It’s very sad but possibly predictable to see the anonymous administrator, Hobbes, at the Niagara Times blog caving in to a business that is not in any way in the long term interests of Niagara County. If I were Hobbes I wouldn't use my real name either.
With highly suspect distorted logic “Hobbes” tries to guilt-trip our citizens into believing that our attitude of vehemently opposing CWM expansion and “business as usual” is some kind of selfish, self-centered if not provincial “not in my backyard” no-nothingism. This is despicable and arrogant. Here is another piece of evidence that the crowd over at Niagara Times is pro-Republican big business as usual elitists. One would hope such bald faced rationalization is not preparation to excuse the system of governmental representation if they should fail in stopping this egregious insult to our communities.
Hobbes goes on to claim that “They (CWM) need to do what they are in business to do.” What kind of ridiculous empty claim is this? No, they don’t “need” to do anything. They “need” to not hide behind the façade of “corporation” and act like a responsible citizen, become conscious in a moral sense of our history of being exploited, and join the really responsible citizens who courageously are fighting further desecration of our communities. Anything less is heinous and reprehensible propaganda to stop social, technological and environmental progress.
Really warming up now Hobbes continues “Again, we must wonder why the opposition?” What bullshit! CWM is ‘just doing their job.’ Then he blames the people of Porter who he assumes all knew what was going on when they moved there. Yeh, even all the children who were born there were given a seminar at birth about the fact that their community is a hazardous waste dump.
The point is that when people become conscious of their own history and irresponsibility if not ignorance, even if late in the game, that does not disqualify them from critically taking a political position to change their future. Hobbes’ il-logic seems to require all people to always already have known what they are getting themselves into even before they are born. Well life doesn’t work that way does it. Hobbes needs my philosophy classes more than I realized. If corporations were not so blatantly surreptitious in doing business and hiding their activities from the public such transparency may someday be possible.
Hobbes even trashes the Erie County Legislature. But the situation is the same with the Erie County Legislature as with the people of Porter or elsewhere who are just waking up politically. Just because Erie has ignorantly participated in the self-abuse of our own land, to Hobbes they don’t have the right to wake up and see the errors of their ways as they apparently have. This is Hobbesian idiocy and complicity in defending big businesses’ abuse of people for the sake of profit and, yes you guessed it, business as usual.
Hobbes unabashedly continues to justify maintaining our community as the dumping ground of the Northeast by complaining that new businesses at the Brownfield sites would have increased costs of dumping “materials” out of state. But isn’t the Brownfields project supposed to be taking care of that in the first place independent of any start up cost for potentially incoming business? Hobbes is just muddying the waters trying to get us to succumb to our virtually morbid state of environmental desecration. He unconsciously reduces all values to "the cost of doing business and profiting." Such nihilistic philosophy is the end of politics and critical thinking. It simply reduces all self-evaluation to economic values. This is a pathetic and dangerous leveling of all critical distinctions of political thought.
Hobbes further, embarrassingly enough, rationalizes CWM as a business whose only concern should be to “conduct business in a responsible manner.” He sees them as a ‘good responsible’ “neighbor”, a “NEIGHBOR!” What manipulative sophistical and insidious logical nonsense. In short and to the point what vicious bullshit this is.
And finally good ol’ Hobbes does what the power elite mindset does so well. He attempts to just “normalize” the situation with “Until that day (when CWM are no longer responsible neighbors) they are simply another business in Niagara County and should be treated as such."
Excuse me while I go throw up. It’s a good thing I’ll be going away for several days. I’ve got to get as far away from this self-serving politically manipulative and regressive ignorance as possible.
I hope the gang at Niagara Times blog attack this crap with no holds barred. And, yes, Hobbes, I understand now why you stay anonymous.
See you all next week!
SOCIAL, CULTURAL AND POLITICAL CRITIQUE// Editor/Author, Larry N. Castellani, Ph.D.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
ANOTHER AGENCY ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL: Bridge commission corruption and its implications
Hobbes hits us with another salacious inside scoop over at the NiagaraTimes blog about the possible corruption at the Niagara Falls Bridge Commission. Good work! All we need now is some evidence.
It seems that this is another agency, apparently international in the legal sense, that escapes any legal oversight. They must be accountable to someone. But short of some obscure scholar in international law probably nobody knows. So they can do whatever they want? Sounds like the Power Authority.
But relevant to my previous post today, the Bridge Commission also doesn’t have much concern regarding the vulnerability of the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge to terrorist attack. I address the same questions to them, namely, what has been done to protect the bridge. If nothing, why? And if nothing needs to be done WHY? How do we justify doing nothing? Do we cross our fingers, hold our breath and hope? Or just descend into mass denial and hope our vulnerability goes away?
My belief is that the powers-that-be have so little concern and so little respect for the needs and interests of Niagara County that they can get away with ignoring the vulnerability of the bridge not to mention the power plant. The people are asleep. As far as I can tell so far, the NC Legislature is a little comatose in this regard also. When you have no respect for yourself, no one else will either.
When I brought the bridge and power plant security issue up on the Leffler show today, Scott gave me a knee jerk objection to my concern because my interest was stimulated by the Bob Baxter article on homeland security. And Scott accused Baxter of never ever having previously been interested in Homeland Security until he connected it to the Parkway removal issue. So I’m sure according to the purely relativistically minded, I too am guilty by association. That of course is logical nonsense. It’s also insulting that it would be presumed I can’t think for myself. Anybody who knows me would know much better.
Obviously the only reason anyone, especially the small business interests in the Lewiston area, would accuse Baxter of opportunism is that they opportunistically oppose Parkway removal because they believe it will affect local business. How selfish, provincial and narcissistically narrow-minded is that? Not to mention how illogical that is.
Scott and others apparently believe it’s not possible to be objective about the power plant and bridge vulnerability because it ties in with the Parkway removal issue. So does that mean that one should not judge the Homeland Security aspect independently? Does that mean the Lewiston crowd would neglect looking at the security issue objectively because it inadvertently seems to support the NHP position on Parkway removal? How much more illogical and selfish is that on the part of the Lewiston crowd? Who is being more objective here?
Scott’s response to me implies that if we can reduce what someone says and does to some other interests that they have, then anything they say is corrupted by those other interests. If that were the case then the position of the Lewiston crowd is equally corrupted. That furthermore means that no one can be allowed to speak in the interests of the good of the whole Niagara county community. Philosophically that means objectivity is not possible. That’s called “relativism” my friends. It leads to skepticism, then cynicism and then finally violence of some sort. At least it leads to the end of dialogue and democracy. It is a cynism that leads to the impossibility of being able to work together as a community. That’s what leads to corruption, deception and political violence. It’s a form of character assassination.
I guess that’s why so few are interested in the Niagara Communities Comprehensive Plan Project. People around here, to their own detriment, can’t think in terms of belonging and in terms of the good of the whole. Nevertheless the Plan Project continues today at 5PM at the Faculty Cafeteria at Niagara Community College. The topic today is Health and Safety in NC. Very timely. Very appropriate. Hopefully some vision of a common purpose in this county may emerge with respect to Health and Saftey
It seems that this is another agency, apparently international in the legal sense, that escapes any legal oversight. They must be accountable to someone. But short of some obscure scholar in international law probably nobody knows. So they can do whatever they want? Sounds like the Power Authority.
But relevant to my previous post today, the Bridge Commission also doesn’t have much concern regarding the vulnerability of the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge to terrorist attack. I address the same questions to them, namely, what has been done to protect the bridge. If nothing, why? And if nothing needs to be done WHY? How do we justify doing nothing? Do we cross our fingers, hold our breath and hope? Or just descend into mass denial and hope our vulnerability goes away?
My belief is that the powers-that-be have so little concern and so little respect for the needs and interests of Niagara County that they can get away with ignoring the vulnerability of the bridge not to mention the power plant. The people are asleep. As far as I can tell so far, the NC Legislature is a little comatose in this regard also. When you have no respect for yourself, no one else will either.
When I brought the bridge and power plant security issue up on the Leffler show today, Scott gave me a knee jerk objection to my concern because my interest was stimulated by the Bob Baxter article on homeland security. And Scott accused Baxter of never ever having previously been interested in Homeland Security until he connected it to the Parkway removal issue. So I’m sure according to the purely relativistically minded, I too am guilty by association. That of course is logical nonsense. It’s also insulting that it would be presumed I can’t think for myself. Anybody who knows me would know much better.
Obviously the only reason anyone, especially the small business interests in the Lewiston area, would accuse Baxter of opportunism is that they opportunistically oppose Parkway removal because they believe it will affect local business. How selfish, provincial and narcissistically narrow-minded is that? Not to mention how illogical that is.
Scott and others apparently believe it’s not possible to be objective about the power plant and bridge vulnerability because it ties in with the Parkway removal issue. So does that mean that one should not judge the Homeland Security aspect independently? Does that mean the Lewiston crowd would neglect looking at the security issue objectively because it inadvertently seems to support the NHP position on Parkway removal? How much more illogical and selfish is that on the part of the Lewiston crowd? Who is being more objective here?
Scott’s response to me implies that if we can reduce what someone says and does to some other interests that they have, then anything they say is corrupted by those other interests. If that were the case then the position of the Lewiston crowd is equally corrupted. That furthermore means that no one can be allowed to speak in the interests of the good of the whole Niagara county community. Philosophically that means objectivity is not possible. That’s called “relativism” my friends. It leads to skepticism, then cynicism and then finally violence of some sort. At least it leads to the end of dialogue and democracy. It is a cynism that leads to the impossibility of being able to work together as a community. That’s what leads to corruption, deception and political violence. It’s a form of character assassination.
I guess that’s why so few are interested in the Niagara Communities Comprehensive Plan Project. People around here, to their own detriment, can’t think in terms of belonging and in terms of the good of the whole. Nevertheless the Plan Project continues today at 5PM at the Faculty Cafeteria at Niagara Community College. The topic today is Health and Safety in NC. Very timely. Very appropriate. Hopefully some vision of a common purpose in this county may emerge with respect to Health and Saftey
Answers Awaited from Legislature Regarding Homeland Security
This evening, Tuesday, July 22, 2008, I presented and submitted the following statement to the Niagara County Legislature:
“ REGARDING HOMELAND SECURITY
A recent article in the Niagara-Gazette, titled “Homeland security plan needs to evolve,”(May 30, 2008) highlights the continuing vulnerability of the power plant and Lewiston-Queenston bridge to a terrorist attack.
A quick drive up the parkway confirms this threat. Seemingly, an inept terrorist in a mini-van could do the job much like Timothy McVeigh destroyed the Oklahoma City Federal Building. Minimally, such an attack surely would seriously at least disrupt commerce if not energy delivery. What an imaginative terrorist who is well supplied and trained might be capable of doing is anyone’s guess. Obviously no one imagined or guessed well enough with respect to the Twin Towers.
My question is this: What does the Legislature intend to do about this seemingly long overlooked dangerous situation?
If something has been done my question is: What is it?
If nothing was done or nothing needs to be done my question is: Why?
I don’t expect an answer to this tonight. However I look forward to some preferably public response to my concern such that an open discussion might occur.
I’ll provide the County Clerk a copy of the Guest View, my home address and the questions to which I hope to receive an answer.
Lastly possibly you could answer this evening whether a member of the Legislature would commit to appear on local media to review and discuss this issue with the public.
Thank you for your time and attention.”
This statement and a copy of the Guest View editorial, “Homeland security plan needs to evolve,” in addition to an article from the Buffalo News by Lou Michels entitled “Boaters on front line against terror threats” was submitted to the Legislature. Hopefully each will receive a copy.
No Legislator this evening came forward to commit to discussing the status of the bridge and power plant security in a public media format. I will be waiting to see if anyone comes forward to answer my questions.
Hopefully there are simple answers to my questions. If there are not and if there are no forthcoming explanations by the Legislature, possibly as stated in the above article, “This is a monumental collective denial that has risen out of irresponsibility, ignorance, indifference and political concerns of (comparatively) little merit.”
I myself will reserve judgement until the Legislature has time to respond.
In the meantime you yourself might take a drive up the Robert Moses and see for yourself. Surely a truck with explosives could stop above the power plant or under the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge and in seconds detonate a rather damaging explosion. What would stop it? Is there surveillance with instantaneous response capabilities? Are there well hidden security guards ready to pounce at a seconds notice? Is there some invisible shield that is not visible to the naked eye?
It would be sad to think the only thing stopping such an attack is that the terrorists have for whatever reason chosen not to do it.
“ REGARDING HOMELAND SECURITY
A recent article in the Niagara-Gazette, titled “Homeland security plan needs to evolve,”(May 30, 2008) highlights the continuing vulnerability of the power plant and Lewiston-Queenston bridge to a terrorist attack.
A quick drive up the parkway confirms this threat. Seemingly, an inept terrorist in a mini-van could do the job much like Timothy McVeigh destroyed the Oklahoma City Federal Building. Minimally, such an attack surely would seriously at least disrupt commerce if not energy delivery. What an imaginative terrorist who is well supplied and trained might be capable of doing is anyone’s guess. Obviously no one imagined or guessed well enough with respect to the Twin Towers.
My question is this: What does the Legislature intend to do about this seemingly long overlooked dangerous situation?
If something has been done my question is: What is it?
If nothing was done or nothing needs to be done my question is: Why?
I don’t expect an answer to this tonight. However I look forward to some preferably public response to my concern such that an open discussion might occur.
I’ll provide the County Clerk a copy of the Guest View, my home address and the questions to which I hope to receive an answer.
Lastly possibly you could answer this evening whether a member of the Legislature would commit to appear on local media to review and discuss this issue with the public.
Thank you for your time and attention.”
This statement and a copy of the Guest View editorial, “Homeland security plan needs to evolve,” in addition to an article from the Buffalo News by Lou Michels entitled “Boaters on front line against terror threats” was submitted to the Legislature. Hopefully each will receive a copy.
No Legislator this evening came forward to commit to discussing the status of the bridge and power plant security in a public media format. I will be waiting to see if anyone comes forward to answer my questions.
Hopefully there are simple answers to my questions. If there are not and if there are no forthcoming explanations by the Legislature, possibly as stated in the above article, “This is a monumental collective denial that has risen out of irresponsibility, ignorance, indifference and political concerns of (comparatively) little merit.”
I myself will reserve judgement until the Legislature has time to respond.
In the meantime you yourself might take a drive up the Robert Moses and see for yourself. Surely a truck with explosives could stop above the power plant or under the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge and in seconds detonate a rather damaging explosion. What would stop it? Is there surveillance with instantaneous response capabilities? Are there well hidden security guards ready to pounce at a seconds notice? Is there some invisible shield that is not visible to the naked eye?
It would be sad to think the only thing stopping such an attack is that the terrorists have for whatever reason chosen not to do it.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
POLITICAL PROTEST TO PECK-ERS: From the Sublime to the Absurd
After a long dry spell, last night I did my first political protest since the march in Boston back in 1970. It didn’t have the zest and zeal of the Vietnam protests but it was refreshing. An old black woman with a bullhorn was the spirit of the protest. She sang a song continuously throughout the protest as the crowd of about 7-800 waited for McCain to show up for his tribute. The lyrics were the main point of the protest: “It’s a rich man’s war. What’s the poor man fightin’ for?” I’m sure McCain didn’t hear it. It wouldn’t have affected him anyhow. The agenda of the warmongering empire builders is set in stone kind of like McCain’s face. And American’s have little taste for protest let alone meaningful political self-analysis. Enough for the sublime.
Then, to get right to the absurd, I had to wake up to read Hobbes-alicious to find we are hiring a Public Information Officer. How utterly embarrassing. Do we have to do everything they do in national politics. What a freak show! I hope this guy is brighter than Dana Perrino who didn’t even know what the Bay of Pigs was. Peck used to work for Zombie International, oops excuse me, that’s Zogby International. He has been known to even do “analyses,” statistical of course, and he even writes. I hope he can also walk down the street and chew gum at the same time. If he can’t, he’ll fit right in.
Do we need this? Of course not. I suggest we deep six the PIO and the Homeland Security Czar and hire two more philosophy professors at NCCC.
While we should be on the streets stopping thousand of trucks laden with PCB’s we’re debating whether we are going to hire punk Peck and waste more taxpayers’ much too hard earned money.
Maybe the mafia had it right. Avoid the rich man’s wars. Avoid the rich man’s politics since they’re rigged anyhow. And then just make money anyway you can. Isn’t that what the capitalists and their plethora of toadies and minions do anyhow?
Let the dazed and confused, who fight these capitalist wars that are in no way in their interest, do what they have to do since they haven’t seen the writing on the wall yet. Some day they may, hopefully.
Then, to get right to the absurd, I had to wake up to read Hobbes-alicious to find we are hiring a Public Information Officer. How utterly embarrassing. Do we have to do everything they do in national politics. What a freak show! I hope this guy is brighter than Dana Perrino who didn’t even know what the Bay of Pigs was. Peck used to work for Zombie International, oops excuse me, that’s Zogby International. He has been known to even do “analyses,” statistical of course, and he even writes. I hope he can also walk down the street and chew gum at the same time. If he can’t, he’ll fit right in.
Do we need this? Of course not. I suggest we deep six the PIO and the Homeland Security Czar and hire two more philosophy professors at NCCC.
While we should be on the streets stopping thousand of trucks laden with PCB’s we’re debating whether we are going to hire punk Peck and waste more taxpayers’ much too hard earned money.
Maybe the mafia had it right. Avoid the rich man’s wars. Avoid the rich man’s politics since they’re rigged anyhow. And then just make money anyway you can. Isn’t that what the capitalists and their plethora of toadies and minions do anyhow?
Let the dazed and confused, who fight these capitalist wars that are in no way in their interest, do what they have to do since they haven’t seen the writing on the wall yet. Some day they may, hopefully.
Monday, July 21, 2008
MORE MUSICAL CHAIRS OR MAYBE MASS ACTION
While the local Republican propaganda machine worries about ousting what little political opposition to Republican domination remains in the county, be it as it may, the real issue of realizing “home rule” in battling hazardous waste disposal slips slowly into a “tax solution.” Then, all those who believe all political concerns come down to taxes and jobs will be fat and happy. Then they can spend all their time trying to remove DelMonte from office. Then the game of government-as-usual musical chairs can continue. And the community of citizens, if we can still call them that, can slide deeper into its depoliticized state of consumerist-intoxicated oblivion.
Although the time is ripe for a mass action actually led by conventional politicians coming together and socially concretizing the power behind “home rule,” you would think that the legally rationalized resistance of upper echelon state bureaucrats were on the order of tablets of stone written by the hand of God. All our legalistic paper tigers seem to be able to do is find reasons why this insult to our local integrity can’t be fought.
Somebody needs to get angry and drop this mild-mannered attitude of pseudo-diplomatic prudence. If the issue of human health, not to mention the status of our so-called “world-class destination” is not enough to passionately move our putative leaders to serious and unprecedented action, then they are equally complicit in sacrificing the well-being of Niagara Countians to business as usual. Once the, now estimated 3000 trucks start rolling into Niagara, everyone can go back into their holes, take a deep breath and sigh of relief: chanting: thank God it’s back to meaningless, ineffective blessed ‘business as usual.’
Burmaster’s “home rule message” as reported this morning in the Buffalo News is just that: a “message.” No one’s going to read the message let alone respond to it. And it’s not about the real issue in the first place. If the plague of local lawyers cannot find some way to fight this at the local level while the local politicos decide if they are going to get off their asses and begin to think outside the box, then all is once again probably lost. Who’s kidding who if we actually believe that it means anything to “ask the state legislator for permission” to do anything.
Possibly this is an issue for the U.S. Supreme Court. Surely there's a legal eagle out there with an IQ above 40 who can make this the rights issue it really is.
So if we get the tax we give it to some health agency and they will do a study to find out just how sick we are going to get in the future. This is impotent and effete thinking and indicative of politicians who forgot that action is the greater part of justice.
The point is that the ideological use of law by the State of NY to justify the sacrifice and abuse of Niagara’s ecological integrity is a politicization of the law in the interests of NY State and BWM but not in the interest of the forgotten people of Niagara County or Western NY. When the fundamental and untranscendable value of health, well-being and values of a people is at stake, those people must and justifiably can politically give themselves the right to say “NO!” to an indifferent and insensitive bureaurcratic state apparatus that has long since stopped listening. Such self-assertion of values is a political declaration of local self-determination that democratically transcends the States presumed “right” to dictate how healthy we should be or what our “rights” are. We can only choose to take this stand as a sovereign “home-rule” Community of communities deciding for local self-empowerment. No one will give it ito us. Moreover politically CWM’s right to do business does not trump our right to lead healthy lives in a clean environment.
If no one has noticed even Erie County is on our side. What do the local bureaucrats pretending to be leaders need, a written invitation? Permission from the big boys? The return of Jesus Christ. Please, Politicans, get off your chicken-asses and do something besides talk and side track this into another tax problem.
Although the time is ripe for a mass action actually led by conventional politicians coming together and socially concretizing the power behind “home rule,” you would think that the legally rationalized resistance of upper echelon state bureaucrats were on the order of tablets of stone written by the hand of God. All our legalistic paper tigers seem to be able to do is find reasons why this insult to our local integrity can’t be fought.
Somebody needs to get angry and drop this mild-mannered attitude of pseudo-diplomatic prudence. If the issue of human health, not to mention the status of our so-called “world-class destination” is not enough to passionately move our putative leaders to serious and unprecedented action, then they are equally complicit in sacrificing the well-being of Niagara Countians to business as usual. Once the, now estimated 3000 trucks start rolling into Niagara, everyone can go back into their holes, take a deep breath and sigh of relief: chanting: thank God it’s back to meaningless, ineffective blessed ‘business as usual.’
Burmaster’s “home rule message” as reported this morning in the Buffalo News is just that: a “message.” No one’s going to read the message let alone respond to it. And it’s not about the real issue in the first place. If the plague of local lawyers cannot find some way to fight this at the local level while the local politicos decide if they are going to get off their asses and begin to think outside the box, then all is once again probably lost. Who’s kidding who if we actually believe that it means anything to “ask the state legislator for permission” to do anything.
Possibly this is an issue for the U.S. Supreme Court. Surely there's a legal eagle out there with an IQ above 40 who can make this the rights issue it really is.
So if we get the tax we give it to some health agency and they will do a study to find out just how sick we are going to get in the future. This is impotent and effete thinking and indicative of politicians who forgot that action is the greater part of justice.
The point is that the ideological use of law by the State of NY to justify the sacrifice and abuse of Niagara’s ecological integrity is a politicization of the law in the interests of NY State and BWM but not in the interest of the forgotten people of Niagara County or Western NY. When the fundamental and untranscendable value of health, well-being and values of a people is at stake, those people must and justifiably can politically give themselves the right to say “NO!” to an indifferent and insensitive bureaurcratic state apparatus that has long since stopped listening. Such self-assertion of values is a political declaration of local self-determination that democratically transcends the States presumed “right” to dictate how healthy we should be or what our “rights” are. We can only choose to take this stand as a sovereign “home-rule” Community of communities deciding for local self-empowerment. No one will give it ito us. Moreover politically CWM’s right to do business does not trump our right to lead healthy lives in a clean environment.
If no one has noticed even Erie County is on our side. What do the local bureaucrats pretending to be leaders need, a written invitation? Permission from the big boys? The return of Jesus Christ. Please, Politicans, get off your chicken-asses and do something besides talk and side track this into another tax problem.
Saturday, July 19, 2008
THREE LITTLE DITTIES: A Bailout, a Blunder and Bureaucracy
Firstly, how could a life-long conservative activist, advisor to Reagan, Kemp and Dole, with impeccable Republican credentials bail out of the GOP and vote for Barack Obama: Writing in the New York Daily News on Wednesday, “The answer is simple” said Larry Hunter, Ph.D. “Unjustified war and unconstitutional abridgement of individual rights vs. ill-conceived tax and economic policies – this is the difference between venial and mortal sins.” Hunter claimed that although he doesn’t take Obama at his word on domestic issues and believes he even says “all the wrong things,” … “the Republicans said all the right things – fiscal responsibility, spending restraint – and it didn’t mean a thing.” Better late than never? But the taxpayer/citizen takes it in the ass!
Secondly, the Small Business Association caught a small oversight they made between 2004 and 2007. After deciding to check more than a token 5% of loans they made to businesses claiming to be in poor neighborhoods, they discovered that only half of the 13,000 such businesses qualified for such loans. Millions of dollars illegally disbursed. In short, the businesses lied. No, they were not in poor neighborhoods. They just said they were. Corruption or business as usual? You decide but the taxpayer again takes it, well, you know where! Not to mention how the poor people take it. It must be great fun to have millions if not billions to throw around without real accountability, no? Actually, it's tragic when such a major multi-million dollar blunder becomes a mere blip on the screen.
And, thirdly, locally, speaking of taking it where the sun don’t shine, Niagara county opts for more Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!, Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oops, I mean lawyers and experts and managers, Oh My!, lawyers and experts and managers! Greg Lewis and company I believe is still looking for a Homeland Security Director. Sweet Jesus! They ought to first do something about protecting the Power Plant, the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge and the other bridges in the county.
I think the county also hired a six-pack or so of Conflict Attorneys. I’ll bet they couldn’t even negotiate an argument with their wife and kids. Seriously, though, there is always a rationale for this kind of bureaucracy building. But do we have any way of reasonably combating such a cancerous proliferation of "remediators" given we live in a world where it's presumed that ordinary people of the communities cannot and should not deal with their own problems independently of the official mechanisms of the professional world such as the courts?
And recently Lockport decided it just might need a Main Street Manager. When you’re done laughing, please finish reading this. If you were listening to the announcement on the Scott Leffler show the other day and were listening closely, you may have noticed that it was not quite clear whether the new manager would be a “manager,” a “promoter” or an “economic development specialist.” My guess is they don’t have to get clear about the job description, because he probably won’t know what he’s doing anyhow. Besides it’s doubtful there will be any objective prior measure of the state of Main Street before he starts such that when they finally do get rid of him/her, or give him/her tenure, they will know whether there’s any real difference in having hired him/her/it in the first place. But the point is when you can get a “grant” (read bureaucratically rationalized tax-money giveaway) why not perform acts of desperation. Let the taxpayers fund the business ventures. If they fail, they’ll just raise taxes again. Bureaucracy rules!
Yes, capitalism under Liberal Democratic regimes whether local or national, whether Republican or Democrat, whether ‘liberal or conservative’ really isn’t working is it. Oh well don’t worry. If the economy goes in the shitter, we can always start another war, find another evil foe to fight and blame our problems on, or, just sell what’s left of the country and move to Switzerland. You can all afford it, can’t you?
Maybe you can find the common thread here better than I can. My guess, however, is that we are in the grips of a philosophical crisis of national and local identity which we cannot face. Why can’t we face it? One reason is because we have monumentally fantastic distractions: the nihilistic and meaningless war on terror being fought in the wrong way. Moreover, we have an endless stream of money in the form of taxes to invest where a sane capitalist would never invest. And we are mystified by the New Class of lawyers, specialists, experts, managers, consultants, professionals, technocrats and administrators, who, given enough time and money, we are deluded will solve all our problems.
Lastly, in America we have an overabundance of cretins whose fundamental inspiration is TV, sports and video games. If they do participate politically it is usually in "party-speak," an Orwellian language spoken ad nauseum especially during political campaigns by pundits, reporters and politicians.
Maybe the common thread here should be called "CLUELESS". That is, it seems most traditional wisdom is clueless as to how to deal with the crisis of American political confusion, confidence and committment to a clear national purpose and the role of local communities in that purpose.
Secondly, the Small Business Association caught a small oversight they made between 2004 and 2007. After deciding to check more than a token 5% of loans they made to businesses claiming to be in poor neighborhoods, they discovered that only half of the 13,000 such businesses qualified for such loans. Millions of dollars illegally disbursed. In short, the businesses lied. No, they were not in poor neighborhoods. They just said they were. Corruption or business as usual? You decide but the taxpayer again takes it, well, you know where! Not to mention how the poor people take it. It must be great fun to have millions if not billions to throw around without real accountability, no? Actually, it's tragic when such a major multi-million dollar blunder becomes a mere blip on the screen.
And, thirdly, locally, speaking of taking it where the sun don’t shine, Niagara county opts for more Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!, Lions and Tigers and Bears! Oops, I mean lawyers and experts and managers, Oh My!, lawyers and experts and managers! Greg Lewis and company I believe is still looking for a Homeland Security Director. Sweet Jesus! They ought to first do something about protecting the Power Plant, the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge and the other bridges in the county.
I think the county also hired a six-pack or so of Conflict Attorneys. I’ll bet they couldn’t even negotiate an argument with their wife and kids. Seriously, though, there is always a rationale for this kind of bureaucracy building. But do we have any way of reasonably combating such a cancerous proliferation of "remediators" given we live in a world where it's presumed that ordinary people of the communities cannot and should not deal with their own problems independently of the official mechanisms of the professional world such as the courts?
And recently Lockport decided it just might need a Main Street Manager. When you’re done laughing, please finish reading this. If you were listening to the announcement on the Scott Leffler show the other day and were listening closely, you may have noticed that it was not quite clear whether the new manager would be a “manager,” a “promoter” or an “economic development specialist.” My guess is they don’t have to get clear about the job description, because he probably won’t know what he’s doing anyhow. Besides it’s doubtful there will be any objective prior measure of the state of Main Street before he starts such that when they finally do get rid of him/her, or give him/her tenure, they will know whether there’s any real difference in having hired him/her/it in the first place. But the point is when you can get a “grant” (read bureaucratically rationalized tax-money giveaway) why not perform acts of desperation. Let the taxpayers fund the business ventures. If they fail, they’ll just raise taxes again. Bureaucracy rules!
Yes, capitalism under Liberal Democratic regimes whether local or national, whether Republican or Democrat, whether ‘liberal or conservative’ really isn’t working is it. Oh well don’t worry. If the economy goes in the shitter, we can always start another war, find another evil foe to fight and blame our problems on, or, just sell what’s left of the country and move to Switzerland. You can all afford it, can’t you?
Maybe you can find the common thread here better than I can. My guess, however, is that we are in the grips of a philosophical crisis of national and local identity which we cannot face. Why can’t we face it? One reason is because we have monumentally fantastic distractions: the nihilistic and meaningless war on terror being fought in the wrong way. Moreover, we have an endless stream of money in the form of taxes to invest where a sane capitalist would never invest. And we are mystified by the New Class of lawyers, specialists, experts, managers, consultants, professionals, technocrats and administrators, who, given enough time and money, we are deluded will solve all our problems.
Lastly, in America we have an overabundance of cretins whose fundamental inspiration is TV, sports and video games. If they do participate politically it is usually in "party-speak," an Orwellian language spoken ad nauseum especially during political campaigns by pundits, reporters and politicians.
Maybe the common thread here should be called "CLUELESS". That is, it seems most traditional wisdom is clueless as to how to deal with the crisis of American political confusion, confidence and committment to a clear national purpose and the role of local communities in that purpose.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
NIAGARA COUNTY: World Class Destination or World Contaminants Destination
Should I be shocked to discover that contaminants dumping has been going on for decades in Niagara County? Well my ignorance and apolitical past is showing. I received a response from Assem. Delmonte to my e-mail requesting she take action on the GE PCB waste coming from cross state. The letter noted that waste has been coming to NC for some time from 30 states, Canada and Puerto Rico! CANADA??? PUERTO RICO???!!!!
Should I be shocked or should I get with it like the county as a whole, stuff the rage and pretend that “that’s just the way it is and you can’t really do anything about it”? Surely some yahoo out there is going to accuse me of being a tree hugging Environmentalist like that’s a bad thing. Or some other shills, more interested in pompously self-righteously moralizing about the so-called hypocritical candidates for office and traditional corruption, will simply ignore this potentially critical moment in our county.
My first impulsive reaction was to put my house up for sale and get the hell out of this cess pool of a county. Even if I were going to fight this, does one stand inside a burning building while trying to put out the fire? Does one treat a patient dying of cancer with aspirin? I’ve been here over 15 years and am as much responsible for our plight as the native residents. But I must ask where they have all been since this devastation started. A very small handful of true citizens are aware and active. I applaud them and apologize to them for my own ignorance and inactivity.
But how do we explain this popular malaise and capitulation to such egregeious State exploitation and domination of our county. One caller to the Scott Leffler show quipped, “Hey, wasn’t Tony Soprano in the waste management business?” Funny and insightful. Possibly a “criminal element” has been behind the prostitution of our land for decades for the sake of profit. But it does not really matter because what is being done is criminal in and of itself whether mob criminals or the State. They are two sides of the same coin if either are complicit in this immoral and sordid sacrifice of our land and image.
However let’s not pass the political buck. In the end only the people are responsible. This includes our supposed representatives. Letter writing is not enough. Undoubtedly, apparently trucks are coming into NC as we speak. If as Delmonte points out, “Even higher levels of hazardous waste imports in New York will occur if more land disposal capacity is permitted by the DEC,” then we had better put up a sign (which is really already on our backs): NIAGARA COUNTY: Open for Business/We’ll take anything you have to dispose. Give us your PCBs, your dioxins, your radioactive waste, your sludge and anything else that no self-respecting community would allow to rest in their front yards. But we’ll take it because we don’t give a shit. We accept it. In fact we seem to find it acceptable because we don’t have any self-respect.
Or is part of the explanation as to why this goes on for decades the obvious fact that somebody is making money from this or saving money. And is it that some politicians are getting contributions because of their failure, that is their silence, passivity and complicity, in failing to end this practice. I have reports that Maziarz takes money from CWM. Another respondent to this blog says it’s not true. What’s the story here? Has anybody out there traced the money trail here? Does any other politician take money from the waste management industry? I’d love to know if you have information.
How long can NC sustain such hypocrisy and self-contradictory behavior? How long can we pretend to be one of the wonders of the world and a World Class Destination when we are actually the “world contaminants destination,” one of 17 in the country and the only one in the northeast. We are also, don’t forget, the radioactive burial ground of the Manhattan Project. Lou Riciutti has been trying to drive this home for a decade or more. If even 1/10 of what he claims is true it is understandable why we have the level of disease we do have.
However even the activists in this county and in western NY are divided. No one works together. Should the various activist groups and individuals ever come together in the interest of the natural integrity of our communities nothing could stop us. But the “bureaucratic agencies mindset” seems to predominate. Do these groups know that if they don’t get serious some bureaucratic agency will throw some hush money their way? Isn’t it happening already? Does everyone think they are the Lone Ranger? Why don’t the politicians act as leaders as opposed to letter writers, career politicans and parliamentary conformists.
Niagara County is without effective and meaningful leadership. Surely the time is ripe and if not now when. Do we wait until no one takes us seriously at all. Or is that time come already.
This is a time for political revolt starting with taking a stand that Niagara County finds our present environmental state of affairs and anticipated exploitation on the State DEC slate as absolutely and unequivocally unacceptable. That means that we must officially and popularly start from the committed stand that we will not accept this waste or any part of it in our county under any condition.
We have a choice of being a diminished, defeated and humiliated humanity or revolting against NC being the designated sacrifice of NYS and the USA and even Canada. This is not about being “against the State.” It’s about being for ourselves and the values and way of life we stand for and are willing to fight for. Let’s not allow special interests and exploiters desecrate and destroy this beautiful county.
Finally this all reminded me of the image of impoverished slumdwellers in the garbage heaps of Rio de Janiero trying to find salvageable food and goods. Some day that may be us, scavenging thru the wasteland of Niagara County trying to find some uncontaminated soil to build a house on. Or trying to find some clean water to drink. Or possibly even some clean air to breath.
This is a choice. A moral and political choice. Nothing is destined to happen here. We make it happen or allow it to happen. These choices determine what will be considered as right and eventually legal and legitimate. There are no necessities or inevitabilities. There is only what we create. We speak and act for ourselves or we will be used. As simple as that.
Should I be shocked or should I get with it like the county as a whole, stuff the rage and pretend that “that’s just the way it is and you can’t really do anything about it”? Surely some yahoo out there is going to accuse me of being a tree hugging Environmentalist like that’s a bad thing. Or some other shills, more interested in pompously self-righteously moralizing about the so-called hypocritical candidates for office and traditional corruption, will simply ignore this potentially critical moment in our county.
My first impulsive reaction was to put my house up for sale and get the hell out of this cess pool of a county. Even if I were going to fight this, does one stand inside a burning building while trying to put out the fire? Does one treat a patient dying of cancer with aspirin? I’ve been here over 15 years and am as much responsible for our plight as the native residents. But I must ask where they have all been since this devastation started. A very small handful of true citizens are aware and active. I applaud them and apologize to them for my own ignorance and inactivity.
But how do we explain this popular malaise and capitulation to such egregeious State exploitation and domination of our county. One caller to the Scott Leffler show quipped, “Hey, wasn’t Tony Soprano in the waste management business?” Funny and insightful. Possibly a “criminal element” has been behind the prostitution of our land for decades for the sake of profit. But it does not really matter because what is being done is criminal in and of itself whether mob criminals or the State. They are two sides of the same coin if either are complicit in this immoral and sordid sacrifice of our land and image.
However let’s not pass the political buck. In the end only the people are responsible. This includes our supposed representatives. Letter writing is not enough. Undoubtedly, apparently trucks are coming into NC as we speak. If as Delmonte points out, “Even higher levels of hazardous waste imports in New York will occur if more land disposal capacity is permitted by the DEC,” then we had better put up a sign (which is really already on our backs): NIAGARA COUNTY: Open for Business/We’ll take anything you have to dispose. Give us your PCBs, your dioxins, your radioactive waste, your sludge and anything else that no self-respecting community would allow to rest in their front yards. But we’ll take it because we don’t give a shit. We accept it. In fact we seem to find it acceptable because we don’t have any self-respect.
Or is part of the explanation as to why this goes on for decades the obvious fact that somebody is making money from this or saving money. And is it that some politicians are getting contributions because of their failure, that is their silence, passivity and complicity, in failing to end this practice. I have reports that Maziarz takes money from CWM. Another respondent to this blog says it’s not true. What’s the story here? Has anybody out there traced the money trail here? Does any other politician take money from the waste management industry? I’d love to know if you have information.
How long can NC sustain such hypocrisy and self-contradictory behavior? How long can we pretend to be one of the wonders of the world and a World Class Destination when we are actually the “world contaminants destination,” one of 17 in the country and the only one in the northeast. We are also, don’t forget, the radioactive burial ground of the Manhattan Project. Lou Riciutti has been trying to drive this home for a decade or more. If even 1/10 of what he claims is true it is understandable why we have the level of disease we do have.
However even the activists in this county and in western NY are divided. No one works together. Should the various activist groups and individuals ever come together in the interest of the natural integrity of our communities nothing could stop us. But the “bureaucratic agencies mindset” seems to predominate. Do these groups know that if they don’t get serious some bureaucratic agency will throw some hush money their way? Isn’t it happening already? Does everyone think they are the Lone Ranger? Why don’t the politicians act as leaders as opposed to letter writers, career politicans and parliamentary conformists.
Niagara County is without effective and meaningful leadership. Surely the time is ripe and if not now when. Do we wait until no one takes us seriously at all. Or is that time come already.
This is a time for political revolt starting with taking a stand that Niagara County finds our present environmental state of affairs and anticipated exploitation on the State DEC slate as absolutely and unequivocally unacceptable. That means that we must officially and popularly start from the committed stand that we will not accept this waste or any part of it in our county under any condition.
We have a choice of being a diminished, defeated and humiliated humanity or revolting against NC being the designated sacrifice of NYS and the USA and even Canada. This is not about being “against the State.” It’s about being for ourselves and the values and way of life we stand for and are willing to fight for. Let’s not allow special interests and exploiters desecrate and destroy this beautiful county.
Finally this all reminded me of the image of impoverished slumdwellers in the garbage heaps of Rio de Janiero trying to find salvageable food and goods. Some day that may be us, scavenging thru the wasteland of Niagara County trying to find some uncontaminated soil to build a house on. Or trying to find some clean water to drink. Or possibly even some clean air to breath.
This is a choice. A moral and political choice. Nothing is destined to happen here. We make it happen or allow it to happen. These choices determine what will be considered as right and eventually legal and legitimate. There are no necessities or inevitabilities. There is only what we create. We speak and act for ourselves or we will be used. As simple as that.
Monday, July 14, 2008
NIAGARA EMPOWERED: A Time to Reclaim our Heritage and Local Sovereignty
I hope you were listening to the Scott Leffler show on WLVL this morning. He may be the new political voice of Niagara County. The management of WLVL should give him another hour if he continues to have shows like today’s.
It became clear this morning that Niagara County does have a political consciousness and a sense of what we have at stake as a Community of communities. The event, the issue, is whether we are going to continue to be the garbage dump of NYS or whether we are going to define ourselves, empower ourselves, according to what we value and declare anything else absolutely and irrevocably unacceptable. The days of Niagara Garbage Dump are over if we so choose and decide.
Are we going to permit another 75, 0000 tons of contaminants to desecrate our land or are we going to fight this. Are we going to let the politicians pussyfoot around with this in Albany or take a stand here and now.
No, it is not a question of whether George Maziarz is going to fight this. It certainly is not a question whether Francine Delmonte is going to fight this because I’m not even sure if she is aware of it or cares about it. At least Maziarz seems to be provisionally aware and at least symbolically “on top” of this.
However, we have to understand what is going on here. As Legislator Cerreto said when he called in to the Leffler show, ‘this is not a Republican-Democrat issue.” This is an issue of the communities. As a few other callers had the wherewithal to note: the party division is irrelevant. The good of the whole is coming to light and we should be aware that it is in such consiousness on this issues and others that our true political power and embodiment lay.
Moreover to also get sidetracked by whether the issue of the contaminant dumping is a strategy to get Maziarz re-elected is irrelevant. Let’s not succumb to the political paranoia here and blow the moment. Those who have interests in either having the contaminants dumped here or in retaining the obsolete power struggle of the party system would love to have us wasting our time “debating” whether this is a real issue or just a “strategy” on the Republicans part. Such thinking is absolute non-sense.
Also whether we should be only fighting for lower taxes as opposed to a clean Niagara is also a red herring, a rodeo clown, a strategic, self-defeating DIVISIVE distraction. Contamination, PCB’s AND RADIOACTIVE WASTE, and taxes are all of our issues. We cannot allow the weight of the issues to destroy the unity and integrity of our sovereignty as a community political force.
Big Daddy Politician alone is not going to do what needs to be done politically in Niagara County. If the politicians of this county can recover their moral sensibility and responsibility to the good of the community as a whole, they will not turn this into an opportunity to gain power, prestige or leverage in the next election. They must transcend the professional politician, party bureaucrat, political machine mentality and restore sovereignty to the people. Professional politicians can become People’s politicians. This however for them is not only a political decision but a philosophical one.
This issue is a critical moment in the re-politicization of Niagara County in taking control of its own life, heritage and future. If in fact Maziarz does not take further action to mobilize the people now at the grass roots level, this may be a sign that he may exploit this to increase his hold on power. That would be tragic for the democratic and political awakening of Niagara County.
It is good that people are reacting to this situation and demanding that the politicians should act. But bureaucratic action in the backrooms of the state administrative apparatus is not enough. If Maziarz is a true politician he should be out there responding to and further mobilizing and inspiring the people to organize and see to it that the state bureaucrats realize that we are not the fools we have been up until this moment. If Maziarz can transcend partisanship, who knows, he may well achieve an even greater power that would actually be clearly and wholly legitimate and not just legal. Moreover to powerfully mobilize the county would undoubtedly enhance his power in Albany.
Hopefully also the Legislature will resolve to act for our empowerment. If they can pass a resolution in absolute opposition to this exploitation of NC at the next meeting on July 22nd, at which the entire county should be in attendance, this will not be merely a temporary consensus. This can be an acclamation of local political self-transformation and self-assertion. A unified county for the good of the county.
It became clear this morning that Niagara County does have a political consciousness and a sense of what we have at stake as a Community of communities. The event, the issue, is whether we are going to continue to be the garbage dump of NYS or whether we are going to define ourselves, empower ourselves, according to what we value and declare anything else absolutely and irrevocably unacceptable. The days of Niagara Garbage Dump are over if we so choose and decide.
Are we going to permit another 75, 0000 tons of contaminants to desecrate our land or are we going to fight this. Are we going to let the politicians pussyfoot around with this in Albany or take a stand here and now.
No, it is not a question of whether George Maziarz is going to fight this. It certainly is not a question whether Francine Delmonte is going to fight this because I’m not even sure if she is aware of it or cares about it. At least Maziarz seems to be provisionally aware and at least symbolically “on top” of this.
However, we have to understand what is going on here. As Legislator Cerreto said when he called in to the Leffler show, ‘this is not a Republican-Democrat issue.” This is an issue of the communities. As a few other callers had the wherewithal to note: the party division is irrelevant. The good of the whole is coming to light and we should be aware that it is in such consiousness on this issues and others that our true political power and embodiment lay.
Moreover to also get sidetracked by whether the issue of the contaminant dumping is a strategy to get Maziarz re-elected is irrelevant. Let’s not succumb to the political paranoia here and blow the moment. Those who have interests in either having the contaminants dumped here or in retaining the obsolete power struggle of the party system would love to have us wasting our time “debating” whether this is a real issue or just a “strategy” on the Republicans part. Such thinking is absolute non-sense.
Also whether we should be only fighting for lower taxes as opposed to a clean Niagara is also a red herring, a rodeo clown, a strategic, self-defeating DIVISIVE distraction. Contamination, PCB’s AND RADIOACTIVE WASTE, and taxes are all of our issues. We cannot allow the weight of the issues to destroy the unity and integrity of our sovereignty as a community political force.
Big Daddy Politician alone is not going to do what needs to be done politically in Niagara County. If the politicians of this county can recover their moral sensibility and responsibility to the good of the community as a whole, they will not turn this into an opportunity to gain power, prestige or leverage in the next election. They must transcend the professional politician, party bureaucrat, political machine mentality and restore sovereignty to the people. Professional politicians can become People’s politicians. This however for them is not only a political decision but a philosophical one.
This issue is a critical moment in the re-politicization of Niagara County in taking control of its own life, heritage and future. If in fact Maziarz does not take further action to mobilize the people now at the grass roots level, this may be a sign that he may exploit this to increase his hold on power. That would be tragic for the democratic and political awakening of Niagara County.
It is good that people are reacting to this situation and demanding that the politicians should act. But bureaucratic action in the backrooms of the state administrative apparatus is not enough. If Maziarz is a true politician he should be out there responding to and further mobilizing and inspiring the people to organize and see to it that the state bureaucrats realize that we are not the fools we have been up until this moment. If Maziarz can transcend partisanship, who knows, he may well achieve an even greater power that would actually be clearly and wholly legitimate and not just legal. Moreover to powerfully mobilize the county would undoubtedly enhance his power in Albany.
Hopefully also the Legislature will resolve to act for our empowerment. If they can pass a resolution in absolute opposition to this exploitation of NC at the next meeting on July 22nd, at which the entire county should be in attendance, this will not be merely a temporary consensus. This can be an acclamation of local political self-transformation and self-assertion. A unified county for the good of the county.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
MAZIARZ CHOICE: Party Machine Bureaucrat or Political Leader
In the world of institutionalized or bureaucratic “democracy” Senator Maziarz’s letter to Commissioner Grannis is an obligatory first step. I was happy to see the letter. I wasn’t happy to hear that the Senator found out about this through a newspaper article. Why was that? Is such a decision of such little significance to Grannis that he wouldn’t let Maziarz know personally that Niagara County is about to get dumped on again, literally and figuratively? Is Maziarz so insignificant in such a matter that he need not be told, even as a courtesy?
Nevertheless, Senator Maziarz has said in seemingly no uncertain terms the following:
“Let me be clear that I have no interest in allowing any toxic waste from the Queensbury site to be imported into Niagara County, and I plan on seeking every remedy possible to prevent it.” …
“I’m going to do everything I can to make sure this does not happen.” …
“This is absolutely not right.”
Hopefully Grannis will work with Maziarz. Hopefully this will be settled in a conversation. However the Senator should draw the line at zero tolerance for anymore waste whatsoever coming into Niagara County. He has chosen the bureaucratic path. No big surprise nor however is it unwise to start there. In that world it’s probably quite wise since there is probably nothing stopping Grannis from doing whatever he wants for whatever reason. And a good reason would be to defiantly assert his power if Maziarz pushed to hard. Diplomacy is good for sure.
It seems to me, however, that Senator Maziarz language is far from firm and in fact is a little hesitant if not weak. What does he mean by having “no interest in allowing any toxic waste” enter Niagara County? That sounds absolute enough. He’s going to “do everything I can,” …”seeking every remedy possible to prevent it.” This is good and encouraging as far as it goes.
I would like to suggest that it is however a rather weak ending to conclude that this “is absolutely not right.” Why is this weak? Because this situation at this point is no longer a matter of right and wrong, legal or illegal. This is not even a moral matter. It will however be addressed undoubtedly in administrative-legal language and terms. If for whatever reason Grannis goes through with this plan we have little recourse in the administrative labyrinthe of bureaucracies and legalities. His reasons are likely to not be determined in the field of reason and open rational discussion. It will as usual be the forces of interest and power that will decide.
That is why Senator Maziarz should now make this clearly a political issue. How? He does this by simply stating up front that dumping thousands of tons of waste in Niagara County is absolutely unacceptable and is not an option. It’s not that it is just wrong and we have ‘no interest’ in this. It is that we will never accept any such further violation of our environmental and sovereign integrity. This language is a political decision, the language of decisionism, in the face of laws and a value system that has no interest in the welfare of our county obviously. Such language is to take back local political power. What is reasonable and what is condsidered factual will first be determined by a political decision. Without this decision we are subject to the irrational self-interested rationalism, bureaucratism and administrative fiat of the balance of powers in NYS. As of now the balance is not in our favor. To decisionistically take a stand is to make what we value beyond compromise.
Once that decision is made as a political commitment and led by Maziarz we take a stand for it, then the Senator can still in all good faith work with the Commissioner to deal with the waste issue. If in fact the Senator plans to do everything he can hopefully that means he will not take “no” for an answer. However, one can do “everything he can” and still fail.
At this point in our history Maziarz cannot for our sake be allowed to fail. This community is much too demoralized to be further insulted and suffer such political and environmental desecration. He must do what must be done: Declare Niagara County a Pollution Free Zone. Declare the county Clean Niagara. Declare Niagara a clean county. Then fight for it. As I suggested in my last essay, Senator Maziarz must be the political leader that he is and mobilize this county as if it were a revolution. And it is. It is a declaration for absolute change. It is fighting for the conditions of life that make life in Niagara worth living. Enough is enough and the possibility which he seems to have committed himself to if it is to be unambiguously political begins with the declaration that he will be a living and breathing stand for this possibility: the possibility that Niagara define itself and stand for itself as a world class destination, clean, safe and populated by people who have taken passionate pride in who they are. This is an act of autonomy, self-responsibility and self-determination: a democratic and political act.
I hope I am dead wrong. I hope this matter is already solved. But I fear that anything else than what I've suggested will be business as usual and will result in a bureaucratic brush off after which the Senator will have to save face and end up using the present weak language of his letter and interview as a way out the back door.
Nevertheless, Senator Maziarz has said in seemingly no uncertain terms the following:
“Let me be clear that I have no interest in allowing any toxic waste from the Queensbury site to be imported into Niagara County, and I plan on seeking every remedy possible to prevent it.” …
“I’m going to do everything I can to make sure this does not happen.” …
“This is absolutely not right.”
Hopefully Grannis will work with Maziarz. Hopefully this will be settled in a conversation. However the Senator should draw the line at zero tolerance for anymore waste whatsoever coming into Niagara County. He has chosen the bureaucratic path. No big surprise nor however is it unwise to start there. In that world it’s probably quite wise since there is probably nothing stopping Grannis from doing whatever he wants for whatever reason. And a good reason would be to defiantly assert his power if Maziarz pushed to hard. Diplomacy is good for sure.
It seems to me, however, that Senator Maziarz language is far from firm and in fact is a little hesitant if not weak. What does he mean by having “no interest in allowing any toxic waste” enter Niagara County? That sounds absolute enough. He’s going to “do everything I can,” …”seeking every remedy possible to prevent it.” This is good and encouraging as far as it goes.
I would like to suggest that it is however a rather weak ending to conclude that this “is absolutely not right.” Why is this weak? Because this situation at this point is no longer a matter of right and wrong, legal or illegal. This is not even a moral matter. It will however be addressed undoubtedly in administrative-legal language and terms. If for whatever reason Grannis goes through with this plan we have little recourse in the administrative labyrinthe of bureaucracies and legalities. His reasons are likely to not be determined in the field of reason and open rational discussion. It will as usual be the forces of interest and power that will decide.
That is why Senator Maziarz should now make this clearly a political issue. How? He does this by simply stating up front that dumping thousands of tons of waste in Niagara County is absolutely unacceptable and is not an option. It’s not that it is just wrong and we have ‘no interest’ in this. It is that we will never accept any such further violation of our environmental and sovereign integrity. This language is a political decision, the language of decisionism, in the face of laws and a value system that has no interest in the welfare of our county obviously. Such language is to take back local political power. What is reasonable and what is condsidered factual will first be determined by a political decision. Without this decision we are subject to the irrational self-interested rationalism, bureaucratism and administrative fiat of the balance of powers in NYS. As of now the balance is not in our favor. To decisionistically take a stand is to make what we value beyond compromise.
Once that decision is made as a political commitment and led by Maziarz we take a stand for it, then the Senator can still in all good faith work with the Commissioner to deal with the waste issue. If in fact the Senator plans to do everything he can hopefully that means he will not take “no” for an answer. However, one can do “everything he can” and still fail.
At this point in our history Maziarz cannot for our sake be allowed to fail. This community is much too demoralized to be further insulted and suffer such political and environmental desecration. He must do what must be done: Declare Niagara County a Pollution Free Zone. Declare the county Clean Niagara. Declare Niagara a clean county. Then fight for it. As I suggested in my last essay, Senator Maziarz must be the political leader that he is and mobilize this county as if it were a revolution. And it is. It is a declaration for absolute change. It is fighting for the conditions of life that make life in Niagara worth living. Enough is enough and the possibility which he seems to have committed himself to if it is to be unambiguously political begins with the declaration that he will be a living and breathing stand for this possibility: the possibility that Niagara define itself and stand for itself as a world class destination, clean, safe and populated by people who have taken passionate pride in who they are. This is an act of autonomy, self-responsibility and self-determination: a democratic and political act.
I hope I am dead wrong. I hope this matter is already solved. But I fear that anything else than what I've suggested will be business as usual and will result in a bureaucratic brush off after which the Senator will have to save face and end up using the present weak language of his letter and interview as a way out the back door.
Friday, July 11, 2008
MAZIARZ'S CHANCE TO LEAD
Aaron Besecker reported this afternoon the state DEC plans to dump 75,000 tons of PCB contaminated waste at CWM in Niagara County.
I don’t know what Maziarz plans to do. He says, “….everything I can to make sure this does not happen.” How about everything he should do. Possibly what he should do is go beyond what is likely to be failed institutional bureaucratic appeals to stop any further abuse of the Niagara region.
Why not appeal to the people to write in, make calls and even especially get out on the street and stop these trucks carrying the contaminated waste from entering Niagara County and further devastation of our “world class destination.”
If Maziarz has the clout I keep hearing about why not mobilize the people. Use the community as it should be used. Invoke a populist appeal and let it be known that we’re not going to take it anymore.
If we don’t respect ourselves, who will respect us? This protest could be a national spectacle to show what is possible when a conventional politician gets out from behind the desk and the TV cameras and takes to the streets. This would be true leadership and not the ritual “representation” that we’ve all seen too much of and no longer trust.
If Maziarz can pull this off (and there’s no reason he can’t) he’s got my vote. And as far as the protest goes I’ll be on the street with George and would proudly go to jail if need be to get this done.
If whatever Maziarz has in mind works, short of what I propose, God bless him and more power to him. But I’m not holding my breath.
Let Maziarz do his job and lead us into action.
I don’t know what Maziarz plans to do. He says, “….everything I can to make sure this does not happen.” How about everything he should do. Possibly what he should do is go beyond what is likely to be failed institutional bureaucratic appeals to stop any further abuse of the Niagara region.
Why not appeal to the people to write in, make calls and even especially get out on the street and stop these trucks carrying the contaminated waste from entering Niagara County and further devastation of our “world class destination.”
If Maziarz has the clout I keep hearing about why not mobilize the people. Use the community as it should be used. Invoke a populist appeal and let it be known that we’re not going to take it anymore.
If we don’t respect ourselves, who will respect us? This protest could be a national spectacle to show what is possible when a conventional politician gets out from behind the desk and the TV cameras and takes to the streets. This would be true leadership and not the ritual “representation” that we’ve all seen too much of and no longer trust.
If Maziarz can pull this off (and there’s no reason he can’t) he’s got my vote. And as far as the protest goes I’ll be on the street with George and would proudly go to jail if need be to get this done.
If whatever Maziarz has in mind works, short of what I propose, God bless him and more power to him. But I’m not holding my breath.
Let Maziarz do his job and lead us into action.
CENSORED AGAIN AT NIAGARA TIMES BLOGSPOT
Well I guess I got my dis-invitation at Hobbes’ Niagara Times blog spot. They will be happy to know I won’t be returning. It was quite an experience trying to have a reasonable discussion with people who prefer to define politics as war in which anything goes just in order to win and gain power.
After being censored a second time the message is clear. Apparently in the name of “sticking to the point” Hobbes justifies censoring free speech and keeping the level and quality of “discourse” on the reservation. They obviously aren’t interested in raising the level of discourse. Some of the fragile souls that frequent the site think I’m talking down to them when I really presume a much higher intelligence on their part than they do.
It undoubtedly was very naïve of me and a sign of my inexperience in local “politics” to expect anything more. But that is really a kind of experience I don’t need and can only learn so much from. It is an experience in which one can learn what politics should not be. But for such people their one-dimensional existence doesn’t admit what “ought to be” or “can be” as a determinative force in their considerably violent, irrational, hysterical, paranoid and moralistic world.
But if you want the down and dirty inside scuttlebutt, Hobbes’ site is the place to go. I’ll keep reading his/her site. It’s good to know what’s happening in “the real world.” But I won’t be inhaling nor exhaling while I’m there. I thank him for sharing the information, distorted interpretations and self-serving manipulation not withstanding.
There is a German legal scholar by the name of Carl Schmitt. He uses the basic category of “friend-enemy” to define the political realm. But I don’t think he had in mind the psychological warfare that distorts community relations and alienates people who have everything to gain by highlighting and nurturing the values they have in common. The abusiveness that goes on at Niagara Times indicates that the Niagara County leadership must at least tolerate if not condone or even encourage this viciousness and manipulation of community relations, issues and problems. This is instituted demagoguery and Orwellian doublespeak. The political “enemy” is in the best and most authentic sense your best friend, that is, a noble enemy. Such an “enemy” is an honored opponent from whom one can hope first and foremost to learn about the right, the true and the good if not the beautiful in life. But in Niagara County, as far as I can see, ill will and destructive hostility prevail. They treat the enemy as the absolute foe, such as we would a terrorist who doesn't want to do anything but kill you. But to Schmitt the enemy is not a foe. That distinction has to be kept clear to get the point and the productive insight.
The political realm can be stipulated as a space of new beginnings and openness. It is a place of creative contention not destructive witchhunting, human derogation by one’s virtual neighbor. It can be a place of forgiveness and rebirth. It is surprising that so much sordid vindictiveness in local political pseudo-discourse comes from Christians who should be the first to practice such very Christian ideas. This might actually be why Nietzsche is still vindicated in having said that it looks like Jesus may well have been the first and last Christian.
After being censored a second time the message is clear. Apparently in the name of “sticking to the point” Hobbes justifies censoring free speech and keeping the level and quality of “discourse” on the reservation. They obviously aren’t interested in raising the level of discourse. Some of the fragile souls that frequent the site think I’m talking down to them when I really presume a much higher intelligence on their part than they do.
It undoubtedly was very naïve of me and a sign of my inexperience in local “politics” to expect anything more. But that is really a kind of experience I don’t need and can only learn so much from. It is an experience in which one can learn what politics should not be. But for such people their one-dimensional existence doesn’t admit what “ought to be” or “can be” as a determinative force in their considerably violent, irrational, hysterical, paranoid and moralistic world.
But if you want the down and dirty inside scuttlebutt, Hobbes’ site is the place to go. I’ll keep reading his/her site. It’s good to know what’s happening in “the real world.” But I won’t be inhaling nor exhaling while I’m there. I thank him for sharing the information, distorted interpretations and self-serving manipulation not withstanding.
There is a German legal scholar by the name of Carl Schmitt. He uses the basic category of “friend-enemy” to define the political realm. But I don’t think he had in mind the psychological warfare that distorts community relations and alienates people who have everything to gain by highlighting and nurturing the values they have in common. The abusiveness that goes on at Niagara Times indicates that the Niagara County leadership must at least tolerate if not condone or even encourage this viciousness and manipulation of community relations, issues and problems. This is instituted demagoguery and Orwellian doublespeak. The political “enemy” is in the best and most authentic sense your best friend, that is, a noble enemy. Such an “enemy” is an honored opponent from whom one can hope first and foremost to learn about the right, the true and the good if not the beautiful in life. But in Niagara County, as far as I can see, ill will and destructive hostility prevail. They treat the enemy as the absolute foe, such as we would a terrorist who doesn't want to do anything but kill you. But to Schmitt the enemy is not a foe. That distinction has to be kept clear to get the point and the productive insight.
The political realm can be stipulated as a space of new beginnings and openness. It is a place of creative contention not destructive witchhunting, human derogation by one’s virtual neighbor. It can be a place of forgiveness and rebirth. It is surprising that so much sordid vindictiveness in local political pseudo-discourse comes from Christians who should be the first to practice such very Christian ideas. This might actually be why Nietzsche is still vindicated in having said that it looks like Jesus may well have been the first and last Christian.
CENSORED AT NIAGARATIMES BLOG
I don't know if I should have expected this from a 'business as usual' Republican political blog in Niagara County. But during yesterdays blog attacking Dan Rivera and stirring the pot for another witchhunt, I commented on the political futility of such low level thinking and character assassination. Apparently Hobbes, the blog Administrator, has had enough with my trying to reinterpret the context of discussion. He deleted my piece. So far he hasn't answered my letter as to why. I don't expect an answer. This has been the style of the Republicans on blogs and in the Niagara County Legislature. They don't condescend to talk to you unless you agree with them, speak on their terms, making their assumptions on the turf of their controlled situation. So now the witchhunt for Rivera when the leaders of the Democratic Party have chosen to deal with the Rivera-Roberts matter as a personal issue between them alone. But when there's dirt to dredge up the pseudo-political machine of the local moral police goes into action. So here's my piece that will be dismissed as being "off topic."
"My, my, oh my and dear me! Party partisanism gone wild. What a wonderful side show! Don’t you all get it yet? This is a self-corrupting, self-demeaning power struggle to see who stays on the food chain of power and privilege. Is this politics? Parties are historically obsolete my dear Republicrats. Why are you wasting your time mimicking national party-politics rituals? The Liberal Democratic center doesn’t hold and things are falling apart. This is the moment of community and regional populist revolt. And you’re arguing about Dan Rivera’s temper tantrum to score political points for your witchhunt? Why fund a 3 trillion dollar irrational, unjustifiable, meaningless war? Why allow big banking to prosper while the American dream of home ownership goes down the shitter? Why get your rocks off name-calling while the Middle Class is being dismantled and America is being sold off piecemeal to trans-national Capital? Oh yeh, political correctness above all objective and critical thinking? Thanks for listening and now you can go back to your pubescent pissing contest."
So as you can see if you step outside the Republican one-dimesional powermongering mindset, this is not "off topic." It's an attempt to get the provincial powerbrokers to wake up and see that Niagara County doesn't stop at the lines on the map. This witchhunt is a matter of the fake leaders of this county, like the miserable national leaders of the Republican party, pretending they are morally superior to everyone else. And as long as we can talk about pseudo-moral and pseudo-rights issues we don't have to talk about the fact that our county and country are falling apart and we don't know what to do about it. Republicans or whomever prove they are impotent to bring about change or prove they don't care to bring about real change when they reduce political discussion to political correctness and character assassination.
The supposed "women's rights" issue is no rights issue at all. Women legally have all the rights they need. The problems they have are a cultural matter to be dealt with by the various cultures such as business, family, community, education, etc. Women's Liberation is an obsolete movement that does women a disservice at this point.
"My, my, oh my and dear me! Party partisanism gone wild. What a wonderful side show! Don’t you all get it yet? This is a self-corrupting, self-demeaning power struggle to see who stays on the food chain of power and privilege. Is this politics? Parties are historically obsolete my dear Republicrats. Why are you wasting your time mimicking national party-politics rituals? The Liberal Democratic center doesn’t hold and things are falling apart. This is the moment of community and regional populist revolt. And you’re arguing about Dan Rivera’s temper tantrum to score political points for your witchhunt? Why fund a 3 trillion dollar irrational, unjustifiable, meaningless war? Why allow big banking to prosper while the American dream of home ownership goes down the shitter? Why get your rocks off name-calling while the Middle Class is being dismantled and America is being sold off piecemeal to trans-national Capital? Oh yeh, political correctness above all objective and critical thinking? Thanks for listening and now you can go back to your pubescent pissing contest."
So as you can see if you step outside the Republican one-dimesional powermongering mindset, this is not "off topic." It's an attempt to get the provincial powerbrokers to wake up and see that Niagara County doesn't stop at the lines on the map. This witchhunt is a matter of the fake leaders of this county, like the miserable national leaders of the Republican party, pretending they are morally superior to everyone else. And as long as we can talk about pseudo-moral and pseudo-rights issues we don't have to talk about the fact that our county and country are falling apart and we don't know what to do about it. Republicans or whomever prove they are impotent to bring about change or prove they don't care to bring about real change when they reduce political discussion to political correctness and character assassination.
The supposed "women's rights" issue is no rights issue at all. Women legally have all the rights they need. The problems they have are a cultural matter to be dealt with by the various cultures such as business, family, community, education, etc. Women's Liberation is an obsolete movement that does women a disservice at this point.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
CIVILITY ANYONE? Academic Project or Communally Constituted Moral Character
The brutal decay of communal moral character, characteristic American incivility, was brazenly displayed last week on CNN which reported on an emergency room patient who sat in an emergency room for 24 hours, finally fell off her chair to lay on the floor for over an hour and then died. During her ordeal several people witnessed her condition including 2 security guards. None did anything until finally a security guard had her checked out only to discover she was dead.
The crisis of Liberalism, beyond its destruction of political democracy, manifests in many such social symptoms of abusive interpersonal conflict, communal intolerance, criminal violence and social disintegration. At the root of this decay is the loss of local democratic social self-control and cultural self-determination to the incursions of statist bureaucrats and technocrats, professional politicians and the ideologues of therapeutic salvation. Over the past century from the Progessive Era through Reaganism, the organic communities-- held together by autochthonous traditions and customs, indigenous identities and relationships-- gave way continuously and systematically to the external mediation of the needs of modernizing capitalism. As a consequence America is becoming more and more socially and morally crude and spiritually unconsoling. Yet incivility is only the veneer of a failing Liberalist ideology of social reproduction that has lost the plot of the human condition. It reproduces the conditions of profitability and thereby destroys the life-world of the people who make it possible.
The American masses, homogenized and alienated from themselves as communal beings are “individualized.” That is, they are socially uprooted and instrumentalized as workers in industrial collectivities, abstracted from a world of belonging and placed through social engineering at the hands of industrial capital. As a result of this expropriation of autonomy, social self-responsibility and political self-determination, “civility” as such deteriorates morally and politically, and the de-socialized remainder manifests as the mass American Client Class, the disempowered masses politically at the hands of mass mediatized, pseudo-political manipulation and the cretinizing commodities and activities of the culture industry.
The brutality of culture underlying such “incivility,” as the emergency room scene on CNN illustrates, can be read ironically enough between the lines of the routinized indifference and lack of simple human concern and caring. This is not the first time such mundane barbarity has been witnessed in our country. Trust that it will not be the last. Possibly in NYC alone hundreds if not thousands lay on the street each night and day as busy Manhattanites go about their business. Normalized insensitivity leaves most unmoved by the 2.2 million homeowners who lost their homes in the mortgage crisis over the past 24 months. 42,000 killed on American highways each year, many if not most by drunk drivers or at least involving alcohol. Murder, rape, homelessness, drug addiction, drug wars at the Texas border and inner cities, etc, etc, etc. Of course each of these bureaucratically construed statistical categories has its own history and tragedy. Too much to tell here. But if their stories were told, possibly we would still go on unmoved, undaunted and forgetful, failing to see the roots of this callousness in a way of life brought into existence over the last century or so.
Yet, after all, what can we do? Why should the Security Guard at the NYC hospital do anything when those who are assigned the task of acting do not. Why should they do anything when such neglect is easily rationalized within pragmatic and utilitarian norms of American pseudo-community and culture? Why act, when every crisis, the bigger the better, is an opportunity for profit and for streamlining the bureaucratically managed welfare society? Why be concerned when the community of caring and concern is a distant memory and the integrated personality, that is the person of social integrity, is one that must narcissistically “look out for # 1.”
Taking note of this dilemma of modern American society in its incivility if not barbarity, is a professor of social policy at Johns Hopkins, P.M. Forni. He has created the Civility Project. CNN interviewed him after showing video of the emergency room patient slowly dying in the waiting room. The good professor however confidently reported that his “project” is designed to reverse this incivility, one person at a time. Yes, you read it right the first time: “one person at a time.” He and his therapeutic minions are going to teach civility. He will teach interpersonal skills using 25 rules for civil conduct. But one must “choose civility” as the title of his book conveys upfront. Maybe enough of the ugly Americans out there will read the book, see the light and change their ways by “choosing civility.” This is how we might overcome the effects of living in the society of “strangers” he says we live among. Professorially administered civility projects all over America! Can you see it now? Do you feel the inspiration? A thousand points of light! Yes, the music to America the Beautiful plays in the background as a groundswell of “choice” begins to transform America one person at a time. Drug dealers give up their evil ways. Rapists apologize to their victims. Mortagage banks forgive millions of mortagage loans to homeless “homeowners.” Not one instance of road rage is reported in America. The US military gives the Iraqi’s back their country. Universal peace and love is felt in the air. You get the satirical picture I think.
What else could be expected from this project and this book, Choosing Civility, given its ahistorical, therapeutic and moralistic model. Forni must assume that the motivation may actually exist to cause people to want to choose civility. He also assumes that the fully abstract individual—the deeply engrained fruit of the homogenizing, nation building project of Americanization-- should suddenly, voluntarily adapt the concrete characteristics of “civility” as a psychic life style. Although such characteristics arise only within concrete traditional communities where self-identity, social belonging and existential purposefulness nurture and nourish such behavior, Forni believes he can reconstitute it without the necessary pre-existing social conditions. More poltical correctness for the masses. More self-censorship and repressed rage. As Rodney King implored all of America several years back after the LAPD beat the crap out of him on an LA freeway: “Can’t we all just get along!” Professor Forni to the rescue.
Only in the intellectualistic fantasies of a New Class professor could such bureaucratically inspired welfare state rubbish be imagined. Now that sociology has failed as a discipline to realize its aspirations as the research arm of the welfare state, Social Policy gurus with invincible dreams of transforming society imagine that they can do it psychologically with new rules of conduct to inculcate a civilized psychology in a socially and culturally uncivil society. The new social theorists will redeem their discipline by engineering character traits with a user friendly technique to induce morality or at least proper manners and concernfulness. The new sociologists will be moral philosophers with skills in moral therapy and social techniques of inculcating traits of civil character in the unwashed masses. And it's a good thing Forni and his associates are morally superior to the rest of us, thus justifying their moral pontification.
If Professor Forni does not see the error of his ways and the futility of his project, I hope at least he begins his project with the professional politicians. But somehow I think the barbaric incivilities of Karl Rove and the like will not be on the list. But then who does Forni have in mind? Billy Bob and his cousin Betty Lou down thar’ in Tennessee. Or maybe those damn drug dealers who keep killing one another in the big city. Maybe he could get them to talk things out with words during their drug negotiations. Or maybe all those ignorant people on the Jerry Springer show!
I shudder to think how much tax money will be wasted on this nonsense when the Washington bureaucrats find out about Forni’s road to moral salvation. And the great thing about it is that you don’t even have to bother with poltiics and concretely change the societal structures that created such barbarism. You just change all the individuals, one or two at a time, and then the whole damned country will be changed, qualitatively magically transformed. Pay your civility forward. Interesting idea! Why didn’t I think of that? Who needs politics anyhow?
The crisis of Liberalism, beyond its destruction of political democracy, manifests in many such social symptoms of abusive interpersonal conflict, communal intolerance, criminal violence and social disintegration. At the root of this decay is the loss of local democratic social self-control and cultural self-determination to the incursions of statist bureaucrats and technocrats, professional politicians and the ideologues of therapeutic salvation. Over the past century from the Progessive Era through Reaganism, the organic communities-- held together by autochthonous traditions and customs, indigenous identities and relationships-- gave way continuously and systematically to the external mediation of the needs of modernizing capitalism. As a consequence America is becoming more and more socially and morally crude and spiritually unconsoling. Yet incivility is only the veneer of a failing Liberalist ideology of social reproduction that has lost the plot of the human condition. It reproduces the conditions of profitability and thereby destroys the life-world of the people who make it possible.
The American masses, homogenized and alienated from themselves as communal beings are “individualized.” That is, they are socially uprooted and instrumentalized as workers in industrial collectivities, abstracted from a world of belonging and placed through social engineering at the hands of industrial capital. As a result of this expropriation of autonomy, social self-responsibility and political self-determination, “civility” as such deteriorates morally and politically, and the de-socialized remainder manifests as the mass American Client Class, the disempowered masses politically at the hands of mass mediatized, pseudo-political manipulation and the cretinizing commodities and activities of the culture industry.
The brutality of culture underlying such “incivility,” as the emergency room scene on CNN illustrates, can be read ironically enough between the lines of the routinized indifference and lack of simple human concern and caring. This is not the first time such mundane barbarity has been witnessed in our country. Trust that it will not be the last. Possibly in NYC alone hundreds if not thousands lay on the street each night and day as busy Manhattanites go about their business. Normalized insensitivity leaves most unmoved by the 2.2 million homeowners who lost their homes in the mortgage crisis over the past 24 months. 42,000 killed on American highways each year, many if not most by drunk drivers or at least involving alcohol. Murder, rape, homelessness, drug addiction, drug wars at the Texas border and inner cities, etc, etc, etc. Of course each of these bureaucratically construed statistical categories has its own history and tragedy. Too much to tell here. But if their stories were told, possibly we would still go on unmoved, undaunted and forgetful, failing to see the roots of this callousness in a way of life brought into existence over the last century or so.
Yet, after all, what can we do? Why should the Security Guard at the NYC hospital do anything when those who are assigned the task of acting do not. Why should they do anything when such neglect is easily rationalized within pragmatic and utilitarian norms of American pseudo-community and culture? Why act, when every crisis, the bigger the better, is an opportunity for profit and for streamlining the bureaucratically managed welfare society? Why be concerned when the community of caring and concern is a distant memory and the integrated personality, that is the person of social integrity, is one that must narcissistically “look out for # 1.”
Taking note of this dilemma of modern American society in its incivility if not barbarity, is a professor of social policy at Johns Hopkins, P.M. Forni. He has created the Civility Project. CNN interviewed him after showing video of the emergency room patient slowly dying in the waiting room. The good professor however confidently reported that his “project” is designed to reverse this incivility, one person at a time. Yes, you read it right the first time: “one person at a time.” He and his therapeutic minions are going to teach civility. He will teach interpersonal skills using 25 rules for civil conduct. But one must “choose civility” as the title of his book conveys upfront. Maybe enough of the ugly Americans out there will read the book, see the light and change their ways by “choosing civility.” This is how we might overcome the effects of living in the society of “strangers” he says we live among. Professorially administered civility projects all over America! Can you see it now? Do you feel the inspiration? A thousand points of light! Yes, the music to America the Beautiful plays in the background as a groundswell of “choice” begins to transform America one person at a time. Drug dealers give up their evil ways. Rapists apologize to their victims. Mortagage banks forgive millions of mortagage loans to homeless “homeowners.” Not one instance of road rage is reported in America. The US military gives the Iraqi’s back their country. Universal peace and love is felt in the air. You get the satirical picture I think.
What else could be expected from this project and this book, Choosing Civility, given its ahistorical, therapeutic and moralistic model. Forni must assume that the motivation may actually exist to cause people to want to choose civility. He also assumes that the fully abstract individual—the deeply engrained fruit of the homogenizing, nation building project of Americanization-- should suddenly, voluntarily adapt the concrete characteristics of “civility” as a psychic life style. Although such characteristics arise only within concrete traditional communities where self-identity, social belonging and existential purposefulness nurture and nourish such behavior, Forni believes he can reconstitute it without the necessary pre-existing social conditions. More poltical correctness for the masses. More self-censorship and repressed rage. As Rodney King implored all of America several years back after the LAPD beat the crap out of him on an LA freeway: “Can’t we all just get along!” Professor Forni to the rescue.
Only in the intellectualistic fantasies of a New Class professor could such bureaucratically inspired welfare state rubbish be imagined. Now that sociology has failed as a discipline to realize its aspirations as the research arm of the welfare state, Social Policy gurus with invincible dreams of transforming society imagine that they can do it psychologically with new rules of conduct to inculcate a civilized psychology in a socially and culturally uncivil society. The new social theorists will redeem their discipline by engineering character traits with a user friendly technique to induce morality or at least proper manners and concernfulness. The new sociologists will be moral philosophers with skills in moral therapy and social techniques of inculcating traits of civil character in the unwashed masses. And it's a good thing Forni and his associates are morally superior to the rest of us, thus justifying their moral pontification.
If Professor Forni does not see the error of his ways and the futility of his project, I hope at least he begins his project with the professional politicians. But somehow I think the barbaric incivilities of Karl Rove and the like will not be on the list. But then who does Forni have in mind? Billy Bob and his cousin Betty Lou down thar’ in Tennessee. Or maybe those damn drug dealers who keep killing one another in the big city. Maybe he could get them to talk things out with words during their drug negotiations. Or maybe all those ignorant people on the Jerry Springer show!
I shudder to think how much tax money will be wasted on this nonsense when the Washington bureaucrats find out about Forni’s road to moral salvation. And the great thing about it is that you don’t even have to bother with poltiics and concretely change the societal structures that created such barbarism. You just change all the individuals, one or two at a time, and then the whole damned country will be changed, qualitatively magically transformed. Pay your civility forward. Interesting idea! Why didn’t I think of that? Who needs politics anyhow?