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Wednesday, April 18, 2007

 

Arch collapsing?

These pictures of the Monument to the Previous Administration's Corruption and Incompetence were taken yesterday. Note the top.




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# posted by The Last American @ 11:44 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

 

Now that's real class.

As expected, Allen Deckard blew off our US Representative and stood her up by not attending the tour of Thayer.

I hate to think how much damage would have been done to Thayer's image had Congresswoman Emerson shown up in town and nobody been there to give the tour.

Luckily, incoming mayor Merle Williams found out about it and came to the rescue, stepping in to tour some of the small businesses in the city with Emerson.

One pouts and shows his petty @$$ on his final day in office. The other steps up ahead of schedule for the good of the city. That shows the difference in character between the two.

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# posted by The Last American @ 8:43 AM 0 comments

Monday, April 09, 2007

 

Tomorrow night's city council meeting.

No agenda posted on the door of city hall yet. I'll look for it tomorrow and post it here.

The meeting begins at 7:00 PM at Thayer city hall.

And I remind you of the tour JoAnn Emerson is supposed to be taking of Thayer with Allen Deckard tomorrow. It is supposed to start at 2:00 and last until 4:00 PM, starting at the city clerk's office.

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# posted by The Last American @ 8:56 AM 0 comments

Saturday, April 07, 2007

 

Received an email from JoAnn Emerson's administrative assistant.

Apparently, they're going ahead with the tour of Thayer businesses Tuesday, with or without Allen Deckard.

What's the spread on whether or not he actually shows up? Sober?

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# posted by The Last American @ 8:53 AM 0 comments

Friday, April 06, 2007

 

What's he up to?

I found this in my Inbox:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Jeffrey Connor
Wednesday, April 4, 2007 Office: (202) 225-4404
Direct: (202) 226-8826
jeffrey.connor@mail.house.gov

Emerson to Conduct Thayer Business Tour TUESDAY

WASHINGTON - U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson (MO-08) will tour Thayer businesses on TUESDAY, April 10, from 2:00 top 4:00 p.m. CDT with Mayor Allen Deckard.

"We have so many diverse businesses and entrepreneurial opportunities in Southern Missouri. I am glad to have the chance to walk through Thayer with Mayor Deckard, talk with business leaders and observe the state of our business community here so I can make informed votes in Congress. Rural economic development is a chief priority as we fight for opportunities to grow our business community and bring new ideas to Southern Missouri," Emerson said. "Working together, we can do a great deal to protect our small businesses and the quality jobs they supply. It is a serious responsibility to provide the most fertile economic environment possible in our region, but a great many talented individuals are giving this important duty their best effort. I'm proud to work with them."

The tour will begin in the office of the City Clerk at 124 North 2nd Street in Thayer.

WHO: U.S. Representative Jo Ann Emerson
WHAT: Tour of Thayer businesses
WHEN: TUESDAY, April 10, 2007 - 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. CDT
WHERE: Starting in the Office fo the City Clerk, 124 N. 2nd Street, Thayer

I called Representative Emerson's office twice and emailed them once letting know that by 4:00 PM April 10, Allen Deckard will have about three hours left in office, and even that is only a technicality, given that he has already cleared out his desk. So they may want to reschedule the tour so that the new mayor can give it.

Given Deckard's asinine behavior since the electoral smackdown he received, I wouldn't put it past him to stand Representative Emerson up. While this would certainly make HIM look bad, it would unfortunately make both Thayer and the Representative look like idiots.

Question: if small businesses are such a priority to Deckard, why has he fought tooth and nail to keep new ones from opening up in Thayer, and why has he waited until his last three hours in office to bring in someone who could help?

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# posted by The Last American @ 8:42 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

 

Given the election results . . .

. . . you will want to note the update at the end of this post about Allen Deckard calling me a dumbass.

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# posted by The Last American @ 8:53 AM 0 comments

Friday, March 30, 2007

 

The tale of the tape.

I have in my possession an audiotape of a city council meeting, where bids are opened and Bobby Ryan's is accepted, for the erection of the electric shed, described in an article in the West Plains Daily Quill earlier this week about city work crews doing the work on a project which an outside person was contracted to do.

The sound quality is terrible, but some important details are clear.

Here is a transcript of the relevant portion:



TRANSCRIPT

Deckard: Okay . . . Old business . . . [garbled] . . . got some quotes on construction, putting up that building out there, don't we Rosie?

Simpson: Yeah.

[unintelligible]

Deckard: Okay, Bobby Ryan, labor on installing the building for the electric shed and rental on the scissor lift. That's just labor on installing it . . . $3800.

[unintelligible]

Rogers: . . . that's not the ends?

Deckard: No. No. This one sounds like it's the same way . . . Elmer Russell, labor to erect building at industrial park, $8340, labor only, no material.

[unintelligible]

Deckard: James Pace, bid on the metal building, city of Thayer construction of metal building [unintelligible] metal building, $10,000.

Harber: I think before we uh before we have somebody else do that we ought to see our . . . let our crews try it. Van says he can get it . . .

[unintelligible]

Deckard: Van's been busy. . . I'm gonna get this . . . How long we been trying to do this, two years? Is that not right? $3800 is not that bad, guys. [unintelligible] ...scissor lift.Alford or Grimes: [unintelligible] . . . pretty cheap.

Deckard: It is. . . What do you think about this?

Rogers: Well, [unintelligible] our guys can't do the [work?] let somebody else.

Deckard: The parks guys is NOT going to do this, I'm just telling you that right now. The parks are NOT doing it . . . It's NOT going to save us money. We're going to have . . . $3800 is 3800, a lot of money but that is still . . . The building has cost us twenty something thousand. What did we put in the, uh, concrete?

[unknown]: Eighteen.

Deckard: Eighteen? So I mean [that's still not the best thing we can do on it?]

Alford or Rogers: [unintelligible] Is this right, this is to get it erected?

Deckard: This is to get it erected; that's what all of this says, price of erection.

Alford or Rogers: [unintelligible] ... I know awhile ago . . . [unintelligible] . . . to get the ends on it . . .

Deckard: Well, at least we get the building done. And THEN we can worry about [unintelligible] other things.

[unintelligible]
Alford: . . . [Are you going to let?] keep the doors to unlock it with? Whatever . . .

Deckard: Right, right. . . . Right.

Alford: Is that the bolts, bolting it down and everything? They're going to bolt the building down to the ground?

Deckard: They'd have to do that.

Alford: Because there is no bolts there.

[unintelligible]

Deckard: What do you think?

[unintelligible]

unknown: I don't think so.

Deckard: All right, moving right along . . .

...




Sounds pretty clear to me; Bobby Ryan was awarded $3800 to erect the building himself, without the help of city crews.

UPDATE: I am trying to send a sample WAV of a copy of the recording to the Quill and the Hill 'n Holler to prove I indeed have it and that it is authentic. Even with the terrible sound quality, the voice is unmistakably Allen Deckard's.

For some reason, it's not going through. Maybe it's too big.

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# posted by The Last American @ 1:27 PM 0 comments

Thursday, March 29, 2007

 

I waited until almost exactly 3:00 yesterday . . .


. . . for the big "Candidates' Forum" hosted by the Chamber of Commerce, but a total of about five audience members, all of whom were CoC members and/or Deckard supporters, and one candidate (Deckard) had shown up by then.

I wasn't going to get into a confrontation with him in front of only his supporters, so I didn't ask the question.

I left instead.

But on the way out, I had some fun.

After exiting the building, I put "Vote For Change" flyers under the wipers on all the Missouri automobiles on the way to my car.

I'll try to post pictures of it soon.

UPDATE: See those little white flyers under the windshield wipers on the cars?



They are these:

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# posted by The Last American @ 8:47 AM 0 comments
 

Deckard's whiny campaign ad . . .

. . . came out in the free affiliate of the Allen Deckard Mouthpiece yesterday.









I'm using it, with some of my added commentary, in a new flyer distributed strategically around town.

(I know it's hard to read here, but you can get the gist of it.)




One thing I didn't mention in my commentary is that Deckard apparently thinks we have forgotten that he was a member of the city council prior to becoming Mayor, so any "sad shape" the city was in financially was as much his fault as the previous mayor's.

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# posted by The Last American @ 8:38 AM 0 comments
 

Quill picks up on the Thayer Arch story.

Go read it here. As always, look quickly, because they take the stories down every day.

They even printed one of Doris' color pictures.

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# posted by The Last American @ 8:35 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

 

I may or may not ask this at the 'Candidates Forum' today.

It will depend on whether or not the Quill and/or the Allen Deckard Mouthpiece show up to cover the event.

If they do, I'll ask it. If they don't, I won't.

If I ask it, I don't want to cover the forum in the Hill 'n Holler. I'm not comfortable writing articles in which I am a part of the news. It feels too much like conflict of interest and self-promotion.

If they do cover the event, I'll ask it and not cover the event.

Anyway, here's the question:

This question is for the incumbents:

While you have been in office, I have seen Bob Grimes and Allen Deckard team up at a city council meeting to ambush and berate a citizen for having the audacity to talk to his state representative.

I have seen you, Bob Grimes, express a desire for people to "shut up," just because they want to hold their government accountable, and you have told at least one citizen to "get a life" when she tried to hold you to doing only what the council voted to do. Then you whined to her, "Why won't people just leave me alone and let me do my job?"

And you, Mister Mayor, complained about "what kind of people we have [in Thayer]." You have repeatedly called citizens of Thayer "lowlifes" behind their backs, and as recently as yesterday, when you thought I couldn't hear you, you referred to me as (pardon the language, folks; this is the mayor's word, not mine) "dumbass." Again, you did not have the courage to say it to my face.

I have even received an anonymous threat of violence, simply for going to council meetings and letting people know what happened there. And oh, yes, Mister Mayor, I know EXACTLY where it came from.

And you, Buddy Rogers, have been so afraid of making waves that you didn't stand up to them and put a stop to it. That makes you as much a part of the problem as they are.

So my question is a two-parter.

1. What is it about citizens being informed and holding you accountable that makes you so angry?

2. And I remind the three of you that I and other citizens like me are your employers. Now let me ask you -- if YOU had an employee that treated you the way you treat US, wouldn't you fire him?

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# posted by The Last American @ 8:42 AM 0 comments
 

Thayer mayor makes it personal. Again.

[Warning: explicit language follows. It is the mayor's word, not mine.]

While sitting in my car across 2nd street from city hall before the 3/27/07 special Thayer city council meeting, I noticed the mayor arrive.

He walked up the sidewalk, cell phone firmly attached to his ear.

Apparently, he didn't realize his voice was carrying all the way across the street, because I heard him say, "I see dumbass is sitting over here across the street . . ." followed by some comment that went along the lines of "He thinks he's some big-time reporter."

In case there's any question, I was the only one sitting across the street.

Interesting that he lacked the cojones to say it to my face. And if he denies saying it, I'll offer to take a lie-detector test if he will and if the results will be in before the election.

You'd think he would have learned after the defeats of his economic developer sales tax and of his sometime ally on the council Fern Hickinbotham, that his making things personal with me always turns out badly for him.

For the record, this dumbass is a blogger who has no illusions of being a reporter, big-time or otherwise. The articles I write in the Hill 'n Holler are a means to accomplish a desired result, not an end unto themselves.

And in a week or so, we'll find out who the bigger dumbass is - the dumbass, or the one the dumbass outsmarted.
04/04/07 UPDATE, after Deckard's total humiliation at the ballot box:

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# posted by The Last American @ 8:35 AM 0 comments

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