Over the past year or two, I have been asked by several people why I am no longer submitting letters to the local newspaper? Or as some have already guessed, they are not printing them. The truth is that the local paper has refused to print my letters for some months. I have bearded the lion in its den and questioned the conspiracy, collusion and cover up by the paper in support of the corruption in Vienna? This has offended the powers that be and what I allege is a major violation of my "Freedom of Speech" to petition against my Government. In this case the alleged corrupt City Administration of Vienna. I will ask one and all who live here; when is the last time besides my sometimes letters and my addressing the City Council during what used to be a "Public Forum" during meetings was anything negative printed? The answer is simple: nil, nada, zip, nothing and even less. When one reads the peaches and cream articles on City Meetings, one would think that the connections that some on the Council attempted to attach Vienna to being "Mayberrysque" were true. I pointed out that in a meeting that Mayberry never existed. I was soundly denounced by the City Attorney as no one ever made that comparison. Yet, the theme for that show was played on the Vienna Web Site for some months. I asked, who approved that?
On the 14th of May during a Council Meeting, I committed two (2) unforgivable acts. one was calling out the City Attorney for the rules that he read before almost every meeting for the past several months (but for some reason not at this meeting). I suspect because there were too many folks who were not the usual City Department Heads/ followers that attended the meetings? Those being that one could NOT address any member of Council directly or say anything that would upset anyone. This of course did not apply to me being screamed at by the Mayor; soundly criticized by an alleged Council member and even the Attorney. I challenged that this was a violation of the First Amendment and that the City Attorney and the Mayor were attempting to rewrite this Amendment? I pointed out that they were also allegedly attempting to undermine the deliberations and decisions of the Supreme Court of the U.S. This so upset the Attorney that he raced out of the room; his feeling so insulted that I had dared to question him on this? Two was my submitting a "Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) for a recording of the meeting from invocation to final gavel. I have tried since 2011 to get a copy on several tries but the tapes were always erased if I did a written request. So I presented it at the meeting to each and every member of the Council excluding Mr. Rogers, who was absent at that meeting. At this time I will not comment on the CD that was provided to me. That will be another horror for later. In that meeting I was accused of being disruptive and insulting people. All I can remember seeing was "pity party" by an individual. From then on, the Public Forum is no longer done and the City says it is not recording the meetings. In truth this was the only way the City Council could stop me from telling the truth about various city behaviors and getting or trying too truthful wording of the deception, deceit, misinformation and misdirection that is all too common at these meetings. That is actually why I started this blog. The folks in Vienna and anyone else who wishes to know the facts can get them here.