Opinion
By Dave Scott, 3-21-25
When I saw the Fernandina News Leader’s bold-faced front page “Second Coming” headline blaring: “Voters: Where’s Bean?” Wednesday, March 14, I realized I’d been duped.
Last Friday I penned a commentary here expressing my optimism that the bi-weekly print Fernandina News Leader was actually going to start practicing journalism under new publisher Todd Frantz. I was mistaken.
That commentary can be found at https://www.davescottblog.com/is-journalism-making-a-comeback-at-the-news-leader/ .
The screeching March 14 News Leader headline above the byline of Julia Roberts, the NL’s pathetic wannabe Brenda Starr, reveals that either Frantz hasn’t settled into the job or is going to continue publishing the same journalistic malpractice bilge as his predecessor.
The Roberts’ “Where’s Bean” screed served solely as a propogandist newsletter for local left-wing extremist gadfly Sheila Cocchi, who ironically rented the Joan Bean auditorium (named after Bean’s late mother) at the Atlantic Recreation Center falsely declaring her event an “Aaron Bean Town Hall.” It wasn’t…far from it. Congressman Bean had nothing to do with organizing it.
Cocchi says she personally paid for the session attended by what the News Leader claimed was “… more than 200 people.” I’m told by the Fernandina Parks and Recreation Department it costs $350 to rent the auditorium for four hours and $700 for eight hours.
Cocchi, who mysteriously left her position as former chair of the local Democratic Executive Committee, told me recently that she now works for herself, doing decorating. Apparently she’s doing well as she has ample time to spend organizing, promoting, and paying for events for fellow extremists.
Congressman Bean, the chairman of the bipartisan Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) Committee, wasn’t taken in by Cocchi, the Wylie Coyote of the local radical left-wing hereabouts.
Bean was in D.C. working during the current congressional session. Cocchi knew this and proceeded anyway. The News Leader played along and apparently has no qualms about being an accomplice and mouthpiece for the local lefty extremist and a small cadre of mindless fanatics, who appear psychotic in the causes they embrace.
An informed local resident, prominent national essayist, author, commentator, and pundit read my prematurely optimistic blog and reacted to the News Leader’s March 14 article bearing the “Where’s Bean” headline saying: “Dave, I’ve seen bizarre headlines in my day (probably wrote a few myself), but that one brings ideological delusion to a new level.
“We’re friends with Aaron and we used to dine out in restaurants,” he said. “Terrible experience. Voters approached him every three minutes, each of them with a bitch or a favor-seek, all of which he recorded and, I’m sure, handled promptly. After a few such outings, we recently took him (and Abby) to a private club. Half the membership seemed to know him and chose to drop by the table to share their views.
Aaron may be criticized, I’m sure, for multiple humanly shortcomings – who among us couldn’t be? — but slipshod constituent service ain’t one of them. The man is open for voter business 24/7.
“I’m reserving judgment on the new-and-improved NL.”
My wife, Linda, who works out at the local YMCA, shares our friend’s reflections and tells me she sees Bean at the Y’s gym frequently being approached by locals peppering him with questions or comments. She says he’s always “obliging and polite” adding, “I’m sure the interruptions don’t contribute much to his workout sessions.”
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“Shut Up & Listen”, They Explained: As reported by the News Leader’s Ms. Roberts those attending the alleged “Town Hall” claimed a moral superiority to every aspect of human existence and throw spittle-flecked tantrums when they’re denied the righteousness they feel they’re owed.
Based on the News Leader article this angry crowd of local losers is not a group to cozy up to. If they were attempting to make a statement or gain credibility they blew it with their program of radicalized fury, dishonesty, hysteria, and the venomous attitudes that anyone disagreeing with them must be silenced, vilified, punished, and destroyed.
The paper reported that attendees resorted to profanity and obscene hand gestures directed toward first-year Republican Congressman Bean and President Trump.
The News Leader reported that an attendee it identified in print said of Representative Bean: “He is a mindless toady for the president. Aaron Bean is a bad guy, a villain, a creep. He is in lock step with Trump and the unelected shadow president.”
The paper reported that this guy punctuated his tirade by extending his middle fingers toward the cameras that were recording the event.
But wait! The Wednesday, March 19 issue of the News Leader printed a top-of-the-front page, two-inch item, boldly headlined: “CORRECTON” saying: “In the March 14 edition of the News-Leader, Richard Billings was incorrectly identified and quoted at a town hall event as the person who spoke and gestured inappropriately. The News-Leader apologies for any inconvenience the mistake caused.”
OK, so if it wasn’t Mr. Billings that uttered the choleric comment, who was it? And why did Ms. Roberts identify the person as Billings? Does she know who said it or did she make it up? And if it was Mr. Billings and the quote was inaccurate, what did she get wrong? What was the accurate quote? The paper reported that the session was being recorded so it should be easy to explain shouldn’t it? This story just gets stranger and stranger. Mr. Billings and or Ms. Roberts are invited to clarify any confusion here.
The paper also reported that Les Andretta, who said he is a retired cop and a Vietnam War veteran, shouted: “I don’t care how much you say you support veterans it is a total lie.” He went on to say President Trump supported “cop killers” and asked if Bean supported “cop killers and the overthrow of the U.S. government.” Future issues of the paper haven’t said if Mr. Andretta’s quotes were accurate or if he is an actual person.
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“Free Money! And We Deliver!” One of the nuttiest testimonials Roberts related from that exceptionally screwball crowd was by Nicole Kresse, whom she identified as a “former” USAID employee.
Ms. Kresse bemoaned the fact that she no longer has a job giving away millions of tax-payer dollars to non-U.S. citizens in foreign countries. Based on her emotional screed reported by the NL her philosophy is: ”Why wait until they cross the border illegally to hand them your cash? Give ‘em some ‘walking-around money’ now.”
She said she works for something called Chemonics International, a private company that sells its services to the U.S. These services appear to be doling out U.S. taxpayer cash in foreign countries. Giving away our tax money appears to be a lucrative profession as she claims: “We have lost 90 percent of our business. The government owes us $180 million, and we still have not been paid.”
Ms. Kresse said American largesse is required because: “…it reduces maternal and prenatal mortality. It stops pandemics. It creates stable neighbors and economies and markets for us.” I’ve never read about any of these alleged programs, even in the New York Times, Associated Press, or any other left-leaning outlet.
She provided no solid evidence of any of these purported “successes” but openly sobbed that she’s losing her job at a private company that gives away U.S. taxpayer dollars to provide social services to non-citizen residents of foreign countries. What the….?
The USAID’s own inspector general reported and other U.S. government groups have also reported problems with Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) saying that $122 million had recently gone to groups aligned with designated terrorists and their supporters. “I cannot stress enough how wildly untrustworthy federal spending records are,” said Sam Westrop, the director of Middle East Forum’s Islamic Watch program. It’s been reported by many others that billions of dollars are being wasted.
Cocchi’s first cousin and former Fernandina Mayor Robin Lentz also spoke out against Bean.
This crowd of whiney social justice warriors and profane virtue signalers engaged in mindless debate with no one. Based on the News Leader story it was blatantly obvious these folks never think through any of the subjects they rant about and only spout what they’ve heard from others or read in talking points they’ve been provided.
If one of new Publisher Krantz’s assignments is to increase the News Leader’s circulation and advertising base he might want to look at the voter registration numbers for Nassau County. There are 78,926 registered voters in Nassau County, 47,703 Republicans, 13,518 Democrats, 14,985 No Party Affiliation and 1,805 minor parties.
With rumors of a new startup print newspaper circulating and the successful print and online Yule, Callahan and Hilliard newspapers already cranking out balanced stories, it’ll be interesting to see what changes Krantz will make, if any, to compete. He is also contending with the conservative online Citizen Journal, https://www.citizensjournal.net/ . So far he’s not off to a very good start.
The online myopic Fernandina Observer is of no consequence and appeals only to folks such as the rabid Cocchi screechers.
I’d think the News Leader owners headquartered in Athens, Georgia are anxious to see how Krantz intends to fix this journalistic train wreck. “Second Coming” headlines and hollow articles consistently attacking Nassau County’s majority Republicans aren’t the answer.
At this point in his brief tenure new Publisher Frantz probably realizes that he desperately needs an editor and capable reporters.
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Goofy Governors: A bizarre video of goofy Minnesota Governor and failed VP candidate Tim Walz has been making the rounds showing the Elmer Fudd look-a-like delighting in the destruction of Tesla electric vehicles and charging stations and declines in Tesla stock. Why would an American politician applaud the intentional destruction of a U.S. company, citizen’s cars, and the declining value of a company’s stock that’s owned by his state’s pension fund. There is something very, very wrong inside this goofball’s head.
During a recent episode of Gutfeld on FOX News a laugh-out-loud video was shown of California’s Democrat Governor Gavin Newsome being interviewed by Steve Bannon. Newsome’s weird hand gestures were extraordinarily bizarre and made no sense. He kept slapping his hands together in strange ways and waving them around like he was swatting flies.
Tyrus, a Gutfeld regular, commented that it looked like Newsome was negotiating fees with a deaf prostitute, explaining that the slapping gestures indicated a certain type of act, and he was waving his hands because he didn’t like the prices she quoted. Click HERE to watch the video.
The late newspaperman H.L. Mencken, celebrated for his humor and biting wit, could have been describing today’s Democrat party as he portrayed Democrat President Franklin Roosevelt’s policies in 1933 saying: “The new Deal has only one new and genuinely novel idea: whatever A earns belong to B. A is any honest and industrious man or woman. B is any drone or jackass.”
The views expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of Citizens Journal Florida.
