Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Truth In Advertising, Mansoor-style

Over the past holiday weekend a friend alerted me to the following item on the Orange County Republican Party web site:

Thursday, 5/31/07
5:30 PM
Special Event


Hosted By Mayor Allan Mansoor, Costa Mesa

Where: The Clubhouse, Costa Mesa

You are invited to join Mayor Allan Mansoor with special guest Assemblyman Van Tran to raise money for the Veteran's Memorial Project Fund-raiser and be a part of a special fund-raising reception on behalf of Mayor Mansoor. For more information and details about this exciting evening, please call Danielle Jacobs at 949-777-9406 or email her at danielle@sheldongroup.com.

Now, especially following the recent holiday, this seemed like a worthwhile event, so I called the number listed for more information. Danielle Jacobs answered the telephone and, responding to my question about this event, told me that it is, in fact, a fundraiser for Mayor Mansoor. He will donate 10% of the proceeds to the Veteran's Memorial Project. So, for your minimum $249.00 "contribution", less than $25.00 will go to the Veteran's Memorial Project. The remainder will be stuffed into the mayor's pockets for his next run for public office. Or, maybe he will use it to fund other candidate's campaigns, as he did in the case of Wendy Leece last time around.

Now, I suppose there's really nothing wrong with misrepresenting the purpose of this fundraiser. I mean, politicians lie as a standard practice - just as the mayor did during the past campaign when he misrepresented his opponents in his campaign literature and during public forums.

However, doesn't it make you wonder just a little bit what else he's been lying about? I do. It's this kind of chicanery that will make me question every move he and his majority make.

If you thought, as I did, that this meeting was to raise significant dollars for the Costa Mesa Veteran's Memorial, you're probably very disappointed. If you really want to make a donation to that project that will count, visit the Costa Mesa Community Foundation web site for more information. You'll find that you can contribute $250.00 for two personalized bricks and all of your contribution goes to this worthy cause - not into the pockets of some politician.

I'll close this entry with a quotation that seems particularly appropriate to the circumstances:


Politic
s is the conduct of public affairs for private advantage.
Ambrose Bierce

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5 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I guess if I read this part CAREFULLY “…and be a part of a special fund-raising reception on behalf of Mayor Mansoor…” I might interpret this as a fundraiser for him too, but at first glance I wouldn’t have. I would strongly suggest you contribute directly to the Veterans’ Memorial as my wife and I have.

For more info, look here:
http://www.cm-fund.org/veteran-memorial-project.htm

and:

http://www.ci.costa-mesa.ca.us/council/agenda/20040405/Agenda%20Report%20on%20Proposed%20Veterans%20Memorial.pdf

5/31/2007 12:28:00 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Is anyone surprised that Mr Mayor didn't exactly disclose everything? Using an extremely important cause to better your own campaign war chest, this more than defines how slimy this guy can be. Either that or he is really getting some bad political advice. Really sad.

6/01/2007 10:26:00 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

reading the invite you posted I got the impression it was to raise funds for Mansoor and the memorial. Therefore, where is the "lie"? With jerks like you- who think a "youth in government" committee should have been allowed even though it wasn't formed correctly (no matter, Foley did it so give it a pass), don't care that council members give their dixretionary funds (for PERSONAL development) to little leagues to buy votes, and find racism in any attempt to enforce the law-Mansoor probably should not raise funds for the memorial since you don't like the % given. He should just keep it all. Would that make you happy? How did you find out the %? Oh, from Mansoor's camp. Where is the lie! (! put in place of ? to drive West bonkers?, uh I mean !( <= lol?

6/03/2007 09:45:00 AM  
Blogger la femme wonkita said...

This is about as tacky as they come. It is not uncommon for politicians who are essentially arm-chair patriots to use the veteran angle for photo ops or in their rhetoric, but to sink so low as to use our veterans as a political fundraising device is appalling. If Mansoor has even one iota of any sort of class or diginity, he will donate ALL money collected at or for this event to the veterans. For shame!

6/03/2007 08:06:00 PM  
Blogger The Pot Stirrer said...

Anonymous Insect, of course you did! The "Special Event" was captioned, "Veteran's Memorial Project Fund-raiser". Seems clear enough to me. It then goes on to say it's "Hosted by Mayor Allan Mansoor, Costa Mesa". Even the most dedicated Mansoor sycophant would have to read the entire text a couple times to glean an inkling that this is really a fundraiser for the mayor. Only after my inquiry did Danielle Jacobs, admit that only a very, very small percentage of the proceeds would go to the Veteran's Memorial Project. "Where is the lie?", you ask. The lie is that your pal, the jailer, used the sympathy most folks have for fallen warriors to duplicitously raise funds for his campaign war chest - that's the lie! But, of course, you know that already... you're just writing assuming I wouldn't publish your bilge. Wrong! I'm happy to provide a forum for you to demonstrate exactly what kind of folks support the mayor. And, I express my opinion openly. I don't hide under a rock and anonymously sling comments around. Perhaps I should establish a new segment here and call it "Cowards on Parade". What do you think, insect - wanna be a regular contributor? By the way, I think the word you were looking for was "discretionary". La Femme Wonkita said it best when addressing Mansoor's subterfuge. "This is about as tacky as they come".

6/03/2007 11:21:00 PM  

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