How Dornan Town Hall Meeting Was Disrupted

Nowhere in your stories about Congressman Robert Dornan’s recent town hall meeting was it mentioned that the first 1 1/2 hours was peaceful and informative during which time an agent of the Drug Enforcement Administration spoke about the terrible drug trafficking problems in Southern California. Instead The Times chose to make it appear that the town meeting was a political brawl from start to finish.

After the 1 1/2-hour mark, Congressman Dornan’s election opponent leaped from his chair, without so much as a courteous self-introduction, interrupted Congressman Dornan in mid-sentence and began shouting at him about a House vote on Bolivia (of course, our opponent had it all wrong). Then our opponent’s wife jumped up and started hollering at Congressman Dornan (she has since apologized in writing, genuinely we believe, for her self-described “outburst”). You didn’t report any of that either.

Well those two rude and planned outbursts got the 10 or so homosexuals all excited so they jumped up and started squawking at Congressman Dornan. It was in the midst of this pandemonium that Mrs. Dornan, and others in the auditorium, stood up to defend the congressman. At this point the screaming troublemakers had succeeded in what they had intended--disrupting Congressman Dornan’s town hall meeting.

What your reporters also chose not to report was that, the homosexual ringleader, Jeff LeTourneau, had promised to me beforehand that he and his homosexual friends would not disrupt the meeting. We went along with that promise even though they had been disruptive at our last town hall meeting. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Congressman Dornan is one of the diminishing minority of congressmen who even hold open town hall meetings. He restricts no one and no questions. However, it has clearly become the intent of the organized homosexual movement in Orange County to purposely, repeatedly and selfishly disrupt these Dornan town hall meetings in a misguided attempt to promote their dead-end life style. In the process, these homosexual activists have destroyed the usefulness of town hall meetings and do freedom of speech a grave injustice.

Congressman Dornan is the only member of Congress to have visited the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control, Pan American Health Organization and World Health Organization to be briefed by the world’s leading experts on this medical crisis. He co-sponsored legislation to cut the red tape to speed Medicare assistance to AIDS victims and supports federal subsidization of the AIDS retardant drug, AZT. Congressman Dornan has also sponsored legislation to create federal grant programs to assist states in educating citizens about AIDS and supports increased federal funding for AIDS research. And when his lawsuit challenging the congressional pay raise is decided by the U.S. Supreme Court he will then donate a portion of that $12,000 raise he turned down to AIDS victims here in Orange County.

Congressman Dornan supports the confidential reporting of individuals afflicted with AIDS to health officials in Sacramento. However, he strongly opposes public disclosure of names and would prosecute civilly and c riminally anyone who violates that trust.

BRIAN O’LEARY BENNETT

Chief of staff to

Congressman Robert K. Dornan

Washington, D.C.