Monday, February 25, 2008

Thoughts Upon News of McInturff's Retirement




"Towards thee I roll, thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with thee; from hell's heart I stab at thee; for hate's sake I spit my last breath at thee. Sink all coffins and all hearses to one common pool! and since neither can be mine, let me then tow to pieces, while still chasing thee, though tied to thee, thou damned whale!"
Moby Dick: Or, The Whale, Herman Melville, 1851

Actually said during the Mayors State of the City Speech:
“Every good idea must run a gauntlet of skepticism. The people of Seattle are a feisty bunch. They are protective of all that makes this city a great place to live, work and raise a family. We don’t change for change’s sake. Innovation must have a purpose -- to make a difference in people’s lives.”
This passage made me almost giddy. Maybe this is what happens to good ideas. But within the Nickels administration, really, really bad ideas get implemented in secret and true purposes often remain hidden. It's a good thing the people of Seattle are so damn feisty.

On March 13, the Real Change Organizing Project will sponsor a day of downtown visibility with morning, lunchtime, and evening rush hour shifts that culminates in a return to City Hall. This time, the goal is to camp on the Plaza 200 strong. Whether you spend the night or the lunch hour, we need to hear from you. Make a commitment to stand for basic human decency. Please email campout_for_change@yahoo.com today.

5 comments:

"Uta" Urban said...

We should invite Patricia McInturff to speak at The Campout. Seriously.

Ask me why. I dare you.

Dr. Wes Browning said...

Is Nickels the whale or Captain Ahab? I'm confused.

The people of Seattle are a feisty bunch of what?

In my day, we didn't have pansy-ass "gauntlets of skepticism." We had REAL gauntlets of real guys whacking us. Sometimes they had paddles, sometimes they had rocks, sometimes all they had was butter, but you KNEW it was a gauntlet, and you didn't want to talk about it after.

Yes, I will be at your camp-out. I will bring the hot mustard and my special pajamas.

Tim Harris said...

I don't want to know about the butter.

But seriously. Why, Revel? Why?

"Uta" Urban said...

Isn't she jumping ship? She was literally mandated to fix the fuck-up. She's definitely choking on some of the crap she has to say.

It's a twist - but if she isn't totally incompetent or immoral now, she might be a useful ally once she's out from under Nickels. Prior to him she helped get some really good programs in place for needy elderly, etc. (which have since been chopped-up following Bush funding cuts).

Pastor Rick said...

I wasn't really down for the campout, but the prospect of the illustrious Dr. Wes and his "special" pajamas is almost more than any mortal could bear.

Adding Ms. McInturff to the mix would make for lively coctail hour repartee, no doubt.