and Clarey too.

Brian Clarey of Yes!Weekly reports on the Scott Sanders trial and acquittal. He reports the facts and manages to add some color without injecting opinion. Good stuff.

Read: "An innocent man"

Yes!Weekly's Jordan Green writes a must-read

Although I'm tempted to tell you why you must read it, including to bring to your attention the audacious quote by the Greensboro City Attorney that he thinks City records may be kept secret if they are "a part of an employee's duties," I'll just say this: An important subject explained with a degree of professionalism increasingly rare in Greensboro.

Read: "Greensboro leaders remain circumspect about police recordings."

News & Record's Ahearn cocooned

In the wake of the acquittal of Greensboro police detective Scott Sanders, the (Greensboro) News & Record publishes a Lorraine Ahearn column today. It is a diversion from Ahearn's failings as a reporter entitled "Wray's neighbor: Dogs that didn't bark in the night."

Maybe you would like to comment on it. Too bad, you can't. You can comment on N&R columnist Jerri Rowe's latest column; or Rosemary Roberts'; or Ed Cone's; or Doug Clark's; or Allen Johnson's.

But not Lorraine Ahearn's.

So, are you surprised?

WFMY get your facts straight.

In a story about the acquittal of Greensboro police detective Scott Sanders, WFMY reports of the SBI's investigation:

"The investigation eventually led to the resignation of former Police Chief David Wray."

Wrong. This is not a matter of opinion, it is a matter of time line, Wray having resigned prior to the SBI's investigation (which cleared Wray of wrongdoing, by the way). Get your facts straight WFMY, Greensboro deserves better.

Sander's acquittal on the blogs

The acquittal of Greensboro Police Detective Scott Sanders and the dismal of the only other charges even remotely related to the alleged bad deeds committed under the command of former Police Chief David Wray have local bloggers abuzz.

From legitimately wondering why city manager Mitch Johnson is still employed to questioning if former Mayor Keith Holliday and former city councilors Tom Phillips and Sandy Carmany were full of it when they encouraged us to be patient, that once the investigations were complete, once we "knew what they knew" we would understand why accusations of wrong-doing were legitimate:

Sam Spagnola: "Sanders Not Guilty"
Joe Guarino: "Congratulations to Scott Sanders and Tom Fox"
Sawdust for Brains: "Thoughts on the solution to the mess in Greensboro"
The Troublemaker had a lot to say, then takes it back.

No posts on the subject at any of the News & Record blogs yet.

Attorney General: N&R’s coverage was inaccurate and prejudicial

Jerry Bledsoe comments at Joe Guarino's blog:

"This appears to be a clear case in which the N&R and Johnson colluded to taint Sanders on the opening day of his trial in the apparent hope of prejudicing potential jurors. It did attract the court’s attention. Deputy Attorney General Jim Coman, who is trying Sanders, informed the judge that the N&R’s coverage was inaccurate and prejudicial."

I'm quite confident this will be another error by the N&R that they fail to correct.

More.

Phantom City Council Meeting

At the February 3rd, 2009 meeting of the Greensboro City Council, blogger Ben Holder (the Troublemaker) spoke from the floor to ask that the city release information regarding the surreptitious recording of citizens by police three years ago.

In defense of governmental secrecy, city councilor T. Dianne Bellamy-Small said that city council had a closed session meeting with police chief Tim Bellamy and the citizens who were taped and that she recalled them saying that they didn't want the recordings released. (Video: at the 28:25 mark)

I requested the minutes from that meeting. Assistant City Manager Denise Turner replied: "We have not found that any such closed session minutes exist."

Are there no minutes of the meeting (a violation of state law) or did the meeting not take place? I have asked Turner if there is any record indicating that this meeting happened.

Afternote: City councilor Zack Matheny has proposed that the city council record all closed sessions. It is an incredibly sensible idea that should be approved and implemented post haste.

UPDATE: Ben Holder is reporting that one of the citizens surreptitiously recorded requested copies of the tapes made of her. Ben says she was told she could not have them. Welcome to the city of the lie.

UPDATE II: Assistant City Manager Denise Turner follows up to say that Bellamy-Small was referring to a closed meeting between Chief Bellamy and the citizens surreptitiously recorded and that the reporting of that meeting to City Council took place in "small group sessions."

"Now Greensboro has reached the Orwellian stage where the lie is truth, and truth a lie."

"Now Greensboro has reached the Orwellian stage where the lie is truth, and truth a lie. At this point, the lie prevails."

Jerry Bledsoe cuts to the cold hard truth about what Greensboro's "leaders" have allowed this city to become in "The City of the Lie."

The people in positions of power and leadership in this city (Jerry calls many of them out) used to seem big to me -- a little larger than life -- as if they had some things about the world figured out that I hadn't quite grasped yet. I no longer have that opinion of most of them.

What I see now is that their claims of love for this city and to want what's best for Greensboro all too easily yield to petty personal grudges, fear of embarrassment and a desire to avoid confrontation or complicated thinking.

I wish I could give the leaders of our new found idicoracy a good shake with a "Snap out of it." Awake. Be as big as others once thought you to be. Stand tall and stand up. The pretending, the sleepwalking, the genteel ignorance may be comforting to you, but they do not well serve Greensboro. You underestimate your fellow citizens if you do not understand that your fate is irrelevance if you insist on rooting yourselves in the swamp of mediocrity and mendacity.

Modern Native American Music

I've been continuing my exploration of musical genres unfamiliar to me. My previous foray was into Goa/Psy/trance (without the drugs, thank you). Recently I've discovered an "online station" called In Tune With Spirit. It is music inspired by (mostly) western indigenous cultures, northern and southern hemispheres. Included in the mix is a hefty dose of modern American Indian pieces. Some of it is bad, it sounds like the worst of Holiday Inn lounge band influenced by Spaghetti Western soundtracks (think "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly" meets Kenny G). Much of it is really good though: Organic, genuine and moving.

Tune in here (choose your player, top left, under "live radio"). Don't say I didn't warn you--you'll get a dose of schlock--but the good stuff, especially if you've never heard it before, is worth the rough patches.

Cricket broadband anybody?

Is anybody using Cricket "broadband" mobile internet access? I need a mobile solution for the Greensboro area. Cricket advertises theirs as "unlimited," but the fine print pretty much says, "Not really." Has anybody tried it?

This is how you do it: Ben Holder applies new media to civic engagement

It does not have to look like Spielberg put it together, and it does not. But Ben Holder makes a video mash-up of the expectations and promises previously made by civic leaders then shows it to Greensboro City council at their meeting. The message, loud and clear: Respond or make us a community of hypocrites.

Like the editorial pages of a newspaper (when editors are willing to face the truth), Ben forces our community to take a hard look at itself. Unlike the editorial pages, Ben does it with mixed media, in person, on live TV, and supports it with his own passionate and informed appeal. Great job, Ben.



Afternote: Where are the community leaders who originally publicly said that they expected the truth of this issue to come to light? Why are they now letting Ben Holder carry their water? Are they a bunch of paper tigers? Yes, I'm talking to the dozen of you from the Greensboro Partnership who originally lined up to express your concerns that we get to the bottom of this issue. Next time we hear you express some concern or expectation on a civic matter, is there any reason why shouldn't just sigh and think, "Empty suit?"

"I believe these blogs are getting out of control. Next thing you know, there will be dancing!"

"I believe these blogs are getting out of control."

So says North Carolina Senator and Baptist minister Steve Goss as he explained to the News & Observer's Under the Dome blog his introduction of a bill that would make bloggers criminally liable for libel. The law would make libel by bloggers a Class 2 misdemeanor criminal offense and subject them to penalties greater than those for print publications found guilty of libel.

Our local state senators are:

Guilford County
-----------------
Phil Berger (District 26)
Stan Bingham (District 33)
Katie G. Dorsett (District 28)
Don Vaughan (District 27)

Rockingham County
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Phil Berger (District 26)

Forsyth County
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Peter S. Brunstetter (District 31)
Linda Garrou (District 32)

Randolph County
------------------
Jerry W. Tillman (District 29)

Alamance County
------------------
Tony Foriest (District 24)

Find state senators for other areas of North Carolina here.

Correcting the record: Doug Copeland, Triad Business Journal, Not Spammers

Doug Copeland of the Triad Business Journal called me today to comment on a post I had made previously about local spammers. I had referenced a post by Sue Polinsky where she was complaining about receiving what she thought was spam from Doug. Doug explained to me that the email to Sue was, in fact, a personal email. The confusion apparently was caused by Doug's email signature which includes instructions for "unsubscribing" by default.

Doug lamented that this is "One of the problems with blogs" -- that mistakes can take on a life of their own. Sure. I suppose. Like a lot of forms of communication. One of the advantages though is that corrections can happen lightening fast and with the same prominence and exposure as the original, something I'm happy to do, here and as an update to the original post.

Our new slogan: "Greensboro: A Bigger Gastonia"

Ed Cone coined the phrase "Greensboro Disease." Its onset is brought about by the presence of some largely good opportunity for Greensboro and manifests in symptoms of hand wringing, finger pointing, confusion and paranoia.

The local spin doctors' immediate treatment is a large dose of boosterism. It is rarely effective in treating the stricken and is resulting in unwanted side effects. Just as the overuse of antibiotics results in new resistant bacterial strains, Greensboro's liberal applications of boosterim are having the unintended consequence of spreading G.L.U.M.M. -- Greensboro Leaders Unresponsive to Mediocrity and Mendacity.

GLUMM is caused when the boosterism antibodies mistake real and urgent infections for Greensboro Disease and launch their suppressive actions on any target that has negative implications for Greensboro. It manifests in symptoms of blindness, deafness, dumbness, paralysis, coddling the incompetent and a fear of being impolite. Mediocrity and mendacity flourish unabated as a result.

City Councilor Zack Matheny was kind enough to have a cup of coffee with me this week. He asked me how I thought we can rise above the mediocrity and mendacity. For people in positions of leadership, check yourselves for GLUMM. If you think you might be infected, daily affirmations are the first order of business: "I will not tolerate mediocrity. Greensboro deserves better. I will not tolerate mendacity. Greensboro deserves better."

Unless and until Greensboro begins to address the outbreak of GLUMM, I fear I must agree with a commentator at Joe Guarino's blog who suggests that we, as a city, are headed on a path to being Gastonia, only bigger.

Will work for a donut... Not

Arbitron just called. The caller said I had been selected to keep a diary of my radio listening for a week in February. He said I would receive a small financial token of thanks for participating. When I asked how much, the caller said "Enough to buy a coffee or a donut." A donut? (Such a small unit of value that my spell checker is telling me it should be plural as I type this.) Very politely, I told the caller, "You are working for more than a donut. Your bosses are earning more than a donut. I'll pass."

Sorry Brad and Britt.

Former Mayor Keith Holliday, Pat Danahy, Rev. Nelson Johnson, Goldie Wells, Ben Holder: Truth about survelince must be known

Last week, Ben Holder of The Troublemaker blog, went before city council to complain that the completed investigation of secret recordings of citizens by the Greensboro Police Department is being withheld by Chief Bellamy. Ben has posted a video that remind us that former mayor Keith Holiday, Pat Danahy, CEO of the Greensboro Partnership, the Reverend Nelson Johnson and City Councilor Goldie Wells have all stated their expectations that the public would know what happened when the investigation was complete:

Patrick Danahy have you met Ben Holder?

When information first came to light about citizens having been secretly recorded by a police informant, Patrick Danahy, President and CEO of the Greensboro Partnership, went before Greensboro City Council on behalf of the Greensboro Partnership and said:

"We understand the need for limited public information to protect the investigation, but at the appropriate time (we) expect full transparency of what has happened and what will be done about it."

The investigation is now complete. Ben Holder, who blogs at The Troublemaker, requested the results. He says Police Chief Tim Bellamy won't give him the report because it is an "administrative report." Ben brought this to the City Council's attention this week.

I hope Mr. Danahy will be at the next City Council meeting to reiterate the Greensboro Partnership's original expectation of full transparency on this issue and to support Ben's request for the report.

Can Obama's new spirit of openness trickle down to Greensboro City Council? Troublemaker gives them a chance

President Obama signed an executive order today instructing government agencies to handle Freedom of Information requests "with an eye toward disclosure, not refusal." He said that angencies should err on the side of releasing information and not withhold it just because the law may give them a reason not to release it.

What a breath of fresh air. Greensboro should take note and get a clue.

The Troublemaker, Ben Holder, spoke to council last night on a matter that demonstrates the city's current problem: Some incident comes to light (in Ben's case it was undercover recordings made by the police), city staff make some initial characterizations and promise that information will be forthcoming when the facts are compiled then, when the facts have been compiled, they are denied to the public (in Ben's case GPD Police Chief refuses to give the public findings about the recordings because they are an "administrative report.")

Too often, the result is that misinformation and suspicion are allowed to fester. And why? Didn't we learn a lesson from the decades of suspicion that plagued Greensboro as a result of information being withheld about the Klan/Nazi shootings? Has our current generation of leaders learned nothing about what the scourge of secrecy can do to a community?

The propensity to find any reason not to release informatoin to the public is a tiresome and frustrating pattern in City government. Obama is raising the bar. Greensboro can and should follow his lead.

Zack Matheny's email address?

Does anybody have city councilor Zack Matheny's email address?

Piraino is back with protest petition cartoon

Anthony Piraino used to draw cartoons and post them on his blog. Then the News & Record (Greensboro, NC) hired him, then they un-hired him. Now he is back with a cartoon commentary on the protest petitions:



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