Well, finally... the Daily Breeze printed the truth about council candidate Leelo Bush! After a deliberate political smearing on the front page of the February 12th issue, responses printed in the Letters To The Editor on February 19th .... tell as one noted comentator would say "...the rest of the story."
Not one person wrote to approve of the original story; instead several wrote in defense of Bush, including Leelo Bush, herself. What irks me is that power of the pen, whereby a newspaper can print such a biased story on the front page and relegate the truth to page 5A. Well, that's one local paper's view of fairness.
Below you will find three letters that appeared on February 19th.
Bush to be admired (Daily Breeze, 2/19/05)
I was shocked to see the Daily Breeze pandering political views on the front page of its Feb. 12 issue.
Whenever Christians run for public office, it seems they get scrutinized more than any other candidate and every attempt is made to discredit them. That said, I admire Leelo-Dianne Bush for her candidacy because it takes inner strength and undying convictions to sumit yourself and family to the likelihood of this type of attack.
Usually these attacks come from opponents; in this case, Valarie Harring, the executive editor of the Daily Breeze, should know better than to write and print an article of this nature.
If anyone should be ashamed, it should be this paper, for trying to humiliate Leelo-Dianne Bush, candidate for city council, on the front page, no less, for her religious education and beliefs.
Leelo has been in Cape Coral for a long time and she has worked hard to make our community better. We need to support her because she understands our issues, knows the answers and is willing to act on her convictions.
I am voting for Leelo-Dianne Bush, and pray that all those who support our right to faith, support her.
Elaine Kearns
Cape Coral
Candidate responds to story (Daily Breeze 2/19/05)
I am writing to clarify the details set forth in the article about me that appeared in the February 12 Daily Breeze. In all fairness, it is important that the good and decent people of Cape Coral are able to put this information into perspective.
It is essential for your readers to know that my post-graduate degrees and certification were no more than a by-product of my education, not the purpose of it. There are times when formal education is required for a profession. In this case it wasn’t. Many, if not most life coaches and Christian Counselors work from life experience and biblical knowledge. I just happened to go an extra mile, because I wanted more tools to help others.
Based on the article, should we believe that not having this certification and religious education was better than having it? If I didn’t have it, there would have been no story. But I would also be less equipped to help others.
Some years ago, Breeze executive editor Valarie Harring and publisher Jack Glarrow thought enough of me, my integrity and skills to hire me as a staff reporter for one of the Breeze publications. I left the Breeze voluntarily to pursue a different career path and later returned to publishing and became a competitor. I believe both Valarie and Jack know me better than to cast doubt on my credibility or character. So one might ask: were they having a slow news day?
I feel the headline of the story was misleading, because I am not promoting, nor have I ever mentioned my religious degrees publicly within the context of my candidacy until now, when I feel I must set the record straight.
I did not list the degrees because the entire purpose of my religious education is for my personal spiritual growth and to help others, not for any credentials. I am very grateful to the schools, because now I can make more of an impact on the lives of those who seek my assistance. I don’t understand why anyone would take issue with my desire to learn more to help others.
Due to cost and logistics issues with attending traditional institutions, non-traditional or internet learning has become a viable alternative. Hundreds if not thousands of options exist for students to get their education/degrees in this fashion.
My certification as a Total Life Coach, is offered at $2999 plus travel to Maui, Hawaii if the student opts to take the course on location. Online it was available for under $100. I chose to take this excellent program online.
The degrees from both Urban Harvest and Saint Luke are legitimate because they represent satisfactory completion of a course of studies. I have never claimed these degrees were comparable to any offered at secularly accredited institutions or any other. They are religious degrees and are honored in certain religious circles where I participate.
I cannot speak to Saint Luke’s degree criteria, because I have no control over their policies or any changes. I will say the work I did towards my PhD was far more in-depth and voluminous than what you see required on their website.
I was able to complete my masters in Christian Counseling (Summa Cum Laude) with Urban Harvest in record time, because I worked hard and dedicated all my time and energy to it.
The bible teaches us that as the Lord freely gave, we should also freely give. This is the philosophy of both of these religious schools. It is my philosophy also, as most of the work I do is pro bono or for a small donation.
These schools offer low cost education as a ministry, rather than for financial gain.
Although some have suggested the article appears to be a veiled attempt at Christian bashing, I sincerely want to believe they are wrong. My clarifications within this letter should put this matter to rest, unless the motives of others are less than honorable.
Fortunately the article has solidified my support and rallied my volunteers – and for that I am grateful.
If you have further questions, you may visit my website at http://www.bushforcouncil.com/ or phone me directly
at 239-540-4660.
Leelo-Dianne Bush
Candidate for Cape Coral City Council, District 1
Article was inappropriate (Daily Breeze 2/19/05)
Your Feb. 12 page one article regarding the credentials of Leelo Bush, candidate for city council, would have been more appropriate in the editorial or opinion section of your publication. It was obviously a political smearing of a candidate under the guise of news reporting.
Ms. Bush, to the best of my knowledge, lists only her BA degree from Ohio State University in her campaign literature and website. Her religious affiliations and awards are not on the agenda, nor should they be in this land that rightfully separates the state from the church. There is no attempt to deliberately mislead or deceive the electorate ala Mickey Rosado.
Degrees or certifications of accomplishment offered through the Internet by religious institutions are not unique in today's world. Many accredited colleges, including Edison and FGCU, do the same. Time frame for successful completion can vary, depending upon subject, course materials and designated projects assigned.
Obviously one would not wish to be a patient of an Internet only trained doctor, but what is the criteria for a layman offering reaffirming religious counseling. Please, in the future, respect your readership's intelligence and keep any similar opinionated articles on the op-ed pages!
Dick Schumann
Cape Coral
Early voting begins on Thursday and runs through Sunday this week. The primary results will be made public on the evening of election day, March 1st.
Now it is your turn to decide. Will you let one maverick journalist determine the future leadership of this city, or will the citizens be fairly and wisely represented?
The choice is yours!
Bear
