In the Noble Footsteps of John Edwards, Mark Sanford, and David Letterman, I Will Confess

I haven't written or submitted a letter to the editor in quite some time. I can't remember what month or year I had my most recent letter to the editor printed in the News & Record, but I'm thinking it's been at least a couple years ago.

I just wrote and submitted one today. I was inspired by a couple recent letter writers, as well as by all the news stories surrounding the romantic adventures of John Edwards, Mark Sanford, David Letterman, and other such manly men. It has really started to bother me that my own love affairs haven't received as much attention, so I've decided to provide some self-exposure and share some confessions of my own.

I'm hoping that Allen Johnson will decide that my tales are as worthy of publication as the stories of better known men.

One thing that might keep my own confessions from being as worthy of coverage is that I am unmarried. But still, a cheating man is a cheating man, whether he's married or not.

Stay tuned . . .

Cornell Campaign Needs To Address His Arrest More Thoroughly

Jorge Cornell's campaign for an at-large spot on the Greensboro City Council seems to think that a video of his arrest that was posted on his campaign's website pretty much speaks for itself.

I almost hesitate to comment about the video. There are several surreal qualities to it: a fairly calm but forcefully insistent police officer; a fairly calm but forcefully resistant Cornell; a less calm daughter screaming about her father (Cornell) being arrested; a younger girl who is crying (Cornell's other daughter?); a woman asking for her cell phone, which is apparently in Cornell's possession; Cornell going on about his council candidacy and the current scene validating past claims he's continuing to make about the police unjustly targeting him and the organization he leads; seemingly unrelated people who are right there where the action is but who don't seem that interested, affected, bothered, or concerned; etc. (I'd be curious to know what unaffiliated witnesses thought about the whole scene.)

The best special effect, which well suits the entire scene's surrealism, came at the end of the video: carefree bubbles floating over Cornell and the police officer as Cornell is placed in the police car. (To my knowledge, Just Be has not been accused of arranging for its store to be in the background for this video.)

In an initial News & Record report, Sgt. Ron Sizemore, head of the Greensboro police gang unit, said, "They got out in the street and started hollering and flashing gang signs, and they knew some Bloods where there."

The N & R report continues: "It was unclear whether Cornell was flashing gang signs. A police report for the incident was unavailable Sunday afternoon. Gang members from the Bloods and the Latin Kings do not get along, Sizemore said, and the arresting officer, R.A. Watkins, attempted to speak to some of the men near Cornell. 'And they needed to talk to them. And (Watkins) tried to step around (Cornell) and Cornell blocked his path,' Sizemore said."

I'm probably not the only one now waiting for Cornell's campaign to post the video showing the events leading up to when Cornell inserted himself between the police officer and the man/men that the officer was attempting to question. (Video is not always the perfect evidence some of us would like it to be, particularly when it's conveniently turned on for one scene but not an earlier one.)

Cornell's campaign cites its endorsement of the Paradigm Shift. Part of that document emphasizes Cornell's efforts to increase the peace among different groups/gangs.

These are some questions I have for Cornell:

1) Did the hollering and flashing of gang signs actually occur? And if so, were Cornell's friends or fellow Almighty Latin King & Queen Nation (ALKQN) members participants in these activities?

2) Did Cornell himself participate in the hollering and flashing of gang signs?

3) Why did Cornell not simply allow the officer to talk to the man/men the officer was originally trying to address?

4) If Cornell, his fellow ALKQN members, or his friends did participate in the hollering and gang-sign flashing, what defense does Cornell have to offer for these actions?

5) Were Cornell and his friends/fellow ALKQN members aware that Bloods were nearby? If so, what kind of dialogue/interactions took place between them? Was peaceful or uncivil discourse taking place between members of the two groups? What was Cornell's role in what was taking place?

I'm also still curious to hear Cornell address some of the issues and questions I raised in this post. It's obvious that Cornell's website has attracted some interest and curiosity. Part of my curiosity stems from seeing students inspired by gangs and not feeling that their interest in gangs is ultimately in their best interests, academically or otherwise. I do think that some less mainstream leadership may be needed to lead some young people away from the negative temptations typically associated with gangs. The Paradigm Shift expresses an interest in addressing these issues, but part of me is skeptical. (The Paradigm Shift literature recognizes that there will be some, if not much, skepticism about some of its proposals.) The video of Cornell's arrest has increased my skepticism rather than raising my hopes in his leadership. If he's serious about his city council campaign, he has an obligation to address the concerns that other citizens and I have about how he handled himself during this incident.

Considering Council Candidate Cornell

From John Robinson's post about Greensboro City Council candidates' web presences (and absences), I had noticed that Jorge Cornell had among the most impressive online content available for citizens to check out. I wasn't the only one to notice this; Jeffrey Sykes and Ed Cone both shared their observations on their respective blogs.

Sue Polinsky asked some questions, some of which had already been answered by the News & Record, but from her questions, I started thinking about my own thoughts and questions related to Jorge Cornell. I hope Ed didn't mind the rather long comment(s) I ended up posting at his website. It made me realize that, except for one June post about "Driving Miss Daisy," I hadn't posted anything on my own blog in months. I didn't set out to go on as long as I did, and once I did, I probably should have just done as I'm going to do now and posted my comments here:


I've listened to a couple of the posted press conferences, and Jorge Cornell seems to feel that the organization he leads here in North Carolina, the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation, and its local members have been unfairly targeted by anti-gang law enforcement. Apparently, the ALKQN has a very contradictory history that bounces between the extremes of murderous drug lords and sincerely interested community organizers. I guess the question is how sincere Cornell and his local Latin King followers are about focusing on the positive and turning their backs on any violent and drug-based temptations. I would like to see Cornell address these issues in great detail, particularly since a significant number of the organization's/gang's members (on the national level--I'm not sure about locally) have embraced horrible, indefensible acts against fellow human beings. I appreciated that Cornell attended and spoke out against domestic violence, sharing that he had witnessed this problem within his own family. (I don't think there was any posted video of his comments, which I would have liked to have watched.) The Troublemaker posted some questions and comments about Cornell in a July 1st post (July 1, 2008). (When you look up "Jorge Cornell" online, the link listed at the top takes you to the Troublemaker website.) If Cornell has made mistakes but has every intention of putting any negativity from his past behind him and moving in a positive direction, he deserves a chance to prove himself. Electing him onto the City Council right now may or may not be too early.

Wikipedia offers this: "But their "apparent contradictions", the Latin Kings may argue, can be better understood when viewed through the lens of their teachings. Once a member of the Almighty Latin King Nation, according to the "Latin King Manifesto", a member naturally passes through three stages of consciousness:

(1) the Primitive Stage, wherein the neophyte member is expected to be immature and to be involved in such activities as gang-banging and being a street warrior without the full consciousness of Kingism ;

(2) the Conservative or Mummy Stage, which is where a member tires of the street gang life but is still accepting of life as it has been taught to him by the existing system that exploits all people of color, dehumanizes them, and maintains them under the conditions and social yoke of slavery;

and (3) the New King Stage, where the member recognizes the need for a revolution of the "mind". According to the Manifesto, "The New King is the end product of complete awareness, perceiving three-hundred and sixty degrees of enlightenment; his observations are free and independent; his thoughts are not clouded by any form of prejudice...For him there are no horizons between races, sexes and senseless labels", including gang labels for recognition. The New King no longer views the rival warriors as the cause of his ills and seeks world unity for the sake of humanization and freedom for all the "Oppressed Third World Peoples".

Therefore, as appropriately expressed by their own teachings, a great majority of Latin Kings live a criminalistic lifestyle while a select few seek to better their communities and fight against social oppression and injustices."

Is Cornell in the New King Stage? Can he be a powerful voice in encouraging young people to bypass the Primitive Stage? If he can be a voice of positive inspiration for young people, I wish him the very best, and if his intentions and personal pursuits are honorable and positive, I wish him great all-around success. Perhaps Cornell can enlighten us about his perspective on all this.

An Easy Early-Voting Maze at Bur-Mil Park

Earlier this evening, I decided to vote early. The only thing that took a long time was driving from High Point Central High School to Bur-Mil Park.

Arriving some time after 6:00 PM, I parked and walked toward the building that I believe is referred to as the clubhouse. As I got closer, I stopped to take a card from a man seated out front. It was a business card for Teresa Sue Bratton, MD, the only candidate represented by more than a sign stuck in the ground. (I didn't take time to count, but there were a lot of signs lining the path to the clubhouse.)

Catching up with the one lady in front of me, we both ventured to the right toward the front entrance, only to be greeted by a sign indicating that we needed to go around to the back. I voted at Bur-Mil once before, and if I remember correctly, I entered the front way the last time. While there were signs pointing to the left of the building, some signs seemed to be pointing toward the front entrance also, so for a brief moment, one lady and I were briefly confused. Once we figured out that we needed to follow the path to the left, we headed that way and walked around to the back. We bypassed the entrance that was set up for handicapped individuals. We then walked up the stairs and followed a mini-maze that was set up for us to follow. I'm guessing that there have been or will be times when the line meanders back to the back of that maze, but she and I just moved forward because there were no people in front of us.

Once we arrived at the large voting room, we were led to a long table behind which a few workers awaited to verify our voting status. I gave a gentleman my name and address, and then he gave me a form to sign. I then gave the form to a lady who escorted me to one of several voting machines. While I didn't have to wait in line, there were about 8-10 voting machines with individuals behind each one using the push-screen to cast their votes. I voted at the one nearest the door, so I lifted up the left side of the machine to keep my votes a secret from anyone entering while I voted. (Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one or two more people enter the voting room while I voted.) I skipped the straight-ticket option, and I voted for some Democrats, and I voted for some Republicans, but not in equal numbers. I chose not to vote for one candidate who didn't have any competition, but had there been another name on the ballot, I would have voted for his opponent. I didn't keep track of how long the entire process took, but I definitely didn't need to warm up my car by the time I returned to it. And I didn't have time to read a single word of the newspaper I carried inside in case I did have to wait in line.

Now, I just have to wait two weeks to find out if my picks win. I only voted for the best candidates, so I sure hope they win.

Will Strom Thurmond Speak Out About John Edwards's Confession?

On 101.1 WZTK, I've had the pleasure of hearing Strom Thurmond come on the show and pass along some of his wholesome, conservative values.

I'm hoping Thurmond, a true conservative who has always stood up for family values, will be able to visit "Brad and Britt Show in the Morning" and provide much-needed commentary about that lousy, stinky Democrat John Edwards and his finally-confessed lack of marital faithfulness.

I'd be most curious to hear Thurmond's comments about the two quotes I found most fascinating from John Edwards's statement:

"But being 99 percent honest is no longer enough." (I just wondered if his calculation of 99% might be just a tiny-bit high in this particular instance. Edwards might need to tweak his calculating methods a little.)

"In the course of several campaigns, I started to believe that I was special and became increasingly egocentric and narcissistic." (I'd love to hear from Senator Thurmond if he ever found himself guilty of feeling that way about himself. I doubt it because I certainly don't like to think anything negative about the Good Senator, but I'd appreciate hearing from the man himself.)

Obama Cartoon Takes Me Back to 1990

This cartoon controversy reminds me of one that visited Page High School during my senior year (1989-90). I wish I had a copy of the cartoon, but at least the News & Record archives reminded me of some of the details.

"The student walkout came after a cartoon appeared in the school newspaper depicting a black student wearing a basketball uniform and holding a watermelon and a chicken leg. The cartoon also depicted stereotypical images of an Asian and a Hispanic student." (I had forgotten that there had been a student walkout.)

If memory serves me, that description captures the first three frames of a four-frame cartoon. In the fourth frame, I believe a teenager expressed something like, "Do you actually know anyone like this?" The intended message was that stereotyping is not a positive thing to do, but many individuals chose to interpret it differently. You could say that that was because high school students were involved. But that doesn't account for reactions to the New Yorker's cartoon.

In both cases, sensitivity is probably greater because we know that there are individuals out there who do see things almost precisely as illustrated in the cartoons. Some of us don't care to be reminded of that.

When I became a freshman at UNC-Chapel Hill, another stereotype-based controversy erupted because of a new statue that I believe was called "The Student Body." It included about five or six students in different poses. The one who appeared to be an African-American male had one finger up, balancing a basketball. There was also a couple, with the male holding a book and the female leaning into him. (I think she might have been holding an apple.) And there was an African-American woman with several books balanced on her head. Ancient history, but I believe that statue is still there, minus at least the basketball scholar--someone kept knocking the ball off his finger. (As an additional sidenote and reminder of how twisted politics can be, that same year, the KKK endorsed Harvey Gantt, hoping that he'd win, serve horribly, and forever ensure that no other blacks would ever be elected again--I believe that was KKK members' expressed logic. And NORML--the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws--endorsed Jesse Helms, believing his pro-tobacco views gave them some sort of shot at gaining his support for marijuana legalization.)

2 of 3 Former Commissioners Deserve To Be Council-ers

Three former Guilford County Commissioners are hoping to earn enough votes to serve on the Greensboro City Council for the next two years.

Two of those candidates deserve to win.

I sincerely hope that voters will elect Mike Barber (District 4) and Mary Rakestraw (At-Large). While both Barber and Rakestraw have run confident, competent campaigns, neither has resorted to ugliness in trying to earn citizens' votes. Both of these former commissioners bring intelligence and decency to the table, as well as the strength of their convictions, and while I do not agree with all their positions, I do believe they will try to do what they feel is in the best interests of all of Greensboro's citizens.

In contrast, while Trudy Wade probably possesses many positive qualities, she should be embarrassed by the campaign she's chosen to run against Sandy Carmany (District 5). The way she's run her campaign, she should have gone ahead and put herself on the national stage, where such tactics seem more commonplace. The cartoon-based ads she's chosen to use have been unnecessary and expose an ugly desperation. She has every right to challenge Sandy Carmany but to have treated her opponent with such disrespect is inexcusable. A similar campaign tactic was used in the not-too-distant past, and the results in that election suggested that the unnecessarily ugly ads back-fired. In similar fashion, I'm hoping Trudy Wade's ugly tactics backfire and that voters choose Sandy Carmany instead of Wade. Otherwise, I fear that Wade, like T. Dianne Bellamy-Small, may never learn the lessons that both those politicians need to learn about how to treat and represent fellow human beings.

Though I hope Trudy Wade loses, I refuse, however, to wish upon Trudy Wade what she did to her last opponent. If Trudy Wade barely wins her current election attempt, I hope that Sandy Carmany won't refuse for eighteen months to concede the election. (I think Sandy Carmany has far more class than to do something like that.) Whereas Trudy Wade only left John Parks with 2 1/2 years of the 4-year term he was elected to serve on the Guilford County Board of Commissioners, with the Greensboro City Council's two-year terms, such a rude maneuvering would only leave someone with 1/2 a year of their term to serve. Such behavior would be unconscionable.

Can Trudy Wade Sleep Nights?

Somebody is probably proud of having developed Trudy Wade's campaign ads (1, 2, and 3) against Sandy Carmany for the District 5 seat on the Greensboro City Council. I myself would be embarassed to be associated with such a campaign. Even if you happened otherwise to be the better candidate, to rely on such ugly campaigning brings into question a person's moral values, as well as their fitness for elected office.

Trudy Wade claims that "integrity" will be one of the positive qualities that she will bring to the council, but to my knowledge, she has never apologized for denying John Parks a good portion of his elected term on the Guilford County Board of Commissioners. Even when they feel that they have been denied a victory that they think they deserve, athletes and coaches accept the outcome of athletic contests. Al Gore had a better case than Trudy Wade to question an election's outcome, but with more class and dignity, he conceded the presidential election. Having been an incumbent candidate, Wade should have simply acknowledged that for some reason, a considerable number of voters did not want to return her to office. Instead, she behaved immaturely and rudely. (I don't begrudge Wade her initial appeal; my problem is that she continued to refuse to just let go and graciously accept defeat.)

I'm reminded of a favorite Prince song, "Positivity." It has some lyrics that I think apply:

"Is that all your gold?
Where did it come from? What did U have 2 do? (did U have 2 do)
Can U sleep nights?
Do U dream straight up or do U dream in W's?"

Also: "I said, hold on 2 your soul, U got a long way 2 go."

And finally:

"Don't kiss the beast
Be superior at least."

Giving Bellamy-Small Undeserved Momentum

The results for the recall effort appear to be in.

Who's going to step up and take the blame for giving T. Dianne Bellamy-Small momentum heading into the primary election?

Bellamy-Small's Opponent's Newsletter

In her on-line newsletter, Tonya Clinkscale reveals what inspired her passion for and interest in running for the district 1 seat on the Greensboro City Council.

Her campaign website is still being developed.

This Carolina Peacemaker article is also worth reading.

2/3 Of Council Candidates Still Lack Web Presence

Less than two months away from the October 9th primary elections, only 11 of the 33 Greensboro City Council candidates have known web presence. (Tonya Clinkscale's website is here in case it hasn't been added to the News & Record's list.)

Six of those candidates do not have to worry about running in the primary; the two mayoral, two district 2, and two district 4 candidates will automatically advance since only two candidates are running for each of those offices. While they have an extra month of breathing room, three of those six candidates already have web presence, including both mayoral canidates.

But of the 27 candidates who face potential elimination in the primary, only 8 candidates currently have known web presence. That means the other 19 "primary" candidates currently are depending entirely on the local media to provide them any coverage. That means that there is no way for citizens to connect on-line with those candidates. It makes one wonder how serious those 19 candidates are. Several of them are unknowns or lesser-knowns for much of our city.

It also makes one wonder if the better-knowns take it for granted that they will advance and that they do not need to put forth the effort it takes to create some web presence for themselves. Some of the better-knowns who are trying to make a come-back in local politics should know better than to take anything for granted. But at least as of now, it seems many of our city council candidates are taking their time with their campaigns, failing to realize that precious time's flying by. And that they might be wasting it.

Check Out Candidate Clinkscale's Website

Tonya Clinkscale, a district 1 candidate for the Greensboro City Council, now has her campaign website up. I believe it's still in development, but it provides some background information about Clinkscale, as well as additional contact information.

Time will tell, but Tonya Clinkscale may be the best candidate to replace T. Dianne Bellamy-Small.

Clinkscale Might Best Replace Bellamy-Small

I attended the Greensboro Neighborhood Congress's City Council District Candidates Forum on August 9th in the Nussbaum Room of the Central Library.

Four of the five district 1 candidates attended. (James W. Carpenter, Jr. did not show up.)

These are my current thoughts about these four candidates:

1. T. Dianne Bellamy-Small seems to understand many of the issues affecting her district and which city agencies can be used to make a positive difference.

Although I do not support the recall effort against her, voters should elect one of her opponents to replace her.

There have been legitimate issues raised about how she has handled herself in different situations.

She has tried to explain away criticisms instead of answering them.

If she is re-elected, I seriously doubt that she will have learned any lessons, despite the recall attempt.

Voters put their faith and trust in her to represent them, and while she may have served well in some areas, she has also behaved arrogantly and unilaterally, earning distrust and suspicion in the process.

2. For almost the entire forum, Tonya Clinkscale impressed me the most.

In her introduction, she emphasized economic development, affordable housing, safe neighborhoods, and private investment alliances.

She cited her experience as a self-employed project manager of construction and renovation projects and a licensed real estate broker, as well as her service on the Community Resource Board.

Clinkscale also pointed out her skills at bringing people together, successfully completing projects, and being active in the community.

She also promised to bring neighborhoods together.

She was honest about taxes, indicating that she didn't think we can afford to reduce taxes but that the council needs to be diligent about how money is spent.

Clinkscale's least impressive moment during the forum was when she indicated that she had reservations about RUCO but otherwise passed on the opportunity to elaborate at all.

This article is well-worth reading. From it, I appreciated learning about Clinkscale's personal efforts against gang activity; I don't believe she brought up those efforts during this forum. I hope she chooses to do so in the future. Reading about it made a strong impression; hearing about it might at least do the same.

3. Charles Coffey emphasized problems with crime, gang activity, slow economic growth, homelessness, and poverty.

He also referred to the revitalization of the High Point Road/Lee Street corridor.

Coffey seemed very sincere about trying to get people to get along together, citing better race relations.

When asked about how to promote neighborhood identities and ensure representation, he brought up the Glenwood area.

He also mentioned the need to "grow Greensboro," as well as the need for more revenue and to control taxes.

Regarding RUCO, Coffey pointed out that the biggest problem is enforcement, while adding that he wouldn't let a dog live in some rental properties.

4. Luther T. Falls, Jr. opened by talking about jobs and the increase in crime and gang activity.

While he mentioned involvement in the business community and in different activities, he was not very specific.

He mentioned making people more aware of existing services and focusing on small businesses.

Falls emphasized the importance of being aware of culture in neighborhoods, adding that tradition is very positive.

He expressed support for a gang unit.

He also said that RUCO has some merits but that it needed to be constantly reviewed to make sure it's accomplishing what it's supposed to achieve.

MY CURRENT IMPRESSIONS

If I had to vote today, I would cast my vote for Tonya Clinkscale.

I liked how she presented herself and her ideas.

Reading more about her in the Carolina Peacemaker, I'm even more interested in her potential as a city council member.

If Clinkscale had a blog, I'd be curious to read and learn more about her and her plans for Greensboro.

For example, a blog would allow her to explain her RUCO stance; her response to the RUCO question was her main stumble at the forum.

As mentioned, Bellamy-Small has been given a fair chance to serve.

But with at least three decent candidates running against her, it would be a mistake not to give someone else a chance to represent and serve district 1 and the city of Greensboro.

Coffey currently ranks as my second choice.

Falls needs to be more specific. He spoke too often in generalities.

At least as they presented themselves at the forum, I didn't think any of the candidates were unlikeable.

Some came across better than others, but no one inspired dislike.

All of these candidates expressed genuine concern for our community.

Currently, Bellamy-Small is the only one with any known web presence.

Any of the other candidates could do themselves a big favor by creating (and using) a blog or at least setting up a website.

Carpenter is at an automatic disadvantage, but since it's early in the election season, maybe he will make it clear later why district 1 voters should consider choosing him as their representative.

Why Are Bloggers Like So Totally Narcissistic?

A third question raised in this post and this post is why anyone would choose to join the "universe of the narcissistic."

That universe includes pretty much our entire community of bloggers.

At least according to Marcus Kindley.

Is Kindley right?

Are most bloggers narcissistic?

Absolutely.

It's present in probably each and every individual who writes for any audience larger than one's self.

It's also present in anyone who thinks he or she is more qualified than others to lead an organization or a business.

Politics itself creates its own special breed of narcissists.

Each sport produces one or two narcissists a year.

But, is narcissism always a bad thing?

Is it always excessive?

I don't think so.

It depends on how individuals express themselves and how they treat others.

It depends on how it balances itself in a person's personality and in his/her words and actions.

Not to be unkind, but in response to the narcissistic challenge posed by Kindley, these things stuck out about his post:

1. "Reading this makes me pat myself on the back for ending my blog." (Isn't patting oneself on the back one symptom of narcissism?)

2. "Proudly signed"? (No comment.)

Like John Robinson, I think Kindley raises some legitimate points.

But there's also a bit of unnecessary baggage with those points.

You can do better and be better, Mr. Chairman.

So can I.

Maybe that's the best point for all of us to walk away from this with.

Can Blogging Influence Our Community?

One question raised in this post and this post is whether blogging really has much influence in our community.

These are some old-school (*) examples I thought of:

1. I have no way of evaluating its impact, but on my previous blog (2005), I supported Guilford County Commissioner Skip Alston's opponent during Alston's attempt at re-election as the president of the NC NAACP.

Curmilus Dancy II (The Political Agitator), from the Rocky Mount area, discovered and linked to several of my posts against Alston's re-election and supporting his opponent, the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber. (Curmilius is still blogging away.)

Alston lost, which he had not previously.

I don't know if blogging contributed to that result or not.

But I do know that about that time, I was thinking that Alston was probably unbeatable and that efforts against him were probably futile.

I was wrong.

For the right price, I'd be willing to blog against Alston in 2008, should he choose to run for re-election as a Guilford County Commissioner.

Anyone who's thinking about running against Alston should just keep these two things in mind: a) Alston's now beatable and b) if blogging might have had an influence before, it might have an influence again.

2. Very shortly after first meeting some of our local bloggers, a group of us organized a candidates' forum.

It wasn't as well attended as I would have liked, but it did attract some attention, and each of the 8 at-large candidates for the Greensboro City Council attended.

3. I also blogged about supporting this museum. (I hadn't visited the still-unopened museum's website in quite some time; I do like the provocative nature of its current homepage.)

My efforts there must have not made too much of a difference; the museum's STILL not open!


* Two years ago is REAL OLD-SCHOOL when measured in blogging time!

How Can You Clean Up the Mess You Made at the Candidates' Forum?

You're a candidate for the Greensboro City Council.

You've been invited to a candidates' forum.

It's the perfect opportunity for you to make yourself and your views better known.

It's your chance to impress the people whose vote you so desperately need.

You're a smart candidate, so as you're preparing for this big event, you get out your purple tie.

Or your purple dress suit.

(Remember: Fashion matters when you're campaigning.)

You practice speaking in front of your husband.

Or your wife.

Or your children.

If he's in a patient enough mood, you even get the dog to listen to you for a few minutes. (The cat's never in the mood.)

You study a little bit, and brainstorm the questions and topics that might come up.

Maybe you enlist a friend or two to generate some challenging questions.

If you're lucky, they might even take the time to drill you some.

Now, it's the big event.

You're ready!

The event begins.

Later, it ends.

In some areas, you did an amazing job.

You've even managed to impress yourself.

But you also messed up a good bit.

And you know it.

You forgot to say a few things you had every good intention of saying.

Your tongue got tied once or twice.

You stumbled to articulate a great point you were trying to make.

One or two questions really caught you completely off guard, and you were totally unprepared.

And you know it showed.

Your friends failed to prepare you for those slap-you-upside-the-face questions they were supposed to get you ready to handle.

Your opponents also did a better job of expressing themselves on a few subjects.

Even you could tell, and if that's the case, audience members probably noticed too.

You're worried now.

The media was there.

Will they mainly focus on your mistakes?

Will they provide better converage to your opponent?

Will they only print part of what you said?

And will they quote you out of context?

Have the bloggers and editorial writers already decided to support your opponent?

Is it really that easy to slip and fall and have no way of pulling yourself up again?

Is there no way to fix the damage?

My friend.

All is not lost.

You have the ability to redeem yourself.

Don't you already have a blog set up?

(If not, can't you set one up? Or can't you at least visit some blogs and post a few comments?)

Can't you set the record straight?

Can't you elaborate on the points you didn't get a chance to finish making?

Can't you clarify yourself a bit?

Can't you take the time to explain yourself and your views in a little more detail?

Can't you control your own message?

The tools you need to help you win are out there.

So what's you gonna do?

Tips For Future Candidates' Forums

I attended the Greensboro Neighborhood Congress 's City Council District Candidates Forum earlier this evening.

First off, thanks to the organizers for putting on an event that was well-worth attending.

I also appreciated and enjoyed hearing from the candidates themselves.

I definitely think our city has some good options in the upcoming district elections.

This forum was a great way to get the campaign season jump-started.

A few suggestions for future candidates' forums (by the Greensboro Neighborhood Congress, or by other organizations):

1) Use a basic font for name cards. I liked the large name cards that stood on the table in front of each candidate. I think the letter size was fine, but I couldn't read them very well from further back in the room because of the fancy font that was used. That made it hard to read the candidates' names.

2) Begin on time. The event was scheduled to begin at 6:45 PM. Things didn't actually get started until 7:00 PM. What that ended up meaning is that hardly any questions collected from the audience were asked.

3) Avoid repeating similar questions. There are so many topics and issues that different people care about. Give the candidates the opportunity to address as many different topics as possible.

4) Emphasize that all electronic devices be turned off. At least once, a very loud cell phone went off--while a candidate was in the middle of speaking. Organizers of this forum did a great job of emphasizing conduct, but I don't think they mentioned turning off electronic devices.

5) Encourage candidates to stand up when speaking. A few candidates did this. And for them, it made a powerful difference. Since the seating is all level, people in the back often cannot see the candidates very well (or at all) when they're seated. Candidates can choose not to stand, but I'd suggest pointing out to them that it makes a better impression when they stand for everyone to see them.

6) Be sure you have enough copies of all forum documents. One sheet outlined Procedures for Conduct of Forum; another sheet provided information about the Greensboro Neighborhood Congress and future candidates' forums. Great information. Just not enough copies available for everyone who attended. (Both sheets were single-sided; back-and-front copies should have been made.)

7) Collect, print, and provide candidates' contact information. When you invite candidates to the forum, ask for their permission to print their contact information. It would have been great to have provided everyone a handout with the candidates' e-mail addresses and website/blog addresses. At the very least, provide audience members a list of the candidates' names.

Thanks again to the Greensboro Neighborhood Congress and the Greensboro City Council district candidates.

The suggestions I've made above are only to make future forums even better than this one already was.

Tension Between 'Insiders' and 'Outsiders'

I think a lot of different truths have been expressed on a thread over on Hogg's Blog. (Worth clicking here and reading Hogg's post and its 20-something responses before you continue.)

I don't think it's a matter of one person being right and someone else being wrong.

There are different potential truths for readers to walk away with from the comments that have been expressed.

When I read this thread earlier (before several more comments were added), this comment by Ed Cone made a lot of sense:

“I’m not arguing that this inner circle is malevolent — it may be a natural product of the way people network, and it may sometimes produce effective and honest government — but it damn sure exists.”

He's simply acknowledging that the inner circle exists.

And while that certainly could be a bad thing, it also could very well be a good thing.

That’s where deeper analysis of individual “insiders” becomes necessary. (Who are the good ones? And who are the bad ones?)

Inner circles exist all around us.

In schools, in churches, in governments, in businesses, in families.

Just about everywhere, they exist.

By implication, those inner circles are where a considerable amount of power resides.

People with that power tend to think there’s good reason for them to have it and try to keep it. (As long as they don't go outside of certain boundaries and as long as they're not hurting others, they're entitled to try to keep that power.)

People without that power either accept that or think that things would be better if they (or at least other "outsiders") had it.

Although some people now argue that we should move away from it, the district system was set up as a means of giving some “outsiders” a shot at some of the power.

Arguably for better and for worse, the district system has succeeded at creating new “insiders.”

People who were once outside the system gained a passageway into the system.

Now, those people are a part of the “insider” system themselves.

“Outsiders” have to work to become “insiders.”

In local politics, I’ve gotten the impression that many “outsider” candidates have not worked hard enough to make themselves known and to earn votes.

I’m not sure if there’s enough creativity flowing into many campaigns.

If I was running and had any impression that the media wasn’t paying enough attention to my campaign, I’d be trying to figure out ways to make it impossible to ignore me. (I’d still be sure not to do anything stupid or illegal to gain that attention.)

Some candidates have run several times before without making the gains that you’d think they might be able to make--if they worked harder, smarter, and more creatively. Some candidates have been primarily responsible for their own lack of success.

There are examples of incumbents (“insiders”) losing elections. Some of them have probably taken things for granted.

But those examples provide evidence that “insiders” can be beaten. (I’ve been somewhat shocked a few times to see certain candidates lose. In this election, some former "insiders" are trying to make a come back so that they can be inside the circle again. From experience, they must think it's better to be an "insider" than to be an "outsider.")

N & R Mayoral Coverage Begins This Week!

According to this post, the News & Record will "begin a series of editorials about Greensboro's mayoral race."

The overall plans?

"We'll start with vision statements by Yvonne Johnson and Milton Kern."

Then: "We'll follow up with a new topic each week or so throughout the campaign."

Now, that's what we've been talking about.

Looking forward to more coverage by this person also.

The gap between what many of us would like and what the News & Record plans to deliver is probably not nearly as great as the discussion has sometimes made it seem.

Peer pressure's not always a bad thing.

Not when it helps "Bring out your best!" (I'm borrowing the slogan; I'm not trying to advertise this product.)

Denying Responsibility

I deny involvement in any activity that might have led to this.

(Margaret: what really happened? Hope you're OK!)