The letter to Tom Gonzalez below is from Bart Birdsall. You will recall that he was the gay media specialist whom Elia and Kipley made up a case on as a favor to Elia's girlfriend Pat Bean, county administrator. Bart had written from his home computer emails to library director Joe Stines, also gay, critical of his cooperating with the Ronda Storms ordinance that kicked out the gay-literature display a USF student had assembled in the county librrary.

When Bart and I confronted Elia with the situation at Tiger Bay, where she spoke, she lied to us by saying that she turned the emails over to Linda Kipley of Abu Ghraib Professional Standards because she was unsophisticated about the "to" and "from" addresses on emails and didn't know they were from Bart's home. Ms. Elia lies reflexively; when the truth would serve better, she lies.

Tom Gonzalez has resisted Kipley's giving Bart a letter of closure on the railroading of Bart by having the computer people strain out a technical error of his posting a message for the gay speak-out of the gay library issue on the community bulletin board, a purpose which the bulletin board was supposed to serve but which was converted into a violation of the email no-politics rule.

When I filed a charge concurrently against Dr. Hamilton with Professional Standards complaining that he used the school email for personal braggadocio and as a vector for laughing at the teachers' computer paycheck mess-ups, in which he mixed up "you're" and "your" and ruminated about the joys of sitting on a bar stool in Margarittaville, Kipley didn't even acknowledge my complaint, and Steve Heggarty told me that Dr. Hamilton's misuse of the school emails "was just a little joke." It was a little illustration of the double standard for punishment for teachers and administrators. lee

Tom,

I am surprised at you. As the school board attorney, I think you should advise the school board chair to avoid having Lee escorted off the ROSSAC property for speaking her mind. It makes the board look ridiculous and makes the public think Lee is on the right track.

No one would use such extreme measures unless wanting to hush someone up, and hushing someone up gives credence to their voice.

I believe another occurence of this could create a scene and cause extremely bad publicity for the school board. I would think the board attorney would advise against this.

Lee wears very high heels and could trip and fall if the security guard manhandles her, and this would be like a repeat of a deputy dumping a wheelchair man on the ground.

I believe the board has the legal obligation to honor the First Amendment and allow the public to speak during public comment without mandhandling a citizen. Please advise Chair Faliero about this.

I am also surprised at your illogical reasons for the board not to get me the Kipley letter. I got the letter. I am actually surprised. I didn't think I would ever see it in my lifetime. As you fought hard to keep me from getting this symbolic and, in the long run, rather meaningless letter, you missed my point entirely.

Although I stressed the letter when I appeared before the board, it was to show an example, and to tell you the truth, I was there for a bigger and higher purpose. I was there to stand up for teachers' rights and hopefully as consolation to any teacher out there who has been abused.

I am an Aquarius, and I use any personal issue I face as an example to others and to help other people. I am always thinking of the bigger issue while discussing my own problem.

I believe the board members saw your flimsy reasons for not giving me the letter as what it was.....a personal issue you had in which you hoped to "win." Maybe I reminded you of the brother you wished dead that I remember you discussing in an email you sent.

I don't know if that is the case. This is something I can not relate to, since I loved my sister who died 16 years ago, and I would give anything to have her back. I would have never wished her dead ever.

And life should be about more than just "winning" the petty issues.

You can never win against someone who has higher ideals and goals in sight. You can especially never win when you argue small matters like a letter and miss the whole point completely.

I believe your arguments against the letter made you look bad to the school board members. They sensed and saw you had some unusual personal issue surrounding this letter. In fact, I think your arguments against the letter actually helped the board members want to get me the letter, because I was arguing humanity, and you were arguing legalese or whatever you were arguing.

Frankly, it didn't make sense to me.

I feel you also implied I was crazy when you said you can't imagine anyone else's wanting such a letter. So on the one hand you argued against the letter, but in what I consider your desire to insult me publicly, you admitted that the letter was no problem since no one else would want such a letter. That logic astounds me.

But no matter. That is all water under the bridge.

I hope you will give each board member a copy of the pamphlet/brochure that you say you have written. I told Dr. Lamb it might even be a good idea to send it out as a pop up email to every district employee like the district did with the email guidelines after my investigation.

It would show the employees that the district cares. I know that may not be your role or the district's legal role, but it is the humane thing to do. Everyone knowing all the rules of the game is always a good and fair thing. As a lawyer I am hoping your sense of "fair" will overcome your personal desires to win or not win. I imagine lawyers are used to thinking "win" or "lose," but in the game of life that is not the point at all in the long run.

Bart