Pine Cone turns American Dream Upside Down – Censored by Carmel Pine Cone Publisher Paul Miller

Letter to the Editor
Carmel Pine Cone
June 28, 2007

Pine Cone turns American Dream Upside Down

Hello Editor:

Thank you for highlighting HOPE’s extraordinary efforts to protect our community’s environment and democracy when local government takes action (June 15, 2007).

However, we were startled that your editorial turns the American Dream upside down.

Most of us grew up as Americans rooting for the underdog and fair play, but the Pine Cone’s professed ideal is to give the rich and powerful, like Mr. Eastwood or Paris Hilton, anything they want – even when it violates our laws.

HOPE’s experience is that the little guy can make a big difference and make ours a better world. We find it satisfying that a whole bunch of little guys and gals (some without college degrees, big bank accounts or directorial credits) helped protect a magnificent imperiled forest from a Goliath corporation’s insatiably greedy demand for yet another golf course while our community endures a water supply emergency.

Because Pine Cone unsigned editorials on public interest issues are more flat earth than fact, the following corrects some of the silliest errors.

HOPE received its (difficult to achieve) non-profit status from the IRS in 2002. Mr. Dilworth is indeed HOPE’s Executive Director and has been since 2002 when we hired him. To protect our members privacy, our membership list is private, just, as we suspect, is the Pine Cone’s subscription list.

One reason so many media contact HOPE is because HOPE and Mr. Dilworth are experts on many current environment and democracy issues. Dilworth / HOPE have particular expertise on some topics you mentioned including Monterey pine Forest Ecosystems, our Peninsula Water Crisis, and the Monterey County General Plan.

Sadly, the Pine Cone’s editor seems bothered by HOPE’s and Mr. Dilworth’s public interest successes. Well, fasten your seat belt because HOPE typically succeeds with 50 – 100 issues a year. Some projects, like Pebble Beach forest protection and the Hatton Canyon Park take decades to achieve.

Mr. Dilworth’s many accomplishments include spending 15 years helping lead the successful effort to protect our native Monterey pine forest from Pebble Beach Company’s chainsaws.

HOPE trustees are proud of that success and appreciate his courteous manners while representing our public interests.

(signed by) Terrence Zito,
Chairman of the Board

Bringing you HOPE –
Helping Our Peninsula’s Environment

Founded in 1998, and known for helping with hundreds of environmental and democracy successes, H.O.P.E. is a non-profit, tax deductible, public interest group protecting our Monterey Peninsula’s natural land, air, and water ecosystems and public participation in government, using science, law, education, news alerts and advocacy.