Author: fclocalyokel

It’s time for yet another drinking game.

fclocalyokel1 Comment

The County Council is set to meet on June 30th at 4:30 pm. We know this may a bit early on a weeknight for some of our faithful readers to start drinking, but it seems like you are really going to need one once you read the agenda. As always, we do not advocate making poor choices regarding the amount of alcohol you consume. Just stay home if you are playing along, or arrange for a ride home. As always, we don’t want to hear Billy complaining that he got a lot of calls for rides.

If Billy bows to the flag at the opening of the meeting, make yourself a Stars and Stripes.

If the Council can not even make it through voting on the Consent Agenda without someone breaking Robert’s Rules drink a Harvey Wallbanger.

If Tony mentions homeschooling as an alternative during the adoption of the FCC budget drink a teacher’s aide.

If the Council seems to approve paying Paul Smith’s legal fees you may need one of these to make sure your hearing is working after all the other drinks you’ve had tonight $11,000 cup of coffee.

If Billy, or anyone else for that matter, throws a fit about affordable housing options toss back a Brain Hemorrhage, since we know you will be close to having one.

If MTC hearings are reopened, Champibbles all around! If not, whatever you can scavenge out of the trashcans in Downtown Frederick on Saturday night will have to do.

This week’s poll question: Who penned this tome?

fclocalyokelLeave a comment

First off here’s the results from last week’s poll:

Mathilda is really popular this year! I hope she took the American Red Cross babysitting course! As for you four who chose Xenu and Gumption, we hope you are ready to be lectured about the E-meter at the end of the day! It looks as though the three amigos will have their summer wide open!

From a good source we were sent this picture of a letter that is taped to Kirby Delauter’s door at Winchester Hall. This week’s poll question is who penned this tome?

kirbyletter)

English-only ordinance wharblgarbl

fclocalyokel3 Comments

Obviously we have already made clear what our perspective is on the repeal of the English only ordinance. In a nutshell, it’s discriminatory. As such, it reflects poorly upon our community. Being a screaming baby is not actually an asset in most circumstances, and it is certainly bad public policy.

Kudos to local blowhard Charles Jenkins for making it crystal barking clear what the problem is with this nonsense. Language barriers have nothing to do with immigration status; one of the biggest reasons to have a problem with English-only ordinances is that they marginalize other taxpayers whose language fluency may not yet be excellent. This is ridonkulous. He is so busy stereotyping people and making insults (Q: what does “nanny state” have to do with this? A: absolutely nothing, but why waste a talking point, amirite?)  that he has lost sight of making a lucid argument, if there were one.

Seriously, what did we read in the FNP today?
Seriously, what did we read in the FNP today?

Being American might mean things are easier if you learn English, but in point of fact the following quote from his column rant is false.

To become American means you adopt our culture, obey our laws, learn some of our history and learn to read and write English.

We do not have a national language. Which means maybe it’s going to be Spanish one day that you have to learn, Charles Jenkins. Language evolves. Instead of “What dost thou propose, ye churlish, white-livered villiago?” nowadays we’re all just like, “WTF?” Maybe (gasp) the language most popularly spoken will change, too. Is that what this is really about? Probably. Oh so scary. What if people who have always been here have to adapt (and they will, because you know how you make money? hint: catering to customers–your Texas raised correspondent can totes see into the future here, promise ya). You know where they are abierto for more people’s business, and a broader tax base? You’ll never guess: Montgomery County. They have a simple “Translate our Website” page with links to online translators. It’s so fancy and expensive, fredericklocalyokel could do it.

Don’t worry, the young ones will figure this out and proceed like, oh, say Canada and Switzerland manage. Some of the stubborn old folks won’t adapt, but we’ve all been around long enough that we all know what your position is on change is anyway.

Randomly Occurring Caption Contest

fclocalyokel3 Comments

Yeah, we let our caption contest spiral out of control a bit. Excuse our tardiness in announcing a winner. Uh, drumroll please…

Anonuser takes the prize, uncontested, for the previous contest with “Ne ne na na nu.” We raise our Red Solo Cup to you, Anonymous commenter.

We feel sure you will all enjoy this next contest. Not one of us can look at it without dissolving into fits of giggles. Please revel in captioning this photographic festival of crazy. The more you look at it, the more you see. Like a Where’s Waldo of weird stuff. Enter as many times as you like. Eventually someone will be declared a winner.

Please caption this hot mess! We know you can knock this one out of the park.
Please caption this hot mess! We know you can knock this one out of the park. Photo taken from our dearly departed Gazette: support your local media, peeps!

Your Monday boredom report.

fclocalyokelLeave a comment

image

If you’ve read our past musings about Billy, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that he likes to post county documents to his Facebook page. Not all, only those that he thinks will get people all riled up. Take for example, that time he posted the legal documents in which Aurora made the county aware they were suing them. More recently he posted the English Language Ordinance repeal bill. No comment, just put it out there. Want to know what it is now? I am sure you don’t, but if I had to look at it:

Since Blaine doesn't have the bully pulpit anymore, I'll take up the torch!
Since Blaine doesn’t have the bully pulpit anymore, I’ll take up the torch!

That’s right it’s the county’s agreement with Regina Williams concerning her employment with Frederick County. Now please notice that this is addressed to Jen Fifield at the Frederick News Post. We applaud reporters for using the Freedom of Information Act and reporting to us what is happening in our government. And from that point of view, we get it! Newspapers are in the business of keeping us abreast of what goes on behind closed doors, without the media our democracy could not exist. Billy’s motives is what bothers us. From the Aurora payment, to the repeal bill to this. I don’t think there’s a whole lot of question as to why this may not have been the best working situation for both the County Executive and Ms. Williams. It was a conflict of interest when she was involved with the President of the Board of County Commissioners and it’s a conflict because she’s still in a relationship with the man who wanted Jan’s job. From every viewpoint this is a human resources nightmare. Billy seems not to know whom he represents. He puts stuff out there, quite often with no comment of his own, and it’s really hard to figure out what his point is. Plus, it’s really getting quite tedious bringing this stuff to light. So Billy, please, please stop it.

Voice support for the repeal of Frederick County’s English-only ordinance

fclocalyokel3 Comments

Send a message to your county council representatives to support the repeal of the English Only Ordinance. You can contact them all at once via email at councilmembers@frederickcountymd.gov

Here’s why this makes sense:

  • The ordinance discriminates against and marginalizes English language learners. That’s right folks, people don’t arrive with linguistic fluency on day one. They are actively learning. It does not mean they don’t care to learn, but it can take a lot of time to get there. Having them participate in the community is a positive for all.
  • People who speak another language better than English are also taxpayers. 12.3% of Frederick County residents speak a language other than English inside the home.
  • There is no national language in America. Meyer v. Nebraska (1932) struck down an English only (education) provision. Relevant detail: The protection of the Constitution extends to all, to those who speak other languages, as well as to those born with English on the tongue.
  • It serves no purpose other than to make us look needlessly divisive, ignorant, and xenophobic. It was presented as a way to “send a message.” It does. It’s an embarrassing message to be sending.
  • The U.S. has no national language, yet functions despite this “impediment.” Couldn’t we get by with Frederick County following the lead on this?

    The ACLU, which is part of a group opposed to establishing a national official language, has published a paper detailing reasons that such a move should be opposed. It starts by mentioning an effort by John Adams, in 1780, to establish an official academy devoted to English, a move which was rejected at the time as undemocratic. The ACLU notes past efforts at English-only laws that abridged the rights of non-English speakers or which generally made life difficult for large non-English speaking populations. One example cited in Dade County, Florida, where, after a 1980 English-only law was passed, Spanish signs on public transportation were removed.

    The ACLU believes that English-only laws can violate the U.S. Constitution’s protection of due process (especially in courts where no translation service would be offered) and equal protection (for example, where English-only ballots would be used where bilingual ones were available in the past).

    (http://www.usconstitution.net/consttop_lang.html)

Well, well, well, what do we have here?

fclocalyokelLeave a comment

I know our readers are going to be shocked by this news. In this morning’s Frederick News Post, we are made aware of the fact that some of Blaine & Co.’s policies were fiscally irresponsible. “How can this be?”, you may be asking yourself. Oh, it be. In addition to extending the life of county vehicles, which seems to have been a huge mistake, the cost of contracting out these repairs has been “twice as expensive as previously expected.” We found this handy article about how mechanics not only charge for their labor, but they also mark up the parts. Therefore it’s super curious as to how it was ever conceived that outsourcing these repairs would ever be cheaper than having a mechanic on staff. Will this guy please explain all this to us?

Well, ummm. Government is bad? Is that the correct answer?
Well, ummm. Government is bad? Is that the correct answer?

Paul is not going to jail for you or anyone!

fclocalyokel1 Comment

image

Today we became aware of a six page memorandum that Former County Commissioner Paul Smith sent to the County Council on June 12. It’s chock full of goodness, so we really suggest you read it. MTC_Paul_Smith_6.12.15 For those pressed for time here’s our summary:

  • He’s not signing any affidavit because he’s not going to jail for any of you jerks. And he has his 1st Amendment rights you know.
  • Even though he claims he’s not going to say anything about the FACT letter in the first paragraph, he goes on about it for the next five pages.
  • The judge was way wrong and ignorant in his interpretation of the Stevens case. Why can’t he get a judge that sees things his way?
  • He’s not guilty of any wrongdoing because you can’t prove what he did was “extreme” nor is there any “strong evidence”.
  • And these RALE people are just the worst.

image

  • “RALE has maligned several of the County personnel in their vicious attacks… Of course they have also waged relentless, vicious attacks against those former Commissioners and those current Council members who disagree with them. These attacks are ugly, continuous, open, and each verbal stinger is then supported by the applause and cheers of their comrades. These ugly displays are a disgrace to civil government, and they are a bullying technique that is intended to make the Council cower before them and to submit to their desires.”

image

  • None of you people really have any idea what fraud really is. And then let me show you how much these RALE people lie, lie, lie.
  • And I, Comm. Smith really like to talk about myself in the third person. It isn’t creepy AT ALL.

So there you have it folks. No affidavit, the judge can’t interpret law, RALE are just a bunch of vicious jerks and let me tell you, County Council members, how to do your job. No wonder this guy couldn’t win state office.

Poor Blaine. “Oops. I did it again.”

fclocalyokelLeave a comment

Our poor ousted former County Commissioner has changed his mind about what a great and high and mighty exalted thing this whole County Council government is. Wonder what’s caused his change of heart? We’ve compliled a story in pictures to illustrate his changing stance on the County Charter.

It doesn't get any less subtle than this.
It doesn’t get any less subtle than this.

According to Blaine Young, BOCC president, Frederick County is at a crossroads, and the road Young thinks it should take is in the direction of a strong county executive, like that of the 10 Maryland counties—including Baltimore City, which has county-like standing— that currently have charter governments. Four- teen others have either commissioner or code home rule systems. Frederick Gorilla February 1, 2012

But, as you can see, the winds of change are blowing wild and free.

Screen Shot 2015-06-17 at 11.05.33 AM
Look at me! I’m still relevant!

 

Call the waaaaambulance.
Call the waaaaambulance.

 

Sour grapes...a drink best served cold.
Sour grapes…a drink best served cold.

We’re inclined to think he’ s busy making himself useful with stupid distractions. Focus on doing something productive. Stop breaking everything all the time.