Tag Archives: City Hall

Gazette not only blocks story of local fracking protest, but assigns goon to disrupt it

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.- This past Tuesday saw the largest demonstration yet against oil and gas drilling in Colorado Springs and the ugly practice of hydraulic fracturing. Several dozen fractivists allied with Colorado Springs Citizens for Community Rights (CSCCR) and Occupy were joined on the steps of City Hall by Colorado College students who’d marched from their campus with banners and posters denouncing fracking. You didn’t hear about it did you? After the rally everyone filled the council chamber to give 3-minute personal testimonials that ran for two hours. That too went unreported, in particular by the Gazette, who had two reporters in the room, one who’d conducted interviews, and both who took notes during the presentations. But neither produced a story — an odd dereliction of responsibility you might say. Even more odd was the role played by Gazette editorial page writer Wayne Laugesen who ultimately opined on the city council’s decision to postpone their vote, as “caving to anti-energy activists”, offering no details. Laugesen actually interjected himself into the rally outside as a lone counter-protester, interrupting interviews being filmed for TV stations KRDO and KKTV. When they asked Laugesen to let them do their job, the goon replied that he was doing his. So the Gazette was not satisfied to blackout reports of the community rally, but aimed to sabotage it as well.

Whose job was Wayne Laugesen doing exactly? Was he confusing his publisher for the overseers who hold his tether: the pro-industry PR mill Americans For Prosperity? It could be. But the Gazette is now hardly distinguishable from contract stink-tank corporate profiteering advocacy. When conservative mummies Freedom Communications supervised the Gazette, the pretense was tax-cutting, tax-dodging libertarianism. The Gazette’s new owner made his billions in corrupt oil, real estate and privatization schemes, so prospects are looking dim for the region’s daily paper to offer authentic news. Having their editorial hit-man on the ground as a pretend grass root weed killer is a disturbing development that must not go unchallenged.

Contrast the Gazette blackout and the relatively tepid coverage by the weekly Independent, with the monthly African American Voice which gave the previous anti-fracking rally a front-page, full color, two-page article, whose theme accurately accused the city council of being “out of touch with the community.” AAV publisher James Tucker has participated in several of the rallies and understands whose interest he represents.

On the other hand, Tuesday was the umpteenth time the Gazette has ignored the rising community effort to oppose the oil and gas lobby. For many months of city council meetings, Gazette correspondent Daniel Chacon has dutifully sat at his stenographer’s seat and witnessed testimony after testimony from community voices without reporting a single one. On one particularly contentious council meeting in November, Chacon summarized the council’s decision without mentioning the overwhelming community presence.

This Tueday’s voices were joined by EPA-whistleblower Wes Wilson and environmental activist Phil Doe, who’d come from Denver to testify before the Colorado Springs council. Phil Doe made an earnest plea for council to support the people of Longmont, who had just succeeded in voting in a ban against facking. It seemed an improbable request, to ask the Springs city council to back the people of Longmont, while council opposed supporting their own. But Doe’s request highlighted the incongruity of our council’s stand. Would they take the side of the oil industry against the electorally established will of the people of Longmont? How utterly undemocratically corrupt of them if they do not.

But that’s council, and there is still time for their constituents to pin their ears if they continue to pretend their only masters are the oil players. With his gentle logic, Phil Doe offered city council a redemption it can’t refuse. Unless of course, his act and their response goes unreported.

It’s time the Gazette is called out for what it is, not just a propaganda arm for regional kleptocrats, but a corporate mercenary spoiler, willing to stoop to unprecedented lows to fowl public well-being.

Now, here’s a surprise…

The Law, in its Majestic equality, forbids rich and poor from being alike

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At least when it comes to Urban Camping. Seems the “no camping” ordinance didn’t apply at the mall when Greed rather than Need was the motivation to take to the tents. People started camping out early Thanksgiving day to be the first in line for “doorbuster” specials on Black Friday. How about it, Doug, Janis, Sean, Lionel? Chief Meyers? Sheriff Mussolini errr Maketa? How about it Tame Ass Right Wing Media in town, Praising the HomeFull campers for their bravery in voluntarily pitching their tents with plenty of police protection, unlike anything the HomeLess PEOPLE ever got.
Hypocrisy, thou hast a name, and thy name is Colorado Springs Establishment.
Maybe they could redeem themselves by publishing stories detailing how many of those purchases were made on Credit and in 6 months how many of the Credit Cards used are in default. Black Friday is allegedly a Triumph of Capitalism. Yes, once again the Corporate BigPigs got the commoners to push themselves further into debt which they’ll never be able to repay. What a lovely victory that is!

Transit Authority “Let them Eat Cake” meeting Oct 11

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Public meeting that was scheduled for this past Monday, 27 Sep 2010, postponed until Monday after next, the 11th of October. Strong-arm Mayor Rivera and his Puppet Council are pushing to sever Front Range Express, thus ending any chance of a Regional transportation system, along with the Ute Pass bus service, welcomed by so many in the Back Range because it gives the people as far away as Divide, or really any place like Florissant or Cripple Creek or Guffey a chance to park the gas guzzlers and make the trip down 24 the RIGHT way. The Rich folk don’t seem to care because they can always hop into their Corporate Welfare Subsidized Cars and drive to Denver or Divide, threaten anybody who dares to share their Own Personal Road with them and deduct the money spent, including gas, maintenance and even the cost of their vehicles as “Business Expenses”, leaving the rest of us to pay for their luxury.

Way to GO, Rich Bitches! I’m certain that Janis Beep-beep, Mayor Rivera, Bernie Herpin and the other Thieves who prey on the tax base like that, will of course honor the soldiers they send to foreign lands to suppress the price of gasoline and ensure that those Naughty Nationalists in OTHER nations don’t develop any perilous notions like the idea that they can offer their resources to whoever they choose, rather than giving it to the US and British oil companies at the prices the U.S. and British Oil Companies want to pay.

They’ll honor them by laying wreaths at the national cemeteries, on designated holidays, get plenty of free advertising in the way of Right Wing Media reports on how very “patriotic” they are, and they’ll charge the costs of the wreaths and the costs of transporting them to the cemeteries and memorials from their taxes as “charitable deductions”.

Meanwhile they’re talking about cutting off the bus service at 1:00 PM and ending the Front Range Express and Ute Pass bus services.

All the (other peoples) money they would have to otherwise pay for bus maintenance and operations, thus would be in places and situations where it would be easier for them to steal it.

Their meeting where Rivera and his accomplices are expected to once more tell us to eat sh.. errr “cake” and die, is October 11th and will of course be during regular working hours, therefore those of us Bus Riding Peasants who are hanging on to our gainful employment will be excluded from the meeting.

If they’re true to form it will be at 2 PM and you’ll have to check your torches and pitchforks at the door and go through security checkpoints to gain the privilege of City Council sneering at you in person.

September, Fiscal Year, No Billion Dollars falling from the sky.

Biggest Advertising Faux Pas

From last Friday’s action, some pictures, some linked commentary

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The linked commentary isn’t about the bus lack-of-service, it’s to fellow local activist Loren Wirbel made a short documentary film just showing a FEW of the multi-gazillionaire “defense” plants around town. You know the ones, our Magnificently Superior Business Experts at City Hall made the command decision for us to give them Tax Exemptions that would make Reagan blush, to draw them to a Strategic Location where they were going to come anyway. So they get local services on the local dime far disproportionately to what they actually paid for. It’s bad enough that We The People have to subsidize Corporate Welfare Cheats like Lockheed but they’re also Corporate Warfare Daddy Warbucks types who make their money from other people DYING.
Deathmongers getting a free ride from our Wise and Noble and Ever So Much Better that us City Hall. The rest of us paid our fare, but we don’t get the ride. That’s not fair.
By the way, that last line isn’t complaining, it’s telling the Ayn Rand worshipers that they’re complete Liars when they say stupid shit like they’re actually a Free Market where everybody has a chance. Lying… Cowardly… PUKES. A swarm of Parasitic Slugs in search of a bag of salt.

A LOT of canes and wheelchairs, and a few burnout refugees-from-the-70s Ahem..

Cyrus of course.

Just some of our friends. Notice the preponderance of canes and wheelchairs.
There’s a reason for this, it’s because the other people who depend on the buses were at their jobs waiting their turn to be injured then disposed of.
Timing of the event has to be when buses are running, it’s a Catch-22 of massive proportions.
The bus service abruptly cuts off at shift change.

If you’ll notice, the Bus Service people had their Q&A session scheduled for the middle of the afternoon as well. Intentionally? Orders from Above? Eh.
One of the people who uses the bus to go to and only occasionally FROM work, said “Hey, they didn’t even actually pay attention to the badly disabled, how are they going to handle the Working Poor?”

How indeed. Republicans and Ayn Rand “libertarians” tend to take the short view when it comes to Workers and our rights. If it isn’t happening to them personally, immediately, they just don’t see it happening. If they personally aren’t staring down the barrel of the gun, they’ll simply say “Gun? What gun? I don’t see any gun… nothing to see here, citizens, keep moving, nothing to see..”

Big Insurance greed? COS is Sick Of It!

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KRDO‘s Eric Singer called today’s health care reform rally “very one sided,” so much so, seeing it, “you might have done a double-take.” Because it wasn’t our backwater’s customary Teabag Pity Party where agitated ignorants throw their own hopes for adequate health care into the drink; but KRDO doesn’t report those anti-rallies as one-sided. Of course, KRDO’s advertisers are the medical system conglomerates, pharmaceuticals, and big insurance! Greed. We are sick of it!

The Gazette repeated their usual mantra that health care reform is unaffordable, but offered a refreshingly frank representation of Pattie’s nuanced address to the energized crowd.

The full Gazette article:

Health care reform activists rally in Springs
October 13, 2009 3:45 PM
MARIA ST.LOUIS-SANCHEZ
THE GAZETTE

Patti Mulkey wants to work and be a productive member of society. Unfortunately, she says, her health insurance doesn’t cover all of the extensive treatment she needs for her chronic kidney disease. She said her insurance plan keeps her alive, but doesn’t provide enough care that would let her go back to work.

“They make decisions without knowing how this affects everyone’s lives,” she said to a small, but vocal group of people at a rally Tuesday for health care reform in front of Colorado springs’ City Hall. “People who are ill don’t want to be ill. They want to be working and well.”

The “Rally Against Greed” attracted about 40 people carrying signs that read “Greed Sucks” and “Jesus Didn’t Charge Premiums.” The rally was organized by the group Change that Works, a liberal organization that endorses a public option for health care.

While protestors were vehement Tuesday, the rally wasn’t close to the size of other local rallies against the proposed reforms. Instead of focusing on the cost of expanded health care, organizers blamed insurance companies for the high costs in relating the stories of people coping with illnesses.

Like Mulkey, many of the people who attended the rally said they had health insurance, but it didn’t pay for their care. Pat Hill said that even with health insurance, she was paying $750 a month in medical bills stemming from complications from cancer treatments.

James Tucker, a local activist, said the people who reject the proposed reforms may regret it.

“If they don’t get involved and join us, they will pay a price when they need the care,” he said.

Not My Tribe

the myth of middle ground