Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Cum One, Cum All.

Viewing the latest poll results, a soothing calm of absolute revelation spilled over me like thick green paint dripping down old wood beneath a heavily overloaded brush. I finally understood. Like a horse at a Clinton Anderson symposium, I licked and chewed. "Hey! I GET IT!" I've conducted several polls on the Bradbury Buzzz and of the handful daring enough to state their position, each time several crazy participants voted in favor of needing/wanting/must have more sex offenders in Onamia. Yes, I'm aware that these people are freakishly stupid. Why wish for more sex offenders in their already over-sex-offendered community? But these NEXUS/MLA Supporters are REALLY BENT on providing new ball fields, a new gymnasium, a new school.... only the best for our twisted toddler twiddlers. (Pay no never-mind to their felony convictions - we all make mistakes, after all.) Not only are these Pro-preverts prepared to make the People pay for their prized pud-pullers, they are actually willing to self-sacrifice - to "donate" through hiked-up taxes themselves in order to keep dangerous deviants in our community. Now that's dedication!

Showered with such realization, and in a moment of rather hysterical glee, I made a personal decision, knowing that The City of Onamia WILL grant tax abatement to that undeserving corporation, no matter how many citizens are opposed. They have their own agenda. They are unstoppable. Therefore........ If I can't beat 'em, why not join 'em? Maybe I'm the one being stupid - about not needing/wanting/must having to congregate with sex offenders. Maybe the nutty townsfolk are right. Maybe I'm just not kinky. (Personally, I've never felt the urge to molest anybody. And I was a teacher... Perhaps I need counseling.) Maybe I just haven't see the light... Maybe I've been a little selfish in trying to protect my simple way of life, dull as it might be. Now, I'm being GIVEN an opportunity to widen my horizons. I'm being GRANTED the PRIVILEGE of living with criminal Sex Offenders! A heck of a deal! Maybe EVERYONE in Onamia should have the same opportunity which has been so generously bestowed upon me. Let's spice up this quiet little podunk town. YES! If my "friends" across the Rum prefer sex offenders to non-sex offenders, I say: Okay! Count me in! I'm joining your team! Let's go for it! To quote their fuhrer- another freakishly stupid twit-wit: BRING 'EM ON!

The Internet is a wonderful thing. With online sex offender registries, I believe that I can collect enough hard-core Level 3 Sex Offenders to fill the town. Normal communities shun these poor, troubled convicts, preferring to protect their honest, hard-working good citizens instead. They won't allow sex offenders into their communities. Go figure! Fortunately, Onamia is BACKWARDS! Onamia shuns their citizens in favor of the criminals - (i.e. large corrupt corporations and the sex offenders they cater to.) Many poor, troubled inmates can't find a place to live after serving prison time for rape, sexual assault, child molestation, etc. They become outcast outmates just looking for love. You see, normally, nobody wants them. But here? Shucks! Wow-ee-oh-boy! When I spread the news about how Onamia needs/wants/must have more sex offenders, I guarantee a virtual PILGRIMAGE to our area. It should please the Do-gooders who just want to help make life better for the poor, troubled Sex Offenders.

I'm kind of looking forward to my new project. It will be fun. Like Online Shopping!

I'm not naive. Too often I've witnessed wrong beat right, evil triumph over good, and what should not happen happen... More than likely, NEXUS - the Evil Empire will overwhelm the wee folk and the innocent woodland creatures as they bulldoze their way across the border, ripping and tearing into our R1 zone, permanently scarring our beloved landscape with their ugly, gigantic Small Footprint. Maybe its time I too embraced an alternative lifestyle and joined in the ever-popular Pervert Parade. I don't want to be a loser.

I admit it: I'd been looking forward to hopefully restoring Peace and Order to Hyrule. I longed for the Common Decency of yesteryear. I wanted nothing more than to resume my retirement, disappearing once again into the ranks of the obscure and forgotten. I pined for the Good Old Days where I would perch by the peaceful pond, trying to block out the intrusive sounds of the nonstop BOOM BOOM BOOM of hunters' gunfire. Now we can all look forward to at least a couple of years of the constant BEEP BEEP BEEP of backing backhoes. And then the BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP of the boys' noise - forever.

And Dear Readers, I'm sure that you know by now that with Hannabelle on the OTHER side, you will be assured of acquiring a plethora of the most despicable Level 3 Sex Offenders available. Maybe even some famous ones! Life will be much more interesting after NEXUS build's it's new facility in MY neighborhood. Watch YOUR neighborhood grow too!

I know.... I know.... You still have doubts. But I figure Tit for Tat. You have done so much for me.... You promised me 94 sex offenders. You're saddling me with higher taxes to pay for them. You're lowering my property values PLUS making sure my farm is unsalable, so in essence - you're making sure that Hannabelle will never leave. I take that as a compliment - that you want to keep your Hannabelle... Thanks! You've already ruined my life. You've made sure that Hannabelle has nothing left to lose. AND you've done it all in such an incredibly short time. Kudos!

After all you have done, I think its only fair that I give back to my community. Don't you? Tits for tats, after all. (And you can sure expect LOTS OF TATS cumming to Onamia.)
So hurry up and build your sex offender institution. Let the fun begin.
______________
Remember the old:
I scream
You scream
We all scream
for ice cream!
________________
Hannabelle's version:
I scream
You scream
We all scream.
The End




Friday, September 21, 2007

The Golden Rule of Thumb

I was raised to follow The Golden Rule. You know, the one that says: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I think that's the way the saying goes in Bible-speak. In other words, treat people the way you want to be treated. I never had to work at this. It came naturally to me. I respect the rights of others, and expect that they respect mine. I don't mess in other people's business and expect in return that they leave me alone. It was a plan that should have worked. I followed the Rule. For years I colored within my lines, undisturbed. Suddenly there was Jim D'Angelo, reaching over and scribbling on my paper. He ruined my picture.

The Golden Rule teaches us how to behave; how we should behave. What are we supposed to do with people who don't follow the Golden Rule? How do you deal with people who treat you in a way you would NEVER treat them? Do you turn the other cheek? Or do you go for an eye for an eye?
_____________________________________________
That old Golden Rule just may be the root of my indignation. In the past five months, I have had one person after another treat me in ways I would never treat anyone; in ways I couldn't have imagined possible in America. That arouses a consuming "How dare they?!" in me that results in a perpetual state of frustration - because so many individuals are breaking The Rule. They aren't playing by The Rule. And in the case of the Nexus/Onamia takeover, they are breaking a whole lot of rules besides The Golden one- including city ordinances and Minnesota State Law. Their Philosophy: Rules are for other people. They don't apply to us. Rules are meant to be broken - especially if there is money involved.
________________________________________
So what's a Law-bider to do? Sure, under normal circumstances I could probably turn the other cheek; three others if you count the lower two. But I only have one life. You can't "turn the other life". Nor can I "turn the other farm." I only have one of those too.

Imagine my anguish when I realized that the Rule-breakers were so plentiful in Onamia. The Rule-breakers here are strong, and they've bought and paid for a shitload of followers. To me, supporting the Rule-breakers is the same as being a Rule-breaker yourself. Like being an accomplice to a crime. And what Nexus and the Onamia city council are doing is criminal. It is shameful.

Unless you have no sense of shame. Then its "nothing personal. Its business." That's what the shameless mayor told me. The sacrifice of so many families is nothing but "Business"??? I never realized how many people lack a conscience. Nope. No Golden Rule in the House of Milton.

As I stated before, turning the other cheek doesn't work with these Rule-breakers. The more you give, the more they take. You can't reason with them. First of all, they won't talk. Secondly, they won't listen. They are unreasonable. And the aggressiveness with which they have persisted in invading our .... LIVES..... (it is now much more than just invading our neighborhood) is beyond my golden-rule-mentality. "WHAT ABOUT THE RULE?" I cry. They are not only breaking The Golden Rule, they're sticking the sharp, broken shards up our collective asses - right between the cheeks we'd gladly turn if only they would back off and go away.

Although I'm not generally "an eye for an eye" type of gal, there are ways to fight back against the Rule-breakers. I can sound the alarm. I can shout "THE SKY IS FALLING! THE SKY IS FALLING!" and unlike Chicken Little, it really is, folks. I can out them. When I cry "WOLF!", there really is a wolf. And Grandma, what Big Teeth it has! The trick is to get the sheep to heed the warning. Removing the wool from their ears is no easy task. They don't want to KNOW. They prefer to BELIEVE.

What can a Law-bider do? Armed with the Truth and a mighty keyboard, I can expose them for what they are. I can squeal. I can alert. I can warn. Together, we can hold the Rule-breakers accountable - for their lies and misdeeds. We can peel back their sheep's clothing and reveal the true unprincipled wolves that they are. What Big Teeth indeed...

What may sound like Hannabelle's "personal attacks" to some, I view as telling it like it is. Somebody has to. It may be unpleasant. (It certainly is for me.) But it is necessary. We can't go on pretending that everything's o.k. when its not. People need to know the Truth in order to make informed personal decisions. They need to know who's naughty or nice. Its not always easy to discern. I'd rather have you hate me for telling you the Truth than have you adore me for telling you what you'd like to hear. What you think you'd like to hear....
_____________________________________
Nope. Everything ain't Hunky-Dory in the Land of Nexus.

The Golden Rule has been repealed.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

A Question of Hypothetical

"There's one thing I want you to know. If I'd known that putting Nexus over there would hurt your family in any way, we wouldn't be having this conversation," said Onamia City Councilman Bill Hill. The conversation, of course was me pleading with the three council members NOT to put the sex offenders in my neighborhood. If only Bill Hill had prior knowledge... Really...
But that 'oh, if only I'd known!' excuse is not going to absolve Mr. Hat so easily. Know why? Because its all BULLSHIT, that's why. Because he has known! - for FIVE FRICKIN' MONTHS he's known how badly its hurting me, my family, my neighbors, and their families. He's very aware of the people this is hurting. And still, he hasn't lifted a finger to put a stop to our personal horror show. In fact, my sources inform me that he remains an industrious, pro-active agent on behalf of the NEXUS corporation.

Bill Hill is just like Steve Bye. They are both big bullshitters. Steve told us repeatedly, "If I'd known how the neighbors felt, I never would have sold the property." Well, that's just as feeble as Bill Hill's lie. That's what these statements are, folks - lies. Like Bill Hill, Steve had several opportunities to queer the deal if he'd chosen to. The purchase agreement even expired fer chissake. Yet, he signed again and again. His 'if only I'd known' means the same as Hill's. They want us to believe that they would help us if only they could...
I say: Put your money where your mouth is.
Honest is as honest does. Let us not forget that they are two of the culprits responsible for the torture we've been put through since last spring. Either one could have put an end to our pain at any time. And they could still stop this sex offender relocation right now, if they chose to. It would be EASY.

Ready for the punchline?

There actually is no Done Deal.
It's all hypothetical.

The City of Onamia has not yet purchased the land.
The land has not yet been annexed.
The land has not yet been rezoned.
NEXUS has not yet purchased the property.

So hypothetically speaking, NEXUS will not build its hypothetical mega-complex on the hypothetical building site which Onamia hypothetically intends to buy, annex, and rezone only if the hypothetical tax abatement goes through and NEXUS agrees to stay here -
hypothetically.

Dizzying, isn't it?

NEXUS doesn't qualify for tax abatement, by the way. That doesn't mean they won't get it, it just means that they SHOULDN'T get it. Time will tell if our county commissioners have the courage and intelligence to tell NEXUS to quit begging by the back door like some unwanted stray dog. We know the city council won't say no. Geez. Somebody's got to tell the bastards to quit whining and pay their damn taxes. Oh. Pardon me. I guess somebody already has - The Minnesota Department of Revenue and the Assessors of three counties have told them.

It would be so easy to stop this wrongfulness from going ahead and destroying our neighborhood; to stop the hypothetical from becoming reality. Bill Hill KNOWS. Steve Bye KNOWS. There are no excuses. I challenge them to make things right for us.

We shall soon see if their character and integrity are real - or just hypothetical.

Friday, September 14, 2007

In His OPINION

"I have the right to my opinion."

Yes. You do.

But you do not have the right to impose your opinion on my life. You can express your opinion. You can offer your opinion. You can state your opinion. You can argue your opinion. You can even try to change MY opinion of YOUR opinion. But YOU DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO IMPOSE YOUR OPINION ON MY LIFE.

And there you have my issue with Councilman Bill Hill.

When he and I spoke after the meeting the other night, I realized that I'd been wrong about him. I'd thought that he never considered any of us; how having 94 sex offenders next door would devastate us - loss of property values, loss of privacy, loss of safety, loss of peace and quiet, and most importantly of all - loss of freedom, loss of self-determination, loss of spirit, and loss of hope. I was wrong. He HAD considered us. Its just that he has a different OPINION. That's all.

o·pin·ion
n.
1. A belief or conclusion held with confidence but not substantiated by positive knowledge or proof:
"The world is not run by thought, nor by imagination, but by opinion" Elizabeth Drew.

It is his OPINION that our property values will go up, not down. Maybe that's what his kid the real estate agent told him, but studies say that our property values will drop like the ball at Times Square at midnight on New Years - and by as much as 17%. But, in his OPINION, we will be better off with the sex offenders who by being here will raise our property values. Thereby, he is a good guy doing us all a favor. Right?
You do not have the right to impose your opinion on my life.

He told me that it was his OPINION that we'd be safe with the sex offenders in the neighborhood. Therefore, he doesn't see how my 84 year old mother might feel uncomfortable living alone, waiting for the night that one or more of the sex offenders walks away from the institution, runs down the road to her house, interupts her game of Nintendo, rips the controller from her arthritic fingers, and pushes her down, breaking every fragile, brittle bone in her frail little body - to steal her car keys so he/they can escape. Since it is Bill Hill's OPINION that she is safe, her opinion that she isn't doesn't matter to him. His opinion takes precedence over hers. Even though it is her life, her sense of well-being, her safety that he is jeopardizing.

You do not have the right to impose your OPINION on her life.

And when Jerome Kryzer's OPINION is that the sex offenders are not sex offenders, it does little to bolster our OPINION that the city council doesn't know what the hell they're doing. On what information do they base their opinions? Obviously, they didn't do their homework. They are forming their OPINIONS on the propoganda spewed forth by the likes of D'Angelo. This is scary stuff, folks. They forgot to THINK before they imposed their opinions on our lives.

Bill Hill is a people person. He doesn't have a clue about someone like me- who wants to go un-noticed, to be left alone, to live far from the madding crowd. His house sits right out on Hwy 27 for everyone to see as they come to Onamia from the west. He's used to the noise, the traffic. It must not bother him. It bothers me. I am not like Bill Hill. I am different from him. I respect the choices he makes for his own life. He refuses to respect mine. He thinks he has the right to make my choices for me. That is his opinion.

When people like Bill Hill have the power to impose their opinions on American citizens, there are problems. In fact, in my OPINION, Bill Hill is the Poster Child of what is wrong in this country today. People are trying to legislate their opinions and impose them on citizens, removing our rights one by one. It goes back to the seatbelt law.

Somebody decided that seatbelts saved lives. So they made a law. (I haven't worn my seatbelt since, in protest.) When they passed the seatbelt law, I told my friends that this was one giant step towards the end of our civil liberties. Now someone decided that smoking is bad for us. I say, if you don't want to smoke, don't. Stay on your side of the restaurant. Smoke 'em if you got 'em. If you want to wear your seatbelt, then do. Or not. YOU form your OPINIONS and do what is best for you - and I'll form my OPINIONS and do what I want.

The problem is that few folks see things that way. People mind everyone elses business these days, not their own. Everybody is so sure that their OPINION is more than what it is - just an opinion. They think they're right because they think they're right. Bill Hill never considered that what he is doing is wrong. These people are so sure that they have the answers. Why would they try to walk ten steps in someone else's shoes, let alone a mile? They are so sure that their shoes are the only shoes. They want everybody to have the same shoes - just like theirs. And they never consider that some people like to wear boots. Some prefer to go barefoot. There are so many different varieties of shoes... And one size does not fit all.
It is this Single-footedness, this Tunnel Vision, this Small-mindedness that takes away our individuality. And in this case, it takes away a whole lot more. Bill Hill doesn't realize his own arrogance in imposing his opinions upon us. It never occurred to him that he could be wrong - because he thinks what he thinks and therefore to him - that makes it so.

You don't have the right to impose your opinion on my life.

Its not too late to start thinking. Not too late to change a bad plan. Bill Hill and the rest of the Onamia City Council need to do some major homework assignments- researching Nexus, projecting future results of having the sex offenders in our community, the effects upon our town, our neighborhood... They need to base their decisions on knowledge, not on opinions. If they delved into Nexus the way we have, they wouldn't want Nexus here either. In fact, they'd probably pack them a free lunch and buy their bus ticket out of town.

But then, that's just my opinion.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

May I Have This Dance?

It's strange how little catalyst is required to change the dynamics of a situation. I don't know if the city council has been reading my blog or not, or if the missing members generated an atmosphere more condusive to personal interaction, but last night was the first time since this all began that I felt my presence was acknowledged by them. Mark Loch actually looked at me. Bill Hill (whom I've known for thirty years) glanced in my direction and said, "Hi" when he arrived. Even Jerome Kryzer made eye contact during the meeting. A step. A small one, granted, but a step no less.

This month's meeting was short - both in time and in numbers. Only three out of the five members were present. The Zoning Guy was on vacation and the Fire Chief didn't show up. The remaining members voted to give Larry authority to sign the extension on the purchase agreement for the Grosslein/Bye property when he got back. No surprise there.

In past meetings, immediately following adjournment, the mayor, council, clerk, et al., generally prominades out of the room, leaving us angry and frustrated in their wake. However, last night, they dawdled. Seizing the opportunity, I approached them. And guess what? They were approachable. After five months of being ignored, they spoke with me. As you would expect, it wasn't an entirely rosy conversation, but at least it was an attempt at communication. I felt they were listening to me. Perhaps the absence of the mayor and Bob Mickus made the difference. I don't know. But I'd like to take this opportunity to again thank the remaining council members for speaking to me, if they're reading this.

I feel a little guilty for venting my frustrations by using terms such as 'scumbags', 'rats' and 'assholes'. But I won't delete my posts or take back my words. Those were my feelings at the time, and they were valid. But I could express myself with a little more eloquence, perhaps. (Nah. Probably not.) And now? Well, I do want to reiterate the importance of behaving like mature adults who can hold a civil discussion. It doesn't change my desperate situation with Nexus, but talking helps one cope with the imposed distress. It humanizes the people on both sides. Nothing is worse than being ignored and unlistened to in situations such as ours. (Stonewalling is a strategy D'Angelo adheres to... but it isn't a productive one. It just fuels the fire. You'd think he'd know that.)

As to what was said between us, well, there is too much to write about here, at least all at once. After speaking with the three council members, I do have some new concerns. I'll share the most amazing one with you now. It was when an angry Jerome Kryzer confronted me about the Mille Lacs Academy "boys".... He stood up, indignant and shouted,

"THEY ARE NOT SEX OFFENDERS!"

A stunned silence filled the room. Everyone stared at him. Uncomfortable murmuring... "Uh... yes they are, Jerome." The Mille Lacs Academy is a sexual treatment center for adolescent sex offenders. Each inmate has been adjudicated through the court system and placed at MLA because they were convicted of sexual crimes which caused harm to others. We are in the fifth month of our battle, but Jerome has been dealing with Nexus for far longer.

How could he not know? Mille Lacs Academy = Sex Offenders R Us.

That he has contributed to the placing of these sex offenders in our neighborhood.... without knowing what they are, what they have done, and what they are capable of doing.... That's shocking. Oh, he's heard me speak in front of the council before, and heard the term "sex offender" often enough, but what could he have been thinking? That we were just being mean to these "poor, troubled boys"? Has the councilman been in some state of denial? Didn't he even do enough homework to know what this is all about? It is as bizarre as if he had shouted:
MCDONALD'S DOES NOT SELL HAMBURGERS!

I'm sure I'll have much more to talk about this meeting. I have some issues with Bill Hill I must address. But for now, dear readers, I must move on to the business of stopping Nexus. It is tedious but necessary work. I have a neighborhood to save.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Watchdogs

There's a city council meeting at 6. I don't want to go. Its just going to upset me. Besides, its a total waste of my time. They are going to pass the extension on the purchase agreement, just like they have done whatever THEY want throughout this entire ordeal - no matter how it affects the PEOPLE who say "NAY". So why go at all? Why keep trying to fight City Hall? Well, there are some pretty important principles at stake and I guess I feel its my patriotic duty to stand up for them. We should all fight Injustice wherever we find it, whenever we can.


The Onamia City Council. We have five unqualified, incompetent nincompoops making decisions that will determine the future of Onamia. They are supposedly elected officials, although if you look at the election results, it is a mockery of our system Democracy. Larry Milton has been mayor all these years simply due to lack of competition. He's mayor by default. And Bill Hill.... What a loser. He's on the city council strictly because he lost his bid for county commissioner and somebody wrote his name on the fill-in-the-blank line. (I'd rather they fill in my dog's name. He's smarter, more honest, and could do a better job.) Bob Mickus ran his rat-race all by himself. As to Loch and Kryzer, probably nobody even knows who they are. Bumps on Larry's log.


So.... are these the only guys willing to 'serve the public'? Maybe we should be grateful that we have anybody willing to be on the city council. (It's a bad job but SOMEBODY'S gotta do it?) And here are FIVE anybodies - just doing their best.... Perhaps Hannabelle is just being overly-critical here.


Hmmm. Unless you look at it from another perspective. These five guys have demonstrated that they are not only incompetent, they lack the character and integrity we need in our leaders. If you look at how they have conducted themselves throughout the Nexus deal (as well as their behavior in the past) you start to notice a trend. Their decisions may not well-serve the town, but seem to work for them personally. Why does Larry Milton's son Chad, who has an excavation business, get almost all of the city work? Why is Bill Hill allowed to continue his exploitation, considering his conflicts of interest? Why do we have TWO laboratory rats on the council? Do they represent anybody other than the hospital and pharmacy? And who the hell is Jerome Kryzer? Don't tell me he's on the board because he painted a bench at church! What are his qualifications?


Speaking of qualifications, maybe, like Mickey Carter, he doesn't have any. Mickey is the Zoning guy. He admitted that he doesn't have any training, no qualifications.... but "they seem to like what I do," he said. Well Mr. Zoning Guy, I don't like what you do. I don't like what any of the city council is doing


BECAUSE WHAT YOU DO IS UNETHICAL!


"We made mistakes," said Milton at the last city council meeting. Well DUH!


How convenient that all of those mistakes ended up benefitting city council members. Usually, when I make mistakes (which of course, is rare... :) I end up paying for them. Why is it that when YOU make mistakes, I end up paying for them? You and your friends come out just fine... In the case of the Nexus staying in the Onamia area Mistake, I'm not the only one who will paying for this mistake - so will every tax payer in the county, should Nexus get abatement. The the consequences of the Nexus Mistake will remain long after you're dead and gone; long after all of us are dead, or gone. And yet you continue to stubbornly blunder along. Isn't it funny what some people will do for money and self-gain, even if it means ruining the town? I call that "shitting where you live". (But then, Hannabelle can be crude when dealing with the likes of these scumbags.) What I REALLY object to, though, is that you are SHITTING WHERE I LIVE! And you have no right to do so.


Well, there's a lot more to say on this topic, but I guess I'd better get going here. I've got a meeting to attend. (City Watchdog. Its a bad job, but somebody's got to do it.)

sigh...

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater

I should have listened to my horrorscope yesterday... I didn't, of course. Instead, I telephoned one of the Nexus board members. Contrary to Larry's rumors, I haven't been harassing anyone. A telephone is a communication device, and upon occassion, I have attempted to use it for that purpose. It seldom works - because it takes two to communicate, and as you know, nobody on "the Dark Side" will talk to me.

Peter Freeman was no exception. I began our brief conversation by asking Professor Pete if he had a moment to talk about Nexus. He asked "Who is this?" so I told him. Now, I'm actually a reasonable person. Hannabelle doesn't turn into a ball-busting bitch unless you cross her and give her good reason. And even then, it has to be some serious crossage - like dumping 94 sex offenders on her. That'll do it. But I was polite with Professor Pete. At least I tried. Let's say I WOULD have, if given the opportunity.

Upon my introduction, he said, "I know who you are! I'll refer you to Jim D'Angelo."

"But if I could have a few minutes..."

"No. Talk to Jim D'Angelo."

"Peter, please don't hang...." CLICK! "up..." Alone again, naturally.

Peter Freeman is a professor of social work at the College of St. Catherine and St. Thomas University. Personally, I don't think he sounds very social, do you? This guy is what you get with Nexus, folks. They're bulldozing more than the trees on 38 acres. They're stampeding us into the ground. Try to stop 'em. I dare you.

I sent Peter an e-mail thanking him for supplying me with a lot of information, which actually he had. In that brief moment of contact with the social worker, I learned a lot - probably more than if he'd actually spoken with me about Nexus. I told the professor this:

"Compassion can be taught only through demonstration."
How much compassion do you think is being taught at the academy?
Professor Pete didn't take the time to talk to me, but he did e-mail me back. He said:
"Thank you for your interest in Nexus Treatment Centers."
Yeah.... my interest..... Wasn't that nice of him?

Monday, September 10, 2007

My Horrorscope

Are you a believer? I hardly ever look at my horoscope. But today I did (boo-ee-oo), and this is what it said. What a hoot!
I just had to share it with you.

Libra

The Moon in your 12th House of Secrets can reveal hidden emotions now, but others still won't be aware of your internal process. They will merely see the results of your inner work and not the anguish you experience along the way. If you run into unexpected negative judgments from those who normally support you, don't try to change their minds. They will come around as they learn more about your thoughts.

Saturday, September 8, 2007

Tax Abatement. Its the Pits.

This tax abatement crap is really making me nuts. I just don't understand why anyone, (except Nexus of course), would support such a hair-brained idea. Of course, I've heard a lot of rumors that people aren't as gullible as Nexus thinks - and that most people do NOT want Nexus to be TAX-FREE. Most people believe - if Nexus is going to be part of the community, they have to pay their fair share, just like the rest of us.
So why do I have this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach?

And since when did our stomachs have pits? I knew our arms had pits.... but stomachs?

I think that the feeling is actually fear that somehow Nexus will somehow succeed in tax dodging - that our county government might be fooled somehow or somehow pressured into allowing them to stay here tax-free. Then Nexus will jump - knowing this would be the ONLY PLACE IN THE WORLD WILLING TO GIVE THEM TAX ABATEMENT - and then there will be no getting rid of them. Its sort of like George Bush getting into the White House for the SECOND term. I didn't think that would be possible. I was sure that people weren't dumb enough to make the same mistake twice. And look what happened there. I know tax abatement is a dumb idea. So they'll probably get it. Thus the pit. (stomach, not arm).

I urge you, dear reader, to take action now - before its too late. Dont be shy. Call your county commissioner and let him know that Mille Lacs county is smarter than that. We need Nexus' tax dollars. After all, we have pot holes to fill and bridges to repair. Let Nexus fix a couple of bridges. They can well afford it.
Tell your commissioner: If Nexus stays, make them pay.

Jack Edmonds (763) 389-4404
Dave Tellinghuisen (320) 294-5402
Phil Peterson (320) 983-2462
Roger Tellinghuisen (320) 369-4273
Frank Courteau (320) 532-4627
This isn't about that nasty old Hannabelle. It is about YOU. If Nexus gets tax abatement, the rest of the tax payers will have to pay more. (Nexus costs us all money). But with Nexus' tax dollars, everyone's taxes would go down. (It would affect the tax base.) That's important.
Tell your friends. Tell your relatives. And especially - tell your county commissioner.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Tease and Sympathy

So.... If the first comment is any indication, you didn't like my last entry about D'Angelo. Well, I didn't like it either. But it's a true story. I didn't make it up. I decided to share it with you to illustrate how serious this situation is; how dealing with life-threatening pressure can affect regular people over time. It can bring out the best, but it also can bring out the worst, often at the same time.

What I've found most intriguing is - the lack of sympathy from Mille Lacs "Academy" employees and its supporters - sympathy for the victims of this Nexus Takeover. No. They're really pissed at us. It concerns me that these unsympathetic, hate-filled people (like some hecklers who've commented) may claim sympathy for the sex offenders and chastize us for not wanting to live next to them. They pretend to be superior to those who prefer the hayfield to a mega-complex. When it comes to sympathy, I don't think you can pick and choose. Either you are a sympathetic person or you're not. The employees (and their spouses) who have attacked Hannabelle et. al with such venom indicate non-sympathetic personalities. They're so nasty! I wouldn't let them babysit my cat, let alone disturbed kids.

You see, many of these folks have pseudo-sympathy: a form of mis-placed sympathy, mis-directed emotionalism. Usually they have something to gain from pretending to be caring - usually self-importance or attention. They act as if they are superior. It's like all those folks who supported the image of O.J. Simpson the football star, while ignoring that he murdered Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman. They vigorously defended him and cheered when he got off. How bizarre. Its a bit the same here. These folks demonstrate "pseudo-sympathy" for the sex offenders and give absolutely no consideration to their victims: including little girls and little boys, the toddlers they sexually molested. These are the kind of people who might expound on O.J.'s early years, how hard it was for him, make excuses for him, sympathize with him and ignore the people he harmed. They even have a tendency to blame the victims. Of course, the truth has nothing to do with sympathy. Most of the Nexus supporters have vested interests in the "academy". They have selfishly put jobs and businesses - MONEY - before people's homes and families.

In my last entry, I tried to show how this ordeal has changed one person from being a kind-hearted, loving, caring individual whose life had been devoted to helping others - both people and animals - and turned her into someone with enough hurt, anger and hatred to be jubilant at the possibility of another person's death (D'Angelo's, not the actual suicide victim who worked at the 'academy'). Yes. Jubilation... Don't you think that in itself is tragic? I do.

This is indeed a life-threatening situation for us, the Nay-sayers. If Nexus builds here, our lives will be changed so drastically, you can say its more or less over for us. The lives we had will be over. But it may already be too late. The damage may be irreparable. This torture has changed the very core of my being - and not for the good, mind you - to the point where I know I will never be like I was before. It has served to harden my heart. I will never trust anyone again. I now know that none of us are safe. We are not safe from one another. I know this Takeover has also deeply hurt everyone in the neighborhood, without exception. That there are people who cannot seem to comprehend the damages Nexus/Onamia/Byes are causing for us - what they are doing to us emotionally, physically, and financially, and that these people don't care about our very real pain... oh that is just too too sad. What kind of people are they? It looks like they were already hateful powermongers long before any of this started. Hard-hearted and unsympathetic. Selfish. Greedy. Nasty. Opportunistic. Vicious. (But probably 'good Christians' who never miss church, right?)

My greatest personal challenge, perhaps, is to get through all of this with my humanity still intact. I don't want to become one of THEM. Right now, I'm in "Self-Defense Mode". And yes, I can be tough and offensive. (Even raunchy!) But I never want to get to the point where I could intentionally destroy someone's well-being without batting an eye. (I don't even like to hurt anyone's feelings. I hate telling a friend she has broccoli stuck in her teeth...) But then, I don't think I have to worry about being like them. I might be forced to toughen up, but I still feel some sensitivity. I'm not like the people at Nexus or City Hall. I value qualities like integrity, principles, choosing right over wrong. I still believe in Freedom, Justice, the Bill of Rights, the Constitution of the United States. If we don't stand up and fight against the Nexuses who think the world is theirs for the taking, then we might as well all give up, take a number, kiss Big Brother's ass and get on the train. Orwell wrote about our government. Now Big Brother is controlled by Big Business. Welcome to Corporate America. Godzilla vs Bambi. If we allow them to overpower us, it will all be over for all of We the People.

So if I offended anyone with the last entry, please keep in mind that Hannabelle doesn't care if you're offended. You SHOULD be offended. You SHOULD be indignant. You SHOULD be outraged. But not at the victims of Nexus. Not the ones who were just over here minding our own business. Be upset at our local government for not protecting its citizens, for facilitating, for collaborating with a giant corporation who has done nothing but hurt us. Circle the wagons! Round up the 'the herd' and protect the vulnerable stragglers from the predators who intend to eat us for lunch. If you don't, you're no better than them. You are enabling them. You decide whose side you're on. What kind of person do you want to be?
If you think my relief at the thought of Jim D'Angelo's death was terrible, let me leave you with this: Had it been Bill Hill or Bob Mickus, I'd have rented the VFW and thrown the biggest damn party this town has ever seen! And you'd all have been invited. Drinks on me.