Comments on: 2011 Election: Ward 4 City Council

By: cosmonıcan

cosmonıcan — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 02:48:27 +0000

re #13, Vivienne: Thanks for the heads up about the typo; for the longest time I couldn’t figure out what you meant, but of course I intended to type “pejorative.” Between antihistamines, analgesics, 5 point type in the comments preview window, a major software update (to everything) a couple of days ago, dislexia, stubbornness, and stupidity, a crummy spell checker and a host of other excuses, I somehow managed to get it wrong. [Note that Apple's spell-checker doesn't know “dislexia.”] “cosmonıcan” notwithstanding, I’m not really the sort to try to coin words.

Naturally I have one solution — ɹǝpɐǝɹɟooɹd ǝɥʇ ǝɹıɟ. Unfortunately, he’s the only one who knows what shoe-box I keep the upside/down type fonts in, so it’ll be kind of rough going for a while. I’m going to have to dust off my old copy of “The Mac is not a typewriter,” and my old “Webster’s,” and try to bone up as well as I can.

Since there is no such word as “perforative,” I certainly hope there is no one out there who has actually assigned some kind of weird, rudderless meaning to what I wrote.

By: Rod Johnson

Rod Johnson — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 18:41:29 +0000

It is strange that in this supposedly Democratic town, we have a race between a Republican running as a Democrat and a Republican running as an independent, and another between a Republican running as a Democrat and a Republican. I guess that’s a point in favor of Mr. Scheie–at least he’s up front about being a Republican.

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 18:24:11 +0000

Re #9: so when someone uses a “perforative”, is that a particularly pointed and hurtful remark?

I just erased several different perforative comments I wanted to make about aacom’s commenters who (deleted). Thankfully the Chronicle hosts a superior batch who practice Generosity.

By: cosmonıcan

cosmonıcan — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 17:14:53 +0000

Alan, I am guilty, guilty, guilty. Of all charges. Laughing all over the place, as I admitted it before the fact.

I do apologize for leaving the impression that your politics are the same as his. I realize they are very different, in fact I do agree with your positions most of the time. So, as Dear Abby used to say, “Beat me with a wet noodle.” The truth remains that you, and as I suspect, Mr. Scheie’s alter ego, are closely connected with the zoo over at the Dot Com; but that is the only connection I suggest, and none other.

So far as my feelings about Mr. Scheie and Ms. Higgins, I have a great disdain for all of the carpetbaggers on the council (Rapundalo, anyone?) and I hope they all just go away.

By: Rod Johnson

Rod Johnson — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 16:41:58 +0000

I have to agree with Alan about Higgins and her perfunctory, entitled approach to campaigning. It’s a shame our system can’t find better opponents than people like Scheie.

By: Alan Goldsmith

Alan Goldsmith — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 16:00:10 +0000

#9. Monkey? Lol. Anonymously attacking anonymous comments? What a hoot! And I think you give me way too much credit. Mr. Scheie’s webblog was probably meant to be sarcastic and humorous, but many progressives lack a sense of humor. And, while it pains me to say this, I’d rather burn in hell and listen to the Mayor give a two hour speech on trees and backyard chickens than vote for a Tea Bagger lunatic like Mr. Scheie. But he did show up for the debate, AND he has a campaign website to babble on with his silliness. Higgins doesn’t repect the process enough to even show up for the campaign. Are you ok with that? Or ARE you Ms. Higgins? Lol.

By: cosmonıcan

cosmonıcan — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:15:31 +0000

#8, et al: Okay, here’s where everybody’s gonna want to throw *stuff* at me for being an anonymous hypocrite.

But . . .

• Ann Arbor Dot Com has a stated policy against their own posting of anonymous comments from political officeholders and candidates. They claim to monitor, and enforce that policy, probably by identifying IP addresses.

• This is my own opinion, I have not the resources to prove it, but I suspect that Mr. Scheie is a regular, longtime, and ongoing contributor to the Monkey House of commentary at Ann Arbor Dot Com. I base this conclusion on writings from his website that look suspiciously similar to daily rants on the Dot Com, and one writer in particular, though I don’t recall the given name—it may be one of many. One similarity I find especially grinding is the use of the word “Liberal” as a perforative, of which Ronald Reagan was a master. Other similarities would be best left to an English professor—use of language, a turn of a phrase, a written accent as it were. Then there is the involvement of Mr. Goldsmith; protecting one of your fellow monkeys Alan?

Let us hope the Dot Com sees this and has the guts to investigate. I may be wrong, and offer up a batch of Mea Culpas in advance, just in case, but I smell a rat . . . or a monkey

I will defend myself by simply saying that I’m playing by the rules, and I’m not running for anything. Oh, and by the way, Dave Askins for Mayor in 2012.

By: Alan Goldsmith

Alan Goldsmith — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:57:05 +0000

Ed, we know this about Mr. Scheie’s views because:

1. He has a live website.
2. He shows up for debates.

Higgins is disrespecting the electoral process by doing not doing either.

By: Edward Vielmetti

Edward Vielmetti — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 02:12:17 +0000

Vivienne, I'd characterize this post [link] as sounding like an anti-bicycle point of view. As the parent of a kid who rides his bike to school on one of the newly created "complete streets" with bicycle lanes that didn't used to be there, I'd have to say that I don't agree with this point of view.

By: Vivienne Armentrout

Vivienne Armentrout — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 01:29:52 +0000

I was introduced to the website about a week ago, and found some of the posts startling, including the one bashing moms on bicycles and the one comparing Ann Arbor voters to the women in Lysistrata (not directly, but by implication).