but it's UNFAIR

i got a big kick out of vice mayor rita mercier's whining outburst at the last city council meeting that she feels unfairly put upon by the anonymous cowards of the internet. well, that, i guess, would be me among others, and, well, rita, you can just kiss my cowardly and anonymous internet ass. try responding to the ideas, instead of your ruffled peacock feathers.

first of all, not all critics of the "gang of six" (KMLEMC--Keep Making Lowell Elections More Competitive--Kazanjian, Mercier, Lenzi, Elliott, Mercier and Caulfield--remember them so you can forget them in november) are anonymous. (you know the gang of six--those are the folks who smugly know that firing a city employee via legal elimination of the budget line item for his salary doesn't offend the letter of the law that prohibits "plan E" city councils from dabbling in individual personnel matters, even if it spits squarely in its face). well, the left in lowell and the right side of lowell folks are not least among the voluntarily self-identified critics, and, second of all, the point of public criticism of elected officials is NOT the identification of those offering the opinions. the opinions either stand or fall on their own merits, and if a public figure doesn't like it, they should ask themselves why they are having such trouble mustering an excuse against the critiques other than ad hominem rants against those who would offer them.

our american revolution was promulgated by many pamphleteers, like thomas paine and his "common sense", who published their anti-tyranny opinions anonymously. ("written by an englishman"). now, TRUST ME, i'm not equating my little self-absorbed nonsense here as bearing any resemblance at all to tom paine's world-shaking expositions. but i am saying that i don't give a rat's ass about rita mercier's complaints that i'm not dragging my kids and my friends into the ruckus of public politics in order to offer my sincere opinion that she's a self-obsessed populist hack in love with her own voice and stridently opposed to bettering the city of lowell if it comes at the expense of any of her personal interests, or those of her private associates. if she wasn't, then why would she ever feel compelled to break the law (she bragged about it publically on the radio, after all) and fire a city employee over a disagreement regarding his demeanor, while doing absolutely nothing significant against the multi-million dollar shortfall in the 300 million dollar city budget? (you couldn't find ANYTHING else rita? anything at all???).

heck, i'm not really even dragging my anonymous self into the ruckus of public politics most days, as you can see from my endless sporting obsessions for the tour de france and the boston red sox. (just wait until the world cup).

rita, we're all waiting for you to say and do something of honesty and substance. (that is, besides sharing the shallowness of your heart-felt interpersonal opinions). i'm quite sure it's most frustrating to you that you can't abuse your position on the city council to have me fired for my impertinence, but you'll get used to it. there are a lot more observations to be anonymously made between now and november, and, like clockwork, you're good for as many as any of your other five buddies among the gang of six.

KMLEMC!