COMMENTARY In response to ‘Editorial: You’re not so dumb’

“A government of laws, and not of men.”
John Adams (1735-1826)
American lawyer, politician and 2nd President of the United States
In his 7th “Novanglus” letter, published in the Boston Gazette in 1774
The concept of “a government of laws, and not of men” reflects a political philosophy that dates back to the ancient Greeks. But the phrase itself was enshrined in history and quotation books by John Adams. Prior to the start of the American Revolution, Adams used it in one of his “Letters of Novanglus,” which argued that Great Britain’s treatment of American colonists violated their rights under British law. In the seventh Novanglus letter, Adams wrote that “the British constitution is much more like a republic than an empire...a government of laws, and not of men.”

In Paul Miller’s “Editorial: You’re not so dumb,” Miller turns the concept of “a government of laws, and not of men” on its head. He presents the wrongheaded argument that a public vote trumps the law. It does not. Moreover, when the rule of law is disregarded because it conflicts with Paul Miller’s pro-Mayor Sue McCloud’s public divestment agenda for the Flanders Mansion property, our nation has become a nation of men, not of laws.

Furthermore, Editor Paul Miller’s omission of significant, salient facts regarding the Flanders Mansion property has not served the public well. First, Mayor Sue McCloud was a planning commissioner prior to becoming mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea in April 2000. Planning policy advocates for the elimination of in-holdings (private property within public property), not the creation of in-holdings; the sale of the Flanders Mansion Property would result in the creation of an in-holding in Mission Trail Nature Preserve. Yet, Mayor McCloud advocates for the creation of an in-holding in Mission Trail Nature Preserve, the antithesis of good planning policy. Secondly, due to the fact that the Mayor Sue McCloud refused to pursue a course of cooperation with interested parties by calling for requests for proposals from interested parties and failed to schedule public hearings on the proposals of interested parties for a curatorship, life estate, lease to an organization or single family, et cetera, for the purpose of educating the public and receiving public input prior to pursuing a sale of the Flanders Mansion property, she and city councils have cost taxpayers over $1,000,000 in required environmental impact reports expenses and subsequent legal fees. Ironically, if the mayor had shown a respect and understanding of planning principles, had a respect for historic properties held in the public trust and the physical integrity of Mission Trail Nature Preserve, she and city councils could have negotiated a lease with more stringent conditions of use than the conditions set forth in the sale of the Flanders Mansion environmental impact reports.

In closing, editor/publisher/owner Paul Miller, The Carmel Pine Cone, has not upheld the Principles of Journalism, particularly “Journalism’s first obligation is to the Truth,” “Its first loyalty is to Citizens” and “It must serve as an independent monitor of Power,” with regard to news articles and editorials on the Flanders Mansion property. In fact, Paul Miller’s and The Carmel Pine Cone’s coverage of the issue over many years has served to manipulate public opinion with propaganda, rather than inform citizens of all the facts for the purpose of empowering citizen-voters to make the wisest choice for the Flanders Mansion property, now and into the future.