This Small, Informative Blog Post Is Dedicated To "Free Speech Heavy Hitter" Courtney Love...

Photo and blog post by John Hoff

It's just a little story, the kind of minor happening this "hyper local daily blog" covers for the benefit of my neighborhood: the neglected hole in the street in front of 2700 Morgan Ave. N. got fixed after I wrote about it, see photo above.

"Temporary fill" was used and it's already settling, so clearly the hole will need to be fixed AGAIN, however...

...it was great to have the city respond so quickly, especially since the "salmon house" at 2700 Morgan Ave. N. was such a longstanding problem for residents until it was finally torn down around Christmastime. I should also point out: I didn't just blog about it. I called 311. But I think it's important to document the fascinating life cycle of a North Minneapolis crack house, and this hole in the street from missing utilities is part of the gritty end game.

Now a word or two about Courtney Love, the front woman for the band "Hole," an artist I've always admired for her bold, free spirited expressiveness. I've long enjoyed Love's music, as evidenced by my YouTube playlist, which includes "Celebrity Skin" and "Be A Man." I lived in Seattle from Spring of 1994 to early 2000, not only listening to grunge but living it. Recently, I told another blogger of my intention to approach Courtney Love for support in my lawsuit. But trying to find Love has been difficult. The person listed online as her agent is no longer her agent, and claims to have "no idea" who currently represents Love.

For a while, there, it was looking like Courtney Love's Twitter defamation suit was going to be on the cutting edge of internet free expression, click here for an article which, despite its scathing tone directed at Love, is quite informative about the person Love supposedly defamed. But Love found it more expedient to settle the lawsuit than to slug it out. Who can blame her? Being in court over a defamation lawsuit is no fun, just ask this blogger.

This is addressed directly to Courtney Love: I understand why you settled the lawsuit. But I have no choice except to fight in the Jerry Moore v. John Hoff a/k/a Johnny Northside matter.

You are an artist, and as an artist you stand on the shoulders of others who came before and fought battles for free expression. There was a dark time when the FBI investigated whether the lyrics of "Louie, Louie" were subversive. Imagine if you wrote a song like "Be A Man" in those repressive times!

Where would we be today--where would COURTNEY LOVE be today--if it weren't for lawyers, defendants and plaintiffs willing to fight for free speech?

That's why I'm appealing to you directly, Miss Love. Help me. Help me so my blog can continue to exist and write about the potholes, mortgage fraudsters, and Level Three sex offenders that plague my North Minneapolis neighborhood, doing so in my unique and expressive style. Help me because, well, you'll get some publicity off it. And that's cool.

Help me because I LOVE YOU and I will be happy to link to your songs every time I use the word "hole" or other suitable words and phrases which invoke your songs.

Thanks for hearing me out on this matter, Miss Love.

Rock on.