Putting LOP recall conspiracy theories, future into proper view

There are, of course, a few persons out there who not only know the names of all four of the people who killed John F. Kennedy, but can also be induced to tell you where the 10 guns used in the heinous event are hidden.It doesn't take much of a search to find somebody who knows where Jimmy Hoffa is buried, or where that taxi took Judge Crater, or even why American Idol is such a TV hit.In other words, nowadays there's a minimum of one conspiracy per event.It's for that very reason that neither amazement nor even mild surprise graced my countenance when more than one LOPlander whispered to me that the recent recall vote was fixed. Not that those folks can be blamed for letting that thought get expressed, seeing as how each and every LOP board member survived the vote with a better than 3-to-1 approval.Those folks quickly point to the votes being sent south for counting, the outcome being announced but not displayed, and the proponent having to learn the final tally from the LOP Web site rather than being than getting some sort of official notice.Admittedly, I was gravely concerned at - shall we say - the way Hoyle was tossed aside in this election. Nevertheless, there are some board members trustworthy enough to have their word accepted that everything was on the up-and-up.Being as how politics has always fascinated me (ever since watching my father cast far more than the required number of votes in the Truman election), I know full well that for every political outcome there is an equal - if not plausible - explanation.So tell me, how does Lake of the Pines toss out one board member by a roughly 50 percent margin, then about a year latter turn that margin completely around to keep all seven directors in office?Couple that with the fact that the previous vote pitched a director who - in effect - wanted to limit lake usage - yet with a very similar policy foremost in voters' minds this time around, this time each and every director survived to spend (no pun intended) another day on the board.Allow me to explain.The first time around, the director not only was the lone target of recall, but he was accurately painted as someone completely out of the mainstream of the way most LOP residents thought.However, this time, the LOP board captured and used nearly every form of communications available within the walled city. The board message boomed throughout the village much the way Sunni militants get the word out via the minaret.Those directors also changed procedures - refusing to allow pro-recall ads in the LOP newsletter, removing quorum-only votes from the ballot, and (most importantly) painting the proponent as the enemy.Nothing illegal was committed, mind you, but neither was anything done that would make anybody other than a miscreant proud.Before we go further, allow me to congratulate the proponent. Very, very few of us get off our couches and do anything about problems, but he did. Does this recall bode poorly for the upcoming ballot to overturn the lake-usage rules? Well, what if that question were asked a year ago when the recall sped through LOP the way CHP big shots file for disability? In truth, had this year's proponent waited until after the election, then targeted the worst bully on the board (admittedly that choice would have been tough to make), and stuck to an easily discussed issue (such as association dues hikes), then I guarantee the vote would have been a whole lot different this time.But that's all water over the dam (on even-numbered days, only). Now it's time to put that chapter in the past. Or as former board president Joyce Rose-Reynolds told me the other day, it's also time to remember where we live and how lucky we are to be able to do so.Don't know about you, but when I make that drive north out of Auburn, pass Dry Creek and start seeing scenic emptiness on the way to the LOP gate, you immediately believe that sign that says "welcome home."Jim Ruffalo's column Ruff Sketches from Lake of the Pines appears Wednesdays in the Journal. He can be reached at jmruffalo@yahoo.com.