The Mike B Foundation will join the call to “Silence the Violence” to call for an end to gun violence in Sacramento this coming Saturday.

On Saturday, July 24th, The Mike B Foundation will host the “Silence the Violence, National Day of Action in Sacramento to call for an end to the violence that plagues Sacramento streets. The activities will start at 10am at 4124 – 4542 Florin Road at the corner of Franklin Blvd, Sacramento.

One of the objectives is to allow the community to take steps towards healing and come together in an effort to bring peace to our streets. The event is held in honor of those lost to violence and will allow opportunities to work together for a better community.

We all have to come together and take responsibility for the crisis of violence in our streets. We have lost too many of our people to senseless violence. It’s time for us to take action and inspire others to make a change.

This event is being held with support from the following organizations: Urban Peace Movement, Krazy Sac Ladz, Oak Park Outreach Services, BFG Street Team, and Parents of Murdered Children.

WHAT: Silence the Violence National Day of Action
WHERE: 10AM TO 2PM at Florin Road (corner of Franklin Blvd, old Wal- mart parking lot)
WHEN: July 24, 2010
WHO: Shirley Rhodes, The Mike B Foundation
Families who’ve lost loved ones to violence
Soul Hustle
Diplomatz
Blue Diamonds
Restoration Church Praise Team
For additional information please contact Shirley Rhodes at (916) 429-2580 or email at srhodes@themikebfoundation.com. NOTE:  The Mike B Foundation is in need of business attire for males and females so guys if you have some to give me, let them know.

For additional information on the Mike B Foundation visit: www.themikebfoundation.com
For additional information on the Urban Peace Movement visit: http://urbanpeacemovement.org/national-day-of-action . The Urban Peace Movement “helps young people spread the message of urban peace. / http://urbanpeacemovement.org
The Ella Baker Center has divided their time and energy from systematic change to individual transformation. The Ella Baker Center has held many events which include ‘Mother Morning/ Mourning’ to heal the streets http://www.ellabakercenter.org/page.php?pageid=75 and they have now joined the Urban Peace Movement. http://www.ellabakercenter.org/page.php?pageid=1

Once again Mayor Johnson has hired someone from outside Sacramento for a staff position. Recently he held a press conference to introduce a new staff member, Keith Hart. Keith comes to us all the way from Baltimore, MD, and has been given the title “Chief Services Officer.” He will be in charge of ” increas[ing] volunteer opportunities, encouraging services and tailoring volunteer efforts around Sacramento in the most pressing challenging areas.”

It’s hard to believe Johnson couldn’t find a slew of good candidates right here in Sacramento.

Apparently Keith’s position is funded for two years by a “grant” from the Rockefeller Foundation. At his installation Hart said, “Mayor Johnson was there as a founding member of a new coalition called Cities of Service….he has helped to bring together leaders in the public and private sector that have never worked before with the city of Sacramento.”

Oh yes because Kevin Johnson, the mayor who went above his pay grade and voted to impose ECONOMIC SANCTIONS on the people and citizens of one of the country’s biggest cities, Phoenix, Arizona, is SUCH a HUGE proponent of bringing cities and their leaders together!

With his Arizona Boycott vote Johnson didn’t make Sac Town a city of service; he made it a city of vengeance! A city that works for everyone. Yeah right. Everyone except for the state of Arizona.. and the citizens of Sacramento.

“Cities of Service” huh?  Also known as The “make-the-taxpayers-do-all-the-work-so-we-politicians-can-get paid-more-to-do-less” Coalition.

Right. Because citizens aren’t slammed enough with endless taxation, frivolous legislation, thankless parenting, low wage jobs, inadequate public safety staffing, out of control inflation, war, unemployment,  education expenses, and a slew of other motivation-crushing burdens.

Hey Johnson we don’t need more VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES.  We need more JOB OPPORTUNITIES.. like the one you just gave away to Baltimore, MD.

Yet another HUGE disappointment, Mayor Johnson.

“Be the change.” Pish. Start with the man in the mirror KJ.

Pic: SacramentoPress.com

Stuff in the news…  Sacramento County is closing its one and only Boy’s Ranch. Shocker. How sad. Sac County just got a little more dangerous. Anyone under the delusion that the Boys Ranch is not worth the money is ignorant. Period. Sac County Stupidvisors should all be fired for closing this ranch. That would not be extreme. That would be justice.

First they ran up the worst budget deficit in history, now they are going to close all the badly needed social services to make up the difference? WOW. Good thing I don’t swear on this blog because I could fill it with expletives right now.

All you ignorant people out there clapping and hooting over the closure of the ranch (while you suck on a micro beer and jam a handful of Cheetos into your face) please stay off the message boards the next time a story comes up about a Sac County youth re-offender committing a violent act. Better pray you aren’t the one in their cross hairs. You have nothing of value to add to the conversation– save for an apology for your ignorance.

Stupidity.

But these maroons pale in comparison to the Stupidvisors of Sac County. How could we have such an ignorant group of Stupidvisors? How does that happen? These are the same buffoons that will one day lead our assembly don’t forget. Roger Dickinson is one such critter.  Good thing a judge is BLOCKING  the stupidvisors’ stupid decision to shut down “indignant” health care services. Thank God Loaves and Fishes is looking out for the “indignant.” Along with two homeless folks Loaves sued the County and fortunately a judge granted a restraining order to stop their stupidity. Too bad the same wasn’t done for the Boys Ranch.

Of course what gets me–as always–is the IGNORANCE people are displaying in the Bee’s comments. The old me would mistakenly called it “evil” or “anger” but in the end it’s just ignorance.. or arrogance… or  “stupidity,” whatever you prefer. But it’s also ruthless in my opinion.

Spoiled Americans with their bottled water, Starbucks, Ulta, jet skis, boats, McMansions, RV’s, Harleys, monster trucks and big screens who routinely talk smack about the poor and call for an end to social services are a DISGRACE to humanity. Furthermore they are cowards. They  talk a big game anonymously on  message boards, but I bet dollars to sunflower seeds they wouldn’t get up in front of a group of homeless people and talk that sh$#.  Spineless.

Then again, I’m not really MAD  per se. This is just me making a point. I understand it really does come down to ignorance–which leads to the inability to EMPATHIZE. I find the arrogant/ignorant are typically people who have A) Never been poor; B) Never been to a third world country; C) Never been discriminated against; D) Suffer from a disease akin to “only child syndrome” which can be summed up as “entitlement complex.”

I know I know it’s a waste of my time.  LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR DEAD, Mark. I know. Sigh. Feels good to blow off some steam though. Sue me.

On a brighter note, state of CA is dropping a few mil on an anti gang initiative. “$7.5 million for 16 new grants to steer at-risk youth away from gangs has been awarded in California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Wednesday at a press conference at Los Angeles Harbor College.” I know some people disagree, but I think this is a GOOD thing. I am all for proactive measures. My question is: how much is Sac Town getting and when? Has Mayor Johnson even said anything about this? Why isn’t he more involved with this sort of thing?

Speaking of the  mayor,  did you read about Gerald Walpin? He is appealing his firing (would rather they call it what it is: RETALIATION BY EMPLOYER).  Hope he wins his appeal. I am so disappointed in Obama for firing him. That was wrong on every level. This is good old fashioned employer retaliation. Obama fired Walpin for dropping the hammer on his boy Johnson. Plain and simple. WEAK, Mr. President.

So what are you doing for the 4th? We are going to friends to BBQ. Nice and simple——-> as life should be.

God bless yall this three day weekend. Please be careful out there.. and pray for the “indignant”

Newsflash to Christians who vandalized the atheist billboards: vandalizing is a crime. It is a form of theft. Hence it is sinful. HWJR?

Yeah HWJR is my new slogan for my fellow Christians engaged in acts that Jesus might not approve of . It stands for How Would Jesus Respond (to YOU)?

Obviously, none of us could never know exactly how Jesus would respond to the billboard vandalism in Sac Town recently. But I think it’s safe to say He would not approve of ANY act where one could not be held accountable for his/her actions.. let alone one that was retaliatory in nature.

Jesus was many things, but if there was one thing he was NOT, it was a coward. In fact that’s one of the main attributes that made Him Jesus: His shocking COURAGE to stand up for what He believed in and risk persecution, ridicule, and even death on the cross. He was the PICTURE of accountability and transparency.

By the way, how are people going to preach ACCOUNTABILITY and TRANSPARENCY  to Mayor Johnson when they–themselves–are neither?

It takes absolutely no courage whatsoever to sneak around in the shadows with a ski mask and vandalize. I don’t care if you are vandalizing atheist billboards,  spray-painting swastikas on a synagogue, burning crosses, hacking someone’s email or web site, stealing equipment from an HVAC company, tagging a building with your set name, or spray-painting vile graffiti all over an internet discussion thread, If  you are sneaking, you are a Marcos Breton-certified CHICKEN.

In my opinion, if you don’t have the courage to be both transparent and accountable for your actions and opinions, I don’t care how insightful you are, you are part of the problem, not the solution. Your acts don’t further relations between disparate groups, they poison progress. They don’t promote peace and love, they promote upheaval and hate.

I am a Christian Catholic and I respect the Atheist view. I have no issue with their billboards. I do take issue with the  billboard vandalism though.

Atheists have their beliefs. I disagree with them, but I respect them.  Christians, the same right that you have to worship God is the same right atheists have to denounce Him. Live and let live. Leave their billboards alone. And stop arguing with them….and  gays.. and others who don’t share your beliefs. Stop ridiculing them. Stop persecuting them. Jesus commanded us not judge. When you honor Jesus you honor HIM as the judge. What happened to: “Leave the dead to bury their dead” ?

I say just be thankful He made Himself known to YOU, and pray He does the same for others. Rejoice and be thankful.

If God wants to make himself known to people who don’t believe in Him, He will. He doesn’t need anyone’s help. If He did He wouldn’t be God. Right?

And if you’re going to make a bold statement and stir people up in a public forum.. upset them… offend them… enrage them…. at least have the courage to do it with your mask off.. as Jesus did.

K, first of all, the 7-2 council member vote against Johnson should not be considered representative of voter sentiment. The majority of the council members ADMITTEDLY don’t consult their constituents prior to voting on important initiatives. 

Remember the AZ boycott vote? When Rob “I’ll-take-on-any-cause-that-gets-me-applause”  Fong was asked by Eric Hogue if he consulted his constituents prior to the vote?  Fong said he didn’t talk to them about it. So it stands to reason Fong–and the rest of them–likely didn’t consult anyone other than the man in the mirror.

People wonder why Johnson is still forging ahead in the face of such overwhelming opposition. Hmmm. Is the opposition really OVERWHELMING, or are we just being duped into believing it is by Johnson’s harshest critics? Is it possible that the MAJORITY of Johnson’s opponents are limited to a relatively small rebel alliance of union leaders, gadflies, and meddlers—most of whom are simply still angry at him for defeating Fargo?

After all, it’s not like there is a huge contingent of voters picketing city hall and calling for his resignation every day. Where are all his critics during city hall meetings? All I see opposing him are a forum rants (many of which are being written by the same people using diff aliases), a few dirty union-based mailers, and a several protestant articles and blogs (mine included)  here and there. Hardly OVERWHELMING. Underwhelming if anything.

Maybe if Johnson actually saw overwhelming proof that a large swath of voters were against his SAMI, he would relent. As it stands all he’s probably seeing are vendetta-fueled council members,  residents asking for autographs and telling him he is doing a great job and to keep up the great work (not to mention coming out to support him at council meetings), and hate-fueled diatribes that are likely coming from about 10 people at most.

If you are a reasonable person with an unbiased perspective, as in someone who is not fueled by anger, you can’t blame Johnson for thinking the city is behind him. Seven votes of disapproval–at least several of which were personally motivated–and a few passionate fruit flies does not a majority of residents make.

Personally, I don’t have any issues with Kevin Johnson the person. He’s fine by me and I like some of the stuff he has done (arts initiative, arena work, etc). But I don’t support him as executive mayor. Not because he defeated Fargo though, and not because he is a proponent of big business or the expansion of Sacramento.  I just happen to think Johnson lacks fundamental leadership skills and would make a poor CEO.

Craig’s List time. I found a guy who does lawnmower repair in the downtown area. My wife and I took a trip to see him yesterday. As we approached the motel where he lives we spotted a mattress someone been positioned against a telephone pole. Apparently they thought it would make a good billboard and had spray-painted the words “Don’t Quit Now” on it.

My wife conjectured the arrows on the sign must denote directions. She said the mattress was probably the last sign in a series to help people navigate to a garage sale. Only a serial garage sailer like my wife could have solved that one so quickly (seriously, she goes totally Russian on the weekends—-maybe it’s my part-Russian blood she has acquired through osmosis?).

“So basically  ‘don’t quit now’ is another way to say ‘continue ahead to garage sale’?” I asked her.

“In that person’s mind yes,” she shot back without missing a beat. God I love her.

Ot maybe it was my Spiritual message for the day. I see them everywhere when I am looking.

So we find the motel, and our lawnmower man (who lives in one of the rooms). He is in his forties or fifties and looks homeless. His clothes are soiled from top to bottom. He is gaunt. He reeks like stale beer and cigarettes. His leathery skin is wrinkled deeply as though it had been exposed to the elements a lot.  He  is missing most of his teeth.

But what he lacked in aesthetics he more than made up for in congeniality. He greeted us with a disarming smile and handshake like we were old friends. He and I then lifted  the lawnmower out of our old SUV and he quickly rolled it over to his little corner of the world, where he went right to work on it. I swear he had the carburetor almost completely disassembled in two minutes flat. Total prodigy.

As my wife and I stood in the motel corridor as he worked (see pic left) some dormant memories of my childhood sprang to life. I think it was the combination of the motel and the smell of fuel that triggered them. Time for some customary Joe Sac digression!

I was blessed to grow up in one of the world’s most beautiful recreation areas  so my childhood was replete with  riding/racing off-road motorcycles and BMX bikes. These hobbies required constant maintenance and mechanical ingenuity though– neither of which I have ever possessed (although I could have won a wrench-chucking contest).

Don’t misconstrue me though.  I wasn’t spoiled. Quite the contrary. Our dear mom worked at McDonald’s, and our dad worked at a gas station. They lived paycheck to paycheck but still managed to keep a roof over our heads God love them.

Our house was located in lower income part of town and it was situated between trailer parks, low income apartments, section 8 homes, and tiny log cabins used as vacation rentals. In fact that is how I became childhood friends with Shaun Palmer (of X Games fame) . He lived a few streets over from me.

One day my friends and I were taking jumps at a dirt track we made in the forest when this skinny little guy with long, scraggly hair shows up, takes off down the trail we made, hits our jump at a speed none of us could have fathomed, does the most graceful 360 helicopter I had ever seen, then casually rides up to us and between smacks of gum  chirps, “cool jump.”

Palmer.

Anyway, as a bike and motorcycle enthusiast I needed money for both parts and repairs, and my parents didn’t have any dough to spare.  So the day after I turned 13 years old I forged a work permit (lying about my age) and landed a job as a maid at a local motel. I first I was excited. By the end of the first day not so much.

It was a dirty, thankless job. I saw stuff that a 13 year old boy should never see. I learned at a very young age how unthankful, ungrateful, and downright nasty some people live–especially those with obscene amounts of money. I also learned how back-breaking maid work is  and to this day have immense appreciation for those who have to do it to get by. All of my co workers were Mexican women. They were the kindest people I had ever met and treated me like family. They also teased me incessantly. I learned the word “gringo” and a whole bunch of other Spanish words.. words I used on my friends constantly much to their dismay..

Despite the dirty nature of my maid job, it enabled me to support my hobbies. I was lucky to have a few mechanically oriented friends (and their dads)  in my midst growing up. I was always in awe of them. Perhaps this  is why I’ve always also had an immense appreciation  for people who tear engines apart like they are Lego projects. I can barely disassemble a broom. :O

As my daydreams faded back into the abyss of my mind I refocused on the lawnmower man in front of us, who systematically twisted  screws, ratcheted bolts, inspected parts with a keen eye, blew into little jets to unclog them, scowled a few times, smiled a few times,  and then threw it all back together like it was nothing.

“Start ‘er up!” he motioned to me.

Pull. Pull. And  then vroooooOOOOOM!

“All set!!” he declared with a proud grin over the roar of our resurrected Toro lawnmower. He grinned even wider when we paid our bill. A good day for the lawnmower man. A good day for us. I love win-wins.

As we loaded the lawnmower back into our vehicle I asked our prodigy mechanic how long he had been fixing engines. Since he was five, he said. “I grew up in the shop,” he beamed proudly.

Who knows how he ended up in a seedy motel in a bad part of town. Who cares. Despite some obvious life challenges, he’s still going strong. Still working, still showing his kind heart, still finding a way to smile and make a positive contribution to society.

I’m always inspired when I meet people who have overcome untold challenges in life.  It’s always a cold shower reality check. These days we Americans are always moaning and groaning about what  we DON’T have. Spending some time with people like lawnmower man is a great way to appreciate all the blessings you DO have in your life.. and great opportunity to put some money in the pocket of someone who truly will appreciate it.

A saying comes to mind:  “If you can’t be content with what you have received, at least be thankful for what you have escaped.”

I have to say, I have met the most amazing people through Craig’s List. Several of them have saved my non-mechanical butt a ton of money and time. God bless those who do the jobs the rest of us won’t.. or can’t

Like myself, there was a time when Breton was actually a Johnson supporter (more or less). And like myself and many, many others who voted for Johnson, Breton appears to be fed up with him now. My response to MB’s column:

Some people have a closed door policy; Johnson has a closed mind policy.

He reminds me of Mr. Dowd (James Stewart) in the movie Harvey. Mr Dowd has an imaginary rabbit named Harvey only he can see. It’s quite comical.. until his strange obsession lands him in a sanatorium. Mayor Johnson also has an imaginary friend no one can see –but it’s name isn’t Harvey, it’s name is SAMI (Strong Arm Mayor Initiative). Someone get that man a cup of the “serum.”

Good column Marcos, but probably a waste of time. I think we can now safely agree the honorable Mayor Johnson does not take advice from the community. Scores of us have been hammering away at his ego as he shoots brick after brick, but it doesn’t seem to faze him whatsoever. He just keeps on shooting.

Reminds me of J-Will days at Arco… although I think  J-Will had a higher FGP than Johnson as mayor. Then again, like J-Will, Mayor Johnson shoots from over near the scorer’s table so his odds are also.. long….

Speaking of long did you hear former speaker Nunez’s son Esteban got 16 years in prison for taking part in that stabbing down in San Diego a ways back? He was facing 25 to life but plea bargained out. Man that’s still a long time in prison for a young man. Wow.

Someone asked, “How does something like this happen???”  Great question. All I know is that while I didn’t care for Nunez as a speaker, I certainly empathize with him as a parent.  Good Lord I empathize with any parent whose child is either the victim or perpetrator of murder.  It must be hell on earth.

I can’t imagine the pain a parent must experience. I have even told my son this on a few occasions. I have said “Dude if you ever end up on the wrong side of the law, you realize it will probably kill me right? I don’t think I could handle it.”

That’s the truth. I don’t know if I’m strong enough.  I think I’d take all the blame and probably implode and die. I’m not exaggerating. It would be my worst nightmare. God bless Nunez and the parents of the victim. God bless them all. What hell this fallen world can be at times.

Speaking of fallen, did you hear about the teenager who stole the puppy from the 8 year old girl in a Roseville park yesterday??  Whiskey tango foxtrot!? What is wrong with people? What kind of person would do that? It’s hard to fathom he is getting a nice moral-rich upbringing. Hopefully they catch him. I have no compassion for this kind of thug. This is the kind of person who is a danger to society.

Speaking of dangers to society the BP oil snafu has now dumped 99 MILLION gallons of oil into the gulf. And now it’s hurricane season. Worst environmental disaster in history. Another great milestone.

I don’t blame the trolls. If anything I pity them. I blame their  enablers…  like the Sacramento Bee. I want some true change I can believe in. I want all media web sites to begin banning character assassins. I want media sites that work for everyone. I want progress. War is getting us nowhere.

Recently a panel of media experts met at Sacramento Bee to discuss “pay walls.” News content providers are struggling to turn a profit in the age of Huffpo and this was more-less a forum to exchange ideas and experiences. Personally I think they are getting ahead of themselves. To me their content is of marginal value while it is being sabotaged by trolls whose only purpose for patronizing them is to condemn and vilify their brothers and sisters for personal satisfaction.

Oh yeah I should give you some background. If you are new to my site I should tell you I believe we’re all brothers and sisters. I think we all come from the same seed. As such I think we have an obligation to treat each other with a high degree of respect, regardless of the topic we are debating. It’s called COMMON DECENCY. Granted, it’s a concept that has escaped many bigots, sexists, and criminals throughout the ages, but it’s been around since man became civilized, and it’s still every bit as critical to the health and welfare of the common good, societal order, growth, evolution, and good old human decency as it was back in the bronze age.

As stewards of the common good, I am of the firm belief we all have an acute responsibility to protect our public airwaves  from the reach of pirates. We work together in neighborhood associations and other groups to keep our children safe from thugs on the street, yet we don’t work together to keep them safe from thugs on the net.

Why the double standard? I don’t care if it’s porn, spoofing, fraud, phishing, trolling, slander, bullying, threats, extortion, or hate speech, ANYONE who deliberately seeks to hurt people or otherwise disrupt sensible debate or the flow of information should lose their privilege to participate on the web site where the offense(s) occurred. First there should be a suspension, then expulsion. Period. I’m very pleased Sacramento Press has taken a leadership position and started to enforce this very philosophy.

You needn’t have been the victim of slander on the internet to adopt this zero tolerance policy I am suggesting…. anymore than you need to have been the victim of a shooting to adopt a zero tolerance policy towards gangs. All you need is a little empathy towards your fellow man. I know that’s a tall order for people who have never learned how to empathize.  These are the same folks who, e.g., will not attend a neighborhood crime prevention meeting after an, e.g., string of home invasions, on the basis that they haven’t experienced a home invasion.

I’ll never forget some of the conversations I had in Natomas with residents last year. A few people actually had no clue there was a crime problem.

Me to a neighbor: “Are you going to the crime meeting tonight?”

“Crime meeting? No, I don’t have any problems with crime here.”

“But your neighbors are being robbed and raped and terrorized.”

“Well they probably left their garage door open or something. That’s their fault. Plus there is a game on tonight I don’t want to miss.”

I’m hoping you are shaking your head in disgust right now. If you aren’t, you might check  your empathy level and perhaps  find out why you aren’t concerned about what is happening in the world around you. You might also consider this: just because it wasn’t you THIS time, it damn sure might be you NEXT time.

Oh I know, you’ll deal with that if and when it happens to you. I know so many people like this. They only take action if something happens to them. Kind of like the way the government reacts . Some people are proactive, others are reactive. Some people like to focus on preventing problems, other prefer to clean up messes as they occur. The latter is far more expensive and damaging. Ask Katrina victims. Ask Gulf victims. As the families who have lost their children to gang violence. [Just yesterday I read about another anti gang initiative about to launch in Sac. Great thing, but where are the programs that keep vulnerable, at risk kids out of gangs in the first place?]

Sadly, we are a REACTIVE society, and so many people don’t get involved until something happens to them. The Sac Bee is a great example of reactive policy rather than proactive one. Personally I think the Bee and other companies should not even be considering charging for content until they clean up their virtual offices and make them safe environments for people of all ages, political persuasions, sexual orientations, intelligent quotients, ethnic backgrounds and so forth. As it stands, they are not. As it stands their web sites are being occupied by web pirates, and untiul they are purged, I wouldn’t give the Bee a dime of my money. I hope you wouldn’t either.

Ironically, Bee Senior VP Melanie Sill is a staunch opponent of anonymous blogging, yet at the same time her company is arguably the most prolific enabler of it in the region. No wait, that is not irony. That is good ol’ hypocrisy. (PS: when is the Bee going to stop posting anonymous editorials?). Even though Melanie Sill knows who I am she still gets on me if I don’t sign my name to my emails fr0m my Joe Sac account. “Mark is that you?? Why don’t you sign your real name?”  Hmmph. Why don’t your writers sign THEIR names to your editorials, Melanie?

I want to be clear. I think there is a place for anonymity on the net. Personal blogs is one such place. Personal blogs are like TV channels; if you don’t like one’s content, you have the OPTION of ignoring it. For instance I have never seen a moment of programming on Oprah’s ‘OWN’ network, and chances are I never will. Works for me.

There was a time when this blog was anonymous. I was unfairly vilified for it by local media personalities. Unlike other loudmouths who aren’t questioned for being anonymous, I was called a “chicken” in the SacBee for not divulging my identity–and I never once stated a single personal attack on a fellow citizen here.  I even had community members emailing me and threatening to  “out” me. (!)

But alas, when I “came out” none of these people were anywhere to be found. Wonder why. I know why. They THOUGHT this web site was some sort of specious political storefront. When they found out it was nothing more than a colorful, passionate, pathological weirdo flexing his opinions, they were like, “Oh.” Nothing follows. Haven’t heard from a single one of them. My monthly hits have continued to rise ever since.

But again, this is my site. I pay for it. Furthermore I only criticize public figures here.. public figures who are making life and death decisions on a daily basis.  I have every right. Conversations about public figures SHOULD be spirited, and even caustic. I am not thwarting progress here. I’m promoting it by challenging ideas. I have promoted civil debate here since day one. I have banned multiple offenders for attacking others and I don’t tolerate personal attack and never will.

The public forum, such as on the SacBee’s web site, on the other hand.  is a completely different situation. Here we have people from all walks of life trying to weigh in on important decisions and they are getting torn apart by blood thirsty trolls whose only agenda is to force feed the world their opinions… without ever giving them the OPTION to turn the channel.

On Sac Press’s web site one commenter (I stand corrected, I thought it was Fifth Generation but it was  Cogmeyer) stated he is ok with offensive posters because he can simply pass over their comment if he wishes.

But frankly we are all adults here. Every single one of us could have simply ignored [the offender's]  comments and continued the conversation as if she wasn’t in the room.

I totally disagree.  He is ignoring the entire dynamic of nested comments. One person replies with a nasty post, then twenty people respond and the rest of the entire thread is devoted to that one comment. In order to “ignore” the offensive comment, one would have to skip the responding twenty comments, too.  So this whole “ignore them if you don’t like them” business is not the answer.

This is also why an “IGNORE USER” option would  not work. Because comments are “nested” in strings and even if you ignore the assailant who made the original offensive comment, you’ll still see all the replies to it, and often times you end up seeing the comment anyway because people will quote it in their replies.

The bottom line is that no matter how much value a troll adds in his or her non offensive comments, the damage they cause with the offensive ones overshadows any good they are doing.  The most brutal mafia dons in history went to church on Sunday and gave hundreds of thousands to charity by day, but bludgeoned their enemies with baseball bats by night.We didn’t give them a pass because they were doing good on Sundays. We penalized them for breaking the rules. In those cases we banned them from society by sending them to prison. In the case of internet offenders we should simply ban them from the public conversation.

A friend of mine posted a message to Facebook yesterday: “If you have something to say, say it to my face.” Yeah, Polly I could not agree with your more. That is some old school grown folk talk right there. What happened to that? Even when this site was anonymous I still was willing to meet in person with any of the public officials I criticized on this site.

I also met with readers whenever they asked me to. I never “chickened” out. I was even out in the community with John Dahilig and Jim Knapp shooting video. Matter of fact I even met with the organizers of the Fort Natomas rebuild to discuss their frustration with my criticism of the project. We shot a bunch of video of the project and were going to post a very critical article about it here. The organizers asked me not to. I honored their request and never posted the video or article… out of respect for them.

So don’t humor yourself . I have always manned up and stood behind my words. I even tried to interview Heather Fargo and she wouldn’t reply to me (she nixed the Natomas Buzz’ interview request, to0). I will meet with anyone who wants to talk to me, and you can rest assured I will be nothing but 100% respectful and professional no matter how much I disagree with your viewpoints. It’s called COMMON DECENCY.

The truth about character assassins is that they are ignorant. They use racial slurs, they attack people’s physical and mental dispositions, they discriminate against people for their sexual preference and ethnicity, they vilify people who are the victims of accidents (on the grounds they are “stupid”), and they generally do everything in their power to drag people down to the sewer with them.  They have their reasons. I’m sure they are miserable people. That’s fine. I won’t judge them. But let’s stop kidding each other;  these people don’t want to see progress. They want to block it. Those that enable them are no better.

Think about it. If  one is truly committed to PROGRESS and EVOLUTION and PERSONAL GROWTH, why the heck would they call  people names and assassinate their character?  Stop defending vulgarity, profanity and hate speech as passion. Name calling is only a filler for gaps in one’s knowledge. It is a desperate measure used by those who have nothing else of substance to add to a conversation.

In conclusion, if your goal is to EDUCATE and ENLIGHTEN people, if you are really part of the solution, why would you do it with a baseball bat? You wouldn’t. Sorry but anyone who thinks you can enlighten someone by hurting their feelings has no idea what the $#%@ they are talking about. That’s how drill sergeants operate.  It only works for them because if you don’t do what they say they’ll throw you in a stockade!

So how should we act when we are offended by someone’s position or when they disagree with us and it gets us hot under the collar? Well, we DON’T act like the good mayor Kevin Johnson did the other night. That was a 30 minute expose on what NOT to do. For an example of how we SHOULD act, I think we turn to one Dr Martin Luther King for an example…

Dr King was a dignified man who respected human dignity. He sought to educate, enlighten, inspire and ENCOURAGE people to aim higher. He did it without ever even muttering a profane word. Quite the contrary in fact. He preached PEACE and quoted Jesus! Not only that, unlike other people who didn’t want to get involved because they themselves were not victims or racism, Dr. King exercised one of the greatest examples of EMPATHY in history when he stood up for ALL people who had been discriminated against.  In other words, Dr. King didn’t have to be a lynching victim to empathize with those who had been lynched… just like I don’t need to be Mexican to disapprove of discrimination..

If we want progress we should exercise one of Dr King’s most stirring quotes ever “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” AMEN!  This is the same reason I am dead set against the AZ boycott law (but not a fan of boycotting AZ because of it)…. but that’s another long, rambling article entirely.

Have courage, use your real name and stand behind your convictions and beliefs–especially if you are going to attack someone’s character. Say it to their face if you feel that strongly about it.  Set the example.  Be a leader. Stand your ground and respect people as you want them to respect you. Exercise the GOLDEN RULE (do unto others..). Don’t let people run down and bully your fellow citizens and attempt to silence them (even if yu are in agreement with their politics). Everyone’s voice should be heard.

And whatever you do, don’t feed the trolls. We have fed them enough (I know I have fed them far too much already).

Dear Joe,

Did you see the editorial in today’s Sacramento Bee?

The cartoon depicts City Council Members stabbing the Mayor in the back in the same manner Brutus betrayed Caesar. Fortunately, the image is only allegorical – but the message is clear: Council has waged a political vendetta against the Mayor, reform and the people’s right to vote.

Errr no. The message is NOT clear to Open Sac apparently. The cartoon is actually making fun of Johnson. It is depicting him as a theatrical drama queen who sees himself as the righteous persecuted. If anything it is the biggest knock on Johnson by a major media outlet so far.

This cartoon appears to have gone completely over Team KJ’s head. .. and that is one high leap..

It does not VALIDATE or LEGITIMIZE Johnson’s frustration with the council’s actions. . If anything it laughs at Johnson’s reaction.  It underscores the ABSURDITY of his rant the other night.

I think it also marks a shift in public opinion about Johnson… for the worse.  Remember when people simply thought KJ was a bull-headed jock who couldn’t take no for an answer ?  Those days appear to be over from what I am reading and hearing from everyone I talk to.

Johnson’s obsession with strong mayor has now become a mammoth political liability for him. Still he treats it  like an NBA title pursuit. “We’ll lick our wounds and come back stronger next time..”

I am not stupid to Johnson’s reasoning. I get why he wants an exec mayor system, and unlike his completely furious adversaries  I do not believe all of his reasons are sinister. The  current council roster is a joke. As Jim Knapp (and Ronnie West) stated in response to a recent blog article, there are several members of the council who are union pawns. I think that much is clear now. Look at how the unions went completely psycho on Johnson and Ashby when they sensed Fargo and Tretheway were in danger of losing their seats. Enough said.

I tend to side with Johnson when he talks about lack of progress. Ronnie West has also publicly spoken about “progress” and how it is impossible under these current conditions. Fair enough. I agree this council is a disaster. Fong? McCarty? Cohn? Ergh Sacramento deserves SO MUCH BETTER.

BUT where I differ with Johnson and West is that I don’t think charter reform is needed, nor do I think exec mayor is the answer to the city’s problems. Even if Johnson miraculously got his crown and did a good job, he’d STILL have to deal with a completely inept, immature, and spineless council and once again progress would be stunted.

What is needed is a new council. I would like to see McCarty, Fong, and Cohn recalled. Who cares if Cohn just got re-elected. His AZ Boycott behavior was deplorable. If he is not willing to serve and be accountable he should be removed and replaced by someone who is.

My dilemma is this though: I don’t agree with the idea to “boycott Sacramento” nor do I agree with AZ’s ridiculous new law. Hence the only part of Eric Hogue’s movement I agree with is the recall of Sacramento city council members. Now that is one movement that I can definitely get behind.

Update: found a home for them. Thanks everyone for spreading the word. Yall move fast!!