Were not the Only Ones That Wanna Holler...

The Tazer does love real feelings on the city of Richmond.

This post has been moved to the front page to remind all of us what we're really fighting for.

Thanks to "speedy gonzales"...here's the comment, unedited:

Okay, in he words of the Tupac "I ain't mad atcha" but you all who post on here really need to check yourselves. This is beyond sad. This is pitiful.

The brothas on the corner are laughing at us!How are folks acting like they are criminals and calling each other criminals gonna solve a crime problem? Is this town completely devoid of real community?

Look at the example being set here. It makes us ALL look foolish. No wonder people laugh at Richmond. When we behave like we are doing right here, we become the equivalent of the stinky kid riding the bus. And unfortunately while SOME of us may have earned the funk, there are good people in this City tired of defending the insanity that goes on here in the name of all things golden.

There is an old African Proverb that says, "By the time the fools have learned the game, the players have dispersed." While this community sits up here bickering, we are wasting energy that could be devoted to trying to make our communities better.I want more for the Rich-town.

I want us to be talking about how we GET safe streets. How we MAKE development work for the people. How we IMPROVE the schools. How we RESTORE city services. Why can't we talk about that?I'll tell you why, because it is election year, and everybody-- I mean everybody is working for their team up in this camp.

The sad fact is that nobody really cares about the "Truth", because it doen't benefit them to care. The truth is something none of y'all wanna hear. The truth is there is only ONE team.

That is Richmond, plain and simple. Everybody has all these glib slogans, One Richmond, A better Richmond is possible, No more politics period, Working for a better Richmond, Richmond Rises. We're selling out our own slogans because we refuse to come to the table and debate the issues like adults-- no worse, like human beings! And yet, everytime I turn around I see another one of us pointing the finger at each other, when we have four finger point back at us.

So in the spirit of "open" conversation, I have a question. Is this a blog about debating the issues or is it really the political equivalent of the drudge report, sans the facts?

If I sound redundant it is only because I believe that the way we are going to solve these problems is to stop acting like five year olds and actually agree to look across the isle and come up with some solutions, and some compromise here.I'm tired of the conversation level here bordering on the fanatical, redundant and predictable.

Instead of calling people liars, *itches,pig lips, ugly, stupid, sockos, commies, and thugs, (which by the way,is NOT part of the solution) or hiding behind your rocks, let's be a BIT imaginative for a change. It is telling that I have not seen one of the posters in this strand debate the actual proposals on the ballot.

Not even ONE of you, except maybe the captain over there has actually evaluated any of the issues that are important to the people of this city in November.

You just chime in "un huh, yeah, I know that's right" but we don't discuss. Since there is no diversity in opinion, then I frankly don't even see why anybody bothers to comment. I mean why bother to think when you don't have to, right?

Which leads me to believe they really wanna co-sign. Which is cool, but be real about it if that is what it is. But, hey, I could be wrong.

So I'm gonna ask some real questions:

What tangible things can we do in the short and long term to impact crime in Richmond. Economic Development. Opportunity? The schools? Does anybody even THINK about that.

And you know, posting articles is cool, but how about posting some IDEAS up in this bad boy and let people respond, Tazer. >>>

>>>TAZER NOTE: We don't claim to be idea people or have all the answers speedy. We've created this blog to allow the people of this city to work on that. Your comments are a step in that process.<<<

Because you know I speak the truth when I say that the same folks that agree happy with the Times coverage today are the SAME folk that called it a racist rag, what, not SIX months ago?

Let me ask another, question, though. If we keep on doing the same old thing that we've always done, bickering with each other, not seriously debating the issues, giving each other roses with when we've got gats behind our back, this town will continue to stay the same old, petty, manipulative poor excuses we have always used, will this town ever change?

YOU know the answer. NO! People, my people,I tell you this not to put you down, but to build you up.

Richmond, we are better than this. We can move forward. We can be positive in our disagreements with each other.

We can change things. What we can't do is sit around like the old folks say, and play church. This is too serious. I think we can do better, folks, but we got to get right.I'm through ranting.

Speedy