Read these two essays written by Erica Rucker.

Erica Rucker and I are acquaintances, mostly through social media. To me, Erica is one of Louisville metro's finest writers -- and the next time she ducks a tough issue will be the first. 

Allow me to draw attention to two of Erica's recent essays. Pertaining to the restaurant ejection of Sarah Huckabee Sanders ...

Trouble the Water: To shame or to shun

To act in the conscience of the public good, for the citizens of the country and the values we claim to hold dear, is what it means to be civil. So any calls for civility need to be met with this refrain, We are already being civil.

 ... and Greg Fischer's signature gutlessness.

Those of us residing in New Albany, observing the personality cult nurtured by mayoral mediocrity Jeff Gahan, wonder if Gahan ever will get around to considering the needs of real people, as opposed to bright shiny (and expensive) objects.

As such, there is special relevance in Erica's pithy assessment of Fischer's political cowardice over the issue of sanctuary.

Of course, Fischer remains Gahan's idol, and it's easy to see why. As in Gahan's shambolic commitment to human rights -- but just for so long as he can create a symbolic commission sans actual content -- both mayors believe in words alone, followed by crickets chirping. 

Amazingly, the gestures-alone brigade hangs on every non-action.

MAYOR MILQUETOAST THINKS “SANCTUARY” IS JUST A POLITICAL TERM

I believe that Fischer does get it. He just doesn’t give a damn and refuses to do anything that might mean loosening his necktie and rolling up his sleeves to protect vulnerable people in our community. He wants to claim Sanctuary is just a term because he doesn’t want to have skin in the game.

Sanctuary is” just a political term” like “vote” is just a term. It has action at its root. Fischer doesn’t want to take any real or bold action.

Fischer expects Louisvillians to come to his aid at the ballot box this fall and my gut says that because his opponent is Republican Angela Leet, he feels that he’s already won in Liberal Louisville.

That's why it will be time for a change in the 3rd council district in 2019. Leadership ... not lapdog.

One more thing: the News and Tribune will continue to underachieve until Publisher Milquetoast grasps the necessity of incorporating a voice like Erica's among its columnists.

Tom M(m)ay have to lose one of his many slots, though.

Top Ten posts at NA Confidential for February 2018.

Sounding the alert.

Thanks for reading NA Confidential, where we enjoy reconnoitering the neglected periphery for uniquely local perspectives on life in New Albany.

City Hall's allegations to the contrary, it can be grasped quite clearly that hundreds of you are reading, and we believe this fact attests to a keen ongoing interest in grassroots New Albany stories, perhaps because they're being chronically under-served elsewhere.

After all, fawning stenography and inexorably multiplying religion columnists can get a newspaper only so far.

The February list begins with ten "honorable mention" posts, before concluding with the Top Ten, escalating to No. 1. These statistics are derived from Google's internal numbers listings.

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FEBRUARY HONORABLE MENTION (10)

781

Gahan's NAHA putsch continues to dazzle the DemoDisneyDixiecrats, so let's ask Irving Joshua about zero threshold, employee drug testing and the status of "interim."

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817

If Dan Canon is railing against the Republican mayor in Charlestown over housing issues for the working poor, but not the Democratic mayor in New Albany, there's a big problem.

At the time I was inspired, because everything Canon wrote about the situation at Pleasant Ridge applied just as accurately to Mayor Jeff Gahan's forcible seizure of the New Albany Housing Authority -- and still does, even more so in the wake of David Duggins' recent termination-worthy intimidation tactics.

As I thought in September, surely candidate Canon was ready to apply the same logic to Gahan's putsch, and to lead. As we all know by now, this hasn't happened.

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828

THE BEER BEAT: The twentieth Gravity Head begets a Pints & Union update.

It wasn't until a few days prior to our recent departure for Portugal that I remembered February 23 was the beginning of Gravity Head.

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831

City Hall Wants You ... to "collaborate with cross-functional teams" and "maintain City information in a confidential manner."

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847

ON THE AVENUES REWOUND: No more fear, Jeff (2015).

The column is about intimidation; 28 months later, give or take a public housing putsch, Team Gahan was at it again when interim bulldozer mechanic David Duggins threatened a public housing resident with being tasered.

The reason why the same old suspects persist with intimidation? It parallels your dog's decision to lick his nuts: because he can, there are no consequences, and it feels so good.

Fortunately, there is a cure called the "ballot box": #Fire Gahan2019

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862

THE BEER BEAT: "Busting Up the Brotherhood of Beer: Time to confront sexism & harassment in the industry."

Sexism in "craft" beer is a topic that keeps bobbing to the surface, as when beer writer Bryan Roth described the problem as a grassroots industry struggling to find leadership on social issues: THE BEER BEAT: How "Ambitious Brew" prefaced "I Know What Boyz Like" -- and "The Misogynist Within."

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863

Focus on Portugal: A history lesson upon arrival for a second visit to the country.

My guess is that in purely relative terms, Americans know a bit more about Spain than Portugal, although in both instances we're probably subliminally influenced by both of their New World colonial extensions in Latin/South America and Brazil, respectively.

During the next few days, I'll be taking a look at Portugal, beginning with this brief overview of Portuguese history.

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920

Anthony Bourdain was right, and it's never too late to track down and prosecute war criminals like Henry Kissinger.

Or, as recently noted at NAC: As if today's world isn't grim already enough, let's revisit Pol Pot and the Killing Fields of Cambodia. In honor of Henry Kissinger's meeting with Donald Trump later this afternoon, it's worth remembering that Kissinger should be in prison.

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922

THE BEER BEAT: At long last, my NABC business divorce is about to be finalized.

Now it's 2018, and tomorrow morning -- three years after I followed Dr. Freedman's advice to pull down my pants and slide on the ice -- my ass is FROZEN SOLID, and a bit chapped, but the exit transaction finally will be complete.

Just like that, 28 years (plus a couple of months, in all) of affiliation with NABC and its precursors officially will be put to rest.

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950

Team Gahan presents the incredible TIF Man -- the superhero who alchemizes property taxes into campaign finance.

Sources tell the Green Mouse that transparency is like kryptonite to TIF Man, though not Council Woman.

That's because there aren't any council women, are there? Now, let's follow the millions ...

FEBRUARY TOP TEN

1,004 (tie)

THE BEER BEAT: On crowlers, Southern beer terroir and Sunday sales changes in Indiana.

So it was that yesterday I was hanging on for dear life to Floyd County Brewing Company's bar, when I noticed the new gadget behind the bar. The Ball Corporation explains.

INTRODUCING THE CROWLER, WHERE THE CAN MEETS THE TAP.

Crowlers aren't new as such, but they're new to New Albany, so stop by FCBC, watch the show, and buy a can of beer to go.

1,004 (tie)

9th District Congress tidbits: Medical marijuana, Canon vs. Watson finance comparison, plus Watson's new NA office opening.

When the Kentucky political blogger Jacob Payne tweeted about a Politico article pertaining to medical marijuana and "Red State Democrats," I wasn't expecting a thread about Dan Canon.

It happened, anyway.

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1,027

SHANE'S EXCELLENT NEW WORDS: On taverns, pubs, Gaststätten and Bung -- with a Mencken chaser.

Taken together, the two entries that follow from Encyclopædia Britannica provide a good overview of pubs and taverns as "drinking establishments," which I've often described (sans irony) as my natural habitat on the planet.

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1,032

"No demolition without a plan to replace" ... We Are New Albany meeting tonight at 6 at Destinations.

Major thanks to so many readers for writing your council representatives to protest the "interim" NAHA director David Duggins' recent TASER verbal misbehavior, and for your continued support of this grassroots effort to restore sanity to public (and affordable) housing in New Albany.

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1,039

Sadly, Karem's Meats has closed its doors.

With 225 shares on Facebook since the 19th of February, this will come as old news to many of you, but note that Karem's Meats has closed.

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1,065

ON THE AVENUES: Golden oldie classic comfort beers at an old school pub? Sounds like Pints & Union to me.

In the spirit of reincarnation, I say to you: If Sour Passion Fruit Bock IPA is your idea of beer-drinking progress, by all means deplete the inventory at your friendly neighborhood package store.

I’ll even help you carry the boxes to your car. With luck, there’ll be more space on the shelf for a relaxing Best Bitter.

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1,109

Fetch your HAZMAT suits and listen to this propaganda podcast with Mayor Jeff Milhous Gahan -- or not.

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1,125

BREAKING: Keith Henderson will not file criminal charges against David Duggins for threatening a resident of public housing.

In other news pertaining to the takeover and occupation of the housing authority by Mayor Jeff Gahan, a question has arisen.

If Duggins still is designated as being in an "interim" position, how many interviews has the NAHA board held with applicants for the permanent NAHA Director job?

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1,522

Achtung Baby: "This fun new book about how Germans raise their kids will break American parents’ hearts."

I may not have any children, but Germany's always been good to me -- and as usual, you're entitled to my opinion.

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1,876

THE BEER BEAT: "Pints & Union to open in New Albany, will be inspired by classic European pubs."

Now that this cat has escaped the bag, I suspect there'll be many such explanations forthcoming.

But first and foremost, Pints & Union marks a return to the ethos that originally compelled me to go into the beer business. For this opportunity, all thanks to Joe Phillips -- and serendipitously, Taco Steve (Powell).

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1,932

Rucker at LEO: "When protesting becomes dangerous."

Counter-protesting is one thing. When you "lay your hands" on another, the line or propriety has been pole-vaulted.

Speaking personally, thanks to Amber for her activism and abundant integrity; to her comrades for the same; and to Erica Rucker for writing about them.

Rucker at LEO: "When protesting becomes dangerous."

Having seen the post on social media immediately afterward, I saved the photo for future use. It's being doctored today to protect whatever legal process currently is under way; apparently the stalker's name is (well) known owing to serial abuses.

Counter-protesting is one thing. When you "lay your hands" on another, the line or propriety has been pole-vaulted.

Speaking personally, thanks to Amber for her activism and abundant integrity; to her comrades for the same; and to Erica Rucker for writing about them.

When protesting becomes dangerous, by Erica Rucker (LEO Weekly)

Indiana tattoo artist Amber Bananafish went to the Louisville Women’s March, held on the anniversary weekend of Donald Trump’s inauguration. As Bananafish and her friends Jem and Alysia Elwood were entering the crowd, a middle-aged, white man greeted her with a question.

“He said something like: How about your feminist agenda?” Bananafish recalled.

“I just kind of laughed, because I thought he was joking. I was like, ‘Yep, mine’s intact,’” she told LEO.

That was not the end of it. What she thought was a joke quickly turned scary — highlighting the risks of protests where the goal is to push back against power and the status quo ...

Rucker in LEO: " It is time for Louisville to stop calling itself a compassionate city when Mayor Greg Fischer and the Metro Council continue to act counter to that."

Opposed to Deaf Gahan's socioeconomic cleansing of the housing authority? Please register your point of view by signing the petition at We Are New Albany, and remember that on Monday evening at 6:00 p.m., there'll be a gathering at Hauss Square. We'd love to see you there.

Given that Greg Fischer is Jeff Gahan's numero uno political man crush, we've found it simple to use the two names interchangeably. It saves valuable time, and the pig doesn't get as annoyed.

Homelessness, we cannot care just at Christmas, by Erica Rucker (LEO Weekly)

As the temperature struggled to reach 30 degrees last Friday morning in Louisville, police and the Department of Public Works showed up to a homeless encampment ready to move people out — six officers for three homeless people who moved along without struggle. Protesters were there and also people to help the men move their belongings.

Compassionate Louisville strikes again.

It is time for Louisville to stop calling itself a compassionate city when Mayor Greg Fischer and the Metro Council continue to act counter to that.

Just fucking stop. We don’t believe you.

In recent months, as the city has continued to build giant, new luxury apartment, boutique hotels, stadiums and whatever other money-sucking black hole they can stain the city with, Louisville’s population of homeless individuals are being pushed farther and farther away from the services they desperately need to exist.

But we’re compassionate, y’all ...

Telling it like it is.

Attention is important and as the weather gets colder and the holidays approach, many of us turn our attention to our homeless neighbors; but the problem is a yearlong one. With New Albany’s proposal to destroy affordable housing and Louisville moving people around without a real solution, we must do more.

Back on November 29, Erica revealed that she'd left a message with Gahan at City Hall, and was awaiting a reply. I'm guessing she hasn't gotten one, though Mike Hall may have deleted the e-mail.

Public housing putsch: "New Albany’s government is being reckless and disorganized. Gahan’s power grabs are not much different from those of Governor Selfie in Kentucky."

Public housing putsch: "New Albany’s government is being reckless and disorganized. Gahan’s power grabs are not much different from those of Governor Selfie in Kentucky."

Opposed to Mad Gahan's socioeconomic cleansing? Please register your point of view by signing the petition at We Are New Albany.

Meanwhile, Erica Rucker called City Hall, and she's waiting for a reply. If there is any one thing we've learned during the Anals of New Gahania, it's that Team Gahan will not rush to make a decision on the finalization of any and all requests for information and dialogue; instead, the city will take its time and be methodical.*

Don't hold your breath, Erica. What you'll be getting, if anything at all is proffered, goes like this: "The City does not possess the above referenced items."

New Albany’s plan gets personal, by Erica Rucker (LEO Weekly)

New Albany, let’s talk.

I’m a Louisvillian by birth, and my heart still lives in the River City, but I sleep in New Albany because I married a Hoosier. I love much about this hamlet; and I am excited to see it growing and changing.

What doesn’t excite me is a questionable plan coming out of Mayor Jeff Gahan’s office over a housing project proposal that will affect 1,500 or more New Albany residents, including one of my oldest and dearest friends, Gloria Nelly, 46. We’ve been friends for over 30 years.

You see, Gloria, lives in Parkview Terrace with her sons. It is important to me that she and her family have a place to sleep, be warm and celebrate their holidays.

In March 2017, the News and Tribune reported that the Housing Authority of New Albany, under the thumb of Gahan, plans to destroy 635 of its 1,100 public housing units. Gahan’s idea is to reduce the number of public dwellings held by the city. The problem is — there is no plan for rebuilding or relocating residents. They claim there will be plans, but nothing solid has been made available. At least not one I can easily locate.

I did call the city, and I’m waiting for a response ...

* Let it be known that Pat McLaughlin's never going to live down that "methodical" street grid quote ... ever.

"When internet justice is likely the only justice": Allegations of rape against Matthew Landan result in the closing of Haymarket Whiskey Bar. Are we learning yet?

You may wish to read the third part first.

At least for the moment, the Haymarket Whiskey Bar has ceased to exist. For Matthew Landan, the bar's owner, the feces hit the fan on November 13, via rape allegations on social media. It's been a week and a half, and my aim is to digest the news to date in three sections.

• Part One: Eater is first with the overview.
• Part Two: Most (if not all) of the coverage so far.
• Part Three: Erica Rucker's essay helps me to understand a few harsh realities.

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Part One

Seeing as the national Eater food and dining web site apparently takes pride of place as the first to break the story, here's the overview; originating social media links are included within the text at Eater.

Louisville Bar Staff Quits After Rape Allegation Emerges Against Owner, by Hillary Dixler (Eater)

Women have accused Haymarket Whiskey Bar’s Matthew Landan of sexual misconduct

The staff of Louisville’s five-year-old Haymarket Whiskey Bar have effectively shut down the bar — by refusing to show up for work — after owner Matthew Landan became the subject of a rape accusation that surfaced on social media. “I will comfortably say that every employee refused to open the bar and quit,” manager Eric Snider told Eater when reached for comment. “But we all would like the focus to be on the victims and the crime. Not us. We aren’t important here.”

The walkout was held in response to multiple sexual misconduct allegations against Landan that have surfaced since November 13. On that date, Westley Moore posted a public Facebook message under the still-trending #MeToo hashtag, in which she claims that Landan raped her, clarifying in the comment thread on the post that it allegedly happened in 2013. "Some friends know this already, and I feel it’s time for the rest of you to know and make a stand,” she writes. Eater has reached out to Moore, but has not heard back.

The Facebook post has over 750 shares and over 1,200 reactions, and seems to have kicked off a swift response towards Landan and the bar. On November 14 and 15, multiple staff members posted to Facebook that they no longer were working for Haymarket “under Matthew Landan’s ownership.” Several musicians, DJs, and other groups who performed at the venue have publicly announced they will no longer do business with the bar, and a public protest is planned for Friday evening, in what the organizer describes as a “show of support to those women brave enough to come forward and those who have been silenced.”

That line refers to other women who, inspired by Moore’s post, came forward with their own allegations against Landan in recent days. At least two more misconduct allegations against Landan are currently posted on Facebook.

Eater has reached out to Landan for a comment and has not heard back; the restaurant’s website and Facebook page are no longer active. Former Eater Louisville editor Zach Everson noticed that Landan had posted a statement on his personal Facebook page that has since been taken down, in which Landan describes Moore’s allegations as “serious, false, malicious, and defamatory” ...

Part Two. 

The story exploded on social media, and those local new sources we might guardedly refer to as "traditional" (primarily print and television) were deemed by some observers as overly slow to respond.

It strikes me as a sticky wicket. Is "news" something defined by hundreds of people on the Internet, or is it dependent on a vetting process practiced by professionals in traditional media? Can it be both? When is news fake, and when is it real? Who decides?

In short, Walter Cronkite is no more.

Note that LEO Weekly is precisely that; it's published once a week, though the Metzmeier piece appeared on-line as early as the 20th.

• November 17 The Entire Staff Of A Bar Quit After The Owner Was Accused Of Sexual Misconduct, by Lisa Dunn (Uproxx)
• November 20 A #metro #metoo story — Social media and the law, by Kurt X. Metzmeier (LEO Weekly)
• November 20 Jewish Antifa Bar Owner Matthew Landan Accused of Raping Woman (a neo-Nazi and white supremacist website)
• November 22 Haymarket Whiskey Bar closes abruptly, by Bridgett Weaver (Louisville Business First)
• November 22 Louisville bar closed after #MeToo post about owner (WHAS-11)
• November 22 online">NuLu bar owner closes doors after sexual abuse allegations surface online, by Chris Sutter (WDRB-41)
• November 22 Thorns & Roses: The Worst, Best & Most Absurd: We believe the women ...

Part Three.

I'm famously opinionated, but there is a time for bloviating and a time for listening. As the Landan rape discussion hit a crescendo on social media, I found myself disconcerted, and more than a little uncomfortable.

What about due process, and rule of law?

But at the same time, don't revolutions occur precisely because existing rules of law are inadequate as redress to injustice?

In this extended excerpt from Erica Rucker's weekly column at LEO, Rucker and JoAnne Sweeny explain my discomfort.

It's the heart of the matter, isn't it? I remain horrified by rape and by vigilante justice -- but as with so many manifestations of conscience and consciousness, there has to be a spot on the map where we take a stand ... and in this instance, it's with the women.

You're encouraged to click through and read the whole essay -- and thanks, Erica. The learning curve is demanding, and your words are just what I needed to hear to be reminded of the way things really are.

THE LEO LIP ... WRITING ON THE METRO: When internet justice is likely the only justice, by Erica Rucker (LEO Weekly)

 ... So what are we to make of internet justice in instances of sexual assault and in the wake of this most recent local scandal?

JoAnne Sweeny, an associate professor of law at U of L whose areas of expertise include First Amendment issues and women and gender, told LEO, “Using social media, women have found communities of support where they can share their stories and be believed.”

“Doing so has allowed victims to come to terms with their assaults and feel more empowered by talking about them. This sharing has also showed people how pervasive these abuses are.”

It is clear to me that the pervasiveness of toxic masculinity and sexual assault is finally being highlighted throughout our culture at the moment. It is not limited to the stories in Louisville — it has reached the top of our state and federal governments, including our “pussy grabbing” president.

What men have been allowed to do in the shadows is now under a powerful microscope.

“Quite honestly, this vigilantism appears to me to be the next logical step,” Sweeny continued. “No more content to simply listen to each other, women (and men) are now turning to the perpetrators and seeking justice.”

Is internet justice the wrong kind?

As someone asked me before I started writing this piece, “Should we wait for the legal system to have a chance to respond?”

Sweeny said the premise of the question is flawed.

“I think it is a mistake to say that the legal system hasn’t had a chance to respond — it absolutely did and failed,” said Sweeny, adding that some of the local women who posted on Facebook had said their reports to police went unheeded.

“That is the key thing here — vigilante justice usually doesn’t appear in a vacuum — it rises because the legal system has failed to bring about justice.”

That the Facebook page of the bar has been deleted, and the bar has not reopened, is the result of how quickly the news spread and the power of community consensus. Should we feel guilty about how Facebook was used to end this community relationship?

I say absolutely not. I stand with women, always.

Even though this person has not been charged or tried in court, the accusations came from more than one person. The response seems appropriate.

Said Sweeny, “I would, of course, prefer that the law step in and get it right, instead of people spreading stories and leaving no room for the alleged perpetrator to explain his side. But the law is notoriously bad at bringing rapists and those who commit sexual assault to justice and has been for a long time. So, this is an imperfect remedy that has come about because of a broken system that has repeatedly failed women. Women are finding spaces where they are now being believed and they are using that new power to get results. I can’t fault that, really.”

The statistics don’t lie. The justice system, as it is, doesn’t work.

It hasn’t worked for women.

It doesn’t work for people of color and certainly doesn’t serve justice to people without the means for powerful attorneys and expensive bails.

Why do we continue looking toward the justice system for justice?

Sweeny said the stories being posted are powerful. “And they are costing men their livelihoods and communities,” she said. “But I’m not sorry for that. Rape culture is so ingrained in our society that it probably takes a shock to start to undo it. I know many men who are now questioning themselves, worried that they may have transgressed in the past without knowing it. My own husband and I talked about that today. And I told him that I’m glad he feels discomfort.

“Perhaps this is the path we take to get to equality and, yes, men will have to suffer some discomfort. But, honestly, I think it’s their turn.”

"We are not each other’s enemies and we had better learn to be good allies or we will collapse."

Valuable weekend reading.

FUN WITH SHRAPNEL: What unifies white, black, brown, by Erica Rucker (LEO)

... Trump has filled his gold-lined cabinet with ultra rich friends, and their push to keep us divided while filling their coffers will continue. If we are paying attention, poor whites, middle-class whites and marginalized groups have much in common, which should tell us something very important: We are not each other’s enemies and we had better learn to be good allies or we will collapse. We’re being sucked dry by the same snakes.

Rucker on the resistance: Disrupt it, expose it ... go to the mattresses.

The author's central point: "When backed into a corner, not given what I am due, I go in with all the weaponry I have. For me, that means my words, my fingers, a keyboard and, sometimes, a real pen. I use the tools at my discretion. We all have tools."

Yes, we certainly do, and if you're serious about resisting, you'll learn which tools are yours.

Go to the mattresses, by Erica Rucker (LEO)

America is, as writer Sheldon Wolin calls it, an inverted totalitarian state. It suffers from the delusion of democracy, but that democracy works only for those at the top. What we knew as freedom has been bought and sold by the corporation, and we are enslaved in a medicated, techno-propaganda haze to believe we are free and that the threats are from outsiders. The outsiders see what we don’t. They don’t want to kill us: They want to kill the empire that keeps us fat, stupid and distracted. They don’t hate our way of life. They hate our corporate overlords who’ve used us up, made us believe their intentions are egalitarian and not economic and then moved on to invade their countries, pillaging their resources.

America has sold us a good line for too long.

A Mayoral Candidate's Progress, No. 1: Insider Louisville profile and a Fb page.

Thanks to Erica Rucker for this "intro" piece at Insider Louisville.

New Albany brewer Roger Baylor explains why he’s taking a break from his businesses to run for mayor

Of course, without great people working at those businesses, this wouldn't be possible. As Freddie Mercury once said, "I thank you all."

The Baylor for Mayor campaign page went up at Facebook on Tuesday afternoon, and as of this writing, we've gathered 332 likes.

Work begins this weekend on a web site, which is intended as a more detailed repository for platform planks. As these appear at the web site, they'll be posted at the Facebook page, which is a better venue for conversation.

It isn't yet clear to me how NA Confidential will proceed during the period of the campaign. For now, we await the conclusion of the primary election, and the finalizing of the petitions necessary to run for mayor as an independent candidate.

Note that whether the topic is my campaign Fb page or the petitions, an essential element in my requesting your participation at this stage is establishing recognition that independent candidacies actually belong in the American system of governance -- particularly at the grassroots level in places like New Albany, which fairly beg for a greater variety of choice than that represented by the number two.

Naturally, I'll be asking those of you who live in New Albany to vote for me, but what is of greater importance is the very existence of a candidate espousing ideas that make him or her worth selecting. If concepts like connectivity, sustainability, transparency and modernity cannot be stitched together from the vantage point of the sidewalk in front of our homes, where can they be?

Thanks for your support.