Given the turmoil that has beset our city for years, one can easily look at the Kirkwood incident and think "There by the grace of God goes Overland." As we grieve for the victims in the coming weeks, I hope we can also examine Overland.
One chat poster had a very reactionary response. The ol' let's put up metal detectors, etc. As Gravy pointed out, a metal detector only works within the confines of the building. It doesn't protect a city official 24 hours a day. Are we to provide 24 hour bodyguards for each official, elected and appointed? We realize that is not practical, and probably unwanted by most officials.
What is the solution? Who knows. I do know it does not lie in overburdening the city and its residents wiht solutions that only provide minimal relief.
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I think one thing we carry away from this is how damaging public works can be on the individual. Nothing justifies this mans actions. But pople get desperate. More so when it is there money, business or home at stake. My wife's co-worker has been hassled by his cities (Hazelwood)PW and was an outspoken critic of his alderman. Here in Overland I heard lots of storys of new businesses being harassed, opponents of past mayors constantly cited. You would think some would lose there fortune trying to open a business here. Money woews make people desperate.
Again, nothing justifies this mans actions. But, sometimes we need to examine our own actions and see if we are driving them to such desperation.
I agree Muckracker, which is another reason why a merit based civil service is necessary.
In this case I don't think the man was being unfairly dealt with. He had his day in Federal Court and lost.
I don't know of a way to give recourse to someone who is simply wrong nor reason with the unreasonable.
Then again, several of my neighbors park their vehicles in their front yards twenty-four hours a day. Police and inspectors drive right by the infractions at least 20 or thirty times a day without so much as a pause.
No big deal to me, I've always thought a barren lawn marked with tire treads was a very attractive look and great for property values. Also, no need to mow your lawn with your SUV providing shade for the grass.
So I guess there is something to be learned from the Kirkwood and Overland examples.
If the municipality in which you live does not enforce their laws, you never have to worry about upsetting a citizen for not complying with the law.
Gravy how true. How many citations are ignored by an inspector on their way to "get" the political enemy?
I'm always amazed when I get a citation because one or two weeds are two high when there is a house down the street that might fall apart with the next strong wind.
Back to the original topic, maybe the current mayoral administration should re-examine their rush to move the meetings back to city hall. Should something like this happen, the council chambers are not very conducive to escape. This is a relative quick and inexpensive security measure. Yes, it won't prevent anything but folks might feel safer.
The best security solutions is to ban everyone from the meetings and force us to watch via closed circuit or just via the Charter broadcast.
Or perhaps we can just do it via MySpace.
I am surprised noone has blamed JC Corcoran for the Kirkwood misery.
The Only one that needs to be wand or sent through a metal detector is the gun toating/gun selling/Ak=47 soon to be former Councilman of Ward 3 Ken Owensbey
If anyone thinks metal detectors would have stopped Cookie Thornton are either stupid or delusional (or both).
This guy stormed into the meeting and the only think the metal detector would have provided was a beep as he rushed through them. Something that could happen at the airport, the court building, etc.
It seems like other cities agree with your point. According to this story in the Post, several city officials said that they believe any added security, except possibly a few extra police officers, would not have changed anything in Kirkwood.
Finewine, I believe reactionary in such a political context means over-reacting in a such a manner that tends to minimize citizen liberty.
hanks for the copy and paste from the dictionary. I feel reassured when the words I use have similar meanings as those found in a dictionary.
A Reactionary is an extremist, that not only resists change, but demands a return to the “good old days” of an earlier idealistic social order.
Such as your belief that "things" ran so much better when Frank was Mayor. I felt the same way when I learned that Frank was having multiple adulterous sexual relationships with City Officials. I believe the most notorious was his blatant philandering with the City Clerk. Just think how Frank made things run better. Makes the casting couch seem quaint.
Yeah, things ran much better when Frank was Mayor.
(To remind our readers, while serving as Mayor, Munch was FineWine's patron by putting her on the dole as a Civil Defense Official or whatever. We think it was payment in cash but could have been other as well. See above.)
__________________
A few thoughts on the recent violence in Kirkwood.
It is wrong to think that belief in freedom always leads to victory; we must always be prepared for it to lead to defeat.
If we choose freedom, then we must be prepared to perish along with it.
We do not choose political freedom because it promises us this or that. We choose it because it makes possible the only dignified form of human coexistence, the only form in which we can be fully responsible for ourselves.
Whether we realize its possibilities depends on all kinds of things — and above all on ourselves.
Carol you are a liar.
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