September 18, 1998
It has been difficult these past few months to withhold judgement on our President. As it may have been noticed, La Prensa San Diego has shied away from making judgement on President Clinton and his alleged actions. Rather than join the rest of the media pack in printing every bit of unsubstantiated, titillating information put out by those who are determined to undermine the Clinton presidency, the Editors chose to practice restrain until all the facts were presented. Yellow journalism is not a practice that this newspaper will indulge in.
It was shocking to us to see the Witch Hunt that was orchestrated by the Republican partisans, in and out of the Congress, and their hatchet man: Kenneth W.Starr. That this perversion, of our society was allowed, nay, promoted, by supposed intelligent members of the Congress and the Senate to occur, raises fears for our country. We now question what our nation is becoming,
Those members of the print and electronic media, and large segments of American society, that rushed to judge the President on the basis of the "Starr" report forgot that the report is not a legal document of proven charges, but an unsupported set of allegations and tales from a tawdry female and her friends. The President did not have his day in a court of law where these charges would have to be proven under the rule of law. The Starr report is nothing a fictitious fairy tale with Starr serving as both Judge and Jury. It is a report where he allows anything to appear without foundation, proof or facts to back it up. We normally call this a "Kangaroo Court."
The rush to judgement by members of the Congress, media, and the general society is reminiscent of the Salem Witch Hunts where innocent women were burnt at the stake solely on the unproven statements from fanatical Christians… They also were Judge and Jury. We would hope that we have come a long way from those days. The happenings, in the last months, however leave one to wonder and to become concerned over the level that the nation has sunk to.
The message we have for our community is to withhold judgement until the facts are in. If it turns out to be, what many of us fear, a vendetta by the Fanatical Right, then lets deal with those responsible under the powers of the people i.e. remove them from office and never allow them to return to those seats of power that can so damage the nation.
Meanwhile, La Prensa San Diego will continue to have confidence in the ability of President Bill Clinton to run our country.
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