The "Sissy-La-La" Approach to Championing a Cause

The following is an open letter to “tribal nation dot com”:

Welcome back! (Whoever you are.)

It’s been a little more than a decade since your phantom website first appeared…right around the time a few books about the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe were published, gaining a lot of local attention. You were silent for many years between then and now, so I was a little surprised when you  randomly popped up out of obscurity last month with a brand new site targeting my tribe and “…exposing fraud waste and abuse at Foxwoods and on the Mashantucket Pequot Indian Reservation”.

Sure, I “get it”.  You have a desire for justice, equality and transparency in government and business…generally shining a light into darkness.  I understand what that’s like. You and I both know that people with all types of motivations, prejudices and moral values (or lack thereof) exist in every community – whether private, corporate, municipal, religious or tribal – and my reservation is certainly without exception.  It’s that constant “good vs. evil” conflict inherent within our human race that challenges all people worldwide.  Most of us don’t like it when something appears to have a negative impact on a lot of people.  Some of us feel compelled to approach the battleground, take a stand against injustice and try to right the wrongs by making some sort of positive difference.  So I can understand why you do what you do.  But there’s one issue I can’t ignore, and this is the reason why I write this letter.

You are putting a great deal of time and effort into posting so-called “inside information” about my tribe, but you are doing so anonymously.  Ironically, and despite your best efforts, your approach just might be working against you, rather than for you.  Allow me to explain.

By writing from behind your veil of secrecy without any hint of identity, you cannot be taken seriously as a credible source because there is no indication of either your professional background or your ability to access and reveal accurate information.  News reporters will not quote you or use your statements as credible and reliable sources…at least, not the ones who abide by standards of professional journalistic integrity.

As a real “insider” intrigued by what you’re doing who has read a lot of your stuff, I know some of what you’ve posted is not accurate, and other stuff passes for mere speculation at best.  As for the rest (outside of a few articles you’ve cited from actual news sources)… maybe it’s true and maybe it’s not.

But how will anyone really know for sure?

How are we supposed to know if you really know what you’re writing about?  Do you intend to back up your posts with citations, resources, or credible references?

I’ll  get straight to the point:

Until you develop the testicular or ovarian fortitude to own your “cause” by placing your actualidentity within the context of the rumor-saturated toxic swill you like to call “exposure”, you’re not only wasting your own time, but everyone else’s who reads your stuff.  Your effort is backfiring simply because you offer nothing more than the gossip-tinged rhetoric of a bitter individual who appears to have some kind of personal axe-grinding vendetta, veiled behind an ambiguous website.

And that, friend, is what makes you appear cowardly …not credible.

Want to prove me wrong?  Sure…go ahead.  Muster up the courage to identify yourself publicly, and let the chips fall where they may.

And good luck with that.

Sincerely,

Lori Potter