Anaheim’s “Year of Kindness” enters its final months. Promoting kindness is a good thing. It is a virtue that when fostered enables a better, freer civic culture. I supported Mayor Tom Tait’s promotion of kindness at his accession to office, and I still think it is a good idea. It would be nice if it seeped into the rhetoric and behavior of certain of his supporters, which hollows out the kindness campaign.
So let us mark the denouement of the Year of Kindness with examples of unkindness from one of them. Here’s screech from Cynthia Ward, made just hours ago on Orange Juice Blog:
“yet this cold-hearted harpy is the face of the GOP in Anaheim, Kris and her flat, lifeless policy wonk speak, Gail and her arrogant “you people” telling us how misinformed we are, and that we are disrespectful because we expect them to understand THEY work for US not the other way around. Lucille Kring who sold us all a bill of goods and then turned on us, selling her soul and her vote, for repayment of campaign debt (to herself!) like that is not the ultimate example of self-dealing. All of these characters were endorsed by the GOP, and I keep waiting for the GOP to grab them by the scruff of the neck and scream, “Quit making us all look like assholes!””
On the final point, Cynthia needs no assistance from anyone.
The lovely Cynthia is such a class act.
In spite of Cynthia Ward’s continued name calling, tonight our Mayor and City Council did the right thing. It will be interesting to see if she continues her attacks or if the Mayor tells her that the “support” she is providing him has lead to a very ugly time in our city.
Indeed, a first-grade act.
What did I miss at last nights meeting?
Last night the Mayor and the council members all came together right at the beginning of the meeting and said they would work together to denounce hate speech. It reminded me of the first year of Tait’s administration when the council was collegial. Those were peaceful days. Unfortunately, the contrast was his wife in chambers hugging and whispering with people like Greg Diamond who openly communicates with William Fitzgerald, as well as Joanne Sosa, Brian Chuchua and others were are regularly engaged in character attacks and their own hate speech. While the Mayor is up there promoting his latest P21 Kindness campaign his wife is glaring at staff and hugging the people creating the venom. A very unfortunate dichotomy.
It’s unfortunate that a few bullies can cause so much kaos. But their words and attacks have escalated to a point that our community should labeled them just what they are – bullies and hate mongers.
And we wonder why our kids are no longer respectful of their teachers.
I just went to another political website and they have a transcript of what a local Rabbi said at the meeting. He used his time at the microphone to make jokes instead of respectfully addressing the community about hate speech. If the transcript is correct, he said this wasn’t about hate speech or anti-semitism it was about the Mayor’s agenda powers. This Rabbi is in no position to assist our community. I don’t think I have ever heard a “religious leader” say something so odd. Anti-semitism should never be take lighty – millions of Jews were killed. We aren’t laughing sir.