(
www.publicintegrity.org) Senior members of the Senate Judiciary Committee minority staff have inquired
about Patriot II for months and have been told as recently as this week that there is no such legislation being planned.
with Office of Legislative Affairs control sheet showing Speaker of the House Hastert and Cheney were sent a copy of this proposed legislation with a request for comments on Jan. 10, 2003. So did FBI, INS, CRM, ODAG, OLC, OIPR, EOIR, CIV, TAX. I don't know what most of those acronyms stand for but note comments are expected BY 01/13/03. Three days!
Looks like another con job in making. In that typical skullky, dishonest way of theirs. Likely scenario. Invasion of Iraq starts sometimes this month. Two-three weeks later most of Iraq is in flames. In patriotic euphoria ensuing Congress does whatever Bush/Ashcroft demand is their patriotic duty to do.
How do you shred tampons, condoms, or for that matter used toilet paper that one of those three doesn't like to put where most of us do? Or do you stoockpile them as suggested by someone below.
(Francesconi is city commissioner in Portland) ---- Dear Commissioner Francesconi at al,
Below is a letter to your colleague Mayor Katz regarding recent "garbage" related events. Specifically the issue of Mr Kroeker calling Willamette Week reporters pigs at some official city function recently. I'm copying you on it for two reasons:
(a) the issue of unacceptably hateful behavior toward your constituents by anybody in the city employ is, hopefully, of concern to all city agencies not only those supervised by Ms. Katz. And because
(b) I would like you to give some serious thought to the idea of supporting or maybe even originating new "zero-tolerance, one-strike and you-are-out" city policy in situations of this type.
With best regards.... -----------
Dear Ms. Katz
This is regarding recent events involving your and your constituents' garbage. As you are probably well aware by now (or should be) so-called garbage pulls are extremely intrusive invasions of one's privacy*. You should also be aware that they have been and will likely remain routinely employed by various government agencies, yours included. Some of those agencies recently asserted their right to conduct them without any judicial review. Yours among them again. Needless to say such assertions are seen by many as gross and highly unwarranted corruption of civil rights of the citizenry and a good example for what some see as a gradual emergence of a semi-totalitarian order of things in this country.
Unfortunately technically the issue remains unresolved, various authorities have assumed widely differing positions. It will clearly take some time to fully resolve it, judicially or otherwise. In the meantime we all hope all involved parties will strive to proceed in mutually respectful, dignified and civilized manner. This letter is an attempt to recruit your good offices in furtherance of this difficult goal.
The undersigned feels the need to speak in support of recent Willamette Week's actions. They, I believe, were fully within the scope of our current understanding of what is legal in this case. Your own city employees are on the record supporting the legality of such actions. After all the city does these things to its residents routinely. What is good for one of your citizens, Ms. Katz, needs also be good for you. Furthermore, their reporting in this case is of a highly responsible and civically minded caliber and as such should be commended not condemned, as you are implying in your recent press release.
Contrast this to the highly irresponsible, inflammatory language recently attributed to one of your employees specifically Mr. Kroeker, your police chief. He is reported by the media** to have stated at the recent official city function "Never ever wrestle with a pig in the garbage, because you'll get dirty and the pig likes it." The context of this remark was made abundantly clear by him, by pigs he is implying reporters at the WW.
Needless to say we cannot tolerate the situation where the use of hate speech and expression of utter contempt by any elected or hired city employee toward any constituent of yours is permitted. I ask you in your capacity as a police commissioner and city mayor to restore some measure of civility to the behavior of your own employees.
The situation, in my judgment, is grave enough to call for a decisive and strong immediate action on your part including but not limited to immediate termination of Mr. Kroeker's command. From his own remarks it appears only prudent to assume a strong likelihood exists a hate crime could be committed or contemplated in the future. Which given the extensive and deadly force presently at his command is a risk I think you and the city cannot afford to tolerate.
To repeat there should be zero tolerance for civically unacceptable behavior displayed here so egregiously by Mr. Kroeker. I suggest the city of Portland adopts a very simple policy- one instance of a disrespectful or hateful outburst toward any of your constituents by any of the city employees and you are out......
Slashdot Mirror
with Office of Legislative Affairs control sheet showing Speaker of the House Hastert and Cheney were sent a copy of this proposed legislation with a request for comments on Jan. 10, 2003. So did FBI, INS, CRM, ODAG, OLC, OIPR, EOIR, CIV, TAX. I don't know what most of those acronyms stand for but note comments are expected BY 01/13/03. Three days!
Looks like another con job in making. In that typical skullky, dishonest way of theirs.
Likely scenario. Invasion of Iraq starts sometimes this month. Two-three weeks later most of Iraq is in flames. In patriotic euphoria ensuing Congress does whatever Bush/Ashcroft demand is their patriotic duty to do.
How do you shred tampons, condoms, or for that matter used toilet paper that one of those three doesn't like to put where most of us do? Or do you stoockpile them as suggested by someone below.
(Francesconi is city commissioner in Portland)
....
.....
...
x .ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.xsl?/base/portla nd_news/104038899617000.xml
----
Dear Commissioner Francesconi at al,
Below is a letter to your colleague Mayor Katz regarding recent "garbage" related events. Specifically the issue of Mr Kroeker calling Willamette Week reporters pigs at some official city function recently. I'm copying you on it for two reasons:
(a) the issue of unacceptably hateful behavior toward your constituents by anybody in the city employ is, hopefully, of concern to all city agencies not only those supervised by Ms. Katz. And because
(b) I would like you to give some serious thought to the idea of supporting or maybe even originating new "zero-tolerance, one-strike and you-are-out" city policy in situations of this type.
With best regards
-----------
Dear Ms. Katz
This is regarding recent events involving your and your constituents' garbage. As you are probably well aware by now (or should be) so-called garbage pulls are extremely intrusive invasions of one's privacy*. You should also be aware that they have been and will likely remain routinely employed by various government agencies, yours included. Some of those agencies recently asserted their right to conduct them without any judicial review. Yours among them again. Needless to say such assertions are seen by many as gross and highly unwarranted corruption of civil rights of the citizenry and a good example for what some see as a gradual emergence of a semi-totalitarian order of things in this country.
Unfortunately technically the issue remains unresolved, various authorities have assumed widely differing positions. It will clearly take some time to fully resolve it, judicially or otherwise. In the meantime we all hope all involved parties will strive to proceed in mutually respectful, dignified and civilized manner. This letter is an attempt to recruit your good offices in furtherance of this difficult goal.
The undersigned feels the need to speak in support of recent Willamette Week's actions. They, I believe, were fully within the scope of our current understanding of what is legal in this case. Your own city employees are on the record supporting the legality of such actions. After all the city does these things to its residents routinely. What is good for one of your citizens, Ms. Katz, needs also be good for you. Furthermore, their reporting in this case is of a highly responsible and civically minded caliber and as such should be commended not condemned, as you are implying in your recent press release.
Contrast this to the highly irresponsible, inflammatory language recently attributed to one of your employees specifically Mr. Kroeker, your police chief. He is reported by the media** to have stated at the recent official city function "Never ever wrestle with a pig in the garbage, because you'll get dirty and the pig likes it." The context of this remark was made abundantly clear by him, by pigs he is implying reporters at the WW.
Needless to say we cannot tolerate the situation where the use of hate speech and expression of utter contempt by any elected or hired city employee toward any constituent of yours is permitted. I ask you in your capacity as a police commissioner and city mayor to restore some measure of civility to the behavior of your own employees.
The situation, in my judgment, is grave enough to call for a decisive and strong immediate action on your part including but not limited to immediate termination of Mr. Kroeker's command. From his own remarks it appears only prudent to assume a strong likelihood exists a hate crime could be committed or contemplated in the future. Which given the extensive and deadly force presently at his command is a risk I think you and the city cannot afford to tolerate.
To repeat there should be zero tolerance for civically unacceptable behavior displayed here so egregiously by Mr. Kroeker. I suggest the city of Portland adopts a very simple policy- one instance of a disrespectful or hateful outburst toward any of your constituents by any of the city employees and you are out.
With best regards
* http://www.wweek.com/flatfiles/News3485.lasso
** http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/oregonian/inde