> Refugee From What?


Mr Refugee is not a new poster here (some years I think). A simple search on authors shows the following:

Usually, he chimes in on discussions about the NWP, and how the NWP's political problems are merely a symptom of much a wider problem on California's North Coast. He said he was an ex-resident (I think somewhere around Healdsburg - not sure), that was driven out because his employer's shops were closed by eminent domain for apparent political reasons (land remains unused by the city - with no known plans for it). While at the same time, his city had allowed a housing subdivision in the woods to sell out and utilities to be put in; but then reneged on building permits for a number of lots, for supposedly environmental reasons; all this forcing him to abandon his dream property and leaving him penniless.

Being driven out because of "econopolitics", he considers himself to be a refugee from extremist politicians. I do not know where he moved to - he never said. All this apparently happened during the so-called real-estate boom years.

There is a note of bitterness in his story, but this hardly makes him a right wing extremist. I'm not sure what would have - I'm not much into labels (I'm usually affended - actually). I always thought extremism was mostly the tendency to advance a specific human value or want, at the cost of all other human values or wants. I don't see that in any of his writings.

But you've got to wonder about those who get all jumpy whenever someone reveals the ways their favorite emperor has no cloths; are they really so insecure about their own beliefs that they must jump on with dis-information, ad homenem attack, personal defamation, and calumnies of all sorts, rather than any honest refutation. Is the real point of this to simply silence the opposition - the debate.

It seems that way. I for one, will not stand quietly for that, anywhere - this is America after all - Not Hitlers Germany! - It would behoove us all to not allow even the faintest appearance of such an evil thing, ever again - we all need to moderate this kind of stuff.

Besides, the man has a point - however hard it is to hear. A certain percentage of the cases that the legal offices I work at do involve such abuses of government powers, mostly in California. Businesses that are deemed undesirable do get eminent domained, and cities do renege on building permits - routinely it seems.

Moreover, he often warned that the economic malaise of the North Coast would thus overtake all of California. It did! He also once warned that the whole country was next after California. It was!

While we all like to think such was merely ranting - it turned out to be the truth - on all counts. So maybe those who are first to scream "Extremism" don not know so much themselves after all. We ought to be listening to all perspectives with due consideration; while steering a prudent course accounting for all realities, accordingly. To do anything else is surely extremism itself.

Nuff Said -