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3 <br /> this, Linda Sarsour does have a Right to Free Speech, and I support her Right to propagate her <br /> hateful ideas through speech, media and print, but she has no such right to use Orange County <br /> as her vehicle. You gave her that opportunity. What occurred was made possible only through <br /> the actions of the Orange County Commissioners. <br /> As I stand here today I still cannot fathom how our County decision-makers concluded that <br /> extending this invitation was a good idea. One would have thought that somewhere in the chain <br /> of approvals, authorizations, budget requests, cost estimates, invoices and check issues <br /> someone, anyone would have said "... Wh000aaa! Maybe this is not such a good idea!" <br /> However, if the Sarsour episode was in fact a well thought out event then we are all in serious <br /> trouble as we have just witnessed the weaponizing of Orange County Government against its <br /> own people. <br /> Does it have to be this way? No! <br /> If not, how do we fix it? <br /> The answer lies within our nation's founding documents, legal traditions, history and culture. <br /> Or, simply go with respect and logic: <br /> First Respect—We should not turn the County treasury into a piggy bank for someone's ugly <br /> propaganda. The Sarsour incident diminishes confidence that we will be treated fairly by the <br /> government on other matters. Loss of trust in our government is the most damaging result of <br /> disrespect. We start asking whose side is our government on? What do I need to do to protect <br /> myself and my family? This makes us all more tribal! The glue that holds us together starts to <br /> dissolve. People will start to seek resolution outside the political process. <br /> Second Logic— Linda Sarsour is the radical Left's David Duke. Would you have permitted <br /> David Duke to Speak? Of course not you say - the idea would be absurd. But why? The logic <br /> of your actions regarding Sarsour suggests otherwise. The views of both Sarsour and Duke are <br /> highly offensive and unacceptable to the majority of Orange County citizens? Please note, <br /> many options exist for Sarsour's local fellow travelers to organize a nonprofit or use an existing <br /> nonprofit to sponsor speakers with the most extreme ideas and beliefs. Just don't use our tax <br /> dollars. <br /> Conclusion <br /> If your goal is to tear the social and political fabric of our County then you have succeeded. You <br /> have used the power of government for a truly destructive purpose —to divide the people. I can <br /> assure you that going down this road will not end well, for you, for us, for our children, for no <br /> one. <br /> On the other hand, if your goal is to unify our citizens into a functioning body politic then agree <br /> that the Sarsour incident was a terrible mistake and commit never to repeat it. Please don't <br /> waste your most precious resource, OUR TRUST, on what I hope was just a bad idea that <br /> somehow slipped through the system. <br /> Kathy Zimmerman read the following email from Bob Randall, who was unable to <br /> attend tonight's meeting: <br /> I am a long time citizen of Orange County. I just have three issues to address: <br /> The first one is our tax dollars paid around $10,000 for Linda Sarsour to speak right here <br /> last Sunday. Unless you are woefully misinformed, or have turned a blind eye, you must <br /> know by now that she is not a person who promotes love and tolerance. In the spirit of <br />