Please..."In a letter hand delivered to the Metro Planning Commission late yesterday afternoon, developer Tony Giarratana made a formal request for a July 23rd rehearing for the May Town rezoning vote held last month. Citing the late hour, tired commission members and confusing procedural irregularities" Nashville Post
Yadda, yadda, yadda.... shades of Tonya Harding. Puleeeze.
Can I call a do-over for 11/4/08?
The most unusual complaint 'letter' I've seen in quite a while. Hey, ya use the tools ya got to get the job done. Hope it works for him. I'll be humming the chorus most of today.
Hat tip: Lucianne.com
Tonight the Metro Council will hear from neighbors regarding the retroactive spot zoning of an illegal quadplex at 837 Cleveland Street in CM Pam Murray's District 5 in East Nashville. A few councilmen will be afraid to vote against the sponsoring councilwoman's bill because she's black and many who will speak on behalf of the white landlord will also be black. Many of those speaking against the illegal actions of the white landlord will be white. The Council must not let councilmatic courtesy or racial fears keep them from focusing on the fact that if BL2009-429 passes it will invite every non-compliant property owner to demand that their property, that's been illegally modified, also be retroactively zoned to fit whatever they've created. The Council must see this issue for what it is--a complete thumbing of the nose at the rule of law in this county. No one, black or white, should get away with that.
The Planning Commission failed to hold Charles R. (Friday) Blackwood accountable for creating an illegal quadplex out of this property despite his own confession that he broke the law. He owns over a dozen pieces of property in this county. He's not unaware of his responsibilities. Despite that they voted to give him a pass and let the Council do the Planning Commission's job. It took Environmental Court to close the quadplex down and likely save the lives of the tenants.
Even after being told by the Environmental Court's Judge Jim Todd to shutter the building, and long before tonight's Council vote, signs indicating that the spaces would be for rent again appeared on the building. First in Spanish and then later an English version was added. Obviously, Blackwood felt confident about the outcome of tonight's Council vote.
Why bother having a permit system for building and health codes when the county won't enforce them? Why bother having an Environmental Court?
Tomorrow, Wednesday, July 8, Blackwood is scheduled to appear again before Environmental Court on this matter. I'd like to see that he has to appear hat in hand before Judge Todd and assure him that the building will no longer be a quadplex and that he will never again, upon pain of jail, willfully violate the health, safety and building codes of this county.
Here's the Council's feedback form. Whether you can attend the meeting tonight or not, let the Council know that you expect landlords across this county to respect the laws enacted for the safety of citizens. "The code is more what you'd call 'guidelines' than actual rules" may be a great line in a movie but when the life and health of citizens is at stake...they need to be actual rules with consequences.
UPDATE: If you do attend the meeting opponents of BL2009-429 ask that you wear red to indicate your opposition. The meeting starts at 6:00 and this bill is early on the agenda.
See also:
Firetrap shuttered
She Needs to Resign and Stay in Detroit
Pam's Loss Neighborhood's Gain
I've decided that 'gun nuts' is better defined as those who have an irrational fear of anyone carrying a gun. Gun nuts, based on their own fears and lack of experience with those who handle weapons safely instead of any factual evidence that safety is an issue, usually react in a knee-jerk fashion to keep guns out of the hands of law-abiding citizens.
We've got a new state law that on Tuesday, July 14 will allow permit holders to enter restaurants where liquor is served unless the proprietor hangs a sign announcing no guns are allowed. The law passed through the legislative process and is presumably, the will of the people. However, this isn't enough for gun nuts. Because of their irrational fear and apparent inability to simply provide prohibiting signage for their establishments, they choose to usurp the will of the people and get their way via a judicial process. They've decided that it doesn't matter how the people's representatives voted the gun nuts will have their way.
According to a post on the East Nashville elist John Egerton is trying to recruit 200 'silent witnesses' for Monday, July 13th's 1:30 p.m. hearing before Chancellor Claudia Bonnyman in order to let her know how they want her to rule on a request to keep the law from taking effect the next day. The lawsuit was filed by Randy Rayburn proprietor of Sunset Grill, Cabana and MidTown Café.
Further, to add irony to the mix they set up a website that tells us that in honor of Independence Day we should support their effort to quash the 2nd Amendment rights of fellow citizens. Further they call the site "guns and alcohol don't mix". Well, duh. We all know that. The law is already clear. No one carrying can consume. It's already against the law to be intoxicated and carry.
They quote that there are 80 guns deaths in America every day! What they don't tell you is how many of those were the result of a legal carrier v. a street thug or distraught girlfriend. They don't because it's an inconvenient truth.
They say their liability insurance will rise if they permit guns and that will increase the price of dinners. Again, a simple sign prohibiting carrying and that's done. Regardless, they've decided that we'd surrender our freedom for 50 cents off the price of a meal. I don't think so.
The fact is money is an important issue for them:
"If a patron is packing a gun, but not purchasing alcohol they are taking the seat of a non gun holder who could be purchasing alcohol, tipping the bartender and providing much needed business to the establishment."So they'll throw the 2nd Amendment under the bus in order to encourage drinking. Yeah, that's the socially responsible tack. Now we know what they really mean when they say guns and alcohol don't mix.
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin made her own declaration of independence yesterday by announcing that she's resigning as governor of Alaska. It was another gutsy and smart move on her part that has confounded the experts and has many writing her political obituary. I believe it's just wishful thinking on their part and these folks have no clue what just hit them.
Since Sen. John McCain chose her to run as his vice-president she, her family, and her staff have been through the wringer as opponents have turned over every rock in hopes of taking her down. Every time she sneezed a FOIA request was filed demanding to know what kind of facial tissue she used, where it was disposed, a doctor's report on her health and who else was in the room that might become infected. Tennessee's own Rep. Mike Kernell's (D-Memphis) son David, entered into the battle by pulling the boneheaded move of hacking into Palin's email account. In this battle nothing was off limits. Absolutely, nothing. 15 ethics complaints were filed...all were eventually dismissed. The attack dogs had the deep financial pockets of various organizations and entities. The Palin's had their household income and a few friends to pay off $500,000 in lawyer fees. Politics saw a new level of dirty. Some made it their life goal to grind this family below ground.
The only thing that could be done to stop this most nasty warfare was to leave the political fishbowl that provided so much fodder for her enemies to cull through. Now that Palin's life is private she has the freedom to do a great deal. She has very effectively cut off that distracting and resource sucking nonsense. Hopefully, she'll quickly hit the speaker's circuit and bring in more than enough cash to pay off those lawyer fees. Then she can earn a tidy sum to care for the family. The best revenge, they say, is living well.
In the meantime she's making more and more friends and creating even more supporters across the nation. She'll be priming the conservative pump that will begin gushing and overfilling the pots that will steep all this TEA that's being brewed across the nation. Her enemies may have pushed her out of office but the result will be a stronger, freer and even more effective Sarahcuda.
One of the most memorable statements made this week came from Bob Krumm:
"52 professional media outlets have asked to attend an arraignment hearing for some singer accused of beating his girlfriend . . . meanwhile the world depends on amateur footage to get honest reporting from Iran."
And now, knocking the shameful affair of SC Gov. Mark Sanford (R) off the front page, the world's press is focused on the death of Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. They're still trying to figure out if Jeff Goldblum fell to his death in New Zealand.
Unfortunately, our enemies aren't as easily distracted. Al Qaida is bragging about their execution of a Tennessee man for daring to live his name--Christ Bearer.
"Christopher Ervin Legget, who grew up in Cleveland, Tenn., had been living in the North African nation with his wife, Jackie, and their four children for six years. He did humanitarian work while teaching at a school specializing in computer science in El Kasr, a lower-class neighborhood in Nouakchott, according to relatives in Tennessee.
The Rev. Jim Gibson, co-pastor of First Baptist Church of Cleveland, said Leggett was a church member but worked in Mauritania independently. He said Leggett's family is returning from Mauritania, and a funeral may be held at the church on Tuesday." Charisma Magazine
Our world is more upside down than I want to admit. Millions will mourn the death of the pop icons. But to be sure, One has stood to welcome home a son.
After leaving the Army I was working as a civilian for the Navy in the office that arranged the shipment of the household belongings of servicemen and their dependents. Got a phone call from a General. I was quite respectful and business like. Called him sir just like I did every other male caller. Using his obviously experienced "commander voice" he told me to call him General not sir. I replied: "Yes, Sir." And I continued to call him sir throughout the conversation.
