September 2, 2008: 4861 Southeastern Ave
86
Road Dog Saloon brawl leaves one dead.
Click to dig into the archives
Greg Ballard, Ken Smith Official Ad
Sep 08, 2008
Ain't It grand? "MAYOR-ELECT Greg Ballard"
TheBartLies Forum
Sep 08, 2008
The
We have heard there are pictures to go with this story: DPW crews were busy removing candidate Adam Longworth's campaign signs today. And not exclusively from the public right of way, but from the front yards of voters. Their attention to cleanliness is remarkable, especially when one can STILL find "Carl Drummer for Trustee" signs nailed to utility poles in Center Township, one year after the election.
Well, it's only taxpayer money, so spend away, Bart.
We all see the carefully-honed public images in commercials and at the podiums during debates. But, ever wonder what the Peterson supporters are like?
Well, here's a couple for you. These are the folks who will be knocking on your door today, asking for YOUR vote. Why not give THEM the bird and slam the door?
The IndyStar identified the fellow happily flashing 'the bird' on the left in the photo above as being among "supporters of incumbent Democrat Mayor Bart Peterson's supporters, including Jonathan Rivers, 19, Indianapolis."
Perhaps it's all just a misunderstanding. Greg Ballard is, as we all know, a LT Colonel USMC (ret). Having no military experience, Bart's probably not able to correctly identify rank. An LTC wears a silver oak leaf insignia. Were they erroneously referring to the insignia for one rank higher, the 'full bird colonel'?
Everyone got a scrumptious hot breakfast, even the homeless who wandered by. Oh, wait - so sorry - that's not a homeless guy. That's the semi-official chief photographer and head dumpster-diver for the Marion County Democratic Party, Wilson Allen!
They are ready now: Today's Pictures
And just for the heck of it, another one that ISN'T from today:
A short transcript from the 'Abdul in the Morning" show where he was talking with State Representative Bill Crawford. You can hear the whole thing here: The Crawford Fight.
I will say categorically, and your audience can do whatever they choose to do, that I defend Aaron's right to call you Willy Lynch. I do not offend, defend your right to use the 'N' word on your airwaves or to defend anyone who uses the 'C' word and anyone that equates that is a smallminded person in my mind.
Whew, glad we got THAT cleared up. We were wondering WHY Aaron Haith hadn't been at least reprimanded for his remarks. Silly us. It's OK for him to talk that way. So there you have it.
Bill Blomquist, political science prof at IUPUI:
Peterson defended the ad, saying each statement is fair and well-documented. And, he said, he has not reneged on his pledge to run a positive campaign. "I don't believe that this ad is a negative ad. If I did, I wouldn't have put it on the air," he said. "It is about accountability. You've got to be able to debate public policy questions in a campaign. It's a choice between two candidates -- the people and their positions. Those are all his stated positions from the public record." Blomquist wasn't convinced.
"It may be a fair ad. It may be an accurate ad. But it's a negative ad," he said.
Rex Early, a former Indiana Republican Party chairman who is supporting Ballard:
"I've been in a lot of campaigns," Early said. "You do this kind of negative ad in the last week out of desperation."
Robin Winston,a former Indiana Democratic Party chairman who is supporting Peterson:
"Bart's opponent in this race is a guy named Proper T. Tax," Winston said.
Brian Vargus, another poly sci prof at IUPUI:
He speculated that Peterson is taking on Ballard in order to increase his winning margin to boost his political future. If Peterson ever decides to run for higher office, such as the U.S. Senate, fundraisers will want to see electoral strength, Vargus said.
And finally Bart's people again toss their distorted statistics into the press:
Peterson's campaign countered that the mayor cut city-county property tax collections by $50 million for 2008, and that homicides have dropped 20 percent over last year, with rapes down 5 percent, vehicle thefts down 14 percent and business burglaries down 16 percent.
See for yourself what's really the case with crime stats in Indy. Looking at the current, partial, year's numbers and comparing against only the previous year's numbers is such an obvious attempt to mislead voters, that it ought to embarasss them. But they seem to have no shame. How can you look at a statistic like Auto Theft, which has INCREASED EVERY YEAR BART'S BEEN IN OFFICE; homicide, which has INCREASED EVERY YEAR BART'S BEEN IN OFFICE; rape, which has INCREASED EVERY YEAR BART'S BEEN IN OFFICE EXCEPT 2003; burglary, which has INCREASED EVERY YEAR BART'S BEEN IN OFFICE; and have the gall to brag that any of these crimes is 'down X percent' vs last year? That makes as much sense as putting on 100 pounds of body fat, dropping 5, and saying your in great physical shape.
We truly hope nobody's buying Bart's garbage. It smells worse than a downtown street corner. The only think more outrageous than these ludicrous claims is that the IndyStar didn't bother to challenge them. But then, they are all playing for the same team.
If you were to ask Bart, "What kind of idiots do you take us for?", his answer would probably be, "First Class."
First there was bartpeterson.com. Now, there's thepetersonplan.com.
What a shameful attempt to manipulate public opinion. Dennis Ryerson pontificating about the misdeed (and it WAS a misdeed) of now-fired IndyStar staffer Rishawn Biddle, democrat Monroe Gray lamenting the situation, democrat Bart Peterson lamenting the situation, democrat Bill Crawford lamenting the situation.
What's so damn baffling in all this is Monroe and Bart let 'one of their own' slide by, in identical circumstances. Well, not really identical because Aaron Haith's racial slur was made out in public, face-to-face and directly to one specific individual. Aaron Haith is a member of the Bar and ought to be held to a higher standard than a young, edgy and controversial newspaper columnist (who was hired to be a young, edgy and controversial colunist).
This event was clearly staged to be a political tool for manipulating emotions prior to next week's election.
It galls us to fire a guy for an aggregious mistake, and then (and ONLY then) mount a public cry for an 'apology.' What respectable person would be willing to apologize after being fired? Where's Rishawn's motivation to apologize NOW? He's been fired without hesitation. He's history. He's looking for a new job. He's probably far too occupied with how to put his life back together to be bothered with an apology to anyone now.
This is shameful political hucksterism of the first order. Surely people are smart enough to see through the bullshit.
By the way, was Monroe dressed for work? What's up with the golf cap, houndstooth jacket, and that zip-up shirt? That's surely not IFD uniform and not what's considered by most to be 'business attire'. Monroe seemed to be the only NOT wearing at least a tie. Looks like someone had a tee-time coming up right after the show was over.
A Bartoon By "Rinky Dink"
Previous issues:
A Death By BartA tip of the hat to Piper for letting us know about this gem.
The Oct 29th Council meeting was such a pleasure to watch. For once, they all acted like respectable elected officials instead of spoiled brats. Monroe did what he should have done months and months ago. He handed the gavel to Joanne Sanders and stepped aside while his ethics matter was addressed. Cudos again to Dr. Borst for showing leadership in nailing down the loose ends of the rug so that there's little chance of the dirt being swept under it.
This was really such a simple matter. It's never needed to become such a travesty of gamesmanship and technicality-maneuvers.
Curiously, tonight the Council voted unanimously (28-0) to proceed with the investigation. You'd almost think there's an election coming along sometime soon.
It was still nervewracking, however, listening to Monroe butcher the wording of that proclamation he was, um, 'reading.' Sort of the same squirmy feeling I get when I'm stuck behind a car travelling 20 MPH under the speed limit and there isn't room to pass.
http://monroegray.com
A few weeks ago we put out this poster
Following publication of poll results by The Indianapolis Star, showing Greg Ballard, the modestly-finance and 'unknown' challenger, was neck-in-neck with the incumbent, Bart's campaign manager felt it necessary to change tactics.
A Bartoon By "Rinky Dink"
Previous issues:
Barton Crime NovemberOn the heels of learning several IPS schools are being shut down, comes Bart's newest TV ad. In it, a woman is doting over Indy's charter schools. Apparently, her children were saved from growing up to be losers by attending a charter school.
But, what about this campaigning from Bart, that he "is the nation's only mayor with the authority to issue charters for new public schools." The implication from that stump speech rhetoric is he must have some super-magic power that no one else has. Far from it.
The Progressive Policy Institute describes the Indianapolis charter school setup by saying "there is a third way that gives a mayor a way to truly impact education while sidestepping the treacherous politics and problems of takeovers: Mayors can open their own public schools." Ah, ha! They finish their train of thought with "Doing so does not mean walking away from other struggling public schools, but it does mean providing more high quality seats for students and introducing healthy competition into the public sector." So the charting arrangement in Indianapolis is simply a politically-expedient way to operate, that shields the mayor from political problems.
Wikipedia distills down the concept of charter schools:
The charter school movement in the United States began in 1988, when Albert Shanker, President of the American Federation of Teachers, called for the reform of the public schools by establishing "charter schools" or "schools of choice". At the time, a few schools (which were not called charter schools but embodied some of their principles) already existed, such as H-B Woodlawn. As originally conceived, the ideal model of a charter school as a legally and financially autonomous public school (without tuition, religious affiliation, or selective student admissions) that would operate much like a private business – free from many state laws and district regulations, and accountable more for student outcomes rather than for processes or inputs (such as Carnegie Units and teacher certification requirements).[3] Opponents of charter schools suggest that this accountability is rarely exercised, and that the more lax requirements for charter schools result in fewer qualified teachers than at their traditional public counterparts.
Minnesota was the first state to pass a charter school law, in 1991. California was second, in 1992. By 1995 there were 19 states with charter school laws.
There are two principles which guide charter schools. First is that they will operate as autonomous public schools. This is effected by gaining waivers from many of the procedural requirements of public schools. The second is that they may use innovative pedagogy. To justify their waivers and autonomy, they are supposed to produce results superior to non-charter schools. Studies have shown that charter schools are rarely closed for poor academic performance.
Yes, charter schools are established by state law. Not a local government action from the Mayor. But going back to PPI's web article again:
This is not just a theory. In Indianapolis, America's 12th largest city, Mayor Bart Peterson is creating an entirely new sector of public schools. In 2001, the Indiana legislature granted the Mayor of Indianapolis the authority to issue public school charters to nonprofit entities as part of broader charter school legislation. Mayor Peterson, a Democrat who has served as mayor since 2000, enthusiastically embraced the authority and the idea of public charter schooling.
"Enthusiastically" but not "personally". The Peterson's daughter not only bypassed the Indianapolis Public School System, they took a pass on a charter school in favor of a private institution, Park Tudor. "All things in moderation," they say.
Again, from PPI:
Other mayors have assumed direct control over school systems, or sought control by supporting entire slates of school board candidates. But the prospects of truly reforming any large, entrenched institution are not good. Stanford's Michael Kirst, who has extensively studied mayoral takeovers concludes that "it is difficult to link these governance shifts to improved instructional practices or outcomes."
The CliffNotes version of that is, "Bart took the path of least resistance."
What you don't hear Bart (or the woman in that TV ad) talking about is FLANNER HOUSE. That's the charter school which, in 2005, was found to have embezzled around $700,000 in funds, fudging their ISTEP scores, having fewer than 50 students vs a reported 168 or so, offering some college-prep subjects like 'knitting' and 'sign language.'/p>
The mayor who purports to have such firm control over the charter school program appears to have dropped the ball big time.
As a sidenote, of sorts, Ron "altercation at Blu" Gibson, weighed in on charter schools in a story that seems to appear in many places. It's unclear where it originated, but we first found it here
Another key player was Ron Gibson, Indianapolis City Council member-at-large. When asked about his work with black ministers to shore up community support for charter schools, the light-skinned council member cheerfully explains why he undertook this role, “I’m African American, in case you can’t tell.” Gibson receives copies of charter applications and attends interviews with applicants. He acts as a stand-in for the charter office within the City Council and within the Democratic caucus, an important political task given that the council has to give final approval before a charter is granted. “I lay out the case for why [each] school is important,” says Gibson.
Well maybe Ron should stay out of the bars and keep a clear head so he can stay focused on charter school issues.
Exactly two years ago (October 21, 2005) and after just two years in operation, the Flanner House Higher Education Center was closed by Charter School Board vote.
...brings you this item:
Lucas Oil to stay in Corona
10:43 AM PDT on Monday, October 1, 2007
By DARLA MARTIN TUCKER
dtucker@ thebizpress.com
A Corona motor oil company has decided to remain in town rather than move its headquarters to Indiana.
"It doesn't look like it's in the plans right now," said Robert E. Patison, executive vice president for Lucas Oil Products Inc. "It's not out of the question, but it's not happening at this time."
The full list of archive pages, but seem to all be duplicates of the ones above, going back to Oct 29, 2003:
Send a donation to Greg Ballard for Mayor. Do it this week. Thousands of people read this blog. You return time and time again. You must be supportive of changing Indianapolis' leadership for the better. Your visits indicate you also realize Bart Lies. Put your money where your heart and mind are. Do it this week. If just 1,000 of you send in $100, you will make it possible to fill the airwaves with radio and TV spots to reach more people with the message you already know. Bart Lies.
Had Enough? You have one vote. Use it. But multiply that one vote many times over by doing for Greg Ballard what his own party officials are afraid to do. The sole contribution of the Republican Party to date has been providing an office, a desk, a website and a telephone. If just 1,000 of you readers send in $100 dollars YOU will collectively have done more than the entire Republican Party has done.
It is long past time for a change, for a reformation of the government in this city. The thuggery displayed this week by the Center Township Constable is just the latest in a neverending string of corrupt, unethical, self-serving, special-interest moves by the Democrat party. They are so corrupt they won't even allow their deeds to stand the test of an impartial judge. Their chief legal advisor is himself, for the 4th time, under scrutiny regarding his conduct as a lawyer. We have been handed at least 19 tax increases in Bart's 2 terms in office. Bart blindly repeats his 'we've turned the corner on crime' lie, yet crime is up. Our tax dollars are handed out like halloween candy, to just about any large corporation that comes along. They are like the living dead, feeding on US the living souls of Indianapolis.
It is that simple, it is that easy to make a change for the better for all the people of Indianapolis - not just for a few of the rich ones.
A reader's opinion following the story "More Abduction Problems in Indy--Where is Our Mayor?" nowpublic.com
bartpeterson.com. It's simple and to-the-point.
But, geeze, is that critter on your head housebroken, Pat?
We just read this on Ruth Hollday's blog
Comment from: Center Township Resident [Member]
Ruth:
I just read a post from one of Julia's neighbors responding to an anonymous blogger. It is a known fact that information regarding Julia Carson has not been newsworthy in the past. Very seldom did the Star report anything on her track record. However a great deal on information seems to be flowing on these blogs from voters who want a change in the 7th District.
Your time would be better spent investigating the nasty divorce of Julia Carson and her former retired military husband, filed in July 1988.
Reasons he divorced her: Deception, fraud, falsifying, bank records, changing his military pension, changing beneficiaries on insurance policies made out to his grown children from his first marriage. At the time she was the one who needed financial support. The divorce filing appeared in the Indianapolis Star while she was in Atlanta attending the Democratic National Convention. Carson was taken into custody by police, but was released for a $1500.00 theft of a delegate’s travel money from her purse. If there is a record, I am sure the City of Atlanta has it since they reimbursed the Indiana delegate the money to avoid a national scandal. One of Rev. Jesse Jackson’s State Coordinators caught stealing money from a white female’s purse from Indiana. You did not see this headline because it was covered up. INDIANA STATE SENATOR JULIA M. CARSON CHARGED WITH THEFT OF DELEGATE’S MONEY
What do you think of a wife who immediately runs to the bank, removes her husbands name off of all financial documents assuming he will not recover from being hospitalized for an illness, but he does recover?
When he discovered what she had done, it took him 4 months to find an attorney to handle the divorce. The divorce attorneys in this city did not want to be involved handling the ugly divorce of Senator Julia Carson.
The judge ordered Ms. Carson to bring all financial records and receipts to court and to account for all money spent. Do you know that she walked into court with 2 shopping bags of papers stuffed in the bags? The papers were not in any kind of order. Just sloppy.
Ask her about her domestic incidents, the arguments, and fights she had with him when she discovered he was leaving her for a younger woman. Her neighbors on Park Avenue witnesses several fights in the street and told people about it.
I know that you will find her dysfunctional marriage to this man more interesting than her opponents. The divorce record is on file.
09/22/06 @ 03:41
We would like to see the court records. Oh boy, would we like to see them.
It's as if they think opening the polls isn't even necessary.
Remember Thomas Dewey? about.com and wikipedia.com each have their mentions of the 1948 presidential election:
Political campaigns are largely ritualistic.... All the evidence we have accumulated since 1936 tends to indicate that the man in the lead at the beginning of the campaign is the man who is the winner at the end of it.... The winner, it appears, clinches his victory early in the race and before he has uttered a word of campaign oratory.
--- Elmo Roper
He was the Republican candidate in the 1948 presidential election in which, in almost unanimous predictions by pollsters and the press, he was projected as the winner. The Chicago Daily Tribune printed "DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN" as its post-election headline, issuing a few hundred copies before the returns showed conclusively that the winner was Harry S. Truman, the incumbent.
Indeed, given Truman's sinking popularity and the Democratic Party's three-way split (between Truman, Henry A. Wallace, and Strom Thurmond), Dewey had seemed unstoppable. Republicans figured that all they had to do was to avoid destroying a certain election victory, and as such, Dewey did not take any risks. He spoke in platitudes, trying to transcend politics. Speech after speech was filled with empty statements of the obvious, such as the famous quote: "You know that your future is still ahead of you."
You never know until the polls close and the votes are counted. That's why we have elections - the prognosticators make mistakes. And, you know, Dewey's campaigning back then sounds a lot like Bart's does today - 'empty statements of the obvious.'
Remember Ted's farewell 'speech'? It's still online and still a good read, especially now because it addresses Bart, the CIB, Indianapolis Downtown Inc. and gives a long hard look at some shady and downright infuriating aspects of the Peterson Era.
The Hollywood Bar & Filmworks has turned into a bit of an issue on topix.net. We saw the discussion start yesterday and that is what prompted us to recall the loss of Indy's most unique movie theater.
Today, the debate rages on and is interesting enough that we'll quote some of it here:
What initially caught BartLies attention was this (from 'Uh Clem'):
I see that Ted Bulthaup, who struggled and eventually was unable to keep the Hollywood Bar and Filmworks going, thanks to Bart's 'downtown development' and the parking problems it created, contributed $5K to Greg Ballard. Bravo!
http://www.filmworksonline.com/
Ted is now calling Illinois home.
Which resulted in this (from 'Taxpaying Hoosier Citizen'):
More BS but still too little too late, as has distinguished the entire Ballard campaign. Ted was a slum employer whose workers had to race to the bank every payday to get there before the money ran out. What did he do with the federal money he got for the revamping of the theater?
http://tinyurl.com/2em4lz
What put the nail in HBFW's coffin was the anti-smoking ordinance, which effectively severed the place's niche market. Word.
You folks must be pretty desperate. Say, what is your name so we can see it on Ballard's financial statement? Certainly you should be able to point to your contribution with pride.
Which spawned these replies (again from 'Uh clem'):
Well, it says 'small business LOAN', so I reckon he paid it back.
That's quite a different thing than, say, giving $48 million in tax dollars to JW Marriott so they would build a hotel.
Quite a bit different than a 10 year tax abatement for the Conrad Hotel (and more curiously, for the expensive condos on it's upper floors).
What a pathetic and desperate example of 'dumpster diving', trying to imply a LOAN is somehow a signal of something sinister.
And...
Your above statement caused me to check it out - Greg Bowes DEMOCRAT and Angela Mansfield DEMOCRAT authored, and Steve Talley DEMOCRAT supported (as did Scott Keller, DOUBLE AGENT republican turncoat) the antismoking ordinance that nailed that coffin, as you put it.
Note that Greg Bowes displays a copy of his ordinance on his personal website:
http://www.gregbowes.org/issues/smoking/docum...
That's Bart's people who killed the HBFW then, by your own documentation and admission. Word.
This 'sound' bite, regarding the disparity in campaign funds between Bart and Greg, comes via WTHR's Mary Milz
Explaining the vast difference, Ballard said, "I chalk it up to I was out serving my country, so I didn't make all the connections in Indianapolis, but that's okay, people have been very generous and I appreciate all the support."
If you recall the "Black Sunday" Property Tax protest rally in downtown Indianapolis, you may recall that one of the speakers that day was Marion County Treasurer Michael Rodman.
On that day he said this (quoted via wthr.com):
Even Marion County Treasurer Michael Rodman, a Democrat, showed up at the rally. Wearing a black shirt in protest and one of the few elected officials in attendance, he is also calling for a flawed system to be changed.
"My taxes went up seventy percent, that's an unreasonable jump," said Rodman. "Let's fix it (the problem). I'll be extremely happy to send out a revised bill but I can't do it on my own."
Golly. Mr Rodman is 'one of us'. His taxes went up 70%. Now, what is his tax bill? To be honest, it never occurred to us to check his situation. We made a mental note about his 'plight' and continued on.
Well today "piper", one of the freedom fighters in this Property Tax War forwarded a copy of Mr. Rodman's tax liability. We provide a copy below:
As you can see, his current assessment is $687.10. Gee, Mike, we're heartbroken for ya! We guess you were trying to say, "I feel your pain," like Bart has said he feels our pain. Like Bart, you surely aren't feeling our pain. Not one bit.
Ethics Filing regarding Aaron Haith and his relationship with Monroe Gray. This is a small PDF-format file, just 60K bytes.
Here's hoping that Councillors Borst, Speedy, Schneider and Cain are able to make some headway towards getting the Council's dirty laundry cleaned up
Councillor Conley and Melyssa Donaghy discuss Monroe Gray's ethics question.
The following chart is from City-Data.com. Judge for yourself whether crime is 'up' OR (as Bart wants us to think) crime is 'down'.
You will note that every category except 'assault' has gone up since Bart took over the mayor's office.
But they evidently are so hard to find in Indianapolis that he needed to use a Beech Grove PD car in his ad. And the Dem bloggers are swooning. "Good stuff", indeed!
The 'right notes' we're hearing are from a trombone.
We at BartLies.com would be interested in Bart's answer, too, to the question posed at Hoosiers for Fair Taxation
Here is a challenge from Hoosiers For Fair Taxation. Can anyone from Mayor Peterson's staff or the democratic party tell the people of Indianapolis what promises Bart Peterson kept during the nearly 8 years he has held office and back it up with documentation? We want to give Peterson a fair shake to show the tax payers he worked in their best interest during his two terms.
We all FEEL like the taxman has pounded our skulls full of pins, don't we?"
It's so heartwarming to see the Ballard 'Had Enough?' signs popping up everywhere. Big homes, small homes, everywhere even in poorer sections of town. Each time we go out, we see yet another yard with a new Ballard sign in it.
Abdul dove into his blog-log and the result was BUSTED! (see screenshot below,
from Abdul's feedback page)
. Abdul's blog entry was in
reference to the annoying creep known as Wilson46201 who always asserts he doesn't post anonymously, and goes so far as to endlessly rave on about people who do.
Abdul found several bits of data that showed the on-again/off-again Julia Carson staffer indeed HAS been posting inflammatory items into various blogs anonymously.
Well, well, well. Mr. Foot-in-mouth has been caught in his lie! He DOES post anonymously, using the device to fabricate situations where he can barge in a bit later and spew his patented brand of vitriol. Perhaps this is under Julia Carson's direction since they seem to be so chummy. Politics does have it's seamy side, of course.
Although we posted some of our own 'dumpster diving' results back to Abdul's blog, he didn't seem to want to bother with it as it never made the light of day, even though later posts have. So we'll just repost the info here.
A simple Google search on his IP address revealed a couple of 'proxy' logs. These are tools that let you masquerade under a false IP address. Good ol' Mr Wilson happens to show up in a couple logs, one locally at Iquest and another over in Taiwan. It's just blind luck that a couple of them had their logs spidered by google at the 'right' time. I posted the details over at IndianaBarrister, but am pasting it in here as well:
As Wilson points out, if one wanted to be 'slick' they could do things to hide their IP address like go to the library. Or just stay at home and change it. By tunnelling through a proxy server. Such as 'squid'. Such as the one whichs appears to reside on iQuest.net:328.
Such as the one that is linked to Wilson's IP address here:
http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:fLfRfhw6Pl8J:cqcounter.com/%3Fsts,l20proxy, ,,,indbar+24.223.128.27&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us
which includes the line:
07-Oct-2007 23:52 24.223.128.27 1.1 slipstream0.iquest.net:3128 (squid/2.5.STABLE11)
for the counter identified as 'indbar' (as in 'Indiana Barrister').
And such as the one in Taiwan, where the same address appears in this proxy log:
http://netflow3.nhlue.edu.tw/netflow/scan/c6509/2007/2007-10/2007-10-04/2007-10-04.152147-IN.html
with the entry of:
1004.15:25:39.399 192.192.164.248:22404 24.223.128.27:6881 17 1 129
Sometimes people wanting to be 'slick' slip and fall on their own lubricant.
OK, you've seen Monroe Gray stumping (er, being stumped?) at the Meridian Street Foundation earlier this week. Now have a look at the opponent for the District 8 seat, Kurt Webber.
This city needs neither incompetent boobs presiding of the Council nor a mayor who thinks incompetent boobery is a standard to which his "team" should aspire.
Thanks to Digital Farmer's Blog, where we first spotted these videos!
The above link shows data from the start of Bart Peterson's 2nd term as mayor. Indy is shown in the 97% percentile of criminal activity per the FBI national statistics, rated 0.5 on a scale of 5 for 'safeness' by the homesurfer.com real estate site
Registrant:
Wilson Allen
1146 Tecumseh St
Indianapolis, Indiana 46201
United States
Registered through: GoDaddy.com, Inc. (http://www.godaddy.com)
Domain Name: 300EASTINDY.COM
Created on: 07-Jan-07
Expires on: 07-Jan-08
Last Updated on:
We occasionally have time to kill, and we stop/gawk at the trainwreck called Taking Down Words. How odd there's nary a mention of Monroe Gray or Rondinell Gibson there, save but a few references in reader comments. Well, not entirely correct. There is glossary of terms lifted from another blog site, which includes an entry for 'sweet pea' as it applies to Monroe. Odd, given they both have received considerable media attention this week.
The Digital Farmer's Blog has links to several videos of Monroe Gray speaking before his constituency, at the Meridian Street Foundation on Tuesday.
If this doesn't get your blood boiling, if you weren't already livid about the City County Council (ahem) 'leadership', then the videos that Sir Hailstone has provided the links to should send you into a tailspin. Monroe Gray does more waffling than the entire Waffle House restaurant chain put together.
We didn't like the guy before, having become well acquainted with his various legal and moral issues as a city employee, private contractor and Council President all rolled-into one. But these videos are simply infuriating. It's clear that Monroe hasn't a clue about his job or the workings of city government, and that he is totally incapable of communicating with the people he claims to represent.
If that's not bad enough, the IndyStar's Brendan O'Shaughnessy quoted Mayor Bart Peterson in his September article "Does Monroe Gray have two jobs?." In that story, Peterson had this to say:
"There's no better evidence of that than the shining example sitting next to me," Peterson said of Monroe Gray in August, when the mayor was asked if Gray's and others' voting on the income tax proposal was a conflict of interest.
So watch the Monroe Gray videos and consider this: Bart Peterson considers THAT a "shining example." And ask yourself how can you can vote for a mayoral candidate who's so utterly clueless that he admires Monroe Gray.
The people ('Pea-poll') have spoken. Hit the road, Jack. And don't you come back no more, no more. Hit the road, Jack.
This abomination of a Council President pulls his stunts every 2 weeks, and Bart says not the first word about it. Is he really in charge? We see dereliction of duty throughout Bart's 'Machine' and it's disgusting. November 6th is just a month away. Vote for a change! Vote FOR change! Vote the crooks out.
On November 6th, please wash that Gray right out of OUR hair. And flush the Peterson hairball down the drain, too.
I am sending this email to your site because I'm hoping you will help get the word out that Greg Ballard is having a fundraiser this week. See the info below. I am a devoted blog reader and comment reader of the Indianapolis Star. I am amazed that almost all comments are not supportive of Bart Peterson. Most comments contain support for Greg Ballard. I am a Greg Ballard supporter and have volunteered to assist his campaign in many ways. Last Saturday, I went to the GOP Headquarters for a volunteer meeting. Based on what I read, I expected to see a great number of people. What I saw instead was about ten people which included Mr. Ballard and his wife, a campaign manager, a volunteer leader, a couple of regular volunteers, and the rest; walk-in volunteers. Where were all his supporters???? As we all know, the Republican party is not financially supporting Mr. Ballard's campaign, therefore, money to help get his word out is critical. However, there are other things we can do that do not necessarily take money. An individual can call, email, have their own get-together to discuss Mr.Ballard, his plan, and how this city will be in dire straights if he is not elected. Please help spread the word to help save our city. It's not a Republican thing. It's not a Democrat thing. It's the RIGHT thing. VOTE BALLARD NOVEMBER 6TH! Ballard for Mayor Fundraiser The Ballard for Mayor campaign announces a fund raiser When: Wednesday, October 10th, 2007, 6:00 PM to 10:00 PM Where: Fox and Hound Pub (4901 E 82nd St, Castleton area) How much: $50.00 VIP, $20 individual Thank you for your sites and thank you in advance for your help! Washington Township Mom "To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing"
This is the sort of person Ann Marie Jimenez-Carson picks for a 'friend'? This is the sort of person Robin Winston welcomes into his fundraisers? This is the sort of person that the local Dems use as a spokesperson (whether officially or unofficially)? The enlightening thread from Ruth Hollday's blog speaks volumes. Is 'skanky' a higher or lower rank than 'nappy-headed'?
Perhaps, just perhaps, this exchange was simply meant as 'humorous'. Does Wilson get a 'pass' for using racially-offensive slurs because he's labelled himself as a FOJC (Friend of Julia Carson)? Does that give him the right to say 'just kidding?' Do we have a double standard here?
Is this typical of the sort of person Bart Peterson has supporting him?
The sounds of gunfire are producing dead bodies almost faster than we can tally them up. There were two more today (Oct 7th)
The 2007 box score looks like this:
| Month | Homicides | Oct | 6 (so far) | Sep | 12 | Aug | 9 | Jul | 9 | Jun | 9 | May | 10 | Apr | 9 | Mar | 11 | Feb | 13 | Jan | 8 |
|---|
At the rate we're going, October is headed for 26.5 homicides. We are heading into the November election 'with a bang'. Time for a change.
Vote for a mayor who gives a damn about you. The one we have now only wants your money and for his own glory. Please vote for Greg Ballard. We sincerely hope you will still be alive on November 6th and able to vote at all.
Cameras at political fundraisers are par for the course. But not when they're being used to record who's coming in the door.
In one of the oddest spectacles in recent memory, people entering a fundraiser for Democratic council members Wednesday evening, hosted by longtime Democratic operative Robin Winston, were getting their picture taken -- and not by a hired photographer.
Rather, Melyssa Donaghy, who recently reached a settlement with the city over running a dominatrix business in a Meridian-Kessler home, and some other anti-tax crusaders set up cameras to film those entering Winston's office in the 1400 block of Pennsylvania Street.
Winston's invitation letter to black business owners apparently upset the activists, who said it implied that blacks needed to support Democratic City-County Council members if they wanted to win city contracts.
Asked whether the photos were an attempt at intimidation, Winston said it didn't seem to be working -- there was a full house. To complete the scene, Democratic blog prowler Wilson Allen showed up to take pictures of the people taking pictures.
Michael O'Connor, the county Democratic chairman, said opportunities to do business with the government have expanded in recent years after Republican administrations failed to meet diversity goals. He said fundraisers are part of the political process, regardless of Donaghy's activities.
"I guess the dominatrix wants attention," he said.
They still don't get it. O'Connor still doesn't get it. "Upset" is the wrong term. "Raised curiosity" is the correct one.
'Democratic operative' Robin came out to 'greet' us all before the guests arrived (ostensibly to collect names, like any good 'operative'). He started out by lying, telling everyone that no council members were coming, so we might as well leave. Of course, quite a few of them DID show up.
As for 'odd spectacles', we remember the one on August 6th where Monroe Gray wasn't one bit concerned about the health of people sweltering in the hot summer sun because he had 'no authority' to ask them to be let into the airconditioned lobby of the CCB. We remember the one about his dual homestead tax credit - and that he still hasn't paid back the part he was illegalling claiming. We remember the one where Monroe was just ordered by the courts to pay $44,000 back on a bad business debt. We remember the one about Patrice Abduallah lying about where he lives and having to reliquish his CCC seat. We remember the one about Bart Peterson jacking up taxes for Marion County residents while at the same time handing out millions in 'incentives' (bribes) to wealthy business owners and calling it 'economic development.' We remember the one where Bart seems to have no issue with Monroe's endless string of legal problems. We remember the one with IFD Chief Greeson's inability to appropriately handle sexual discrimination issues within his department.
And we'll remember the following statement for quite a long time, too:
Michael O'Connor, the county Democratic chairman, said opportunities to do business with the government have expanded in recent years after Republican administrations failed to meet diversity goals.
Such a wonderfully ambiguous statement from ol' Mike. There have been MANY opportunities to do business with the Democratic administration in recent years. We've have nearly eight years of Bart Peterson's corporate welfare program funnelling many tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue to rich business owners. Very little of that to local, minority, small business owners. That is par for the course in Bart's fiefdom. Mike O'Connor, what do you have to say about the very next paragraph in B.C.D.? The one captioned Gray's company faces new suits? Perhaps you would rather overlook the endless stream of your party's (and Bart's) embarassments at the hands of Monroe Gray? By not coming out to denounce his oft-litigated business dealings you BOTH are implicitly endorsing them.
Remember, Mike, that just as fundraisers are 'part of the political process', protesting is too. However, a pot-bellied fellow in tee-shirt and baggy pants wandering around, hanging out, at a fundraiser where every guest is arriving in casual or formal business attire seems well outside the 'normal' part of the political process.
It's time for a change. Greg Ballard is this city's chance to break from the pattern of corruption, lies, tax increases and mismanagement of tax dollars that's made it's mark during the past 7+ years of Bart's regime.
Digging back in the IndyStar archives, we uncovered this item from Matt Tulley's blog:
Where'd the party leadership go?. They 'voted overwhelmingly Wednesday night to endorse Greg Ballard' seven months ago. Tully observed 'his victory at Wednesday's slating convention means can now rely on the party organization to help him.'
Then in April, the blog had it's final inquiry from a reader, with no answer:
Comment from ddd on April 12, 2007 10:47 AM
I am curious why there is no more articles on this in the mainstream news?
Who is getting voted for in the may primaries?
Who is going against the incumbents?
Are we voting for City Council members too?
Who is running against the incumbents there?It seems this is all pretty unknown in the general public. Why is that?
The question bears repeating: 'Why is that?' Why hasn't the Republican Party stepped up to the plate and provided that support? Yeah, we know the rumor-mill's explanation and it 'fits': Corruption in the highest places of BOTH Dems and Repubs. And the citizen voters are the ones who really get shafted by the games they play.
Bart you shunned us this morning. You were smiling and waving from the back seat of the convertible as you crossed Meridian on North St heading to your spot in the parade. Hoping for a handshake, we smiled and waved and called out "Hi, Bart. How are you?" and (sniff) you looked our way but quickly turned the other direction. Maybe it was the shirt that we had on (see photo)?
Monroe Gray was right behind you so we tried to greet him, too, with "Hey Monroe, shake them peas. Shake them peas Monroe." Monroe, you acted like we were invisible and yet we were hardly 6 ft apart. At the time, we'd forgotten about the pea-shake house that burned over on Roache Street. Pardon our insensitivity in these difficult times.
Perhaps the best moment of the parade was watching IFD Chief Greeson on the corner of Pennsylvania and Ft Wayne Ave. He was switching back-and-forth, first doing that insipid 'stir the pot' dance move and then going into a sequence of hands-on-hips thrusting motions as the marching bands went by. It's not clear if he was enthralled by the music, or by the young women in tight, skimpy outfits who were marching ahead of the musicians. We couldn't get close enough to ask, and by the end of the parade, he'd quieted down a lot. (see photos)
Center Township Trustee Carl Drummer was there in full Shriner regalia. We find it humorous that the head guy in the Township is a 'trustee', same as many well-behaved folks in prisons. Does Carl behave 'well' in his position? We don't know. We know he doesn't do a good job of cleaning his campaign posters off of utility poles after the election is over.
Contrary to rumors about her walking the parade route, we saw neither hide nor hair of Ann Marie Jimenez, our 7th District Congresswoman, in the parade. We didn't even see her grandson Andrè 'Kid' Carson of the Phony Express. That's yet more disappointments for us. But still, it was a fabulous parade and everyone was smiling and having a good time.
Bart sure can smile into the camera, can't he? His closing remarks are freshest in my mind, so let's look at that. Bart had to smile and remind us that homicides are down 'nearly 30%' from last year. Bart didn't tell us that homicides went UP 29.6% in 2006.
The fact is, homicides went from 112 (the year before Bart took office) down to 108 his first year. Then they went up again - reaching 115 during his 2nd year. The following years were 108, 108, 105, 108, 140 and we now have estimated 123 for 2007. The last two years have seen the highest homicide rates in all of Bart's two terms in office.
Bart Lies! Homicide is NOT down. It is decidedly UP.
Greg Ballard was clearly unaccustomed to being in front of the cameras, but he did quite well. His ideas were expressed concisely and without embellishment. You did well, Greg. To the point and completely candid. A bit nervous, but it's 'opening night'. We're sure the next debate will show us a more relaxed Greg Ballard. One omission: You didn't mention your 2-2-2 Plan for eliminating property taxes.
Fred Peterson, as much as we try to like him, just comes off a bit 'odd' in his presence. He tended to run on and on, repeating himself. And, Jim Shella had to cut him off once because Fred just can't put a period on the end of his sentences. Which is too bad, because he clearly means well. He's just not ready for this race.
"Chad Chitwood, Carson's press secretary, said he believed she was discharged and taken to a rehabilitation center on Monday, but he could not immediately confirm that date," WTHR reports. "He also could not say what condition she was in, but said, 'She was doing well when I talked to her last.'" "He said that was last Friday."
Chad's right on top of things.
Contact Bart Lies
Threats and vulgarities will be cheerfully ignored. (Or reported to authorities. Or put on public display)
See for yourself what happens when some people drop us a line
If we left you off, if wasn't intentional. Drop us a line and we'll correct the oversight
