Sunday’s column: RoCo supervisor’s action was dumb and rude
RoCo Supervisor Ed Elswick and former RC Clear chair Nell Boyle
Last year and this year, the Roanoke Tea Party waged a long and so far losing fight against the Roanoke County Board of Supervisors. That concerns the county’s membership in a do-gooder environmental group, the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives.
The first casualty in this months-long battle has been the truth. That’s because Tea Partiers have trotted out every ridiculous assertion and eye-rolling conspiracy theory they can invent to argue against ICLEI and the $1,200-a-year membership.
Unfortunately, they’ve won over two of the five members on the Board of Supervisors, Butch Church from the Catawba District and Ed Elswick, who represents Windsor Hills.
Now we have the second casualty. Her name is Nell Boyle and she lives in the Windsor Hills District. Until very recently, she’s served as a volunteer on RC Clear, a 13-member group that includes 10 citizen volunteers. The volunteers are appointed by supervisors, two per district.
The group’s charge is to implement energy-conserving and pollution-reducing strategies they learn through the county’s association with ICLEI.
Boyle currently works for the city of Roanoke but her background is in the construction industry, with Breakall, Inc., a respected Roanoke company. She was appointed to RC Clear by Joe McNamera, the former Windsor Hills supervisor.
She served for more than three years, devoting 4 to 8 hours a month. When her term expired on Aug. 31, she was RC Clear’s chair
“She’s an articulate leader. She’s very focused, and she works well with volunteers . . . she has great people skills,” said Dave Wymer, who serves on RC Clear and on the Roanoke County School Board. Other terms he used to describe Boyle were “influential,” “effective,” “supportive,” and “diligent.”
But rather than reappoint Boyle when her term expired, Windsor Hills Supervisor Ed Elswick appointed someone else, a guy named Jim Gray.
Elswick did that without even the courtesy of a phone call to Boyle — even to thank her for her long-running community service.
READ THE REST OF THIS COLUMN HERE.
September 23, 2012 - 6:00 AM
The other 3 supervisors had better wake up and listen to the voters, if not there will be a few new supervisors after the next election. Roanoke County should have nothing to do with RC clear or ICLEI, and the $1200 can be better spent. I give my full support to Ed and Butch and Jim Gray.
“Elswick told me he had to go out and find someone to serve — in this case Gray, a Windsor Hills resident whom Elswick said he has known for years.
“He comes to all the board meetings. Jim’s whole career is in the energy field,” Elswick said.”
Does Mr. Gray work for the coal industry or the power generating industry which uses coal for its generating plants? I don’t know. Just asking.
They dont understand what ICLEI is Joe
`Amateur..Barack Obama in the White House`…An excellent book and a must-read !
Ooooo the UN is coming! The UN is coming!
eyeroll
Most people do understand that paranoia is a sad, sad thing.
#4 B-O-R-I-N-G
#3 Of course we understand what it is pmmalalalapdog, another tinfoil hat, black helicopter nutball theory from right wingers.
BTW, Dolto, not a single person will be reading this book based on YOUR recommendation. Not even conservatives.
Dear God in Heaven, can you even imagine if these folks do get to rule Roanoke County or any place? Sad.
Thanks for the laugh pammala!
Gregory Aldridge, you never answered the sincere question I asked on the other thread. What is sincere and honest environmentalism?
Debbie, for one thing “sincere and honest environmentalism” = burning coal.
The “sincere and honest environmentalists” Greg is talking about believe CO2 is GOOD. They walk around bragging about emitting it with each breath they take.
“Sincere and honest environmentalists” oppose windmills, which are known to burst into flames, kill bats and birds, and create low-frequency rumbles that cause seizures and other health maladies.
“Sincere and honest environmentalists” oppose litter on private or public property, unless the property you wish to litter on is your own, in which case you should be able to litter on it all you want. Heck you should be able to have a landfill on it.
This is just for starters. Anyone want to add any more examples?
The hypocrisy of this column is astounding. The headline of the column says “Disagree, but show all due respect”. Then the author provides this example of the “due respect” he affords those with whom he disagrees:
“That’s because tea partyers have trotted out every ridiculous assertion and eye-rolling conspiracy theory they can invent…”
And then, this:
“Here’s how the tea party figures into this: They’ve been slinging horse manure about ICLEI for months now, proclaiming one-world government rubbish and all sorts of other so-called “constitutional” nonsense to the board of supervisors.”
So if you disagree with ideas, it’s respectful to call them “horse manure”? In Dan Casey’s world, I guess so.
And let’s not forget the blog entry headline: calling the supervisors’ action “dumb and rude”. More “due respect” for those with whom Casey disagrees.
Truly pathetic, in my opinion. Yet this is what passes for quality journalism these days.
What do you expect from a guy who went shopping for a political party to endorse his candidacy, got turned down by the Democrats for his extremist positions, then ran in a Republican primary where the incumbent didn’t take him seriously so he got the nomination with the snmallest number of votes ever cast in a local Republican primary, Got himself elected as a Republican solely because there was an R next to his name on the ballot,
then abandoned that party and declared himself an independent when the party members found out what a collosal mistake they hqd made letting him get jnear a ballot in the first place. If he had run as a crackpot independent ( his true self) he’d never have been elected in the first place.
More examples in post #14 of that “due respect”…along with a nice little dose of sarcasm pointed at those with whom he disagrees.
The author needs to follow the advice of his headline.
The Other Rick apparently believes that facts and opinions are the same thing.
Dan, since he’s never responded, I asssumed that sincere and honest environmentalism meant taking the trash can to the curb once a week.
The Other Rick, you must understand: This is NOT a forum for the free exchange of ideas. It is a liberal sounding board and squatters are not invited to share an opinion. If they do, the conversation reverts to playground level taunts and name calling. The only reason I check it out is to see what kind of malarky the other side is spewing at the moment. If you want “due respect”, you must look elsewhere.
No one with an ounce of common sense fears the UN taking over any part of this country or any other country. Common sense however, seems to be something that is in very short supply these days.
#20 Someone’s Mom, I always find it highly amusing when folks are insulted by the occasional insults from the left here but apparently completely blind to the steady stream of crap, including threats, from the right wingers. Thanks for adding to the humor today.
The UN isn’t taking the country over. That’s not an opinion, it’s a fact. If people want to invent a bunch of conspiracist nonsense, have at it, but please don’t ask to be taken seriously. This country – and environment – have real issues that need addressing and we have no time to waste on nonsense.
And Dan apparently believes he doesn’t have to follow his own advice regarding disagreement and respect of people and ideas with whom he doesn’t agree. It’s that ol’ “liberal tolerance” thing.
When I went to the roanoke.com homepage and saw the link to this article, I immediately thought it hypocritical that Dan Casey, of all people, would write a column with such a headline…knowing the lack of respect and overall disdain he regularly shows for people with whom he disagrees.
But when I saw the blatant hypocrisy within the article itself, I had to respond.
#20 (Someone’s Mom) – yes, I’m highly aware of the nature of this cesspool of a blog. I generally avoid it but in this case, the hypocrisy was too much to avoid.
Unfortunately, his column was linked on the homepage, and probably had the hypocritical headline in the print edition as well. Hopefully someone will write a letter to the editor highlighting the hypocrisy. I may have to do that myself.
If you want people to seriously believe the ICLEI is a dangerous plot, you must indeed look elsewhere. Lights that automatically turn off when no one is in a room, don’t frighten me at all. I consider that to be an invention that was long overdue.
23 – “This country – and environment – have real issues that need addressing and we have no time to waste on nonsense”
Yes, I guess that’s why our President found it necessary to go on David Letterman’s show last week, and can find time to whoop it up with Jay Z and Beyonce, et. al….yet can’t find time to meet with Netanyahu and discuss the powder keg he has helped ignite in the Middle East through his inept foreign policy.
I think this thread is an appropriate place to put this link. This article explains how the Republican Party of today has betrayed much of its principled past. It also explains why many Republicans like me have great difficulty voting for today’s Republicans.
http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/20/stop-the-war-on-coal-act/?ref=opinion
The Letterman, JayZ, Beyonce destruction-of-Israel conspiracy theory!
Thanks for that, TOR.
Ignorant language skills should not begat the same. 2 wrongs don’t make a right, they just make the blog uglier.
Will wonders never cease? I finally agree with one of the lefties on this blog. #20 Someone’s Mom, “This is NOT a forum for the free exchange of ideas. It is a liberal sounding board…” and “The only reason I check it out is to see what kind of malarky the other side is spewing at the moment.”
I could not have stated it better.
But, it is a popular blog and even has its own set of groupies. Dan has to be careful when speaking in public. His groupies could start hurling Grannie Panties at his podium. In gdads case they of course would be Depends, Grannie Panties.
@26 Of course with selective memory, RWers forget that GW Bush appeared on Letterman’s show in 2000…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cXogNAfdWs
Someone’s Mom…did you even read pammala’s post before submitting yours?
Please, “someones mom” is another wing nut with an ax to grind. She doesn’t care what the RWers on here do. he mewling pleas for inclusion and bipartisanship are rooted in the fact that she sees pammalala et illiterate all get their lunch eaten on a regular basis.
The FACTS are out there to be seen. Our Pres. is apologizing all over the globe for the Libyans killing our people and has the gall to condemn the filmmaker of his free speech rights here in the US in front of the UN. We desperately need to get out of the UN. THEY should not be regulating anything that we do in our country. The environmental scam is out of control and if you do any honest investigating on your own, you’ll see that the so called “conspiracy” information is on the UN’s own website. ICLEI is the Local form of Agenda 21. Every time you put land in a Conservation easement, thinking you’re doing something good, you’re giving it away to the government. And of course, they make it a very attractive proposition. Do yourself and your family a favor….pass it down the family line. Pretty soon, there won’t be any more private land. Laugh all you want to, and talk about how stupid conspiracy theories are, but if Obama gets re-elected, you will begin to see the evidence soon enough.
LOL #33/Kristen!
“We desperately need to get out of the UN. THEY should not be regulating anything that we do in our country. The environmental scam is out of control and if you do any honest investigating on your own, you’ll see that the so called “conspiracy” information is on the UN’s own website. ICLEI is the Local form of Agenda 21. Every time you put land in a Conservation easement, thinking you’re doing something good, you’re giving it away to the government. And of course, they make it a very attractive proposition. Do yourself and your family a favor….pass it down the family line. Pretty soon, there won’t be any more private land. Laugh all you want to, and talk about how stupid conspiracy theories are, but if Obama gets re-elected, you will begin to see the evidence soon enough.”
Usually what you hear from the one-worlder alarmists is a battle cry for “property rights!!!!”
“People should be able to do ANY DARN THING they want to with their own land,” they say. “You wanna open a hazardous-waste landfill? Hey, that is your right. Because YOU OWN IT, pardner. I will back you ALL THE WAY against those enviro-commie-pinko-fascists!”
It’s interesting, therefore, to hear them whine about people deciding they want to put their own land in a land trust, which, despite what Texsheva says above, IS NOT “giving it to the government.”
A land trust is a trust, it is not the government. The landowner makes a decision to give up development rights. He (or she) does not give the land away. And the landowner gets two things in return. One is a tax break. The other is the knowledge that the land will be preserved in perpetuity. It’s a conscious decision the landowner is making.
Why, if landowners should be able to do WHATEVER they want to do with THEIR OWN LAND, would any Tea Partier find this objectionable?
So did you right wingers even read the column or did you only scan the title and jump in to embarrass yourselves all over again? The column speaks of duly elected members of the Board of Supervisors behaving like small minded dictators. That has nothing, nothing at all to do with an opinion blog that Dan Casey runs. That you are too ignorant to see the difference is pathetic and why this nation is in such a vicious divisive fight.
YOU ruined your credibility.
YOU spread lies and distort even the most benign of environmental efforts.
YOU insult and demean the President, Democrats, Liberals and anyone even in your own party who does not “toe the line”.
YOU have no integrity and are proven wrong time and time and time again.
Stop whining and learn to live with what you have wrought.
Yes, I know it’s “et al”… my autocorrect bit me.
Texsheva, we’re nor getting out of the UN. Make peace with it.
Dan, it is past time for pammala to go. If I called one of the Right wingers that name, they would be writing the editor of the paper. There is a line, even if they refuse to see it.
@38 posted – “.Laugh all you want to, and talk about how stupid conspiracy theories are…”
We never needed permission to do this, we’ve been laughing at the paranoia demonstrated by teabaggery for quite some time…
President Obama is secretly a Muslim
President Obama is going to take away all your guns
President Obama wasn’t born in the US
President Obama is a socialist
the government orchestrated 9/11
and oh yes, “global slavery”…sigh, and on and on and on with the “crazy” conspiracy theories..
Tonight at 6, during dinner, we got a call from Victory 2012, the Republican’s coordinated campaign. The nice young lady (her name was Missy or something) asked for me personally, and said, “Daniel, I’m calling to find out how you intend to vote in the race between George Allen and Tim Kaine.”
“I’m voting for Allen, of course,” I told her.
“And will you be voting Republican straight down the ticket?” she said.
“Absolutely I’ll be voting Republican straight down the ticket!” I replied.
“Mmmmm. Well, Daniel, you have a nice evening!”
“Mmmm, Missy, you have a nice evening, too!”
#44- What is it with you? You run your big mouth on every blog on the site. You try and tell the people who run their blog, how things should be. Start your own blog and then moderate until your heart is content. We could help you with a name for your blog. She who has no life; Big mouth know it all liberal; How to post on blogs and get paid by your boss or I am a Cry baby liberal. They all fit.
Oh wow, big bad johnny, hiding in his safe anonymity and calling people names. I have indeed made fighting right wing lies and liars my hobby, and I enjoy it. Nothing fights hate and ignorance as well as the truth. Can’t stand the heat? Shut the hell up and quit lying, distorting facts and pretending to know what you don’t. Then this liberal bully will not be on your arse coward!
15 Well said, The Other Rick. Respect and civility are a one-way streets with these leftwing extremists.
I echo congrats to the Tea Party and Elswick for opposing this waste of good money. Supporting these MMGW anti-capitalist nuts is worse than flushing $1200 down the commode.
Dan, it is past time for pammala to go
It’s time for YOU to go, you hate-filled gasbag.
gdad, don’t flatter yourself. I’m big enough not to get my panties in a wad over anything posted on here. You don’t offend me. And yes, I did see what pammalala said. I don’t know or care about anyone on here’s leanings politically. I’m not so naive as to think that my side is right all the time or the other side is wrong all the time. My point is that when you take the conversation into the gutter (verbally) you lose.
Check your facts there Shillary. The left-wing kooks like Rosie O’Donnell promulgated the whole “the government orchestrated 9/11″ theory. Don’t try to lay that one on the right.
As far as the whole “OMG, I’m offended” feigned outrage, is anyone really surprised. I was shocked when I heard them say “dick” in that context on TV a few months ago. Then Joel McHale referred to someone as a “pussy” on the Soup and my mouth fell open. If, in response to this kind of thing, the FCC steps in and tries to fine CBS for nudity at the Super Bowl or any network for profanity, the vast majority of the public who choose to voice an opinion think the FCC is being too uptight and should just loosen up. Apparently this is the new “acceptable” that we as a society want. Until now that is. When these insults are uttered in a blog that 40 or 50 people see, now it’s suddenly offensive. Could it possibly have more to do with who said it and to whom it was directed, than what was said?
The Roanoke Tea Party is a cancer on sanity. And that is about as nice a thing I can say about this issue.
Right , Someone’sMom. You don’t care about political leanings, unless theyre to the right. In which case wallowing around the gutter is all well and good. It’s just left-wing gutter discourse you feel the profound need to weigh in on. Especially when there isn’t any.
Another mealy mouthed pious hypocrite. Save it, please.
johnny #47, what you say is applauded by many. it’s use of the word “arse” puts it in rather select company…that’s the same company it implores ol’ dano to ban from his blog…. it can’t think, can’t debate, can’t use logic, but ol’ boy it can sure spin it’s head!
hey dano, why do you think i get more calls from dem party pollsters than from repubs? looks like you and i are on to doing the same thing. two weeks ago, i kept a dem caller from east Tennessee on the phone for 25 minutes, and at the end, she thanked me and said she’d really think about what i told her, and said she was glad she called me.
i bet she votes against obama (she’s not actually employed beyond her campaign gig), and she probably has me listed as “undecided”, down from having “voted” for the pres in 2008.
All,
I have removed pammala’s “df” comment and all the subsequent ones that referenced it. My apologies. It should not have gotten thru.
pammala, you’ve tried this trashy talk before, but usually I catch it. Another one and you’re out.
#29 It’s so much fun driving folks like you to such distraction that you have to use such hackneyed, middle school insults, johnny. Keep it up.
#45 That, of course, is not at all what you said in your first post Someone’s Mom.
At last! About time.
#46 Guess what, Chuck, I don’t like that language on traditional network shows, either, and I hate it when I hear young folks (or any folks) using it in public. It’s not the kind of language I use typically, not that I don’t have the occasional slip.
But as far as the blog goes, Dan has a few general rules and it now sounds like dear old pammalalalapdog has been warned in the past when she used similar foulmouthed stuff. Having been warned in the past, she knew it wasn’t acceptable. If dear old pammie doesn’t like the rules or feels censored when she can’t use vulgarities, dear old pammie needs to go elsewhere. Given her “contributions, which never consist of anything approaching debate or reasoned opinion and are always poorly written and completely lacking in proper punctuation, the blog would be better for it.
Kristen, can you read or are you just programmed to say the same blah! over and over again. I just reiterated my point: WHEN YOU TAKE THE LANGUAGE INTO THE GUTTER, THEN YOU LOSE YOUR ARGUMENT. Did I say whether it was (D) or (R)? No. I said that, and I repeat, the petty name-calling is a juvenile tactic that causes your argument to become moot. I haven’t called anyone a name and I haven’t said that it was okay for ANYONE!! And for the record, don’t presume to know my leanings one way or the other. You don’t know me.
I realize that you all want to be free to tell your right wing lies and insult those you want to without any come back…it is not going to happen. You are what you are and I will call it out whenever I choose. NO ONE begs you to come here, and when your arguments fail you always resort to ignorant insults, lies and the right wing parrot points. I am so happy that I get under your skin.
I grant you that using the “arse” is offensive to the delicate sensibilities that have NEVER minded when Suzie called us “bastards”, but it is not the same as pammala’s offensive insult and you would agree if one of us had used it. Your selective outrage is telling.
Funny how Frank and matt think calling me an “it” is so funny. Are you ten?
Chuck, I do not believe that the objection to pammala’s coarse insult was “OMG, I’m offended” feigned outrage”, I believe it was a lament that this blog just keeps getting worse. As for your notice that other venues have as well, that does not speak well of anyone. I don’t think anyone should be surprised, but that is not to say we should give in to it.
The FCC has a hard time regulating cable TV that people pay to have. Although they would do better to go after the examples you give than what appeared to be accidental nudity at the Super Bowl. I disagree that “the vast majority of the public who choose to voice an opinion think the FCC is being too uptight and should just loosen up” for the other incidents they have slammed, but that one was over the top.
I cannot imagine why you are defending the pejorative. Even if you believe it is the “new normal”. But then again, it appears that you too consider the source and decided to do so.
#56 Spare us, Someone’s Mom. To wade through your BS, let’s parse your first post a little:
“It is a liberal sounding board and squatters are not invited to share an opinion. If they do, the conversation reverts to playground level taunts and name calling. The only reason I check it out is to see what kind of malarky the other side is spewing at the moment. If you want “due respect”, you must look elsewhere.”
You think this is a “liberal” place and so the squatters you speak of would be conservatives. When those “squatters” — the right wingers — try to share an open and honest “opinion,” well, that’s when it sinks to playground level. Not when suzie or pammalalaland or matt whip out the insults, but when liberals reply to honest opinions from conservatives.
On top of that, the only reason you check it is to see what “malarkey” the “other side” is spewing. Well, since in your words it’s a “liberal sounding board,” the other side your’e checking would be the liberal side. Which puts you on the conservative side.
Yeah, sure, SM, I can see how we shouldn’t presume to know your “leanings.” You haven’t hinted about them at all. (rolls eyes)
Kristen: Evidently Dan erased several posts (your original comment #33, which was a reply to an insult)…. I thought your comment about the “comma” which was followed by “just saying” was hysterical. It’s not often words like a feather stomp someone to a pulp, so kudos to you.
gdad, what this thread needs is some reasonable, thoughtful, eloquent posts from the right side of the aisle. Where are Steve Nelson & Leon?
Dan, thank you for removing those posts, including mine that referenced the others. My vocabulary isn’t always the cleanest, but I try to remember what to not to say in a public forum. I don’t want to call someone a name in here that I wouldn’t call them in front of my mother. Of course, everyone’s mother is different. Maybe pammala’s would be proud of her mouth, but somehow I doubt it.
hey sandi, in your last fit of picque directed at me personally, i thought you were gonna ban your eyes from reading, and your fingers from responding, to my posts.
good for you, someone’s mom! if you don’t sing their song, they trash you. you make your points very well, and that’s something that many on ol’ dano’s blog simply can’t abide.
#61 Hey, dobbs, we’ve always got matt.
Hey, Gdad, like I said a few days ago, you really need to work on your blog-defending skills. They are weak compared to the others. But, I imagine weakness is something you’ve learned to live with over the decades…
Cheers.
This decision not to extend Nell’s term is a great loss for Roanoke County – and, unfortunately, was made under the kind of threats that are common in this thread. On behalf of those who don’t bow to threats: Thank you, Nell, for your service to our community! You’ll be missed – but perhaps better appreciated in a different venue.
So you believe trading jabs is “interaction”? No surprise there.
Thanks, DaveGresham!
When someone begins trash talking, it’s because they can’t think of anything intelligent to say! It’s trashy and not becoming of civil discourse. People are always going to see things differently, but it’s disgusting to hear all the trash. I don’t like it anywhere and certainly not when I’m expressing my opinion and wanting to hear how others feel.
By the way, Dan, I don’t care what someone does with their land, and I’m certainly not whining about it, just informing others about the “land grab” that the government is taking on. Like many things, land conservation began as a wonderful thing, but it’s also a vehicle for Agenda 21 & the UN, to use for their purposes. And Dan, eventually, yes, the land will belong to the government. Once it’s in a trust, it can’t be developed and yes, you get a tax break for NOT developing it. But it DOES all belong to the “powers that be.” That’s why your land, home or business place can be taken from you through imminent domain. The website is virginia.gov and eventually it DOES become government land once you & your posterity are gone or have moved on.
“When a person dies and doesn’t have a will and has no heirs, any remaining property goes into escheat. This word originated in the Middle Ages when land reverted to the feudal lord when one of his tenants died without a will. Instead of going to a feudal lord, it now reverts back to the government.” (Lawyers.com)