The Ruins of Trenton

Trenton Mayor Douglas H. Palmer agreed with the lawsuit threat of a city staffer aimed at silencing a city resident Wednesday, saying he supported the decision of Assistant Business Administrator Dennis Gonzalez to send a letter threatening legal action to a Trenton resident who had questioned Gonzalez's dismal record on bringing revitalization projects to Trenton.

According to the Times of Trenton, Mayor Palmer said, "No one can afford to take lightly insinuations of wrongdoing made without any factual basis or specifics."

But the citizen in question, Zachary Chester, never made any insinuations of wrongdoing, while simply calling Mr. Gonzalez's ability to properly perform his job into question.

Mayor Palmer also used the convenient excuse of chalking up Mr. Chester's actions to mere political aspirations.

"There appears to be a trend developing by people who are willing to say anything in pursuit of their own political aspirations, including attacking the integrity of others under the guise of civic activism," said Mayor Palmer in a statement in the Times of Trenton. "That sort of thing should concern us all."

What should concern everyone who supports American democracy is the the attempted suppression of citizen dissent by the actions of a tyrannical political machine in one of America's more run-down cities.

In American democracy, citizens have the right to call the abilities of their public officials into question at any time, without fear of suppression or threat to their lives and families, according to sources familiar with the First Amendment and democracy.

But the Palmer administration does not operate under the fundamentals of American democracy, and instead supports a more tyrannical form of government where the goings-on of the government are kept behind a wall of silence so impenetrable that not even City Council members can get the information they need to craft legislation, according to the Web site of Councilman Jim Coston.

In a further breach of the checks and balances of American government, anonymous sources said Trentonian columnist and Palmer supporter L.A. "Palmer" Parker has contacted Mr. Chester and informed him about the mayor's stance on the issue

Despite the fact that the media is supposed to serve as the fourth estate - in a position to protect the American public from the transgressions of evil political leaders - this Trentonian columnist is relaying the venom of this vindictive mayor of New Jersey's capital city and his administration lackeys, anonymous sources said.

L.A. Parker has also reported Mayor Palmer's opintion that Mr. Chester is a political opportunist who simply makes statements in the guise of performing civic duties in the August 22 Trentonian.

Good night Trentonians, and good luck.