Janice Daniels for 5 years!?

Apparently Secretary of State Ruth Johnson has no interest in democracy. She has decided that there shouldn't be odd-year elections to "save money" so that gives Janice another year.
What do you think?

It must be contagious

A story from Oregon sounds pretty familiar. A letter to the La Grande Observer tells the tale:

To the Editor:
I was deeply moved Feb. 20 to see over 200 EOU students and community members confront Mayor Pokorney regarding his hateful and homophobic postings on Facebook.
The mayor’s initial apology, which he described as “off the top of my head” (rather than from the bottom of his heart), was followed by dozens of personal testimonies from residents who feel embarrassed, threatened and misrepresented by the mayor’s behavior.
At the end of the allotted comment period, the mayor was given the last word.
He apologized again, but any sincerity was immediately eclipsed by his childish excuse that he was “old,” didn’t know how to use social media, and then a surreal tirade in which he cast himself as the victim.
He made it plenty clear that he’s not sorry for his bigotry, but for being caught and held accountable.
Although Mayor Pokorney’s small-mindedness is frightening, the larger threat is that he is running unopposed for a second term.
La Grande deserves better.
Ryan Pierce
La Grande

Grist: Tea Party mayor gets spanked for rejecting public transit

Whoa, indie newspaper nails Janice and friend, David Wisz...


18 JAN 2012 11:08 AM
Tea Party mayor gets spanked for rejecting public transit


Troy, Michigan's Tea Party mayor, Janice Daniels, tangled with trains and lost. (Photo: Change.org.)

Is the Tea Party losing its mojo? It sure looks like it. Tea Party favorite Michele Bachmann had to bail early from the presidential race and it’s looking more and more like they’ll have to settle for Mitt — hardly the Tea Party ideal. To make matters worse, they’re having trouble finding good candidates for Congress. And they seem to be taking a beating on the local level as well.

Consider the case of Troy, Mich., an affluent suburb 10 miles outside Detroit, where Tea Partiers last night got spanked in a fight over public transit.

In November, Troy elected Tea Party activist Janice Daniels as mayor, and put two other Tea Partiers on the city council. Daniels ran on a platform of “fiscal transparency, integrity in budgeting, and open communication between the private and the public sector” and “limited, constitutional government.”

What did that mean in practice? First, Daniels changed the oath of office when she took it, leaving out the part about how she was supposed to enforce the city charter. Then she got into a nationally publicized flap when homophobic comments on her Facebook page predating her mayoralty were brought into the public eye. (She wrote that she was giving up her “I Love NY” totebag after the state allowed “queers” to get married. Take that, you rainbow-flag-wavers in the Empire State!)

Just a couple of weeks after the Facebook post came to light, Daniels again made national headlines by leading the Troy city council in rejecting $8.5 million in federal funds to construct a rail-based commuter transit center. Daniels and the new Tea Partiers on the city council voted against approving a key contract for the center, which had been in the works for a decade, despite objections from the business community and Republican Gov. Rick Snyder. Their official explanation seemed to be that our nation is too far in debt to be throwing money around, and that it would be irresponsible to take the cash (although they gave no indication that they’d say no to federal money for roads).

Here’s what Daniels said to the New York Times:


There’s nothing free about government money … It’s never free, and it’s crippling our way of life.

But a funny thing happened on the way to this particular Tea Party celebration. Project supporters scrambled to present a scaled-back version that would require about $6.3 million in federal money, winning strong support from the Troy Chamber of Commerce. At a meeting last night, one council member reversed his vote on the contract, clearing the way for the project to proceed.

Many in Troy wondered about the claim that fiscal responsibility, and not ideology, was behind the initial rejection of the project. The rejected money, after all, wouldn’t have gone to pay off the national debt; other municipalities indicated they’d be thrilled to take what Troy turned away.

And during the mid-December hearing about the matter, it came to light that opponents of the project might have been motivated by fears that the trains would bring inner city crime to their peaceful burg, which has been named safest city in the state for 10 of the last 14 years.

David Wisz, an ally of Mayor Daniels who spoke at the Dec. 19 meeting, had this to say in his testimony: “It’s a magnet for crime … ‘Heroin express,’ that’s what the police call the transit center.” On his Facebook page (what is it with Michigan Tea Partiers and oversharing on Facebook?) he also wrote that “another mugger mover is not needed.”


Read more here.

VIDEO: Why recall Janice? Reason #1

During her mayoral campaign, Janice Daniels promised that she would be pro-business, as if the previous council and mayor had not been.
Now it has become clear that Daniels is so smitten with her own outside-the-mainstream ideology that she doesn't support anything but low taxes, anti-LGBT ideals, filling city commissions with her under-qualified (read bad for business) friends and extreme presidential hopeful Santorum.
Not good for Troy.

The best reason to recall Janice Daniels

Most of us living in Troy have been asked the question: "WHAT the &^%$ is going on in Troy?????"
From the anti-library millage days (led by Janice Daniels and the TCU), to the release of her homophobic Facebook posting, to the embarrassing, anti-business, anti-progressive voting down of federal funds for the transit center, Janice Daniels and her lot have single-handedly turned our town into a joke.
My favorite answer to give when people from other cities ask me that question is the following:

Janice Daniels did a great job hiding who she was before the election. Only those of us who knew her as the anti-library, anti-tax nut who smeared city council members and city staff from the city council microphone every meeting knew well what a disaster she would be as a mayor.  

But now that the people of Troy know her so well, they WILL recall her. And that will prove to Oakland County, Michigan and the country, that the people of Troy are not backward, bigoted, anti-business yahoos. We will prove we are good, pro-business, welcoming people by getting rid of her.

 It has been humiliating to have Janice Daniels in office for four months. Imagine what four YEARS would be like!

I am not running the recall campaign, but I admire those who are. Go to recalljanice.com`

Ever unethical Glenn Clark in trouble again

The national director of Clark's own local Faith ad Freedom Coalition says concerns about Clark's actions are SERIOUS.

This is no political hit job. Just a politician who wraps himself in religion and the flag, but can't seem to act ethically.
How did Troy get so unlucky to be saddled with so many dirty politicians?

FEBRUARY 20, 2012 AT 8:22 AM
Michigan Santorum volunteer under fire after rallyConcerns raised about campaign coordinator for Mich.
BY MARISA SCHULTZ
Questions have been raised about whether Rick Santorum's Michigan campaign coordinator has a "serious" conflict of interest and has potentially violated federal campaign rules.
Glenn Clark, president of the Michigan Faith and Freedom Coalition who recently became the volunteer coordinator in Michigan for Santorum, organized a packed rally Friday for Santorum in Shelby Township
One of the rally's sponsors was the Michigan Faith and Freedom Coalition, a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization that promotes socially conservative values of faith, marriage and protecting the dignity of life. Under its tax status, the coalition cannot coordinate communications with a federal candidate or make cash or in-kind contributions.
Gary Marx, executive director of the national Faith and Freedom Coalition, raised concerns about the Michigan affiliate sponsoring the Santorum event and Clark promoting the rally and accepting a position with the Santorum campaign.
Marx said the concerns "are serious."
"These are questions that need to be answered," Marx said.
The national group hasn't endorsed a presidential contender and invites all candidates to its events, he said. The coalition aims to educate and mobilize like-minded people of faith and conservative principles to influence public policy.
Santorum, who has been surging in the polls, didn't have campaign organization in Michigan and tapped Clark this year to help lead efforts here. Clark said he didn't see his roles in the campaign and the coalition as a problem.
He said he's a "volunteer statewide grassroots coordinator" for the Santorum campaign, but "I'm not coordinating in any way" on expenditures. He noted the Santorum rally didn't cost anything because the banquet hall space was donated by the Palazzo Grande center.
As a rule, he said, the Faith and Freedom Coalition invites all candidates to events. He extended invitations to candidates in the past, but "not for today."
All the candidates were invited to an event that coincided with the Republican debate at Oakland University in November, but Santorum was the only one who confirmed, he said.
The fall event was canceled, and Friday's rally was the newly scheduled event for Santorum.
"When he tells me he's going to do it, he's going to do it," Clark said. "These other guys (candidates), I have no idea."
"The terms are completely fine," he said. "The national office asked me if I was … on staff or payroll (for Santorum). I said no. They said: 'Fine.' "

Read more here.

Did it make anyone else uncomfortable?

Watching the city council meeting on Monday night, I couldn't help but notice all of the old, straight caucasians showing their lack of empathy for high school students, gay and/or non-white people.
Don't they listen to themselves?
Can't they begin to imagine that there must be something wrong with mayor Janice Daniels?
How do they convince themselves that Janice Daniels is right and L. Brooks Patterson, the majority of Troy citizens, the Civil Rights Commission of Michigan, the governor, all the local newspapers, newspapers and magazines around the country, and all the TV news shows are wrong?
And the one old fool saying Janice was being attacked by the "Asian Alliance" right after he told of the cruelty he had lived through as an immigrant? What the hell is an Asian Alliance? There is no such thing, sir.
Don't these people get it?
They, along with Janice, are bad for Troy business, bad for our property values, bad for our morale as a community (because they seem to dislike so many people WITHIN our community) and ultimately, they are rather vulgar.
We want people to find Troy an attractive town, not a cesspool of bigoted sycophants to a disastrous, ideologue of a mayor.
Listen to yourselves, people.
Stop.

Janice and the Bullies

As of this moment, there are a number of people accusing others of bullying our Mayor. The accusers claim that people are moving "beyond truth," and "embellishing" statements in order to "destroy" the reputation of our Mayor.

But are the people calling out Janice Daniels, in fact, bullies?

Let's step back for a moment and determine what it takes to be a bully. A definition of “bullying” is to “use superior strength or influence to intimidate a person someone, typically to force him or her to do what one wants.”

Thus, the formula for bullying is straightforward. To be a bully, one uses force, targeted at a person or group, to achieve a goal set by the bully.

At its essence, bullying is an abuse of power.

So who really are the bullies in Troy?

Are the bullies the people who tried to force the City Council to give special dispensation to David Wisz, and allow him to have 15 minutes to talk about the transit project?

Are the bullies the people who attack marriage equality, who go on to compound the attack by claiming that there is a “higher incidence of (overall) disease in the homosexual community”?

Are the bullies the people who violate council rules to read a 20-minute screed that ends with an attack upon the city manager?

In my estimation, each of these acts is an abuse of power. Each of these acts were committed by one person: Janice Daniels.

Janice Daniels is a bully.

The people calling out Janice Daniels on her bullying? Those are people exercising their right to free speech as guaranteed by the First Amendment. They're people who love this city and are fighting to keep this city welcoming, diverse, and strong. They're patriots.

Don't believe anyone who claims otherwise.

Janice stars in another political cartoon

Santorum proves HIS level of sanity on CBS this morning - Wow!

Why would Janice Daniels support Santorum?
Because insanity loves company.
Watch this amazing tour de force of crazy!!!!!
The whole interview is here.
Santorum says prenatal testing is all about killing children and that we should stop governmental control of public schools. He thinks we should go back to pre-industrial age (his words) when children were homeschooled. Why? Due to the huge problem of governmental mandates in education.
Funny, he voted for No Child Left Behind...?
So let's tally up the logic.
Women should have NO CONTROL over their reprductive rights.
Married women should have no access to birth control, so they can have a dozen babies.
If one of those babies is sick, women shouldn't be able to find out until after the baby is born.
And if a baby with significant developmental disabilities is born, the woman better figure out how to teach that child at home, cause who wants icky education mandates like mandatory special education?
Yikes!

The Tea Party from different perspectives

SNL: The comedy show gets it -- why is it cool to joke about Asian stereotypes? It's not.

Following the Schepkes, the Hoekstras and the Lin-sanity slurs, why does it take Saturday Night Live to understand that while other groups aren't supposed to be slurred and stereotyped, it's somehow still OK to do it against Asian Americans?

Lin's parents were born in America but the way. And so was he.
So were my husband's parents -- who spent part of their childhoods in America in "relocation"/prison camps. A real moment of shame in American history that people like Michelle Malkin claims never happened, or "children didn't have to go, they just wanted to be close to their parents" (not true) or that "they deserved it."
Just stop.

VIDEO: Janice Daniels throws Troy's support behind Santorum

...But perhaps Troy would beg to differ?
Janice accused the past city council and mayor of self-aggrandizing behavor. But look at her lavishing herself in self-importance, while making fun of Troy's budget problems at the same time.
Hmm, what a gem...

Asian slurs just keep on comin'

Does that make our Troy bigots stylish? Trendy?
Look what ESPN did...twice.

Royal Oak Tribune: Troy Chamber of Commerce to foster diversity

Since the mayor is incapable of rescuing the city's image from the horrible statements she and her friends have made, the Chamber is going to try to do the right thing.

Troy Chamber of Commerce to foster diversity
Published: Friday, February 17, 2012
TROY — A recent stretch of negative press has prompted the city's chamber of commerce to alter its course.
"Diversity in Troy has always been a given, and certainly an important value of ours as an organization," Michele Hodges, president of the Troy Chamber of Commerce, said.
"Of late, however, we have seen that reputation challenged, and that concerns us, because we do not believe that is the real Troy."
Troy Mayor Janice Daniels came under fire shortly after taking office in November. She has twice been accused of speaking out against homosexuality and has aired an argument with Troy City Manager John Szerlag in public by reading a position letter into the record during a city council meeting. She now is the target of a recall campaign, though organizers of that campaign's political action committee have yet to speak to the press.
Recognizing that those issues present challenges the city has not had to deal with in the recent past, the Troy Chamber of Commerce has teamed with the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion to announce "several strategic steps to further foster and encourage diversity in our city."
Hodges said those strategic steps are a "direct response" to recent headlines involving Daniels, who first came under fire in December for a Facebook posting against gay marriage, in which she called gay people "queers."
She made headlines again last month, when it was reported that Daniels told the Troy High School Gay Straight Alliance that homosexuality was a mental disease. She was later quoted as denying that she said homosexuality was a mental disease, but had called the homosexual lifestyle "dangerous."
Hodges said those incidents have forced the Chamber of Commerce to alter its strategy.
"Diversity has always been a given in terms of how we see ourselves as an organization," she said. "To actually highlight it as a part of our strategic plan or something would have been silly, quite frankly."
The move to highlight diversity is "a direct response to what we have been seeing in the community," Hodges said. "We pledged to the community when the situation (involving Daniels) was at a climax that we would proactively deal with this and would address it in a substantive manner, so this is the fulfillment of our promise to the community."
Diversity is good for the economy, Hodges said.
"Our goal as an organization, and of course our core value, is to create an investment-friendly environment here in Troy — one that is open to all forms of investment and the retention of investment as well."
One aspect the chamber is currently focusing on is gathering and compiling data that demonstrates how a diverse community "can propel a thriving marketplace."
For instance, Hodges noted that the LGBT community, statistically, "has some of the highest credit ratings of all population groups."
"Just staying focused on the business aspect, they're an important customer base here in Troy."

Read more here.

Glenn Clark in Ethics Violation???

Give a listen to this podcast, about five minutes in, for a very interesting discussion of whether or not Glenn Clark is in clear violation on many levels of representing a non-profit AND openly campaigning on a national scale for Rick Santorum:

Click here for the podcast.

Remember, Glenn Clark is the President of MI Faith and Freedom.
He is a known friend to Troy Mayor Janice Daniels
He has been surrounded by controversy before.

Is he in trouble with the IRS?
Is he violating the Federal Election Committee rules?

This will be an interesting story to follow.

WDIV - L Brooks Patterson explains why he wrote that letter to Daniels

Just in case you missed the WDIV story on Patterson and exactly what he said about Daniels' astonishingly inappropriate attack on Troy City Manager John Szerlag...

Patterson says: "As we've seen in the past, she has walked into these states that I think have injured herself and her reputation and now she's going after another guy's reputation. And as a professional I've worked with him and he's one of the best."

It's not "grassroots" to hate public transport -- it's just another Tea Party Platform

from Salon.com

MONDAY, FEB 13, 2012 1:00 PM EST
The Tea Party’s war on mass transit

House Republicans try to gut federal funds for subways as they extend the culture wars to urban policy issues
BY WILL DOIG

In the week since House Republicans introduced their proposed transportation bill, one thing has become clear: It has virtually nothing to do with fiscal responsibility.

The Tea Party soared to power on the notion that it was the antidote to wasteful government spending. It’s now clear that reigniting the culture wars was a top priority, too. From guns to abortion, the extremist wing of the Republican Party has fought to turn back the clock on many socially progressive ideals.

Mass transit is its newest target.

“Federal transportation and infrastructure policy has traditionally been an area of strong bipartisan agreement,” says Aaron Naparstek, a Loeb Fellow at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design and founder of Streetsblog.org. “Now, it seems, Republicans want to turn cities into a part of the culture wars. Now it’s abortion, gay marriage and subways.”

House Republicans seek to eliminate the Mass Transit Account from the federal Highway Trust Fund. The Mass Transit Account is where public transportation programs get their steady source of funding. Without it, transit would be devastated, and urban life as we know it could become untenable.

And there’s the rub. “The Tea Party leaders and the Republicans who pander to them do not care about cost-effectiveness in the slightest,” wrote blogger Alon Levy in a comment about the bill on the Transport Politic. “They dislike transit for purely cultural and ideological reasons.” To the Tea Party, transit smacks of the public sector, social engineering and alternative lifestyles.

read more here

Janice Daniels -- Stateswoman!

Janice appeared at a town hall debate about the library millage at which members of the community expressed the desire to keep the Troy Public Library open for seniors, kids, families and for the benefit of property values. In a down economy with crashing property values and city revenues, community members said they didn't mind ponying up a little more (taxes were way down anyway) to save the library.
Janice Daniels told the people of Troy who cared about the library that they were whining.

Re: All that Asian bigotry of late?

When you hear and read about Lin in the weeks to come, think of this...
Why Jeremy Lin's race matters
By Ling Woo Liu, Special to CNN
updated 5:36 AM EST, Tue February 14, 2012

Editor's note: Ling Woo Liu is the director of the Fred T. Korematsu Institute for Civil Rights and Education, which helped pass California's Fred Korematsu Day, the first day in U.S. history named after an Asian American. She is a former reporter and video producer for TIME, CNN's sister publication, in Hong Kong.

(CNN) -- A week ago, on feel-good Super Bowl Sunday, TV viewers in the U.S. state of Michigan were subjected to a racist campaign ad sponsored by former Representative and now-Senatorial candidate Pete Hoekstra. The ad, which suggests that his opponent, U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow, spends too much government money, shows an Asian woman riding a bicycle in a landscape of rice paddies. "Your economy get very weak. Ours get very good. We take your jobs," says the native Californian actress in a mock Chinese accent while addressing "Debbie Spend-It-Now." Hoekstra also appears, saying at the end, "I approve this message."

Public condemnation ensued, with demands for an apology and the ad's removal.

It's not the first time that China, or any connections to China, have been used to stoke fear this U.S. election season. In early January, a group in support of Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul released a campaign ad slamming then-candidate Jon Huntsman, the former ambassador to China. The "China Jon" ad showed Huntsman speaking Chinese and wearing a red tikka on his forehead (a sacred mark associated with Hinduism) and questioned his adoption of girls from China and India. "Jon Huntsman: American Values?" the ad asks, calling him "The Manchurian candidate," "Weak on China?" with ostensibly Chinese music in the background.

Then on Thursday, a U.S. Marine sergeant was found not guilty of hazing Lance Cpl. Harry Lew, who committed suicide last April in Afghanistan. A Marine Corps report revealed that Lew had been beaten by his superiors with sand poured in his mouth for falling asleep while on duty. Another Marine was sentenced to 30 days in jail and demoted; a third faces court-martial over the death. Lew's case along with that of Pvt. Danny Chen, who was found dead in October from an apparent suicide, have spurred Asian American members of Congress to demand hearings on hazing in the military.

Chen, the only Chinese American soldier in his unit in Afghanistan, was called "gook," "chink" and "dragon lady," forced to crawl on gravel while fellow troops threw rocks at him, and made to shout instructions in Chinese to fellow troops (no one else in his unit spoke Chinese). The Asian American civil rights group OCA has met with Pentagon officials to demand better treatment of Asians in the military.

Against all of this, Jeremy Lin, a Harvard grad and the NBA's first U.S.-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent, has vaulted himself to stardom. On Saturday, Lin led the Knicks to their fifth straight victory. His 109 points in his first four starts this past week have surpassed Allen Iverson's to become the most by any player since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976.

Unfortunately, success doesn't stamp out racism. Minutes after Lin's breathtaking career-high 38-point performance against the LA Lakers Friday night, FoxSports.com national columnist Jason Whitlock tweeted "Some lucky lady in NYC is gonna feel a couple inches of pain tonight." After condemnation by the Asian American Journalists Association, he tweeted an apology, acknowledging that he had "debased a feel-good sports moment. For that, I'm truly sorry."

Read more here.

WWJ: Group Seeking To Recall Mayor Of Troy

Group Seeking To Recall Mayor Of Troy
TROY (WWJ/AP) – A group has formed seeking to recall the mayor of Troy, who has been criticized for voting to reject federal funding for a new transit center and drawn attention for a Facebook post that featured an anti-gay slur.

The Detroit News reports petition language was filed Monday in an effort to remove Janice Daniels from office. One “Recall Janice Daniels” petition cites her December vote on the proposed $8.4 million center.

Daniels said she met supporters over the weekend and was “encouraged by the support.”

The Troy City Council reversed course in January and approved a scaled-back $6.3 million transportation center. Daniels remained opposed, saying she made election pledges to block the center.Daniels was elected in November. She apologized in December for the June 25 Facebook post.

In an interview with Talkradio 1270′s Charlie Langton, she did, however, reiterate her position on gay marriage. “While I do believe marriage should be between one man and one woman, it was inappropriate to use that language … It was meant to be a joke, silly, a funny thing.”

Read more here

MLive: Janice Daniels recall info.

Effort to recall Troy Mayor Janice Daniels requires 

gathering nearly 8000 signatures in 90-day period

Published: Monday, February 13, 2012, 4:00 PM Updated: Monday, February 13, 2012, 7:22 PM
 By Jeff T. Wattrick | jwattric@mlive.com

FollowOn Friday, several outlets reported acampaign has begun to recall Troy Mayor Janice Daniels.

This is not surprising considering thecontroversy surrounding Daniels, themultiple calls for to be recalled or to resign, and a poll last month showing 72% of Troy voters would support a recall.

But what will it take for this effort to be successful?

To find out, I spoke with Kim Noble, an Elections Specialist with the Oakland County Clerk. Recalls of local officials are the domain of county clerks.

According to Noble, as of this morning, the recall Daniels group has not yet filed their petition request. If/when they do, Daniels will be notified and the Oakland County Election’s Commission, made up of County Clerk Bill Bullard (R), County Treasurer Andy Meisner (D), and Chief Probate Judge Linda Hallmark, will review the petition language for clarity.

Once the petition language has been approved, recall supporters will have 180 days to gather enough signatures at least equal to 25% of the number of Troy voters who participated in the 2010 gubernatorial election. However, all signatures must be turned in 90 days from when they were collected.

read more here

Oakland Press: Patterson defends Troy City Manager, scolds mayor for ‘personal assault’

Patterson defends Troy City Manager, scolds mayor for ‘personal assault’

By DAVE PHILLIPS

In a shift from his regular stance of avoiding involvement in local political issues, Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson has spoken out in defense of Troy City Manager John Szerlag.

In a letter written last month, Troy Mayor Janice Daniels stated that she had “no confidence in our city manager’s ability to continue to perform the duties granted him in this position.”

Daniels’ letter, which she read into the record at a city council meeting, lashed out at Szerlag. Her arguments against Szerlag mainly concerned the Troy Transit Center, which Daniels opposed.

“I feel I should rise to the defense of John Szerlag,” Patterson wrote in a letter dated Feb. 7.

“I’ve had the pleasure of working with John in various capacities for nearly 20 years, My staff has called upon him for advice from time to time on a number of issues about which he’s considered experienced and knowledgeable.”

Patterson wrote that he typically avoids involvement in local issues “in an effort to avoid the impression that from the lofty perch of government I’m in a position to dictate to local units of government what they should or should not do,” but he felt compelled to respond to Daniels’ “personal assault on the character and fitness” of Szerlag.

“During my nearly 20 years as Oakland County Executive I have worked with many city managers within our 61 communities in Oakland County, and John stands out as simply one of the best,” Patterson wrote.

Read more here.

Daniels plans to fire city manager and replace him with Howrylak or Gosselin?

That has long been the rumor. Hopefully L. Brooks Patterson has cut her off before she could make this happen.
Here are two posts from TRUST FB. I will give the author credit (if he wants it).

I have heard this talk before and have no idea if it was true. I make no claim that it is, but for those of you may not read the link, I have copied a comment below that is interesting:
"Mayor Daniels is trying to stay on the timeline established soon after the election last November. However, this was supposed to be done under the radar. With all of the attention she has drawn to herself, the Tea Party's agenda may be damaged beyond repair. I have attended several "organizational meetings" and the plan to vote out City Manager Szerlag with a called vote of no confidence was to occur without a heads up to the press. Just as it was done to a previous City Manager. The plan was to replace the current City Manager (Szerlag) with either Gosselin or Howrylak after terminating Szerlag. It seems Daniels is trying to push the plan through, however with the recall effort gathering steam it looks like she may have cost our Tea Party its strength and credibility."

It is just my opinion, but if this was/is true, it makes me quite sick.

and

Hard to say if it is/was true. I note that when Channel 7 came to the Mayor's office hours none other than Bob Gosselin was there to provide access [Sharon's note: actually he was blocking access and called the police on the news crew]. The other party was Glenn Clark ("a citizen" as he described himself). Also, during the camgaign, it was Bob Gosselin who helped get a question moved before the candidates to comment on the performance of the city manager. I also note that when David Wisz was told that he could only have five minutes of talking time concerning the transit center (he was the mayor's expert), it was with Martin Howrylak that he in part worked with outside the council chambers to shorten his presentation. Maybe its all wind and smoke, but the associations exist. I think somebody might want to ask the mayor to comment on this situation in the next council meeting. This item continues to pick up steam and with a recall coming forward, it might make sense to go on record saying this is incorrect and that no effort to replace the city manager with a pre-selected replacement is/was planned.

WXYZ TV: Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson blasts Troy Mayor Janice Daniels' opinion in letter Read more: http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/oakland_county/oakland-county-executive-l-brooks-patterson-blasts-troy-mayor-janice-daniels-in-letter#ixzz1mKLKzsCW

She's just that bad...

Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson blasts Troy Mayor Janice Daniels' opinion in letter(WXYZ) -
A political fight may be brewing in Oakland County between controversial Troy Mayor Janice Daniels and County Executive L. Brooks Patterson.

Patterson has sent a letter to Daniels and members of the Troy City Council, criticizing Daniels for statements she made in a position paper. Those statements, according to Patterson, are a "personal assault on the character and fitness of your City Manager, John Szerlag."

According to the letter written by Patterson, Daniels wrote "I must conclude that I have no confidence in our City Manager's ability to continue to perform the duties granted to him in this position."

Patterson writes that he feels the need to defend Szerlag despite his "long standing policy" to "not get involved in local issues in an effort to avoid the impression that from the lofty perch of county government I'm in a position to dictate to local units of government what they should or should not do."

Read more: http://www.wxyz.com/dpp/news/region/oakland_county/oakland-county-executive-l-brooks-patterson-blasts-troy-mayor-janice-daniels-in-letter#ixzz1mKMf5Bf4

Detroit News: Update: Petition language filed to recall Troy mayor

FEBRUARY 14, 2012 AT 1:00 AM
Petition language filed to recall Troy mayor
Oakland's Patterson defends city manager against her criticism

BY CHRISTINE FERRETTI
THE DETROIT NEWS

Troy— Recall petition language was filed Monday in an effort to oust Janice Daniels from office, while Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson waded into the fray over the controversial Troy mayor.

The petitions were filed with the county clerk days after the group Recall Janice Daniels formed a political action committee to raise money for the effort.

One petition targets her for voting in December to reject $8.4 million in federal grant money for a transit center. The other alleges she refused to swear support for the city charter while taking the oath of office.

Recall organizers also claim she violated city rules by exceeding speaking time limits at a City Council meeting to read a position paper about her opposition to the center and embarrassed Troy by allegedly telling high school students the "homosexual lifestyle is dangerous."

read more here

WDIV-TV: Video with comments from Patterson

Oakland County executive defends Troy city manager

L. Brooks Patterson says Troy Mayor Daniels launched personal assault on city manager

Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson released a statement Monday in response to Troy Mayor Janice Daniels' position paper in which she says the city manager, John Szerlag, is not able to perform his duties.

In his statement, Patterson said Daniels' paper ended with the following: "I must conclude that I have no confidence in our City Manager's ability to continue to perform the duties granted to him in this position."

Patterson calls this a personal attack from Daniels on Szerlag which stems from a dispute between the two.

"A dispute between two individuals does not render one of them suddenly incompetent to perform their duties," Patterson wrote in his statement.

The county executive said he has worked with Szerlag for nearly 20 years and his staff has considered him "experienced and knowledgeable."


Read more and see the video here

VIDEO: What Janice Daniels said that INFURIATED L. Brooks Patterson

Watch the video:

Patch: L. Brooks Patterson Defends Troy City Manager Against Mayor's 'Personal Assault'

If Janice Daniels ever had any political friends in high places, they're all gone now.

First she ignores Governor Snyder's plea to approve the transit center, then she smears Troy City Manager John Szerlag.

Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson didn't have trouble deciding who to defend.

He chose Szerlag.

L. Brooks Patterson Defends Troy City Manager Against Mayor's 'Personal Assault'

"A dispute between two individuals does not render one of them suddenly incompetent to perform their duties," writes Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson in a letter to Troy City Council.

In a letter dated Feb. 7 to Troy City Council members, Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson defends Troy City Manager John Szerlag against comments made by Troy Mayor Janice Daniels during a Jan. 9 City Council meeting.

During the meeting, Daniels reiterated her opposition to the transit center project in a five-page position paper in which she also accused two council members of "interfering with staff operations" and city management of opening her mail at City Hall. Daniels also wrote that she has "no confidence in our City Manager's ability to continue to perform the duties granted to him in this position."

Szerlag later released an eight-page responsethat rebuts nearly every statement in Daniels' five-page paper, which he says is "filled with inaccuracies and has damaged my reputation."

"My long standing policy has been not to get involved in local issues in an effort to avoid the impression that from the lofty perch of county government I'm in a position to dictate to local units of government what they should or should not do," Patterson wrote in his letter to council. "As it pertained to the controversy surrounding Troy Modal Transit Center, I assiduously adhere to my policy.

"But out of that controversy there has arisen an ancillary matter that compels a response from me," Patterson continued. "I refer to the personal assault on the character and fitness of your City Manager, John Szerlag."

read more on Troy Patch

Detroit News: Petitions filed to start recall bid against Troy mayor

FEBRUARY 13, 2012 AT 4:37 PM
Petitions filed to start recall bid against Troy mayor
BY CHRISTINE FERRETTI
THE DETROIT NEWS

Troy— A group that hopes to remove Troy Mayor Janice Daniels filed recall petition language Monday with the Oakland County Clerk's Office.


The filings come days after the grassroots group Recall Janice Daniels formed a political action committee to raise funds for the initiative. The petitions were submitted by Matthew Binkowski, who is listed as treasurer of the committee. He could not be reached immediately on Monday.


One of the petitions seeks to recall Daniels for voting in favor of a resolution to reject $8.4 million in federal grant funding in December. The funding had been allocated for a Transit Center Project.


The second petition alleges Daniels refused to swear to support the city charter while taking the oath of office and later referred to the charter as a "whimsical document." It cites her two separate votes against the transit project and says she violated the City Council's rules of procedure by exceeding speaking time limitations while reading a position paper detailing her opposition to the center.


read more here

Oakland Press: Citizens group forms to recall Troy mayor

NEWS > LOCAL NEWS

Citizens group forms to recall Troy mayor

By SHAUN BYRON
shaun.byron@oakpress.com; Twitter: @shaunbyron

A group of "concerned citizens" is seeking to recall Troy Mayor Janice Daniels.

The group have set up a website, listing several reasons why Daniels should be recalled.

The list accuses Daniels of refusing to swear an oath to the city charter, calling it a "whimsical" document; embarrassing the city on a national level for her views on homosexuality; attempting to derail a planned transit center backed by federal dollars; hindering operations at City Hall by declaring mail to the city should be opened only by her; and violating procedures during City Council meetings.

Daniels, a member of the Troy Tea Party, has been a lightning rod for controversy since being elected in November.

read more here

Troy Patch: Group Forms Website to Recall Troy Mayor Janice Daniels

Group Forms Website to Recall Troy Mayor Janice Daniels

"In light of widespread clamour for a recall of Troy Mayor Janice Daniels, a few concerned citizens got together and decided to mount the effort," reads the group's website.
By Jen Anesi

A group has formed to recall Troy Mayor Janice Daniels, who first came under fire in December for her anti-gay Facebook comment and has since remained the center of controversy aftervoting against the Troy Transit Center (a scaled-down version was later approved), telling theTroy High School Gay-Straight Alliance the homosexual lifestyle is "dangerous" and writing a lengthy position paper personally attacking city employees and council members.

"We believe that the citizens of Troy must take our city back from this dangerous, polarizing ideologue," reads a post on the group's website,www.recalljanicedaniels.com.

Daniels said she is not concerned about the recall effort.

"I don’t mind it," Daniels told Patch Friday evening. "It’s an unnecessary distraction to the city, but I’m not worried about it."

Last month, a poll by Main Street Strategies commissioned by the website Michigan Liberal showed72 percent of Troy voters would support recalling Daniels, though a recall petition cannot be filed until May.

Read more here

Citizen Janice doing that misinformation thing

Here's old city council meeting video that's a great example of Janice Daniels spewing mis-information, contempt for our city workers and just that usual bag of JD kookery.

Detroit News: Group forms PAC to recall Troy mayor

Daniels Recall Campaign Gathers Steam
From the Detroit News:
FEBRUARY 10, 2012 AT 5:22 PM
Group forms PAC to recall Troy mayor
Website alleges she hurt business, failed to take oath to city
BY CHRISTINE FERRETTI
THE DETROIT NEWS
Troy— A grass-roots group has formed a political action committee to raise funds for a planned recall effort against Mayor Janice Daniels.
The organization Recall Janice Daniels filed its committee paperwork Wednesday with the Oakland County Clerk's Office.
Matthew Binkowski, who is listed as treasurer, declined comment when reached by The Detroit News late Thursday.
But a website created for the PAC explains, "In light of widespread clamour for a recall of Troy Mayor Janice Daniels, a few concerned citizens got together and decided to mount the effort."
The website, http://www.recalljanicedaniels.com/ lists reasons for the initiative, including allegations that Daniels refused to swear an oath to the city charter, that she's hampered city business and tried to derail the Troy Transit Center project. It also notes her use of a gay slur on Facebook before she took office.
Daniels said Thursday she doesn't want to become distracted by political opponents. "I'm focused on the business of keeping our taxes low, our community business- and consumer-friendly, and our citizens fully informed on the legislative activities of our city government," she said.
Daniels was elected in November on a tea party platform.
Joe Rozell, Oakland County's director of elections, said the PAC filing lets the group start raising and spending funds. A recall petition hasn't been filed yet. Rozell said recall language could be submitted at any time for a clarity hearing with the county's Elections Commission.
read more here

When will Martin Howrylak go?

Many people feel that much of Janice Daniels' anti-transit center, anti-city staff, anti-city manager manifesto in January really sounded much more like Martin Howrylak than Daniels.
And why is it that Mr. Howrylak keeps hanging out at city council meetings, huddling around the likes of David W and Janice Daniels, apparently giving out directions, advice, information and perhaps speaking points during council meeting recesses?
Why do both Howrylaks -- Frank and Martin -- spend so much time ministering to leaders and speakers?
I thought Martin had retired from politics in Troy.

How about this for a compromise?

Sure, Janice, Dave H, David W, Gordy S, Marv and all you other bigots and bigotry defenders, go ahead and be bigots. Knock yourself out.
But could you just shut up about it in public so people don't think your archaic views represent the rest of us in Troy?
Your words and behavior are bad for business, bad for our children, bad for our schools, bad for our property values, bad for just about everything.
Sure you have a right to think whatever you want, but to proudly utter these things or defend them, on TV, in the press, all over social media is bad for our town and bad for your reputation.
So, put a sock in it, would ya?
Thank you.

The whole Schepke mess

OK, folks.
My reaction to Mr. Schepke's yucky racist rant on January 9 had as much to do with comments he made about Detroit and the people who live there as about the Chinese slur. At the time, the full 4 minute diatribe seemed too long to post, so I cut it down. But if you watch the whole thing, you'll see there is much more than just the one nasty term to complain about.

Spring Awakening

the silver lining, from Rhonda

Spring Awakening

            Ah, spring. With the mild winter we are having, there are days when you almost think it is spring. With that comes the awakening of flora and fauna… and a voting bloc across the city of Troy.

            Watching the City Council meeting on Monday, it was exciting seeing the fresh new faces and voices at the public comment podium. The Asian Pacific-Islander Association and the MI Civil Rights speakers were terrific. It is about time this city’s diversity is front and center in a way that gives power to their profound impact on Troy.

            It is truly inspiring to walk the halls of Troy High School and see the globe in the confines of one building. The camaraderie, genuine friendships and cooperation between students of varying backgrounds and ethnicities, is a lesson for us all. There are no ugly words in their vocabulary that carry-over from past generations prejudices. They recoil and gasp at words and ideas that they know are wrong and hurtful and bigoted. And yet, adults who seek leadership positions in our city set an example of ignorance, indifference and insolence in thinking and using those words.

            Hurray for the APIA for coming and speaking against statements that should be long forgotten from the collective vocabulary. They have a reason to stand up and strongly reject this rhetoric that continues to foment harmful ideas. It is bad for them and it is bad for all of us. They have been awakened to what is dangerous for all of Troy. Hopefully, they will become a greater voice in civic matters and they will become a stronger voting bloc for the greater good of our community. 

            Now is the time to come together, register to vote, tell your story, and go to the voting booth. What happens in our local government affects all of our homes, jobs, schools and quality of life.  Be the force of change.

            Welcome spring. Welcome Troy residents to a civic awakening. It is time to join the effort to keep our city leaders in check and in touch with the majority of Troy residents’ vision for our city. 

The New Yorker: HOW DID HOEKSTRA GET SO MUCH WRONG?

February 7, 2012
HOW DID HOEKSTRA GET SO MUCH WRONG?
Posted by Evan Osnos
Read more
Michigan Republican Pete Hoekstra’s anti-China ad has arrived in China, and instead of inspiring outrage it is being greeted by guffaws, pity for his math and language skills, and puzzlement that his propagandists—and this country knows a thing or two about propagandists—appear to have made rookie mistakes, including borrowing a backdrop that looks more like Vietnam or Laos.

“As a Chinese person, you don’t feel a thing watching this, because it appears to be in Southeast Asia,” commentator Michael Anti wrote.“My Vietnamese classmates are more insulted than I am,” according to Li Xiaopen. (I second Jim Fallows’s theory that it’s hardly an accident, but, rather, “a kind of visual dog-whistle” to Americans acculturated to seeing rice paddies as an arena of sorrow.)

The basics: The thirty-second spot—aired locally during the Super Bowl as part of Hoekstra’s bid for the U.S. Senate seat held by Debbie Stabenow—opened with the sound of a gong and showed a young Nondescript Presumably Scary Asian (N.P.S.A.) riding a bike between rice paddies, and saying, in broken English: “You borrow more and more from us. Your economy get very weak. Ours get very good. We take your jobs.”

Chinese viewers looked past the race-baiting to point out the kinds of aesthetic errors that would get Hoekstra fired from a fear-mongering-advertisement assembly line: That golden sunlight rarely breaks through Chinese smog; women of the actress’ age are too busy working in booming factories and thriving cities to be cycling between rice paddies. Even the N.P.S.A.’s breathtakingly ridiculous conical hat looks wrong: the fringe around the edge is less Guangxi than Hawaii. When I asked Lu Han, a researcher and translator about it today, she said, dryly: “Maybe they got our minority hats confused.”

Hoekstra’s bumbling continues when you follow his instructions to his Web site, which is adorned with bounding dragons, paper fans, chop-suey script, and lots of money. Hoekstra doesn’t strike me as the kind of man to lose sleep over the following freshman-Chinese mistakes, but they are worth noting in case anyone wonders if this man should be hiring people with your tax money. Every Chinese reference, more or less, has a mistake:

The Great Wall of Debt came out as “Debt That the Great Wall Owes.”

The Chinese characters throughout the site are of a variety not found in mainland China; they are visible only in Hong Kong or Taiwan.

The page is adorned with the pattern 花$ 花$, which he would like to mean “spend $,” but, in fact, means “flower $ flower $ flower $.”

For all the xenophobia and mistakes, the thing that might really worry a voter is that a man can get this far in the U.S. political system without a basic grip on the mechanics of his government. “You borrow more and more,” the N.P.S.A. says. But that is false, says the U.S. Treasury. Chinese holdings of U.S. treasury bonds, in fact, declined from November of 2010 to November 2011. “China has not been a major buyer of U.S. treasury notes on the margin for a couple of years now,” Victor Shih, an expert on Chinese economics and politics at Northwestern University, told me.

When Hoekstra’s point collides with fact, he calls in the help of a large font: he describes China as “the largest foreign holder of U.S. Treasury securities”—which is true—but then describes China’s holdings as increasing from 9.6 per cent in 2002 to twenty-six per cent in 2010. A voter might blanch at the idea of a foreign country holding over a quarter of U.S. Treasury debt, except that it’s not true. The twenty-six per cent is China’s holdings among foreign holders, not overall debt, and “the overall share of treasury held by foreign entities declined in the past couple of years,” Shih told me. (“One thing that Americans have to realize is that China may be a net lender internationally, but the Chinese government and state-owned enterprises borrow a huge amount of money domestically,” Shih added. “The racist caricature of those thrifty Chinese who take advantage of debt-loving Americans is widely off the mark because China is one of the most indebted countries in the world.”)

I’ll leave it to others to point out why Hoekstra is a hypocrite on spending, who is already driving away Republican supporters.

But since I’m a Michigan taxpayer—Berrien County, currently resident in Beijing—I’ll close by pointing out that Hoekstra will be responsible if Asian-Americans end up subjected to the kind of discrimination in Michigan that took the life of Vincent Chin. He was the Chinese-American man beaten to death in 1982 by two unemployed autoworkers frenzied about the threat from Japan.

Read more http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/evanosnos/2012/02/hoekstras-ad-full-of-mistakes.html#ixzz1lkxxi4sn

Dear Mr. Schepke and your buddy Mr. Henderson

While you two will comfort yourself with the belief that last night's outrage was a political stunt, I would like you to know that it was not.
I am sincerely disgusted by your words, Mr. Schepke, both your slurs against Chinese and against Detroiters.
And although I'm thrilled to hear you think Chinese children are cute, my children actually are from CHina, as are the kids of many of the people insulted by you. And while you can admire our kids from afar, or pat their little heads, we have to worry about raising them in a country where people like you and Hoekstra casually drop disgusting slurs like little used tissues and then wonder what all the hubbub's about.
It's not funny to me.
It's not funny to my kids.
It's not funny to the kids at our schools.
And Hoekstra's ad which calmly demonizes Asians is dangerous. Read up on the "Yellow Peril" and the Japanese American Internment," if you don't understand.
And Dave, I always want to reach out to you. I want to believe you mean well. But when on earth will you defend the people your friends smear instead of defending your friends? Certainly you must have some line they may not cross?
No?

To those who defended bigotry last night

To those who defended bigotry last night:

I was in a little internet flaming war yesterday with a person who called herself Janet. We were wrangling over the recent Pete Hoekstra ad and whether it was "racist."

Mind you, this silly woman (or man) had no interest in the details of this repulsive TV spot, nor the far worse website it was set in. She had no interest in what it means to be Asian American (not that I am, but still...) and see an ad like that during the Super Bowl (which many Americans seem to hold sacred, if you remember the nip kerfuffle a few years back). She had no interest in American's historic tendency to hold Asians in this country responsible for activities going on overseas.

Nope. She couldn't have cared less.

She was spreading offensive sugar on the ground, trying to draw in "liberals" for a fight.

I was bored. I let her have a fight.

While she ignored all logic and direct answers to her direct questions, she accused and acted a fool.

Actually, since my name was tied to it, she opened with this:

"Sharon, you'r clearly obssessed with gay and lesbian issues occurring in Troy. Remember when school was about educating kids and not about social engineering? I long for those days. Maybe the next issue you can take up is supporting the rights of petafiles !"

Hm.

I guess she preferred the good old days when gay people stayed closeted and sometimes destroyed themselves or their families because cranks like this lady insisted they hide their true selves.

But I digress.

She knew me. I didn't know him or her.

She was mean. She was so outrageous, after several hours, Patch finally pulled the plug and erased all of her comments.

But what was weird was, at the same time (toward the end of our tiff) I was at home watching the Troy City Council meeting. The Chairwoman of the Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission, Sook Wilkinson, came to speak about the slurs uttered by Mr. Schepke, whom the mayor had nominated for a very important city commission position, for which he is not really qualified. Also a leader of the Michigan Civil Rights Commission had words for Troy, too. They both said the language used by Mr. Schepke was intolerable and that Troy should be cautious that it isn't seen as the mental backwater that Ms. Daniels seems destined to make it.

Did any member of council greet these state leaders and dignitaries? No.

Did anyone apologize?

Dave Henderson did the typical, "How DARE anyone criticize this wonderful man!?" Not seeing that the wonderful man had slimed a fairly large portion of our town's population.

Well, Mr. Fleming did a nice job, at least considering the idea that such words can hurt and should be frowned upon.

Did Mr. Schepke aologize? No. He said he meant to slur the government of China, though as he used a plural form of the slur, I'm not quite sure to which governments he was referring. By the way, the same day he slurred Asians, he also repeatedly criticized Detroit and said things like "those people" can't afford to shop here, implying that we would have no reason to want them to get on a bus or train and come here. Then he went on talking about crime and prostitution. He's a bigot, plain and simple. But his friends can't see fault with their own kind, apparently. They only see fault with "other kinds."

Another black eye on Troy, was last night.

But that takes me back to Janet. Early on in my discussion with her, she said that she grows, "very tired of the race card being played against every comment a Republican makes."

Pretty funny! Maybe her friends shouldn't talk about race, so much.

That comment made me laugh out loud. I do not feel that all of any party are good or bad, but couldn't Janet and Dave Henderson and all of those indignant defenders of Mr. Schepke have thought for a moment last night that maybe it is wrong to use racist words, even if you feel justified? That maybe if the words Mr. Schepke used brought out the state's civil rights leaders, something untoward may have happened? 

Don't they realize that when Mayor Janice Daniels said to a gay woman's face that she has a dangerous lifestyle (when she's in a monogamous relationship with two small kids), she is being insensitive, rude and actually downright stupid? There she is looking at a family woman, but all she can imagine is a scene from some 70s porn film?

I don't propose to know why these people and I have such different feelings... why Janet thinks people of color should just stop being so darned sensitive every time a Republican talks about race, why Janice Daniels can't hide how she sees gay people as so inferior she can speak to them that way, why Mr. Schepke and his friends think he's a victim...

I am simply humiliated to live in the same city with them.

Doo Doo Heads

This column by Neal Rubin in The Detroit News is brilliantly written: Pete Hoekstra is a Doo Doo Head and Other Playground Wisdom.

In playground speak: to those in Troy who question those who stand up to a racial slur and claim it's merely a political scheme by a rogue watchdog group in the community to create hysteria in the spirit of smearing Janice Daniels, I stomp my foot real hard and holler: liar, liar pants on fire.

Taking it from the playground to more intellectual terms, xenophobia is a truly frightening prospect. The reaction here in Troy was just as legit as the outcry against this ad – an ad that is nothing more than a painfully awkward assault on our collective intelligence and sensibility in the name of politics. The outcry to Pete’s painful political propaganda, as well as the parallel outcry to the xenophobic slur used here in Troy, simply cannot be orchestrated. It’s a visceral, honest response. I would argue it should be welcomed, discerned and applauded, not summarily dismissed and brushed off like so much dirt on your knees when you fall off the merry-go-round.

Just like Pete, those who willfully refuse to at least acknowledge they may not have played fair with their words, (even if they thought they were playing nice), look like bullies. Those who don't understand this and shrug off the outcry we saw here in Troy are, like Pete, doo doo heads. And I wish they’d just take their ball and go home. Hmph.

(Thank you, Mr. Rubin, for the inspiration.)

Anti-Asian bigotry running rampant among MI conservatives?

You couldn't have made me believe this was for real if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes.

Pete Hoekstra not caring who he insults as long as he may gain the votes of racists. Giving credibility to bigots in our own community.

What the hell is going on in this state? You can let him know how you feel at his Campaign phone number 616-301-3105.

Holy cow! Michi-tucky here we are!

See the Politico article below the video.




Super Bowl ads: Pete Hoekstra's hits a nerve

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0212/72466.html#ixzz1lXHk5XwE

By TIM MAK | 2/5/12 12:46 PM EST

The campaign of former Rep. Peter Hoekstra for U.S. Senate explained a racially charged Super Bowl advertisement they developed – complete with an Asian actress speaking in broken English – as a reflection of China’s increasingly competitive education system.

The campaign of the Michigan Republican hit racial notes as a new advertisement argued that the policies of incumbent Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) were helping China to the detriment of the United States.

Continue ReadingThe advertisement, which will run in Michigan during the Super Bowl and afterward, features an Asian female with a conical straw hat riding a bike through a rice paddy field.

“Your economy get very weak. Ours get very good [sic],” the actress says, in broken English.

“Thank you Michigan Senator Debbie ‘Spend-it-now’. Debbie spend so much American money [sic],” the actress says, without a Chinese accent. “You borrow more and more, from us… we take your jobs. Thank you Debbie ‘Spend-it-now.’”

The Hoekstra campaign called the advertisement “satirical” and explained the broken English in the video as a reflection of China’s increasingly competitive education system.

“You have a Chinese girl speaking English - I want to hit on the education system, essentially. The fact that a Chinese girl is speaking English is a testament to how they can compete with us, when an American boy of the same age speaking Mandarin is absolutely insane, or unthinkable right now,” Hoekstra spokesperson Paul Ciaramitaro told POLITICO. “It exhibits another way in which China is competing with us globally.”

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0212/72466.html#ixzz1lXHHaEJX

Recall Janice bumper stickers!

Don't be mamby-pamby.
Tell Troy and the rest of the world what you really want!
Real bumper stickers on sale at Cafe Press!



I didn't make 'em, but I'm glad somebody did!
Whoopie!
Can't wait to get mine.
Click 'em.

Or go to the store (!) and get even more :-)

Janice Daniels as our Ambassador?

Janice Daniels didn't attend Troy's Martin Luther King Jr. Day event in Troy. She has also missed many civic meetings, even those for which she had been selected to speak.
Why?
She didn't miss a big political soiree with "her own kind" the other night.
You might also notice a certain lack of her photos in the paper -- well, photos that don't involve scandals, anyway.
One of the key responsibilities of the job for Troy mayor has long been as an ambassador, reaching out to current and potential businesses, other city leaders and families and citizens.
She doesn't do that.
Why?
Well, the word is no one really wants her to be the "Face of Troy."
For example, is she getting a lot of those ribbon cutting gigs?
Well, no one seems to want her to come out and cut a ribbon when their business opens. And why would they? God knows what population she will insult next time, or what uneducated, incorrect criticism of the city staff she might utter. Why have an unwanted mayor sully your business's good name right from the start?
You are right, Janice.
Just stay home.

Planning Commission nominees

Why does Janice Daniels so desire to align herself with people like Dave Wisz and Gordon Schepke who make such terribly bigoted comments all the time?
Of course, Janice can't keep her own awful comments to herself either.
Monday night we will find out if Janice Daniels will be able to get one of those people on the all-important planning commission.
The Agenda is here.
Are you going to step up and ask the council to refuse a seat to a fellow who insults so many people who live, work and do business in Troy?
Ask Troy City Council to say No to Gordon Schepke on Monday.
Write them at addresses you will find here.
And please use this address, too, to make sure the staff can keep track of what the people of Troy are saying.

Why the budget problems in Troy?

How about that according to this new Forbes/Yahoo Real Estate analysis, Troy is part of the area in Michigan with the second greatest loss in property values in the United States?
Second only to Detroit!
Janice Daniels spent two years, with her friends at TCU, claiming that the former city council was misappropriating funds and hiding money and that City Manager John Szerlag was being dishonest.
Turns out those who have been fact-checking TCU were right all along.
There was no malfeasance. There was no misappropriation of funds. 
There was only Janice Daniels and her friends gaining political advantage from lying about Troy's problems.
And if she and her friends continue to deny the truth of how the horrific real estate market crash has affected Troy, our city is in yet more trouble with this woman at its helm.

Beyond Sorry

From time to time I feel the need to come to this blog to rant and rave. It’s cathartic. Thanks for indulging me.

I am part of a group that is reaching its one-year anniversary: Troy Residents Unified for a Strong Troy. We work hard to get accurate information out about issues in Troy and we formed because a political group was purposely sharing misinformation with residents, thereby misleading them into poor voting decisions that do anything but keep our community healthy.

The tipping point for many of us was when the three fake Library proposals were placed on the November 2010 ballot. They say misery loves company. So do people who know they have been victimized by crazy political games – including a subversive letter from a councilman issued just before a vote filled with misinformation. Republicans, Democrats, Independents and people who aren’t even sure (or don’t typically even care) came together. It’s one of the nicest groups I have ever met. We came together to figure out the facts of the matters here in Troy. Together, we fought for the Library Millage in August. (Success!) We also worked to get Robin Beltramini, Bruce Bloomingdale, Jim Campbell and Neil Yashinsky elected this past November. Only Jim Campbell made it. (Not so much success. But we’re glad his business know-how has a seat at the table.)

Fast-forward to now. We recently listened to the audiotape of the Meeting with the Mayor with the two teens at her open office hour at the Troy Community Center. Imagine our wonder when we clearly hear one of her campaign supporters and the Mayor say that TRUST is the cause for all of the mayor’s negative media coverage. It’s all about our tactics to politicize her, apparently. We learned that we are bullying her. We’re creating the media frenzy. Holy Mary, Mother of God! Go figure! Turns out this is our fault.

Wow. Ok. Really? Well. If it will help, I will step up and accept responsibility since the Mayor has failed to do so in a meaningful way.

Following is my fantasy Media Statement in response to the allegations against TRUST made on that tape:

We are sorry that we did not have the foresight to tell the Mayor she should take her personal Facebook down and no longer keep a personal page, but if she were going to keep a personal page she should remove anything remotely close to objectionable because she is now representing a large, very diverse city and, as such, her posts would be subject to scrutiny.

Since we neglected to do that, we are deeply sorry that we did not contact the mayor and urge her to remove the Facebook post immediately upon its discovery (Friday). It never occurred to us that she would leave it up for the entire weekend, up until Sunday night.

Further, we’re sorry we don’t have the technical know-how to keep something from going viral; we’re sorry so many people were finally paying attention to her. Perhaps that’s because she changed the Oath of Office and drew a whole pile of attention to herself? (We’re sorry she didn’t ask us about that; we would have told her to leave well enough alone, especially as a newbie.)

We are also deeply sorry that we did not have an opportunity to coach her to immediately -- that very same day it started to go viral (Friday) -- issue a heartfelt, tear-filled apology; an apology that would include a mention that the Facebook post had already been removed and that she was deeply sorry for offending anyone. We would have noted that refraining from issuing a gay marriage stance would be in order. We’re sorry we didn’t do that. (Listening to the tape, she seems to think Monday is “immediately;” we’re sorry that’s not the case in this era of the 24-hour news cycle and we’re sorry we didn’t let her know this was the case.)

We are also sorry we didn’t tell her to just stay away from the student protest so that those folks that we cannot control in any way (because we weren’t there to participate, though she assumes were were!) couldn’t chant bad things that would become television news eye candy.

We’re also very sorry we didn’t tell her to take full advantage of the opportunity to be part of the anti-bullying event being planned by two amazing teens and a classy, smart adult who mentors teens and knows how to do this kind of stuff. We should have told her it would be a “no-brainer” thing that she would just have to show up to and say a few words and then reap the reward of the positivity. We should have also made sure she didn’t offer an opinion, especially a rather harsh one. Because – and we’re sorry we didn’t try to help her understand this point – the event proposal was not about her.

Yes. We clearly fell short. We’re very sorry that we’re the issue. Sure. Go ahead and blame us.

Should we also accept responsibility for her thumbing her nose at our business community and Governor Snyder on the Transit Center vote?

And for attacking the city manager in a position paper filled with so much wrong he had to waste time writing a lengthy response?

Are we at fault for that, too?

Come on, now.

Truth be told, what we’re really sorry for is this: that we failed to get Robin Beltramini elected. We just couldn’t get people to pay close attention. Yep. That is so true it hurts. Many voters truly thought candidate Janice Daniels was what she described herself as in the Troy Times: a grassroots Independent. And we couldn’t get people to see the truth of the matter. For that, we’re beyond sorry. We truly are.

MLive: Would psychiatrists, as Troy Mayor Janice Daniels claims, call 'the homosexual lifestyle' dangerous?

Wonderful Jeffrey Wattrick at MLive did his homework. So while Janice Daniels is running around telling us what Christian counselors posing as psychiatrists would say about people, here's what the experts say...

(I hope he forgives me for showing about 3/4 of it here)

Would psychiatrists, as Troy Mayor Janice Daniels claims, call 'the homosexual lifestyle' dangerous?

So, if Daniels showed up with psychiatrists, would they tell Troy’s young people that “the homosexual lifestyle is dangerous”?

To find out, I called the American Psychiatric Association this morning to ask for the scientific and medical consensus on these issues. They referred me to Dr. Jack Drescher, a psychiatrist based in New York City. He is also a member of the APA’s DSM-5 Workgroup on Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders.

“Your mayor is quite mistaken,” said Dr. Drescher. “The American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders in 1973 and the World Health Organization removed homosexuality from its international classification of diseases in 1990.”

But what about “the homosexual lifestyle?” Has medical science concluded that it is “dangerous?”

“She’s not really stating a medical issue,” Drescher said about Daniels’ comments. “She’s really stating something about the perception that everyone who is gay is leading a promiscuous sexual life and the promiscuous sexual life may lead to increased health risks.

“Religious social conservatives call that ‘the gay lifestyle,’ even though that’s as absurd a phrase as ‘the heterosexual lifestyle.’ There are sexually promiscuous heterosexuals and there are risk-taking heterosexuals. It’s not really a medical issue. It’s a culture wars issue.”

Drescher adds that the cause of one’s sexual orientation (be it biological or environmental, or some combination of the two) remains an unknown. He also says sexual orientation is considered a "fixed" trait that, with very few exceptions, is unlikely to change.

What’s more, he says, the medical and scientific consensus on these matters is solid.

“We have two parallel culture tracks going on,” Drescher said. “We have a strongly anti-scientific, religiously-based cultural belief that is based on ancient texts that believes homosexuality is immoral. Certain people are entitled to their religious beliefs, but they aren’t scientific beliefs at all. It’s unfortunate when people try to masquerade their religious beliefs in guise of science.”

Read more here.