The 232nd anniversary of the signing of the Declaraion of Independence has got to be a good time for ranting and raving. Let ‘er rip!
20 Comments
While everybody around here was arguing about the pros and cons of the RDA financing capital improvements at San Pedro Square, some news out of New York came along to put San Jose’s parochial municipal politics into perspective.
Although forgotten by most Californians, 7 years ago a bunch of scumbag terrorist swine hijacked some airliners and either crashed, or attempted to crash them into various American landmarks. One such landmark, the Pentagon, was quickly rebuilt. Unfortunately, in New York, a bizarre dialog took place about “reimagining” the World Trade Center site. All sorts of silly ideas were proposed, and numerous public forums were held where officials did their best to ignore the sentiments expressed by many in attendance who wanted to rebuild the Twin Towers, taller, stronger and safer than before.
The sentiment for rebuilding the Twin Towers was widespread. At a Lower Manhattan Development Corporation public hearing in May 2002, numerous speakers, including a group called Team Twin Towers [ http://teamtwintowers.org ], who proposed rebuilding were cheered by the assembled crowd. Additionally, there was a large sentiment for rebuilding the Twin Towers at the Municipal Arts Society’s Imagine NY workshops held in the spring of that year. On page 11 of Imagine NY’s Summary Report, published in June 2002, the “vision statement” reads “The Twin Towers should be built as they were before September 11, perhaps even taller, to restore our spirit and dignity, and to prove that the terrorists did not prevail. The new World Trade Center buildings should incorporate a memorial in addition to office space, and should be built with the latest technologies to make them safer and more secure.”
Sadly, this was not to be. All of the outreach for public input was a sham, and a truly awful plan was forced upon the citizens of New York by then Governor Pataki. This plan was widely criticized. For example, in a 2005 article, Deroy Murdock, asked “What Are We Afraid Of?” See http://www.nationalreview.com/murdock/murdock200503111045.asp
Now, after 7 years of dithering and inaction, reports out of New York indicate that the entire process has broken down. In “The Zero at Ground Zero,” Steven Malanga writes “All of these voices, and others, have conspired to give us what we have now, which is a site where, approaching seven years after the attack, all one can see for the most part are a bunch of cranes and other machinery moving around dirt. On Monday, the latest report on “progress” at Ground Zero (and one can only use that word in parentheses when referring to the WTC site) noted that virtually all of the work there is behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget.” See: http://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2008/07/the_zero_at_ground_zero.html
Fortunately, Kenneth Gardner and Herbert Belton have developed a better proposal, described here: http://www.wtc2011.com/home.html
The Twin Towers Alliance, [ http://www.twintowersalliance.com/ ] feels that with the current lack of progress at “Pataki’s Pit,” an opportunity to push the WTC2011 proposal has surfaced. I urge everybody to support the Twin Towers Alliance because the best course of action is to re-build the Twin Towers either the same height or build them as the tallest buildings in the world while incorporating an appropriate memorial. It’s part of the spirit of this great country to rebuild bigger and better than ever. As Deroy Murdock wrote yesterday, “The gaping chasm that is Ground Zero screams national paralysis. Nothing more convincingly would signal to friends and foes alike the defiance of our Founding Fathers than to see the Twin Towers back where they belong—taller, stronger, and prouder than ever.” See http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/34455
Next to the rebuilding of the World Trade Center, the San Pedro Square redevelopment issue pales into insignificance.
Please don’t use illegal fireworks! If you see them being used in your neighborhoods, please report it to the Police.
Unless the policy has changed, the police will do little, if anything, about this issue. In past years in East San Jose the fireworks have been equal to Great America. And it is not just on the 4th, but usually starts a few weeks before, and continues for a few weeks after. Past years I felt I was in Baghdad.
Where do they buy these rockets? Is it legal to sell these types of fireworks in Nevada, or some other state? If not are they being smuggled over the border?
The 4th of July should be a day for celebration, but also a day for reflection. There’s nothing wrong with our country. The ideas upon which it was founded are still sound, we’ve just moved too far away from them. America is still a place where anyone can become anything.
Laws should govern us, not the self-righteous indignations and best intentions of those in power.
Finally, we should take pride in the fact that ours is a country where women are not relegated to a secondary status. (Why are we required to tolerate cultures that are intolerant?)
#3-Yankee Doodle,
I was pretty shocked to see just how right you are about what you said. Last night I felt like I lived in a war zone! We tried to call the Police to report these idiots behind Farnham School who were launching fireworks, and we got a recording saying that lines were busy. Unbelievable.
I was watching the news and several medias had video taped Police Officers all over California just driving by people setting off illegal fireworks. How can authorities say there is a zero tolerance policy for illegal fireworks and allow Police Officers to just drive by and do nothing to enforce the policy?
What the hell is wrong with people? Do they think they are above the law, or do they think it is okay to set your house on fire in the process of having some fun? When did people become so ignorant, selfish, and inconsiderate?
“How can authorities say there is a zero tolerance policy for illegal fireworks and allow Police Officers to just drive by and do nothing to enforce the policy?”
Oh, but to have had the cops drive by and “do nothing” just once when my childhood buddies and I were deep into some mischief. But cops didn’t do that back then. The best you could hope for was a scare and an ass-chewing. The worst was, well the worst.
But things have changed. A disconnect developed between what is in the law books and how those laws are enforced, between what authorities promise the public and what they deliver, between what police chiefs proclaim publicly and what they communicate to their troops. The cop on the beat, once keen-eyed and predictably aggressive, is now so well-trained to look the other way on command that looking the other way out has become habit.
Though there are many reasons for the breakdown, most our own fault, the scorecard is quite clear:
Citizen pluses: we’ve got the diversity we wanted, and for which we willingly allowed standards to be lowered; we’ve won the ability to endlessly blame the lawlessness of our children on the conduct of the police; we are treated to a new, innovative approach to dealing with crime at least once a month; and we now have emasculated, caring police chiefs instead of those intimidating, by-the-book enforcers of the law.
Citizen negatives: though we are served lots of promises we almost never get the enforcement we want for the specific problems we endure; we’ve surrendered entire cities to gang warfare; traditional forms of entertainment, such as outdoor concerts, parades, festivals, and club-hopping, are regularly ruined by violence and lawlessness; we have police officers who are more worried about getting a complaint than they are about our safety; and the law, which used to mean what was printed in the code, now means whatever a politician says it means.
What politicians got: a public trained to listen for politically-correct solutions rather than demand results and accountability; police chiefs so covetous of cash and position that the behave like lapdogs; and crime and social problems ready-made for us-versus-them divisiveness by well-practices scoundrels.
What politicians gave up: other than really having to answer to the community, not a thing.
I look at the scorecard and say we’ve screwed ourselves.
#7- Frustrated Finfan,
Once again you have said it beautifully. It is pretty disheartening to know that we have turned our Police Officers into politicians that can’t do their jobs. I wonder how these Police Officers feel. Imagine joining the force because you really want to protect and serve the people, and then find out that you have to wade through a ton of BS to do your job. I guess if I were treated that badly, and felt frustrated by the games I was forced to play, I might be complacent myself.
This mornings Mercury News asks if San Jose’s airport expansion will be a waste. My answer…THAT AIRPORT IS ALREADY A WASTE! It’s a “cancer” in the middle of our city! It not only can’t attract international carriers which serve Asia and Europe, it’s also cutting back on domestic service. SJC also hampers development of our downtown core, keeping most buildings less than 300ft. in height. SJC’s current location also makes for noisy “patio” dining in DSJ. Solutions:
1) Stop the expansion immediately!
2) Start studying the relocation of the airport to either southeastern Gilroy or Hollister or,
3) Start studying the use Moffet Field as the new SJC (the hell with Sunnyvale NIMBY’s, the P3 Orions were there before you!).
4) Put together a master development plan for the existing 1000 acres (housing, shops, office dev., parklands, etc.)
5) Reuse current expansion for housing and/or shops (the modern architecture isn’t all that bad).
Chief Davis spends so much time being PC (fasting for Ramadan, and the like) I’m surprised he gets any work done at all.
Contractors must hire cops at certain road work sites. They stand around all day collecting pay, talking to the construction superintendents, and never lift a finger if there is a traffic jam.
We pass thousands of laws a year, very few get enforced. Try getting the barking dog ordinance in San Jose enforced. Unless the city employee actually sees and hears the dog bark they do nothing. Since they never go to a complaint site, they obviously never hear the offending dog barking.
If a cop looks cross-eyed at a “person of color”, someone screams racism.
#10—the pops and bangs started near my WG home at 8:00 p.m. and continued unabated.
JMO said, “If a cop looks cross-eyed at a “person of color”, someone screams racism.”
I think that this is one of the most factual statements I’ve heard you make yet. In my work, I have noticed a huge increase of people screaming racism for EVERYTHING that happens to them. Recently, I have conducted countless mediations where people are claiming racism when they get fined for continual parking violations, robbery, shop lifting, assault, neighbor disputes, barking dogs, denied a rental, or a business lease! You name it they are claiming it, and I’m getting fed up with it!
Can someone please tell me where all these accusations of racism to avoid taking personal responsibility for ones actions is coming from? It is getting really ridiculous. These types of false accusations make it very difficult for those of us working in the field of prejudice reduction to really educate and change TRUE racism! Hasn’t anyone ever heard the story of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf?” God, give me a break will you?
Thanks for the link. If people can’t follow these simple, common sense guidelines, then they shouldn’t have children to begin with. Unfortunately, its the exception rather than the rule these days. Then when their kids turn out to be troublemakers who don’t do well in school, lousy parents want to blame everyone but themselves.
#15- Jack said “Then when their kids turn out to be troublemakers who don’t do well in school, lousy parents want to blame everyone but themselves.”
Not only do kids from these backgrounds not do well in school, they do badly in society. I was watching the news on the 4th of July, and they interviewed several fathers of different races, who were outside with their kids setting off illegal fireworks. These guys admitted buying these illegal fireworks, and stood there telling reporters that they didn’t see any harm in it, even though reporters pointed out that they were illegal.
I’ve had youth offenders who took more responsibility for their actions than their loser parents, who made every excuse in the book for why their kid robbed someone, stole cars, shop lifted etc. It is really frustrating to see.
In an earlier post, I asked why so many people are using the race card to justify their unlawful, disruptive actions. Well, I got my answer over the past few days. I found out that our schools and celebrities have a lot to do with it, along with parents using it themselves. I don’t think that as adults we are doing the right thing by today’s youth.
I am proud of Bill Cosby, and Barrack Obama for getting on African American men for not being the types of husbands and fathers they should be. I wish more cultures would do that. Kids need a father, not some stranger their mom is dating. Kids need a mother, not a single woman struggling to make ends meet, while working two jobs, or who is too busy trying to act and look 16.
I’m telling you these are sad times we are living in. I feel sorry for kids today. At least I knew who my parents were, and knew they loved me chores, discipline, being grounded or not. They were there for me and I knew I could count on them. I don’t think most kids today feel loved, or cared for and I’ll tell you that really saddens.
#16 Kathleen,
We have adults here in San Jose that are no different than the children you speek of that do poorly in Society.
These adults never seem to have enough $$$.Their parents too worked very hard in Silicone Valley to leave their children with property, and these children through their inheritance have grown to become greedy adults. Sad!
Nearly 80,000 children in Santa Clara County rely on the free orreduced-price breakfasts and lunches they receive at school to providea major share of their daily nutrition. That’s 33% of the childrenages 5-18 in our County. When school lets out for the summer, parentsare often left struggling to make up the lost meals, putting a strainon their already limited resources. The Food Bank has a number ofprograms that can meet food needs of our community members. TheEnglish/Spanish/Vietnamese flyer briefly describes the programs. Toaccess food programs nearby, anyone can call 1-800-984-3663 (FoodConnection) to get a referral.
While everybody around here was arguing about the pros and cons of the RDA financing capital improvements at San Pedro Square, some news out of New York came along to put San Jose’s parochial municipal politics into perspective.
Although forgotten by most Californians, 7 years ago a bunch of scumbag terrorist swine hijacked some airliners and either crashed, or attempted to crash them into various American landmarks. One such landmark, the Pentagon, was quickly rebuilt. Unfortunately, in New York, a bizarre dialog took place about “reimagining” the World Trade Center site. All sorts of silly ideas were proposed, and numerous public forums were held where officials did their best to ignore the sentiments expressed by many in attendance who wanted to rebuild the Twin Towers, taller, stronger and safer than before.
The sentiment for rebuilding the Twin Towers was widespread. At a Lower Manhattan Development Corporation public hearing in May 2002, numerous speakers, including a group called Team Twin Towers [ http://teamtwintowers.org ], who proposed rebuilding were cheered by the assembled crowd. Additionally, there was a large sentiment for rebuilding the Twin Towers at the Municipal Arts Society’s Imagine NY workshops held in the spring of that year. On page 11 of Imagine NY’s Summary Report, published in June 2002, the “vision statement” reads “The Twin Towers should be built as they were before September 11, perhaps even taller, to restore our spirit and dignity, and to prove that the terrorists did not prevail. The new World Trade Center buildings should incorporate a memorial in addition to office space, and should be built with the latest technologies to make them safer and more secure.”
Sadly, this was not to be. All of the outreach for public input was a sham, and a truly awful plan was forced upon the citizens of New York by then Governor Pataki. This plan was widely criticized. For example, in a 2005 article, Deroy Murdock, asked “What Are We Afraid Of?” See
http://www.nationalreview.com/murdock/murdock200503111045.asp
Now, after 7 years of dithering and inaction, reports out of New York indicate that the entire process has broken down. In “The Zero at Ground Zero,” Steven Malanga writes “All of these voices, and others, have conspired to give us what we have now, which is a site where, approaching seven years after the attack, all one can see for the most part are a bunch of cranes and other machinery moving around dirt. On Monday, the latest report on “progress” at Ground Zero (and one can only use that word in parentheses when referring to the WTC site) noted that virtually all of the work there is behind schedule and billions of dollars over budget.” See:
http://www.realclearmarkets.com/articles/2008/07/the_zero_at_ground_zero.html
Fortunately, Kenneth Gardner and Herbert Belton have developed a better proposal, described here:
http://www.wtc2011.com/home.html
The Twin Towers Alliance, [ http://www.twintowersalliance.com/ ] feels that with the current lack of progress at “Pataki’s Pit,” an opportunity to push the WTC2011 proposal has surfaced. I urge everybody to support the Twin Towers Alliance because the best course of action is to re-build the Twin Towers either the same height or build them as the tallest buildings in the world while incorporating an appropriate memorial. It’s part of the spirit of this great country to rebuild bigger and better than ever. As Deroy Murdock wrote yesterday, “The gaping chasm that is Ground Zero screams national paralysis. Nothing more convincingly would signal to friends and foes alike the defiance of our Founding Fathers than to see the Twin Towers back where they belong—taller, stronger, and prouder than ever.” See
http://www.scrippsnews.com/node/34455
Next to the rebuilding of the World Trade Center, the San Pedro Square redevelopment issue pales into insignificance.
HAPPY 4TH OF JULY EVERYONE!
Please don’t use illegal fireworks! If you see them being used in your neighborhoods, please report it to the Police.
Please be safe! Please keep your pets indoors! This is when many dogs and cats go missing!!!
http://www.mercurynews.com/lifestyle/ci_9787158
Take good care, enjoy the beautiful weather, and your family and friends!
Please don’t use illegal fireworks! If you see them being used in your neighborhoods, please report it to the Police.
Unless the policy has changed, the police will do little, if anything, about this issue. In past years in East San Jose the fireworks have been equal to Great America. And it is not just on the 4th, but usually starts a few weeks before, and continues for a few weeks after. Past years I felt I was in Baghdad.
Where do they buy these rockets? Is it legal to sell these types of fireworks in Nevada, or some other state? If not are they being smuggled over the border?
The 4th of July should be a day for celebration, but also a day for reflection. There’s nothing wrong with our country. The ideas upon which it was founded are still sound, we’ve just moved too far away from them. America is still a place where anyone can become anything.
Laws should govern us, not the self-righteous indignations and best intentions of those in power.
Finally, we should take pride in the fact that ours is a country where women are not relegated to a secondary status. (Why are we required to tolerate cultures that are intolerant?)
Pete Campbell
I just noticed the cover of the METRO this week: they’ll be reviewing restaurants in ‘Little Saigon’.
Since when do they review restaurants in Orange County?
#3-Yankee Doodle,
I was pretty shocked to see just how right you are about what you said. Last night I felt like I lived in a war zone! We tried to call the Police to report these idiots behind Farnham School who were launching fireworks, and we got a recording saying that lines were busy. Unbelievable.
I was watching the news and several medias had video taped Police Officers all over California just driving by people setting off illegal fireworks. How can authorities say there is a zero tolerance policy for illegal fireworks and allow Police Officers to just drive by and do nothing to enforce the policy?
What the hell is wrong with people? Do they think they are above the law, or do they think it is okay to set your house on fire in the process of having some fun? When did people become so ignorant, selfish, and inconsiderate?
Kathleen asks:
“How can authorities say there is a zero tolerance policy for illegal fireworks and allow Police Officers to just drive by and do nothing to enforce the policy?”
Oh, but to have had the cops drive by and “do nothing” just once when my childhood buddies and I were deep into some mischief. But cops didn’t do that back then. The best you could hope for was a scare and an ass-chewing. The worst was, well the worst.
But things have changed. A disconnect developed between what is in the law books and how those laws are enforced, between what authorities promise the public and what they deliver, between what police chiefs proclaim publicly and what they communicate to their troops. The cop on the beat, once keen-eyed and predictably aggressive, is now so well-trained to look the other way on command that looking the other way out has become habit.
Though there are many reasons for the breakdown, most our own fault, the scorecard is quite clear:
Citizen pluses: we’ve got the diversity we wanted, and for which we willingly allowed standards to be lowered; we’ve won the ability to endlessly blame the lawlessness of our children on the conduct of the police; we are treated to a new, innovative approach to dealing with crime at least once a month; and we now have emasculated, caring police chiefs instead of those intimidating, by-the-book enforcers of the law.
Citizen negatives: though we are served lots of promises we almost never get the enforcement we want for the specific problems we endure; we’ve surrendered entire cities to gang warfare; traditional forms of entertainment, such as outdoor concerts, parades, festivals, and club-hopping, are regularly ruined by violence and lawlessness; we have police officers who are more worried about getting a complaint than they are about our safety; and the law, which used to mean what was printed in the code, now means whatever a politician says it means.
What politicians got: a public trained to listen for politically-correct solutions rather than demand results and accountability; police chiefs so covetous of cash and position that the behave like lapdogs; and crime and social problems ready-made for us-versus-them divisiveness by well-practices scoundrels.
What politicians gave up: other than really having to answer to the community, not a thing.
I look at the scorecard and say we’ve screwed ourselves.
#7- Frustrated Finfan,
Once again you have said it beautifully. It is pretty disheartening to know that we have turned our Police Officers into politicians that can’t do their jobs. I wonder how these Police Officers feel. Imagine joining the force because you really want to protect and serve the people, and then find out that you have to wade through a ton of BS to do your job. I guess if I were treated that badly, and felt frustrated by the games I was forced to play, I might be complacent myself.
This mornings Mercury News asks if San Jose’s airport expansion will be a waste. My answer…THAT AIRPORT IS ALREADY A WASTE! It’s a “cancer” in the middle of our city! It not only can’t attract international carriers which serve Asia and Europe, it’s also cutting back on domestic service. SJC also hampers development of our downtown core, keeping most buildings less than 300ft. in height. SJC’s current location also makes for noisy “patio” dining in DSJ. Solutions:
1) Stop the expansion immediately!
2) Start studying the relocation of the airport to either southeastern Gilroy or Hollister or,
3) Start studying the use Moffet Field as the new SJC (the hell with Sunnyvale NIMBY’s, the P3 Orions were there before you!).
4) Put together a master development plan for the existing 1000 acres (housing, shops, office dev., parklands, etc.)
5) Reuse current expansion for housing and/or shops (the modern architecture isn’t all that bad).
I guess if you live in Willow Glen you can use illegal fireworks and not worry about being arrested.
http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_9800345?nclick_check=1
#9-Anthony Dominguez- I agree.
Chief Davis spends so much time being PC (fasting for Ramadan, and the like) I’m surprised he gets any work done at all.
Contractors must hire cops at certain road work sites. They stand around all day collecting pay, talking to the construction superintendents, and never lift a finger if there is a traffic jam.
We pass thousands of laws a year, very few get enforced. Try getting the barking dog ordinance in San Jose enforced. Unless the city employee actually sees and hears the dog bark they do nothing. Since they never go to a complaint site, they obviously never hear the offending dog barking.
If a cop looks cross-eyed at a “person of color”, someone screams racism.
#10—the pops and bangs started near my WG home at 8:00 p.m. and continued unabated.
#11- JMO-Please see attached link:
http://www.sanjoseanimals.com/aboutWhat.asp
They will respond to dog barking issues.
I have a rant I’d like to make today:
JMO said, “If a cop looks cross-eyed at a “person of color”, someone screams racism.”
I think that this is one of the most factual statements I’ve heard you make yet. In my work, I have noticed a huge increase of people screaming racism for EVERYTHING that happens to them. Recently, I have conducted countless mediations where people are claiming racism when they get fined for continual parking violations, robbery, shop lifting, assault, neighbor disputes, barking dogs, denied a rental, or a business lease! You name it they are claiming it, and I’m getting fed up with it!
Can someone please tell me where all these accusations of racism to avoid taking personal responsibility for ones actions is coming from? It is getting really ridiculous. These types of false accusations make it very difficult for those of us working in the field of prejudice reduction to really educate and change TRUE racism! Hasn’t anyone ever heard the story of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf?” God, give me a break will you?
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree:
http://men.msn.com/article.aspx?cp-documentid=7881416&page;= 1
Kathleen #13—great link. Amen to all 10 points in it.
Kathleen #13
Thanks for the link. If people can’t follow these simple, common sense guidelines, then they shouldn’t have children to begin with. Unfortunately, its the exception rather than the rule these days. Then when their kids turn out to be troublemakers who don’t do well in school, lousy parents want to blame everyone but themselves.
#15- Jack said “Then when their kids turn out to be troublemakers who don’t do well in school, lousy parents want to blame everyone but themselves.”
Not only do kids from these backgrounds not do well in school, they do badly in society. I was watching the news on the 4th of July, and they interviewed several fathers of different races, who were outside with their kids setting off illegal fireworks. These guys admitted buying these illegal fireworks, and stood there telling reporters that they didn’t see any harm in it, even though reporters pointed out that they were illegal.
I’ve had youth offenders who took more responsibility for their actions than their loser parents, who made every excuse in the book for why their kid robbed someone, stole cars, shop lifted etc. It is really frustrating to see.
In an earlier post, I asked why so many people are using the race card to justify their unlawful, disruptive actions. Well, I got my answer over the past few days. I found out that our schools and celebrities have a lot to do with it, along with parents using it themselves. I don’t think that as adults we are doing the right thing by today’s youth.
I am proud of Bill Cosby, and Barrack Obama for getting on African American men for not being the types of husbands and fathers they should be. I wish more cultures would do that. Kids need a father, not some stranger their mom is dating. Kids need a mother, not a single woman struggling to make ends meet, while working two jobs, or who is too busy trying to act and look 16.
I’m telling you these are sad times we are living in. I feel sorry for kids today. At least I knew who my parents were, and knew they loved me chores, discipline, being grounded or not. They were there for me and I knew I could count on them. I don’t think most kids today feel loved, or cared for and I’ll tell you that really saddens.
You have to take a test and get a license to drive a car. Maybe we should have some minimum requirements to become a parent?
#17
At the very least we should stop giving tax breaks for more than 1 child. McCain wants to raise the tax break for each child to $7000!!!
#16 Kathleen,
We have adults here in San Jose that are no different than the children you speek of that do poorly in Society.
These adults never seem to have enough $$$.Their parents too worked very hard in Silicone Valley to leave their children with property, and these children through their inheritance have grown to become greedy adults. Sad!
Just a reminder, please spread the word!
From The Food Bank:
Nearly 80,000 children in Santa Clara County rely on the free orreduced-price breakfasts and lunches they receive at school to providea major share of their daily nutrition. That’s 33% of the childrenages 5-18 in our County. When school lets out for the summer, parentsare often left struggling to make up the lost meals, putting a strainon their already limited resources. The Food Bank has a number ofprograms that can meet food needs of our community members. TheEnglish/Spanish/Vietnamese flyer briefly describes the programs. Toaccess food programs nearby, anyone can call 1-800-984-3663 (FoodConnection) to get a referral.