Good Afternoon List Members, I have to use my second post for the day on this. Vanessa, what Brian Herron did WAS NOT a reflection on me nor any of the people who believed in his abilities as a council person. The fact that we were disappointed in his behavior is one thing, but claiming responsibility for his criminal activities, NO. However, you can if you want to. Guilt is a personal thing.
As for his claiming to be a role model, in some ways he was. However, I was not brought up to follow ANYONE blindly. Brian and I were friends. I attended Central High School with his sisters. He always knew where I stood. My parents taught me that we are all mortal with feet of clay. So I brought my own children up to not trip all over people with PRESUMED power. I respect people for their accomplishments and hard work, but I don't put ANYONE on a PEDESTAL. With the way the world is, people regularly get knocked off of one even as we rush to put the next hero atop. Unfortunately, I find it nothing short of amusing. My saying "get over it" was not careless, it was simply speaking to the reality of the situation. I did not say forget it occurred and trust every word he says, but the community cannot afford to come to a dead halt because of the criminal activity that happens within it. Why waste time obsessing when there is so much to be done. People running around in circles yapping over won't get my attention. Standing still, And, I may not live there currently, but my grown children, my grandchildren, and my siblings still do, as do many of my long-time friends. My sister resides in the third ward specifically. And, we do talk. I grew up in Minneapolis, and it is still home. The well-being of these individuals does affect me. If I should ever decide to move back to Minneapolis, I want to be on top of the issues, not just appearing to climb out from under a rock. So understand this: I do not make these posts with a cavalier attitude. I take the time to THINK about what I am saying. I am very proud of myself Vanessa. My words and actions have always been consistent, especially when dealing with (and on the behalf of) the community at large. If I don't know something, I ask questions. If I do know something, I speak on it. I don't allow people to misrepresent me, nor do I try to misrepresent myself to others. I do not let other people bully me into corners because of their own insecurities and/or anger. As Nelson Mandela once said (and I paraphrase and greatly simplify here) "Being less of who I am benefits no one." I AM a great role model to my children, and grand-children, as MY MOTHER, who was a community activist in MINNEAPOLIS was to me. My children, siblings and friends are proud of me. My GOD is proud of me. Beyond that, I don't give a hoot. Now you can't get any more real than that. Be blessed everyone. Pamela Taylor (Posting proudly from Tampa) pt: Brian did what he could do, and people were okay with >that. The fact that he happened to take money under the table was a >personal problem of greed. It had absolutely nothing to do with me, nor >you. Well, let's see here, someone saying they are a role model to the community and the cities youth, yet takes money under the table. "GEE WHIZ" Oh, but that's okay? That is the problem now, we tend to say, oh, that's okay, He was good anyway. He committed a CRIME!. "Get over it," what a careless bunch of of words to say. A criminal is a criminal, no matter what they have done in the community. Yes, I'm afraid it does make the difference. Maybe not to you, because you don't live here, but to those of us who do, it makes all the difference in the world. Your attitude and the likes of people like yourself, make it hard for things to come together for the good of community. Face the truth with what's going on, or is it that you are blinded by the real truth. On how the community is getting played, due to lack of understanding of process. TEMPORARY REMINDER: 1. Send all posts in plain-text format. 2. Cut as much of the post you're responding to as possible. ________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
