Another (Re) View of Jay Taber’s Book, “Blind Spots”

Jean Freestone lives in Bellingham.

iUniverse Inc. (www.iuniverse.com), 2003
127 pp., softbound, $13.95
ISBN 0-595-28092-7

What someone says about other people often reveals more about themselves than the people they speak against. Jay Taber’s book, “Blind Spots,” reviewed by Tom Pratum in last month’s Whatcom Watch (page 5), is a diatribe against all those Taber viewed as enemies during his activist years in Bellingham.

Taber’s list of friends is short, while his list of enemies rivals Richard Nixon’s. Like those on Nixon’s “Enemies List,” many of those named in Taber’s book would consider it a badge of honor. But I found it disturbing to read my name in Pratum’s review as one of those attacked in Taber’s book.

I ordered and read the book, which I found to be full of hate speech, blame and name-calling. If you substitute the BIA (Building Industry Association) for Jews, and CLUE (Coalition for Land Use Education) for gypsies, you would have “Mein Kamph.” If you substituted those organization names for Communists and Running Dogs, you would have the McCarthy Hearings. Conspiracy theories all have a similar fill-in-the-blank, “six degrees of Kevin Bacon” pattern to them.

Taber’s vituperation is not confined to those he labels as conservatives; he loathes liberals as well. He attacks their support of individual rights, free speech and open debate as foolishly giving voice to the enemy. He writes “I don’t know which vexed me more—fascists or liberals. They both drove me to drink. Sometimes I think liberals are just too stupid to live. At least they’ll be the first ones loaded on boxcars.” (p. 54) He explains later in the book that the title “blind spots” refers to both conservatives on the right and liberals on the left.

The book, like Taber himself, lacks logic and consistency. While he loathes capitalism, he brags that he used credit card debt to support his political activities and his love of purebred horses and dogs, which led him to live far beyond his means until forced into bankruptcy. Usually unemployed, he acknowledges living off his life partner who always worked a steady job with benefits.

My recollection of Jay Taber was that of a smiling, friendly curly headed teddy bear of a man. I was always surprised by the nastiness of his verbal tirades before the Whatcom County Council. Likewise, I found the violent language of this book discomforting. Regarding being criticized by an Audubon Society member for the coarseness of his language while commenting to the press, Taber writes:

I needed Audubon but I was in no mood for their whining. They didn’t like my style—so what. I was getting fed up with spineless liberals like the woman who said at a Democratic Party forum, “It’s not like it’s us versus them,” referring to Richards and his thugs. “Speak for yourself,” I said. “These delinquents need their asses kicked. I’m up for it—I don’t care what you think.” I was now perpetually irritated by liberal cowards, outraged at two-faced politicians, and indignant toward the CLUEstone leaders. Someone once said God gave the Irish whiskey so they wouldn’t rule the world. I’m only half Celtic; for me it was beer. I restrained my violent feelings towards the hoodlums, but I also envisioned circumstances under which I’d have no qualms in doing them physical harm. (p. 66)

Even more disturbing to me was Taber’s reckless, libelous accusations of corruption and criminal activity by people he names. Females, like me, he merely holds up to ridicule. As to men, the more effective he perceived them, the more vicious the name calling and bizarre the accusations he heaps upon them. It is a book that no mainstream publisher would accept, as publishers are sensitive to their liability for defamation.

“Blind Spots” is a vanity press publication. A vanity press is a publisher that the author pays to publish his or her book. Usually the author pays for a certain number of copies, then passes them out among friends, or sells them himself. Local histories, family histories, small books of poetry and art are often published by vanity presses. Editing and copy-editing is a do-it-yourself matter, with the “publisher” merely printing and binding.

The publisher of “Blind Spots,” iUniverse, Inc., is a print-on-demand operation. When an author signs on with them, the author signs a hold harmless agreement, promising to assume any liability for defamation, copyright infringement, or any other legal matters that may come up.

Since Taber’s father was a lawyer, I have to wonder why he would expose himself to potential lawsuits. But, again, applying logic doesn’t work here. I was always amazed at the sheer volume of litigation that Taber and Sherilyn Wells initiated. It is relatively easy and cheap to file an administrative challenge where you can represent yourself or an organization. However, if the decision is appealed to a real court, the costs can become astronomical, not only in money, but also time and stress.

I was drawn into their whirlwind when they filed appeals to the Growth Management Hearings Board. They challenged (among other things) Whatcom County’s urban growth boundaries, one of which included my five acres with rail frontage located in Custer. A dozen lawyers became involved as it progressed through various legal proceedings. If we had not represented ourselves, the attorney fees for our little part would have far surpassed our equity, but it increased our costs of time and stress.

Taber describes his exhaustion through their many legal battles. A good part of his bitterness came from trying to raise money to pay for litigation they entered that went far out of their control. Even the most diehard patrons are loath to donate when every cent disappears into an attorney’s pocket. Soon Wells and Taber had to watch most of their early victories end up being overturned in various court proceedings and appeals.

Since I had a seat on the other side of their legal battles, the book did provide me with an inside look at the machinations of Wells and Taber in their various organizational guises. I couldn’t figure out why all these environmental “groups” were involved, but usually it was only Wells and Taber who showed up.

The book tells how some county employees helped them outside of channels, and how they incorporated several private nonprofits using the same small group of people to appear to be much larger and better supported, especially after they alienated the Democratic party, the Bullitt foundation, and mainstream private nonprofits who at first supported them.

Since leaving Bellingham in 1999, Taber’s fortunes apparently have improved, as he reports in his epilogue that he and his partner now live in Mill Valley, one of California’s most expensive communities, and they also spend time in Portugal.

The epilogue also reports that his best friends, former Whatcom County activists Sherilyn Wells and Martin Keeley are doing well also. Sherilyn Wells, who sold her Lake Whatcom property for a handsome profit to the city of Bellingham, took work in the Marshall Islands for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services. Keeley moved to the Cayman Islands to teach environmental education.

Most of us on Taber’s enemies list remain in Whatcom County, where he apparently still takes potshots at us from a distance. §