Letters to the Editor

Compiled and Edited by Jim Buckley

(This week we feature four letters from SBCurrent supporters and/or contributors, two from our editorial board whose experience of the first Spotlight Santa Barbara event activated their responses, both positive and negative. We always encourage readers to add comments to a column that had some impact. If you’d like to contribute your thoughts as a Letter to the Editor, please send separately to jim@sbcurrent.com. Don’t forget to include your full name and city! – Jim Buckley)

A Night of Balanced Dialogue

The inaugural Spotlight Santa Barbara event with political columnist Dan Walters was a resounding success, drawing a diverse crowd from both sides of the political spectrum. The evening showcased a thoughtful and respectful exchange of ideas, with attendees engaged in meaningful discussion on California’s political landscape.

What stood out was the lively atmosphere, where people from all backgrounds came together to listen, learn, and debate. The event was a reminder of the importance of civil discourse and the value of hearing different perspectives.

This successful kick-off sets a high bar for future events in the Spotlight series, promising continued opportunities for community engagement and dialogue. It was an enjoyable and enriching evening for all who attended.

Bonnie Donovan

Santa Barbara

In Praise of Spotlight’s Launch

I recently attended the inaugural event of Spotlight Santa Barbara with my friend Greg Gandrud, who moonlights as Treasurer of the California Republican Party. I enjoyed every minute—not just because Greg scored us prime seats, or because my gleaming bald head kindly obstructed former State Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson’s view.

In a town like Santa Barbara, where politics functions as both litmus test and social password, Brian Goebel and Jeff Giordano pulled off something genuinely rare: they gathered a politically diverse crowd under one roof. Their guest speaker, the veteran columnist Dan Walters—whom I first met back in the 1980s as a wide-eyed university student—delivered his trademark performance: straight down the middle.

If anything, I wished the Q&A had stretched on twice as long. What surprised me most was how refreshingly “right-thinking” (and decidedly un-woke) the room felt in a city that often seems to lean the other way. I’m already looking forward to Spotlight’s next gathering. I want to sit, listen, and dive into the battle of ideas—not stay huddled in one of Santa Barbara’s many suffocating ideological bubbles. Kudos to the founders and all the organizers for popping the cork on real conversation.

James Fenkner

Santa Barbara

“Conservatives” Need Not Apply

In reference to the Spotlight SB series’ inaugural speaker – political columnist Dan Walters –, I came away realizing this was not going to be a “conservative” speaker series. It may be “conservative” in contrast to the demented, deranged, unhinged product emanating from the California Democrat (Communist) Party, but Dan Walters, Brian Goebel and Bill Macfadyen are not “conservative” in an intellectually meaningful way; nor are they movement conservatives.

Much of what travels under the “conservative” umbrella in the U.S. isn’t conservative. It’s an obedience to classical liberalism, which has since the time of Edmund Burke been in philosophic and cultural conflict with organic conservatism.

The fundamental roots of America First is in opposition to much of classical liberalism, and when push comes to shove on hot-button issues that display this difference, classical liberals masquerading as “conservatives” will come down opposed to America First organic conservatism. This effectively puts them in league with modern liberals in the Democrat Party.

David Samuel McCalmont

Santa Barbara

(Editor’s note: I was out of town when Mr. Walters spoke so I can’t comment reasonably on the content of his speech. What I can say is that I did attend another co-called “conservative” speaker’s presentation at UCSB back in 2016 as Donald Trump was quickly becoming the Republican candidate. David Gergen, a putative Republican, spouted the same old “conventional wisdom” one could hear from virtually any Democrat, and offered the same assessment of Mr. Trump as The New York Times, Washington Post, and virtually the entire liberal establishment expressed. Gergen was a Never-Trumper and switched his voter registration to “Independent” after Trump’s victorious campaign. Democrats and many so-called independents love Republicans with “conservative” reputations who meekly lick the boots of their Democrat masters. I do believe Dan Walters is one of those kinds of guys, but I could be wrong. – J.B.)

Well Done, “Melania!”

The film may not be showing in France (as Calla Corner informed your readers in a recent “Notes From Abroad” column), but it was playing here in town, at the Hitchcock Theater. If you have any interest whatsoever, I strongly recommend seeing it. Lots has been written about the media’s broad refusal to cover anything Melania, and the public knows precious little about this smart, beautiful, and talented First Lady who deserves credit and attention for her dedication not only to her husband, our president, (whether you voted for him or not), to her family, but most especially to the country which allowed her and her parents the opportunities that are traditionally associated with America.

Melania talks about how proud she is and how hard she worked to become an American citizen. From Slovenia as a young teen to New York to become a model, to the White House as the First Lady of the land. If that’s not the American dream, what is?

Of course the reviews within the usual venues summarily dismiss the film as a slick propaganda tool for the Presidency. The same political scrutiny which prevails over our primary news outlets, televised or published, holds sway over this rich documentary which reveals some of the activities of our First Lady over 20 strategic days leading up to the second Inauguration of President Trump.

Is it well produced?

Yes.

Is it well scripted?

Absolutely. What good documentary is not?

Well, the joke’s on the nay-sayers. “Melania” earned $8 million its first week-end. The highest grossing documentary in 14 years.

If you want an inside look into the categories that Melania Trump and her team have chosen to reveal to the Americans who are eager to see more of who she is and how she operates, then this film will not disappoint. Watch as she handles geo-politics in English and in French during a meeting with Brigitte Macron as they discuss their joint efforts to help protect children from social media exploitation with the “Take it Down Project.”

Melania also allows us to see her deep loyalty and gratitude to her parents. We see that her mother died just a year before President Trump’s second term; how she honors her mother’s memory with a poignant visit to St Patrick’s Cathedral in NYC. Learn how Mrs. Trump credits her mother for her attention to style and detail. The film shows how she cares for and thoughtfully provides a place for her father now alone, within the White House.

Melania Trump also reveals a fierce loyalty to her son Barron’s right to become his own man, developing his talents, maintaining excellent manners, and knowing how to conduct himself with dignity both privately and publicly. We get just a glimpse into the relationship between the President and the First Lady, enough to see that mutual respect prevails. I enjoyed watching her contributing quip to his Inaugural Speech which made the cut. Whether contrived or not, who cares? Obviously Melania Trump is a smart, loyal, and dedicated First Lady, who provides plenty of wise and supportive “pillow talk” making them a true power couple in the best sense.

It’s interesting to revisit the Inauguration events, and see President and Mrs. Joe Biden standing next to President and Mrs. Donald Trump. Watching the facial expressions of Kamala Harris is telling – especially with the perspective of a passing year where we’ve seen the triumphs of this presidency, one after the other, from the takeout of the Iran nuclear facility to the securing of our borders, while working effectively within our own hemisphere to stop the flood of drugs into our country. All that proliferated or caused by the preceding administration. We who understand and appreciate the skill of this president, can only shudder at the thought that Harris might have been our president, and that nearly half the country voted for her.

But back to “Melania!” Go and see the film when and where you can, and hear what she says about herself, her family, and her country. It will be streaming soon, we know. Don’t miss it. Yes, it’s scripted. So is every speech of any prominent politician. Speech writers are paid to effectively convey the sentiments and beliefs and intentions of the speaker.

Even if you didn’t vote for Donald Trump for president, you will learn something valuable about our First Lady and of her great contribution to him and to our country. She is considered one of the hardest working first ladies ever. But she also knows how to have a good time. The film includes a great playlist of music from the Stones to Michael Jackson to Elvis Presley, and more. Her husband is not the only one in the family who can bust a move.

Melania Trump. When those iconic golden doors shut behind her at Trump Towers, we know we’re in for something powerful. It’s her story, told her way, and it delivers on every point.

Linda Wade Williams,

Santa Barbara

(Editor’s note: Thank you for your comprehensive review of our First Lady’s film. “Melania” has taken in a little over $14 million, so even though its first weekend was box office gold, it’s got a ways to go to make it a genuine “hit.” And, speaking of hits, even though audiences gave it a 98% approval, the “critics” were unrelentingly vicious towards the film. And of course, you’ll only read negative things about it in pretty much the rest of the media. Time will tell. – J.B.)

Community Calendar:

Got a Santa Barbara event for our community calendar? Fenkner@sbcurrent.com