[Southsider2k12]

http://heraldargus.com/archives/ha/display.php?id=381591

The rise and fall of the riff and raff
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Photo:
The Flip Side - Jeff Carter
Well, Flippers, here we are on the Opinion page, and TGIF to boot. I don’t know about you, but I nearly wet myself just thinking about it. I’m not worthy, really.

And doesn’t it just make your day to know that we’ve eagerly sacrificed “Your Life” for my opinion? How heroic of you.

It’s Friday -- a good day for something of the psychedelic variety, I think. You’ve worked hard, suffered the throws of arrows, and now its time to be strange, huh?

Like booties, we all have opinions; some folks have more than others, of course, but that’s the way life is: Yesterday’s power pastry is today’s cellulite.

I was going to write something inspirational, but was unavoidably detained, suffering seizures as the result of injuries sustained at an ultimate writing event. So, I missed my filing deadline.

Yes, seizures -- they took my home, my car, and have threatened to come back for my daughters. Hell, if they’d only started in reverse order, I might still have a roof over my head, and drive to work.

Anyway, there I was, competing, bludgeoning my opponent with a laptop, when all of a sudden the rogue reared back with a Royal typewriter and let me have it in the noggin.

Now, most writers would have, well, died. But I’m a macho scribbler, and won the event handily by squirting spinal fluid and skull fragments into my adversary’s eyes.

You know what, man? In all my wild imaginings -- in the deepest, darkest crevices of my twisted psyche -- I could never hope to create what for some people constitutes reality.

I mean, shouldn’t there be like a test or something required before one runs for public office?

No, not an IQ test, though that’d certainly thin things out. I’m thinking of something along the mental stability lines that grades on a curve, allowing for 3 DUIs, perhaps, but on the fourth, you’re off to California to join celebrity lushes like Paris Hilton.

Wouldn’t life be easier if we could somehow nip the Jerry Springer contingency in the bud before it takes root in the newspaper?

I’ve been doing some correspondent work for The H-A here lately. I hope you haven’t noticed -- I’m not quite good at it yet. But I’ll get there -- worthwhile things take time.

Anyway, I was assigned to cover the 47th Pageant of Drums at Ames Field in Michigan City, and while there met a man who passes my test for public office with flying colors.

First of all, this event was the most beautiful, colorful thing I’ve seen this side of psychedelics. If you’ve never been, go. I don’t think I’ve mouthed the word “wow” so often since I saw Pink Floyd outdoors in Frankfurt, Germany.

But as I approached the “media” booth, where snobbier-than-thou-type folks sat with legs tightly crossed, scribbling on cute little notebooks, I was stopped by security.

Looking down his list of respectable scribblers and not finding my name -- go figure -- the guard let me know, nicely enough, that I was not invited to their lofty little tea party.

Relieved, I left the media booth there on cloud nine, and made my way back down to reality -- just a redheaded step-correspondent without a parking spot for my booty or opinion.

There was a man named Joe down there in the trenches, though, and Joe was 10 kinds of cool. He spent the better part of an hour showing me around, introducing me to other nice folks and passionately describing the goings-on.

Then I was treated to a seat right there on the field.

In my opinion, there are two sorts of people in local politics: those with big heads and those with big hearts.

There are “ultimate” blockheads and there are folks like Michigan City Councilman Joe Doyle -- passionate, intelligent, down-to earth; in short, respectable.



JEFF CARTER is a La Portean who looks at the Flip Side of life.


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[Ang]

I've always liked Joe Doyle. I worked with him quite a bit when I was at Plant Planning and he was the P&R supervisor. He was always so amicable and easy to work with--especially planning the Drum & Bugle show. Not that Darrell Garbacik isn't, but Joe is less demanding than Darrell.

This post has been edited by Ang: Jul 16 2007, 11:04 AM

[Max Main]

Joe Doyle is usually pretty good guy, but I don't like his development ideas. He is one of the build-to-the-water ppl

[Ang]

Joe Doyle is usually pretty good guy, but I don't like his development ideas. He is one of the build-to-the-water ppl

You wouldn't think so being that he was in charge of P&R before he took office. You would think he is all about leaving the beach area open so the public can enjoy it. I've not heard anything like that from him, but of course I am way out here in Wyoming so my only source of news is this place and the ND.

Wait, correct that: My only source of news is this place.

[Roger Kaputnik]

Ha Ha Ha!

During the discussion about the Master Plan, he iterated support for the development of Bismarck Hill and the Trail Creek area by building, and little support for development of parkland and trails in those areas.

[Ang]

You know, I'm beginning to think the City leaders have forgotton about Community and all they care about is Big Business and dollar signs. Well, actually I've been thinking that for a while.

[Max Main]

that is why we need new leadership

[Ang]

I know that Angie has the Community Attitude, and that new guy in the 1st Ward seems to, also.

[Roger Kaputnik]

Amen, amen!

[JHeath]

that is why we need new leadership

It's a little late for this now...unless you can still get someone to file as an independent or a republican. But I do believe the filing deadline has passed for the elections this year.

[Roger Kaputnik]

Not just the elected officeholders, but the entire nomenklatura of MC.

[Southsider2k12]

Not just the elected officeholders, but the entire nomenklatura of MC.

What a great word! I had to go google that one!

[Roger Kaputnik]

Especially appropriate in a one-party town!