a decision is made on what to do about the Jail Problem.

    Mr. Klemm, as one of the Gang of Five (McRoy, Langley, Booth, Cayton and Belcher) voted to spend $39.4 million on schools before he had any data of what the student population trends were in the school system. This resulted in overbuilding more than 2000 seats where there are not enough students and not enough spaces where there is growth and overcrowding. He/they decided to give the hospital system away in a single/no bid contract before they ever saw the other proposals and then accepted one for $50 million less even after they knew about a better offer. They entered negotiations with one vendor after announcing that they had discarded all the other vendors.

    They sat in a meeting and heard local government experts tell them they needed a capital plan that relates all of the relative needs before they try to pick one need as most important and that they needed to plan how to pay for all the needs before they settle on how to pay for one. And of course, some of these people who are now complaining about ferry tolls were also supporters of not building a bridge so the ferry could be eliminated. Instead they opt to build the U. S. 17 By-pass so that it makes it easy for travelers to speed through the county and then they try to figure out how to attract vehicles off the road into town to save jobs.

    How much more of this foolishness are we going to tolerate?

poll#37
Here just weeks before the Republican County Convention, and with speculation afoot that the RINO herd may be re-forming: Should the RINO's special interest advocacy regain power?
48.11%   Yes, special interest is important to me
51.04%   No, our elected Republicans must be principled
0.85%   I dig the Kardashians
1,638 total vote(s)     Voting has Ended!


poll#29
Considering his many questionable votes over the last 6 years as a county commissioner: Is Al Klemm a real Republican?
5.47%   Yes
87.89%   No
6.64%   Not sure
256 total vote(s)     Voting has Ended!

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