By Scott Tibbs, March 31, 2016
This is an open letter to Herald-Times editor Bob Zaltsberg.
----- Original Message -----
From: Scott Tibbs <tibbs1973@yahoo.com>
To: "rzaltsberg@heraldt.com" <rzaltsberg@heraldt.com>
Sent: Thursday, March 24, 2016 6:40 PM
Subject: Stop publishing lies and smears about Seven Oaks!
Mr. Zaltsberg,
I am profoundly disappointed (yet sadly not at all surprised) that you choose to publish a shamefully dishonest smear against Seven Oaks Classical School. You once again violated the very standards you have claimed to uphold in your editorials about negative claims in letters.
As I said in my guest editorial last November, "there is not and has never been one single shred of evidence that Seven Oaks Classical School will teach creationism." Seven Oaks is not a religious school. Seven Oaks is a fully public school and is therefore bound by Indiana law. This has been well-documented on many occasions and there is not one single informed person who has any question about that. There are plenty of liars who claim otherwise, though.
Yet the letter writer, knowing full well the answers to his so-called "questions," asks if Seven Oaks will be teaching creationism in its science classes. Then the writer asks two more incredibly dishonest so-called "questions," asking if Seven Oaks will "be nudging students toward a theocratic vision of America" and if they will "be teaching biblical inerrancy and Christian triumphalism."
Once again, as both you and the letter writer know, Seven Oaks is a fully public school and is not allowed to teach creationism. Claims to the contrary are blatant, brazen, bold-faced lies - and you know it!
As both you and the letter writer know, Seven Oaks is a fully public school and is not allowed to teach students Christian theology. Claims to the contrary are blatant, brazen, bold-faced lies - and you know it!
The so-called "questions" in this letter are a defamatory smear against the school, the school's board and (eventually) the teachers. Those so-called "questions" are meant to smear and demean the children who eventually attend Seven Oaks as having an inferior education. These so-called "questions" are meant to falsely imply that the Seven Oaks board and teachers are fully prepared and intend to break the law.
These so-called "questions" are not and were never intended to be legitimate questions. Those so-called "questions" are meant to propagandize lies and fabrications about people dedicated to providing the best education they can provide, free of charge, to the children of Monroe County. It is utterly shameful that a so-called "newspaper" would publish these defamatory lies and fabrications while hypocritically pretending to "strive for accuracy."
If you have any journalistic integrity, you will apologize to the Seven Oaks board, teachers, students and the community at large for publishing these lies. You need to apologize to your readership for printing these lies and smears. Most importantly, you need to resolve to never print lies and smears like this in your so-called "newspaper" ever again.
