I Guess That's Why They Call It COLDNews

[XLFD]

People who have little knowledge of our website, or who are otherwise quick to dismiss us due to our frankness or their associations, sometimes wonder why we hold the local paper, the City of Ludington Daily News (COLDNews, for short) in as much derision as we do.  This Tuesday's edition was a good reason why we dismiss the news legitimacy of that award-winning, yet puerile, newspaper. 

Reporter Kevin Brasiczeski has been following the city council meeting beat for over ten years, but still hasn't seemed to grasp what the difference between a journalist and a government propagandist is.  That was on wide display following that meeting, as evidenced by the way he handled a public comment voiced by Fourth Ward resident Diane Seelhoff, who gets rather energized over the issue of putting a Splash Pad at Copeyon Park. 

Now Kevin B was clever enough to put her initial comment about the pad deep into the COLDNews article dealing with that topic.  Thirteen paragraphs on page 1 of the paper dealt with the splash pad moving forward and only positive things about it and its location.  Then it ended the article on page 6, went several more paragraphs of how great the pad would be, until bringing up some of Seelhoff's comments regarding the violation of the American Disabilities Act (ADA) and the need to vote for approval of the site's use by the city's electors. 

But Seelhoff got up later in the meeting, and offered a stinging rebuke just after local trucker Marc Riffle and I had voiced our own concerns.  Marc spoke up about why a 3 lane Ludington Avenue would be crazy and why John Shay should resign, I spoke out about why the city needed to rethink it's position about snow fences at Stearns' Beach. 

I had previously spoke out about the DPW golf cart incident and why it mattered.  Neither of those three comments were acknowledged in any of their recap articles.  But the COLDNews reporter did acknowledge that Seelhoff was upset about something offering eleven words of summarization:

* Diane Seelhoff said she is tired of lawsuits against the city

Now I consider a Diane a leading proponent of getting this city back on track to do things the right and ethical way, whereas Kevin is an unethical minion of City Hall and the newspaper, solidly putting the COL in the COLDNews.  You may too, if you haven't already, once you hear her full statements, which I include in transcript from (54:40) into the meeting's video where she speaks:

September 25th, 2017 Ludington City Council meeting from Mason County District Library on Vimeo.

Diane Seelhoff:  "I hate to put a damper on the rosy picture. I appreciated that, but I have something that has really bothered me ever since I have been here.  I too am tired of lawsuits against the city, and weary of the costs to the taxpayer and the dysfunction it creates in city hall.

I am troubled by the discord, but more so, I am appalled at the alleged malfeasances uncovered in these lawsuits, be it no-bid contracts, conflicts of interest, misuse of grant money, public servants benefiting themselves, failure to follow charter or state law, denial of public information, or playing games by charging 25 times more than mandated information fees.
I see one man speaking to right this wrong; it's unfortunate that his intelligence and analytical skills aren't utilized to keep us on the straight and narrow, or to get us out of the debt we're facing.  Sometimes what we see as our worst enemy can be our greatest asset if we utilize it.  I'm sure you all know of whom I am speaking of, and your contempt against him is palpable.
He has uncovered some serious issues that need to be addressed.  No wonder you tried to ban him from city hall and prevent him from public office.  I pray that you elected city officials put service into public service, and realize that you are paid by the public, you are using taxpayer money in whatever you do, it is not your private budget.  What you do in public office is public information, it is a right for the taxpayer to know how their tax dollars is being spent and how public decisions are being made and followed.  Giving information freely without prejudice to the requester is required through state law and would save the Ludington taxpayer lots of money if we didn't get embroiled in these lawsuits brough on by refusal to give public information.
Have nothing to hide?  Open public records, don't play games, and truly serve the public.  Please find a way to conquer the discord.  Do what is right and peace will follow."

These words which left the city officials agape and without any sort of attempt at refutation at the end of their meeting, were summarized by less than a dozen words of Kevin's which had nothing to do with what was actually said.  The COLDnews may be a resource for finding the local and national sports scores and looking for over-priced housing and work, but how can it really be relied upon for fair and accurate information by anybody who has an open mind? 

Those aspects of the COLDNews are part of its Pure Ludington Propaganda campaign to keep as many people ignorant about what's actually going on.  It's why they will publish the obituary of James Walkley with one hand, while collaborating with the sheriff in keeping the public in the dark about his being the body found out in the school forest on the other.  State subservience is not what our founding fathers envisioned when it put the freedom of the press in the First Amendment.

To celebrate their achievement of becoming Ludington's Pravda, I have co-opted the song's lyrics of Elton John's "I Guess that's why they call it the blues and relabeled it.  If you love the COLDNews, be sure to don your funky rose-colored glasses just like Sir Elton would have wore.

I GUESS THAT'S WHY THEY CALL IT COLDNEWS

Don't wish it away
Don't look at it like it's forever
Between you and me I could honestly say
News reporting can get better

And while I'm reading
'Bout what city hall did last night
And it won't be long before I raise eyebrows
To the fake news flatly described

And I guess that's why they call it COLDNews
Time on my hands could be spent reading truth
Watching the meeting, seeing what happened
Reading the Torch 'cause I'm confused

And I guess that's why they call it COLDNews

One sided tales
With John Shay on the by-line
City hall is good, all others evil
And anything else is a lie

What in the world
Cry as you read if it helps
But more than ever it's simply drivel
A rag absorbed with itself

And I guess that's why they call it COLDNews
Time on my hands could be spent reading truth
Watching the meeting, seeing what happened
Rather read the Torch 'bout Shay uncouth

And I guess that's why they call it COLDNews

What in the world
Cry as you read if it helps
But more than ever it's simply drivel
A rag absorbed with itself

And I guess that's why they call it COLDNews
Time on my hands could be spent reading truth
Watching the meeting, seeing what happened
Rather read the Torch, sip some vermouth

And I guess that's why they call it COLDNews
And I guess that's why they call it COLDNews
And I guess that's why they call it COLDNews
And I guess that's why they call it COLDNews

[John Doe Jr]

Corrupt Ludington officials and media squashing truth, accountability and transparency together as,"TEAM DEPLORABLES".

Each one of these Set-up artists instigates, incites, and plant lies on those who find truth,fact and evidence of their corruption and wrong doings.

They then slander,harass,intimidate and, use the rogue police force to hide any and all personal vendettas and wrong doings of their own.

Then the ColdTurd blows in, dispersing the crowd with piles of stinky propaganda.

Yes, this well oiled machine has been destroying this town and it's people for years.

If you live here, you either learn to bow or you get sent to the concentration camp.

[shinblind]

It is enough to make you want to take a knee at the start of a city council meeting.

[Brad]

Good idea...

[shinblind]

I swear this is the oath I hear from the members  at the beginning of a meeting.

I pledge allegiance to John Shay

of the United Council of Ludington.

And to the corruption for which we stand

One City, exploited

With graft and paybacks for the select.

[XLFD]

Jolly good rewrite, shinblind, unfortunately it hits too close to the Mark 

[Willy]

That is a good one shinblind. I'm still laughing.

[Brad]

Never give up X.  You are gaining support.

[XLFD]

I will not fool myself or get overly cocky by inferring that support gained is not primarily from the disgust in seeing unethical, unintelligent, unpopular, or unlawful actions of our civic leaders in dealing with the city's issues and me.

It may reach critical mass if the council decides to cut Ludington Avenue from 5 to 3 lanes, for I believe the traffic study will be inconclusive; meaning that I think it will show traffic in the range of where 3 lanes could be considered, but not optimally so.  The inertia of the council is for this restriping, the inertia of the public is against the restriping.   

[Brad]

Yes most ideas, even those that make no sense or against majority of public opinion, still get done. Just wrong.

[Willy]

That is hilarious X. When you decide to give up journalism I'm sure you could make a living writing lyrics.

My hat's off to Diane Seelhoff. I am very proud of what she did. On the other hand my backside moon is exposed for Reporter Kevin Brasiczeski. The only good reason that would be acceptible for his amazingly false, biased, twisted bullsh_t is that his editor rearranged his article to appear as though all was well at the Council meeting. Kevin you are shining example of a very bad and deceitful journalist. You just plain suck at being honest and should forever hang your head in shame. The next time your paper is nominated for an award it might be a good idea for the people you pretend to serve reveal to the nominating committee just how badly the LDN behaves at serving up to the public honest and concise reporting.

[Willy]

[AQUAMAN]

That lady at the end of the mtg. was asking Shyster if he would be resigning, watch his head, lol. Good job X, Diane Seelhoff, and Marc Riffle, to expose the truth, and reveal what most of the public thinks about our current situation, keep up the good work.