Hosterman's critics miss their mark Hosterman's critics miss their mark (December 09, 2005)

by Jeb Bing

Do you remember Vietnam?

Several local veterans of that war loudly criticized Mayor Jennifer Hosterman at last Tuesday's City Council meeting for signing her name and title in a recent newspaper advertisement that called for ending the war in Iraq. Chuck Brooks of Montalvo Court said the anti-war ad reminded him of the spitting on uniformed soldiers by Vietnam War protestors at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, where he was a student. Shaking his finger at Hosterman, Brooks, whose son Spencer serves with the 82nd Airborne in Iraq, accused her of aiding and abetting the enemy.

To her credit -- and Hosterman must have the patience of Job -- she listened to each speaker, thanked them for their remarks, but refrained from arguing, saying that she will answer to the community at a later date. She acknowledged that her views of the war are different from theirs' and respectfully suggested that they should agree to disagree.

The public comments at the beginning of the four-hour council meeting started with realtor Chris Miller, who heads up the Pleasanton Military Families organization. A 33-year resident of Pleasanton, he said he was saddened to see the ad and read a story about it in the Pleasanton Weekly, which is sent free of charge to local troops serving in Iraq, the Gulf and Afghanistan. As with the others who spoke, Miller said that by identifying herself as "Mayor of Pleasanton" in the ad, it made it appear that she was representing the community's views. Doug Miller, of Paseo Santa Cruz, who was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam, talked about how he saw a similar ad signed by students at San Francisco State University that was left by retreating North Vietnamese soldiers for American GIs to read. He suggested that the newspaper advertisement that Hosterman signed, which appeared in several East Bay daily newspapers, is probably posted on walls by the terrorists in Iraq to help undermine the U.S. effort there. He called on Hosterman to apologize publicly and to refrain from using her mayor's title in similar ads in the future.

Brooks was the most hostile, turning his back on Hosterman and the council to address the 50 people attending the council meeting, including a Current Affairs class from Hart Middle School. With the city's Community of Character sign also at his backside, Brooks shouted at the audience, telling them that soldiers are dying in Iraq in a war that is like none other ever fought and more will die before it's over. Growing angrier as he talked, Brooks accused Hosterman of making anti-war statements while American troops are dying. This nastiness would still be continuing except for a five-minute time limit on speakers at the council meetings, with Brooks finally surrendering his microphone to someone concerned about too many BART stations in Pleasanton.

Even though Hosterman might oppose the reasons for the Iraq war and want a timetable for the troops to come home, as many Americans do, she is also active in supporting the military. She was chosen as the keynote speaker by local Post 6298 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars on at its Memorial Day ceremonies last May and again last month for its tribute to the military at the downtown Veterans Day parade. She recently "adopted" two members of Charlie Company, a medical troop stationed in Iraq, sending them letters, photos and packages regularly. We'll be interested in hearing her response to Tuesday night's diatribe.

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