Lynching Obama at Niagara Times

Apparently, there aren’t enough witch hunts in Niagara County for good ol’ Hobbes over at the Niagara Times blogspot. Seems he’s joined in to support the seemingly ongoing effort to disqualify the Obama presidency. He may not do so proactively. But merely the posting of this story gleaned from other sources leaves one wondering why Hobbes bends over backwards to appear objective and neutral. Why now attempt to posture oneself as having journalistic integrity when his history has been one of unabashed sophistically inspired character-assassinating partisanism. He may not be letting loose with both barrels but his faux observational stance is sufficiently revealing.

Well, Hobbes doesn’t even maintain the façade of objectivity for very long when he refers to a “smoking gun.” He continues, ”Along with the evidence that he was born in Kenya, there is no record of him ever applying for US citizenship…”. Well, of course he wouldn’t apply for citizenship if he already were a citizen. And, by the way, what “evidence?” And why refer to “Indonesian Barry Soetoro?” It seems Hobbes, per usual, already has his mind quite well made up, in this case about Obama. It seems he would prefer to just try Obama in the media. But first fry him, then try him. First stoke the fires in the media and press and then throw him into an overheated courtroom, where minds can then also be assured to be already made up.

But the real point is that the crusade against Obama is on the one hand about race. On the other it is about continuing to obstruct, impede, delay, divert and discredit most of what Obama has tried to do since his inauguration. My bet is that there never has been in the history of our country so many forces aligned to see to it that a president fail for the purpose of restoring right wing power and securing the wealth of the power elite.

But this seems odd given that the rich and powerful right wing are making about as much money as ever and are getting to play empire builder now as much as they did under Bush. They seem to be allowed to continue to loot the Middle Class and the tax coffers of the American people with impunity. So why all the fuss? Well, we know why all the fuss, don't we?

But I guess it’s a slow news (witch hunt) day over at Niagara Times. So why not participate in a good ol’ fashioned “lynching.”

Now I write this not with the intention of defending Obama. As I’ve said before, I didn’t vote for him, am not a fan and believe he is proving to be Bush in basic black. I do write to oppose Hobbes who I believe, and have demonstrated in past articles, is as bad for Niagara County as Obama may prove to be for America in general and the Middle Class in particular.

Niagara Times Misses the Point, Distorts Issue on Parkway Removal

The Niagara Times Blog again misses the political point and intention of local environmental activists regarding efforts to remove the Robert Moses Parkway. To claim that "In reality, the supporters of the removal, including Wild Ones Niagara...have little interest in preserving history, the environment or anything else they may proclaim" is defamatory disinformation at best. Driven by his economistic, business first, political motivations, Hobbes, the blog administrator, continues his politics of violence against any progressive forces who strive to fight for anything more than reducing taxes on big business and securing power for the Republican Party in Niagara County.

In short, removal of the Robert Moses between Niagara Falls and Lewiston, which is the real environmental concern, is not about creating a captive audience for business in Niagara Falls nor "creating a wall around the city." No one thinks that removing the Parkway is "a panacea to what ails them." This is non-sensical hyperbole. But of course Hobbes real intent is to make everyone believe that such groups have essentially economic agendas which are wrong and therefore promote an economically futile environmental project. And therefore the project of Parkway removal is misguided and irrelevant.

Sadly and pathetically Hobbes is incapable of thinking outside his economistic, pragmatic box and fails to see the value of Parkway removal as intrinsically worthy in terms of ecological restoration and environmental conservation. He is obiously against Parkway removal for economic reasons and they undoubtedly have to do with defending Lewiston business interests.

His post today is dishonest, manipulative and egregiously short-sighted. In short he is dangerous to the vision of the Falls which is possible and in the long run even economically advantageous to Niagara Falls and Niagara County.

Rock Radio Knows a Good Joke

I heard the funniest joke the other day on Jack-FM. The DJ, who’s name I didn’t get, quipped, “Despite Kevin Gaughan’s recommendation, Jack-FM will not play German Techno.”

Now, if the joke needs explaining it’s that just as any radio station with a taste for good music would not play German techno music, so also any people with a taste for good democratic government would not listen to Kevin Gaughan’s importuning all communities to downsize their representation on town boards.

But sadly, humor notwithstanding, the downsizing fiasco continues with the Amherst Town Board jumping on the irrational Gaughan bandwagon, promising to downsize their Board from 7 to 5. Chalk this up to another earthshaking, revolutionary political move in Western New York. Yes, I do speak sarcastically, very sarcastically.

Speaking of jokes, a “special committee,” as reported in the Buffalo News rcommended that Niagara County go ahead and establish a Homeland Security Department with a full-time director, believe it or not. I find this ludicrous at best given that in my inquiries, protection of high risk targets in our area are under the jurisdiction of either New York State in cooperation with Canada and/or the Federal Government. Although reportedly there is some resistance in the Niagara County Legislature, this project is too sweetly Neo-con for them to resist for too long. None of them are going to want to look “unpatriotic” by putting our homeland at risk. But given that we are already being protected by the aforementioned governmental bodies, what more are we going to protect? Some grape orchards, cows and goats? We need a full-time director for this??? I smell political nepotism in the works, don’t you? If good ol’ Hobbes over at Niagara Times doesn’t come out against this, I’m going to have to hunt him down and expose him for the hypocrite he would otherwise be.

And one more story deserves a cynical smerk, I think. The Niagara County District Attorneys office and Wilson Town Justice George R. Berger continue to conspire to cover up the sexual “hazing” incident last year on a school bus during return from a sporting event. The actions of the students accused were obviously bullying of the first order. But as long as institutions such as small town schools like Wilson continue to condone such violence in the name of “hazing” or “boys will by boys,” then these actions will continue and will contribute to the violation of children’s civil rights, the degradation of viable learning environments and the continuation of unacceptable levels of immaturity among teachers, coaches and administrators.

Banned But Not Forgotten

I haven't been active for more than a month, the demands of latter day fatherhood taking up more time than I realized. Nevertheless I couldn't miss the opportunity to respond to my nemesis, Hobbes, over at Niagara Times. He couldn't help but wonder what I thought of County Manager Greg Lewis' supposed call for the freezing of the NCCC budget for three years. According to Hobbes apparently I've been a supporter of Lewis. Well, not quite. Not in my recollection.

If we look at the big picture, something which Hobbes is want to do regarding all too many issues, from the beginning of County Manager government, I've been against having a County Manager. But given we do have it, let's give the guy a fair shake. I don't believe Hobbes always, if ever, does that, especially in this case, given it seems Lewis is Hobbes latest witch hunt target. I don't care to review all the issues which have arisen around Lewis's actions and decisions and whether I was overall an actual supporter of Lewis. I don't believe I was.

But with respect to freezing the NCCC budget for three years, obviously this is another penny wise pound foolish suggestion as was the whole downsizing fiasco. I hope the Legislature doesn't jump on Lewis' bandwagon this time as they did the wholly irrational, shortsighted and undoubtedly counterproductive downsizing bandwagon of that clown, Kevin Gaughan.

The Legislature, as it is, keeps the college on a year to year shoestring budget. If they want to kill the college just go along with this stunt of Lewis. And if Hobbes wants to improve the quality of critical thinking on his blog he should invite me back and admit he can't stand real, concrete critical thinking that moves him out of the politically stifling pragmatic box he thinks in. I'll accept his apology. In Hobbes own words he did "ban," that is permanently censor, me but apparently he hasn't forgotten me. I wonder why?

PRETEND POPULISM AT NIAGARA TIMES

I had been arguing for months with Hobbes and the gang over at Niagara Times about the virtues of going beyond party politics. But Hobbes couldn't stand the truth unless he could take credit for it; so he barred me from his blog permanently. Now it seems the light has dawned and we hear him pleading for regional unity to fight downstate exploitation of upstate. Some people are just slow learners. But of course he hasn't really learned and is not to be trusted.

Hobbes whines, "We're said it before, and we'll it again - if you vote for a Dem at the state level, you are voting to send all of the power and money to New York City. Get your collective heads out of your asses people, this is not about parties, it's about Upstate getting our fair share and ending the tyranny bestowed upon us by New York City Dems." (October 15, 2009, "States Senate Dems Continue to Spend Recklessly") [Typos are Hobbes' mistakes.]

Well, the truth is that it is and is not about parties. It's about party destruction of the public sphere and civic life. Now that the Democratic party seems to the Republicans to be becoming a political juggernaut in NYS, Hobbes appeals to regionalism if not the populism which, in unusually degraded form, is manifesting across the county. However, his regionalism/populism will last only as long as the Democrats are in power and will stop as soon as the Republicans take control.

Hobbes is an oligarch at heart. Like most Republicans all he can think of politically is reduction of taxes, de-regulation and powermongering for his party. It takes more than random and opportunistic appeals to the people to be taken seriously with respect to transcending party politics. Such meaningful action would require real political thought and diplomacy. Instead he chooses for the most part to moralize and rant about the inanities of local politicos who continue to fail to pull our county and region out of the polluted backwater gutter that it is.

When the Niagara County Communities Comprehensive Plan initiative was getting under way over a year or so ago, Hobbes was stumbling over himself to oppose the project. Even though the lead consulting firm itself said that it would be a major achievement for Niagara County if nothing more than a county wide dialogue was started as a result. The likes of Hobbes, however, does not want dialogue any more than he wants regional empowerment or a sustainable economy. The New Class business bureaucracy that the Niagara County Republicans imagine themselves to be are elitist, chauvinistic technocrats who will not give up their superiority complex any time soon.

Although there are signs that the Republican dominated Legislature might get the value of regionalism particularly in their lawsuit against NYPA, the downside is that they can't see past the limits of such legalistic reductions of political issues to the courtroom. The Republicans see the enemy but then choose to fight the battle on their turf and their terms. What this means is that they have no intention of politicizing NYPA's rape of WNY power profits.

They want to re-appropriate the monies swept to the Albany coffers but they don't want to expropriate the power that enables such bald exploitation of our regional community to continue.

So at present regional Republicanism is the mouse that roared. The lion they could be is not likely to show up because they can't draw the necessary but painful political conclusions. Like their Hobbes-ian mouthpiece the Niagara politicos remain blinded by the impotent but toxic institution of party dominated parliamentarism in NYS. Like their Washingtonian counterparts the local politicos are part of the tail that wags the dog. It's just that at present they don't get to do the wagging. And they don't like it. So they choose to, believe it or not, appeal to the populist sentiments of the people.

Nice try Hobbes. But it's all too easy to smell the hypocrisy and the anti-democratic demagoguery waiting in the wings.

The populist protest in America today, grotesque as it is, is a symptom trying to understand the disease. As the country moves slowly but surely toward Plutocracy, the people fail to understand the disease. Until the primacy and sanctity of the communal roots of democratic self-determination is re-awakened, the dismantling of America and Niagara County will continue.

We live in pre-revolutionary times but someone is yet to pull the curtain back on the Wizard.

STUPID OR UNEDUCATED: Ignorance in America

The real social contradiction, tension and opposition in America is not between Left/Right, Liberal/Conservative, Republican/Democrat, white/black, patriots/traitors, the intelligent/the stupid, etc., etc., etc. Such discourses inevitably end up being moronic because they are between false social realities, false social groupings.

The real contradiction and social opposition is the potentially explosive tension between, on the one hand, the New Class of bureaucrats, lawyers, professors and technocrats that maintain the status quo in the interests of a globalized ‘supercapital,’ and on the other hand, any politics that would reconstitute “the people’s” opposition such that a potential, real, de-centered, local federation of possible social identities (communities) and interests would become conscious and could be intelligently discussed and organized around, economically, culturally and politically.

But it is not as if the predominant mass of alienated individuals should try to create a mass class identity and oppose the New Class and their Masters in the manner of a Marxist inspired revolutionary force. Such a populism of new communities is not Marxism nor Socialism. Nor is it merely a 'communitarianism.'

The disenfranchised mass’s only choice, from the standpoint of de-centered loci of autonomous communities and regions, is to dismantle the monolithic mass identity created by the media and manipulated by the politicians to appear as if there were really a “We the People” that spoke for itself. But there is no such really existing mass identity which is self-consciously autonomous and self-determining.

The mass media relates to ‘the people’ as if they are a homogeneous herd and they respond in kind. A Neo-populist politics should be able to imagine the possibility of a re-federalization of communities and regions in which genuinely self-inaugurated identities, a sense of neighborly belonging and local/regional purposefulness could dismantle the monolithic, manipulative discourse of the New Class.

Then to be an American would be to have a real local identity rather than the hysterical, mythic identity so easily whipped into totalized fanatical frenzies over terrorists and led into Orwellian wars like the one presently in Afghanistan.

Short of massive media manipulation politically, culturally and educationally, the “America” of the supercapitalists doesn’t exist. It’s “The Truman Show” writ large. “We,” be it as it may be, need to find a way to stop paying tribute and obeisance to the 'wizards' of Washington.

Yet, the new populist politics is not about the people taking power in Washington. It is about taking hyper-centralized power and social control away from Washington and its pseudo-federalist bureaucratic nightmare. It is about disseminating power, wealth and autonomy to social entities whose purpose is to sustain an abundant life whose daily experience is fulfilling as such. It is not about the empty and false promise of a perpetually postponed fulfillment in a corporate-marketed dream realized only once the bills are paid, retirement arrives, the Lotto is won or you manage to create some fantastic shit that makes you a fortune like the hoola hoop or maybe pet rocks.

Their heavenly secular eternity lay in the promised progress that never comes. The dumbing down is a symptom of a discourse which is mere sublimation, distraction and obfuscation. It disillusions and demoralizes leading to ever more irrational, extremist and fanatical manifestations of democracy distorted and pathologized. Its untruth lay in its capacy to disempower the intelligence of the people and their will to self-determination and autonomy.

MAZIARZ/ NIAGARA LEGISLATURE RIGHT ON NYPA

It was a real treat seeing Richie Kessel in action at the July 28 Niagara County Legislative session. I wasn’t sure if I should be grateful or go get my gun. But as Maziarz pointed out in his rebuttal of Kessel possibly more of the story is in what NYPA has failed to get Niagara and Western NY rather than the Yahoo success. And if Maziarz is correct—and I see no reason not to agree with him—the Yahoo story is more a matter of the pressure from the Niagara Legislature and the Lockport IDA.

Regarding the legal action of the Niagara Legislature, I think we have to back them if not thank them for someone finally making a concerted move against the imperialistic actions of NYPA. Their expropriation of profits from Niagara power is regional rape and the obvious re-appropriation of our wealth for downstate.

Antoine Thompson, on Access to Government, predicted that we would fail. Of course his actions and attitude have certainly not helped the matter. His vote along with that of DelMonte, Stachowski and Schimminger to OK the sweep of half a billion dollars to the state budgetary fund is treason. Even worse, it is stupid.

What Maziarz seems to be getting is that regional unity is the only way to truly save Niagara and Western NY. Thompson inexplicably seems to think that since NYPA has in the past raped WNY it’s ok to continue to rape it and even increase the degree to which it commits its atrocities against our region. Even if Maziarz had participated in such prior sweeps he’s apparently seen the light. But Thompson’s “reasoning” is so pitifully weak I fear for our region if that’s the kind of representation we have.

As a side note it was also somewhat frightening when a caller to Access to Government by the name of “Vinson” confronted Thompson on the radioactive waste problem, it seemed clear that Thompson was hearing about this for the first time. My God in Heaven how in the hell can this guy be so asleep regarding the fact and significance of this problem? Thompson’s interview on Access was a frightening if not demoralizing example of a politician devolving into a bureaucratic slumber, incapable of seeing the forest for the trees.

On the other hand Maziarz may well be more of a populist than I thought. His willingness to work with others in WNY to challenge NYPA is more than just crossing party lines. It has all the potential to spark some insight that the political parties are irrelevant when it comes to acting in the interest of our region.

Moreover if in fact the Legislature loses legally against NYPA, possibly it and Mr. Maziara will begin to understand that legality as it exists today is only one form of legitimacy. The actions of NYPA against our region may be legal but are clearly not legitimate. In fact legality is not the only legitimate form of political authority. So the ultimate battle here, even if Niagara wins the litigation, is political and not ultimately legal. Legality today has expropriated all legitimacy in its own name. Legality suppresses and hides the political process taking place behind its cover. When this happens systematically—and, enabled by the political unconsciousness, ignorance and weakness of will of the people and the politicians—the foundation is laid for bureaucratism at its worst. Witness the interpretative sleight of hand of Richie Kessel sweet talking the Niagara Legislature. To their credit I’m quite sure they aren’t buying it.

Such bureaucratic centralist legal invalidation of our claims to NYPA profits if not control is the political de-legitimation of the entire polity of WNY. It is by no accident or afterthought that the New York Power bureaucracy is called an “authority.” When laws are no longer the codified expression of how people want to live their lives but controls upon their rights and political voice, the law becomes a repressive and coercive force cloaking the interests of the political powers and peoples asserting their will over us. The false neutrality of State law is hidden within the proceduralist processes of state government and complicated by the power struggles of irrelevant self-aggrandizing political parties and often career minded politicians climbing the “go along get along” ladder of professionalized ‘political’ career success.

Not only is all politics local politics but really all political power is local power. If it were only true that NYPA has the interests of the whole of the State at heart, they might have an argument for their mode of existence. But given that they are a front for downstate at the expense of WNY, their legitimacy is tainted despite the mirage of legal authority.

Maziarz's challenge with respect to future leadership clearly lay in unifying political representation in WNY and debunking the claims of the Authority and the hapless 4 musketeers who have not yet grasped the power and legitimacy that lay in local unity and concerted political action. If such unity were even close to being realized then the inevitable upsurge of popular support could sway our way any straggling believers in the good will and efficacy of Albany bureaucratic nightmare. With a unifed contingent of local politicians and a population behind them, WNY may well have a chance to move itself beyond a feudal state or better a territory occupied by a ‘foreign’ power.

MAZIARZ BEHIND DOWNSIZING: Fewer Voices Behind the People

Senator Maziarz answered a few questions I had tonight on LCTV’s Access to Government regarding his position on downsizing the Niagara County Legislature. In no uncertain terms he is for it. So he will support the move to downsize to 15 and would probably support a larger reduction.

As usual there are those who believe that the Senator has given the green light to the predominantly Republican legislature to take advantage of the bandwagon effect of the downsizing campaign. Not that they can’t think for themselves. It’s just a not uncommon belief in Niagara County that the Senator calls the shots and that the Legislature doesn’t think for itself. If the Senator did not coercively crystallize the Republicans final decision, it’s unlikely that they would vote against it if they knew he was for it. Events of the recent past and the all too evident logic of group-think and linear bureaucratic line-toeing makes it appear that this is clearly the case.

It seems more clear than ever now that the move to downsize is really not about improving or securing the strongest democratic structures and process. Given that the reasoning regarding why downsizing should be done is vague and evasive, one can only conclude that the real motives for favoring this action has not been transparently offered up to the public. This evasiveness and virtually authoritarian reticence regarding the reasons why actions are or should be taken is standard fare which the people expect and many have succumb to as reason to accept their de-politicized status.

I was hoping to hear better reasoning from Senator Maziaz regarding why downsizing was at least justifiable if not wise. That’s not what I heard. Basically he said that he believes 15 is “sufficient.” He “argued” that given the state of technology somehow representation would be adequate. He seemed to lean on the fact that Niagara County has lost population.

Senator Maziarz did not really address my claim that the supposedly excess “layers of government” was a different problem than whether we should reduce representatives of the people. He also didn’t, to my mind, adequately address the fact that problems of consolidation are also a different domain of problems having nothing to do with the question of downsizing. In fact whether we downsize or not the problem of overlapping layers of government, excessive numbers of districts, bloated bureaucracy and autocratic Authorities will remain. Whether we downsize or not we still have work to be done in consolidation of county services and infrastructure. Also, a downsized Legislature is less likely to correctly appraise and address the complexities of consolidation.

Interestingly, however, his “sufficiency” argument in toto amounts to an aspect of or kind of “efficiency” argument. ‘Sufficient’ really means bare bones necessity. The drive to cut expenses is of course at play here. And if we were saving $60,000 on anything other than the optimal status of democratic representation, it may well be worth it given the economic times we live in. But that amount is just too small to justify eliminating 4 representatives from the Legislature. The health and integrity of our political foundations are at stake and to me ‘sufficient’ is not sufficient. To presume that technology itself will make up the difference in loss of voices to represent the diversity of views, conflicts and tensions in the County, is technocratic faith gone wild. Technology may change the playing field. It may offer strategic possibilities and advantages or disadvantages. However, technology cannot think, nor contextualize by itself. Technology and media is all too easily used to misconstrue, distort and manipulate discourse in the interest of power, disinformation and control of information. This complicates and makes more complex the problem of "sufficient" democratic representation. Media never quite allows the sustained face to face examination of ideas requiring for convincing, reasoned truths to emerge.

Downsizing our Legislature is playing into the hands of the linear hierarchy of bureaucratic group-think and the state centralization of power. The fewer the representatives living out and among the people, suffering what they suffer, living in their neighborhoods, the less likely a real understanding of the communities lot will come to light and the less likely that any one voter will ‘get them’ and take a stand for the cause of the people. The people are those who are a part of “no part” especially no part of the network of official, institutionalized, Party-dominated power and concern.

Technologically and technocratically mediated reasoning will never permit the kind of conversation where grounded and justified reasoning is obligatory and moves decision-making but only after it has passed the test of critical dialogical scrutiny in the face of the people. Even moreso such faith in the power of techncity to do the work of people prevents the people, all the people, from seeing that their feelings have been dissociated from such technologically mediated practical strategizing. Fewer representatives means that the voices that matter are that much more difficult to reach. Fewer representatives means that less creative resistance is available to offer alternative ideas, questions and mirrors for reflection. Technology is not creative and technology cannot ask a question.

The tragic part is that the Legislature and Mr. Maziarz do not see that the reasoning does not hold water and would not withstand sustained scrutiny. Unfortunately the court of political debate and dialogue does not have the force, claim and power of the obligation to truth. Today and possibly since the turn of the last century, reason has lost its integrity and humility. A personal egoic opinion is as good as any well-reasoned argument, especially when you know you have the votes.

Corrupted power is that which will not allow itself in good faith to be subject to the court of reason. And it is unfortunate that the power to persuade through power alone will not offer itself to the test of convincing those not persuaded by its words, that is, to those who suffer your power without the confidence nor conviction that your power is reasonable and has reasoned well.

The failure of the power of reasoned truth was also exhibited by the Senator when he rejected my reference to the UB study that concluded that consolidation of schools is of, at best, questionable value overall. Mr. Maziarz said that you can always find studies that disagree with such findings. He said you have to look at who funds the study. So I don’t know if he mistrusted the UB study or not. He has yet to read it. But with respect to reasoned discourse and inquiry, we must at least have faith that truth is possible in Science. If we allow our skepticism to degenerate any further in our suspicion of ‘bought and paid for’ scientific results, then that is exactly what we will do: buy our scientific results with money from those who want to see certain advantageous results. I hope that Mr. Maziarz sees the danger in believing that science itself cannot be trusted because of the corrupting power of money and selfish self-interest. I hope when he thinks further about consolidation, that he does not simply look for studies that support his own present beliefs.

After all, such stacking of the deck and selectively choosing one’s evidence in the end is not very “efficient” if we consolidate services and institutions yet in the end save nothing but possibly cost ourselves more than was previously the case.

Lastly, it was sad to see but telling to experience that the people were not permitted to ask Mr. Kessel even one question during his visit to the Legislature on July 28. Mr. Ross said ‘that was the way it was set up.’ My fear is that that is the way it’s always set up. The voice of those with little power, what I call those who are really a part of no part, are not there for the “setting up” when power comes to speak. It is odd if not tragic that those who have most to lose are denied the opportunity to speak their truth to power. Whoever in the Legislature “set up” the rules according to which Mr. Kessel would be questioned ruled out the unofficial voices of the people.

Do you see why every possible representative voice must be preserved? Well, it’s because one of those downsized voices may well be the only one who doesn’t forget the voice of the people when power comes to town.