You know, compared to some of the local newspapers and other forums, I think the discussions here on WhosPlayin have been pretty tame, tending towards cordial and intellectual, even when we disagree. The worst "flame wars" we've had here barely come close to a typical day for some forums. Now and then though, someone will write something here that another person will take offense to, for right or for wrong, and the discussion will go off-topic into a bit of a flame war.
I hate getting in the middle of them, because I really, really dislike censoring anything here, and I'm also keenly aware that the discussions that go off-topic end up being viewed as noise by those who want to just stick to the issues. I'm not pointing any fingers here at all. In fact, I've probably participated in it more than I should.
So I had this idea: What if we had a place to take these conversations, so that our anonymous users and our registered users alike could say their piece without feeling censored, yet still maintain the original topic without a bunch of noise? What if we could use THIS POST for that? I'm just asking. Maybe it would work, maybe it wouldn't.
The way I envision this working would be that if someone felt the need to get into it with another user, (or me) they could just leave a quick comment on the original topic saying "Taking this to the flame pit...". Then come here and say it. It would be up to each user to decide if they want to engage, but as a moderator, I might request that a conversation be moved here.
We still need to preserve the posting rules and not so much have personal attacks, but those arguments that go off-topic and speak to things like the language people use, and whether someone was rude, or whatever could go here.
We could try just a few new rules that apply to comments on this page only:
1. All comments will be periodically purged so they don't hang around for eternity reminding us all about how angry we once got at each other before we made up and became friends again.
2. Posting rule #2 about keeping it civil will be *slightly* relaxed. Sometimes in the right place, anger can be okay.
3. Posting rule #8 about keeping it on-topic is waived.
My thought is that if we do this, I'll remove this post from the front page of the blog, and post a link to it from the main menu.
What do you think? It it a crazy idea? We could try it for awhile right? Leave a comment if you think I'm a putz for suggesting it.
Re: Neighbor To Neighbor to Award Funds to 12 Denton Coun...
From Anonymous to SomeUser, moved here by WhosPlayin from this post: Quote:
"Is this the digital equivalent of "let's take this outside?"
Interesting that you will spend considerable time on a community blog espousing your opinions--many of which I agree with by the way--but not respond to legitimate inquiries or valid responses with which you assumedly disagree .
You bring a lot to the table, but given your --censored--, you would be well served to listen every once in a while and not be quite so ready to illustrate your command of every situation to anyone who will listen."
Anonymous, your question about the digital equivalent of "let's take this outside" was the inspiration for the flame pit post, but I'm not picking on you. Just trying to keep the original post from turning into this discussion without having to delete comments.
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Anonymous
Posted: 2011/6/1 7:25 Updated: 2011/6/1 8:13
Re: Neighbor To Neighbor to Award Funds to 12 Denton Coun...
I'd actually rather have posters follow the civility rule. Postings of cartoon videos to mock someone isn't right. It is childish. Belittling someone because their thoughts disagree with yours isn't right. It is also childish. Just read the comment, comment on it if you have something constructive to say OR, if you don't, move on. No one wants to read your petty playground bickering and no one cares about how intelligent you think you are because you go to art house movies, etc. We're not impressed!
However, Steve, there is a purpose for a moderator and, as abhorrent as you think it is to censor, you removing a registered user's inappropriate comments isn't exactly censoring if the comment is inappropriate. You gave them the power of immediate post and you have the responsibility to determine whether that post should stand. Same goes with anonymous poster's posts but, as you have pointed out in the past, it is much easier to stop an anonymous post before it gets posted than it is to remove a registered poster's post once it is posted. As long as you aren't censoring opinions or data to influence a discussion, I say that there is no harm, no foul [actually the censoring may cause less harm, less foul!
Re: Neighbor To Neighbor to Award Funds to 12 Denton Coun...
Good points. I did take that video down, BTW.
The thing about civility is that it's an eye-of-the-beholder thing. Some stuff we all can look at and agree is not civil. Other stuff can be taken multiple ways - like the comment that brought about the original thread that started this post. I actually thought it was somewhat self-deprecating, but the other commenter was offended by it.
Another thing to think about is that I'll admit there's a bit of a double-standard here: Certain public figures, in my opinion, are beyond civility. For instance, the other day I said Eric Cantor is a dick. I stand by that. It's uncivil, but not obscene. If I started talking about his mother, then that might go too far. Certainly on that post, we could argue the points on whether Cantor is a dick or not, and a certain amount of the conversation might revolve around whether I'm qualified to call him a dick. But at some point if it comes around to changing the discussion to how awful and mean I am, then we might move it here. If it then turns to how I'm a sorry sumbitch who does things with animals, then I'd probably cut it off. Usually those types of comments come in by email or over the phone though. ;)
There was something there, but I decided to delete it and thus I edited the post. If I could, I would have deleted the entire post, but I don't have that ability. -BC
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Anonymous
Posted: 2011/6/1 9:01 Updated: 2011/6/1 11:50
Re: The Flame Pit
In the immortal words of Johnny Storm (AKA- the Human Torch): Flame On!
The preceding brought to you by way too many years of comics.
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Anonymous
Posted: 2011/6/1 16:51 Updated: 2011/6/1 17:17
Re: The Flame Pit
People generally, IMHO, overstate their "right" to be free from censorship to privately run blogs and the like. Sure, I am all for the Constiutional part of it, but let's say I say something Steve doesn't like. Sure, he would probably post, but this is his forum, not mine nor anyone else's. He can choose what he wants to post and what he doesn't. This forum is not supported by my tax dollars or any other public funding. Granted, if I post something I think is a legitimate discussion point which is on topic and he doesn't post it, it might make me mad and make me frequent his site less, but he has every right to post or not post it.
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Anonymous
Posted: 2011/6/1 18:18 Updated: 2011/6/1 19:06
Re: The Flame Pit
Nobody is arguing that point. Steve is the one that brought up the fact that he doesn't LIKE to censor. I, on the other hand, feel that the job of a moderator is to moderate/censor comments that personally attack people, are note verifiable if presented as fact about someone running for office, etc. If you want to have your thoughts posted automatically, as BC says, then register; otherwise wait for Steve to okay them when they are anonymous [which he almost always does.].
IIRC, and AFAIK, I sometimes use IMHO, but only in emails. I should stop doing that ASAP, eh? I bet people other than my BFFs are like "WTF" when they read it. I guess, FWIW, I'm as bad as any about email abbrevs.
Is the first rule of Flame Pit don't talk about Flame Pit?
I’ve been accused of being uncivil, not nice, patronizing, and more for some of my posts and perhaps rightly so. However, I take those kinds of silly, non-additive jabs when I feel a jab has already been thrown my direction (and when I think it’s funny usually). I’m confident the people that made the posts think their posts were just fine and I’m the problem. I’m just as confident the attack on my original post did not need the spiteful, rude, or ridiculing comment back. The last thing I would like to see is some third party interpreting and filtering every post here.
The reality is you cannot dictate how someone interacts with you. These topics in this blog are, a lot of times, hot button issues about which people feel passionate. Posts to blogs and email are difficult mediums through which to convey the subtleties of emotion and humor. Sometimes it just doesn’t come out right.
I especially like how some of the anonymous posts read like they were written in 1910 or translated by Babel Fish from English to Afrikaans and back again. Quote:
Too many posts to read them all. It sure struck a nerve with some.
This may have been said earlier but i will just say this briefly. If there has not been any formal scientific studies done then how can anyone say anything about its efficacy other than from individual experience.
I say to all those nay sayers. Some day, when you feel sick or have an arse ache go spend $25 bucks and have one done. Then you can piss all yuo want about it. Until them be open.
I was suffering from insomnia and the allopath gave me several tested pharmcetical drugs. None of them worked for me. Should I conclude the testing big pharma did was rigged?
Amen.
Yes, a lady with whom I had an acquaintanceship had a case of the vapors, so I drove my motorcar the ten furlongs to the allopath, who decreed that, in addition to her regular afternoon bloodletting, she should douse her feet in the ionic foot bath. Amen, -BC
I'm pretty sure the Ionic Footbath thread is one of the 5 signs of the Zombie Apocolypse. Four more to go! Gonna watch Zombieland this weekend to help prepare.
I really need to find some other pseudo-scientific mumbo-jumbo snake oil to mercilessly ridicule. There's plenty out there, and that article still brings in lots of hits, and probably responsible for a lot of the little revenue we get.
Maybe I should take on the "iRenew" bracelet next, eh?
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Anonymous
Posted: 2011/7/22 7:43 Updated: 2011/7/22 8:10
Re: The Flame Pit
Now you're just being hateful. Everyone knows those bracelets work.
Grammar and spelling aren't that important in blog comments, but I get the impression that someone should have put more pressure on you in school. Quote:
...and there learning about...
*they're Quote:
way to young
*too Quote:
adults with out ever
*without Quote:
the class rooms would
*classrooms Quote:
$18000 for there post
*their Quote:
for Gods sake
*God's Quote:
on out young kids
*our, though maybe this is a statement on bullying... Quote:
that why
*that's Quote:
To much home work and adding more hours would be to much.
*too, *homework, *too That's just a small sample of the most egregious errors. I won't even try to dissect your stream-of-consciousness sentence structure. The next time you want to let loose with a xenophobic rant about education and the English language, consider your own inability to comprehend the basics of the that language before posting. Poor grammar is one thing, but hypocrisy is another. -BC
P.S. Thanks for telling us this was just your opinion. I had assumed that it was also the opinion of the elves living between your toes.
This wasn't worthy of its own post on the front page, so this seemed like as good a place as any. This is my 100th post on Whosplayin.com, including comments and blog entries. Let's look back:
It all started with a simple letter about the upcoming Council election and The Importance of Local Elections. That was really all this was going to be until a certain night, but I'm really over that at this point so I don't see any need to link to it.
I got to write about voter registration in Texas and some of the comments on that one are genuine headscratchers. I've been able to write some fun stuff about Independence Day.
I've had a few times where things got to me, sure. Mr. Krabs and the violin didn't last long, but it did turn a few heads. I've blanked a few times on what the heck someone was trying to write in a comment. I've been wrong plenty of times. I've slammed my head into my keyboard reading some of the comments and had to walk away at times. I've been a victim to the Whosplayin Comment Eater Monster that lives in the servers. I've used more confusing brackets to speak in XOOPS' markup than I care to admit.
But overall it's been a fun ride to #100, and here's to 100 more. -BC
You are so way out of touch with minority issues and the minority communities here in lewisville that your statement in defense of such doesn't even merit a response.
Not surprising in the least really given the non-diverse and groupthink circles in which you travel......
Another Anon responds: Quote:
Geez, Steve. Did you know you had a stalker watching where all you go and who all you talk to? That has to be pretty creepy for you and your family to have some freak taking notes all over town on you so he can know what he claims.
Or, he could just be full of BS.
My response: I think I just have someone who is frustrated with their life and/or inability to get the city to do something, and has found an open forum to lash out. I do my best to live my life as if I'm being followed and watched, so the BS doesn't stick.
Yeah Steve, the same city whose butt you kiss and whose select councilmember's back pockets you are in so that they can turn a blind eye to your slander blog, which smears their opponents reputations and the reputations of anyone else who disagrees with you.
If anyone has anger issues and is a "hater" here (hmm... typical textbook religious verbiage) it is YOU sir. I would highly encourage you to seek psychiatric help because you most certainly need it.
Slander is spoken. The word you were looking for was "libelous".
I'm fairly certain "hater" is not religious in this context. Have you listened to the radio in the last decade?
A single word, regardless of what it is, can't be "typical textbook religious verbiage" (whatever that means) considering "verbiage" means something that uses too many words.
I thought I'd point these things out just to tick you off.
"textbook religious verbiage" - That cracked me up for a few reasons:
1. The word "Hater" is not to my knowledge associated with any religious tradition.
2. I'm not particularly religious anymore - at least not to the point where I wear it on my shirt sleeve. So usually if someone is going to make accusations about my religious beliefs, they'll mistakenly assume that I'm an atheist or something. I'm just waiting for the day when someone accuses me of being a Muslim, since that's apparently the thing people like to do these days.
3. My wife and I, back when we first got married, used to talk about "church words". She was Catholic and I was Baptist, so it turns out we had wholly different lexicons to discuss some of the same concepts. We thought it was funny that certain words seem to have no little other use outside of a churchy context. Examples: "fellowship", "sanctified", "catechism", "anointing", "intercession", "glorify", "communion", "indulgence", "plenary", "penance", "purgatory". Also "purpose" (as a verb) and "the Lord put it on my heart" (meaning God told me to do this). I always thought that Christianity would do much better at winning converts if it could change its vocabulary to use vernacular terms instead of the churchy ones. Anonymous hater's comment reminded me of those fun discussions.
Happy Thanksgiving, hater. You need to be thankful today that Steve gives you a place to rant and be ugly. I hope these ugly, falsely accusatory posts help relieve the stress that you have in your life. Enjoy your family and friends today and try to find peace.
You know, it amazes me that on the one hand, you want to solicit solutions from individuals and when they offer solutions that you don't agree with or are not presented as politically correct as you would like, right away you label that person as engaging in "needless bickering"..
Quite frankly, I am tired of hearing you ask for solutions from people. After all, Mr. Gilmore is the elected official here and a big shot in corporate America and you are supposed to be the brains over at the Lewisville ISD with all the answers, yet between both of you, you can't seem to find solutions of your own to the homeless problem and want someone else to figure it out for you so that you can get the credit.
I am not an elected official, nor am I on the payroll as a city staff manager (two positions who should be the ones doing their jobs in the first place to figure out solutions such as these)..... If you so desperately need solutions from others than you can put someone new on the payroll, elect someone new, or follow the status quo corporate method of seeking results by hiring a "consultant" like CDBG did.
I'm not sure exactly how you and Mr. Gilmore have been working "behind the scenes" (and please tell everyone what that involves really since I'm sure that everyone here would love to hear all about it, provided it is legit) I will say however that your performance thus far has been less than credible.
Let's take a few examples:
1. Have you spoken at a recent City Council Meeting during the Citizen's Forum regarding homeless issues in Lewisville ?? NO
2. Has Mr. Gilmore helped get this issue on the agenda since it first surfaced in August ?? NO
3. Have you attended any City Council Meetings in recent weeks ?? NO
4. Did either you or Mr. Gilmore attend the CDBG Town Hall meeting this past Tuesday to air your solutions and concerns with everyone else ?? NO
5. Have you or Mr. Gilmore volunteered at your local Lewisville soup kitchen to give back to the very population you both claim that you are trying to help ?? NO
So Mr. Southwell, you and Mr. Gilmore talk a big power game of getting involved and brainstorming on solutions for the homeless, but we have seen nothing tangible in which to point to say that you actually did something to put your money where your mouths are !! You guys are big in speading your peacock feathers around town, let's see something !!
Additionally, there is growing concern around the Lewisville community concerning this obsession you have with both the Tea Party folks and with any opposing party for that matter. It appears that your entire blog and your entire time for that matter is spent trying to retaliate against, slander and otherwise belittle these folks just because they have a different point of view than you....... and, I might add, you jump to sweeping conclusions that commentors who disagree with you are somehow affiliated with those folks or are supporters of them.
With that said, I am wondering if your assertion of doing work to help the homeless has any real merit since it appears that you spend most of your time on this blog trying to bash those mentioned above......
Quote:
Keep doing what you are doing, and you're going to derail the process.
Don't you really mean the threat of:
"keep rocking the boat and disagreeing with our agenda, not to mention refusing to kiss our butts and we will refuse to help with this issue, retaliate against you and blackball you for your non-conformity".....
After all Mr. Southwell, that is really what this is about isn't it ??
It will be interesting to see what the investigation yields.
Good Day to you and "Mr. Carnegie". Let me know when you want to get involved and put your money where your mouths are....
You know, it amazes me that on the one hand, you want to solicit solutions from individuals and when they offer solutions that you don't agree with or are not presented as politically correct as you would like, right away you label that person as engaging in "needless bickering"..
Because you've yet to actually contribute anything of any substantive value. You just come in and take personal pot shots at people without suggesting anything constructive. This post is a prime example, because having given you yet another opportunity to tell us what you think the city should do, all you do is bicker about the rest of us not "doing enough".
Quote:
Quite frankly, I am tired of hearing you ask for solutions from people. After all, Mr. Gilmore is the elected official here and a big shot in corporate America and you are supposed to be the brains over at the Lewisville ISD with all the answers, yet between both of you, you can't seem to find solutions of your own to the homeless problem and want someone else to figure it out for you so that you can get the credit.
You have got to be out of your mind. Seriously. Both of us are working guys with our own families and jobs to take care of, and we happen to be active in trying to make things better in the ways that we each can. Neither of us has all the answers. The best answers come from research and consensus building - two things that take a lot of time. I'm sorry that I can't solve homelessness. I can't even find someone else to solve it. So I don't give a damn about "credit", and that's not how TJ works either. I'm just saying you can't expect solutions to intractable problems to happen overnight, in a season, or even in a year.
Quote:
I am not an elected official, nor am I on the payroll as a city staff manager (two positions who should be the ones doing their jobs in the first place to figure out solutions such as these)..... If you so desperately need solutions from others than you can put someone new on the payroll, elect someone new, or follow the status quo corporate method of seeking results by hiring a "consultant" like CDBG did.
It may come as a surprise to you, but there is much more involved in running a city than addressing a problem that may affect a few dozen people. I think they are caring people for the most part, but they can see a reality of unintended consequences that always seem to punish the best intentions.
Quote:
I'm not sure exactly how you and Mr. Gilmore have been working "behind the scenes" (and please tell everyone what that involves really since I'm sure that everyone here would love to hear all about it, provided it is legit) I will say however that your performance thus far has been less than credible.
Research and brainstorming.
Quote:
Let's take a few examples:
1. Have you spoken at a recent City Council Meeting during the Citizen's Forum regarding homeless issues in Lewisville ?? NO
And say what, exactly? "Do something?" I'd be perfectly willing to go and speak to the council when the time is right and share my opinion. But I'd prefer to go with some solutions in hand. Quote:
2. Has Mr. Gilmore helped get this issue on the agenda since it first surfaced in August ?? NO
That you know of. What you need to know about the agenda is that it's helpful to have some solid information and policy options going in before you do it. For almost any substantive issue, you need to give some lead time so that city staff can gather information and history on the issue. Right now, the Council is preparing for the February retreat, which is where long-range issues are discussed. I'm told it takes two councilmen to get something on that agenda. I'd be surprised if it didn't make on at some point for the February retreat - even if it's just a general discussion to see where the members stand..
Quote:
3. Have you attended any City Council Meetings in recent weeks ?? NO
I have not. I make them when I can, but I have had other obligations in recent weeks. I did watch it online though. I don't know why it matters. As you know I'm not running for City Council.
Quote:
4. Did either you or Mr. Gilmore attend the CDBG Town Hall meeting this past Tuesday to air your solutions and concerns with everyone else ?? NO
More family obligations. But when they come out with their updated survey, I'll fill it out. I also know my CDBG members, and I won't hesitate to share ideas with them at the appropriate time.
Quote:
5. Have you or Mr. Gilmore volunteered at your local Lewisville soup kitchen to give back to the very population you both claim that you are trying to help ?? NO
And you think that's the only way that either of us could sufficiently prove to your satisfaction that we give a damn? No, I haven't. I have a lot of appreciation for the volunteers who spend countless hours giving of themselves in the soup kitchens, hospitals, schools, scouts, and other charities. But I have limited time, so I've learned the hard way that I have to limit myself to the things I do best, and just realize that I can't save the world. I can write checks and I can put in hours here and there for the causes I've committed to, but I get approximately 100 emails every day from various organizations and causes wanting me to sign this petition, or donate to this cause or that cause, or call my Congressman about this, or boycott that. I can't.
Quote:
So Mr. Southwell, you and Mr. Gilmore talk a big power game of getting involved and brainstorming on solutions for the homeless, but we have seen nothing tangible in which to point to say that you actually did something to put your money where your mouths are !! You guys are big in speading your peacock feathers around town, let's see something !!
The thought of actual peacock feathers amuses me. That's a visual. There is not going to be anything tangible in the near-term future. That's not how it works. I have one issue I've been trying to get fixed for 4 years. Other of our readers have equally long-range issues they want dealt with. Consensus and solutions take time and money, and lots of thought. I'm just one of the 40,000 voters in this city. I'm telling you that if I was the only voter, we could get this problem solved. But I'm not.
Quote:
Additionally, there is growing concern around the Lewisville community concerning this obsession you have with both the Tea Party folks and with any opposing party for that matter. It appears that your entire blog and your entire time for that matter is spent trying to retaliate against, slander and otherwise belittle these folks just because they have a different point of view than you....... and, I might add, you jump to sweeping conclusions that commentors who disagree with you are somehow affiliated with those folks or are supporters of them.
Hahaha! Around the community, you say? You know this is a political blog, right? When opposing views are based on faulty information or bigoted views, or willful ignorance I point that out. I have no respect for the astro-turfed and thoroughly brainwashed tea party.
Quote:
With that said, I am wondering if your assertion of doing work to help the homeless has any real merit since it appears that you spend most of your time on this blog trying to bash those mentioned above......
In case you haven't noticed, the Tea party types don't give a damn about the homeless or anyone less fortunate. They'd like to cut all government aid and make even more homeless people. If you care about the issue, it seems like you'd be wise not to cast your lot with them.
Quote:
Quote:
Keep doing what you are doing, and you're going to derail the process.
Don't you really mean the threat of:
"keep rocking the boat and disagreeing with our agenda, not to mention refusing to kiss our butts and we will refuse to help with this issue, retaliate against you and blackball you for your non-conformity"..... After all Mr. Southwell, that is really what this is about isn't it ??
Uh, no. I mean if you keep bashing the very people who are trying to help move the issue, you will run out of allies and end up alienating everyone. Butt kissing is not required. Being civil and cooperative is.
Quote:
It will be interesting to see what the investigation yields.
Good Day to you and "Mr. Carnegie". Let me know when you want to get involved and put your money where your mouths are....
If I'm working on it, you probably won't be involved. I prefer to find people who will work together to accomplish something. But I have no illusions of being at the center of any of it. When it happens, it will be because the community decided to make it so.
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Anonymous
Posted: 2011/12/9 23:49 Updated: 2011/12/9 23:55
Re: Flame Pit discussion - Homelessness and CDBG
Well thought out and phrased response, Steve. I don't know if I could have been as civil as you.
I did want to comment that I thought the "investigation" mentioned is the one this poster threatened against T.J. Gilmore in a previous post. Not sure though because I get lost in their ramblings.
I think the "investigation" stuff is just crazy talk. Once again, this poster just throws out vague allegations with absolutely no detail or evidence of anything. My email is ses@whosplayin.com. If someone thinks there is something going on that is unethical, they need to send it.
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Anonymous
Posted: 2011/12/10 9:23 Updated: 2011/12/10 9:37
Re: Flame Pit discussion - Homelessness and CDBG
Quote:
.....this poster just throws out vague allegations with absolutely no detail or evidence of anything.
Well, you should be the first to know about this sort of thing. After all Mr. Southwell, you engage in this type of behavior all the time with your grandiose claims of "working behind the scenes" only to produce absolutely NOTHING and then turn around and try to accuse someone who disagrees with you of doing the same thing.
By the way, we are still waiting for some of those CONCRETE and TANGIBLE "research and brainstorming" ideas you and Mr. Gilmore came up with. We may be waiting a very long time.......
Chugging a few beers with your City Council cronys one or two nights a week (gee, no wonder why you can't find time to get involved with civic meetings) at Tierneys is hardly a credible way of sitting down and trying to figure out issues affecting Lewisville. Then again, however, I forgot that Tierneys tends to be the virtual satellite office for City Council Members and their politico groupies...... Hmm, wasn't one of the Tierneys thrown off the City Council at one point ?? Great ethical environment guys !!
So the realism here Mr. Southwell is that both you and Mr. Gilmore have done NOTHING but run your know-it-all mouths and play retaliatory games against those who call you on it, plain and simple. How ironic that someone who claims to know so much about the workings of our City Council will not even take the time to get involved with official City functions.
So I say to you and that coward City Council crony of yours PUT UP OR SHUT UP or if you are goung to put up, PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTHS ARE !! How funny that Mr. Gilmore always has you and others to speak and fight his battles for him. When is he going to be "professional" enough to speak for himself and as he would say "engage" in this debate ?? Guess that wasn't in the Dale Carnegie Handbook.... Either way, it screams COWARD.
First, you obviously don't know all of the things that Steve and his family take time to do along with having a job, raising a family and being an all-around good guy. I don't know TJ very well but what I do know is that he is involved in many civic areas as well as his church and scouts. So you obviously would rather cast false accusations about what they do and don't do than actually find out the facts.
Second, Steve made it very clear that it would be some time before he felt that he had anything concrete form the research and brainstorming that he does. I guess you didn't read that part or you discarded it because it doesn't fit with what you want to believe. Where, by the way, are YOUR concrete and tangible ideas?
Third, how do you know Steve and TJ's schedule so well that you know that they are at Tierney's chugging beers 1 or 2 nights a week? Are you a stalker as well as a troll??? Maybe you should be under investigation. And, by the way, what if they ARE at Tierney's or any other restaurant 1 or 2 nights a week eating, chugging beer, singing karaoke, etc. They would be frequenting a local business. Maybe it is one of their 3/50 and they are helping the local economy by spending money at a locally owned business.
Fourth, you really are bitter towards anyone that has done anything good for Lewisville but it is funny that you have to say "one of the Tierneys" because you are too unintelligent to even know the name of a local businessman heavily involved in rejuvenating Old Town and serving as a councilman in the past. Greg Tierney, by the way, VOLUNTARILY stepped down from his position on city council because he felt it was best for the city. He wasn't and probably would not have been asked to do so but he is an honorable man which I suspect you are not.
Fifth, so the "realism" [I believe you meant reality] isn't that Steve and TJ run their mouths, it is that you choose to do so without presenting ANY facts, just aspersions, and have now and forever shall be cast in the flame pit. Keep it up and your flame pit may not just be on this blog!
Sixth, you do realize that Steve volunteered his own time to videotape or at least write about the city council meetings when they weren't being recorded by the city, right? I saw him there many times and I'm betting you weren't there. TJ live blogged the council meetings too. Both have been heavily involved in city activities. I would suggest that the reason you don't know what they have been involved in isn't due to their lack of involvement, it is due to you YOUR lack of involvement. Also, I think your own vitriol has clouded not only your judgement but your eyesight as well!
Seventh, TJ cast as a "coward" is hilarious when you get on this blog with an anonymous account and tear good people down. You, sir/ma'am, are the coward. Show yourself! Steve gave you his e-mail address. At least reveal yourself to him. Oh, but that would make you responsible for your comments and it is so much easier to be rude, falsely accusatory, and uneducated about what really happens in Lewisville because no one knows who you are. I have no problem with anonymous posters until they start throwing bombs and taking away from healthy discussions.
Eighth, TJ speaks for himself at every council meeting. He also posts his opinions on here when he feels it is productive. Unlike you, he doesn't post just to post. Maybe you don't like what he says so you discount those posts but I will guarantee you that TJ doesn't need anyone to stand up and speak for him! He is a LEADER, not a coward.
And lastly, I am so sick of you I could vomit! You do nothing but try to stir up trouble, lie about "investigations" that you, in your demented mind, think are going on. You are a paranoid conspiracy theorist that adds nothing to the discussion. Problems don't get solved by people like you. Enjoy the flame pit because that is the only place your ugly comments deserve to be.
Just so you know, I read everything put out by everyone in this area about politics. It's part of what I do. I can tell who writes things based on style, and if you don't believe that, ask around.
And I can smell a group called "Political Gravity" from a mile off.
What exactly is the point of "Political Gravity"? I've never heard of them and, based on what you think are their posts, I don't want anything to do with them.
Political gravity is a group started by a group of tea party zealots and bankrolled by Collin County. They consult and "help" candidates if you agree to take on their tea party agenda. They continue to try and move in candidates to Denton County to run for office and recently interjected themselves in Lewisville attacking elected officials who supported Neil Ferguson.
If what they did that Steve Hill paid Political Gravity $4000 for was to "help", maybe he should have had them pay him and used the money wisely. If you hire someone to do a job, the results buck stops with them. In this case, another 3999 bucks stopped with them. Looks more like they grabbed the cash and laughed all the way to the bank. He barely got 1/3 the vote. There were three candidates. That's no better than a equal split.
I'll bet this Political Gravity will spin the reason they lost his election, saying it wasn't their fault. And when they do, that's pure BS. They got paid to produce. What a joke. Good thing Hill is not out spending the city's money now. Heaven knows what other black hole he would have tossed tax dollars into so we could all watch it vanish.
Maybe the next sucker will figure Political Gravity's game out before they get taken to the cleaners.
The thing about these Tea Party types is that they're all so green and naive about everything. I truly feel sorry for someone that would self-finance, and hire a firm like this without really giving thought to why it is their support was so shallow. Every successful candidate I know of in City races here has pretty much used volunteer labor and had broad support in both endorsements and contributions. They've worked for literally years doing things in the community and know that they'll have the support of other involved citizens. About all that Hill could bring to the table was a label: "conservative", but without much substance. Very few donations, and mostly just Republican precinct chairs (who are pretty much obligated), many of whom were from outside of Lewisville ended up endorsing.
BTW, the local Democratic party has a custom that anyone who runs for political office of any sort usually resigns their precinct chairmanship. It's hard to serve two masters. I was a chair for almost 4 years, but felt that the partisanship was getting in the way of my local reporting and advocacy, where I needed to work with reasonable Republicans, so I quit a year or two back.
Here is an idea- it has been reported by others on this blog that I hang out with "not for profit cronies"
So, it hits me that this is a great idea for an indie rock band name, "The Not for Profit Cronies" has a nice ring, and so does "The Non-Prophet Cronies."
Now that I have a rocking band name, I just need to learn a musical instrument and get a band together. But, hey, I've got a cool indie band name, how hard can the music part be? I think I would fit the part of a bass player. Any prospective band members that want to become rich and famous?
Moved from the discussion of Steve Hill's $56 million exaggeration, we have this comment from anonymous:
Quote:
As usual Mr. Gilmore, your assertions are WRONG. Oops, sorry let me re-phrase that since the status quo now is to be "politically correct" here. Your assertions are incorrect due to your desire to selectively report only what you want people to hear...
Since you and your cronys are all about "research" and "fact-finding", have a look at this clip which is the recorded video of the 9/19/2001 Lewisville City Council session.
You are correct in pointing out about the tax rate staying the same as referenced by Mr. Ueckert's dialogue. What you fail to mention to everyone is that directly after Mr. Ueckert's statement, you moved to increase that rate and passed it by unanimous council vote. Do you deny this even though it is in black and white ?? And even so, if we see the very end of the video, we see the entire council quickly pass the pay raise and get up out of their chairs even before the adjournment gavel was dropped. Guess you guys didn't want to discuss with anybody why you raised citizen's taxes to help offset the cost of the pay raise...... Yes Mr. Gilmore, it was a sneaky was to give staff a raise without anyone knowing where the money was coming from to offset the cost !!
Additionally, how ironic that this is the same council meeting in which you quickly appointed your cronys to the CDBG committee and passed it while there were a few concerns about other people who had applied to be on that committee. The one person who spoke in opposition (you know, the one you and your blog cronys hate) and another whose application was mysteriously misplaced.
Why don't you just admit it Mr. Gilmore, it would be a cold day in hell before you would have someone serve on the CDBG committee who is not part of your "agenda", who is a crony of yours, or who is a threat to your staff influence and shady cover-ups. And besides, you can't tell everyone here that one of the candidates wasn't favored due solely to the fact that her husband was a former Mayor of Lewisville.
The citizens of Lewisville aren't stupid Mr. Gilmore and we would just as much appreciate hearing the TRUTH from our elected officials rather than the covered-up snow job that you are trying to sell everybody.
Corruption at its finest now made stronger by the newly elected Gilmore protege who has been in his back pocket all along......
Seriously, I worry about your mental health. You're saying things that sound really paranoid. I answered your incorrect assertions about a "tax increase" on the original thread.
All employees got a 1.5% raise. Since certain few employees like the City Manager, Judge, Secretary, Attorney report directly to the council, they are required to do yearly evaluations and evaluate the pay. The Council apparently thought that these employees did at least as well as the rest of the City's employees, and they gave them an equivalent raise. Where's the scandal? Oh right, the scandal is in your head.
You should take a lesson from Steve Hill's rejection for service on CDBG. These ARE political appointments from elected officials, and they have a duty to appoint people whose views they feel are in keeping with what the voters want. The voters have once again rejected Hill's views. Yes, there is room for a variety of opinions, and that's what they have. But ultimately, the Council is not going to appoint people who can't disagree without being disagreeable.
Lastly, you really should lay off the criticism of people you don't know. Ms. Ferguson was appointed because she is a good person who has dedicated a lot of her own energy to this city, and has demonstrated loyalty to it - unlike certain others who have no proven history.
How convenient that when the truth starts being exposed, you will quickly move this information from the mainline story over to this side article so that others reading the original article won't see it. Very clever Mr. Southwell.
Another Gilmore protection tactic........Yawn
Loyalty to the city or favoritism in appointment based on spousal political clout based on previous office held ??
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Anonymous
Posted: 2011/12/12 8:24 Updated: 2011/12/12 9:07
Re: The Flame Pit - Mythical tax increase
Dear Angry Anonymous Poster,
It's probably not even worth pointing this out since you are too angry at the whole world to listen to anyone, but your facts are wrong again. It is not her husband who was a former mayor of Lewisville, it was her late father. Seriously, you might actually get a few people to listen to you if you would get your facts straight just once.
I want to correct myself. It was the mother, not the daughter, who was appointed to the CDBG board. You were right on that point and I was wrong. My apologies.
I still support her appointment based on half a lifetime of dedicated service to Lewisville and its residents, but wanted to correct my mistake.
Making hateful accusations about a well respected former mayor, Wayne Ferguson and his family is disgusting. Mr. Ferguson and his family are above any reproach and you should be ashamed for attacking them for any reason.
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Anonymous
Posted: 2011/12/20 9:31 Updated: 2011/12/20 9:55
Re: The Flame Pit - Mythical tax increase
Not really. I stand by my convictions as they shed light on a much larger problem facing Lewisville. CORRUPTION !!
What I AM ASHAMED OF is the blatant lack of professionalism and corruption presently displayed by our current elected city councilmen, which by the way are currently under investigation (had you attended last night's council meeting, you would have known that....) Never in my life have I seen so much overt disregard for the concerns of Lewisville residents, the clear practice of discrimination towards those not in the crony circle and the excessive display of self-importance as I have seen in this current bunch we have.
It also SHAMES ME that a small portion of Leisville residents will condone this type of behavior based on who is greasing their palms or who goes out to dinner with whom (gee, I wonder what establishment ??). Guess they all are from the same LHS graduating class......
Let's get real here. The only reason why you all defend these politicians (if you could call them that) is because they are your buddies, plain and simple.
Well Steve, I'm surprised that you don't know about the corruption. After all, you are in the thick of it with your buddy associations and protectionist campaign. But with any cover-up, why would anyone ruin a good thing, especially if it directly benefits them........
Quote:
"BTW, I know that Ferguson, Vaughn, and Gilmore did not attend LHS. Neither did I."
Perhaps, but you 3 DO frequent the same establishment (often at the same times.....hmm, go figure) and just maybe have a meal or a few drinks together. Thus, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out where the REAL agenda setting gets done in Lewisville.
Concerning "getting one's way" and "defaming", I'll remind you that I didn't set out on a civic campaign (like some people did) to totally "defame" people just because they had a different political view than you or belonged to a different political party than you believe in. Also, isn't it funny that you 3 (and now 4 since the election) seem to "get your way" often when it comes to council agendas, blackballing people and setting the status quo of sweeping issues under the rug just because the "timing" isn't right to YOUR liking.
The truth is going to end up coming out anyway Steve so you can end this little charade.
Hey "anonymous" are you aware Mr. [Wayne] Ferguson is deceased and his wife and daughter have done significant work to revitalize Old Town Lewisville. You need to get out of the basement/garage and join the real world. Again, the Ferguson family is above any loose accusations thrown around by someone who does not even have the courage to come out of the dark! Your comments are baseless and extremely disrespectful. And by the way I did not go the LHS either.
(WhosPlayin updated the comment above to clarify that it refers to the late Wayne Ferguson)
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Anonymous
Posted: 2011/12/14 8:03 Updated: 2011/12/14 13:48
Re: The Flame Pit - Mythical tax increase
Isn't it funny how this poster's vague and falsehood-filled accusations stopped appearing in this space right after election results were posted and Mr. Hill's blood money paid to Political Gravity ran out. Hmmm....
Blood money is a weird term to use in this context. Can you explain what you mean?
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Anonymous
Posted: 2011/12/20 8:49 Updated: 2011/12/20 8:53
Re: The Flame Pit - Mythical tax increase
Hmm..., what strikes me as funny (and rather sad really) is that you and other posters here who are part of that little crony circle (now very well-known in the Lewisville community) will make wild assumptions concerning the origin of every post which either attempts to raise issues that you all refuse to address or which calls you on the corruption which is clearly evident.
If you spent half as much time getting your facts straight as you did making sweeping political overgeneralizations attacking a person and a party in which you are obsessed with hating and running your mouths with little to no proof to support your claims, then perhaps your comments might bear merit.
Give it up already. You all smeared Mr. Hill, he lost the election and you elected your new boy Ferguson (another Gilmore corporate stooge) so what more do you want ??
By the way, it might interest you that I didn't vote for Hill either nor do I know anything of his views, party or agenda.
Again, this investigation will uncover some interesting things.
Second of all, I should probably mention that I'm definitely more intelligent, more interesting, and more attractive than you are. All of that is due to the fact that I graduated from LHS, which is clearly superior to any high school you must have dropped out of.
Burn, flame pit, burn... -BC
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Anonymous
Posted: 2011/12/21 8:20 Updated: 2011/12/21 9:43
Re: The Flame Pit - Mythical tax increase
Speaking of someone needing psychiatric help.........
The fellow known as CWright on another thread has posted quite a few times, and I've noticed a few comments, mostly from anonymous posters, that are just a bit out of line. I'm not a moderator; that's the webmaster's deal and he can publish whatever he wants. I would imagine that CWright and I would disagree on just about every political issue. That's not a big deal.
But come on, folks. "Angry divisive political bomb thrower"? Nitpicking on "elected official" vs. precinct chair? Very few precinct chairs consider themselves as "elected officials", and those that do are typically doing it only to boost their resume, like a certain Lewisville City Council candidate. It's not worth making an issue out of, especially if he flat-out said "you're right" after someone corrected it.
"Rude and sour"? "Nastiness"? "Hypocrisy"? I see some midly inflammatory stuff, but nothing that reaches that level.
Granted, nobody's perfect. But this is politics, folks. We can call them "negative attacks" all we want, but so long as they're a)related to politicall issues and b) not wildly false, it's just something you deal with and discuss. I'd prefer a more issues-based debate, but anyone who comes on this site and registers with their real name and posts what appears to be honest opinion doesn't need to have every complaint thrown their way in the first week. -BC
Points well taken but Chuck Wright is no stranger to blogs just check out Frisco online or any other time something is posted about Pat Fallon just about anywhere. Everybody needs to put on their big boy pants and quit the whining!
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Anonymous
Posted: 2012/5/7 16:54 Updated: 2012/5/7 17:32
Re: In defense of CWright (to an extent)
Please stop attacking anonymous posters. If Steve felt that the comments were out of line from an anonymous poster or from CWright, he would remove them. He apparently did remove at least one of CWright's comments because CWright stated that a comment had been removed. I personally think that the comments that say "Here Chuckie", etc. are juvenile but I also think that CWright stating that he likes to "tee up people" and then adds "FORE!" to his comment is pretty petty too. He also knowingly comes on a liberal blog and posts his BS to an audience that really doesn't care and one that he won't influence. He must have a lot of free time on his hands is all that I can say. I am too busy every day to monitor blogs and post comments and comments to comments hour after hour. I don't see much discourse from CWright that would make me want to vote for Pat Fallon. On the contrary, his posts make me NOT want to vote for Pat Fallon if he is the type of supporter Fallon attracts. I also don't see much from posters on here that would make me want to vote for Fulton either because no one is debating the issues or stating the things that the candidates stand for. I will be glad when the election is over!
The "comment monster" (intermittent pesky website bug) honestly eats more comments than I hide. If there's something substantive about the comment, I err on the side of leaving it. That said, I've probably let a few things slide that I normally wouldn't have.
Some Smoke in the Flame Pit: My Ten Favorite Quotes
For a bit of amusement, I thought I’d post the ten strangest things said by the anti-smoking ordinance folks over the last couple of months.
Quote:
Hitler would be proud of you. Your grandparents who fought against dictatorships will be turning in there graves. What ever happened to being free to make your own choice. There are plenty of smoke fee places to eat. So now where do the adults go that no longer have children around them for a nice drink and a smoke. Time to move city's, this one is too corrupt.
-Anonymous comment on LewisvilleTexan.com
Quote:
Gilmore should move to New York City & be Bloomberg's "smoke, trans fat & sugar-boy", since they both have the same beliefs! They are "Smoke Nazis" for sure!
-Anonymous comment on LewisvilleTexan.com
It didn’t take this one long to get to the Nazi stuff. Apparently, some people don’t think that comparing smoking restrictions in restaurants to the murder of 12 million people is in bad taste.
Or you can go to the other extreme... Quote:
You must be blind---ever since Flower Mound passed a stupid communistic smoking ban most of them are empty most of the time!
-Anonymous comment on LewisvilleTexan.com
Quote:
We all stood here, put our hands on our heart, and pledged to the American flag, to the republic. I don’t believe that it’s a Russian flag, or a Chinese flag... Are we going to be a republic, or are we going to be a dictatorship?
If you decide to work in a mechanical garage you are going to get grease on you. If you work in a bar you need to understand that you will get smoke on you and will breathe second hand smoke. But wait, from what I see a majority of the people that are in there working smoke as well. hmmm. What about that?
-Anonymous
At the very least, I’ll give the above commenter for some credit for at least addressing the employee issue. No one else against the ordinance seemed to have any sort of problem with letting business owners dictate what quality of air their employees deserved. This person at least just made up an absurd rationalization for it.
Quote:
What will be next? Someone in my neighborhood offended that I fly the American Flag? Will the City Counsel ban flying American Flags in the City?
-Anonymous
Gotta love these slippery slope arguments.
Quote:
You’re going to put a lot of businesses in the city of Lewisville out of business.
-Lewisville resident at a City Council meeting
Still haven’t seen anything other than anecdotal evidence that shows this.
Quote:
She’s objectionable!
-Tom Makinnon, referring to a representative of the American Cancer Society at a Lewisville City Council meeting.
Quote:
T.J. Gilmore is an idiot. I'm starting to get tired of idiots. I should probably pray for tolerance.
-Winston Edmondson
Really?
Finally, I was most amused regarding this particular quote from a long-standing friend of the blog, Councilmember John Gorena: Quote:
I would love to see a statewide smoking ban.
-John Gorena
Councilman Gorena was adamantly opposed to the ordinance in Lewisville; however, he supports a ban at the state or national level. So every one of his friends who talked about how a smoking ordinance was an infringement of a business owner’s “rights” should be appalled at the stance he took, right? -BC
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Anonymous
Posted: 2012/7/5 9:20 Updated: 2012/7/5 9:34
Re: Some Smoke in the Flame Pit: My Ten Favorite Quotes
You are so funny BC! I needed a chuckle this morning and you surely gave it to me.
As far as Gorena, could he be more of a flip-flopper??? He doesn't want the smoking ban in Lewisville but he wants a statewide smoking ban and then, even though he doesn't want the smoking ban in Lewisville, he is the one that insisted that bowling alleys be added to the ban. That's just bizarre and a true sign of the confused MISrepresentation that he gives the citizens of Lewisville.
By the way, Winston should be ashamed of himself for calling TJ [or anyone else for that matter] an idiot. While he's on his knees praying for tolerance, he needs to throw in a prayer for forgiveness as well.
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