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ASK SKIP: "Blogger to blogger: Part Two"
My responses in “Blogger to blogger: Part One” were answers to questions as posed by blogwalter to askskip@phoenixvillenews.com.
My first responses were not meant to be flippant, nor were they to dismiss the import of the fundamental issues to which the questions point. But, interestingly, blogwalter’s questions begged more; how they did so and why requires a second response.
A phrase like “the real goals of planning” is freighted with assumptions up to overload; then, when it’s asked whether a public body “has lost sight” of what’s already not defined, one can begin to suspect another agenda, one that makes the important issues actually secondary, even trivial, compared to the answers that are really sought.
Blogwalter was at least wise enough to ask his questions without context or commentary in his e-mail to “Ask Skip”. There’s a second version of his query, however, made very public and with no lack of context and commentary, on blogwalter’s website – that is, Councilman Kendrick Buckwalter (R-West)’s website – at http://watchingphoenixville.blogspot.com/2008/02/ok-skip-we-would-like-to-ask-following.html.
There, the primary motivating agenda becomes clearer, and it is distinctively partisan.
Let me be as clear as possible: “Ask Skip” was established as an informational forum, one that could be, at its best, a forum for civic debate. “Ask Skip” will neither aid nor abet the gotcha politics popular around here in some circles, no matter how well-dressed they may be to masquerade as policy debates. “Ask Skip” is not a mudslinging delivery system.
To have put “Ask Skip” in a position, simply by responding to those well-dressed questions, to amplify the “news” of a year-old affidavit, the bottom line of watchingphoenixville’s post, that has spent this last weekend getting itself wallpapered all over town is to misuse the forum and debase its purposes.
Doubt “wallpapered”? Note, at the least, the complementary posts at http://www.ageofnefarious.info and http://thechickencacciatoreproject.blogspot.com.
Another copy of the affidavit was handed to me several weeks ago, for another purpose appropriate to “Ask Skip.” I am following up on that issue.
At least one of those sources – if not the entire caucus, but of that I cannot be certain – was more than a little agitated over my report some weeks ago of former Council President John Messina’s interest in the Planning Commission spot; he believed that the fact of the report was prima facie evidence of my support of Messina’s candidacy.
It certainly was not. But the attempt to “out” a phantom of journalistic bias while redefining the context in which the appointment decision itself can be made misunderstands, in no particular order of priority, “Ask Skip,” The Phoenix, phoenixvillenews.com, journalism, current borough politics, and me.
All that now said, would Councilman Buckwalter like to rephrase his questions?
Posted by
Skip Lawrence
You can email your questions for Skip at askskip@phoenixvillenews.com
My first responses were not meant to be flippant, nor were they to dismiss the import of the fundamental issues to which the questions point. But, interestingly, blogwalter’s questions begged more; how they did so and why requires a second response.
A phrase like “the real goals of planning” is freighted with assumptions up to overload; then, when it’s asked whether a public body “has lost sight” of what’s already not defined, one can begin to suspect another agenda, one that makes the important issues actually secondary, even trivial, compared to the answers that are really sought.
Blogwalter was at least wise enough to ask his questions without context or commentary in his e-mail to “Ask Skip”. There’s a second version of his query, however, made very public and with no lack of context and commentary, on blogwalter’s website – that is, Councilman Kendrick Buckwalter (R-West)’s website – at http://watchingphoenixville.blogspot.com/2008/02/ok-skip-we-would-like-to-ask-following.html.
There, the primary motivating agenda becomes clearer, and it is distinctively partisan.
Let me be as clear as possible: “Ask Skip” was established as an informational forum, one that could be, at its best, a forum for civic debate. “Ask Skip” will neither aid nor abet the gotcha politics popular around here in some circles, no matter how well-dressed they may be to masquerade as policy debates. “Ask Skip” is not a mudslinging delivery system.
To have put “Ask Skip” in a position, simply by responding to those well-dressed questions, to amplify the “news” of a year-old affidavit, the bottom line of watchingphoenixville’s post, that has spent this last weekend getting itself wallpapered all over town is to misuse the forum and debase its purposes.
Doubt “wallpapered”? Note, at the least, the complementary posts at http://www.ageofnefarious.info and http://thechickencacciatoreproject.blogspot.com.
Another copy of the affidavit was handed to me several weeks ago, for another purpose appropriate to “Ask Skip.” I am following up on that issue.
At least one of those sources – if not the entire caucus, but of that I cannot be certain – was more than a little agitated over my report some weeks ago of former Council President John Messina’s interest in the Planning Commission spot; he believed that the fact of the report was prima facie evidence of my support of Messina’s candidacy.
It certainly was not. But the attempt to “out” a phantom of journalistic bias while redefining the context in which the appointment decision itself can be made misunderstands, in no particular order of priority, “Ask Skip,” The Phoenix, phoenixvillenews.com, journalism, current borough politics, and me.
All that now said, would Councilman Buckwalter like to rephrase his questions?
Posted by
Skip Lawrence
You can email your questions for Skip at askskip@phoenixvillenews.com
posted by The Phoenix Files at
9:24 AM
7 Comments:
If something look like a duck, quacks like a duck, gee, it probably IS a duck and no amount of verbal distraction couched in the form of a promised response can change facts.
People form opinions once information is available and the "gotcha" attitude is usually directed at the perps of a situation and often duly deserved, and indeed worthy of investigation and publication because in this case it was in regards to the, in the judge's words, possibly "inappropriate" actions of a seated councilmember being considered for an appointed borough position.
The newspaper reporters really need to go back and look at articles and editorials from the 1970', 80's, and 90's to see some real investigative journalism and then start working hard at emulating those good reporters from yesteryear instead of making excuses for why the news doesn't appear in the newspaper.
"A phrase like “the real goals of planning” is freighted with assumptions up to overload; then, when it’s asked whether a public body “has lost sight” of what’s already not defined, one can begin to suspect another agenda, one that makes the important issues actually secondary, even trivial, compared to the answers that are really sought."
Holy crap Skip! You are the most cryptic writer I've ever tried to read. I am an educated, successful individual but man-o-man you are some piece of work. Do you know there are only about a dozen people in town who can actually follow what it is you're trying to say? Do you talk like this too? If you're trying to sound smart, it's not working dude.
Post-Game Report: Due Diligencers Upset by Good Ol' Boys
In an unexpected move last evening at the February Phoenixville Borough Council meeting which I was regrettably unable to attend, Council chose to act anachronistically on the Planning Commission appointment discussed in January.
Before completing due diligence by conducting public interviews of the interested candidates at the upcoming February Committee meeting, a motion was taken off the table to appoint John Messina to the expiring seat. The motion was passed, 5-1-1.
My thoughts are best expressed by simply sharing what I sent this morning by e-mail to my peer Council members. For those of you interested in a full meeting update, I will be posting one for you to my blog at http://councilmansenley.blogspot.com after I watch the full broadcast on TPN.
My e-mail sent to Council this morning:
"Hi All:
I must express a high level of dissatisfaction with Council's decision last evening to move ahead with appointment of the expiring Planning Commission seat with no regard for planned due diligence. It was my understanding that the pending PC seat was to be addressed in committee at the end of this month with public interviews of the interested candidates, and a decision would then be made at March's regular business meeting.
Those of you who removed the motion from the table last evening and voted "Yes" have succeeded in alienating and disenfranchising Mike Hott, Michelle Beaver, a number of seated Planning Commission members, and the voters who voted in this last election for "Open Government" by acting at this time in a notably apparent partisan and backdoor fashion.
Had we executed appropriate due diligence as planned and came to this same decision a month from now, I would be much more comfortable with our action, as would the voters we supposedly represent.
Expect to be held accountable for this action.
Jeff Senley
Borough Councilman, North Ward
Phoenixville, PA USA
jsenley@phoenixville.org"
Skip, your responses weren’t flippant; just reminiscent of one of William Jefferson Clinton’s defining moments:
"It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is. If the--if he--if 'is' means is and never has been, that is not--that is one thing. If it means there is none, that was a completely true statement....Now, if someone had asked me on that day, are you having any kind of sexual relations with Ms. Lewinsky, that is, asked me a question in the present tense, I would have said no. And it would have been completely true."
Ken, I politely disagree -- Skip's answers were flippant.
Blogs have become a legitimate form of political discourse and the questions before Skip COULD have given him an opportunity to wax editorially on the issues before him.
Instead, he punted and complained that "the bloggers are playing 'gotcha'".
I have comments for Skippy. Where are your balls you damn gelding! For the last 2 years you, yes you personally, covered this Borough for our community paper. You heralded the coming of the Great Ant. You spit shined the Bullcrap that council fed us and with your own personal agenda, said it was the right thing to do. Stories abound of Ant the Great and King John running amok over Council and the voters of the Borough and yet you publish none. You remain calm. We need to read partisan blogs to find real info, yet your paper has no clue as to what is out there. What is the color of the sky in your world down there on Bridge St? Keep not reporting the stuff that these privileged few village idiots are doing to this borough and there will not be anything left.
Lets see if you can tap dance around the answer to this question Skip: Would you treat a family member, coworker, or neighbor the same way Borough Council treated Mike Hott?
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