(A letter from Suspects founder Alex Clemens)

Friends of Usual Suspects:

I write to you today about my colleague Burnell Holland.  As readers of Usual Suspects, you all know that Burnell Holland has ably served as our Editor in Chief for the last year.  And today, Burnell needs your assistance to advance his dreams.

Like many others in San Francisco, Burnell was strongly moved by the historic nature of the Obama campaign, and took a leave from Barbary Coast to go work for the campaign in Michigan.  Upon returning to San Francisco, Burnell and I talked about his future.  And while I am deeply saddened that I will no longer get to work with Burnell each day at Barbary Coast, I am very excited about his plans and hopes and dreams.  Burnell has set his sights upon earning a position in the Obama Administration, and will be leaving the Bay Area early next year to seek his fortune back East.

Those of you who know Burnell are aware of his remarkable passion for public service, know that he is a thoughtful, solid, diligent and diplomatic man, and have seen his remarkable sense of integrity, which is somewhat uncommon in the acutely political world in which we work.  As early data shows that there are more than one hundred applicants for every position open in the new Administration, Burnell’s friends and colleagues are working hard to make sure that Burnell has the best possible chance of being noticed – and hired – by the Obama Administration.  To this end, we’ve set up a website called Burnell for Obama.  We turned it on a couple hours ago, and we need your help.

Here’s my plea: if you’ve ever met Burnell Holland and were impressed by him, please visit Burnell for Obama and enter a positive comment about what a great fit Burnell Holland would be for the Obama Administration.  If you’ve ever enjoyed Usual Suspects, please visit Burnell for Obama and write something heartfelt about his nose for news and politics, and how hard he works to keep Suspects a valuable resource.  If you want to make sure that smart, hard-working, ethical people are installed at all levels of the Obama Administration, please visit Burnell for Obama and write about why Burnell should be given the opportunity to serve his country and his President.  Whatever your reason – please, please visit this site and leave a comment, so that the folks in DC who are sorting through cascades of resumes can see evidence of how many people hold Mr. Holland in high esteem.

I firmly believe that Burnell Holland personally embodies the core values of the Obama campaign, and will prove to be an ethical force for positive change in Washington, DC.  I hope you will join me in this effort to support this amazing young man as he recommits himself to public service.

Thank you for taking the time to read this – and I hope you’ll leave your comments on the Burnell for Obama site.  (So go there already!)

AJC

PS – no, we wouldn’t mind at all if you forward this email to a bunch of your friends.  Really.