The Gazette is the local weekly for Croton on hudson. I confess that up until very recently I never read it. then I got a call from one of their advertising firms, took out an ad, and started receiving it gratis.
Anyway, the letter is about the recent election and campaign in Croton. I wrote about it on a number of occasions on this weblog, for example here Tom Faranda’s Folly: Voting today for my Village Board and here Tom Faranda’s Folly: Waste transfer, local politics, and organized crime
While in the past I’d never paid much attention to local issues I always voted – for mayor or trustees – essentially based on whether I knew the persons. However the recent controversy about how to deal with a waste transfer station wanting to locate in Croton changed all that. And I was motivated by the particular obnoxiousness of one partisan with a blog.
To read my letter click "continue reading"
To the Editor:
I want to sincerely thank Mr. Ross M. Weale, Jr. and his blog/chatroom for wakening me from my 24 year slumber as far as local issues are concerned.
My family and I have always been involved in what we view as big issues – working to alleviate poverty, end abortion, the death penalty, eliminate nuclear arms, that sort of stuff. But we never had much time for local concerns.
And I had never even heard of the crotonblog, until asked by friends to check in on the blog.
So I started dropping in to Mr. Weale’s site every three or four days. What a revelation! Ad hominem attacks, disparaging remarks – yes real community-building chit chat.
And then – I made the mistake of leaving a comment! With the result that RMW, Jr. went through my own weblog to try and pin copyright violations on me, threatening to turn me in to the Wall Street Journal and NY Times. Meanwhile it was perfectly acceptable for Mr. Weale to copy and post entire sections of Michael Moore’s web musings… Go figure.
And then his election attack postings and coverage that, oddly enough, ended with no coverage of the actual election.
Thank you, and God Bless you, Mr. Weale. You completely changed my local voting pattern, you inspired my wife to speak out at a trustee meeting, and even motivated me to lend my office to the Alliance Party so they could make voter calls.
And we owe it all to you. One wonders how many other people were similarly motivated.
Sincerely,
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