"The UCO Reporter promises to continue its long held beliefs that this publication will print articles to inform our residents of the important issues concerning our Village. We promise to seek the truth and to print both sides of an issue, to open dialogue to inform our readers, not to create controversy. We promise to listen to your concerns and to treat all our residents with courtesy and respect. Your opinion is valuable to us and will be considered in our decision for publication."
Unfortunately, when we look at the paragraph above, we must sadly conclude that oh, yes, it is so, so sadly so, a breaking of the trust, a misbegotten imitation of what a newspaper is supposed to be, a total twisting and betrayal of the stated mission of The Reporter, henceforth referred to herein as The Rag.
While having another posting in mind, those thoughts quickly gave way to these upon opening my computer last nite and checking my various websites. This has got to be THE worst issue of the paper ever! Oh, correct, not if one compares it to the local Pennysaver or a local throwaway that is concerned more with the advertisements and filler items so that they can make some money and support themselves. Even that is suspect here as last year they were forgiven the $24,000 owed to UCO - and this year, to add insult to injury, they have now taken it upon themselves to PAY a person to handle ads - always the ads - for a minimum of half that $24,000 and it could be more. Funny, I had always thought this to be a VOLUNTEER paper!
Anyhow, let us take a look at their mission statement. "....articles to inform the residents of important issues concerning our Village." Uh huh, Lie #1. What is so all fired necessary and of importance to the Village about restaurant reviews, so much so that now we are treated to at least two an issue. Truly, will we now also be forced to abide by these reviews, since it seems that all that they print is what we are to believe. And by the way, who pays for the meals used as review basis? It had better not be UCO funds!
".....We promise to seek the truth and to print both sides of an issue, to open dialogue to inform our readers, not to create controversy.
Lie #2. When was the last time that both sides of a crucial, a critical issue was printed? When was the last time that a resident who opposed the views of the dictator of the back office, the man behind the curtain, was ever allowed to post and write about the contrasting/opposing viewpoint? The "not to create controversy" has been twisted to mean no opposition, no denial of anything that David Israel says or backs, or the words of Ed Black. Those writers who wish to contribute are told right to their faces - or to their backs - that NEVER will they be allowed to send in an article or have a letter to the editor accepted.
"....We promise to listen to your concerns and to treat all our residents with courtesy and respect. Your opinion is valuable to us ."
That is blatant Lie #3. There is no courtesy towards the opposition. There is even no courtesy to their own volunteers as they throw them out, under the bus, consign them to the depths of whatever they deem hell, should they displease them or the master one iota. The paper is now written by the same people, writing multiple, bland, boring, useless articles. This issue is a prime example of The Rag as it is now, with barely anything of interest or news. Our opinion valuable??? Yes, to us, but not to them.
So what appears to be the key topic of this latest issue of The Rag? The loud and nasty crusade against the only publication in the Village that is telling the truth. The only publication, aside from two blogs, that puts forth the truth, that puts forth a newsletter chock full of important topics written about by residents of the Village without censorship. It is a newsletter that has grown in leaps and bounds both in number of pages and also tremendously in its readership figures.
Joy Vestal, a VP AND the editor of The Rag - how's that for conflict of interest - is apoplectic about The Messenger. Tough, Joy. Deal with it. People are tired, so tired, of the pap you publish now, the pathetic stories of Lanny's family - who gives a crap, by the way, especially as we are not even getting the both sides of this "warm" family dynamic! If Lanny wishes to write about his family constantly and think all are on the seat's edge for the next installment, then here's an idea. Go write this on your own blog as I do! Otherwise, keep it to yourself, month after month.
It appears as if the second most important topic here is the advertising factor. Just count the pages of it. True Pennysaver numbers. It provides a background to the whining and lies of Vestal and even Cornish, as she too takes off over the fact that there is another publication here in the Village, a publication that is open to all, wanted by many, and part of our right to freedom of speech. Remember that one, Barbara? We just had Memorial Day where we were to remember those who fought to maintain those rights and here you go whining about their implementation here in the Village. I am truly disappointed, Barbara, about that and the many absences that you have already racked up in the short time since elections were held, about your selling out.
Truth? Concern about the residents? Courtesy? Truth? Truth? Truth? Both sides? Information, relevant information?
That is not what we are getting here. Time for a total change, a total ousting of the entire UCO slate, of the entire Rag slate and put in, elect in, new people who understand the responsibilities they then would take on and the honesty and dedication necessary to doing this. There is a strong push on to return term limits to our administration as they were since the beginning of UCO. I wonder if that is even enough. At this point, vote for the term limits, but maybe we also need to add impeachment to the mix?
Meanwhile, be alert for that gang of sneaky people who are climbing the stairs of the buildings looking for the issues that are hanging on doors. They are making their big plans to then rob the units. But then again, how many issues of the Advocate are left on doors throughout the year - and there are several doors that fit that description in my building alone! So we remove them if we know they are gone, and if not, we wait a couple of days and then remove them. Before the sneaky gang of checkers comes along, I guess, because thank G-d we have not had any problems with this nefariously motivated gang of invisible robbers!
Stop whining already. If you had done your jobs properly, held true to your own publication's words, then there would not be an issue here. BUT, BUT, you and your related fascists refuse to look in the mirror and see how what you are all now doing is so contrary to American standards, rights, and expectations, that you are all beyond the pale. Crawl back over the line but hurry up, time is a fleetin'.
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