Soapbox

Soapbox : Just Jokin’

Far too often than not, people explain away public comments with the phrase: “just jokin’”. The reality is that speaking without thinking - shooting off at the mouth - can often get us into trouble.

Your editor can attest to this through first hand experience: after making “off the cuff” comments at a county Airport Board meeting, and posting some comments - clearly noted as sarcastic in nature - to a local internet message board, your editor was interviewed by two Naval Criminal Investigative Services (NCIS) Officers, in an effort to determine if he was actually a threat - or not - to aircraft at the airport. The determination was, that your editor is not a threat to air traffic at Currituck Regional Airport, in fact the NCIS investigators stated that the whole incident was most likely politically motivated - that he is more of a political threat to proponents of uncontrolled development at the airport.

Gene Gregory, the Democratic candidate for the Crawford Township Board of Commissioners seat, while speaking at the Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forum, made a public accusation that his opponent, Republican candidate J. Owen Etheridge, “must have broken into the county offices” to obtain information regarding ongoing negotiations for a parcel of property adjacent to the County Airport property. Through the next series of questions and responses, Etheridge and Gregory responded to original accusation.

By his own account, Mr. Etheridge walked into the County Manager’s office and asked a staff member if the documents were public record. When informed that they were public record, Mr. Etheridge requested, and was allowed to view and make copies of the documents - a fact verified by county staff members.

Gregory, Etheridge and other candidates present at the forum each signed an Ethics Pledge, which stated in clear terms that each candidate would run an issue-oriented campaign and not resort to making derogatory or accusatory comments toward other candidates.

Gregory clearly violated this pledge.

Now rather than taking responsibility for his remarks and apologizing for his slanderous accusation, Gregory hides behind the excuse: “I was just jokin’”. Anyone who watches the recording of the forum can clearly see that Gregory was not joking - to the contrary he was very serious. Adding injury to insult, in that singularly hotheaded moment, Gregory exposed more details on the property negotiations, and likely caused more harm to the deal than Mr. Etheridge ever could have in his response.

Mr. Gregory, it’s time to “Cowboy Up” and take responsibility for your remarks. It’s O.K. to admit you made a mistake.

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© 2004 NE NC News.