Today I am thankful for following my intuition.
I'm seriously thinking about jumping into the City Council race. Everything I write here is based on gossip.
This hasn't had a chance to become gossip.
It was an idea suggested a couple of people I deeply respect who are very active in local politics. I told both of them that my heart was with helping the homeless. One of them gave me a couple of excellent leads for opportunities to do just that.
Maybe I should do both? I'll think about it.**
The Aurora Animal shelter is now threatening to kill service dogs which puts them in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). A local family was robbed. The officers that responded to the burglary scene noticed that there was a pit bull in the home and had it impounded.
The disabled party is now without a dog. They have been without their service dog for a number of days now.
If I say something, the lady that runs the shelter will probably have someone beat the dog. The last time I said something about the misbehavior of a shelter employee who took a veteran's service dog, I looked at the dog's kennel and there was blood on the walls.
I remember being angry because a shelter employee threatened me when I told him I was a political activist. I laugh too much at threats. I probably ought to take names and report them to the city manager.
They wound up giving the dog back. There was a lawsuit. The city settled. Aurora allowed pit bulls into their city only should they be service animals.
This was the year I ran for mayor. This was the year numerous families approached me telling me that the shelter killed their dogs, mistaking them for pit bulls.
For the rest of my life, I will remember the sobbing face of a nine year old little girl mourning her bull dog. Her grandmother couldn't afford the tests needed to prove the dog wasn't a pit bull.
That face haunts me.
It will probably be the only thing haunting me for the rest of my life.
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My ex-husband sued the city of Aurora, in part, because it ignores the ADA.
Back then, I tried to warn the city council. The mayor at the time told them to ignore me. I wound up running for his seat. I got their attention then!!!
That was fun.
Sigh......
This evening, I nearly volunteered for one of their projects. That could enable the bad behavior. If I volunteer to help this division, I am giving covert approval to their abuse of the legal system and citizenry.
I don't want to be part of the problem. I want to be part of the solution.
Maybe running for an at-large seat will help. If anything, I can put a buzz in someone's ear. Some of the council members are gentle yet strong souls I trust will not to beat the crap out of a dog.
I don't understand why they are afraid to advocate for the citizens. Maybe they are out of touch. Maybe they don't see these things? Maybe they don't hear these things?
Maybe I should let them know even if they don't think they can do anything about it.
I can always contact social workers I know who work with disabled citizens for advice.
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All the joking I do about being a witch (playing it up for the gossips) and casting spells (which if I could, I'd have a better house) doesn't help people who need it.
I'm not joking about being a hypnotist. I really do that each and every day. I've done it since I was 8 years old.
Sigh....
I even took an online class on dog hypnosis. I've never tried to do that. It was interesting.
Pray for the dogs in the City of Aurora.
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Now, I'd bet big bucks this city is going to beg for a tax hike this November.
If they want it, they've got to build trust with the citizens. Killing dogs in this manner will not build trust. It will only push citizens to vote no.
No one wants to fund this kind of abuse.
It's time to knock off the bad behavior. They're killing their own credibility.
It's not like they listen to me. I have to do crazy things to have a voice. Thank goodness I'm up to the challenge.
Love ya lots,
S.
**Next day edit: I thought about it. The answer is no. I don't want to run for city council. The reason is that the City Manager handcuffs people who work in that capacity.
You cannot speak freely. You cannot deal with problems. You're pretty much at the mercy of the City Attorney and the City Manager.
Since most complaints (especially those that are justified) die at the City Manager's office, I don't want that person to tell me what I can and cannot say. At that point, the City Manager will call the City Attorney. The lawyers are fun in and of themselves.
The City Attorneys are the abusive enforcers, always threatening or slandering people who speak up. This usually the point when the citizen victim has to hire a lawyer.
It's bizarre. I'm very suggestible. One of the City Attorneys actually said "You think you're all that. What are you going to do about it?"
My subconscious mind heard "You're all that. Do something."
That's when I met a group of activists, taught them how to use covert hypnosis to come up with slogans, fought tax hikes and wound up playing wanna-be politician.
I'm a little more careful about taking in the suggestions the city attorneys give me now.
Truth be told, I don't really want to hypnotize their brats anymore.
That's how it usually goes with me.
You threaten me. I covertly hypnotize you to stop your crap. Then you can't give me eye contact anymore.
It's just so flippin' awkward.
So....my answer is NO! I won't run for a council seat.
I'll just support the few gentle souls on the council and tell them what is going on.
I'll find other ways of dealing with the abuse from the shelter.
Maybe I'll visit today. I'm a wanna-be musician. I always have a tape recorder on me.
Who knows what my mic will pick up?
Love ya,
S.
