Tag: politics

If this is a true and factual account, (there is no reason to suspect it is not) then there had best be some heads mounted on the Attorney General's trophy room wall before long. Scotty Boman, former US Senate candidate and current candidate for Detroit City Clerk underwent an assault on his person July 30, and his rights were violated by those who pledge to serve.  According to the Michigan Libertarian website:

Campaigning has become dangerous for Detroit City Clerk candidate Scotty Boman. According to Boman, a member of the WCCCD campus police attempted to intimidate him while he was taking pictures of his opponent's (Janice Winfrey) signage at the early voting location at the Northwest Campus of WCCCD on Tuesday July 30th. After he moved to where volunteers for other candidates were handing out literature, he was assaulted by the officer, then thrown to the ground by additional officers as he attempted to hand campaign literature to a passers-by. Boman said he was then held prisoner until a campaign forum, that the officers knew he was scheduled to attend, was nearly over.

"As soon as I took out my camera and pointed it at Janice Winfrey's banner (which was draped over the voting location's entrance) this one officer stormed out of the polling place and shouted, `What do you think your doing!' I responded that I was taking a picture of the banner." Boman went on to say, "I then went to take a picture of another nearby sign that read `Vote here Janice Winfrey City Clerk.' At this point a poll-worker, came out to where I was taking the picture. I started recording video of our conversation regarding Winfrey's signage when the Officer who previously shouted at me came out and told me to put away the camera. I asked if my photography was illegal, and which law it violated. I emphatically stated that I would follow her instructions immediately if she asserted I was breaking the law, but she could not cite any."

After he was detained in a closet by police.  

Trespassing?  On publicly owned property?

Outside of the progressive politics, corruption related to same, and a lack of respect for what USED to be the jewel of the Midwest, it was greed.  Greed, that is explained no better than by Bill Johnson:

"History, however, shows this looming crisis might have been averted if the employees unions and pensioners had shown more flexibility forty years ago in restructuring city pension benefits. Instead, the intractable opposition demanded the city stay on a dead end course to default.

As far back as 1974, then-Mayor Coleman Young proposed what was considered reasonable changes to Detroit's pension programs. Because labor and retirees are a potent political force, the City Council shot down the mayor's changes."

Not so much.

Read the rest at Johnson's blog.

As Lennox goes on a personal campaign to destroy Decorated Veteran Dave Agema, the credibility he carries with some folks needs to be put back in check. A little background on this guy is in order.

First off, Lennox is no dummy. He is a little queer, (Odd, but I reserve that the matching definition could be that of the reader's own thoughts) but he knows the political game better than most children his age. In fact, a little better than many who have been in the Republican party for some time, as he plays THEM so well. He is a CMU grad or some such thing, and was vice president at one time of the Young Americans for freedom, a group that was once sanctioned (and relieved by the administration)for anti-homosexual chalkings prior to a veterans support event. It was rumored the chalkings were an attempt to drum up 'news' by SOMEONE in that YAF chapter. It made national news, and attention was given. A lot of attention.

Almost as much as the fabled attacks by university officials while doing the Gary Peters video taping thing, at one point earning him a label of "mentally unstable and a potential "campus shooter" because of his aggressive, in your face tactics". Which was false, and drew the ACLU to his side, yet was likely a label he sought. It also made national media.

Lennox went to the 2008 RNC event in MN as an alternate delegate. I was there as well. On the way in during one session he happened to be walking up the same route on the outside of the security fences. Along that route, was every national leftist blogger in the US. He made it a point to stop and announce himself to quite a few of of them. to make sure THEY know who he was and gave them 'official' interviews as a Republican going in.

At that time of course, he had other things going on as well that would add to his 'national persona'.

The SS Badger, a coal fired ferry has just received its last reprieve from the Obama administration and a deal brokered between the EPA with the Justice department and the ferry company.  But still it must replace its engines in two years or be done.  In the mean time restrictions have been added so that the hammer of government is felt and appreciated.  Coal fired, is the line that crosses the political hairs of president Obama, who's EPA has directed the greatest assault on energy production and other use of the fossil fuel. This administration has been gunning for the up to 900 jobs (200 directly and 700 indirectly) affected by this recent development. In a January 2008 Interview, Obama said:

"Under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket. Even regardless of what I say about whether coal is good or bad. Because I'm capping greenhouse gases, coal power plants, you know, natural gas, you name it -- whatever the plants were, whatever the industry was, uh, they would have to retrofit their operations. That will cost money. They will pass that money on to consumers."

The decision to allow the ferry the small window of continued operation is not good enough for Durbin however, who (with nary a peep in opposition from Michigan's US Senators) would like to see those jobs lost permanently.

"The SS Badger, the filthiest ship on the Great Lakes, has been given two more years to dump hundreds of tons of dangerous coal ash into Lake Michigan .. The millions of people who live, work and play in and around this beautiful Lake should be outraged that this filthy ship will continue to operate."

.. To the Lake Michigan Carferry Service which has a lengthy history of seeking loopholes and political fixes to avoid cleaning up their spewing vessel, I have four words: Stop Badgering our lake!"

Lon Johnson, a guy who still needs a map in order to safely travel through the district he attempted to represent, and who mounted a reasonable campaign against Republican Bruce Rendon in the great white North, has now thrown his hat in the ring. Apparently he enjoys the support of such stalwarts as Michigan Meat Puppet Debbie Stabenow, Carl Levin, and a miscellany of [not-so]secret socialists within their ranks.

Johnson, who had ads challenging "those corporations" in charge, showed old imagery of the trains in his ads ("Trains don't stop here now cause the big corporations running the show" - seriously) that had brought his ancestry to the area at a time that was presumably 'corporation free'.  Playing the social justice card, he did surprisingly well only 5 points away from the Republican in a reasonably conservative district.  Of course spending over $300K (and double opponent Bruce Rendon's $$$) gives one a leg up; and the class warfare irony is complete.

Brewer, arguably one of the most experienced chieftains of team bizarro, has recently been snubbed by the UAW, and in particular Bob King, who recently said "no mas senior Brewer"; threatening the engaged-at-the-hip relationship of labor and the Michigan Dems if Brewer was to remain.

We see little difference in philosophy of either man, or in what they will support.  

The Michigan Democrats will support Fraudsters like Hathaway, Schemes like fake Tea, and Road money redistribution schemes like Snyder's until the end of time.  In a way, it would be interesting to see Brewer hang around a little more, and find out if Bob King is actually serious about withdrawing support from the MiDems; a love affair as old as progressivism itself.  Johnson's wife's fundraising skills, reportedly being responsible for $800 million shekels in the coffers of the Obama campaign however, might tempt even the best buds of the embattled Brewer, who also faces new claims as an accessory to the blown fake tea scheme.

As inviting as a life away from political theater might be, its detracting elements are unfortunately the very reason we persist.  Common sense often ignored, calls out for correction.  Ideological corruption of our traditions and beliefs demands challenge. Transparency and openness requires that we run around, opening windows and letting the sunlight in.

Sleeping on the job is not an option. Never mind that we do tire on occasion. It doesn't matter that we've done our job already. That we have endured the wholesale idiocy promoted by the left, and our sanity firewall is perpetually tested.

I attended the last meeting in my term as a County commissioner tonight.

The interesting thing about serving as a public official is the curious inhibition to controversy one can develop. (unless one is a whacked out lefty - where the more absurd the reasoning the better) Its too easy to start worrying about whether 10% of one constituent group or another will be upset by simple common sense decisions or a reasonable stand on principle.  Simple fire resistant pajamas are sufficient for most politicos I think.  Instinctual survival techniques, such as not opening ones big fat mouth at an inopportune time suffice quite well.

Fear of those time wasting recalls, and by golly the possibility that scorn of the public might translate into some form of holding-feet-to-fire action, has encouraged action by certain legislators.  In fact that fear has energized the bunny governor, who has hopped right into the wrong side of the argument.

In his statement regarding passage of HB6060 and HB6063, the governor frames the role of recalls incorrectly. He says;

"The option to recall an elected official is an important feature of our state's democratic process, but Michigan's current recall system has some components that all sides have agreed are flawed. These changes will help ensure recalls are done in a fair and consistent manner and help prevent political gamesmanship from both sides of the aisle."

Oh my, such pressures to live by.