IMPRESS ME …
I received the following letter this week:
Dear Editor,
Gorman’s article (Weed Wars – The Sheet, Dec. 15), is a one-sided account provided by an upset group of men that want to control the sale of cannabis products in Mammoth Lakes.
No balanced coverage was provided by interviewing Doug Gans or Tony Hall who are upstanding individuals that run a quality legal business and enjoy the Mammoth Lakes area.
Paul Rudder probably ghost wrote the article … and guess who is your (The Sheet’s) Landlord? Yep Paul Rudder! But the public probably doesn’t know that conflict of interest.
Impress me by posting this in your next publication.
Frank Ohrmund (2nd homeowner)
Mr. Ohrmund: Oh, where to begin …
First off, your average small-town newspaper publisher has more conflicts of interest than another Paul who’s been in the news of late: Manafort. We often cover the entities which run the advertisements that keep this paper in business.
The biggest advertisers are Mammoth Mountain and Snowcreek Real Estate.
Therefore, if one were looking to indulge a conspiracy theory about The Sheet’s reporting, I’d start with our coverage of those two entities, which spend thousands of dollars each year with us.
Paul Rudder? He’s purchased $197 in advertising this year.
Robert Calvert, the owner of Ascent (formerly Mammoth Lakes Wellness). He’s spent $33.
Yes, Mr. Rudder is my landlord. Has been for more than 13 years. We’re on a month-to-month lease.
Upon receipt of your letter, I called him and said, “Since I’m apparently in your pocket, does that mean I don’t have to pay rent this month?”
He said (smiling brightly) he would have to charge me full price in order to protect my integrity. Bastard.
Mr. Gorman wrote the referenced article by himself. At least, I assume he did.
That or maybe he hired the same guy who ghost-wrote his college essay to Dartmouth. Yeah, that must be how he got in.
I think Mr. Gorman’s smart enough to cover meetings and report on them accurately.
We welcome Mr. Gans and Mr. Hall to this community and wish them well.
I am happy to send them both rate sheets. I’m hoping they’re bigger spenders than Calvert.
Note: Mr. Gans was in fact interviewed by Jack Benham earlier this month. Those comments appeared in the Dec. 8 issue, page 10.
As to my politics regarding the cannabis issue: I would have supported both appllcations. I think the town requirement that marijuana dispensaries be located at least 500’ from each other to be fairly arbitrary.
Let the market decide.
And perhaps rename Tavern Road “Bud Boulevard” while we’re at it.
Mr. Ohrmund, I know it must be frustrating to read a publication which may not conform to your views. And you are not alone.
Check out an article entitled “The Partisan Brain” which appeared in the Dec. 8 issue of The Economist.
Several research studies not only suggest that hearing opposing points of view is physically painful (in a 2012 study by Jeremy Frimer, he asked people if they would like to hear why voters backed the other side in the U.S. presidential election. ‘Over a third of Obama voters ande more than half of Romney voters compared the experience … to having a tooth pulled.’) but also that people will actually forego promised reward (2015 Frimer study) in order NOT to hear opinions that differ from their own.
However … one could argue that hearing opposing points of view may amount to the intellectual equivalent of going to the gym. And this lazy-ass country, starting with our President, could use a little less McBullshit and a few more sit-ups.
Speaking of which, maybe it’s time to renew my Body Shop membership.
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