Turning Down the Temperature

It's all fun and games until folks start posting about burning down houses over labor negotiations not going the way they want them to......

Over the holiday weekend I received the above screenshot from someone who saw it posted on an online chat site.  It was surprising to me that someone would openly call for someone to have their house burned down.  It was even more surprising to me that the so-called moderator of that site not only allowed that comment to stand--but actually proactively hit the "like" button.  I was glad to know this sort of a frenzy was going on, if for nothing else than to be extra vigilant.  But it is troubling to see former employees stirring up such a ruckus with inaccurate and false claims--to a point where someone would actually say "let his house burn" (in reference to my family house)..   So this whole incident obviously was not a good thing, and it led to my posting some factual information on my blog yesterday that I ultimately removed.

We have got to turn down the temperature on this stuff.

We can agree to disagree.  Heck, we can even (although we shouldn't) call each other names if we must.

But any sort of a call for a violent act, even a dog whistle type like the one above, should never be tolerated, ever.

We're a local government doing the sausage-making of local government; labor contracts with labor unions, taxes, maintenance, planning, engineering, permitting, parks etc.  We're not fighting a war like our military is doing overseas---not one of our employees works in an environment even close to being as dangerous as the Marines and Soldiers work in--kicking in doors in urban combat in the middle east and being shot at, or riding behind a 50 Caliber machine gun on a Marine Amphibious Assault Vehicle like my brother did in Iraq during the war.  So why so much animosity and why the personalization of this anger to a point that it boils over with folks making threats? Most of this anger and venom is about paychecks and benefits----and most of the ones complaining the loudest make way more than the E-1s and E-2's in the Army and Marines doing MUCH MORE dangerous work in combat getting shot at by people that want to kill them.

So yes----It's ridiculous and I won't partake in it.  Yes, I posted actual facts yesterday in response to the garbage screenshot above.  Yet, I pulled down that post later in the day.  I was asked to do so by several callers who expressed a "significant" concern about the physical safety of a person connected to the post.  

So, while every bit of what I posted is and was true--It needed to come down.  I don't want anyone to be injured physically for something that is written online--even if it is all true.  

Others should do likewise and "turn down the temperature."

I'm not holding my breath on that, sadly, particularly when the moderator "likes" posts that are threatening or condone, cultivate and incite violent acts.

Released Public Record from Federal Trial is Revealing

This document, above, is one of several that came out of a hearing before a Federal Magistrate Judge a few weeks back in Doug Underhill's public records lawsuit.  Apparently, this is one of the many documents that was/is considered to be a public record by the court but that was not initially turned over to the requestor by Commissioner Underhill.  So the document was released this month.

I hear many, many more-- perhaps hundreds more-- will be coming soon.

The interesting thing to me about this particular document, though,  is that "Jacqueline" in this facebook messenger conversation is apparently filing/or has filed a complaint against my brother, Circuit Court Judge Gary Bergosh.  If it is the "Jacqueline" I believe it to be, this is very interesting, indeed.

If it is "Jacqueline" from the Facebook chat site "Escambia Citizens Watch"---I wonder why it is my brother she is targeting?  I mean, there is no doubt she strongly dislikes me.  She runs me down all the time and lies about me on her site--ho hum no big deal.  I have a thick skin, her opinions mean nothing to me, and I ignore that echo chamber of hate, irrelevant site anyway.  

But why bring in my family?  Why go after my brother -- a Retired Marine LT. COL who went to Iraq and put "boots on the ground there?"  A literal Eagle Scout who has done absolutely nothing wrong, a guy who simply does his job, and does it well.  He's a guy who is regarded by most attorneys I speak with as a "good judge, fair and reasonable."

Obviously----- nothing did come or will come of any such garbage, baseless complaint against my brother to the JQC by "Jacqueline"  anyway--it is utter rubbish.  

But what a sick, degenerate thing to do.  Come after me all you want, but leave my family out of it.

To relish in filing an ethics complaint against my brother--- because someone has a beef with me?  

How totally and completely disgusting is that?  And she says "I hope Judge Bergosh has bad times ahead."  Embarrassing for "Jacqueline."  Who would say that and wish that on someone who did nothing wrong?  Uncharitable, non-Christian, Sick and disgusting.

Wow.  Can't wait for the rest of these records to come out....I wonder what else we will find??