STEVE SMITH -- What’s Up

What do Costa Mesa Councilman Chris Steel and Dennis Rodman have in

common?

Rodman stole a page out of Steel’s legal defense playbook when he

appeared at a recent Newport Beach City Council meeting to ask what was

so unreasonable about noise.

Actually, it’s a fair question. Noise surrounds us, whether it’s from

trash trucks, screaming crows or loud jets. The only thing unreasonable

about noise is unreasonable noise. We expect a brief, weekly wake-up call

from the trash truck, and we expect to hear crows caw and jets screech.

What we don’t expect is repeated bacchanals at our neighbor’s house.

Costa Mesa’s separatists, those who tried to divide the city with

false claims of “abnormally high” crime, suggest that, like Rodman’s

reasonable noise, Steel’s alleged winking at a couple of bad signatures

on his election petitions amounts to nothing more than a little extra

noise at a party -- no big deal. Some have floated the rumor that Steel

is being prosecuted because his case is -- pardon me -- a slam dunk for

the district attorney’s office. Shades of Rodman.

Here’s the problem. According to the laws of the land, when you’re

suspected of breaking the law, you must go to court. The law does not

state that you should not be prosecuted because you have a different idea

of how the law should be upheld or that you shouldn’t be prosecuted

because you’re an easy mark or because you did not mean to break the law.

It is this arrogance of both men that is most appalling. Somehow

they’ve gotten it into their heads that the laws apply to everyone but

them and that if they are being prosecuted, it cannot possibly be because

they’ve done anything wrong, it can only be because either the law is

flawed or they are being persecuted.

In the cases of both men, they’ve had more than enough experience with

the respective laws to know better. Rodman has had 50-odd police

encounters, and Steel has had 10 campaigns for office. But we’re supposed

to believe from both men that after all this time and experience, they

still don’t understand or agree with the law. This surprise and alarm act

is old, fellas, really old.

The similarities end there. While their arrogance and childish

behavior is identical, Rodman is not a public servant. He was not elected

by the people to live and party in Newport Beach and holds no public

trust. Steel, on the other hand, is rightfully being held to a higher

standard.

Both Rodman and Steel have an opportunity to show children what real

men do in moral, ethical or legal dilemmas. And if both men could stop

whining about their phony victimization arguments for even a few minutes,

the thought of becoming a real hero to kids -- not one who achieves the

status because he can pull a basketball off of a backboard -- might

appeal to them.

I’ve even written the speech:

“Boys and girls, it is the duty of every adult to set a proper example

for the children around them, regardless of whether those children are

their own. By teaching children how to behave in difficult situations, we

make the world better place.

“What I did was wrong, and I am sorry. And because it is important to

me that you understand that actions such as mine have consequences, I am

resigning from the City Council (or, in Rodman’s case, he’s donating his

stereo to the Salvation Army). I have determined that this is the best

example I can set for you.”

Both men have the opportunity to achieve a level of honor almost

unheard of today. In an era when children witness the president of the

United States lying without shame and when convicted criminals and wanted

fugitives can buy their freedom through White House connections, it would

be a most refreshing speech.

Sadly, we’ll never hear it. We won’t hear it because these two people,

while they appear to be mature adults, still have a lot of growing up to

do. They still need to learn to accept responsibility for their actions

with no strings attached.

It’s no wonder why politicians are so distrusted and why so many

children have become so cynical about life. At a young age, we teach them

all the good stuff about right and wrong and actions and consequences.

Then they grow up to learn that there is an entirely different set of

rules if you know how to manipulate the system or public opinion.

These two self-centered men need to understand that these cases are

not about them, they are about the rule of law, and they must abide by

it. Is that so unreasonable?

* STEVE SMITH is a Costa Mesa resident and freelance writer. Readers

may leave a message for him on the Daily Pilot hotline at (949) 642-6086.