Imagine that: Charlie Brown & the C-J drop Cappuccino's name in attacking 8664, an idea none of them understand.

While their action was overshadowed by last week’s elections, it remains noteworthy that two members of Louisville’s Metro Council have done something almost revolutionary by Louisville area standards.

They’ve taken positive steps to promote public discussion of an innovative, futuristic perspective.

Hearings to be held on '8664' proposal; Metro Council to examine idea, by Marcus Green (The Courier-Journal)

A Louisville Metro Council committee will hold public hearings on a proposal to raze Interstate 64 along the waterfront as an alternative to building two new Ohio River bridges and redesign the Spaghetti Junction interchange.

With admirable diligence, the C-J’s reporter Green donned his brightly colored haz-mat suit and trekked into West Endia, soon locating New Albany’s resident village idiot seated atop an empty crate of barbecued bologna, and gleaning a quick and typically uninformed quote:

Dan Coffey, a New Albany City Council member, called the 8664 proposal "one of the most ludicrous things I've ever heard in my entire life" and said he believes Southern Indiana governments would consider taking a formal position on 8664 if it gains momentum.

"New Albany would definitely get involved in that," he said. "It would absolutely choke Floyd County."

Of course, virtually every aspect of Coffey’s malevolent political career chokes New Albany … but I digress.

Meanwhile, LEO’s Stephen George, whose yeoman service in explicating the 8664 campaign deserves some form of community recognition (I’ll buy him a progressive pint some day soon) noted that Coffey’s reaction isn’t entirely atypical of the Louisville area’s windbag guardians.

Representin': 8664 will have its day

Perhaps this is an opportunity for our city’s business and political leaders — who have rarely appeared so close-minded, brutish and reactionary as they do when confronted on this issue — to step back and reassess the political climate around the bridges. The Metro Council, on the initiative of (Tina) Ward-Pugh (who will chair the committee), is actually responding to broad constituent concern that someone, somewhere, pull a head out of an ass and listen. (Rick) Blackwell and Ward-Pugh should be celebrated for that.

It gets even funnier. In the Sunday, November 11 issue of the C-J, there was a letter from a man who obviously hasn’t met the Wizard of Westside.

'Trick or treat scenario'

The Halloween announcement that the Louisville Metro Council will hold public hearings regarding the 8664 proposal is a monumental waste of time, energy and the taxpayers' money. Local political grinches such as Tina Ward-Pugh and Rick Blackwell should be hooted out of office for supporting "one of the most ludicrous things I've ever heard in my entire life," according to Dan Coffey, a New Albany councilman who obviously is most upset over these shenanigans.

I was very pleased that the Courier-Journal editorial staff immediately and emphatically weighed in on this trick or treat scenario. This is an unwise and unsupported attempt at "mudding the waters," our mayor has said in both Frankfort and Washington. Indeed, the time has well passed for more posturing and discussion. It is time for action.

The letter, which freely mimics the comic strip “Peanuts,” is signed by a real life Charlie Brown. Accordingly, I’ve composed this response and mailed it to the newspaper:

Good ol’ Charlie Brown’s November 11 letter to the editor was far off the plate.

That's because quoting New Albany’s councilman Dan Coffey as an authority on 8664 is like citing Charlie’s good friend Lucy Van Pelt as an expert on psychotherapy.

Not that Councilman Coffey isn’t above claiming to be an expert, since he regularly flashes a Bazooka Joe Tech diploma as evidence of unparalleled skills on civic matters ranging from storm water drainage to garbage collection, but the problem remains that little of it is real. Coffey is an undereducated, ward-heeling embarrassment to the entire city of New Albany, and can be counted upon to know nothing about the notion of 8664 save that people he dislikes are in favor of it.

Much like the Courier-Journal itself, for that matter.

Be careful, Charlie. Like Lucy, our councilman will pull the football away at the last minute, and you’ll be on your back in the mud – just like his district.

Read more about 8664 here.