Keith Brown of Triad Watch is an expert at finding important nuggets of information in public documents, then burying them deep in a blog post. The meat is that Mayor Bill Knight's end-of-year campaign finance report fails to report the professions of twenty-one donors as required by state law.
Keith has found this kind of deficiency before among the reports of local elected officials and each time it has been revealed, it has been met with an amended filing to rectify the shortcomings. Hopefully our esteemed mayor will do the same.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Yep
"But matters of race and justice can still be complicated and old wounds still tender, as we have seen in Greensboro as recently as last week. What just happened here — and what didn’t end up happening — suggests that we continue to make progress in the post-civil rights era, and that we still have a ways to go."-- Ed Cone
Friday, January 29, 2010
I propose a statue of Jerry Bledsoe
Congratulations Jerry Bledsoe on concluding your ninety-two part series "Cops in Black and White." Greensboro owes you one. A big one. Without you, Greensboro would have irrevocably become the "city of the lie," as you called us. You rescued us from a fate of ignorance, however, and we are truly thankful.
Four years ago, Greensboro was on a trajectory towards enshrining a huge deception in our public consciousness and history-- a deep and pervasive meme that would have had us for years filter people, events and motives through a delusion as though it were real. We came perilously close to becoming victims of the disinformation of people who sought to confound public understanding for their own personal ends. We surely would have been the walking dead -- idiots who would have had no idea that what we thought we knew was just an illusion; no idea that what we had come to think of as reality was just a phantom molded from shit. It would have been the biggest fake out--the biggest con job--in Greensboro's history.
Whether or not you are convinced of every detail in the narrative Bledsoe tells in his series, it is inescapable that Jerry, with a tenacity and diligence unmatched by any other person or organization, probed the facts and rescued the important truths from their liars' tomb. Considering the powerful forces that were aligned in support of the lies--the institutions and the people--it is ultimately amazing that the truth came to light. That such power lost the battle is a testament to Bledsoe's achievement. Others contributed to the fight and deserve credit, including series publisher The Rhino Times, but Bledsoe was the steady motor that kept moving the train down the facttrack, pulling all other passengers, willing and reluctant, to the truth station.
It is very satisfying that Bledsoe concludes his series, in part, by reminding us of who is to blame. In a city where it is considered impolite to question authority and rude to question motives, it is precisely that reluctance for scorn that evildoers rely upon in order to perpetrate their bad deeds. Lying, cheating, obfuscating and misleading are not always criminal; sometimes the only defense against them is the consequence of embarrassment and humiliation.
Greensboro is too genteel to apply the treatment of shame. As a result, even when incompetents and rascals come up against an unshakable repudiation of their actions, they are free to ignore it. Do you doubt it? Ask yourself this: Who in this whole sad tale has stepped forward and said they made a mistake? There has not been one person. What does that tell you? That no mistakes were made? No. To me it says that the malefactors are either too dumb to know they been exposed, too small to admit error or they are certain people will not be so rude as to call them out, so they think themselves perfectly safe in avoiding contrition. Bledsoe has sealed off that escape hatch.
I watched, we all did, as people in positions of power suspended reason, made untenable excuses, gave false explanations and otherwise frustrated the public's desire for honesty. Now, thanks to Bledsoe, blame has been rightly affixed. Bledsoe pins the misdeeds and missteps on the elected representatives, city staff, police officers and culpable members of the media who, quite frankly, deserve it. They probably didn't think this day would come. It may sound callous, but I find this to be a very satisfying form of social justice.
These people had obligations, sworn by oath, in many cases, and demanded by their positions in institutions and society in other cases, that they failed to meet. These people will have to live with their sullied legacies, whether they acknowledge them as sullied or not. There is a temptation to feel sorry, but no. These people had opportunity after opportunity to garner some goodwill along the way, instead they bred contempt with their obstinate disdain for accuracy or transparency and ultimate refusal to admit any error or responsibility. They were (still are) supremely arrogant in their intransigence--which we could ignore if it were not at our expense. Thanks to Bledsoe, their actions now stand exposed. It is all plainly, and literally, in black and white.
There should be a statute of Jerry Bledsoe erected in Greensboro. Since he is a former employee and, as a final repudiation* of their astounding malpractice, I suggest that the (Greensboro, NC) News & Record erect this statue at their front door.
[* Technically, this would not be their final repudiation, but the first.]
Four years ago, Greensboro was on a trajectory towards enshrining a huge deception in our public consciousness and history-- a deep and pervasive meme that would have had us for years filter people, events and motives through a delusion as though it were real. We came perilously close to becoming victims of the disinformation of people who sought to confound public understanding for their own personal ends. We surely would have been the walking dead -- idiots who would have had no idea that what we thought we knew was just an illusion; no idea that what we had come to think of as reality was just a phantom molded from shit. It would have been the biggest fake out--the biggest con job--in Greensboro's history.
Whether or not you are convinced of every detail in the narrative Bledsoe tells in his series, it is inescapable that Jerry, with a tenacity and diligence unmatched by any other person or organization, probed the facts and rescued the important truths from their liars' tomb. Considering the powerful forces that were aligned in support of the lies--the institutions and the people--it is ultimately amazing that the truth came to light. That such power lost the battle is a testament to Bledsoe's achievement. Others contributed to the fight and deserve credit, including series publisher The Rhino Times, but Bledsoe was the steady motor that kept moving the train down the facttrack, pulling all other passengers, willing and reluctant, to the truth station.
It is very satisfying that Bledsoe concludes his series, in part, by reminding us of who is to blame. In a city where it is considered impolite to question authority and rude to question motives, it is precisely that reluctance for scorn that evildoers rely upon in order to perpetrate their bad deeds. Lying, cheating, obfuscating and misleading are not always criminal; sometimes the only defense against them is the consequence of embarrassment and humiliation.
Greensboro is too genteel to apply the treatment of shame. As a result, even when incompetents and rascals come up against an unshakable repudiation of their actions, they are free to ignore it. Do you doubt it? Ask yourself this: Who in this whole sad tale has stepped forward and said they made a mistake? There has not been one person. What does that tell you? That no mistakes were made? No. To me it says that the malefactors are either too dumb to know they been exposed, too small to admit error or they are certain people will not be so rude as to call them out, so they think themselves perfectly safe in avoiding contrition. Bledsoe has sealed off that escape hatch.
I watched, we all did, as people in positions of power suspended reason, made untenable excuses, gave false explanations and otherwise frustrated the public's desire for honesty. Now, thanks to Bledsoe, blame has been rightly affixed. Bledsoe pins the misdeeds and missteps on the elected representatives, city staff, police officers and culpable members of the media who, quite frankly, deserve it. They probably didn't think this day would come. It may sound callous, but I find this to be a very satisfying form of social justice.
These people had obligations, sworn by oath, in many cases, and demanded by their positions in institutions and society in other cases, that they failed to meet. These people will have to live with their sullied legacies, whether they acknowledge them as sullied or not. There is a temptation to feel sorry, but no. These people had opportunity after opportunity to garner some goodwill along the way, instead they bred contempt with their obstinate disdain for accuracy or transparency and ultimate refusal to admit any error or responsibility. They were (still are) supremely arrogant in their intransigence--which we could ignore if it were not at our expense. Thanks to Bledsoe, their actions now stand exposed. It is all plainly, and literally, in black and white.
There should be a statute of Jerry Bledsoe erected in Greensboro. Since he is a former employee and, as a final repudiation* of their astounding malpractice, I suggest that the (Greensboro, NC) News & Record erect this statue at their front door.
[* Technically, this would not be their final repudiation, but the first.]
Got headphones?
My brain, my brain. It kicks into a different mode where scripting and programming abilities rise when stuff like this flows into it. Weird. Headphones highly recommended.
TKY -- Heke
TKY -- Heke
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Alston apologizes
It's really up to the offended parties to decide if it is sufficient or not, but Skip Alston's public apology to city councilors Danny Thompson, Nancy Vaughan and Mayor Bill Knight comes across as sincere. Big of him to apologize; will we big enough to get past it?
Deena Hayes should get her facts straight
In her talking points on the proposed downtown hotel project, in which her cohabiting boyfriend has a financial interest, Guilford County School Board member Deena Hayes asks:
"Where were Weaver and Quaintance in asking for public release of documents for the other two projects in line for access to recovery bonds?"What does it benefit Ms. Hayes to operate on her suspicions rather than the facts? It certainly doesn't enhance her credibility. The facts are that the records request made by Mike Weaver and Dennis Quaintance asks for records pertaining to "any project or proposal to be financed" with recovery bonds and, specifically:
"[I]ncluding, but not limited to, Deep Roots Market; North Eugene Partner, LLC; Miller Lofts; Bridgett Chisolm; Urban Hotel Group; Randal Kaplan; George House; Brad Semon and/or Elm Street Center." [Emphasis added for emphasis]Sheesh.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
I love me some Dell (I hate me some virus)
Did anybody pick up a computer virus surfing local blogs in the past day or two? I'd like to hear if you did.
After a day of trying to repair my computer myself, I had to turn to Dell support. While my computer is still under hardware warranty, I had to pay $130 for Dell "Pay as you need" support for the software problem. Sounded steep, but the tech promised it covered a complete repair, no matter how long it took.
Boy, did I get my money's worth. It turns out my hard drive had to be reformatted and Windows reinstalled. Sounds horrific and could well have been were it not for the unquestionably best tech support person I have ever worked with -- Jason in the Philippines. Through remote control and telephone he applied his high level of tenacious expertise to methodically get me firmly back on my feet. He had a long day, but it was a job very well done and I am one happy, happy customer.
(Oh, and thanks to Ben Hwang for telling me once that it is wise to save all of one's downloaded program installation files in a single directory.)
After a day of trying to repair my computer myself, I had to turn to Dell support. While my computer is still under hardware warranty, I had to pay $130 for Dell "Pay as you need" support for the software problem. Sounded steep, but the tech promised it covered a complete repair, no matter how long it took.
Boy, did I get my money's worth. It turns out my hard drive had to be reformatted and Windows reinstalled. Sounds horrific and could well have been were it not for the unquestionably best tech support person I have ever worked with -- Jason in the Philippines. Through remote control and telephone he applied his high level of tenacious expertise to methodically get me firmly back on my feet. He had a long day, but it was a job very well done and I am one happy, happy customer.
(Oh, and thanks to Ben Hwang for telling me once that it is wise to save all of one's downloaded program installation files in a single directory.)
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Killian follows through, adds understanding to bond issue
[Although he's Joe to me, "Killian" just has a great reporter ring to it, like McAffrey or Woodward]
Is there any way, even if the project fails and the bank goes under that Greensboro would be responsible for the financial obligations of the Recovery Bonds it authorizes? As promised, Killian gets an authoritative answer. It is "no."
Is there any way, even if the project fails and the bank goes under that Greensboro would be responsible for the financial obligations of the Recovery Bonds it authorizes? As promised, Killian gets an authoritative answer. It is "no."
WFMY hotel reporting suckage
After its revelation and substantiation yesterday, how can WFMY report on Deena Hayes' threat to mar the opening of the International Civil Rights Center with a protest objecting to a public records request for information relating to governments' role in the proposed downtown hotel project and not report that Hayes' cohabitating boyfriend has a direct financial interest in the hotel project?
Ignorance?
Laziness?
Suckiness?
Ignorance?
Laziness?
Suckiness?
Monday, January 25, 2010
Too good not to share
A commenter at Ed Cone's blog noticed this in the announcements from the City Manager [emphasis added]:
"Guilford County will host an Ethics Training Class for Elected Officials in the COG region on February 16, 2010 from 8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. at the Guilford County Agricultural Center, 3309 Burlington Road, Greensboro. The cost is $10.00 per attendee and includes a continental breakfast, materials and a certificate of completion. Resignation is attached for your convenience."
An apology
I shouldn't have said that Greensboro will change when "some people die off." It was a clumsy way of saying what I was trying to say, but more importantly, it could rightfully be hurtful to loving sons. I apologize.
Shame
I saw The Rhino Times publisher Willy Hammer in the parking lot of the Harris Teeter yesterday. As we nodded in agreement with each others' complaints about this City's shortcomings, I said, "You know Willy, I think sometimes that things are not going to really finally change until some people die off."
Harsh? Probably. But let's face it, for all the goodwill and progress made in Greensboro in my thirty years here, some people are stuck on fighting battles they have already won and they, unfortunately, still hold great influence over public discourse and policy.
I'll be the first to admit that vestiges of racism remain in Greensboro. There is still work to do, no doubt. That some people think it's funny to joke about cross burnings, for example, is a repugnant reminder that bigotry remains with us, bigotry that legions of enlightened people stand ready to repudiate.
But when those same enlightened people, compatriots in the defense of equality, are not buying your cries of racism, then maybe it's not racism. And when it is revealed that what you argue is racism is really just a threat to your financial interests, well, shame on you. Shame on you for defiling the serious struggles of those who fought real racism; shame on you for squandering the goodwill accrued over decades for your personal benefit; shame on you for depreciating the abomination of real racism for the sake you your twisted folly.
Harsh? Probably. But let's face it, for all the goodwill and progress made in Greensboro in my thirty years here, some people are stuck on fighting battles they have already won and they, unfortunately, still hold great influence over public discourse and policy.
I'll be the first to admit that vestiges of racism remain in Greensboro. There is still work to do, no doubt. That some people think it's funny to joke about cross burnings, for example, is a repugnant reminder that bigotry remains with us, bigotry that legions of enlightened people stand ready to repudiate.
But when those same enlightened people, compatriots in the defense of equality, are not buying your cries of racism, then maybe it's not racism. And when it is revealed that what you argue is racism is really just a threat to your financial interests, well, shame on you. Shame on you for defiling the serious struggles of those who fought real racism; shame on you for squandering the goodwill accrued over decades for your personal benefit; shame on you for depreciating the abomination of real racism for the sake you your twisted folly.
Deena Hayes: It's racist to scrutinize a project my boyfriend stands to financially benefit from
Yes! Weekly's Jordan Green digs up a little information that suggests Guilford County School Board member Deena Hayes' proposed march in protest of the public information request for records surrounding the proposed downtown hotel my not be selfless alturism. In fact, it looks more like her interest is in protecting her boyfriend's prospects for financial gain:
"Henry Isaacson introduced JCG & Associates as one of the principals in the Urban Hotel Group, the development group led by Bridget Chisholm that is a partner in the hotel project. JCG & Associates is a Greensboro construction and general contracting company owned by John C. Greene. Hayes and Greene both reside at 454 Gorrell St. in Greensboro, according to voter registration records."Ed Cone substantiates.
Frank Deal
There comes a time in every young boy's life when he comes to appreciate and sets about to master the comedic beauty of the pun. In our house, the worse the better. A groan of pain was a better reaction than a chuckle. About the time I was getting it, there was a master of bad punnery delivering the local weather on WGHP -- boy, how I admired Frank Deal.
Our man at Fox 8, Lenslinger, says it well:
Our man at Fox 8, Lenslinger, says it well:
"A card-carrying member of local television's golden age, Deal did it all: emceeing shows, interviewing notables, hosting puppet shows, helming the felt board that for many years was all the 'Weather Center' a medium market TV station like El Ocho needed. It was there, amid the stick-on clouds and paper mache snowflakes that Frank Deal truly distinguished himself. "
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Pissing in his own soup
So County Commissioner Chair Skip "I don't have to tell you" Alston, who stands to possibly earn three quarters of a million dollars from his involvement in a project for which the body he chairs is allocating funds, thinks it would be a good idea for the opening of the International Civil Rights Museum to be marred with a march in support of government secrecy, an effort that would serve to conceal the extent and nature of his self-enriching involvement in the publicly assisted hotel project.
That's intelligent.*
As David Hoggard writes:
That's intelligent.*
As David Hoggard writes:
"Quaintance and Weaver’s inquiry, as with all of the other inquiring that has been going on for weeks, has nothing to do with race, but everything to do with governmental accountability, project viability and fairness to the privately owned entrepreneurial entities that could very well lose a lot of business if this thing goes off as planned."[* Not]
Punking grade schoolers: Bottle caps for chemotherapy treatments
It has come to my attention that at least one Guilford County elementary school is collecting bottle caps to raise funds to help pay for cancer treatments at Brenner Children's Hospital.
It's a hoax. Previously perpetrated on rubes elsewhere. So says Snopes. So says The American Cancer Society.
The adults who got this started should bite the bullet and admit they've been had rather than trying to save face by pretending that it is legitimate and allowing it to continue, as they are.
It's a hoax. Previously perpetrated on rubes elsewhere. So says Snopes. So says The American Cancer Society.
The adults who got this started should bite the bullet and admit they've been had rather than trying to save face by pretending that it is legitimate and allowing it to continue, as they are.
WTF? "local taxpayers would not be on the hook if the project failed, at least not directly."
Can the (Greensboro, NC) News & Record please get a friggn' straight answer to the question of Greensboro's liability for the hotel bonds?
Amanda Lehmert and Joe Killian reported, without attribution, that "local taxpayers are not liable."
Today, Taft Wireback and J. Brian Ewing report, also without attribution, "local taxpayers would not be on the hook if the project failed" but add the curious and unexplained "at least not directly." [Emphasis added.]
Still, Killian promises there are absolutely no circumstances under which the City would have any liability for the bonds.
Hello?
Amanda Lehmert and Joe Killian reported, without attribution, that "local taxpayers are not liable."
Today, Taft Wireback and J. Brian Ewing report, also without attribution, "local taxpayers would not be on the hook if the project failed" but add the curious and unexplained "at least not directly." [Emphasis added.]
Still, Killian promises there are absolutely no circumstances under which the City would have any liability for the bonds.
Hello?
Friday, January 22, 2010
Killian promises more bond clarity
As I wondered here previously, amid all the confusion over the bonds that may finance the downtown hotel, do we have any certainty that the City of Greensboro would not have any liability for the bonds should the project fail and the financial guarantors not be able to backstop them? Are there any circumstances under which the City might find itself obligated to the bondholders?
After a little back and forth discussion in the comments of that post, the (Greensboro, NC) News & Record's Joe Killian said he'd try to find out. Lickity split, Joe now says that he has two on-the-record authoritative sources who are certain Greensboro will assume no liability for the bonds. Joe says to look for details in a story to run early next week.
Other questions remain, but if Joe's experts are right, that is one big potential obstacle to the project we can mark off the list.
After a little back and forth discussion in the comments of that post, the (Greensboro, NC) News & Record's Joe Killian said he'd try to find out. Lickity split, Joe now says that he has two on-the-record authoritative sources who are certain Greensboro will assume no liability for the bonds. Joe says to look for details in a story to run early next week.
Other questions remain, but if Joe's experts are right, that is one big potential obstacle to the project we can mark off the list.
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