The threat of a lawsuit may have been behind the sudden disappearance of local political gadfly Wyatt Cox from the internet.
Cox’s blog whitepinenews.com was pulled off the web last week shortly after the Ely Municipal Election. The blog’s Facebook page as well as Cox’s personal Facebook page were also pulled at least temporarily from the internet. At least temporarily.
Cox who also host a morning radio show was heavily involved in the recent city election and strongly partisan. A self styled everyman Cox railed against the fat cats he said he believed were ruining the City of Ely.
Cox saved most of his ire for the Railroad Management Board members and chairman John Gianoli. Cox also vigorously supported incumbents Marty Westland, Tammy Carlgren and Melody Van Camp for re-election
Ely voters repudiated Westland and Carlgren in last Tuesday election that swept most of the new good ol’ boys out of power and put a new slate on the council.
In the open race for Dale Derbidge’s seat Jolene Gardner and Mike O’Brien tied with 448 votes each.The only incumbent to survive the thrashing was Mayor Van Camp who bested Central Theater owner Don Purinton 478 to 414.
Van Camp victory was the only solace anti railroad supporters could take but it could also mean a bitterly divided city council not only on the railroad but on perhaps every single issue on the city agenda.
Shortly after the election results came in Cox disappeared from the internet leaving fans and detractors wondering what happen?
A week after vanishing Cox returned on a different blog. In Cox said he left his other sites because people were attacking his wife as a mail order bride.
Cox very publicly recounted his long distance courtship and ultimate marriage with his wife last year culminating in his trip to the Philippines to meet and marry her.
Cox posted this Facebook exchange on his new blog:
And then called for Fua’s job.
“Now, for the record, Ms Fua is (or was) the librarian at White Pine High School, where no doubt she is peddling her intolerant racist positions to our children. Thankfully the daughter of one of our friends (You know, one of those horrible Mail Order Bride relationships) just became a US Citizen. Thankfully she isn’t exposed to Ms Fua, since she’s a student at Lund.
Isn’t this the kind of intolerance we want from our Public School Employees?” Cox wrote.
“And Mr Lani? Well, he runs the Ely Central Theater. So as you sit there watching the latest entertainment from Hollywood, know you’re supporting someone who is intolerant of those who weren’t born in this country!” he added.
The Advocate has learned however the Cox sudden and perhaps temporary shyness was not only to protect his wife but to avoid a lawsuit claiming defamation of character by Don Purinton.
A day or two before the election Cox posted a blog accusing Purrinton of avoiding service in the Nevada National Air Guard during the 1991 Gulf War. Puritan promptly retained Ely Attorney Scott Husbands to pursue the case in court.
Cox playing of the race card came after he was made aware of of the possible legal action against him. And the race of his wife was never brought up by even his most vociferous detractors.
In a facebook posting Wednesday Fua said she took Cox to taks not because his wife was non-white but because Cox was running mail order bride ads on his now defunct website.
The racist canard against Fua is even more unbelievable since the woman was married for 20 years to a samoan and has several half Samoan children.