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It is not a personal attack to reveal how a quote or a statement or a
decision affected your anatomy. This hyperventilating by labeling anything
but United Nations style diplomacy in the discussion of issues as a personal
attack is just another way of stifling opinion based on passionate beliefs
and the expression of that passion.
A personal attack, friends, is calling someone a name that describes their
person, not one that describes their performance. We are made infirm as a
public organism by this disease we share - this syndrome called Conflict
Avoidance. It is a malady that purports to promote propriety and reason
when, in fact, at its extreme, it suppresses honesty and forthright
opinion-making. It is a Midwest Malady - wherein very little progress is
made on serious issues because positions on issues are translated into
personal attacks simply because those positions conflict with each other.
I am not personally attacking you when I look you in the eye and say "I
believe you are wrong, and this is why:..." It is not a personal attack when
I disagree with you - and say so. It is not a personal attack to say out
loud that what you just said makes me ill, because I feel passionately just
the opposite from what you just said, and that I feel your position -
especially if you're an elected policymaker - puts people I care about in
jeopardy for their very lives.
Carol Becker, whose participation on this list is something I often respect
(see, I did the Minnesota thing: I preceded a negative comment with an
affirmative one - something absolutely required in this culture these days),
suggests that Jim Niland's affordable housing proposal would have cost more
than the Fire department.
Really? And this is bad? Public safety divisions of municipalities
everywhere have far too big a slice of the budget as it is, and fear and
tradition keeps adding to them while we take away or call too costly any
attempts at creating adequate and dignified shelter for the residents those
divisions are designed to protect.
It is twisted logic to assume that we should have better and more policing
and firefighting capability before we provide the fundamental services that
sustain life in an urban (or rural) community. On the contrary, as public
taxpayers and responsible citizens, I say we are obligated to do just the
opposite. Once we have sheltered, clothed, fed and kept healthy the resident
populations of our city, we can then turn out attention to protecting them
from the other elements of a human culture.
Historically and unfortunately, we maintain precisely the reverse policies,
resulting in what we have now: well-equipped police forces and firefighters
patrolling streets populated by homeless and hungry residents, often jailing
them for the their despairing drug use or lack of employment or attempts to
sleep in forbidden places.
So, Carol's budgetary comparisons fall flat in the face of this inhuman
reality. And to suggest that Jackie Cherryhomes' comments regarding those
twisted priorities made someone sick at their stomach should not surprise
anyone - and it was certainly NOT a personal attack to say so.
Andy Driscoll
A St. Paul Friend of the Great City of Minneapolis
From: "Carol Becker" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: Sun, 10 Dec 2000 09:00:24 -0600
To: "Multiple recipients of list" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Personal attack on Cherryhomes
I believe it is important to hold our elected officials to their word and to
critique their activities. I do not believe it is necessary to talk about
how their positions give you nausea or how you arn't able to hold down solid
food after reading something they wrote. That is the part of Mr. Conally's
post which is the personal attack and that is unnecessary.
It sometimes seems that some folks believe that elected officials by virtue
of their position don't even deserve basic respect. And when we treat
elected officials like that, it allows us to depersonalize and dehumanize
them, making them into some monolithic force instead of a group of folks,
each with their own strengths and weaknesses, who are doing their best to
better Minneapolis. All I'm asking for is that everyone treat everyone else
with respect and decency.
Carol Becker
Longfellow
----- Original Message -----
From: Russell Wayne Peterson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Multiple recipients of list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Saturday, December 09, 2000 10:25 PM
Subject: RE: Attack on Cherryhomes due to affordable housing position
> There is nothing wrong with holding our elected officials to their word
and
> to what is in print. We have a serious affordable housing crisis in our
> city and the current administration and council leadership has spent most
of
> their time on corporate welfare instead of addressing basic issues such as
> higher paying jobs, affordable housing and basic street maintenance just
to
> name a few. That is not a personal attack, it is illumination of the
facts
> via citizen advocacy through direct experience or observation. And that
> debate is what this forum is all about. Perhaps if our leadership would
> start participating in forums such of this on a more regular basis, it
might
> just make our democracy rise to a higher level; instead of a constant
> negative critique of their performance.
>
>
> Russ Peterson
> Ward 9
> Standish
>
> R U S S E L L P E T E R S O N D E S I G N
> "You can only fly if you stretch your wings."
>
> Russell W. Peterson, RA, CID
> Founder
>
> 3857 23rd Avenue South
> Minneapolis, MN 55407
>
> 612-724-2331
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Carol Becker
> Sent: Saturday, December 09, 2000 10:36 PM
> To: Multiple recipients of list
> Subject: Attack on Cherryhomes due to affordable housing position
>
>
> To quote Woodstock (from Peanuts) "Every time someone comes up with a good
> idea, someone else brings up the budget."
>
> The Niland affordable housing proposal would have cost as much as the City
> currently spends for the Fire Department, an amount of money it simply
> doesn't have. It was much more responsible to put together a program
which
> is financially reasonable than to approve a program which was completely
out
> of the City's ability to fund.
>
> It also would have made the issue of affordable housing a problem of the
> City of Minneapolis, rather than a problem of the whole region.
Affordable
> housing has to be a regional issue with regional solutions and Minneapolis
> needs to respond but only as part of a much larger response.
>
> Carol Becker
> Longfellow
>
> PS - These personal attacks do not have a place in this forum.
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: timothy connolly <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: Multiple recipients of list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Sent: Friday, December 08, 2000 7:58 AM
> Subject: cherryhomes announcement
>
>
> > what gives? i thought i could look forward to comments
> > about the city council president's candidacy for a
> > fourth term. shocked, i'm shocked!
> >
> > my favorite part of the strib's story was the line " a
> > big part of her personal decision was the North Side
> > housing development and her work on afffordable
> > housing." happily i had only imbibed juice and coffee
> > and no solid food when i read that.
> >
> > what work on affordable housing was that to which she
> > was referring?
> >
> > was that leading the council in a 7-5 vote against
> > councilman jim niland's affordable housing resolution
> > which came directly out of the work done by and
> > recommendations from the mayor's task force on ah?
> >
> > or was it her leadership in passing a watered down
> > affordable housing resolution that has resulted in
> > only a 3% increase in housing for those most in need,
> > those whose family income is less than 30% of MMI
> > (median metropolitan income) and a 79% increase in
> > housing for those at 80% (MMI)?
> >
> > i would have thought ms cherryhomes would have pointed
> > to her work on making "the block formerly known as
> > block e" a showcase of inner city redevelopment in
> > which we all may take great pride.
> >
> > enough. my nausea has passed. momentarily.
> >
> > tim connolly
> > ward 7
> >
> > __________________________________________________
> > Do You Yahoo!?
> > Yahoo! Shopping - Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products.
> > http://shopping.yahoo.com/
> >
>
>
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Content-type: text/html; charset="US-ASCII"
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<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Re: Personal attack on Cherryhomes </TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
It is not a personal attack to reveal how a quote or a statement or a decis=
ion affected your anatomy. This hyperventilating by labeling anything but Un=
ited Nations style diplomacy in the discussion of issues as a personal attac=
k is just another way of stifling opinion based on passionate beliefs and th=
e expression of that passion.<BR>
<BR>
A personal attack, friends, is calling someone a name that describes their =
person, not one that describes their performance. We are made infirm as a pu=
blic organism by this disease we share - this syndrome called Conflict Avoid=
ance. It is a malady that purports to promote propriety and reason when, in =
fact, at its extreme, it suppresses honesty and forthright opinion-making. I=
t is a Midwest Malady - wherein very little progress is made on serious issu=
es because positions on issues are translated into personal attacks simply b=
ecause those positions conflict with each other.<BR>
<BR>
I am not personally attacking you when I look you in the eye and say "=
I believe you are wrong, and this is why:..." It is not a personal atta=
ck when I disagree with you - and say so. It is not a personal attack to say=
out loud that what you just said makes me ill, because I feel passionately =
just the opposite from what you just said, and that I feel your position - e=
specially if you're an elected policymaker - puts people I care about in jeo=
pardy for their very lives.<BR>
<BR>
Carol Becker, whose participation on this list is something I often respect=
(see, I did the Minnesota thing: I preceded a negative comment with an affi=
rmative one - something absolutely required in this culture these days), sug=
gests that Jim Niland's affordable housing proposal would have cost more tha=
n the Fire department.<BR>
<BR>
Really? And this is bad? Public safety divisions of municipalities everywhe=
re have far too big a slice of the budget as it is, and fear and tradition k=
eeps adding to them while we take away or call too costly any attempts at cr=
eating adequate and dignified shelter for the residents those divisions are =
designed to protect.<BR>
<BR>
It is twisted logic to assume that we should have better and more policing =
and firefighting capability before we provide the fundamental services that =
sustain life in an urban (or rural) community. On the contrary, as public ta=
xpayers and responsible citizens, I say we are obligated to do just the oppo=
site. Once we have sheltered, clothed, fed and kept healthy the resident pop=
ulations of our city, we can then turn out attention to protecting them from=
the other elements of a human culture.<BR>
<BR>
Historically and unfortunately, we maintain precisely the reverse policies,=
resulting in what we have now: well-equipped police forces and firefi=
ghters patrolling streets populated by homeless and hungry residents, often =
jailing them for the their despairing drug use or lack of employment or atte=
mpts to sleep in forbidden places.<BR>
<BR>
So, Carol's budgetary comparisons fall flat in the face of this inhuman rea=
lity. And to suggest that Jackie Cherryhomes' comments regarding those twist=
ed priorities made someone sick at their stomach should not surprise anyone =
- and it was certainly NOT a personal attack to say so.<BR>
<BR>
Andy Driscoll<BR>
A St. Paul Friend of the Great City of Minneapolis<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE><BR>
<B>From: </B>"Carol Becker" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]><BR>
<B>Reply-To: </B>[EMAIL PROTECTED]<BR>
<B>Date: </B>Sun, 10 Dec 2000 09:00:24 -0600<BR>
<B>To: </B>"Multiple recipients of list" <mpls-issues@freedom2=
.mtn.org><BR>
<B>Subject: </B>Re: Personal attack on Cherryhomes <BR>
<BR>
</BLOCKQUOTE><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE>I believe it is important to hold our elected officials to thei=
r word and to<BR>
critique their activities. I do not believe it is necessary to talk a=
bout<BR>
how their positions give you nausea or how you arn't able to hold down soli=
d<BR>
food after reading something they wrote. That is the part of Mr. Cona=
lly's<BR>
post which is the personal attack and that is unnecessary.<BR>
<BR>
It sometimes seems that some folks believe that elected officials by virtue=
<BR>
of their position don't even deserve basic respect. And when we treat=
<BR>
elected officials like that, it allows us to depersonalize and dehumanize<B=
R>
them, making them into some monolithic force instead of a group of folks,<B=
R>
each with their own strengths and weaknesses, who are doing their best to<B=
R>
better Minneapolis. All I'm asking for is that everyone treat everyon=
e else<BR>
with respect and decency.<BR>
<BR>
Carol Becker<BR>
Longfellow<BR>
<BR>
----- Original Message -----<BR>
From: Russell Wayne Peterson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]><BR>
To: Multiple recipients of list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]><BR>
Sent: Saturday, December 09, 2000 10:25 PM<BR>
Subject: RE: Attack on Cherryhomes due to affordable housing position<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
> There is nothing wrong with holding our elected officials to their wor=
d<BR>
and<BR>
> to what is in print. We have a serious affordable housing crisis=
in our<BR>
> city and the current administration and council leadership has spent m=
ost<BR>
of<BR>
> their time on corporate welfare instead of addressing basic issues suc=
h as<BR>
> higher paying jobs, affordable housing and basic street maintenance ju=
st<BR>
to<BR>
> name a few. That is not a personal attack, it is illumination of=
the<BR>
facts<BR>
> via citizen advocacy through direct experience or observation. A=
nd that<BR>
> debate is what this forum is all about. Perhaps if our leadershi=
p would<BR>
> start participating in forums such of this on a more regular basis, it=
<BR>
might<BR>
> just make our democracy rise to a higher level; instead of a constant<=
BR>
> negative critique of their performance.<BR>
><BR>
><BR>
> Russ Peterson<BR>
> Ward 9<BR>
> Standish<BR>
><BR>
> R U S S E L L P E T E R S O N D E S I G =
N<BR>
> "You can only fly if you stretch your wings."<BR>
><BR>
> Russell W. Peterson, RA, CID<BR>
> Founder<BR>
><BR>
> 3857 23rd Avenue South<BR>
> Minneapolis, MN 55407<BR>
><BR>
> 612-724-2331<BR>
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]<BR>
><BR>
> -----Original Message-----<BR>
> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]<BR>
> [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf Of Carol Becker<BR>
> Sent: Saturday, December 09, 2000 10:36 PM<BR>
> To: Multiple recipients of list<BR>
> Subject: Attack on Cherryhomes due to affordable housing position<BR>
><BR>
><BR>
> To quote Woodstock (from Peanuts) "Every time someone comes up wi=
th a good<BR>
> idea, someone else brings up the budget."<BR>
><BR>
> The Niland affordable housing proposal would have cost as much as the =
City<BR>
> currently spends for the Fire Department, an amount of money it simply=
<BR>
> doesn't have. It was much more responsible to put together a pro=
gram<BR>
which<BR>
> is financially reasonable than to approve a program which was complete=
ly<BR>
out<BR>
> of the City's ability to fund.<BR>
><BR>
> It also would have made the issue of affordable housing a problem of t=
he<BR>
> City of Minneapolis, rather than a problem of the whole region.<BR>
Affordable<BR>
> housing has to be a regional issue with regional solutions and Minneap=
olis<BR>
> needs to respond but only as part of a much larger response.<BR>
><BR>
> Carol Becker<BR>
> Longfellow<BR>
><BR>
> PS - These personal attacks do not have a place in this forum.<BR>
><BR>
><BR>
> ----- Original Message -----<BR>
> From: timothy connolly <[EMAIL PROTECTED]><BR>
> To: Multiple recipients of list <[EMAIL PROTECTED]><B=
R>
> Sent: Friday, December 08, 2000 7:58 AM<BR>
> Subject: cherryhomes announcement<BR>
><BR>
><BR>
> > what gives? i thought i could look forward to comments<BR>
> > about the city council president's candidacy for a<BR>
> > fourth term. shocked, i'm shocked!<BR>
> ><BR>
> > my favorite part of the strib's story was the line " a<BR>
> > big part of her personal decision was the North Side<BR>
> > housing development and her work on afffordable<BR>
> > housing." happily i had only imbibed juice and coffee<BR>
> > and no solid food when i read that.<BR>
> ><BR>
> > what work on affordable housing was that to which she<BR>
> > was referring?<BR>
> ><BR>
> > was that leading the council in a 7-5 vote against<BR>
> > councilman jim niland's affordable housing resolution<BR>
> > which came directly out of the work done by and<BR>
> > recommendations from the mayor's task force on ah?<BR>
> ><BR>
> > or was it her leadership in passing a watered down<BR>
> > affordable housing resolution that has resulted in<BR>
> > only a 3% increase in housing for those most in need,<BR>
> > those whose family income is less than 30% of MMI<BR>
> > (median metropolitan income) and a 79% increase in<BR>
> > housing for those at 80% (MMI)?<BR>
> ><BR>
> > i would have thought ms cherryhomes would have pointed<BR>
> > to her work on making "the block formerly known as<BR>
> > block e" a showcase of inner city redevelopment in<BR>
> > which we all may take great pride.<BR>
> ><BR>
> > enough. my nausea has passed. momentarily.<BR>
> ><BR>
> > tim connolly<BR>
> > ward 7<BR>
> ><BR>
> > __________________________________________________<BR>
> > Do You Yahoo!?<BR>
> > Yahoo! Shopping - Thousands of Stores. Millions of Products.<BR>
> > http://shopping.yahoo.com/<BR>
> ><BR>
><BR>
><BR>
<BR>
<BR>
</BLOCKQUOTE><BR>
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