I will admit that I don't know all the details of the case, but I heard a disturbing KAVU report, that an 18 year old boy was stopped for questioning, because he was walking on the wrong side of the road. The young man immediately took off, but was eventually caught and arrested for “walking on the wrong side of the road "and for running away from the police. I understand that a policeman's instinct is a valuable tool, and it's not wise to run if you are innocent, but “walking on the wrong side of the road" is not that uncommon. I believe the police officer could have told the 18 year old to get over on the right side of the street, if it was that important. On the other side, if the individual would have been caught with contraband, was a runaway, or had outstanding warrants, it could have been seen as good police work. I hope is not a case of abuse of power.I think it's pretty safe to say that the kid's parents do not have enough money or influence or this case would not have seen the light of day.
The rest of the evening news was pretty good because I heard our mayor say that we will complete the Sam Houston project, downtown renovation, and repair the downtown water and sewer lines, even though he's being criticized for spending money during this economic downturn. He said what I've been saying all along, materials and interest rates are low right now and future monies will be coming in, when the construction of the Caterpillar is complete. He also said that Caterpillar was very impressed with the fact that we had built many new schools. That's a sort of " build it, they will come" mentality that we don't hear enough of, because people have been brain washed into thinking that you run a government like you do a household budget. The principle of not spending more than you take in is a valid one, but don't we all take out mortgages without fully knowing what lies ahead in the future?
It's sad that these politicians would rather shut down government than increase taxes on the rich. The state of Minnesota laid off more than 20,000 public employees, closed their state Parks, libraries, and will not fund their safety net programs. It's sadder that their former governor and current congresswoman are urging their republican state legislators to keep the government closed. Somehow this makes Tim Pawlenty and Michelle Bachmann standout in their quest for the presidency. Unfortunately, we have plenty of politicians in Washington that thinks it's cool to shut down government. We can expect to see more this now that the Supreme Court has passed the controversial” Citizens United” case where corporations are treated like individuals,thus allowing them to spend as much undisclosed money as they want ,in influencing legislation and elections. Republican lawmakers have to sign a pledge for Grover Norquist, not to raise taxes under any circumstances and another one for the Koch brothers not to pass environmental laws. Michelle Bachmann recently criticized Mitt Romney for not signing an abortion pledge. The era of compromises over, because it’s all about the pledges and lobbyist money.
I just received an idea from Rusty Bucket's blog, so I will be working on that for a future blog. There are people that just hate the Federal government and make no bones about it Abe rewrote or copied a piece from some right wing site about the Fed arresting some Amish people for selling raw milk. Of course, Observer thought it was another NAZI move by our government. Unpasteurized milk can make someone really sick. It doesn't matter that some drank it as a child without any ill effects. I've known people that ate undercooked hamburger meat without any ill effects, but I also remember my wife being admitted to the ER because she ate an undercooked Wendy's hamburger. I guess it depends on the amount of the E coli a person absorbs.Am I wrong about this?
The weatherman said it's going to be hot, hot, and hot but why is that news? Hopefully, we get a rainstorm here and there. Enjoy your July 4th.
23 comments:
Mike,
I agree that thinkgs are not getting cheaper and there is no time like the present, but I am very hesitant to praise the current administration for waking up and finally realizing it is not 1964 anymore. I know they are not responsible for all of the failures to take good care of our infrastructure, but most of them are on their secong or third term, and yeah, they bear a lot of the reponsibility for the shape things are in.
Instead of chasing stuff that is none of their business, they should have been tending to business.
As to the CAT comment--I understand what you are saying, but why did it have to take CAT to cause action? Were the good residents of Victoria not enough of a reason to take care of our city all these years? Sam Houston did not get in that shape recently.
Icky Ricky Perry is courting the Koch Brothers and their $$$.
I need to proof before hitting "publish"...
EA
I agree one interview does not excuse past mistakes or oversight, but I really wasn't praising the current city officials just saying "phew" because a lot of cities have abandoned their projects.....Amen,Sam Houston was long over due.
I remember the many complaints about building the new schools but only a few percent went to vote against them.....My memory fails me from time to time but I don't think CAT had anything to do with building the new schools...Correct me if I am wrong.
Rick Perry is a Koch Brother type,anti EPA,anti union,and he is for More tax cuts for the oil companies.
Why the police would stop a kid who's walking on the wrong side of the road: The reason is they thought the kid was suspicious and catching him on wrong side of road gave them probable cause to stop him. They weren't going to ticket him, they wanted to have reason to identify and perhaps search him.
Thanks for the info
That's the problem with the written world--some stuff gets lost in the transmission!
Excluding you, there are a whole bunch of folks who are heralding the recent flutter of activity as if certain locals had invented it! That's what I am talking about.
I know I often find it hard to see the positives with our city leaders, but I also find it hard to get excited about something that is many years overdue. My first thought might be "Hooray!", but I know the second thought is "Finally!"
I agree--CAT had nothing to do with the new schools. Butm remember all the folks who wanted their 15 seconds of fame on the CAT deal and how they explained it. The Mayor claimed the courteousness of the VEDC staff. Dale Fowler credited UHV and VC. And so on--they can't even agree on how CAT got here!
As to the school vote (and city council and every other election we have), voter apathy is alive and thriving in Victoria!
And I also agree. A cop stops you, you must identify your self if asked. Running is not an oiption.
EA
There is a common thread I have with the folks you mentioned.....We don't know Fowler from Armstrong or the members of VEDC staff ,nor do we want to...I take your word that everything is not on the up and up and I believe you are providing a valuable service by sharing your knowledge of the facts....You know the players and vice versa,so it's more personal to you.
VEDC reminds me of a lobbyist firm....If they are good ,they are worth the money ,but they are only as good as their last accomplishment.....As I continue to say,we already have the Port of Victoria,workforce,new schools,and by completing the projects ,our future looks promising.
I think I see what the problem is. I spend a great deal of time--too much according to some--railing on the folks that I think are making the foolish choices, spending money, giving away stuff, and I fail to acknowledge the good often enough.
I am on record as being very much in favor of the CAT plant. True, I really doubted that it was really going to come to pass, but I owned that when the time came. I am on record as in favor of a River Walk type venture. I think downtown, since I am down there nearly every day, looks nice.
I am not anit-Victoria, anti-growth, or anti-tourism. I am anti-stupid and foolish stuff. I also have a huge issue with the coronation of Dale Fowler as if he is the Savior of Victoria! IT'S HIS JOB TO RECRUIT BUSINESS TO VICTORIA!!! He is being paid very handsomely to do just that! I just think all the praise is the backlash of the shock that after so many (10?) he finally achieved something!
Victoria sat stagnant for so long, and this rush to become current hopefully will not create more issues than we already have. There are a couple of folks down there at City Hall that seem to hear some kind of clock ticking.
I am all about forward movement. With rational thought and strategic planning.
And I am really weary of folks telling us what we see is not really what we see. Their blowing smke days are over, I hope.
Mike, I will leave the political volleys to you and Edith Ann. I can speak with authority on the raw milk situation, though. Why on Earth do people think we pasteurize milk, anyway? Because it kills harmful bacteria. Pure and simple. I work in a lab. I have seen over the years MANY nasty stool specimens from people, mostly old farmers, who drink raw milk. Mostly we recover Campylobacter bacteria. I have even seen a case where a person became septic from Brucella abortus. This is dangerous stuff folks, and, depending on any other underlying health conditions can either give you a bellyache from hell or KILL YOU. First off, man was not made to ingest other species' milk. Since we do, we have to pay attention to the harm it can cause.
I wanted so badly to post on that blog on the VicAd but I have gotten to the point where I don't want to waste my breath. There would be radicals from both sides come preaching (literally) at me. I no longer have the patience for it. It would devolve into a pissing match about governmental action or inaction. And, personally, I don't like a "nanny state" government, but unfortunately the government, particularly the FDA, is in my hair and up my ass every day at work. I cannot test certain antibiotics against certain bacteria because the government says I can't. I can't run certain tests the doctor has requested because it doesn't meet medical necessity guidelines put forth by the GOVERNMENT.
But I will say that our food supply is much safer, children do not suffer epidemics of polio, measles, or smallpox anymore due to mandated vaccination programs, and people do not become sick by unpasteurized milk bought in stores any more unless they choose to drink it raw. I still believe in leaving personal choice to the people, but these farms that are touting raw milk as healthier should be sued for false advertising at the very least.
Oh, you say that you drank it as a child with no problems? You know, those little "bellyaches" you had occasionally? Could have been because you ate too much candy. Could have been because of the raw milk. Those little vomiting spells that were chalked up to a virus. Yep, raw milk.
Sorry to take over your blog Mike. I will return it to you now. Carry on.
EA
This morning as I approaced the barricades,I realized how fast the Sam Houston project is coming along it's already in our neighborhood. It never ocurred to me who should get praise for this,the same for the downtown renovations and CAT...I know you are referring to the newspaper and TV coverage and you are yearning for a more balanced approach, with the reporting of failures as well as the small success...I think you are afraid citizens will forget their mistakes and vote them back in office or position.
I am leary at the push for tourism because I don't believe we can make a" silk purse out of sow's ear."We are what we are and have been for several years.
I've read some postings by some that you might be inclined to support..In fact one said that we should forget the Sam Houston project in this economic downturn. Another said no pubic/private venture EVER. ....We really didn't have much of a choice for mayor and we can only vote in our precinct,so all we can do is hope our citizens are informed and involved.
Sugar Magnolia
I know the feeling of not wanting post my opinion because it would just make me a target of attack...They don't even read the contents of the post,they just pick out a sentence and give their slanted interpretation of what I wrote.
I said a few friends drank raw milk but I did not witness that. My grandma always had a yearning for raw milk but since we were city folks;we never granted her wish..:-)
I wish you would have posted this on the forum because it's a well informed statement of the facts.I don't think I'm alone in respecting your medical knowledge,so I wouldn't worry about those ingrates.
It's impossible for you to over post because your comments are most welcomed.
Thank you, Mike for your kind words. That was most unexpected.
Have a happy and safe July 4th!
That last post did not read very well. Let me try it again:
And, I hope you know I didn't mean YOU, MIKE, specifically in this statement:
"Oh, you say that you drank it as a child with no problems? You know, those little "bellyaches" you had occasionally? Could have been because you ate too much candy. Could have been because of the raw milk. Those little vomiting spells that were chalked up to a virus. Yep, raw milk."
I didn't mean you at all. I was speaking generally at those (one in particular on Rusty's blog about the raw milk) that say "I never had any problems growing up drinking raw milk" and so on and so forth.
So, anyhoo, everybody have a good 3-day weekend!
I get you now..Generally speaking..:-)
I absolutely am afraid the voters of Victoria are going to forget what we have had. People do need to be informed, and that is my mission. I expect that the city council elections this coming spring will be interesting, and I can hardly wait!
As to the public/private venture, if you will recall, I think I have a viable plan for the River Walk. I think the City could provide the seed money for the local entrepreneurs to hatch their business. But, the city should not think they are in the real estate. They don't need to be. they don't need to be in the middle of everything.
They ARE busting right along on the Sam Houston project!
EA, we are in complete agreement and I want to reiterate, you are doing an excellent job keeping everyone informed.
There is a raw milk co-op in Victoria. I'll go one step further and say, I honestly don't think we should be drinking cow milk AND that if we should be drinking any milk, it should be human. Which means, to me, there is an age where a human doesn't need to consume milk. =P
Rebecca
I agree ,and if it wasn't for the 2% milk that I put in my cereal, I wouldn't have any milk at all.
When I was a child, I was allergic to a lot of things, to the extent that I had to take shots once a week for a long time. I was violently allergic to milk, so that should have told me something, right. I remember having to eat about 8 to 10 Tums a day to get my calcium growing up, I think my parents should have bought stock in the company, hahaha! So, as a child, I mostly ate oatmeal for cereal, or Cheerios dry as I was also highly allergic to wheat.
It was many years until I could tolerate milk. The allergy shots must have worked because I outgrew all of my allergies, and have none to speak of today. I never got that attached to milk as a result, and will drink it occasionally today, but I really like soy milk. It is very good, and has a longer shelf life.
I will confess: I do love me some buttermilk, though. LOVE it. I think it's the tartness that I like so much. But regular milk - meh. I can take it or leave it.
And, I don't know if it makes any difference, Rebecca, but I was a bottle baby. According to the latest research, I probably didn't build up antibodies and immunities needed as a result, and so I did stay sick a lot as a child. Couldn't have been because both my folks smoked like freight trains, though?! Right. I think really, it was a combination of both. I do believe breast-fed babies are on the whole healthier and not so prone to allergies. So, you are also right. After all, we don't see any other species drinking milk, of their species or any other, once they are weaned, do we? Even cats don't physically tolerate milk very well. I will give my cats specially made commercial cat milk as a treat now and then, but never cow's milk.
I don't know why Cat picked Victoria in particular but the fact that Texas is a right to work state with an anti union reputation had a lot to do with the choice of Texas. Cat has had a lot of trouble with Unions. The unions in Peoria Ill are writing in
their blogs that the Cat employees in Texas will be making less than WalMart in Peoria
I've been tempted to give our cats some milk because I've always seen it done in the movies but my wife never let me.... In the old days they were just cats and dogs, ate scraps and canned food. Now my wife's got her Persian (Pudge) on distilled water and a special food to keep his urinary tract clear...Times have changed.
I had a blood test that came back low on the calcium. My Dr. knew I wasn't going to start drinking milk ,so he put me on vitamin D to prevent osteoporosis.My bone density continues to be low.
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