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On the article UC Police Raid 'Occupy the Farm' Protest in Albany
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On the article UC Police Raid 'Occupy the Farm' Protest in Albany
Peter Goodman
7:34 pm on Monday, May 13, 2013
Javier Cikota has it exactly right. The citizens of Albany did vote on this issue. Civil disobedience does have consequences, and has in this case raised the profile of the issues, which is a good thing certainly.
But it has not changed the outcome, which is the product of a lengthy democratic process participated in by all the stakeholders. Everyone has compromised and each side has had both benefits and loss.
What has not happened, until now, is a single stakeholder petulantly insisting on their way or the highway. That is not a lesson in good government or a viable future.
If this is the "utopian" farm you wish to create, I don't want your lousy food.
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On the article Gill Tract Occupiers Vow New Occupation Saturday
Peter Goodman
2:31 am on Saturday, May 11, 2013
I'll be there as soon as I can get there after noon. Urge others to come!
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On the article Gill Tract Occupiers Vow New Occupation Saturday
Peter Goodman
5:56 pm on Friday, May 10, 2013
ReplyI hope the police get there early and block all entrances to the site and arrest anyone who trespasses. I would also watch out for early campers who sneak into the grounds at night to create a strike force behind the gates.
Nothing wrong with civil disobedience, assuming it is in the nonviolent tradition and those arrested go along peacefully. Nothing wrong with having different points of view.
But the idea that the city as a whole supports the OTF action is delusional. And in particular Ulan, who lost big in the last election (and who seems to be a genuinely nice person), if he is thinking that doing the same thing over and over again will produce different results must be, well, you know.
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On the article Appeal Filed of AT&T Antennas Approval
Peter Goodman
12:34 am on Thursday, May 9, 2013
Um, Patch weirdness alert. I wrote this comment months ago. And I believe it appeared months ago. Why does it pop up with today's May 8 date all of a sudden?
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On the article Teen Raises $1M for Her Startup—Before Her 18th Birthday
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On the article UC Proposes Sprouts Farmers Market at University Village
Peter Goodman
8:47 pm on Wednesday, May 8, 2013
ReplyThese OTFers are into theatrics, and for the city they've got it figured as a lose-lose situation. If the cops come out they get all that news footage, and if they break into the tract they stick it to UC, again. I suppose a human chain of ordinary Albany citizens might be the best way to obstruct them, although that is going to be confrontational as well. This really has very little to do with Albany or with farming for that matter, as I'm sure we've all figured out by now.
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On the article UC Proposes Sprouts Farmers Market at University Village
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On the article UC Proposes Sprouts Farmers Market at University Village
Peter Goodman
8:47 pm on Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Please be sure to advise the community of any other litmus tests a business must pass in order to gain your approval.
Please also submit the names of any business you know of that will fill the need here, has the means and inclination to move to Albany, and meets all the other extra-legal criteria you have deemed essential to being granted the privilege to operate in Albany and remunerate us with tax dollars and employment opportunities.
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On the article SF Giants' Outfielder Overcomes Writing Anxiety for the Fans
Peter Goodman
2:14 pm on Friday, May 10, 2013
ReplyNot exactly an "overcome the impossible" CNN Heroes story, especially if you've checked out Pence's Twitter blog as an indication of how far he's come as a scrivener. Pence is a great addition to the Giants, to the same extent that this article is a great addition to the growing Patch archive of mindless, mangled, machine-made dreck posing as news.
(I am a Grape-Nuts fan, but confine my reading in that category to the back of the cereal box.)
"We’re dedicating the month of April and May to telling the stories of people locally and statewide who have overcome the impossible, affecting positive change in their own lives, or in communities. Sponsored by Grape-Nuts."
Peter Goodman
9:47 am on Tuesday, May 14, 2013
I attended the counter demo. We were a pretty low-key bunch. The occupiers, those that spoke to us, were a mix of thoughtful and aggressive/stupid. I had never been flipped off by a peace sign before but thought that was a nice touch, and a good symbol of how their movement's good intentions have been corrupted by crass-ass.
I came away even more convinced that this is all a bit of political theater. It has nothing to do with the actual space, and one of the more thoughtful 'leaders' made it clear that the concerns of Albany citizens were utterly irrelevant to the broader picture. He was quite proud that events here were being watched in France. We counter-demo folks, arguing about local control and the democratic process, were basically talking to a wall. These folks have no interest in a 'solution' as that would diminish their audience. Proposals they have offered for the land are inherently polemical, and have nothing to do with farming, labor, land usage, or anything else that actually might work in the real world.
So I'm not optimistic that there will be a solution. Not until a better or more entertaining cause comes along.