L.A. Parker apparently doesn’t care about the plight of many Trentonians or good race relations, despite his public positions.
This man's sole reason for existence is as a big distraction, meant to lure away attention from the fact that Mayor Palmer is one of the biggest disasters that ever happened to Trenton.
Whatever his stated positions, this man is actually hurting all Trentonians through his constant playing of the race card for purely political purposes, as evidenced by yesterday’s Trentonian column attacking opponents of Mayor Douglas H. Palmer like the Trenton Residents Action Coalition.
In it, the fuming Mr. Parker attacks from many different angles, comparing unnamed bloggers like myself to members of the Ku Klux Klan and even going as far as to accuse a black member of TRAC, James Fouse, of being a “token” black man.
Mr. Parker has also taken the position that TRAC members are racists, which is absolutely ridiculous.
The fact is that TRAC has never done anything out of racial motivations and our members, who are all Trenton residents, are not racists. Although there are probably a few racists living in Trenton, it always seems highly unlikely that a racist would ever choose to live in Trenton, where whites represent less than 20 percent of the 83,000 people living in the city.
He also struggled to paint a picture of hyprocrisy yesterday, and his idiotic arguments demonstrated that he does not think very highly of the intellects of his readership.
Mr. Parker tried to say that a lack of outrage over the residency of the current fire director and police Capt. Fred Reister, who was briefly acting police director, was an indicator of hypocrisy. But all that lack of outrage showed was a superior knowledge of state law, which exempts both men from residency requirements.
Mr. Parker tried to paint Mayor Palmer's opponents as hypocrites for pointing out the man recently named police director is a convicted felon, while staying silent on a restraining order that was put on one TRAC member many years ago.
Sorry L.A., but you already outed that particular TRAC member, and he is not the police director. His past, non-criminal record has little to do with anything.
The disturbing thing about these tirades is that, besides bordering on libel, they are also truly reminiscent of the tactics used by bigots and hate mongers like Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. They even harken back to the politics of fear used so successfully by such antichrists as Adolf Hitler.
Like these evil men, Mr. Parker uses the false pretenses of fear, in this case prejudice and racism, to obfuscate the reality that Mayor Palmer and the people in power are ruining the city and are dragging Trentonians of all races into an economic and social abyss.
No one really knows why Mr. Parker does this.
There are the unsubstantiated rumors that Mayor Palmer has “dirt” on Mr. Parker, perhaps from his younger days, or that maybe Mr. Parker is being compensated for the constant Palmer spin that is applied to nearly every newspaper article written by Mr. Parker.
Whatever the case is, the only thing Mr. Parker is succeeding in doing is impeding progress in Trenton, and that’s because his work helps keep Mayor Palmer in power by helping to keep the mayor’s enemies marginalized, and in a weakened state.
But the recent residency defeat of the mayor over his police director and other defeats of the past year sometimes point to a weakening of the mayor, and even a weakening of Mr. Parker.
Never was that more evident than at a civic meeting last week in the North Ward, where an overwhelmingly black group of residents expressed a strongly negative opinion of Mayor Palmer, The Trentonian, and especially Mr. Parker, calling the paper and the columnist racist, and damaging to the cause of black Americans.
There is hope in Trenton.
Friday, October 10, 2008
The ultimate distraction
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2 comments:
In today's Trenton Times Mayor Palmer is quoted as saying the plaintiffs wanted to go back to the "good ol' boy days so that their "cronies" would be in charge of the city.
That statement is very interesting since at least one of the plaintiffs, Greg Forrester, is only 25 years old, and I doubt he remembers much of the "good ol' days." If so, he was only 7 y/o at the time Palmer was elected. In fact, he hails from West Windsor and only recently has moved into Trenton. I venture to say more of the plaintiffs do not recall what is was like here when times were really good, or pre Palmer and pre Art Holland. But April of 1968 was the real turning point for the worse. I lived it and it is a time in history I hoped we never would experience again.
But with the race accusations flying out there, some are forgetting that history fast. But isn't that what usually happens. Even 9/11 is becoming a distant memory with everyone happily going on as if that could never again happen. We all must be vigilant in uncertain times. An extreme example is Time magazine named Hitler man of the year just prior to WW2. If we all go on partying or forgetting about yesterday never happeneded is when 'they' (terrorists, whomever) are at an advantage and us very vulnerable. I recall someone on CNN back in Sept '01 say the radical Muslim terrorists know how to wait for the right time. They have no timetable.
I know for a fact Mr Forrester is no racist. He is someone who would drop any friend like a hot coal at the very hint of hate for any of opposite race. He's someone though who had enough insight to see the forest for the trees or city hall for the corruption and secrets which remain 'guarded' inside its hallowed walls. I fail to see what interest any law firm has in this suit but upholding the law, just as where all of the TRAC members' interests lie. But seriously, it is mainly them now sacred walls on E State where you, Mayor Palmer, et al have turned into a sanctuary for yourself and your cronies. A place where residents here practically need get on a bended knee to have a word with you. Chauffeured and wined and dined too long at our expense. You have no business in Africa or Florida. You can do no good there at all. Your job is here. Who the hell do you think you are, the freaking incarnation of a king from medieval times? If anything, you are a manipulative con artist by duping the citizens into voting for you.
For LA Parker or Palmer to think this suit is a race issuse is preposterous.
Of course Palmer cannot say race is the motivation for the lawsuit, as he stated in the Times. In 1990 and every election thereafter it was the whites who kept on voting for you every four years because they believed in you as the one person who could turn this place around just like the good old days. Not enough blacks cared about you or even knew of you then. You wouldn't have had to get the 'word out' about you en masse. By hiring hoards of low paid people down on their luck to hold up posters on about every street corner in support of someone few here knew of made it look like you were the only one out there for picks. That poster campaign tactic might be the biggest ever, anywhere.
Since when is trying to enforce the residency laws connected to one's race? This police director is another lousy choice.
The citizens of any place, not just here, feel more comfortable when their leaders live along side them. It makes sense as it hardly promotes a sense of security, belief and love for a domain when you have the administrators living their life several towns away from the very people who voted them in. I mean, what is the impression people get? Right now, hardly everyone knows about how very poorly this city is run. That is the only issue; not race How this place is managed is key. I don't care who is running the city as long as they are good, honest people, keep my family safe and make it affordable. It's not about how much anyone loves the leaders either. The cop director may be a nasty SOB but I could care less if he gets the job done so I may walk these streets safely. Some people with rotten personalities do a great job nevertheless. But it made sense to hire a director within the ranks since they have years of experience in this city, not Newark or East Orange. Palmer was seeking revenge in not hiring a cop with experience right here at home. That's dirty politics.
A city or town is not the same as a corporation in this way. A company president or CEO may live anywhere they choose. That is private industry and this is public. Public means people. People have 24/7 needs. This city is a 24/7 operation and people feel safer when their mayor and department heads are right here with us to address any problem at any time. We deserve no less. Residents need straightforward answers to questions, and strong accountability for political actions because this public pays you all too well. See, the people owe you nothing. You owe us everything. That's what make this so unlike any corporation.
There exists a gross rip off here in the price of living here though. The public must pay this price when you fail on a project or make bad decisions. And believe me, you all have failed us to the tune of thousands of dollars per year where it hurts so bad people are departing in droves.
The latest census as of 2007, 82, 804. In 1990, 88,675--over 6000 people have left Trenton. That number comprises that of a small town.
Some people always look for the most convenient excuse as to confuse the misinformed of the facts.
The notion of HizzMajesty King Douglas whining about people wanting their "cronies" to run the City is freakin' hysterical!
Has HMKD ever heard the one about the pot and the kettle?
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