Frank,
It's possible I've simply read more of Ray's posts than you have over the
years, so I can read where he's going next.
Ray has no interest in "more information" on this subject, or any other. If
he actually wanted to know more about why PLCB wanted to move (a) from one
location and (b) to another, he would simply call PLCB and ask them. Their
number is in the phonebook and he's an IT whiz, so getting an answer should
be a breeze for him. Why should anybody on UC-list know PLCB's inmost
thinking, for Pete's sake?
Ray's quest for "information" is strictly rhetorical. He is the composer of
the Unfinished One-Note Symphony, which he has reprised on UC-list for many
years now. Its sole theme is that sinister forces lurk behind every effort
to rehabilitate or upgrade any public space in University City; each of them
an evidence of a vast, shadowy conspiracy led by his own employer to thwart
the will of The Community, which wishes to continue having whatever It had
before, just a little shabbier each spring.
One time in 10 he finds evidence of public-space manipulation that points to
questionable practices by local agencies, and we all applaud him for that.
(There is a saying: Even a stopped clock tells time right twice a day.) The
other nine times, Ray just babbles. Since he wishes to keep alive the
sinister-forces notion at all costs, he'll duck any evidence against
conspiracy theories with the chestnut that We Don't Really Know for Sure;
More Information Is Needed.
In the current case, Ray is trying to concoct a fable that everything is
really hunky-dory at 4049 Market St., therefore an attempt to move the store
is evidence of the sinister forces at work. This particular piece of
"evidence" is beyond lame. If the store had a 40-foot neon sign above it
blinking, "BAD!!!", it couldn't be any worse. Most people criticize PLCB for
retaining lousy stores; Ray criticizes the agency for seeking a better one.
It takes your breath away, if you permit yourself to think about it.
This being a "left of center" neighborhood, Ray understands as well as his
bête noire UCD does that you have to position yourself as pro-minority
around here to score political points. So he typically argues against
neighborhood improvements by suggesting they violate the desire of Urban
Socially Diverse Multi-Cultural folks to wallow in decay. But he doesn't
actually care what actual African American working-class people have to deal
with in their daily lives; he has never published the slightest sensitivity
to this issue.
Other than that, Ray is fine. He's done some nice things for this community
and I hope he'll do more. Just spare us the baloney about the sinister
forces, that's all I'm asking. Kick up a fuss about the proposed PLCB site
on Walnut St. if you must, pal; you have legitimate standing there. But
don't ask us to swallow that the Market St. liquor store is a cherished
neighborhood treasure. It isn't. It's just a beat-up, bad old store.
-- Tony West
----- Original Message -----
From: "Frank" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, March 16, 2007 1:30 AM
Subject: Re: [UC] Re: Why does the state store want to move
Jeez, can you stop being a lawyer for a minute? What does race have to do
with anything other than as an excuse for baiting? Is a cold work site
somehow worse for people of color? If not, why even bring it up?
That remark was really nauseating. Ick.
Besides, Ray never said he was against the move. He simply asked for more
information on why they chose this particular location.
Frank
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