WTAE's Bob Mayo was reporting on the flap caused by Councilman Jim Motznik's foray into the "burghosphere" and at the end of the segment he said -- I'm paraphrasing here -- that Mayor Luke Ravenstahl would like Motznik to stop blogging as it distracting from city business. Mayo said that Motznik agreed to stop blogging.
Looks like Councilman Bill Peduto was right on the mark when he said that "Luke Ravenstahl and Jim Motznik are two peas in a pod."
Luke speaks and Jim obeys.
So, what have we learned from Motznik's one whole day of blogging?
Well, for one thing, looks like Motznik was full of...uh..."it" when he blogged "I am sure you will hear from me soon enough because this campaign will be quite a mess and I will be here to make sure we can all wade through the shit and get to the truth!"
One word from the Mayor and Motznik's little truth squad of a blog folds faster than Superman on laundry day.
We also see that Ravenstahl chose not to make any distinction between just having a blog and the actual content of that blog.
Since he made no differentiation, does that mean that Ravenstahl believes that no politicians should have blogs? Does he think, for example, that US Rep. Jason Altmire should fold up his "The Freshman Class" blog hosted at the Post-Gazette?
If that's not the case, perhaps he would like to make that clear. We wouldn't want any other councilors thinking that they'd face our "hot, hip, young" Mayor's disapproval before they ever even opened a blogspot account.
We, who have been members of Pittsburgh's blogger community for more than a mere 24 hours, know that blogging can be a force for good. It can inform the public of events and views that they might not see otherwise. It can foster discussion and build connections and community.
It would be a shame to tar us all with the same brush because of one lone blogger who couldn't resist the Dark Side.
14 comments:
hey, they just showed a pic of your blog on delano's piece on kdka just now!
Just like he squeamishly apologized after questioning the intelligence of Deasy and Koch, tough guy Motznik retreats with his tail between his legs after making an ass of himself once again. Priceless.
This was probably the plan the whole time.
If Luke and Jimmy's plan was to destroy macyapper, boy was Jimmy the WRONG assassin to send on this mission! His rifle jammed and he accidentally shot himself and Luke in the foot!
Hear. Hear. Here. Hear! Here!
There. There. There. There! There! Sorry, but the whole "Hear Here" thing is popping up everywhere in comments these days, and I still can't tell whether the author is expressing approval or sarcastic condescension.
Three PEAS in the same POD now.
Yesterday's rant at my blog called Luke and Bill two peas in the pod.
Tonight -- we've got 3 peas in the pod.
And, let's not call Jason A's postings a blog -- as it too does NOT allow for comments. The one's without comments are hardly blogs, IMHO. And, those are the blogs that are causing such of fuss.
You'll notice Motznik's blog isn't down. It's just not being updated.
Joe Delano says he has a blog now, too, but he may be confused...
This is cross-posted from The Burgh Blog:
Does anyone ever remember Motznik running from the City-County building over (and through) the Grant Building while on camera because he didn’t want to be asked a question about something. I don’t remember what it was, but it was hilarious to see a grown man run from the camera as though he could get away and never be found again. I’ll never forget it because it was SO DAMN FUNNY.
Did anyone notice that he posted his story at 4:26 PM on Monday. He said that he wouldn't blog on City time, so I guess he wasn't working then?
Found the item here:
http://thedogwags.blogspot.com/2007/01/lotsa-motzy.html
1. Delano does have a blog, he just started it yesterday: http://kdka.com/jondelanosblog
2. Motznik was running away from the reporter, b/c the reporter wanted to question him about his charging the city for mileage on his personal car, while he was using a city-issued car. Double dipping. By the way this was never investigated.
3. Mark R., sometimes you bring up good points, but your repeated harping grows tiresome.
For example, 'blog' is a combination of the words web + log. A blog is an online journal/diary. The pen & paper version does not contain comments from outsiders. Likewise, a "real" blog doesn't need to allow for comments. Move on with this already.
I've lost count of how many offices you've run for, but don't think you've won one yet. Instead you spend alot of time criticizing elected officials & organizations, via the prodigious number of posts you write on your & other blogs.
Perhaps if you focused on coming up with a campaign plan that cuts your many hours on-line - to make time for real world meetings with potential voters, you could win an election & go on to implement the ideas you post about.
Til then you're a "split pea", some good ideas on one side, little follow-thru/impact on the other.
If you lost count for the offices I've run for, let's count together.
1. Mayor, city of Pgh, 2001 primary as a R -- because we needed a new mayor more that I needed to be mayor.
2. PA Senate, 2005, Libertarian, special election. The R and D both spent $1-M.
3. Pgh City Council, 2006, Libertarian, special election. First race I didn't come in last place.
That's 3 official ballot positions. I hope you can count to three.
The 4th came in 2006 -- but I pulled out of the race after standing before the judge in Harrisburg with a challenge from the foe. Entered court evidence into court record showing foe used his PA Senate 42nd district office to make the challenge -- his fax header was at the top of the text pages.
So, that's 4. Just the fingers on one hand.
Thanks for the mentions of raising good points.
My impact is what it is.
FYI, my getting elected isn't as important as Pittsburgh becoming a place where all can thrive -- even those without the need for a "D" next to one's name.
When the number of bigots in Pgh equals the number of public offices I've run for, we'll all celebrate. Hopefull, when that dawn breaks the city will still exist.
BTW, save the recycled electrons when it comes to giving me a lecture about technology and blogging. Just following through....
Personally, I prefer "Best Friends Forever" to "peas in a pod". *shrug*
Personally, I prefer "Best Friends Forever" to "peas in a pod". *shrug*
Post a Comment