Ludington Torch Becomes Unruly Teenager

[XLFD]

On December 21st, 2009, a cool winter solstice day that was otherwise nondescript for the citizens living in a small city of 8000 or so named Ludington saw the lighting of a torch, The Ludington Torch.  A citizen going only by the pseudonym of XLFD decided it was time for a change in local media complacent in local politics because it was part of the local political machine.  Mystically and magically, each day over the next 6 months seemed longer as the darkness retreated with the advent of the torch.

Now legendary figures emerged into the forum of public discussion.  Stalwarts like Willy, Aquaman, Edie Lindsay, Dave, Mary, Guido, Max, Angela, Joemaflage, Snide started the conversations, several still contribute regularly 13 years later.  As the years progressed, we have seen members like Disarm, George Dila, Lisa O'Brien, Nicole Birkett, In Dulce Jublio, Marty Redman, AnxiousGuy and many others provide balance to our generally libertarian/conservative viewpoint consistent with the area.  We have even had some input from elected officials at times.

Over the years the Ludington Torch has not only focused on the news that matters, but we have also brought awareness to many local issues typically ignored by others.  We have often had to resort to the legal system for corrective action against local corruption that we have spotlighted.  That fight continues to be red hot as we have had recent courtroom success against the City of Scottville, the Ludington Police Department, and the City of Ludington all within the last couple of months of 2022.

The future in 2023 has us positioned against that latter public body along with the local school district to void the USDA deer cull set to happen on the Ludington Elementary School grounds and seeking relief in federal court for targeting and retributive actions the LPD conducted against the founder of this website this summer, simply because he reported the truth about them.

As we grow more towards seeking justice, some of our efforts in reporting news that matter may suffer.  We look towards our membership to help out in keeping the torchlight going during this time.  We appreciate your input even if you don't agree with our editorial bias, because we will be the first to admit that bias exists and sometimes it does blind us to the point of not understanding common sense ideas and solutions.  Interactive media does best when all sides debate honestly and intelligently.

We look forward in continuing to serve Ludington, Mason County, and beyond in the coming years without seeking any money from our members and not subjecting them to any annoying ads of any type.  We love citizen journalism, freedom, and healthy discussion and hope to foster that spirit throughout the community, the country, and if need be, the world.  Help us reach this goal, and the world will seem a little brighter each day-- at least for the next six months.

[shinblind]

Happy Birthday Torch. Burn Brightly.

[Willy]

Congratulations X. The Torch is a great accomplishment. You have performed a wonderful service  by bringing to light the true nature of Ludington politics. What is the court action against the police you speak of?

[XLFD]

Thanks, Willy.  The court action against the LPD happened after they immediately impounded my vehicle after a traffic stop.  They had no lawful reason to impound it, 79th District Court Judge John Middlebrook agreed and gave me a refund of all money after a trial and hearing. 

I found out I was specifically targeted by an officer I had wrote several uncomplimentary Ludington Torch articles about for his inability to follow almost all police protocols.  He proved my point.  Getting my money back was only the start, so I will reveal more when the federal complaint is filed.

[Freedom Seeker]

I hope you get recompense from a federal suit enough to pay for your years of service (through the back door in a sense) of keeping the City of Ludington clearer from corruption. In thinking back at my 12 years of reading the Torch, I feel that a corruption came in with the outside influence of those who took over the administration and police force, all outsiders from bigger corrupted cities, when they came around 2003. It's a shame that Ludington has lost its happier days.

Will the corruption ever end in Ludington city hall? Thank you, X, for your years of service to slow down the corruption.

[XLFD]

I just hope my attorney can make part of it a class action suit so that others singled out by the LPD for unlawful procedures can gain their justice too, some of them may be in jail or prison now because LPD either can't train their officers properly or they just don't care when they abuse those protocols and violate numerous civil rights of otherwise honorable folks caught in their poisonous webs.  Their supervisors surely don't care.

I see the problem of our city hall arising from those within and without Ludington and Mayor Miller is the prime example of the problem.  Barnett and Shay were not bad people when they were hired from SE Michigan 20 years ago, but they quickly got the incumbent disease noticeable in Ludington's officials after 3-4 years in office.  Like Miller, and surely Mayor Holman and Henderson before him, the people they would acknowledge as being indebted to in the end would inevitably be long and include only other officials and maybe family members. 

It's an insular, us vs. them, mentality-- where you, I, and the other city deplorables are the detestable 'them' which can at best be tolerated as they invent more and more ways to wrest money from them (exception, if you're real wealthy and friendly with city hall, they'll find ways to subsidize you).  It's a shame that Angela Serna didn't get more than two years on the council, I think she might have been able to buck that trend.

[stump]

 XLFD , if you don't know about the YouTube Chanel  Audit the Audit you might find it interesting

[XLFD]

It does look like an interesting channel, some of the channels that traffic in auditing police interactions or highlighting police failures sometimes aren't that judicious or fair on what actually transpired, choosing to demonize the police even when they are doing things legit in a complex situation.  If they have some vids from West Michigan, I may just look into them further:

[Dave]

Where has the time gone?

Hardly seems like it's been that long but yet here we are. Over 4100 different discussions over the years and regular contributions from many. I don't contribute as much as I used to but I do make it a point to check the Torch out everyday, when I'm home it's literally the first thing I see when I turn my PC on.

Here's to another 13 years!