Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Johnny Northside Blog Celebrates St. Patrick's Day With Video Footage Of A Real Life Leprechuan!


In celebration of St. Patrick's Day, here is about 58 seconds of video I shot of Michael Cavlan testifying at the recent reappointment hearing for MPD Chief Dolan. In a disjointed rant featuring a delightful Irish brooooogue, Cavlan says it's time to talk about "apples," meaning those who are red on the outside and white on the inside. He says it's time to talk about corporate greenwashing, and goes on to call the brave Minneapolis cops killers and rapists. He sums up by calling the city council members "a bunch of suffering sycophants."

Do not adjust your computer screen. Please note this angry little man appears ACTUAL SIZE. (Joke font)

But seriously, folks...

...the vote for Chief Dolan was 8-5. He won by just two votes. If Dolan's opponents had better leadership and more organization, they would have kept people like Cavlan from speaking, as well as Al Flowers. (Of course, Al was surprisingly boring, which always happens when he has PERMISSION to speak)

As it was, there was plenty of angry spleen venting, including one woman who used the phrase "f***ing c***" in front of the council. Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?

Rants like this one by Michael Cavlan only alienated the council members and helped lock in votes for Dolan. There's a time and a place to use angry rants: like having the very first speaker foam at the mouth, so subsequent speakers won't hold back and will all appear moderate by comparison. Then it's best to finish up with leaders who offer solutions and proposals and volunteer to take charge, be on a task force, etc. Really, did somebody skip Public Hearing 101? Too busy with all the fun of dodging tear gas?

Instead of being organized, the anti-Dolan opposition appeared to just throw a mad assortment of WHATEVER at the podium, like the ill-fated Task Force Smith in the Battle of Osan. At one point, Al Flowers was actually whining because so many pro-Dolan speakers got to the podium first. Well, that's what happens when you get up early and put your name on the sign-in sheet.

City council member Cam Gordon (a member of the Green Party) acted more like a winner, elaborating in detail on the criteria he was using to judge Dolan's performance. But how long, you have to wonder, can somebody like Cam Gordon survive politically amid so many CRAZIES?

2 comments:

MeganG. said...

Now everytime I hear you or someone else repeat the Leprechuan's phrase "suffering sycophants" - I think of Daffy Duck. In my head I'm sort of slurring those words "sssuffering sssycophants"

MeganG. said...

Peter Rickmyer is famous (or infamous):

http://www.citypages.com/2010-03-17/news/peter-rickmyer-northside-gadfly-or-real-pain-in-the-ass/