Diving Back Into The Ooze

After spending a wonderful, relaxing, fun-filled long weekend out of town celebrating the aforementioned anniversary, I returned home late Monday to find a mountain of emails and some very interesting blog entries.

RIGGY RIPS AGAIN!
I was amused by Jim Righeimer's column in Saturday's Daily Pilot, here, in which he, once again, took our neighbors in Newport Beach to task about their plans for a City Hall. He's trying to use logic on that issue and, from a guy who has been beating that drum for a couple years now, I can tell you that it doesn't work. The sides are polarized on the issue based on pure emotion - you just cannot have a rational discussion with a group that is devoted to the perpetuation of a weed patch in the name of environmentalism. I wish old Riggy well as he keeps chucking those stones over the border, but I doubt he's going to have any influence on the decision, however it's made.

MANSOOR'S MOURNFUL MOANING
Then I found myself chuckling at our young jailer/mayor's latest contribution to the municipal enlightenment in the form of a letter to the editor in the Daily Pilot, here, also on Saturday. Didn't the mayor swear off contributing to the Daily Pilot not too long ago? That's what I thought. Guess he changed his mind.

WANTING HIS CAKE AND EATING IT, TOO
The mayor's first sentence expressed "disappointment in the double standard put forward by the Daily Pilot." This, of course, is a real joke. In it's news articles the Daily Pilot has consistently presented a balanced view of the issues. I think the mayor just doesn't like the editorial position taken by the newspaper on issues that are near and dear to him. He and his cohorts gripe when the editors chose to publish a viewpoint from residents that differ from theirs, yet ignore the many times when the mayor, or Eric Bever or Wendy Leece or others among the outspoken so called "improvers", like Christian and Kathleen Eric and Judi and Mike Berry, have their views published.

SPINNIN' WITH THE MAYOR
In this particular epistle our young jailer/mayor chose to put spin on the subject of the Paularino Park debate at a recent council meeting - that he didn't attend, by the way. His suggestion that Linda Dixon's question to the City Attorney about what other types of activities would be forbidden by the proposed designation of the park as a "passive" park was "over-the-top antics" misrepresents the facts. Dixon asked the question. Kim Barlow answered it by indicating that tossing baseballs would, indeed, violate the rules.

KNOWN BY THE FRIENDS YOU KEEP
Mansoor criticized the Daily Pilot editors for their opinion expressed here that the motivation regarding Paularino Park might be race-based. Again, the mayor ignores the facts. This was a non-issue until one resident - a man well known for his racist essays and books and an outspoken critic of the immigrants among us - first raised the issue a couple years ago. Until he fabricated this issue there was no outcry by the Mesa North community. He's used this issue to fan the flames of intolerance in that part of town and the current council majority have been more than willing accomplices. The mayor can deny it all he wants, but facts are facts.

STEVE SMITH AND TONY DODERO TO THE DEFENSE
I was pleased to see columnist Steve Smith - a man with whom I've had more than a few disagreements - decided to point out many of the mayor's errors in his letter, here. Then, in a commentary of his own, Tony Dodero, the Daily Pilot's Director of News and Online, signed in with a response to the mayor in Wednesday's Pilot, here.

FINDING PUTRID PROSE YOURSELF
The man mentioned above, predictably, was all over Smith in his blog posting Tuesday. Without a doubt, he'll rip Dodero's piece, too. I've decided to stop providing links to his stuff because it leaves a stench here on the blog. You'll just have to find it yourself.

MAKE A CHOICE, MR. MAYOR
I suggest the mayor simply stop reading the Daily Pilot, as he threatened to do so many months ago. Until he does, he should be grateful that the editors and publisher provide him a forum to berate them on their own pages... it's much more than he would do if the shoe was on the other foot.

Anger Management - Who's Next?

YANKIN' HIS CHAIN
Well, it certainly has been an interesting few days here in the Land of Newport-Mesa. I've managed to provoke a man who very much resembles my theoretical character, Your Neighbor, into writing not one, but two blog entries aimed directly at me, here and here. Any day is a good day when he's unhappy with me. I think he's just peeved because he fancies himself an ace reporter and I managed to scoop him on a couple issues in the past week or two. Of course, he's never happy when I point out the failings of his Anointed One, our supreme leader, the mayor. That means he stays peeved a lot.


MAD MAYORS A DEUX
I ticked off the current mayor and a former mayor with my commentary about the bogus plan to directly elect the mayor of our fair city and how it went down in flames, here.



BUGGED BEVER BLUSTERS
Then, a friend pointed out an entry on the Daily Pilot blog purportedly posted by our resident court jester, Mayor Pro Tem Eric Bever, in which he threatens me with legal action. For your reading pleasure I've copied and pasted that entry below. This comment was the fifteenth and final one posted at the end of the recent commentary, here, co-signed by Mayor Mansoor, Bever and Councilwoman Wendy Leece published in the Daily Pilot online on 6/30/07.

Eric Bever wrote on Jul 8, 2007 8:20 PM:

" Mr. West again incorrectly states: "The only voices they listen to are those of their tight knot of westside buddies and one guy from Mesa North. All other voices are just ambient noise to them." MR. WEST, YOU ARE COMPLETELY AND UTTERLY MISTAKEN. We listen to all who have a viewpoint to share regarding city issues. At council meetings we all listen to every person's comments. West’s oft-repeated incorrect statements like the above only confirm his complete lack of credibility. Mr West, you are hereby informed. Your continued promulgation of this incorrect claim shall constitute libel. "

As usual, Bever knows not of which he speaks. When he tossed his hat (and pony tail) into the ring as a politician he opened himself up to criticism and ridicule, when appropriate. Unfortunately for him, "when appropriate" seems to come around quite often. For example, in this very instance he sets himself up for criticism, not only by me, but by anyone with the slightest knowledge of the legal system. If he, as an elected official, continues to threaten me - or any other resident of this city - he might find himself at the other end of that legal system he has used as a threat, for harassment and abuse of his power. He obviously feels he's a very clever fella, so he will likely realize the error of his ways and think twice - or three times - before printing such a statement in the future. I hope so - he has a lot to lose.

CROWD "FIRED UP"
Then, I think I've managed to make more than half the people in Costa Mesa, including some good friends, angry at me with my commentary in the Daily Pilot today, here, responding to their columnist, Steve Smith's column on Tuesday, here. I won't bore you with the details of our little spat about fireworks in this city - you can read both pieces for yourselves - except to observe that he shouldn't poke a beast in the eye with a stick and expect it to continue to sleep peacefully.


IN SUMMARY...
All in all, it's been a very interesting and productive week here at the old Cauldron. A week ago I was watching "bombs bursting in air" during the Independence Day celebrations. Tonight, I can almost hear the "blood vessels bursting" around town. Yep, it's been a productive week. To all of you still ticked-off at me tonight, please remember this. What you read here are only my humble opinions. Take them for what they're worth. (I heard that, Andrew!)