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Thanks Jacqui and thanks to every one for their support; it is helping me get through this, what I can only describe as, media character-assasination.
I was pretty devastated by the report in the KOS Media's Saturday Observer and the editorial, so much so that I have written personally to Marijke, whom I always thought was a decent person without malice.
I am very close to packing it all in; all the support on here has been very uplifting for me, but this article is the last straw. I hate to think what the Mercury and Express will produce next week - and all over a bloody joke and it wasn't my joke, I didn't write it, I only wanted to make people smile for a while.
I have asked PaulB to remove the joke from the Forum twice now, but it's still there.
I don't feel I can continue working on promoting Dover or anything while this is going on.
I was hoping to work on having a leaflet created, promoting Dover to the people of Boulogne, Le Touquet and Dieppe, with not only historic sites and attraction, but our quality shops, pubs, cafes and restaurants, all centred around LD Lines who ferry people to and from Dover, Boulogne and Dieppe.
Like the joke I posted, this may lead to some comment, but here is the email I have sent to Marijke - I'm sorry Marijke, but I really was so disappointed.
"Dear Marijke
I've just read the Saturday Observer and am very disappointed over the slant of the article on that fairy joke.
I thought from our chat on Thursday that you agreed it was a mountain out of a molehill and I shouldn't worry.
Why use the word "offensive", not even "alledgedly"; and offensive to whom Marijke ?
All, without exception, of the emails I have received and the vast majority of the postings on the DoverForum, are supportive of me, saying it is not racist and not offensive. I do feel that anyone, if they wanted to, can find offence in anything if they disect the joke enough, but why not just accept the fact that that's all it was, a joke, why go in for character assassination ?
I was probably more disappointed with your editorial - are these comments just to sell newspapers or do you really feel what you've written ?
I apologised unreservedly for any offence it caused and immediately asked Paul Boland to take it down - twice now but he hasn't; nothing I can do about that.
Yes, Marijke, you can turn it round and blame me for posting the joke in the first place, but the intention, as I have said so many times, was to make people smile or laugh, not to cause offence.
The KM group on their web-site reported it - straight, no character assassination or negative slant, as your's is.
I spend every working day (and some week-ends) on ways to help move Dover forward; I can hardly do this now, with your negatively slanted article and editorial.
I am sorry, very very sorry Marijke, not only for any genuine offence the joke may have caused, but that you have painted me so badly; I am not a villain and I'm not a racist, but no one would believe that after reading your two pieces.
Roger"
That's it - but thank you all.
Roger