By Mark David Blum, Esq.

(An open letter to the People of the City of Oswego about the owner of the website, oswegonylion.com).

Dear Ed:

This morning, on your website, I note you posted a personal editorial regarding Robert Farrell and myself. Also on your website were at least one alleged letter from someone who made some very disgusting accusations.

Let us be clear for the record: Mr. Harrington, you are a big fat liar and you know it.

First of all, with regards to me: You lied when you claimed that, “Blum appears to be Syracuse's answer to Howard Olinsky. This is not the first time he has threatened me and I doubt it will be the last.” Never once in the history of mankind have I threatened you. Not once; and you are challenged to come forth with evidence to the contrary. Silence on this will signal to me and everybody your confession.

The record is very clear that I used the reach and power of my own website to stand up for you and defend you. I can even recall at least two telephone calls you between you and me where you sought my assistance in defending YOUR first amendment rights in reporting ‘news’ (if you call what you do news reporting) from City Council meetings. The rest of the world was brought into those discussions when I gave up my own bandwidth to post an Op/Ed DEFENDING your lying ass. Remember this?

Second of all, I am absolutely appalled and disgusted in how you have obsessed in your drive to manufacture public outrage against Mr. Farrell. Let us be clear: You are the one who mysteriously came upon Mr. Farrell’s resignation letter and published that on your website; along with a plethora of other allegations against him. How you got your hands on this confidential and private government document raises one set of questions. Your motives for having published it raise another.

Politically, it is common knowledge where you stand. From your narcissistic perspective, everybody is guilty of something. Your slash and burn attitude toward real human beings with real lives and real families is nothing of which you can be proud. Your cowardice and lies are the sole platform upon which you have built your holy crusade. Mr. Farrell was one of those you crushed in your personal vendetta against the former Mayors.

You can rest assured that I am working diligently to learn the identity of the source who gave you those documents. If I should not succeed and should there be a trial, I will have to turn to you for the evidence. Trust me, you do not want that. Neither do I. Just as you, I own a website and take pride in my production and in my freedom to publish unhindered. I have serious concerns about bringing a website owner into a courtroom and demand that he offer his sources. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals just ruled that a website owner is akin to a reporter for shield and protection purposes. I am not quite convinced that the Court of Appeals would side with you or me over the rights of a Defendant in a criminal case. If push comes to shove, beating you on this issue would mean beating myself as well. There are times however, when my professional duty outweighs my personal desires. Exposing you as a fraud and a huckster is a bonus.

Third, your junior high school tactic of publishing a note that says “we are sorry for saying so-and-so is a such-and-such and we should not have said that so-and-so was a such-and-such” does not give you cover. You published a letter that flat out said Mr. Farrell was a “pedophile”. I asked you to remove that letter. Since you previously complied with requests from Oswego Police to edit your website on Mr. Farrell’s case, I thought you might be as respectful toward me.

But the ultimate insult came today. You published a letter you claim from someone who gayishly referenced themselves as being “A Rose is a Rose”. Since you have lied about everything else, I am not convinced that you yourself are not writing these supposed letters. Unlike my website where I sign my name to everything I write, my audience has their own forum in which they can post their own opinions and if called upon, I can prove up each author. I doubt you can make the same claim since only you can post to your site.

In that letter, there are two false lying claims. The District Attorney, the police, the Court, the Grand Jury, and I am telling you that Mr. Farrell has not ever been accused of sending emails to young girls. Also, the District Attorney, the police, the Court, the Grand Jury, and I am telling you that Mr. Farrell has not ever been accused of sending a picture of a “tool” to anyone. You or anyone who claims to have evidence to the contrary is an ugly liar. The author’s interest in tools is interesting and clearly at home on your site.

Then, you, in red lettering insist on adding yet another lie about Mr. Farrell. Specifically, you write that I am covering for Mr. Farrell’s statements to police. Again as before, the District Attorney, the police, the Court, and the Grand Jury will verify Mr. Farrell has NEVER admitted in any statement to police any knowledge of any statements he supposedly made to young girls. It is true he was shown pages that claim to show the girl’s ages and he believed the police and said he was sorry. But at no time did he ever admit knowing he had done so. Anybody who says to the contrary is a liar.

So Mister Harrington, when I asked you to remove that allegation from your website, you certainly had the choice to do so. After all, the words were not yours but supposedly from a reader. Selectively editing readers mail one hand (which you did) but then re-editing it again to make the statements worse shows a malicious mind.

When I wrote you asking for the name of your attorney, I did so because the law prevents me from talking directly to an opposing party. In asking, I was behaving properly and doing what is expected of me professionally. If I was behaving in my own personal capacity, this would be traveling an entire different path.

Now that you have taken the matter public, all I can say is …

Welcome to the big leagues, punk.