GRIZ BEAR COMMENTS Yes, I was hoodwinked

— It appears I’ve been hoodwinked - an interesting word dating back to the middle 16th century which appears to be related to a phrase about having the wool pulled over one’s eyes. You see, when folks wore long woolen garments with hoods, it was possible to fool another person by pulling that woolen hood down over their eyes and temporarily blinding them - at least until the deceitful deed was done.

I often wear a woolen hat, but I don’t think it could be pulled down far enough over my fat head to cover my eyes. Yet, because I was busy trying to get a paper out and didn’t think I had any reason to fear the work of a pseudonymous author, I trusted the submitter.

My hood-winking experience came about when I published a letter subscribed to by a Mr. William Otis. The e-mail address made me suspicious, butwhen I called the local cell phone number and a real person answered my phone call and alleged he was indeed that Mr. Otis and had written and submitted a letter to the editor, I printed the letter even though Mr. Otis seemed to me to be less than informed on the facts - after all, we give people the right to voice their opinions even if their views are not fully substantiated by all the facts of the case.

When question was raised in regard to the true identity of the letter’s author, I didn’t give up my sources but drove to the address on the letter and found a closed business building with a chained fence around it. A second phone call to the submitter’s phone brought no response.

Though hoodwinked, I was able to lift the wool from my eyes and find the owner of the cell phone with just a few clicks of the mouse - I used to track down fugitives for warrant service, so this was easy even though I didn’t have access to state and federal records like I once did when in law enforcement and was too cheap to pay for information.

No, I won’t give up the real name of the alleged Mr. Otis. He apparently had concerns to voice and no way to do so because of his position. I won’t even pursue the possibility of accomplices. I just wish he had told me of his concerns. Though not the norm, under certain circumstances I may be able to withhold a writer’s name. Hoodwinking a newspaper editor and lying about one’s identity tends to destroy trust - to say nothing about the old saying that the pen is sharper than the sword.

I must admit that when I was in law enforcement I wrote a humorous column under a pseudonym - Griz Bear - and the name stuck even though only the local newspaper staff knew Griz Bear’s true identity at the time. Writing the column was, to be honest with you, a break from writing police reports about such stuff as child abuse, domestic violence, sex crimes and some pretty terrible accidents.

I did, however, also write some articles and letters regarding issues which related to the local government and the department in which I served. To those articles, I always signed my real name even if there were a few who did not appreciate my thoughts and observations.

I suppose all I need now to close this case is a full confession. I know you have the right to remain silent, but if you confess, I won’t use it against you.

Randy Moll is the managing editor of the Westside Eagle Observer. He may be reached by e-mail at rmoll@nwaonline .com.

Opinion, Pages 6 on 02/02/2011