"Ken Miller," Sylvia DeRooy and the plagiarist. And hypocrisy.

In the ongoing saga of the graduation speech and the school board member, a familiar player raises his head. ◼ NHUHSD PLAN FOR RESPONDING TO PLAGIARIZED SPEECH: DO NOTHING - McKinleyville Press
_____________________________

In the comments, Ken Miller* says:
August 29, 2013 at 8:03 pm
A concern I have not seen expressed is what other transgressions Don is involved in? He has many big projects, and not just locally, with many opportunities to skim, skate, or otherwise scam a variety of enviro and economic laws. He is simply not trustworthy. Just as catching a speeder or shoplifter is assumed to be catching a chronic offender, we can assume that a parent willing to involve his daughter in a baldface lie in front of her peers, and then attack we who are incensed by his sociopathy, reveals someone capable of, well, anything.
_____________________________

Really? Is this the real Ken Miller? the Ken Miller who brought us Paul Gallegos (the plagiarist)? Ken Miller who stood on his "Fraud is not a victimless crime" soapbox?

The same Ken Miller behind so many political machinations in this county? Suddenly going for the jugular?

Yet - the same Ken Miller who supports Paul Gallegos DESPITE his plagiarizing THE OX-BOW INCIDENT by ROBERT LOUIS FELIX in his PUBLISHED OP-ED "MY-WORD" IN THE TIMES STANDARD?

Yes, the same Ken Miller, (and Sylvia DeRooy, BIG vociferous Gallegos supporter) front and center, at the School Board meeting last night. Opining about the evils of plagiarism.

So, let's hear Ken (and Sylvia) stipulate that Paul Gallegos "is simply not trustworthy. Just as catching a speeder or shoplifter is assumed to be catching a chronic offender, we can assume that a DA willing to mislead the public in a baldface lie in front of his peers,... reveals someone capable of, well, anything."
_____________________________

* We're assuming this really is Ken Miller, out from the shadows, but maybe it's Salzman, using Ken Miller's name. Who knows.
_____________________________

And for you newbies, who don't know the history:

RELATED STORIES:
THE OX-BOW INCIDENT by ROBERT LOUIS FELIX
a copy of THE OX-BOW INCIDENT in case the link goes down
TS - Paul Gallegos' My Word
ER - WHOSE WORD WAS 'MY WORD'? - Eureka Reporter http://www.eurekareporter.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ArticleID=14767
ER - A second Gallegos column raises questions about attribution - Eureka Reporter http://www.eurekareporter.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ArticleID=14776

AMENDED STATEMENT - with no notation as to the change Updated

"I studied the United States Constitution in the law school, I taught the United States Constitution when I was a lecturer at Humboldt State University..."
changed from:
"... I taught the United States Constitution when I was a professor at Humboldt State University,..."

◼ Candidate Questionnaire

The claims about creating/establishing programs still stand.

Has he notified the HCDCC of the falsity of his claim to be a Professor?

Update: Either it's my cached copy or it has been changed back. Good thing it's screenshotted.

Say anything.

Gallegos claims IN HIS BALLOT STATEMENT: "...I established the Criminal Investigations Bureau, the Consumer and Environment Protection Unit, the Child Abuse and Adult Sex Crimes Unit, the Worker's Compensation Fraud Unit, the Domestic Violence Unit and Bad Check Program...." and he claims: "... I taught the United States Constitution when I was a professor at Humboldt State University,..."

You don't want to go back to the way things were, you say, but you want to take claim - and be given credit - for things that were created by the previous DA, or even before.

Forcing your employees to sign My Word's that tout your "creation" of a program that you did not create, trying to get commendations from the Board of Supervisors for a program you did not create is so incredibly dishonest that words fail me.

Have you no shame at all?

Plagiarism wasn't enough. Twisting the crime stats, claiming years before you were in office wasn't enough. Filing lawsuits against political opponents and at the behest of your campaign backers wasn't enough. You have been given a pass at every turn, so now you think you can say anything.

Just got a robocall from John Ford telling me about Gallegos' budget cuts.

Oh, really?

Now he's Professor Gallegos

"... I taught the United States Constitution when I was a professor at Humboldt State University,..."

◼ Question #15 of the Questionnaire
via
◼ The Reporta - Humboldt Tea Party Polls Local Candidates
◼ Question #15 of the Questionnaire - full questionnaire SAVED

If you've ever been invited to speak to a class at HSU, polish up your resumes, kids. You too can be a PROFESSOR.

Why did the Board Meeting start ten minutes late yesterday?

And why did Bonnie Neely not read that proclamation?

Answer: Because that 4th paragraph was false. And it was pulled out, and a new proclamation was approved.

Who put it in there in the first place?

PAUL GALLEGOS' BALLOT STATEMENT READS:

"...I established the Criminal Investigations Bureau, the Consumer and Environment Protection Unit, the Child Abuse and Adult Sex Crimes Unit, the Worker's Compensation Fraud Unit, the Domestic Violence Unit and Bad Check Program...."

RELATED:
Remember: Paul Gallegos took office in January of 2003.
◼ July 30, 1995 HUMBOLDT DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S BAD CHECK PROGRAM
The previous DA responds affirmatively to a Grand Jury Report on the status of the Bad Check Program.
◼ THE TROUBLE WITH LIES
May 17, 2002 for Meeting of June 4, 2002 agenda item states that at that time "THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR ITS FIFTH YEAR OF FUNDING FOR ITS DOMESTIC VIOLENCE VERTICAL PROSECUTION UNIT..."
◼ Political maneuvering. Read paragraph 4
◼ Resolution of Commendation for the District Attorney Domestic Violence Vertical Prosecution Team.
◼ Joyce Moser's My Word

July 30, 1995 HUMBOLDT DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S BAD CHECK PROGRAM

Paul Gallegos claims to have CREATED this Program IN HIS BALLOT STATEMENT.

THIS CLAIM IS FALSE. EVERYONE KNOWS IT. MANY MERCHANTS STILL HAVE THE POSTING ON THE WALL WITH TERRY FARMER'S NAME ON IT.
◼ http://co.humboldt.ca.us/iissearch.asp?departments=&site=&strSearch=bad+check+program&x=0&y=0

DATE: July 30, 1995
To Chris Arnold, County Administrative Officer
From Betty Bates, Administrative Assistant (signed)

Responses to Grand Jury Report.

The Grand Jury Report will have some notation as to how long the program was in operation. Or maybe some of you know.. weigh in. Developing.

Political maneuvering. Read paragraph 4

◼ D. SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

1. Resolution of Commendation for the District Attorney Domestic Violence Vertical Prosecution Team. (Supervisor Neely)

RECOMMENDATION: Adopt the Resolution.

	Page 1 (1.TIF)
	Page 2 (2.TIF)
	Agenda Item - (All TIFs combined) PDF FORMAT DA Domestic Violence Vertical Prosecution Team Resolution.

Related:
Way back when - I filed PUBLIC RECORDS ACT REQUESTS regarding CAST and the DV grants. Not just with the DA, but with the funding agencies.

In fact the DV Unit was established in the mid 90's
Elizabeth Norton, Eamon Fitzgerald, Wes Keat, Gloria Albin Sheets were each assigned.
Gallegos fired Gloria Albin Sheets, claiming he had lost a grant.
He then put Nandor Vadas name where hers was on the grant apps...

He went on KINS Talk Shop and talked about weaning the office from Grant Funding - complaining that he'd like to see more funding from the County General Fund to reflect the community's commitment to the office, but that doesn't happen, which he blames on the Board of Supervisors... says when he came in the office was 60% grant funded, and that he has set about to "systematically wean" the office from grant funding...

He said specifically that that the Domestic Violence/Victim Witness Grant was held onto longer than it should have been, "should've weaned ourselves long ago".

Some of the Grant numbers:
VV 04060120
VV 033Q0120.

Humboldt County's Spousal Abuser Protection Program Grants SAPP
2002 through 2006
05SA12D005
05SA10D005
04SA11D005
03SA20D005
02SA09D005

***

ALSO RELATED:

◼ Joyce Moser's My Word

"...The District Attorney Domestic Violence Vertical Prosecution Team was created under the leadership of District Attorney Paul Gallegos to reduce the amount of trauma that victims/survivors experience when navigating through the criminal justice system..."

See also - Paul Gallegos' Ballot Statement.
"...I established the Criminal Investigations Bureau, the Consumer and Environment Protection Unit, the Child Abuse and Adult Sex Crimes Unit, the Worker's Compensation Fraud Unit, the Domestic Violence Unit and Bad Check Program...."

Vigilantism is not, no scratch that... Universal justice is not universally popular

◼ Gallegos campaign ad, I mean, "My Word"

◼ Universal justice is not universally popular
Paul V. Gallegos/For the Times-Standard
Posted: 06/24/2010 01:37:11 AM PDT

I want to send a heartfelt thank you to everyone who made our spring campaign a success. It would not have been possible without each and every one of you who volunteered, donated and endorsed. Thank you for all you have given and the many hours of hard work and dedication you selflessly gave over the last several months. It is the sum of your very efforts that made our campaign successful.

I am grateful for the votes and affirmation I received, and to those who did not vote for me, I want you to know that I have heard your voices and I intend to redouble my efforts to earn your votes in November.

Joanie and I moved here about 15 years ago, and fell in love with this remarkable community. Eight years ago I ran for district attorney on a platform of Justice For All -- including those historically neglected by the justice system such as children, victims of domestic violence, people of color, and victims of corporate fraud -- and for modernization. It's hard to believe now, but when I inherited the office, criminal case information was kept on index cards-- not computers.

Since then, my office has aggressively prosecuted the powerful -- even when it's been unpopular. My office prosecuted Maxxam/PL on evidence of fraud. We prosecuted Blue Lake's police chief for multiple felonies including illegal weapons. We prosecuted an oil company and won a major settlement to protect our drinking water.

But universal justice is not universally popular, and some would rather go back to how things used to be. This would be a mistake.

When I came to office, the murder of Blue Lake teen Curtis Huntzinger was still unsolved after 18 years. It was presumed to be unsolvable. But my investigators cracked the case and obtained a full confession from his murderer, Steven Daniel Hash.

During the campaign, one of my opponents made the disturbing accusation that I had let a child abuser off with a slap on the wrist. It was odd because she, under the previous office, had handled the case back in 2000, and should have known the original sentence was overturned on appeal; my office had to re-prosecute it anew in 2004, and the perpetrator was sentenced to eight years in prison.

I'll be the first to admit how much I've learned in the past eight years. Delivering justice to all is not easy. Behind the big publicity stories are thousands of small success stories and dozens of daily tragedies. We can't bring back loved ones -- but we can prosecute to the full extent of the law with the best evidence we have, which is what we do.

We cannot go back to how things were; the improvements and progress we've achieved over the last eight years are simply too precious to give up.

I ask for your support on my campaign as we move toward a November victory. For more information, go to votepaul.org.
Paul V. Gallegos is the Humboldt County district attorney.

Where to begin.

Deja Vu - WTF? w/UPDATE & Neilsen Press Release - turns out to be an innocent mistake

◼ Public safety is an investment, not a cost
Garr Neilsen's My Word in the Times Standard 12/16/2009
◼ http://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/wo/story/1740052.html
Jerry Dyer Op-Ed in Fresno Bee Tuesday, Dec. 08, 2009
Word for word.
Desperate? Stupid? Being pushed by the "Progressive" overlords to get something out?
Unbearable, incredibly unimaginably stupid? Sorry, Garr, this is not cool.
Caught by someone in the comments, starting at #29
***
Jon-E-Law Eureka, CA

Liberal for Life wrote:
Wow.
I always believed that Eureka deserved a literate, public-oriented police chief.
Well done.

Not a chance. Your moron Chief did not write this he plagiarized it from the Fresno Chief.
***
Jon-E-Law Eureka, CA

Lib for life too wrote:
Actually, this is written like he is running for office. Chief, if that is true, don't you think you should finish your one job at EPD before moving on and taking on another?

He will fit with Gallegos in taking credit for another's work. Chief Jerry Dyer from Fresno PD wrote this piece.
***

Jon-E-Law Eureka, CA
Dyer's original piece ran in the Fresno Bee on December 8.
http://www.fresnobee.com/opinion/wo/story/174...
***

Walter Sobchak Wildomar, CA

Liberal for Life wrote:
Wow.
I always believed that Eureka deserved a literate, public-oriented police chief.
Well done.

Darn straight. Of course, if all he'll do is publish others' work without attribution, that would actually make him a thief. Intellectually dishonest, AND a thief? Not exactly a ringing endorsement, is it?

Remember this:
◼ Filed under Gallegos' Plagiarism
RELATED STORIES:
THE OX-BOW INCIDENT by ROBERT LOUIS FELIX
a copy of THE OX-BOW INCIDENT in case the link goes down
TS - Paul Gallegos' My Word
ER - WHOSE WORD WAS 'MY WORD'?
ER - A second Gallegos column raises questions about attribution
Back up links, Eureka Reporter coverage"
◼ ER - WHOSE WORD WAS 'MY WORD'? 9/7/2006
◼ ER - A second Gallegos column raises questions about attribution 9/8/2006

UPDATE and clarification:
◼ Pla-Garr-ism? The Journal
***
Neilsen's Press Release

I wish to clarify any confusion that may have arisen from the opinion piece published earlier this week in the Times Standard. This was a position piece adopted by the California Police Chiefs Association. The editorial was distributed to regional directors to be modified for local media and presented as a position supported by local chiefs. This is a common practice that is intended to distribute a consistent position.

I apologize for any confusion this may have caused regarding the authorship of the piece. There was no intent to claim it as original, but rather reflect consensus of opinion of California Chiefs.
Thanks
gn

◼ Police Chief clears air over editorial
◼ A letter to our readers

The Times-Standard contacted the column's original writer, Fresno Chief of Police and former President of the California Police Chiefs Association Jerry Dyer, who said he was asked to write the Clemmons piece by the Fresno Bee, as he's a regular contributor for them.

At a recent Cal Chiefs meeting, Dyer said he told everyone that he was working on the piece and that he would be submitting it. As he's done before, he said he urged all the regional chiefs to localize the piece -- either using it as a jumping off point or using parts or all of it -- and to submit it to their local papers.

It is important that individuals who submit columns acknowledge when information, ideas, viewpoints or phrases are coming from another source. In this case, a simple citation or sentence of attribution would have sufficed, giving us a chance to weigh whether we were interested in running the opinion of Fresno's police chief -- even with a local angle -- and allowing readers to understand the full picture of the piece's origin.

Oh, you Gallegos haters!

Oh it's just the Gallegos haters. It's not that Paul has done anything WRONG! Poor Paul. He can't do anything right. they just hate him no matter what.

Let's review.

If you read Paul Hagen's My Word in today's Times-Standard you received confirmation that Gallegos' suit was "politically motivated," Read that "filed at the behest of his handlers."

Now ask yourself, once again - If Paul's supporters and backers were the Aryan Brotherhood, and they wanted him to go after Kobe Bryant "get that black man" - would that be ok with you?

Now some people thought Kobe was guilty. Some defended him. Just like Palco. Some hate Palco. Some defend them.

Would it be ok? NO SANE PERSON WOULD SAY YES, yet Gallegos' defenders see no problem at all with him filing a suit, against the recommendations of the professionals in the DA's Office, whose knowledge of the law vastly exceeds his own, and FOR his backers. Trying to find a way to make it fly. And failing spectacularly, albeit so many years later that no one cares, to even get his case into court. Failed after multiple attempts to rewrite it and make it work.

His history of bad judgement, and of filing charges capriciously - as in the case of Penny O'Gara (to send a message), Sean Marsh (to send a message), and yes, the Palco suit (t send a message), the dismissal of felony charges against a campaign contributors son... the hiring of Tim Stoen... the firing and loss of virtually ALL the experienced prosecutors in his office... the corrupt campaign manager, the plagiarized My Words...

What's to like? And that is only part of the picture. It's not that any of these things were made up. HE DID IT ALL TO HIMSELF.

Face the facts. Stop making excuses for him like he is a little boy who needs protection for hiding his peas under the table.

If he worked for you, you would have fired him by now. For incompetence. For being late for meetings. For failing to show up for meetings.... long before you even got to the big stuff, and there's lots of that on the record now.

THINK! He DOES work for you.

Paul Hagen's "My Word" in TS today

worth reading - Why DA's Palco suit was ill-advised

Former environmental prosecutor Paul Hagen explains the flaws in Gallegos' Palco suit, the reason why it failed to make it into court, what was wrong with the reasoning behind Gallegos' Appeal of that rejection, the subsequent rejection of his Appeal (made a published Opinion), and the CA Supreme Court's final nail in the Palco suit coffin, a final rejection.

The Appeals Court found that the state has failed to prove, on its third try, a reasonable possibility that the (complaint)'s defect can be cured by amendment.”

Hagen's own credentials dwarf Gallegos' - and he notes: I would like to make it clear that I in no way approve of Palco's behavior. I personally prosecuted them twice criminally (obtaining literally every last penny available as penalties under the 15 counts I charged collectively) and once civilly (against Scopac, actually), receiving $80,000 in a settlement, $35,000 of which I sent to schools in the Van Duzen watershed.

And I found Palco's behavior in the recall election astounding and shameful, an incredibly bad set of decisions to fund petition signers and more in an effort to drive out an elected official.

That said, Gallegos' decision to prosecute Palco was a political one, make no mistake. Political prosecutions are never a good idea.

Within days of taking office, Gallegos directed his chief investigator to conduct an investigation. When his investigators reported they could not find evidence of a crime, the suit was filed civilly instead. The day before it was filed, a member of a local watchdog organization sat in the DA's library and read the complaint.

Paul Hagen is one of the rare few with the courage to speak out. It cost him his job.

ER Failed Gallegos lawsuit one more obstacle for community to overcome 5/3/08

Deadfall author Robert Scott on Paul Gallegos' plagiarized My Word

Obviously, Robert Scott is still following events here in Humboldt County. When he made this post, he must not have known that Paul Gallegos' "My Word" was largely plagiarized. Perhaps he has followed the story since then:

Response to Editorial
Recently the District Attorney of Humboldt County, Mr. Paul Gallegos, wrote an editorial in the Eureka Times Standard. This is my response to that editorial. I am posting it here, because according to Lisa, the Times Standard does not take editorial comments from people who live outside the county. Mr. Gallegos' editorial was entitled - Vigilantism a force of anarchy.

Though Mr. Gallegos' recent editorial about vigilantism didn't make specific references to any particular case, I'm wondering if he had the cases of Sherry Lynn Smith and Andrea LaDeRoute in mind when he wrote it. The reason I believe this may be is that both the surviving sisters of Sherry and Andrea have been very vocal in their displeasure at the way the Humboldt County District Attorney's Office has handled those cases. If he was not referring to Smith and LaDeRoute, then it has to be wondered how many victims family members feel disenfranchised by the DA's office in that county.

As has been written about many times over the years in Humboldt County newspapers, including the Times Standard, Mr. John Annibel is the main suspect in the murders of Smith and LaDeRoute. In fact, the Fortuna Police Department has stated that Mr. Annibel is the only suspect in the murder of Andrea LaDeRoute, and has submitted all its evidence to the DA's office in that regard.

No one is advocating vigilantism, which would take Mr. Annibel out of the court system and somehow administer arbitrary justice. Instead there is an agreement that the system should work exactly as Mr. Gallegos stated, "the report of a crime and its investigation, the review of that investigation and possible accusation, the disposition or trial on the accusation, a verdict, and a judgement." Neither Pam Smith Annibel nor Lisa LaDeRoute Lawler disagree with that assessment. What they do agree on is that the system on these cases has failed at the District Attorney level.

In the probable cause report concerning Mr. Annibel, Detective Mike Losey wrote, "Based on the evidence and information, probale cause exists to believe LaDeRoute has been murdered. Further, the available physical evidence, as well as circumstantial evidence, indicates that John Annibel murdered Andrea LaDeRoute." It was only the failure to proceed by then District Attorney Bernard C. dePaoli that short-circuited the trial. Mr. DePaoli was later arrested and convicted for taking a bribe to change a witness' statement in the murder case of Philip Kellotat. To say the least, it should cast doubt on his handling of other murder cases during his tenure as District Attorney of Humboldt County, especially Andrea's case.

One thing Mr. Gallegos failed to mention in his editorial on vigilantism is the role of the District Attorney's Office. It is to stand up for the rights of a victim of crime. In the case of Sherry Lynn Smith and Andrea LaDeRoute, the District Attorney's Office is their voice, because they can no longer speak for themselves.

Once again, Pam Smith Annibel and Lisa LaDeRoute Lawler do not want to railroad John Annibel. All they want is for Sherry and Andrea to have their day in court. Without the district attorney's office, functioning as it should, they can never have that happen. This is a far cry from vigilantism. Both sisters understand that neither the prosecutor, nor defense attorney, or even a judge is the trier of fact. The trier of fact in these cases are twelve ordinary citizens of Humboldt County who would decide upon Mr. Annibel's guilt or innocence. Mr. Annibel's rights would be protected by his defense counsel, as they should be. It is the duty of the of the District Attorney's Office to stand up for Sherry and Andrea's rights.

Robert Scott

Mr. Scott, if you read this post, here are links to stories relating to Paul Gallegos' "My Word" Op-Ed on Vilgilantism:
THE OX-BOW INCIDENT by ROBERT LOUIS FELIX
a copy of THE OX-BOW INCIDENT in case the link goes down
TS - Paul Gallegos' My Word
ER - WHOSE WORD WAS 'MY WORD'?
ER - A second Gallegos column raises questions about attribution

And, another take on what he was trying to say, who he was trying to go after:
When law enforcement fails, 'vigilantism' sometimes needed

There may be other answers to some of your questions, and Lisa's questions here as well.

Spin and Reality

Quoted in the Times Standard's Year End Recap Paul Gallegos has this to say:
"While crime has continued to go down, we are still trying to catch up on the backlog of cases, especially homicides, from the past,” Gallegos said. “Hopefully, we will have tried all of them by the end of 2007.”

Gallegos described 2006 as a good budget year “because we were able to begin the slow process of rebuilding from the losses caused by the budget crisis. Unfortunately, it will take a couple of years of rebuilding to be where we need to be to do the job that we want to do. Morale is good despite the work load and the long hours.”

The biggest challenges have been dealing with the lack of resources and treatment options for the drug and alcohol addicted and the mentally, as well as the recent police shootings.

”My firm belief continues to be that if we can meaningfully address drug and alcohol abuse and addiction and mental illness, we will profoundly improve the quality of life for all people in Humboldt County,” he said. “My personal hope is that my office can assist Humboldt County in becoming ranked as one of the best places in the country to live.”

Really? The slow process of rebuilding from the losses caused by the BUDGET CRISIS?
C'mon, man. your office must be swimming in money - hundreds of thousands of dollars not being spent on all those unfilled positions, saved because all but three of your experienced prosecutors are gone. Maybe you better rehire the PR man to come up with some new BS line for the New Year.

Morale is good? IN the DA's Office? Is that why they are all leaving?

"The biggest challenges have been dealing with the lack of resources and treatment options for the drug and alcohol addicted and the mentally, as well as the recent police shootings?" Are you kidding?

The North Coast Journal is more in touch with the reality of the situation: "THE YEAR IN GALLEGOS - A take-no-prisoners election challenge from within the office, red-handed plagiarism, terminal short-handedness, high-profile cases ignored or overturned on appeal -- all in all, it was a pretty quiet year for District Attorney Paul Gallegos. But as the list would indicate, even Gallegos' down times pretty much out-Richter those of most anyone else you could care to name.

The first half of the year was taken up by the election. Gallegos was running for the office for the third time in four years, including the failed, Maxxam-financed recall attempt against him in 2004. This time, his challenger was Deputy DA Worth Dikeman, a veteran Humboldt County prosecutor, who had announced that he'd seek to oust Gallegos nearly a year previous, back in the summer of 2005. The race was not friendly, from either side -- Dikeman charged Gallegos with incompetence, Gallegos' proxies charged Dikeman of racism and bias toward the police. Gallegos won by a healthy margin -- 53-46 -- but not near as healthy as his 60-40 recall win.

A couple of prosecutors quit. Dikeman was fired. In August, news broke of a horrible case of animal abuse out in the hinterlands, with 41 dogs found dead or dying of neglect just over the border in Trinity County. It turned out that the alleged perpetrator, Roberta Bugenig, had just moved there from the Bridgeville area, where the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office had filed felony animal abuse charges against her in 2004. Gallegos' office had declined to prosecute the case. The discovery of these facts prompted condemnation from animal rights activists.

Seemingly in response -- in fact, it was never quite clear -- Gallegos published an opinion piece titled "Vigilantism A Force Of Anarchy" in the Times-Standard. The piece's odd phraseology prompted the Eureka Reporter's Heather Muller, who had originally reported the Bugenig case, to do a Google search; as it turned out, much of the op-ed had been lifted straight out of an academic paper on The Ox-Bow Incident.

Not all the post-election news was as embarrassing -- or not yet, at least. In November, Gallegos finally filed the long-delayed appeal of his office's sprawling fraud lawsuit against the Pacific Lumber Co., which had been tossed out of court a year and a half prior. The suit, along with Gallegos' generous medical marijuana policy, is the thing that first defined his tenure in the office, and gave him a reputation as a crusading people's prosecutor. Will the appeal bring back some of the magic?

PLAGIARISM Policies and Regulations

District Attorney Paul Gallegos, Law degree from the University of La Verne in 1991 ...

The University of La Verne
2 0 0 5 - 2 0 0 6 COURSE C ATA L O G
Pg 34

Policies and Regulations
Plagiarism – Plagiarism is prohibited conduct and subject to sanctions, which may include suspension or expulsion. Plagiarism is defined as representing, expressly or implicitly, the work of another to be one’s own. Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, using the words of another without proper attribution, paraphrasing the words of another without proper attribution or using the ideas of another without proper attribution. Lack of knowledge of what constitutes plagiarism shall not be a defense to a charge of plagiarism.

http://www.eurekareporter.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ArticleID=14776
WHOSE WORD WAS 'MY WORD'?
http://www.eurekareporter.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ArticleID=14776
A second Gallegos column raises questions about attribution
http://www.eurekareporter.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ArticleID=14840
District Attorney Paul Gallegos comments on attribution flap

http://www.eurekareporter.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ArticleID=14929
People insist on making connections that don't exist for personal gain
(Yes Jamie got the talking points and dutifully wrote a letter that sounds eerily like Joan Dunning's. This was obviously written BEFORE the plagiarism came to light. Wonder what Jamie has to say now?)

Who wrote Gallegos' apology?

The spin doctors are at work. In today's Times Standard, Gallegos apparently submitted a written apology for his plagiarized My Word. It is so markedly different (read coherent), you have to ask, WHO WROTE THAT FOR HIM?

Now this is ironic...

Winner of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest for High School Students:
Paul V, Gallegos Courage under Pressure
from www.jfklibrary.org

uhhhh, guys....

[PDF] Paul V. Gallegos: Courage Under Pressure
File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML
Thus, when Humboldt County District Attorney Paul V. Gallegos decided to ... and I voted for Paul Gallegos. Unfortunately, now we see what his true platform ...
Winning Essay

Given that the hero of the story Paul Gallegos is now shown to be ripping off Robert Kennedy's quotes...
ER - A second Gallegos column raises questions about attribution

RELATED STORIES:
THE OX-BOW INCIDENT by ROBERT LOUIS FELIX
a copy of THE OX-BOW INCIDENT in case the link goes down
TS - Paul Gallegos' My Word
ER - WHOSE WORD WAS 'MY WORD'?
ER - A second Gallegos column raises questions about attribution

Paul Gallegos is a Plagiarist?

It's tempting to say something flippant like "Plagiarism is not a victimless crime."

But there's just nothing funny about this.

When I posted Salzman's Plan for the Trust Fund, the idea was that their own words tell the story. You don't have to make up a conspiracy theory, which is what any criticism of Paul is said to be. The story is all there. In their own words. In their emailed communications, and quotes in articles in various publications. Lies and spin. Manipulating public opinion. I figured if people could see it for themselves, it might help them make an informed decision

Paul Gallegos lied to the Times Standard about the Trust Fund proposal, and about many other things. Sometimes, the lie is printed one day, and a few days later the different version of the truth is printed, and the reporter never questions the discrepancy. Because it is Paul.

Now, in the Times Standard's "My Word" op-ed forum, it is Gallegos' own words that do him in.
Or rather, his own choice to plagiarize the works of others that clearly demonstrate his dishonesty.

In the fullness of time, the full extent of the dishonesty, and the dishonest tactics that permeate Gallegos' tenure is being exposed, and will continue to be exposed.

He should resign.

RELATED STORIES:
THE OX-BOW INCIDENT by ROBERT LOUIS FELIX
a copy of THE OX-BOW INCIDENT in case the link goes down
TS - Paul Gallegos' My Word
ER - WHOSE WORD WAS 'MY WORD'?
ER - A second Gallegos column raises questions about attribution

Plagiarism?

Could this be why Paul Gallegos had to go to LaVerne - an unaccredited Law School? Plagiarism? It will not only get you an "F", it can get you kicked out of school. Sheer speculation on my part.

But it's not just the lifted phrases that are interesting here, it is Gallegos' instinctive, immediate, denial. It is part of his pattern. Deny, then admit, defend obliquely, then blame someone else. It shows up in the Pelican Bay incident, the Victim Witness debacle, and many more. If you are looking for the "tell" phase, the one that indicates an untruth is about to follow, try "certainly," "absolutely" and "at the end of the day."

I pity Richard Salzman, who now has to find a way to cover for Paul Gallegos yet again. He must be getting tired. But you can't blame this one on politics, there is no political campaign in play, and Gallegos did this to himself. You can't blame the Eureka Reporter, though the Orks will surely try, because that is the same as saying that everything that is critical of Paul must be censored. (Which did seem to be the theme of his plagiarized piece.)

ER - WHOSE WORD WAS 'MY WORD'?
by Heather Muller , 9/7/2006
http://www.eurekareporter.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?ArticleID=14767

Significant portions of a guest commentary submitted by Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos, and printed in the Saturday edition of the Times-Standard, appeared earlier in an academic paper written in 2000 about a World War II-era Western starring Henry Fonda.

Gallegos’ commentary appeared as a “My Word” guest column in the Times-Standard, under the title “Vigilantism a force of anarchy.” In it he argued that vigilantes put the rights of all people at risk by overriding the safeguards of due process — an argument legal scholar Robert Louis Felix made six years earlier in “The Ox-Bow Incident,” a paper written about a 1943 film by the same name.

“There’s certainly nothing earth-shattering about the thoughts,” said Felix, a professor emeritus of legal research at the University of South Carolina School of Law.

But it was not just the thoughts that Gallegos used. In at least 10 instances, complete sentences and parts of sentences from the 2000 paper — found on the Internet by using the Google search engine — appeared in Gallegos’ submission.

“There’s such a thing as fair use, which means that within certain limits work can be quoted for academic purposes. I’m saying quoted now, not lifted. I think clearly phrases are taken out of the article,” Felix said.

“If I knew that the article had been read and parts of it lifted without any intention to acknowledge or attribute it, I’d be offended.”

The movie, based on a 1940 novel by Walter van Tilburg Clark, tells the story of three innocent men who are lynched for a crime that didn’t occur.

“I couldn’t say if this is a crime or not, but in academic circles we call it plagiarism,” said Lee Bowker, Ph.D., emeritus dean of Humboldt State University’s College of Behavioral and Social Sciences.

Bowker had not seen the two articles and spoke only in general terms about a problem that is common on college campuses. “The taking of even a single line from another source without attribution is plagiarism. That’s the academic standard,” he said. “It’s an extremely serious offense. It’s so serious that presidents of universities have been fired for it. Faculty members have had their tenure revoked. A single instance proved against a faculty member can ruin that person’s career.”

“I would not accuse him of plagiarism,” Felix said, “but it’s difficult to imagine he wrote this particular (opinion) piece without some knowledge of the article.”

Reached by phone Wednesday afternoon, Gallegos initially said he was not specifically aware of the article Felix had written, but later said that he believed he had read it, adding that he had read a lot of articles about the “The Ox-Bow Incident.”

“It’s one of my favorite stories. ... As a prosecutor, I loved the story.”

When asked if he knew that swaths of his “My Word” commentary had previously appeared in Felix’s article, Gallegos responded, “No. I was not aware of that.”

“Obviously the question here is whether I intended to take direct quotes without attribution, and no, I didn’t intend that,” he said.

“Certainly when you’re getting ideas sometimes you write them back in a way that sounds very similar.”

But Gallegos maintained that he did not intend to represent Felix’s work as his own. “If I’ve done that, I certainly apologize to the professor.”

Felix said his paper had originally been presented at a 2000 meeting of the American Culture Association in New Orleans. A version of the article has been collected in “Screening Justice,” a book of essays about law and film.

Felix said he does not know who currently holds the copyright on the article.


Paul Gallegos

From “Vigilantism a force of anarchy”
Times-Standard (Sept. 2, 2006)

Vigilantism is a force of anarchy without much promise of justice.

Since absolute truth regarding guilt is not possible in all cases, some toleration of error is necessary.

… manages the risk of error in a way that is most favorable to the citizen.

If the accused is found guilty, the system has worked.

If the accused is found not guilty, the system remains intact …

Vigilantism is when all or most of the functions of the administration of justice are performed by one person or persons.

When the legal system is adhered to, the system demonstrates its commitment to … laws … .

… our legal processes have greater importance than getting the right results.

Today, I see a growing tendency for individuals or a group of individuals to disregard our established practice in the administration of justice: orderly progression within the limits of official power and rational decision making.

Robert Louis Felix

From “The Ox-Bow Incident”
Legal Studies Forum (2000)

Vigilantism is a force of anarchy without much promise of correction.

Since absolute truth regarding guilt is not possible in all cases, some toleration of error is necessary.

… manages the risk of error in a way that is most favorable to the accused.

If the accused is found guilty, the system has worked ...

If the accused is found not guilty, the system remains intact …

… vigilantism, in which all or most of the functions of administration are performed by the same persons …

When legal forms are adhered to, the system demonstrates its fidelity to law.

… adherence to legal forms needs more to commend it than getting the right results.

(T)he novel and the film provide narrative and dramatic illustrations of the evils caused by the deliberate or misguided failure to observe established practice in the administration of criminal justice: orderly progression within the limits of official power and rational decision making.

Copyright (C) 2005, The Eureka Reporter. All rights reserved.

RELATED STORIES:
THE OX-BOW INCIDENT by ROBERT LOUIS FELIX
a copy of THE OX-BOW INCIDENT in case the link goes down
TS - Paul Gallegos' My Word
ER - WHOSE WORD WAS 'MY WORD'?
ER - A second Gallegos column raises questions about attribution