Enter the Dragon

[XLFD]

According to my calendar, today starts the Year of the Dragon as pertains to the Chinese calendars. correspondingly I was born in the Year of the Dragon nearly 48 years ago.  For individuals the year of the dragon symbolizes power and good fortune; for those in business, it’s a year to seize opportunities for new conquests, greater profitability, and company growth.

 

This looks to be the year of people power here in Mason County.  The grassroots citizens group known as CARRE is mounting serious legal opposition in the courts to contest the conduct of the County Government and Consumer's Power in an apparent lack of regard for the safety and health of the citizens of this County.  As I see more and more evidence of collusion and ethical lapses between those two powerful entities, I back our good neighbors of CARRE all the more.

 

A growing number of people are holding our local officials feet to the fire, as they learn about the waste of their tax dollars on this and that, hear about the latest tax and fee raises, and see the wasting away of our infrastructure as their civic leaders bring in $100,000 + salaries.  And although their voice is dampened by an unsympathetic (to the common people) local newspaper, their voice is getting louder, and more confident. 

 

I have had a FOIA appeal in Circuit Court for a couple of months, not a lawsuit per se, but a civil action to get the City to produce documents, which were blocked from me by my initial request and appeal to the Council.  I will be placing a thread about this soon, but it is amazing how much effort they are putting in to block the records of (New City Councilor and DDA Chairperson's Fiance) Nick Tykoski's business dealings with the City.  This could be a watershed case for future FOIA rights, and its only weakness is the inexperience, ineptness, and incompetence of my side's counsel (me!).  It's like having Jim Carrey's lawyer on that day he had to tell the truth in Liar Liar. 

 

This last weekend, my attorney initiated a motion to dismiss a judgment that never should have been made back in 2008.  Old news becoming new again, and I will keep that updated here as time allows me to.  Another bit of litigation is on its way to the City Attorney from my attorney's barrister's desk in a very short while that will be addressing the Letter of Trespass and a host of other issues concerning the first and fourth amendment. 

 

With all this going on, my criminal complaint to the FBI on City Manager Shay's and his co-conspirators at City Hall who allowed him to keep me from voting this fall in clear felonious violation of 1963's Voting Right's Act ill be mulled on, and we may see some of the people actually pay in jail time or fine for their iniquity, instead of paying out your money for legal fees and lawsuits.  Wouldn't that be nice?

 

Will the efforts of people trying to make their government accountable be a hallmark of this year of the dragon?  Let's hope so-- power to the people!

[Willy]

I'ts still hard to comprehend that all of this started from a bogus traffic ticket and snowballed into the legal quagmire your now facing. Most people would have just taken the crap handed out and walked away with their tale between their legs. Your doing the Constitution and the citizens a great service.

[Marty Redman]

I second that.  Heres a point you got to remember for you XLFD, that if you are looking for justice, you will likely have to keep patient.   Figure out that anything you get from the courts in Mason County will be tainted by the legal entanglements and the local prejudices and favors of one public enterprise to another.  Its a symptom of our current mess in the public sector. 

You have great patience as the record shows.  I see long trips to distant courts ending with  a favorable conclusion for you.  I am sounding a lot like a fortune cookie, so I will end with your lucky numbers- 1, 5, 16, 23, 24, 37.

Have a great year.

[XLFD]

The germ of it was around before the traffic ticket.  The exact same day I got my bicycle ticket, the City agreed to pay $250,000 to at their CC meeting that night due to their violations of former Building Inspector's Jack Byers' basic rights.  The City's reluctance to release their records on this, and the large settlement, makes me believe that Jack Byers' had a lot of other information that would have come out with a trial. 

But there was a lot going on in 2007/2008, a lot of tension in the LFD (not centered around me) before I left, a lot of indications from what I seen and heard from city officials and have read in the various minutes of that era of a change of philosophy away from public service to private gain, from fairness to foulness. 

Patience is a virtue, and I believe my willingness to wait will result in a good outcome.  I may have to start talking like a fortune cookie myself, so as not to give my opposition too much of an advantage in this year of the dragon. 

[Dave]

Enter The Dragon is one of the best martial arts movies EVER!

Oh wait, wrong Enter The Dragon... my bad

[XLFD]

The year isn't over yet, so maybe you won't be too far from the truth.  My jujutsu skill will be tested against Dick Wilson's Tae Kwon Do moves and John Shay's crane technique.  Barring a grudge match outside the courtroom however, here's a trailer for the 1973 classic, Enter the Dragon: