Cockaigne on the Ohio?

The comedic possibilities are staggering. What does utopia look like for a Disneyite, a historical preservationist or a doggie splash park devotee?

Utopia

For thousands of years human beings have dreamt of perfect worlds, worlds free of conflict, hunger and unhappiness. But can these worlds ever exist in reality?

In 1516 Sir Thomas More wrote the first 'Utopia'. He coined the word 'utopia' from the Greek ou-topos meaning 'no place' or 'nowhere'. But this was a pun - the almost identical Greek word eu-topos means a good place. So at the very heart of the word is a vital question: can a perfect world ever be realised?

For medieval peasants, utopia was a negation. It's a vision worth remembering given the advent of so many minimum wage jobs at Summit Springs, at least before the hotels about to be built there slide into the valley below -- and Dan Coffey declaims responsibility.

Exploring the Strange Pleasures of Cockaigne, a Medieval Peasant’s Dream World, by Eric Grunhauser (Atlas Obscura)

The birds fly right into your mouth, and there isn’t animal poop everywhere!

The dream of the common person’s utopia was more than a little bit different during medieval times. Whereas today we have visions of lands o’ plenty like a huge mountain made of rock candy, the common peasant living in the muck and the mire of medieval Europe had a whimsical, satirical dream land known as Cockaigne.

While there have been many different versions of Cockaigne appearing in literature throughout the ages, in general, the Land of Cockaigne was a medieval dream world where the regular order things was flipped on its head. In Cockaigne, the poor would be rich, food and sex were freely available, and sloth was treasured and respected above all else. It was often portrayed as the perfect daydream of the common peasant, a place where the drudgery and struggle of medieval life was nowhere to be seen. However, even though it was depicted as a serf’s perfect world, it’s unclear how aware of the concept of Cockaigne the average person would have been.

With hilarity, #OurNA: Now Democratic donor Ginkins is added to Gahan's NA housing authority yes-board of lickspittles ... but is Riverside Terrace off the demolition schedule?

Ever since Susan Ryan's column was published in the Jeffersonville newspaper, prominent local Democrats have been even more deathly silent than usual.

It's #OurNA, all right: "New Albany attempting to purge itself of the poor" ... so, are local Democrats finally catching on to the Gahan shell game?

"To tear down someone’s home then send them off with a voucher hoping they will move to another city as was expressed publicly, is just plain cynical and cruel. There is already a waiting list for voucher approved housing. If we cannot accommodate everyone on that list, why would we add several hundred families to that list?"

The Green Mouse reports that uber-important, highly-placed Democratic donor and local contractor Terry Ginkins (they're all coincidental, mind you) has been placed on the New Albany Housing Authority (NAHA) board to further ensure a "favorable" outcome for Jeff Gahan's "screw the poor" NAHA putsch.

At the same time, the Green Mouse has been told that all isn't peachy keen with the mayor's war on those unsightly folks who stand in the path of luxury.

Hired gun consultant Rod Solomon evidently has been redlining the city's demolition wish list, with certain Redevelopment Commission members named Irving Joshua responding by huffing, puffing and threatening to ... to do what, exactly?

Hold his breath until the pool opens?

According to a source, among the sites removed from the bulldozer target list is Riverside Terrace. Solomon allegedly pointed out that David Duggins' tagging of the area as "brownfield" was ludicrous, and federal criteria for demolition could not be met.

"Theater of the absurd" seldom gets better than this.

Gahan artlessly lied to the newspaper when pleading ignorance about months passing without necessary board housing board appointments being made. Duggins (performing Mr. Spock on acid to Gahan's reverse James T. Kirk) and the mayor were informed several times, but waited for the propitious moment to pack the board for putsch duty.

There still isn't a resident commissioner, a position intended as liaison between board and tenants. City Hall has delayed constantly in making this appointment.

Pathetically, a mayor unwilling to dirty his hands with public housing is allowing minions like Duggins, a Clark County resident, to run interference for him.

The newspaper interview with Duggins – "who came off crowing like he just negotiated the Marshall Plan"* – unsurprisingly alarmed both residents and staff. Many attended the NAHA board meeting following publication and expressed questions and concerns, which Duggins brushed aside with his usual frat boy condescension.

Yo, local Democrats: Still feeling good about your commitment to social justice? Still delusional about Gahan's embrace of the same?

Isn't one Trump at a time enough?

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* What makes this statement so funny is that Team Gahan doesn't know what the Marshall Plan was. Let's put it this way: Gahan isn't Harry Truman, is he?

In #OurNa, ignorance is official policy, so here's how to safely get rid of syringes and other sharps.

Discarded needles have been seen in several downtown New Albany locations. I'm told that the response from city officials when informed of this has been one of confusion; our NA's current drug addiction epidemic doesn't fit comfortably with Jeff Gahan's carefully polished image of perfection, and it makes the suburbanites squirm, and so we must turn to the city of Louisville for practical advice on how to dispose of syringes and other sharps.

Sounds like a DNA project, doesn't it?

It's #OurNA, all right: "New Albany attempting to purge itself of the poor" ... so, are local Democrats finally catching on to the Gahan shell game?

It's surprising the Jeffersonville newspaper even published this piece.

Jeff Gahan's taxpayers are big weekly ad buyers, aren't they? The newspaper's editorial team recently concocted a paean to Gahan's Public Housing Putsch 2017 so namby-pamby that it appeared Eddie LaDuke had been reinstalled in the editor's chair.

1 of 2: Nick Vaughn eloquently demonstrates that Jeff Gahan's Great Public Housing Putsch of 2017 does nothing to address poverty -- the real problem.

2 of 2: Newspaper editorial board displays abject cluelessness about the Great Gahan Public Housing Putsch of 2017.

Make no mistake: I'm delighted to read this column. For far too long, local Democratic pretend-liberals have denounced Republican anti-social behavior while venerating Gahan for precisely the same knee-and-phallus-jerking.

In particular, party chairman Adam Dickey spews hypocrisy like the wood chipper following in the wake of downtown street tree deforestation.

Thanks, Susan Ryan. We deeply appreciate it. Does anyone else other than you in the local party get it?

RYAN: New Albany attempting to purge itself of the poor, by Susan Ryan

On Monday, April 24th, the New Albany Housing Authority will vote on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City of New Albany. It is a path to purge the city of poor people by tearing down over 600 units of public housing and then giving occupants vouchers to find a place to rent. Cleansing a city of the poor by evicting them and tearing down affordable housing seems to be in vogue (consider our neighbor Charlestown and the Pleasant Ridge neighborhood).

It seems to me that there has been some bullying behavior toward the New Albany Housing Authority (NAHA) by the Mayor’s office. This has led to some serious governance issues for the board of NAHA.

Sure was. After the snip ...

While the Tribune reported that Mayor Gahan said he was unaware of this problem, the fact is that the Board President personally spoke with him several times about the need which only seemed to be filled when the city needed the MOU signed. 

Gahan lied? Say it ain't so.

The City has several ways in which they can put a choke hold on what NAHA can accomplish including refusing to sign off on grant applications, refusing to issue demolition permits, refusal to issue building permits, and failing to make necessary appointments to the governance board. These have been used strategically undermine the vision and action of the board. 

If chicanery's the objective, there's no better point man on the planet than David Duggins.

The point is they work. If we would like to see them get out of public housing a good first step would be to raise the minimum wage. Why do we insist on believing that poor people are lazy when the reality is that most poor are working poor?

Because Eastridge Drive Rules.

To tear down someone’s home then send them off with a voucher hoping they will move to another city as was expressed publicly, is just plain cynical and cruel. There is already a waiting list for voucher approved housing. If we cannot accommodate everyone on that list, why would we add several hundred families to that list?

Son of Eastridge Drive Rules. They're elected officials, not book readers.

We can learn a lot about ourselves by how we treat the poor among us. 

And as such, we continue to learn a lot about local Democratic priorities.

Monday, April 24th, 5:30 p.m. at the NAHA. Will you be there to lend your voice and support to the vulnerable in our community?

I'll be there. Some recent links:

ON THE AVENUES: It's all so simple, says Jeff Gahan. Remove the impoverished, and voila! No more poverty!

Authority fact sheet and ponder the safety net Jeff Gahan seeks to demolish along with bricks and mortar.

Public housing demolition men: "Hi, I'm Mayor Jeff Gahan and this is David Duggins, and we're here to help."

ON THE AVENUES: Never preach free speech to a yes man; it wastes your time and annoys Team Gahan.

Susan Ryan's excellent newspaper column about symbols.

As local pretend-Democrats whistle Dixie(crat), Gahan prepares to launch the public housing pogrom.

Loss leader? Adam wrote a press release about himself as standard bearer for the Democrats.

“It feels like planners in the U.S. sort of exist in a history vacuum. It’s important for them to look at this information and understand that a lot of city planning really involves dismantling systems like zoning and redlining.”

ON THE AVENUES: In 2014 as in 2015, then 2016, now 2017 ... yes, it's the "Adamite Chronicles: Have muzzle, will drivel."

Today's New Albany Housing Authority meeting has been cancelled, so Jeff Gahan's undemocratic Anschluss will have to wait until just before the Ides of March.

Pleasant Ridge in the NYT: All that nice outside money waiting to be invested, and all those low-income people refusing to get out of the way.

Time to learn facts, Democrats: Myths and misperceptions about public housing ... and lessons from Chicago's reform effort.

Gahan's Grab: Yes, principled Democratic positions on public housing actually DO exist, and here's one of them. But first, some Kool Aid!

Right when Greg Phipps said it's no big deal; after all, the sycophant-packed mayoral lickspittle NAHA-N board would have to vote on any public housing changes.

Precinct, trust, communicate ... three strikes and local Democrats are "out," though free to continue pursuing a GOP-style public housing power grab.

Let's summarize 2017 with a Gahan and Floyd Democratic Party meme and a few essential links.

Four things you should know about Jeff "Dead Inside" Gahan's public housing hostile takeover and land grab.

So-called "Democrat" Jeff Gahan's "Memorandum of Understanding" details his hostile takeover of the New Albany Housing Authority, and the land grab to follow.

ON THE AVENUES: A luxury-obsessed Jeff Gahan has packed a board and now seeks to break the New Albany Housing Authority. Can we impeach him yet?

I've been on it this year, haven't I? Hope I'm not bugging anyone.