Blasting Off? We Shudder

Teapots: All shapes and sizes, including hysteria.

Assuming Pam Malumphy holds her promise to blast off from THE PLANET for good —which we hope is not the case since it is rarely good form to storm off with the football because the game didn’t go your way — we shall probably be done with the non-story she created by refusing to respond to a simple request for comment on our recent “Teapot in a Tempest” story.

“Teapotgate” began when we received a post from someone with direct access to Pam’s inner circle, saying she had filed a lawsuit against Mayor Jimmy Ruberto and OCD director Deanna Ruffer.

That, if true, all agree, would qualify as news. True to our long-established policy of checking out tips, we immediately contacted all three — Ruberto, Ruffer, and Malumphy — simultaneously, by e-mail. Due to an innocent computer mistake on this end, Pam didn’t receive the e-mail. She found out about the story, however, the same day by reading this post.

At that point, one would expect a public figure such as Pam Malumphy to take the opportunity to clarify the claim, regardless of how she found out about it. She did not do that. Instead, wrongly assumed she was deliberately left off the routing of THE PLANET’s original e-mail. She then sent a storm of ranting e-mails to us, accusing us of the most nefarious behavior. Her response was emotional and angry in a way that bore almost no proportionate relationship to the stimulus.

Anger, my dear, makes for a bitter brew. Sweeten according to taste.

Malumphy herself, in an e-mail to this website, admitted she didn’t not answer our inquiry out of sheer anger. She got upset additionally when we described her hot-headed reaction, saying it didn’t serve her personal cause well or help women in general, who too often are unfairly accused of reacting to questions of policy and politics in less than measured, rational ways — or in precisely the same way Malumphy answered our request.

THE PLANET ultimately learned that the informant was writing about a charge against the mayor et al Malumphy filed with the ethics commission, not a lawsuit. Pam could have simply told us this on Day 1. She did not do that, thus not only perpetuating but creating the non-story “story.” She had created a Teapot in a Tempest.

On a personal level, THE PLANET took no satisfaction in seeing Malumphy self-implode in this way. She has lost her last three elections and her state position as a regional economic director, for which she blames the mayor. With her unfortunate behavior here, she has become non-electable at least for this lifetime, which is quite an achievement: a staunch Democrat with name recognition who has no chance in this overwhelmingly Democratic territory.

Yesterday, Malumphy sent an e-mail to THE PLANET:

One last note and then I [sic] buckling up, signing off eternally and blasting far, far away from Planet Valenti.  Mr. Valenti apologized to me in our emails for all of the misunderstandings and also clearly stated that he would delete references to ‘blind hatred’ knowing that I don’t blindly hate anyone and to say so only diminishes and devalues what many of us have been trying to say: we simply want honorable leadership in this city. Period. But then again, almost every statement above is somehow diminishing and devaluing…what woman doesn’t enjoy being referred to as ‘hysterical.’  However, as I look above, the reference to ‘blind hatred’ remains.  So much for keeping one’s word, Mr. Valenti.  At the same time you sent the email clearly telling me you would make this edit, you were simultaneously responding to writers commenting on this story as if a story exists.  And you wonder why people, including me, no longer trust you, your sources, or your storytelling.

THE PLANET's special brew: Truth, steeped in the water of integrity.

NOTES FOR ALL TO READ

(1) I did apologize for the misunderstandings, which were inadvertent and innocent.

(2) I have removed the phrase “blind hatred” as I said I would. She apparently hasn’t gone to the updated story and thus makes another rash accusation.

(3) I share her desire for honorable leadership at all levels of government.

(4) My coverage of “Teapot” was hard hitting but fair. My references to “hysterical female” were done to stand up for all women who get unfairly accused of this tired stereotype because of reactions like Pam’s, of not responding to a simple question but instead sending a series of angry e-mails that avoided the question. She acted this way and then blamed THE PLANET for pointing it out. As the Robot used to say on “Lost in Space,” that does not compute.

(5) Pam says she doesn’t understand why I respond to people who take the time to respond to the story, as if, somehow, we should all pretend the story SHE CREATED never happened. THE PLANET cannot and will not treat our readers and especially correspondents in such cavalier and inconsiderate fashion.

(6) I never wonder what people think about my journalistic methods. Such thinking is not productive.

Finally, what Pam doesn’t tell you is my attempts to patch this up. I will not violate a trust and share her prickly e-mails to me, but I can share something I wrote to her:

That was sent yesterday. I have also offered to meet with her and talk this out. She has refused. At some point, when a person won’t accept your attempts at reconciliation, you have to walk away and kiss it off. And so, my dear Pam, as you blast away from THE PLANET, we wish you Aloha on the steel guitar, baby. Have fun. Don’t hold onto this or anything of the sort. Life’s too short.

The Stooley is White Hot

VICK: Tackled by an aggressive defender but otherwise unstoppable versus the Skins.

Not to belabor the genius of our resident Wise Guy, but The Stooley has been unconscious with his Nostradamus-ing. He called for the Eagles to pummel the Redskins last night, even though the Skins were at home, and even though they had just announced a $78 million extension for their QB as a means to fire him up to play a great game.

Donovan McNabb did not play well, but Philly QB Michael Vick did. Vick passed for 4 TDs and ran for a couple more in a 59-28 thrashing. The Stooley put money in the pockets again!

We shall, based on the popularity of this feature, continue The Stooley’s NFL postings. We might even share some of his views on local happenings, since he “gets around” and seems to know everyone.