At Tuesday night’s School Board meeting, Board member Steve Gourley, displayed his typical “Oscar the Grouch” character.
He called me a moron after I pointed out how petty have been his actions — refusing to support an initiative that would bring $3 billion in oil tax money to our schools because of his dislike for me.
Mr. Gourley later apologized for his remarks about me and Dave Mielke of theTeachers Union.
But his apology came with all the sincerity of a warm bucket of spit.
I don't hate Mr. Gourley.
I actually laughed when he called me a moron. It was his right to free speech to act like a buffoon.
I am concerned, however, about his supposed hypocritical support for school funding being overridden by his personal animosity toward someone who is really trying to get money for our schools.
On Another Subject
At last night’s Candidates Forum at the Culver City Democratic Club, I made a quote about Voltaire in which he reprtedly stated:
“I may not agree with what you have to say, but I will defend with my life your right to say it.”
I've been using that quote for years to defend free speech.
When fellow candidate Nancy Goldberg briefly interrupted my comments to try and correct the source of that quote, I continued to insist that it was from Voltaire.
Had I been wrong all these years using that quote and attributing it all to Voltaire?
I was prepared to make a public apology to Nancy Goldberg if I had gotten the quote wrong.
Fortunately I looked it up and verified it.
Voltaire has been generally attributed to making that quote.
I will defend with my life the right for people to speak out, especially Mr. Gourley, to make a buffoon of himself.
Mr. Zirgulis, a candidate for the School Board, may be contacted at zirgulisr@yahoo.com
