Remember The 1970's?

Many don't, maybe most. It was when Sally Struthers was selling poverty and sympathy and we were constantly told about all the folks starving in America (by which they meant the U.S.A). Turns out much of that wasn't true and as the truth leaked out, folks might not be getting three squares but they weren't dying of starvation, the message changed to "food insecurity" where it has remained, though the meaning has become malleable. Malleability was key because as greater truths appeared the meaning was modified to suit the agenda and its narrative. Easy Peasy.

The 1970's were also the time of climate alarmists who were able to commandeer headlines and front pages of major magazines. With that much runway, and cautioning from experts who at that time were respected, one might think something would have been done. You might even point to CFC bans and reduction of the ozone holes. But the real problem is that these alarmists were warning of a coming ice age. This is despite the fact that other experts correctly pointed out that we were still in the current ice age. And it was coming to a close. Since then there has been a "expert 180". A pivot to global warming. After a few harsh winters where folks were freezing their collective arses off and paying mightily on global warming causing fossil fuels to boot, the "message" got lost. So we got an upgrade to climate change. This predated full control of media channels so legitimate voices pointed out that the climate has always been changing and would continue to do so. This forced a side step to climate change caused by human activity. 

And that is where we are today. 

The problem is that almost no one wants to do anything about it even though the answer is pretty obvious: reduce human activity. And the easiest way to do that is even more obvious.

There Is Nothing More Unequal...

...than the equal treatment of unequal people. So sayeth Thomas Jefferson (ed: didn't he get cancelled?) thereby making the irony more poignant as this egregious mistreatment has been occurring, for years, at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. For the past few years the educational storm troopers running this otherwise highly ranked school have been withholding notification of National Merit scholar awards from the students and their parents, denying them access to scholarship opportunities. 

Why have they done this?

All in the name of equity. And this can only happen if you become dogmatically devoted to the appearance that excellent students are no different to the struggling stragglers. First must look like worst and to avoid hurt feelings these "educators" will not publicly announce these accomplishments. 

And yet...

How do they make this work with athletics? Do they throw football or basketball games so as not hurt an opponents feelings? Hurt feelings in sports appear to be OK at TJ. Those accomplishments are celebrated. 

So this is just a race to the bottom for academics but not for sports. These "educators" could not be any more clear about their priorities.

Where Is The Power?

This city is out of [our] control. We now have parts of our community signing petitions to block the destruction of their neighborhoods by bureaucrats at city hall. And it seems these bureaucrats have the power:

"According to the residents, although several council members have told the homeowners that they support its removal, the trail remains in the proposed plans."

The citizenry's only tool is the ballot box: our chance to elect proper and faithful representation. Except it doesn't work because the city charter explicitly prevents our elected representatives from direct, operational action. Which is why we get diversionary blather:

“Public input is an important part of master planning for our parks...For the park at Vermack, we began listening to feedback more than a year ago, and we continued that process with Saturday’s open house. We take all comments to heart in working toward a final concept.”

Isn't that nice? Wonderful that a city bureaucrat would lower himself to listen to the little people. But you know what? That "trail" is not coming out of the plan and it is going to get built because there are bigger plans in the works. Far bigger than a parks "master plan."

Ask yourself "what can the mayor or council do?" Then go ask them. If they're honest you will learn that the last time anyone in this city had a vote that mattered it was when the referendum to form the city passed. Since then everything in this city is at the hands of city bureaucrats, a growing band of vandals.

And next year they will sneak in another referendum to raise taxes for a bond that is almost twice the original city budget used in sales pitches for the first referendum. Don't screw this one up.

Happy Holidays From The USPS

Did you hear? The Double-D tag team of Ossock and Warnoff are fixin' to get ready to start getting to the bottom of this. Holding your breath until you see that report? Didn't think so. 

Dare We Hope?

As mentioned earlier, cameras have been cropping up in some interesting places over the last several weeks. Now we have one located at the entrance of the No-Truck zone aimed northbound on Chamblee-Dunwoody Road. This one is situated at a point that the truck [driver] is committed to violating the law (which is never enforced-this IS Dunwoody). 

Even more encouraging is the new camera located on Chamblee-Dunwoody Road just past the intersection with Roberts Road. Being right beside the always ignored No Truck sign is a hopeful sign.

Dare we? Dare we actually hope this may result in someone enforcing the laws that the City Manager and his Police Chief refuse to enforce? 

Shining Path

Not THAT Shining Path, though there may be similarities. No, it is THIS Shining Path, the one hellbent on paving your slice of paradise. With the help of city bureaucrats of course. Oh, and the accelerant on this dumpster fire is your very own tax dollars. 

But the money isn't the real problem. The fact that we hired an army of bureaucrats but not a single one with any relevant domain expertise for this issue or frankly any other--that is the real problem. It is the fact they hire single issue, dogmatic theocrats who see your world through the pinhole vision of their manifest destiny. They built their power and authority around nothing more that "paths are good, more paths are great" and anyone who challenges them is a heretic...an infidel. Even if what they do causes harm to you and yours. You must worship their golden calf even if you have tablets of your own. And you are powerless to resist because they are in an unholy alliance with the aforementioned army of bureaucrats who will overwhelm you with shear numbers. 

This city was promoted on the promise that "we could do better ourselves." Do what exactly? Import outside agendas? Hire "better" (our just more?) consultants? We've certainly done the former but the latter has not served us well. 

This is not the happy path we were promised.

It Was Not Natural Causes

There has been a tragic death. The death of expertise. It wasn't murder...it did not come from without as some have suggested. It was suicide. Perhaps unintentional but suicide nonetheless. Some may suggest it was self-inflicted due to far too many deposits in the bank of bad habits, but there is also now a smoking gun [slinger].

Dr. Anthony Fauci. 

Under a Freedom Of Information Act records request some members of the Fourth Estate, perhaps even some that should be unindicted co-conspirators, demanded the NIH (think: Fauci) release emails regarding the squashing of the Lab-Leak-Theory. And they did. But they were so heavily redacted as to be completely unreadable, bereft of any actual information. Litigation ensued and the courts bitch-slapped Fauci & Co. out of their cover-up and into compliance. The cat is now out of the bag.

As some had suspected and others had leaked through back-channels, the NIAID (the Fauci part of the NIH) had worked decisively to discredit mention of a Lab-Leak possibility with existential threats to any researcher who did not toe the party line of some untraceable natural selection creating the furin site. After all, NIAID (nee Fauci) has almost complete control of world-wide funding for virology research. This, unlike natural selection, is the most plausible explanation for respected, widely published researchers who had entertained the possibility of a Lab-Leak doing a very quick 180 degree turnaround. If Fauci were to merely hint your career is over, it would be. 

Apparently this iron-fisted control and its chilling effect on independent research has been in place for quite some time. So long that research is no longer independent and in fact is not even research, at least not scientific research. It is a herd of followers. Following a fascist dictator because he controls the money. And this is what has assassinated expertise and the laypersons' confidence in anything said by anyone who lays claim to expertise. Especially ones with the hubris to claim that disagreeing with them is disagreeing with science.

In that complete skepticism, that total disbelief, lies our only hope. Fauci will go, as he should, to join the likes of Madoff, Epstein and Ponzi in whatever dark hole history reserves for them. Lest he simply be replaced by a clone the system must change and it will not change from within...change will come because of the relentless, intense disdain that Fauci's actions, throughout his career, have inflicted on the public and ultimately the body politic. Now THAT is infectious.

Like A Good Neighbor...

...Big John's is there.

Properly Permitted And Displayed

Don't you wish other businesses in the Village respected the community as much as Big John's does?

Local Control? Not So Much

The city's proposal to rape the east side of Tilly Mill Road to install one of their nonsensical, misplaced lanes inspired by the Eisenhower Interstate highway system. Oh, yeah and pushed on communities far and wide via the "PATH Foundation"--other people, not from around here, using other people's money coming from god-knows-where and possibly more than just a little of ours.

How local is that? Not very.

Unsurprisingly some really, really local villagers, who are more than a little upset about outsiders paving a slice of their paradise, have come up with a plan that is acceptable to those who actually live there, is far less costly, improves traffic safety and lo and behold, is the epitome of "local control." 

Perhaps a bit too local, eh? Seems like folks at the city are very cool to the idea and are punting to the PATH Foundation for a rinse and repeat. One council-folk even stated that they would devise a plan that "the best interests of the city and its citizens." Unpack that. It is either casual political blather or a surprising dose of honesty. Note that first in line is "best interests of the city" which is the most important thing in this city and we can expect that what the city wants the city will get. So don't expect the plan originating from hyper-local-control to ever be put into place.