Kalimat al-Mutafalsif

What follows is the email I sent to various people in response to the City Manager of Tuttle's incompetance.

Dear Sirs,
I deeply saddened me to read of the exchange between the City Manager, and the CentOS team. I'm sure you've heard of this already, and had many emails, so I apologize to add to the deluge, but I feel my voice must be heard. I'm a strong believer in the Constitution, and this Country, and to remain silent while public officials act this way would be a crime.

To be up front, I will tell you I am also sending this message to my local school newspaper, the Indiana Daily Student, as well as your local newspaper, the Tuttle Times. I have also posted about this on my website, http://thesnarky.com for your information.

Of course, for the sake of the newspapers, I refer to the exchange between the City Manager Jerry Taylor, and a member of the CentOS (an Operating System) team. Mr. Taylor at no point took a respectful approach to the matter, instead threatening the CentOS team with legal recourse for nothing they did, and and did all this in the name of the whole city. Some excerpts ( the whole exchange can be found at http://wwwf.centos.org/127_story.html?storyid=127 ):

"Who gave you permission to invade my website and block me and anyone else from accessing it??? Please remove your software immediately before I report it to government officials!! I am the City Manager of Tuttle, Oklahoma."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but is he not a government official? Immediately he receives an answer that would solve the problem:

"Please contact someone who does IT for you and show them the page so
that they can configure your apache web server correctly."

While this may not have been the most cordial response, it would have fixed the problem. However, Mr. Taylor continues his tirade, threatening all kinds of legal abuse, and not even reading the instructions provided on the "hacked" page.

"This is the City of Tuttle, Oklahoma. Get rid of this software!!!!!

Unless this software is removed I will file a complaint with the FBI.

Remove your software within the next 12 hours or an official complaint to the FBI is being filed!"

I'm sure you've read the logs already, so I shan't go on. The problem was only solved when the CentOS took their own time, and initiative to figure out the problem, and explained exactly how to fix it, again. Was Mr. Taylor apologetic? Not in the least. Did he thank the CentOS team for their time? Not in the least. This is despicable. As a public official you are duty bound to hold yourself to a higher standard. Threatening legal recourse immediately because you happened to work for a government contractor (Raytheon) is not appropriate in any circumstance.

I also have problems with your response to this story leaking out. You've removed the email for the City Manager from his web page. As a public official, you need to be available. Removing your email because you're getting many negative responses is not an option. There is precedence in this country protecting the right to complain about public/elected officials, you sir are one. Mr. Taylor, due to your actions in this exchange, as well as an attempt to hide from public scrutiny, even though you said you "welcomed" the story being given publicity, I urge you to resign from your post. You've given your town a bad name, and taken the moral low ground throughout this whole ordeal. Do the right thing, and step down. Mr. Paxton, I urge you to encourage the resignation, in order to help your city in this time of change for its name will be sundered as long as Mr. Taylor holds office.

I hope your city chooses the right path in the days to come,