5-10-2012 -- 7:50 AM

I Want to Publicly Apologize to Cindy Corey

I want to publicly and loudly apologize to any of the Green-Side Up customers who witnessed the argument between myself and Cindy Corey on Saturday morning . . . 5-5-2012.  Mo, Ms. Corey’s co-worker, informed me after the argument about these customers that I didn’t see at the time.

MOST IMPORTANTLY I want to apologize to Ms. Corey . . . in public with this letter to the editor as the argument, evidently, was witnessed by members of the public.  I was raised by a gentlemanly grandfather who would’ve definitely been ashamed of my actions.

What was the argument about?  It doesn’t matter but both Ms. Corey and Mo said I raised my voice to her and Mo said I even made a “physical” move toward her that “could have” been interpreted as threatening . . . and that I did, in fact, yell at her.

NO ADULT MALE HAS THE RIGHT TO RAISE HIS VOICE TO ANY FEMALE . . . MUCH LESS YELL AT THEM . . . regardless of age, regardless of the situation.  I was taught to just walk away . . . as I did one time Saturday when I knew the discussion was about to turn adversarial.  And that is my normal MO.

Did I think I was raising my voice to her?  No . . . but perception is what’s important, not what the person responsible for the actions “thinks” happened.  Mo didn’t know me and has no bone to pick with me, not that I know of anyway, and he took no part in the argument so I have to take his “observer’s” view as being an accurate portrayal of the events as others “might” have perceived the event.

Did I think I was right about my view of the events that caused the argument?  Absolutely . . . doesn’t everyone who gets into an argument?  Why else would any argument occur if the opposing parties didn’t believe they were right?

But that still doesn’t excuse inexcusable behavior by either party.

I WAS WRONG FOR RAISING MY VOICE TO HER!!

But I can’t un-ring that bell.  It happened and all I can do is apologize and learn from my mistake.

That is not typical behavior for me and I want Ms. Corey to know that I’m TRULY sorry if I made her uncomfortable.  That’s not my nature and I promise it’ll never happen again.

I also want to apologize to Mo.  He was very open and honest when I asked him what his views of the events were after the argument was over.

BUT THERE WAS A SILVER LINING TO ALL THIS!!

I talked with Annette Melcer, the owner of Green-Side Up, when she arrived Saturday morning . . . after the argument was over . . . and I was completely and totally impressed by her concern for both of her employees and even for me . . . the out-of-control customer.

She’s a REAL lady, a good and concerned business-woman, and I urge all of you to go by her store and give her your business.  She’s got GREAT stuff all over her store . . . and the three times I’ve used her store BEFORE the 5-5 incident were all enjoyable and both Mo and Ms. Corey did all they could to make my shopping experience a pleasant one.

Are Annette’s prices higher than the local chain-stores?  Probably . . . a bit . . . but how does one judge the businesses they use?

By how things go when there’s no problems?  NOT ME! I judge them by how the managers or owners react when things go wrong.  Annette is a local gal and I’m sure things get tight now and then for her . . . but her heart’s in the right place and I trust her.  I’ll continue to try to use her products when I can.

Annette turned a very disturbing event into an opportunity for me to get to know and understand her personally and to learn what her business policies are.  The gal’s not only good at her business . . . but she also TRULY cares . . . and that scores high in my book.

She’ll be my primary supplier when I need anything she sells.

Gary Ray . . . 5-10-2012

Around 4-30-2012
Not Published

FIRE MARTINEZ!!  FIRE MARTINEZ!!

What’s with this Chinese Water-Torture crapola?  Just get rid of the guy already.

Do I have any facts to back up my desire for the guy to be fired?  Nope, and evidently facts aren’t important to some of the folks who hold the guy’s career and reputation in their hands.

I like them kinda people.  Why confuse the situation with facts, community and student wishes, and other such nonsense?  Go with your gut.  If there happens to be a personality conflict between a lowly principal and some local power-brokers  . . . I say be bold, be stubborn . . . fire him with unmitigated gusto, and the inevitable consequences of Martinez’s student, faculty, and parents supporters are mere speed-bumps in proving who’s boss.

I received a PHD from Texas Tech in Digging-Up-Dirt, the American Way to run corporations and any bureaucracy of two or more folks, and I must shamefully admit I failed you the public.  I’ve talked to a gazillion students, parents, teachers, citizens, and other Do-Gooders and not a one of them had a bad word to say about Martinez.

I just don’t get it.  He can’t be THAT good of a man . . . he can’t be THAT strong a leader . . . he can’t be THAT proficient at his job.

CAN HE?

I say no . . . I say all the Do-Gooders are just drinking the Kool-Aid of those few, but vocal, folks who have the audacity to think their views should be heard by the Ruling Class.  The Do-Gooders just don’t get it . . . it’s the age of apathy . . . of dropping out from any public debate . . . of crawling under a shell like a hermit crab so nothing from the outside world can bother your “the world revolves around me” attitude.  Hell, don’t they realize that over half, way over half, of our citizenry no longer bothers to even vote . . . thereby insuring the Ruling Class will always rule?

I say the Do-Gooders should wake up to how the world is REALLY run.  Only the strong survive.  “The meek shall inherit the Earth” has no place in our modern world.  The Strong devour the Meek as an appetizer, and spit out their bones like a bullpen coach chewing sunflower seeds.

I haven’t been excited about something like this in a long time . . . just look around and see the lessons the future leaders of the ‘ol US of A, our impressionable youngsters, can learn from all the turmoil.  They need to just sit back and see how our leaders of today are acting . . . so they can duplicate the current leaders’ actions when it comes time for them to step aside and for the next generation to take over.

I read somewhere that we would only continue to be a world power for about a hundred more years . . . because of our decadence, lack of leadership, blah, blah blah.  Shoot, I’m taking odds on fifty years if any of you are a betting sort.  Based on our current pack of leaders . . . state, federal, and local . . . I’m almost assured of winning big.

One thing does trouble me however.  I’ve given the local pack two opportunities to respond to some questions some of you want answered, and to put their stances in the public domain, by sending them emails.  The ONLY one who has responded was Jason Jacoby.  Are the others the leaders of the Meek . . . or are they just not interested in standing behind their views . . . whatever they might be?

To be fair . . . any of the seven board members or the superintendent should feel free to reply to my emails, to call me and curse me out, to right some things I’ve said or done wrong, or to tell the REAL skinny about what is REALLY going on.  I’ve had no choice but to fire blindly, as us Village Idiots usually do, but I’d certainly like to hear from them.

Wouldn’t you?

They have every right for their views to be heard and weighed.  So far, none of them have taken me up on my many offers.  I’ll even pay for any kind of ad they might wanna place in this here newspaper . . . and I won’t edit one single word.  I’m also shameless so I’ll apologize publicly and loudly on the square wearing just a hoola-girl skirt if I’ve said or done something wrong . . . but they’ve given me no choice.

It’s only fair . . . I also informed them in my last email, sent 4/25, that I would be taking out an ad soon informing the public, the Ruling Class, and the Do-Gooders some things about what I’ve learned on my journey.

Don’t they want their views to be heard instead of just the ramblings of a certified Village Idiot like me?

FIRE MARTINEZ!!  FIRE MARTINEZ!!

Hell’s bells, I heard the other day that Martinez might go back to school to get his doctorate’s degree.  This town ain’t big enough for the both of us . . . though I admit to not having a diploma to put on the wall for my PHD.  I went to the school of hard knocks . . . where being a ruthless, dirt-digger paid big bucks and the meek were only sometimes allowed to graze in my domain.

Martinez voluntarily going back to school for a higher education than the lofty one he already holds proves that he is unworthy to be our high school principal.  What’s he trying to do . . . set a bad example for our youngsters?

This PHD nonsense is cause enough to can the guy.

FIRE MARTINEZ!!  FIRE MARTINEZ!!

At the very least the local politicos should take him on publicly, as they did the youngster at the 4/16 school board meeting.  That wasn’t a challenge . . . take on a PHD-bound principal that everyone seems to like . . . I’m behind y’all all the way!

Taking on an adult in a public forum!  Unheard of locally, but my mouth is watering just thinking about it.  Heck, the local politicos can set a new precedence.

Flail him, torture him . . . but do something quickly.  Even I can’t stand the Chinese Water-Torture he’s currently enduring.  Hang him out to dry, ruin his reputation, ignore your constituents’ views . . . let’s get on with the next topic.

Anyone hear about a reasonably good auditorium that was recently demolished, against the wishes of many locals?  Without building a new one in it’s place?

My next Crusade awaits.  Us Dirt-Diggers never sleep.

Letter to the Editor – 4-23-2012
This one was published.

I know I sometimes have the IQ of a three-toed sloth so I need some help in understanding what happened at the 4/16 School Board Meeting.

I've asked every member of the school board to help me understand. I've asked the Superintendent to help me understand. Now I ask any or all of you to help me understand.

Because what I've heard so far is quite disturbing to me. Granted, I've only heard one side of the story . . . even though I've approached several, several people they all seem to really be pissed off.

I just don't get it.

How could a middle-aged person think it could possibly be okay to call out one of our brightest youngsters in a public forum?

Even worse to me . . . how could seven other folks who we entrust with our local education system just sit on their hands and keep their lips zipped while this was going on? What is their main goal . . . as members of the school board and as the Superintendent?

To me it's a simple answer . . . they're to provide the facilities, teachers, good leadership, and the opportunities for our youngsters to advance and learn how to step into our shoes in the not so distant future.

And just how did embarrassing this youngster do that? And what kind of leadership were our other education leaders providing when they did nothing to come to the defense of this youngster?

I've heard a few of them said "protocol prevented me from intervening" and other such nonsense. If someone had walked into the meeting with an Uzi, would they have sat silent and still? If a cop's driving down the street and he sees a middleaged man attacking a youngster, would we accept his lack of action if he just drove on by?

Protocol be damned, protecting our youngsters should be the primary goal of all us adults.

Now that it's been done . . . how do we unring this bell? Are apologies, regardless of how profuse, an acceptable remedy for the pain and anger caused to their community? If not, just what is an acceptable penalty for such an action?

I've started a website so y'all can respond directly if you wish . . . www.webitch4u.com.  (This part was edited out . . . which probably makes sense since I’m “advertising” my website.  I took no umbrage with this.)

Thanks,

Gary Ray

Letter to the Editor from last year . . . 2011

 Dear Editor:

    It is with great trouble that the first time I have reason to write it is about trouble in our local Brady ISD administration, and a particular school board member Tina Young. For some time Mrs. Young has had a personal problem with my wife that she has not been able to come to terms with. On several occasions she has publicly harassed Mauri, most of the time with visual gestures while passing in a car. Several times this would happen while my children and their friends were in the car, even at times of pick up on school property. While over the past years we have decided not to acknowledge Mrs. Young’s harassment, and childish attitude the problem did not go away, but got worse.

   On March 11, 2011 my wife (Mauri Blankenship) and I attended a birthday party for a friend in which Mrs. Young was also in attendance. As we always do when in a public place with Mrs. Young we avoid her as not to set off her childish behavior. I guess this was too much for her to stand at this point. While Mrs. Young was walking in the back door of the house where Mauri was standing with her back to her she elbowed her in the back knocking her down. After everything settled down we left the party so our friend’s night would not be ruined.

   The next morning having much disgust with myself for letting this go on so long, and getting this far out of hand I contacted the McCulloch County Sherriff’s Department to file charges on Mrs. Young in efforts to get her to stop. We were warned by the Sherriff’s department that while word travels fast in a small town that once Mrs. Young found out she could possibly try to confront us. Much to my surprise they were right when I saw her on my front lawn the next morning, at which time I demanded that she leave, and filed a trespass warning on her with the Brady Police Department.

   After all was said and done in the courts the prosecutor from San Angelo that was assigned to the case called us to let us know that a plea was accepted by Mrs. Young. She was given Ninety days differed adjudication, had to attend a anger management course, and no further contact with Mauri. I considered this to be a little lenient, but that was all the law would allow on the first offense. From this point on is where I am bothered almost as much as my wife being attacked by Mrs. Young. I could not see in any form or fashion how a school board member who physically attacked a person who is not only a taxpayer of this ISD, a Mother of children in this ISD, and last but not least a Teacher with a outstanding record of this ISD should set on the very school board that governs our most precious resource in this community, OUR CHILDREN!

   After several nights of researching school law, talking to the TEA and the Texas Association of School Boards it was to my amazement that there is no way form or fashion to remove a school board member in the State Of Texas from their seat no matter how horrible their actions are. Now on the other hand our children can sit in judgment of this same person who has assaulted a teacher, and get punishment handed down for things that sometimes do not even happen on school property or have any involvement with our school. Tell me what is wrong with this?

   At this point I decided to start the process of getting on the agenda of the school board meeting so I met with our school board president and superintendant to discuss the matter. I expected to meet with some concerns, but not total denial of the situation. I was informed by both that I would not be allowed to speak in open meeting only in executive session about this because Mrs. Young was considered as a member of the faculty, and that in their opinion Mrs. Young had done nothing wrong and in ninety days if she completed her probation terms in their mind she did nothing at all. I have enquired with other school district leadership on this matter, and it seems that the BISD is the only one that protects their school board members from their actions in public this way.

   At one point during the meeting with our superintendant and school board president I was told by both that if I was to file a civil suit against Mrs. Young that they would in fact then call her in and ask her to step down. Our school board president made the comment that if it were he in this situation he would have already stepped down. This comment coming   from the same person that called Mauri at our home at 8:30 pm a few days after the assault and asked for her to just be quite about the situation, and not to make the school board look bad. For a moment I thought that they were trying to figure out a way to do the right thing, but the more I got to thinking about the matter I realized they just needed someone to do their dirty work. If a civil suit is the action that is taken it would have nothing to do with the ISD.

   With the tremendous amount of calls and comments that we have received from friends, witnesses at the party, and community members I truly believe this is a matter that does not need to be kept behind the protection of the school board’s closed doors.

I don’t know what route this is going to head in the future, but the one thing I do know is that as a community we need to realize come election time, which seem to be the only way that our school board members can be held accountable for their actions, vote the right way for our kids.

Sincerely,

Chad Blankenship