Parkway: The Real Problem

In a recent update a City Councilman hinted at a very real problem surfacing in the Parkway kerfuffle.

"... the City ran the risk of blacklisting from future grants if we cancelled the plan completely."

This is a clear statement that we are driven by an ambition to spend other people's money--by way of grants. We at The Other Dunwoody will not entertain the claptrap about how we pay the taxes that fund these grants, or "getting our share", or how if we don't get the grant someone else will. We will simply suggest you research "The Tragedy of the Commons" and start taking some ownership of America and not just your back yard.

This selfishness also blinds us to the key point underpinning this repavement project. Somehow we got backed into a corner and are now presented only with a Hobson's choice.

Now if this situation was created by, at the request of and with the approval of Council 1.0 in an open and transparent manner, then all is well and good and the time for carping and complaining is over. It is now time to act on the plan. If Council 1.0 instituted the plan, began execution and passed the baton to Council 2.0, it is incumbent upon the current Council to take that baton and run with it, not throw it down and whine.

But the carping and complaining remains ceaseless, even on Council, making one question whether Council 1.0 was very involved in the actions that precipitated the "future grant poison pill". If not, then who did this?

The obvious place to look, if you are not the Police Department, would be at those closest to the action: the bureaucrats down at City Hall. Did someone at City Hall take the steps constituting an irrevocable commitment? If so, who did this? Did they have standing authorization to make million dollar commitments on behalf of City taxpayers? If so, this should be fixed immediately.

If this was some deal based on bureaucratic "initiative", as many suspect with Project Renaissance, then Council needs to act, first to terminate the offending bureaucrats and then to amend the process to prevent future disasters.

Double Action Only

After you've gotten past the gun grabber's twisted rhetoric used to support their desire to ignore the US constitution, you may find yourself wondering how the NYPD can have so many terrible shots. What do they do, train to miss?

And this is not the first case where it looked like the NYPD practiced how to shoot with their eyes closed.  Remember Armadou Diallo? Believing Diallo had aimed a gun at them at close range, four officers fired forty one shots, more than half of which went astray as Diallo was hit only nineteen times. As in the most recent case, the officers were not returning fire.

In the Empire shooting, the Boys in Blue blasted out sixteen shots. Whilst they did kill the alleged perp, they also wounded nine bystanders. Now you might argue some were hit by thru and thru-s, but don't you think these should have all been center body shots? Yet witnesses have complained that the officers appeared to "fire randomly". The anti-gun crowd spins this nicely, claiming if well-trained LEO's can't hit the broad side of a barn just imagine how bad an untrained licensee would be when they go "all OK-corral" on you.

This slyly lays out the proposition that all LEO's are well trained and no law abiding licensees are trained at all. Yet some states (GA is not one) require training to obtain a firearms license and many gun owners train without any government inducement or requirement. Some have even claimed that is the primary reason they own a gun--range time. And not every licensee goes "OK-corral" at every opportunity. Remember the Giffords shooting? Turns out that alleged perp was taken down by an armed, legally carrying licensee who chose to physically restrain the shooter--not gun him down.

But these left-wing-nuts do touch on an interesting topic: are all our police adequately trained? Probably not. Some officers are certainly capable marksmen who would not feel the need to empty the magazine thru the barrel when confronted just as there are folks from a variety of other walks of life who are well trained and just as, if not more, capable. Do yourself a favor and visit the Sandy Springs Gun Club and see for yourself.

It is unlikely we will ever know how well the NYPD trains its officers, but we do know one thing, the NYPD ensures it is virtually impossible for their officers to fire their weapons with any kind of accuracy.

How do they do this? Glad you asked.

First they require the service sidearm be Double Action Only. If you need a description, use Google, but the impact on accuracy is as well known as it is destructive. Since this can be overcome with thousands of rounds of training, NYPD is forced to go the extra mile requiring that all service sidearms be adjusted to a twelve pound trigger pull. Most manufacturers, shooters and gunsmiths recommend no less than four and no more than six pound pull--YMMV.

Law enforcement agencies, NYPD being the most notorious,  require a very heavy trigger on their issue service pistol for liability reasons. The silly reasoning seems to revolve around the notion that if it is hard to pull the trigger, you won't shoot so much. If you believe taking guns from law abiding citizens and leaving them only in the hands of criminals makes the world a safer place, then this logic probably resonates. For the rest of us...not so much.

When it takes six times the weight of the loaded weapon the pull the trigger it becomes virtually impossible to maintain accuracy under stress, leading to misses and the "spray and pray" tactic demonstrated recently in NYC. Ironically this increases the danger to the very citizens the police are sworn to protect. This is why over half the bullets fired missed Diallo and nine bystanders were wounded taking down Johnson.

All the NYPD has done is prove once again that a mechanical device is a poor substitute for ongoing training and safe gun handling.

Too Cute

How can we possibly remain one of the minority of states treating seventeen year old criminals as adults? Prison time for shoplifting should certainly be reserved for the eighteen and over crowd, right?

And just look at the poster child, literally, for this heinous over-reach of our criminal justice system:

Isn't she just adorable?!?

But WAIT! There's more!

What about this sweet seventeen beauty?

He is merely accused, accused mind you, not convicted, of beating a woman to a pulp. Yet he may well be saddled with a criminal record that will haunt him the rest of this life. What a tragedy!

Or how about this little darlin'?

This seventeen year old Lafayette GA high school student will be dogged the rest of his life because over zealous authorities mistook his little prank as a bomb threat.

Next thing you know our pandering "tough on crime" politicos will be sending our children straight to Gitmo.

This simply must stop. Now.

Fight the Right Fight

The Georgia State Constitution clearly states:

"The provision of an adequate education for the citizens shall be a primary obligation of the State of Georgia, the expense of which shall be provided for by taxation."

 We're not here to quibble over "adequate" nor will we remark on how one might parse "citizens" to exclude non-citizens. This is about an upcoming opportunity for the Georgians to amend the constitution to allow the State a new mechanism by which State taxation can be used to provide an adequate education.

This can be viewed as a supplement to the well-entrenched system now in place that uses State funding along with local and Federal monies to take their bite at the education apple. Many, some say far too many, make a living on this system and they vehemently disagree as they are not willingly to relinquish any money nor the power it provides. The State, which carries the constitutional mandate, is offering taxpayers the opportunity to tell their local school system  "it ain't adequate", and if they so choose to petition the State to establish a school a bit more "local" than the current district provides.

 While it is true that the State could, even without the amendment, authorize charter schools "independent" of the local districts, the authorizing office represents the superintendents more than the citizens and some have questioned just how "independent" that office really is. Recent statements from that office only fan the flames.

For decades  the entrenched education establishment has struggled to create a positive impression but has been unable to evade ingrained corruption, scandals and indictments. The character, capabilities and philosophies permeating this industry, from the preparatory colleges, to post employment training, to textbook industry, to ancillary services (building, busing, etc.), to the very classroom itself have created a system that is all, and now only,  about the money. While this is foundational, the duration of the status quo combined with the procession of incestuous generations of "educators" has created a culture of entitlement so powerful that corruption is pervasive: cheating in the classroom, textbook kickbacks, inexplicable IT operations, and unseemly diversion of contract funds. It goes on and on.

Ironically, in the one part of our society that seems to flit from experiment to experiment as if after hundreds of years they've not quite figured out how to teach children arithmetic, we have the one proposal that would otherwise fit the "we must try SOMETHING" paradigm except for one thing--money. Simply because of ego clashes over which appointed bureaucrat or out of touch politician gets to control OUR money this becomes the educational beach to die on. It is an undignified squabble that should be, but is not, beneath both parties.

Woodrow Wilson, Paul Sayre and Henry Kissinger have at one time or another observed "that one of the reasons academic infighting is so vicious is that the stakes are so small." The argument over which corruptible entity is most accountable and to whom seems to be a rather small issue in the context of our society's growing ignorance, illiteracy and innumeracy.

Sex Trade In Dunwoody

The title got your attention, didn't it?

WTF is wrong with you people? Two posts from many, many moons ago see continual traffic from the rather disturbing group of folks that seem to find this site via search engines. What is disturbing is they seem most interested in searching for "boobs" and the "f-bomb" right here in Dunwoody.

One post, a perennial favorite, has the keyword "boobs" in the title. This turns out to be the third or fourth definition of that word, to wit "the boobs down at City Hall doing an end-around the constitution to ensure there are not now and never will be any naked female breasts in these here parts. What is really funny is that there is a post that links to a video of courageous women baring their breasts for the "greater good". This post gets no traffic whatsoever. It must not show up in searches for "boobs in Dunwoody".

There also seems to be a rather childish obsession with the F-bomb. One can only imagine giggly readers ROFL-ing over the STFU diatribe regarding DeKalb County Schools. Yet there is another post with serious game changing suggestions that like the aforementioned "greater good" post has seen no traffic in over a year.  Maybe the Convention and Visitors Bureau should be concerned about the number of Google searches for "Eff-ing Dunwoody" instead of "Smart City".

So, to ensure that seekers of the sex trade in Dunwoody get the real story, "boobs" will be one of the labels on this post. It is up to the reader to disambiguate and determine if it is relates to the content of the post or the silliness of the seeker.

Silly Buss

Dunwoody Government 101

1. Overview and Objectives
   The student will explore the motivations behind operating a City including gaining access to other people's money, the fungibility of ethics, manipulating contracts for power and profit, creating a para-military force, and getting all up in other people's business. This session will lay the foundation for deeper exploration of the intricacies of city politics, politicians and bureaucrats.
2. Finance
   We'll explain the difference between taxes and mandated fees and explore successful methods used to convince citizens they are much different than they really are. How we soak businesses for every possible penny. Learn about grant applications and how to sell anything as a good thing if "free money" is involved. Find out how a loan is not really a loan if you say it isn't. 
3. Operations
   Learn how ancillary organizations (e.g., Convention and Visitor's Bureau) are used to funnel money to Friends and Family. Gain insight into using "Penny Shy" contracts to grow and centralize your power while avoiding approval and oversight. See how branding can help you make new friends and write new contracts. Advanced topics include "consummating deals before the public knows about it", "the power gained by public involvement in real estate". 
4. Zoning, Codes and Enforcement
   We'll explain why codes applied to citizens vary in rigor relative to those applied to politicians. Learn how enforce-on-complaint empowers bureaucrats to do what they want, when they want. Real world examples include using the "boil a frog" method to slowly but continually re-write ordinances eliminating individual and property rights and how avoiding writing ethics procedures keeps politicians in office. 
5. Police
   Covering the basics we'll look at how a force is established and operated without a training academy. Next we look at growth opportunities on both sides of the ledger but with emphasis on revenue generation. Students will study the importance of expensive toys and junkets, and how these are justified. Recent events will be analyzed to demonstrate how significant failings are spun as justification for more money. We finish with a hands-on exercise to create "The Most Bodacious Uniform" to be the highlight of a mini-parade in the department ATV. 
6. Public-Private Partnerships
   Explore the subtle differences between PPP and cronyism as well as how this is portrayed in a favorable light. Gain the skills required to be an insider and eligible for PPP participation. Learn how a bureaucrat leverages PPP engagements for personal gain. Hands-on exercises to ensure students understand you don't inhale when smoking a big fat cigar and tips on finding the best single-malt scotch. Additional fees will apply.
7. Citizen Involvement
   Using citizen involvement to co-opt and silence critics. Understand how to restrict citizen involvement to PR activities and learn how to prevent erosion of contracting opportunities for Friends and Family. Critical coverage on the topic of limiting Citizen Involvement to reports and advisement without any real authority.
8. Becoming a Politician
   Explore the malleability of truth and the avoidance of consequences. Dispel the myths surrounding "transparency" and "accountability". Understanding that "service" is what all prostitutes provide. Unravel the paradox of "one hand washing the other" all the while "the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing". Special topics include "Adhering to the Letter While Skirting the Intent" as it applies to laws and ethics requirements and "How to Always Be Right, Especially When You're Wrong".

See you there!

Coyote Sighted in Dunwoody

We interrupt our usual rants and diatribes for a public service announcement.

Tina Tiede was chased down her street by what has been described as either a large coyote or small wolf. And no, it wasn't Al---we're being serious here--it was a coyote. It is not clear at this point if there are two or the same animal was sighted twice.

BOLO.

Politicos, Police and Propaganda

In response to the never-ending attacks on and around Atlanta college campuses the powers that be created a Task Force. And what we get from this Task Force is what we get from every other Task Force: a report.

This report would not be complete without the little nugget that every official Atlanta statement on crime includes: "There's no crime here in the A-T-L, there is just the perception of crime". Explicitly:

Though campuses are safer, the criminals have become more brazen, creating "a perception that students are at an increased risk," according to the report.

Really? Just a perception, eh? What about this inconvenient truth from the AJC:

In July, a 20-year-old undergraduate awoke in his Tech dormitory room to find two men stealing his laptop, cell phone and wallet.

"Move, and I'll shoot you dead," one of the suspects told the victim at gunpoint, according to a Tech police report.

Seriously, how can any responsible member of our community, especially officials, contend that being threatened with death by an armed intruder in your own home is merely a "perception"? And this is by no means an outlier:

That incident came a little more than a week after three other students were mugged off-campus by armed thieves.

Were they really mugged, or did they just perceive they were mugged? Should we just perceive taxes and not really pay them until we get significantly less perceived crime? Perhaps the State Legislature can step up and empower potential victims to help these thugs perceive they are in real danger of losing their lives whenever they attack.

Or maybe Atlanta should consider an effective Police Force instead of a pandering Task Force. Until then let the next "report" we hear be that of a potential victim protecting themselves.

Brookhaven Yes! To Run New City

It should come as no surprise, but the folks operating under the label "Brookhaven Yes!" will indeed be running the new city. As reported in the AJC they have established many a Task Force to assess various aspects of how the City will be run. But before you ask, the answer is: No, you cannot have access to any documents or meetings until and unless they bloody well feel like it.

You see, all that transparency stuff like open records requests and open meetings only applies to government operations, and Brookhaven Yes! isn't a government. Yet.

There are a few rays of hope. First, by not opening these meetings to the public and following the requirements that will soon be applied to the real city the members of this group who are running for political office may take a serious hit. Mistrust seems a significant factor in politics these days.

And the Governor, though he has yet to act and may be stalling, will appoint a commission to coordinate the efforts of city formation. At that point there will be a legitimate government entity involved and to the extent that entity does anything it will be subject to open meeting and records law. Or it will be subject to legal action.

To date these advocacy non-profits have been hiding behind their corporate shields. That is about to change.

Mo' Betta Dunwoody

Recently The Other Dunwoody has seen a resurgence of interest in More Dunwoody Than You which can be attributed to a reference in another blog's post. A blog folks actually read. That post seems related to observations of a Dunwoody schism betwixt Old Farts Who Will Not Change and Young Folks Too Busy To Care.

Some think this is a problem to be solved. Perhaps. But it is also the kind of problem that will resolve itself if the Young Folks can marshal the patience to relax to a solution.

As nature takes its course the Old Farts will predecease the Young Folks. Before that it is very likely the Old Farts will simply leave, moving on to a better place while remaining amongst the living. There are many such places. All the while the Young Folks will become the next Old Fart cohort. Then these neo-Old Farts will start bitching about the next round of youngsters who want to change everything just when they got things about they way they like it.