Introduction

This is an opinion site. And a blog. A place for satire. A place for humor. A place to share outrage about outrageous policies and politicos. And hopefully a place to find inspiration to “get up, get out and do something.”

The goal of Joe Sac has always been to represent the average Joe’s point of view. I am not good at politics because I am not good at sugar-coating my words. I am a straight-shooter through and through and have always been. I think it’s important to state that this web site is not intended to hurt people. So before you lash out at me, take some time to really think about what I’m expressing. I speak from experience. Having been on the receiving end of several email attacks and a nice share of criticism (even in a published article in the Sacramento Bee), I have found that the only times I was really MAD over a comment someone made about me, it was because it was TRUE. This is the most valuable lesson I have learned from having this blog.

The truth seems to hurt the most.

All that withstanding, I continually strive to find the balance between the outrage I feel towards Sac’s elected officials (and their horrible lack of planning and prioritizing in my community); and my genuine desire to influence positive change through my sometimes zany, sometimes melodramatic, sometimes over-the-top art, words, and banter. That’s not always easy. Sometimes it’s tough to find the balance because I’m so frustrated–particularly when I feel like members of the community are selfishly only worried about themselves and their OWN experiences, rather than empathizing and trying to identify with the experiences of others–ESPECIALLY VICTIMS OF VIOLENT CRIMES.

I believe I am fighting the good fight. And until someone can make a compelling case otherwise, I’m going to keep forging ahead, step by step, article by article, always growing, always learning, always trying to do my best to find the right balance.

Anonymity and Free Speech

I am exercising my 1st Amendment Right of free speech. If you don’t like.. please… LEAVE.. or leave an intelligent rebuttal.

“Debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open, and may well include vehement, caustic, and sometimes unpleasantly sharp attacks on government and public officials.” - Justice William J. Brennan Jr. -1960 New York Times Co. v. Sullivan case, which extended the First Amendment’s guarantee of free speech to prevent citizens from being sued by public officials.

and..

“Protections for anonymous speech are vital to democratic discourse. Allowing dissenters to shield their identities frees them to express critical, minority views . . . Anonymity is a shield from the tyranny of the majority. . . . It thus exemplifies the purpose behind the Bill of Rights, and of the First Amendment in particular: to protect unpopular individuals from retaliation . . . at the hand of an intolerant society.” - Much-cited 1995 Supreme Court ruling in McIntyre v. Ohio Elections Commission.

Click here to read all about anonymity and free speech

History of Joe Sac

On May 14, 2008 I went to Wordpress.com, and started a free blog for the express purpose of rebuking a well-funded character assassination campaign being leveled against mayoral hopeful Kevin Johnson by his opponent and her small but loud band of uber-liberal supporters. I haplessly wrote smart ass web logs admonishing Fargo’s arrogance, and calling her to task on a myriad of shortcomings the local media had failed to properly cover for voters. I also employed my graphic art experience to craft visuals in Photoshop caricaturing those being distributed about Kevin Johnson, and even wrote and performed an intentionally goofy song called “I’m soakin’ fused” about election uncertainty.

Before long, a local newspaper reporter (who many people believe was miffed over the popularity of this blog, although I suspect he may have had more noble intentions personally), was calling my sharply-worded opinions an “online smear site,” and shortly thereafter I began receiving email threats from a couple of angry readers (and I do mean angry).

At first i was a bit worried I might have bitten off more than I was up for chewing, but the tiny amount of negativity trickling in was dwarfed by overwhelming support that was streaming into my email box from the likes of public figures, friends, family, law enforcement people, and many others.

During the 30 days leading up to the 2008 June primary, over 40,000 people in the Sacramento area visited joesacramento.com. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this site and my strongly worded opinions about the incumbent mayor’s terrible performance in the past 8 years had a measurable impact on the primary election outcome, and will once again have such an impact in November when Kevin Johnson is sure to win by a significant margin. I thank everyone for their unending support and look forward to sharing many more outside-the-box opinions in the future.

It should also be noted that Joe Sac is a STUDENT of life! I fully realize my rants are sometimes flawed and even inaccurate at times. By no means am I professional journalist or seasoned activist (hence the “Average Joe” theme of my site). I am open to criticism, corrections, and feedback ALWAYS–as long as it is provided in a civil manner intended to make me a better reporter and person and not profane, or abusive. I have banned abusive people from the site in the past, and I will ban more if I observe threatening or mean communication. I don’t get paid to do this and will not be subjected to personal attacks that should REALLY be leveled at politicians whose poor performance make blogs like mine possible).

Need to talk to Joe? Want to write a guest piece? joejoesacramento at gmail dot com.

QA with Joe

Why do you despise Fargo so much?
I don’t despise Heather Fargo the person at all; I disapprove of Heather Fargo, the out of touch bureaucrat who is no longer a good fit to lead a city as diverse as Sacramento.

You used to report on crime all the time, I really appreciated your updates. What happened?
I stopped reporting on crime in Natomas when I realized the only crimes people care about in general are the ones happening on their own street or in their own little neighborhood. I felt like I was just spinning my wheels.

Why don’t you reveal your identity?
This site isn’t about me. If you are concerned about my identity, you have missed the whole point of Joesacramento.com.

I see references to God, religion, etc are you religious?
Yes, I attend services regularly. Though, just like everyone I am far from perfect, and as my relationship with God grows more intimate, I am more and more aware of my own shortcomings (which is the whole purpose of fellowship). I chose the pseudonym Joe for this site after Joseph in the Old Testament, as well as Joe Serna and Joe Namath and Joe Louis and Joe Dirt–ok not really Joe Namath.. or Joe Lewis.. or Joe Dirt..

Obama or McCain?
Obama. I like him just fine, but I am not thrilled about him because I don’t think he’s much more qualified to run the country than the average conscientious upstanding 40 year old professional is, BUT our country has changed and we need someone who has more on his agenda than invading defenseless countries. I’m ashamed of the Bush administration and I fear McCain is cut from the same fabric.

Are you a ni**er lover? (actual question someone asked anonymously via email)
Actually, yes.

What do you do for a living, and where do you find the time to do this?
I’m a manager in the technology domain. I multi task–like crazy.

How do I start a blog like yours?
Just go to wordpress.com and set up an account. It really is that easy. I have also pointed people to a book called Worpress for Dummies. I looked through it at Borders and it has a lot of valuable info. Wordpress is open source which means i can be completely customized by an able developer. I have spent many hours customizing my blog and it is now hosted independently of Wordpress.

I see you have done art work for other blogs, are you available to work on my <enter project here>?
If you are a non profit I can do you work pro bono as long as I can put my web address in small print on the project output–with the stipulation that there be no deadlines as I have a lot to juggle. As for commercial work, my rate is $150 per hour and yes I am available for select projects if I think they’d be a good fit for both parties.

COPYRIGHT

ALL COPY AND IMAGES © joesacramento.com. Feel free to use anything on my site for your own web site. All I ask is that you place this line along with it:

© JOESACRAMENTO.COM, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

REGISTERED TRADEMARKS

Joe Sacramento, JoeSacramento, and GIJOESACRAMENTO are registered trademarks and may not be placed, copied, used for any purpose whatsoever, reproduced or distributed without express written condition.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

“Debate on public issues should be uninhibited, robust, and wide-open, and that it may well include vehement, caustic, and sometimes unpleasantly sharp attacks on government and public officials.” Justice William J. Brennan Jr. explaining rationale for extending 1st Amendment Free Speech to protect citizens from libel lawsuits brought by public officials. - Case precedence: 1960 New York Times Co. v. Sullivan

Don’t visit my site if you have a problem with free speech.