On Wed Oct 24 01:51:00 2001 Phyllis Kahn used her status to impress us thusly: "A gentle reminder to list readers that Paul Zerby, besides being endorsed by the Strib"... Um, did we need reminding? I know I can't keep up with all these emails, but has anyone yet questioned the idea of a news-source's obvious bias? Are things in the media really so corrupt, and are readers so complacent, that a news-outlet can publicly proclaim bias toward any candidate or another, and we think that's ok?! Whatever happened to the ole standard, "The news is supposed to be objective"? Well, we know the Strib isn't, and with all those advertisements crowding out the news (and covering it up, if you get it delivered! Home Depot and Marshall Fields are now more important than the *headlines*!), I really gotta wonder why anyone would see any value in such an endorsement.
"...was also endorsed by the second ward voters ( by coming in first in the primary)," Um, Phyllis, that's not an endorsement. That's called Zerby narrowly squeezed past by less than 50 votes (and he really only took one precinct-- Prospect Park, which to me doesn't sound like the friendliest, most inclusive, or community-focused place in the world if they would exclude students from voting in their neighbourhood associations for being "too numerous" [said by Zerby at one forum] and creators of "mischief" [said by Zerby at another]). In a race that close, I should think that it would be a HUGE discredit to all the Cam voters to say their vote DOESN'T COUNT. "....the DFL and a pile of labor organizations." Ok, the DFL shenanigans have already been covered, so let me just say that I am not impressed that a huge (and beurocratic) union with a great percentage of members who ARE NOT RESIDENTS OF WARD 2, endorsed this guy. "Some of us do believe that credentials are important:" Cam's lifelong experience in community building and cooperation with a variety of people, organisations, and businesses IN THE WARD are more important to me. Zerby can't hold a candle to Cam's outstanding ability to find common goals and solutions that will work for ALL. "for example the totally inept city legal department that gave us the Kondirator settlement might be helped by some oversight from someone who has worked in outstanding Government and private legal departments." I second the proposal to ask Zerby to work in the legal department then. "For more in depth positions check the Zerby web site www.zerby.com/paul=20 or just call him." Well, I have asked him about touting that DFL-endorsement, especially after showing no respect for the *real* DFL-endorsed candidate before the primary. Not surprisingly, he refused to answer the question. "I'm also amused by the implied criticism that door-knocking diligently from the candidate is somehow inferior to that done by a hoard of supporters." Are you refering to these students, young people, concerned citizens and others as a "hoard"? Really? Is that how you think of your constituents, Phyllis? That's not very nice of you. "Both have their place but years of doing this has shown me that the candidate is the most useful person to have at the door and how hard a person works in the election is a good indicator of what they will do in office." What I have seen is that Cam is working SO hard, and there is so much demand for his attention, that people are helping out because they BELIEVE IN HIM as the best candidate. Also, Zerby (and you by the way) can doorknock all you like-- it doesn't mean we'll ever hear from you again after you got what you wanted from us (our vote). You see, Phyllis, just one year ago I was uninformed and confused by the political process (I didn't learn it in public school, although I got my first degree with High Distinction due to my self-motivated and self-directed longing to educate myself if no one else would). I was one of those students who fell for your campaign-lit tactic of appealing to young people by showing yourself with your husband (?) in a Che Guevera T-Shirt. Now here's where it gets really embarassing: I voted for you. I never heard of you, I never saw you in my community, you never came to my door or anyone else's that I knew, AND I thought the DFL was supposed to be the working person's way to go-- but to be honest, I STILL don't know who the DFL is, where they are, what they do, how their processes work, NOTHING. All I know is that my rent goes up 25% every year (I'm on a fixed income that doesn't go up at all, mind you, so I have also been forced out of school-- high tuition increases at the U and all that), my housing options are non-existent, I still can't navigate the streets safely on my bike (let alone cross some of them safely on foot with my son), the Mississippi River is full of yellow-brown stinking FOAMING muck, Minneapolis's recycling programme is extremely poor compared to St. Paul's, the MPD and other agencies of power still have no (real) accountability, my favourite small shops and businesses are being replaced by corporate chains, the city spends millions and millions of taxpayers' dollars keeping Nicollet Mall safe from... animal rights protesters?!?! (Ah, how can I forget seeing our noble MPD in full riot gear pepper-spraying an older woman who wanted to take a photograph....) AND YOU, Phyllis Kahn, for whom I voted, has time to read the Minneapolis Issues list and write emails for your pal Paul. Sad. I hope I never vote for anyone again the way I voted for you. Which is why I am voting for Cam. In the past year, Cam has taught me so much about politics, the political process, and given me so many great ideas about how to get involved in my community. I have learned (I am still learning!) from his example how to stay focused on finding solutions not problems, commonalities not differences, how to be a concerned and connected leader, not an absent decision-maker. He has encouraged me not to give up hope when things seem hopeless. He has made me feel more in tune with and knowledgeable of the ward and with Minneapolis issues in general. He has involved me in politics, he has involved me in the political process. He has taught me more than I can acknowledge here (I didn't even know what the Second Ward was before meeting Cam!) And when you meet him, you can feel it: he's just an all-around good guy. And he has done all this for me, and I am only one person of many over his lifetime that he has involved in these concrete ways. Zerby has never been to my door. The first time I saw even what he looked like was only a week ago. The only question I posed to him was brushed over outright. The message is clear: I don't have credentials, I don't have influence, I don't count. Just like you said yourself, Phyllis, Zerby "was also endorsed by the second ward voters"-- according to this, then, I guess I wasn't a voter in your eyes. (No, in fact, I was an election judge, thank you very much-- a job opening Cam himself, by the way, alerted me and my student group to! I guess we see who *really* wants to see the people involved in politics!) "And Finally the most that " robust new political party " has given us was the psuedo election of George W. Bush." Very unsophisticated argument. Please get to work, Ms. Kahn. I believe you are working on my tax dollars. L. Hogan Marcy-Holmes, 5 years and counting..... -------- "The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who, in times of moral crisis, remain neutral" --Dante _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
