Everybody's Word
Looks like everybody got to have their say in today's Times- Standard and Eureka Reporter opinion pages.
Howard Rein squares off against David Cobb on the issue of the Eureka Utility Tax extension. I think Howard did a good job of countering City Manager, David Tyson's pro- Measure U column of a few days ago.
Naturally, David Cobb supports the extension of the tax. I have to wonder if Kaitlin S-P and him even pay the utility tax on their phone and PG& E bills. I would think they wouldn't make that much money living on donations and likely got on the low income plan with those utilities which would exempt them from paying the tax.
Disclosure: I'm on the low income plan with those utilities, myself, but I'm not advocating others pay the tax.
Of course, as one would expect, he ends up turning his argument into a diatribe against the wealthy. Truth be told, the wealthy, according to David Cobb, is probably anyone in an income tax bracket above his.
Our very own Shane Brinton goes off about U.S. support of Israel, a subject that bores me to death. But, I realize there are many others interested in the issue as at least three other local blogs have commented on the issue recently. One thing I'll give Shane credit for is he at least criticizes both Democrats and Republicans, rather than taking a partisan angle to it as others often do.
Jerry Partain mixes a tour of Humboldt Bay with a trip down memory lane, reminding us of what used to be, compared to what we have now. My favorite line from his column:
One thought came to mind as we landed at the foot of F Street. The Eureka Redevelopment Agency (ERA) is particularly good at maintaining open space on the Waterfront. You have to give them credit for that. After leaving the boat, someone commented on the new construction east of the boardwalk. I reminded them they are looking at the twice-built development of Pierson and DeBini, and only because it is not a ERA project.
Well done, Jerry!
posted by Fred Mangels @ 8:38 AM
20 comments
20 Comments:
It's just too bad Shane lives in this fantasyland where the Democrats ever take the AIPAC choke collar off. Cynthia McKinney ring a bell? Dems are as scared and cowed by the Zionist lobby as ever before.
well since david cobb aint a lawyer no more he needs a new racket to make house payments. bashing the rich for payoffs from loco socialists and demockery limited is all hes got left.
Back in the eighties, Wright Schuhart Harbor, Inc. talked with Eureka's city council about constucting offshore oil platforms on a site near today's Wharfinger Building. When the company backed out, favoring a location in the far east, their comment was "we can build each of these for over $100 million less somewhere else." Here is how local rightist Jerry Partain describes the site in a recent Eureka Reporter column:
"...a city property filled and graded for the construction of offshore oil platforms, an economic opportunity lost when we decided that we didn’t need to drill for oil, even for exploratory reasons."
Truthiness? Lies? Memory Loss?
Draft Fred
Fred we need your voice of sanity to bring the local media to task.
"This would be funny if it wasn't so sad and serious. With thousands of military casualties, record deficits and personal debt, the vanished middle class, destruction of the environment, disregard for the rule of law, the disappearance of basic Human and Constitutional rights, and general worldwide hatred and distrust of America's illegitimate leaders, there are no objective criteria to support claiming we are safer. However, just for saying it, some will believe. This is the mind trick. Dave Berman from the site link above"
Vanished middle class? I don't think so.
Destruction of the environment? There are more protections in place than ever imagined, to the point of absurdity at times.
We're not safer? Tell Leo Klinghoffer. It's about the same. But we could be safer if the PC police would recognize the need for tougher measures, like, God Forbid, profiling.
Good grief what will you people do when Bush is out of office in a few years.
Vanishing middle class, that's a funny one, though.
I wonder how shane would feel about a pax-islamic state? Be assured the fanatical muslims hate you groovey eco-hippies just as much as they hate neo-cons.
Good think I'm not one of those "groovey eco-hippies."
*thing*
what do you think about Tad running for city council ion Arcata?
I think he should. But he better hurry up and get it done.
meanwhile, have you read the Arcata Eyes stuff about the 8 candidates for city council? I've posted it on my blog, feel free to comment.
"Councilmember Dave Meserve said he wanted another term to carry out his mission."
Is he finally going to do soemthing about potholes?
yeah meserve hasnt interferred with the development of independent politics in arcata enough yet, four more years and he will sink it for sure with lots of help from harmony two-face.
Cobb's failed 2004 presidential campaign is still paying him a salary.
Paying him for What?
green institute, liberty tree foundation, two front groups with democrat machine money as payoff to cobb, sopoci-belknap, myerson and other sellouts for a job well done keeping ralph nader and peter camejo off the ballot in many states.
sounds interesting
I notice Eric Kirk deleted the copy of it I put on his blog. Berman actually thanked me for posting it on his.
"citizen media will be increasingly recognized as a credible alternative to mainstream media. Perhaps it will even become the mainstream."
Uh-hunh....listen to what you are saying.
Human nature doesn't allow for there to be a citizen media on a large level. At some point someone will rise to power and that will be the end of that. Name me one time in history where information wasn't controlled by one group or another . And if there is money to be made off of it, you are all out of luck, because humans are a rather lazy lot. The masses really don't want to contribute to the media, only those with a passion for the content will attempt to control it.
We are a consumer based society. As long as we remain a consumer based society, there will be advertising for goods and services. The people who sell the goods and services will be the dominant authority of the mass media. Get rid of consumerism and you get rid of mainstream media. Other than that, your message is just a niche in the glutted universe of information. Why would your message be any more phenomenonly important to society than an association of bovine growers quarterly newsletter?
If you want to enact change in our society by use of the media, I suggest you come up with something so strong that will gather people together to seek you out. Build something akin to American Idol, The Super Bowl, The World Cup Finals, Rush Limbaugh, Democracy Now!, The Wall Street Journal, or People Magazine to grasp the viewer/listener/reader.
And then, does the media user add input to that selection? No, they just idly sit by and observe.
Are you talking about news? Who will be the censors of the content?
Oh, no censorship? You just want to be allowed to spew whatever you want? These blogs are good signs of that. Then, how do we keep one neighbor from ratting unjustly on another neighbor? Or someone trying to make a name for themselves by reporting unsubstantiated "facts".
Will there be a guide to what is or is not ethical to report?
Who will be come the new bully when citizen media rises up. There will always be a Randolph Hearst, Rupert Murdock, Ted Turner or Amy Goodman who will come along and steer the user to their way of thinking. Or rather, their idea of making money, be it a liberal or conservative mindset.
If you really want to change the media, go to work for one of the media outlets and evoke change from within. But sadly, that would take too much time, effort tools and money on your part. Something the mainstream media has plenty of. Thanks to consumers.
Thanks for the pep talk!
I, for one, am sick of Amy Goodman's sour face and sour outlook on the world. I do view her spiel as propaganda, and I agree with you 1:41.
Post a Comment
<< Home