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.

What's On A Website?

Have you used the city's website? Lately? Pretty slim pickings, eh?

If you need proof, cruise on over to the calendar, search for the upcoming special called meeting being held at Vintage Pizza and click on that link. Now muddle around to get to the agenda. Three items: Call To Order;  Dunwoody Village Planning Discussion; and Adjournment. For funsies click on the Planning Discussion for item details. Spoiler alert: all you will get is "Dunwoody Village Planning Discussion." Maybe if they cannot post a proper agenda and meeting materials they shouldn't be having this meeting. Not now. But, it would be worth attending just to see how much alcohol is involved in the "planning" that goes on in this city.

If that didn't steam your broccoli check out the PD request for public feed back. The online form is "unobvious" and once you get there it is far from a solicitation of your views and opinions. Instead it is limited to two questions: what are we doing great; and where could we improve? And before you submit you must agree to "Terms and Conditions" which you can read before you submit by clicking a link. Or can you? You will get a pop up window with this text: "By using the Social Pinpoint Mapping Tool you are taken to have accepted these Terms and Conditions set out below." Only one problem...there is nothing below. So does that mean there are NO T's and C's? Or are they just lying about their existence and hiding the details? At least the survey is operating as well as anything else in this city and definitely NOT at internet speed.

Paint The Town

Normally this would be followed by "red," but this is Dunwoody so...no. Apparently some folks think Dunwoody in its original condition, Williamsburg 4-4-and-a-door brickers, is far too red. So the bureaucrats down at city hall (NOT brick, NOT red) have decided to paint this town white. Now this is all based on a conversation overheard by a friend of TOD in a city hall restroom but you can rest assured this is much, much more than potty talk. They mean business. There is some serious "incentivizing" going down.

It started when Berkshire-Hathaway came to town. Out came the white wash. Faster than Tom's fence those red bricks were one shade of white. Next was the pizza joint that never was and now is urgent care. Did we really need yet another pizza joint in Da Ville? Really? Then right across the street we see a bank/dry-cleaner blanched into a Chipotle. A white one. Now, what once was a red brick Whopper shop is now, you guessed it, white washed. NFA is looking to build a larger place attached to the Chevron. Think it will be red brick to match the existing structure? Not a chance. It is far more likely that city bureaucrats will impose a requirement that the existing bricks get a heavy coat of white paint. 

These bureaucrats cannot be stopped and won't be happy until the brick chimney at the farmhouse is just as white as the house itself. This is scorched earth cultural genocide. And it has some folks really pissed off. Apparently the local BLM club, the very same folks who defaced the obelisk, are fixin' to git ready to do something because they consider this white washing to remove all remnants of color to be a "macro aggression." No one knows for certain what they have planned but everyone is pretty sure it will involve lawyers and lots of money. The city may well end up spending more on legal fees, compensation and court costs than the police chief has cost us with his high jinks.

Holiday Job Opportunity

 

Happy PATH...

...or maybe not so much.

First we gotta get our terms straight. Is this a "walking" path or a "multi-use" path. We need to know because these are radically different creatures. And, just to be very clear, these aren't what anyone who spends much time in the great out-of-doors would consider a path. These are paved lanes and in the case of the "multi-use" variant they can be as wide as an interstate lane.  

Apparently these things have become somewhat contentious. Some have suggested that one council-folk is showing favoritism when it comes to the location of Tilly Mill Road paving and the change to the other side of the road ups the cost by $700K. This particular council-folk denies the charge claiming to "have made a concerted effort to not discuss this issue at all with the other council members." So? Like council members or the mayor are in charge of this? Really? Have you not been paying ANY attention? The real question is whether or not there has been communications with the city bureaucrats (who are really in charge) that would influence this enormously expensive change. Any of those folk friends and family? 

It gets better. Another council-folk went on a 10 minute rant about the issue, even pushing up council comments to have a say. Lots to unpack. Council gets open-ending comment time? Hmmm...mere resident taxpayers only get a very limited chance to voice their concerns. So exactly who is serving who in this scenario? This must be the operational definition of "distinction" plastered on the side of city patrol vehicles. 

Both council-folk are dodging the real issue: who, EXACTLY WHO, and we need a name here, decided we simply must have these "paths" in the first place? And WHO can rescind this ill-conceived decision? And why aren't council-folk demanding this nonsense be stopped? And exactly who, staff bureaucrats, friends and family, whomever,  benefits from all this? Is this just more grant-grubbing nonsense?

One thing we know for sure: no one at city hall has the character or integrity to put these crazy things up for a vote. We, the voters, are only ever allowed one referendum, that ill-fated first one and we blew it.

Happy (Belated) Birthday

 

Mableton Maybe?

Voters in Mableton have approved the cityhood referendum and the voices from both sides are singing the same hymns as those who've come before. The pro choir have dropped the verse about a city police force which is interesting as this new city will be the largest in Cobb County. Perhaps they watched the dumpster fire that is the Dunwoody PD and decided to pass on that one. The anti choir is saying they'll be watching, especially on the pro's commitment to not raise taxes (a lie from the get-go), but everyone knows the proposed budgets were unadulterated bullshit and while they may not raise the millage rate for the first few years, taxes will increase. As will the general cost of living due to fees.

One thing does set "Mableton" apart: geographically it isn't what was commonly thought of as Mableton as the cartographers have sucked much of south Cobb into the newly imagined city. This includes areas which are at least under developed or ripe for re-purposing from aging industrial to something else. This could happen organically (think: artists' village) but before Mableton sends their second tax bill there will be a Mableton Developer Authority handing out tax breaks to boost the profits of developers. An argument might even be made that a five-on-two that will be dilapidated in 8-10 years actually is an improvement over brown-field that already IS dilapidated. Just doesn't fit the recycle-repurpose-reuse paradigm of the eco-minded. 

Mableton, we're gonna miss ya.

You Have To Wonder

Now that she is convicted and her extortion is a matter of public record you have to wonder how she pulled this off. How exactly did she coordinate this? How did she keep in touch? Maybe, and this is just a guess, but maybe she used her personal cell phone. Seems like one reason to avoid formal communication channels. Looks like it didn't work out so well. Maybe there IS hope for Dunwoody too.