DEAR EDITOR:
I’d like to make it clear that this letter does NOT address the
merits of the lawsuit Mr. Hai Tran, of the 5-Day Furniture store,
has filed against the city of Gilroy about the operation of his
store. That issue will be decided by a superior court judge in
August.
DEAR EDITOR:
I’d like to make it clear that this letter does NOT address the merits of the lawsuit Mr. Hai Tran, of the 5-Day Furniture store, has filed against the city of Gilroy about the operation of his store. That issue will be decided by a superior court judge in August.
It DOES, however, address the increasingly frequent remarks Mr. Tran has made in this paper concerning his reasoning that racism is the true reason behind the decision of Council he found unfavorable.
Mr. Tran, let me introduce myself. I’m Bob Dillon, a councilmember who voted against your appeal. You certainly know me as a councilmember, and perhaps as a former columnist for this paper, but I’m sure you do NOT know one thing about me that may have some bearing on your accusations.
I’m a Vietnam veteran, Mr. Tran. The ribbon bar which I wore in the Navy has a star on my Vietnam Service Medal; it means I did two tours. That’s right, I’m one of 2.7 million Americans who defended the country of your birth from communist aggression, in what President Reagan once described quite correctly as a “noble cause.”
No, the outcome wasn’t what I desired; we were handcuffed by politicians and it ended badly – except, perhaps, for those like you, whom my country adopted and suffused with all the rights too many of us take for granted, including the right to petition your government for redress of grievances, including going to court.
Out of probably 100 reasons you could have advanced as to why you think the decision went against you, as far as I’m concerned, you picked the one that is not only untrue, but left the maximum amount of egg on your face. I find your accusations insulting not only to every man and woman who served in your native country, Mr. Tran, but especially to the 58,000-plus whose names are etched in black marble on a Wall in Washington, D.C.
Mr. Tran, you had the good fortune to land in a country that will on occasion sacrifice the blood of its young men and women on the freedom and safety of strangers. I suggest you cherish that, and consider it well before making unfounded remarks about racism.
Robert T. Dillon, Gilroy
Submitted Friday, May 30 to ed****@ga****.com
