Lord Save Us From Passive Agressive Politicians

[Updated March 19, 2012, with corrections]

We’re sorry, but we just had to get this off our chests. 

On February 15^th, a piece of city council legislation was passed that was one of the worst pieces of legislation we've ever seen.  A councilman (a politician) authored (or was it council president's idea) a piece of legislation under the guise of accountability that looked to be essentially passive aggressive at its core.

The legislation appeared to be targeted at  1 present, and 2 former council members (politicians) who missed the last public council meeting of 2011, … one member who was stuck in traffic or whatever, the others who had given prior notice that they were not going to be at that council meeting because of an important Democratic function. 


There was one other council member missing; however, we think the 3 were the main targets, though we've been told there are some who aren't fond of the other missing council person (and we really don't know if he had said previously that he would not be there).


Anyway, there was no addendum for the meeting,  there were no committee reports, and  of the 7 department reports, 2 of the department reports were to wish everyone a nice holiday;  while most of the other department reports were not an emergency, and didn't need the presence of the missing council members. 


[Big Hint] The 3 people, by the way, had been endorsed by the Democratic Party (in last year’s election) while the others (except for two at the local level) weren’t.

At that last 2011 meeting,  one of the pieces of legislation the council president, and several others wanted  to vote on, was a union contract (collective bargaining agreement) where we noted (in a previous post) … allowed police union members to continue to pay only $20 individual / $40 family a month for their health insurance (that included dental and vision).    Anyway, council needed a quorum to pass the minutes;  and also, due to a lack of a quorum, several pieces of legislation (mainly involving police collective bargaining agreements) were not read or passed. 

This city has 1  or possibly two African American police officers/patrolmen out of about 40,  in a city of about 70% African Americans.

The council president (a politician) at that last 2011 meeting, publicly scolded those 3 people, and the other (in grandstanding style) for not showing up (as if it had never been done before, though one of those she scolded, had only missed [we believe] that one meeting her entire 2 yr term), and the mayor (a politician) in council caucus, etc went on and on about them being sore losers, etc (because two of those same people did not win in last year’s elections).  We think some other words that came out of the mayor’s mouth were  “get over it” (you lost).

That last 2011 public council meeting …  well, … seems members of council (politicians) met later on and passed the damn thing (and most of the other things they wanted to vote on) anyway. 

Now get this … what this piece of legislation (at the Feb 15^th public council meeting) boiled down to was … if you don’t let us ( council president, or  council secretary) know you are going to miss a council meeting, we’re going to fine you.  [However, … if you get sick, or a relative dies, or for a myriad of other acceptable, arbitrary reasons, you don’t show up without prior notice, … you won’t get fined.]

Didn’t the mayor (last year) do an almost last minute endorsement of a person (a politician) who had been very ill, and could very well have missed many meetings in 2012?  [Oh, … and that mayor endorsed, elected individual, … well, (and this is not funny, or meant to be a “dig”) he died about a month after the November 2011 election, causing all kinds of problems for his district's residents.]   So give us a break.

These members of council (politicians) apparently go to a bunch of closed door meetings all year long.   Suggestion:  Inform and open up all meetings to the public, and have 1 official public council meeting a month (since they all pretty much know how the other is going to vote anyway, and you could save on electricity.)

Instead of all that passive aggressive bullshit legislation, the councilman could have said (one of a number of possible scenarios), "Look, ... I'm pissed off because the Democratic Party endorsed them and not me ... And damn it, we needed a bunch of council members at our last public council meeting in December, so I and a bunch of other politicians (who may or may not have read the union contract) could have "kissed ass" and voted yes, on that collective bargaining agreement, etc. ... and not mess up our Christmas holidays".

Three things we’re tired of, … passive aggressive politicians, passive aggressive (worthless) legislation, and (although we love our unions) police unions who may have bullied their employers with contracts that could potentially cause financial burden on a city (current or further down the road).  The police unions know their members will be the last to be laid off. 

If there is one group of public employees that shouldn’t have a union … it’s the police.  Their leadership can put anything they want into a union contract, … and, who in their right mind would vote “no” on most of the important things (to the union) in that contract … knowing the police could show up at your or your relative’s door, or put you six feet under, or plant false evidence, or throw you in jail, or give you a ticket … and, you’d be almost powerless to do anything about it.   

What's comical ...  even though Republicans hate unions, a lot of union  members lean toward the Republican Pary ... certainly the FOP is conservative leaning (to their credit, they give to good causes).  We'll let you figure out why Republicans tolerate police unions.

Though most police are just doing their job, don’t tell us you have no fear of the police … Don’t tell us you don’t think about abuse of police power.  A big humongous suggestion:  Make sure your city has a civilian review board.

And … while we give a pat on the back to most public employees, ... we’re still watching all you politicians, and a host of other potentially dangerous public employees, ... and most, if not all, large corporations.

[To be further edited, with possible corrections if necessary]

What the Hell is Going On at City Hall?

Just so you know where we’re coming from:

Ever since a politician decided to tear his African American opponent (in last year’s mayoral race), to shreds in public (and calling her a criminal), we decided to take our focus off national politics, and zero in on a local political scene.  

Please do read our headline … part of which says “we’re progressive, political, controversial, provocative, thought-provoking  ...”   We also “connect the dots” when other folks won’t.

If you’ve been following us for years, you know that Clevelands Secret Club members are predominantly African American.  It now appears that a local politician (and/or his supporters) set his/their sights on finding out just who our members are, and taking close aim at who they think are the members.  It also appears that this politician or politicians (and/or their supporters) took aim, and/or are now taking aim at the African American women who were endorsed by the CC and local Democratic Party, and/or are taking aim at those who stood by his opponent.

The one thing we won’t tolerate is intimidation or being harassed by politicians (elected officials), because (to us) harassment means that the politician, and/or politicians (and/or supporters) doing the harassment, have something to hide, and/or are extremely dangerous and vindictive. 

Especially be leery of any politician who tries to bully people; and politicians who try to intimidate people with threats of lawsuits against them.

Our club has always been critical and leery of politicians, as is most of the world.  These politicians have made the decision to become public servants, and so they’ve opened themselves up (and rightly so) to public scrutiny.  If they don’t like the public scrutiny, then they probably should leave public office.

Outside sources told us, that an African American former councilwoman had two police officers show up at her home to demand that she give them two keys to city hall (?).  Now, correct us if we’re wrong, but we believe that every council member gets one key to city hall(?).  And why was it necessary to have police officers show up at her home, when (we were told) she called ahead of time, and told them she was going to city hall to drop off her key.  This same former councilwoman’s son was beaten before the elections; and then after last year’s elections (she ran for council president) her home was burglarized. 

We don’t know if all these things are just coincidental, or related to the elections, and/or her former position; however, we won't tolerate having her and her family victimized, and we will be paying close attention to all public employees  that may be responsible.  We (their employers) have given them tremendous power over our lives, and all of us should be extremely watchful of what they do. 

Our suggestion, again, to every resident in any local municipality ... make sure you  have a civilian review board, and report any suspicious activity by politicians and/or police, to federal authorities.  Intimidation is what unscrupulous people use to get what they want, and in  this day and age, there is a plethora of unscrupulous and dangerous people.

Addendum:
Word to the wise.  If after you've criticized a politician, or a member of law enforcement, or some law enforcement agency, ... and police start driving by your house at all times of the day and/or night (and you've never encountered this kind of thing before),  jot down that cars tags and anything else that will help authorities identify who the culprits are.  If you get audited for taxes, or something having to do with a government agency and it happens within a month or two, or three, etc. of the time you've criticized that politician or member of law enforcement or law enforcement agency, you need to contact your lawyer a.s.a.p., your friends, your family, your congress person, the ACLU, the Center for Constitutional Rights, and anyone else you can think of.  Definitely keep your friends close, because they may go after them too, and a pattern of behavior can be documented.  If you feel you're being followed, turn into a side street to see if they continue following you.

If you contacted that offending law enforcement agency about a prior matter unrelated to your critique of them ... they may see that as a vulnerability and they may prey on that vulnerability.
 

Be aware that GPS devices like cell phones and smart cars can pretty much locate you at any time and any place if you are in the same vicinity as devices and cars w GPS installed.  Because there are a host of unscrupulous politicians, etc.,  get some exercise and start walking w/o these devices, etc. around (smile).  Sorry if that sounded a bit paranoid (again, smile)   


Helpful:  Install some good mobile security software on your cell phone 


Also be aware that these unscrupulous people have no problem with bugging your car, your home, etc. ... and may even use these and other spy tactics under the guise of homeland security (which will allow them to use the local police or GPS tracking or bugging your property).   



Don't let them worry you ... just keep a  journal, and note anything that seems suspicious.  You can't remember everything, so write it down, and have back-up copies online just in case your home is burglarized.  [You may think this is funny; however, if it happens to you in the future, you'll thank us.]

Again, the most important thing is to keep good records and don't keep silent.  Put them on the defensive.  It's a shame, and while most public employees are good people, all it takes are a few bad apples to ruin an entire profession (as we've seen in the past and present).

It would be great if the offending politicians/agencies/departments clean house.

HEAVEN SAVE US FROM A CENTRIST

There are a number of so-called centrist organizations (ex. "No Label") or centrist entities popping up all over the place. These centrists say they are simply people who are sensible, who don't want to yell and scream, who just want to work things out, who are willing to compromise.

Don't confuse "centrist" with "independent".

Right now (in my opinion) we don't need a centrist ... because the one thing you don't need when your house is on fire, is for someone to politely try to work out a solution to put the fire out. Yes, be rational, ... but hell, your house is on fire!! Muster all the people, money and other resources on heaven and earth and put the damn thing out now!

I don't want someone who is watching their family being murdered and raped, say "you can rape and kill him and/or her, but leave what's left of my family alone". I want them to move heaven and earth, and do whatever they can, and find whoever they can, to stop their entire family from being slaughtered and raped.

See centrists (again, my opinion) are status quo people. These are the folks who would leave the poor and disabled to fend for themselves in order to arrive at some kind of "compromise", or because they need certain folks money to campaign and win elections. They never think to stand on street corners, go house to house, and walk from city to city, state to state with a message, ... that in America (with my family) some things are worth fighting for.

Centrists were the ones who politely compromised on health care reform while women who had breast cancer were dying (are dying) because they couldn't (can't) afford treatment.

Some things you simply don't compromise on. For example: It is a woman (not you or me or the state) who decides what to do with her life and her body (and no one should put barriers up or should stand in her way) ... non negotiable. For example: Our children deserve to be (and because they can't do it all by themselves) protected, fed, clothed, sheltered now, to have health care now ... non negotiable.

No one can see far into the future. What we do know is ... that people are unemployed, and people are dying in America because they can't afford food, proper shelter, and affordable and proper health care. What we do know is ... that there is no prosperity for all when there is no Middle Class. What we do know is ... All workers have a right to collectively bargain and be treated fairly; and one of the reasons why, is because that organization/entity cannot survive without them. What we do know is ... trickle down economics doesn't work.

What we do know is .... that the entities, [that caused the collapse of a world's economy, and the destruction of many persons/families livelihoods], and the people who reaped benefits from the collapse of a world's economy, must pay monetary restitution. The world's economy (and the people whose lives they destroyed, and the families that were destroyed) must be made whole. There is no compromise ... it is non negotiable.

There is another word for a centrist ... when the shoe fits ... that word is "coward" ... and/or a person who is not willing to take a strong stand for what is right, ethical, moral (and let's not get into the pro choice/anti choice fight), and good. I've already stated what is non negotiable.

Right now, in this place, at this time, ... I need, we need .... people who are willing to take a strong stand. To fight back against the insanity that is taking place in the "peoples chamber" in Washington and across this nation. I want fighters, not peace keepers, to say, "you will not destroy any more lives, ... that there are some things that are non negotiable and worth fighting for, ... and I will not you hear me, ... will not back down". I want them to take an unshakable stand, place the blame where it should be, ... demand that those responsible for the destruction, the carnage, and those who reaped the benefits from it, to make us whole.


In other words, ... I want a progressive. (1)

LIBYA - THIS IS THE LAST STRAW MR. PRESIDENT

I don't know if I've been patient or not,... but hell, ... *LIBYA?, this is the last straw. Every Republican, conservative/Third Way/NEW/corporate Democrat needs to go. I SAID GO! That includes our current president.

These people cannot be re-elected. If anything, they should be impeached; and some prosecuted for all kinds of crimes, corruption, treason/fraud against the majority of the American people, international crimes, etc., etc., etc. George Bush and Dick Cheney you come to the front of the line.

First, ... everyone needs to watch "Inside Job", and go to the movie website (please do enter the website and read about all the corporations that have been engaged in criminal behavior, and learn what you can do to stop it). If watching that film, and learning about all the corruption/fraud and greed doesn't get you hopping mad, I don't know what will.

Union friends, you don't have a clue what you are up against. Watch the Max Keiser Report below.

This is a wake up call. I'm so sick of this bullshit.






UPDATE 5/12/2011
Asia Times Online :: Bin Laden out, Gaddafi next by Pepe Escobar





The Last Word - March 24, 2011

**Read Pepe Escobar articles and posts

*Libya: Another Unnecessary War Of Choice - Doug Bandow - The Politics of Plunder - Forbes March 14, 2011


Is Obama About to Turn NATO into a Global Robocop? | | AlterNet 11/19/2010, Pepe Escobar


Obama's Women of War | | AlterNet March 20, 2010


"4 Scenarios for the Coming Collapse of the American Empire"
by Alfred W. McCoy


"Blowback, The Costs and Consequences of American Empire" by (the late) Chalmers A. Johnson (read more about Chalmers at Alternet)

March 17, 2011




Michael Betancourt


Max Keiser







United States antitrust law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(It's time we demand that anti-trust laws be enforced)




This "People and Power" Max Keiser video was May 20, 2007





Meltdown Timeline [The "Inside Job" documentary does an even better job putting the timeline together]



[TO BE EDITED FURTHER]

(We don't endorse any financial investment advice)

HONORING OUR VETERANS

The Veterans' Trust Fund

Watch "Wartorn 1861-2010" today (November 11, 2010) on HBO
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RACHEL MADDOW TONGUE-LASHES REPUBLICANS ABOUT BP OIL WHILE EXPOSING REPUBLICAN BIAS AGAINST ACORN

Yesterday, Rachel Maddow gave a tongue-lashing to Republicans about BP Oil while exposing (once again) the Republican smear campaign and unwarranted severe bias against ACORN.

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Watch:
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GOP OUTRAGE DISSIPATES FOR BP
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VIEW THE ABOVE VIDEO AT:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show#37628150
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Breaking: Judge declares ACORN defunding unconstitutional
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ACORN Under Fire Over Hidden-Camera Tape
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AND THE LIE AND SMEAR CAMPAIGN TO DESTROY ACORN CONTINUES
Sep 29, 2009
And the right-wing and industry campaign to destroy ACORN continues. People, we need you to support ACORN. Donate to ACORN. Email your representatives to refund ACORN. Refuse to do business with Bank of America if it continues to refuse ...
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RACHEL MADDOW MAD AS HELL - EXPOSES SMEAR CAMPAIGNS TO DESTROY ACORN
Sep 25, 2009
You've got to know how really, really, really pissed I am at right wing media and conservatives who have been on a witch hunt for years to destroy the almost 40 year old grassroots organization called ACORN. I'm also mad at all but 75 ...
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Some White Folks Gone Wild
Jul 21, 2009
y'all remember his vitriol, his constant rantings about acorn (association of community organizations for reform now)? lou, i never knew anyone could hate poor people so much. well, not having succeeded in derailing barack obama's move ...
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June 25, 2010: View the Latest GOP political tactic

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

HECK, LET'S PROFILE THE GROUP WITH THAT PESKY "Y" CHROMOSOME

This year I am bound and determined to cut down on the time I spend emailing certain people, writing in this blog, and keeping tabs on politicians. If you notice, I’ve been writing less and less. It’s a full time job keeping up with politicians, “bad ass” corporate criminals, and “the good”, “the bad”, and “the ugly.

Okay, … I’ve given you my New Year’s resolution.

Now don’t take offense at what I’m going to say in this post. Before you say anything, re-read our group’s description. Yeah …. Read it. It says, we’re progressive, political, controversial, thought-provoking, entertaining, sometimes comedic, …

Today’s subject: Let’s talk about profiling potentially violent “sons of bitches”.

If we’re really serious about cracking down on violent crime, (that means everything from sex offenders, to murderers, to terrorists, etc.), why not look at the group most responsible for these crimes. What do all these violent offenders have in common? Think people … think!

If you guessed … those who possess the “Y” chromosome, you were right on the money.

These violent offenders are of every skin color, job description, from every political party, and religion (though I’d seriously watch those Catholic priests and bishops). The only thing that truly unites them is that damn pesky “Y” chromosome. God forbid they have an extra “Y” chromosome.

These are some scary people folks. You never know when one of them might snap or unveil their “hidden” aggressive/violent tendencies and wreak havoc on others.

So what should we do when one of these “Y” chromosome people gets on a plane, or train, or want a job in a school, or want to get married, or want to work for law enforcement, or for that matter want to do anything? I say strip search em, body scan em, investigate em, and turn their entire life upside down.

Can you really trust these “Y” chromosome people to walk amongst us?

I say … cross the street if one of them comes towards you.

If they make one false move, I say … lock them up and throw away the key. Better still, put each and every one of them on some remote, highly guarded island and let them be leery of, and nervous around each other.

Now … I want to be fair. I don’t want us profiling little kids; however, if there’s an age group that bears watching, it’s probably that group between the ages of 10 and 60. Sounds about right, don’t you think? Can’t afford to have those “Y” chromosome kids viciously attacking others on the playground.

Heed my warning people …

To be continued and edited (smile) …