Cleveland councilman may have just lost a vote

[Judge Smails]

I think I found my new favorite politician. Check out the balls on this guy:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/graphics/art3/0719071inside2.jpg
Family fumes over councilman's 'hate letter' (http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2007/07/family_fumes_over_councilmans.html)

The mother of a Cleveland teen charged with drug trafficking accuses Cleveland City Councilman Mike Polensek of threatening her son in letter that refers to the 18-year-old as a "crack dealing piece of trash" and closes with "go to jail or the cemetery soon."

Polensek sent the letter to Arsenio Winston after he was arrested and charged with selling drugs earlier this month near a convenience store in Polensek's East Side neighborhood.

The longtime councilman said he often writes blunt letters to troublemakers in his neighborhood and makes no apologies for this one to Winston.

"I'm fed up and the people in my neighborhood are fed up," Polensek said. "There's no political correctness left in me."

Winston's mother, Tonya Lewis, said she plans to speak to her attorney, former city councilman George Forbes, about filing a lawsuit against Polensek. She said she also has written a letter to black activist Al Sharpton.

From The Smoking Gun:
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/graphics/art3/0719071cleveland1.gif

[Dougie Brootal]

i love this guy! cant wait for al sharpton to fire him!

[envirogator]

Fantastic!!!! God forbid actually being able to speak your mind and state facts. I'm sure that the good and righteous reverend will be there in a heart beat because....words hurt!

[Dougie Brootal]

I'm sure that the good and righteous reverend will be there in a heart beat because....words hurt!

but only spoken by a white person to a black person.

[AKA]

Fantastic!!!! God forbid actually being able to speak your mind and state facts. I'm sure that the good and righteous reverend will be there in a heart beat because....words hurt!

"piece of trash" "go to jail or the cemetery soon."

Where are the "facts"?

[DolaMight]

I don't see what the letter said about race. Just drug dealers. Sharpton might even agree with the letter.

I think there was room in that letter for an Arsinio Hall joke.

[prothunderball]

Fantastic!!!! God forbid actually being able to speak your mind and state facts. I'm sure that the good and righteous reverend will be there in a heart beat because....words hurt!

If you are an elected government official you should be able to speak your mind and state facts without wishing death upon someone. just a thought.
Everything he said in that letter could easily have been said in a much more professional manner which like it or not when you're a politician is how you're expected to act.

[Judge Smails]

I don't see what the letter said about race. Just drug dealers. Sharpton might even agree with the letter.


The mother claims that the fact that he called him "dumb as mud" was a racial slur.

[envirogator]

I guess the only fact was that he was arrested...my oversight

[Dougie Brootal]

If you are an elected government official you should be able to speak your mind and state facts without wishing death upon someone. just a thought.

i dont think he wished death on him, just expressed indifference to how his life ended up.

[DolaMight]

The mother claims that the fact that he called him "dumb as mud" was a racial slur.

The mother is dumber than mud.

[FUNKMAN]

i say they put the gloves on and duke it out...

[MadBiker]

If you are an elected government official you should be able to speak your mind and state facts without wishing death upon someone. just a thought.
Everything he said in that letter could easily have been said in a much more professional manner which like it or not when you're a politician is how you're expected to act.

Agreed. Leaders need to temper passion with reason.

[JPMNICK]

i love this guy. Al Sharpton is going to have a field day with this one

[Doctor Z]

Best. Letter. Ever.

[Death Metal Moe]

I don't even live in Clevland and I want to send this guy some sort of donation for re-election.

It's just too bad they buried the N word. It's the only thing missing from the letter that could have made it much better.

[envirogator]

Originally Posted by prothunderball View Post
If you are an elected government official you should be able to speak your mind and state facts without wishing death upon someone. just a thought.
Everything he said in that letter could easily have been said in a much more professional manner which like it or not when you're a politician is how you're expected to act.

His constituents will decide whether he should have been more professional.

[Dougie Brootal]

I don't even live in Clevland and I want to send this guy some sort of donation for re-election.

It's just too bad they buried the N word. It's the only thing missing from the letter that could have made it much better.

:lol:

[prothunderball]

His constituents will decide whether he should have been more professional.

agreed. I'm just saying that if as a politician you are going to write a letter like that you're going to have deal with the consequences.

[envirogator]

I agree Pro...from the tone of that letter he's looking for reaction. I like how in the article, he said that he doesn't have any political correctness left. Sounds like a guy who is sick of the molly-coddeling (sp?) of criminals and is calling a spade a spade (absolutely NO pun intended).

But as with most things like this, the councilman WILL get busted for buying crack!

[Furtherman]

Awesome. Mike Polensek rules. The kid deserved every word in that letter.

[Death Metal Moe]

I agree Pro...from the tone of that letter he's looking for reaction. I like how in the article, he said that he doesn't have any political correctness left. Sounds like a guy who is sick of the molly-coddeling (sp?) of criminals and is calling a spade a spade (absolutely NO pun intended).

But as with most things like this, the councilman WILL get busted for buying crack!

But can I imagine there was? It makes it much more fun.

[Death Metal Moe]

http://imagesource.allposters.com/images/pic/SAG/ST174~Spade-Posters.jpg

http://www.onlinesports.com/images/ger-05940.gif

http://pop.wizbangblog.com/images/2006/04/david-spade.jpg

[envirogator]

it was either that or 'calling a hoe a hoe' but I heard that word was now taboo...

[SHANEFROMGA]

"city Councilman Shot To Death , News At Eleven"
I See This In The Near Future.

[ScottFromGA]

"city Councilman Shot To Death , News At Eleven"
I See This In The Near Future.

http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u176/SCOTTFROMGA/Picmayor.jpg

have any bullets for this motherfucker?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._Jack_Ellis

[Yerdaddy]

If there's one thing drug dealers fear it's angry letters.

[PapaBear]

If there's one thing drug dealers fear it's angry letters.
It scares me, just thinking about getting one.

[Fat_Sunny]

If there's one thing drug dealers fear it's angry letters.

Ya Know, You Are So Smug And Sarcastic Sometimes.

Someday, Someone's Gonna Grab You By The Scruff Of The Neck And Give You A Good Slap-Down.

Unfortuantely, You're Gonna Love It.

[cupcakelove]

Well if that doesn't stop crime, I don't know what will. Maybe he should try to use his position to actually clean up the town, instead of just making himself feel like a big man for writing a letter.

[sailor]

Well if that doesn't stop crime, I don't know what will. Maybe he should try to use his position to actually clean up the town, instead of just making himself feel like a big man for writing a letter.

and why do you assume he isn't trying "to use his position to actually clean up the town"?

[cupcakelove]

and why do you assume he isn't trying "to use his position to actually clean up the town"?

Because if he was he wouldn't have time to write letters like this, or think that telling people to leave town or die is constructive.

[Snacks]

Well if that doesn't stop crime, I don't know what will. Maybe he should try to use his position to actually clean up the town, instead of just making himself feel like a big man for writing a letter.

This was my first thought when I read his letter. I wish some of these tough guy politicians would be tough when it came to making laws and doing the right thing. Next time a developer or someone with money wants to build or do something that isnt good for the community lets see mr letter writer fight for the people and act all tough. It wont happen. Anyone can write a letter talking down to someone or laughing at somene elses misery. How about creating jobs, fighting for better education. Maybe then these kids dont have to sell drugs on the corner.

[Jujubees2]

Wow, he even sent a copy of the letter to the police and the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Don't know if I would want my elected offical to act like that but he's got balls

[envirogator]

How about creating jobs, fighting for better education. Maybe then these kids dont have to sell drugs on the corner.

I doubt they have to now. While I don't know these kids my guess is that it is their choice to sell drugs. I'm pretty sure that there is a public education system in Cleveland and there are plenty of jobs to be had (it's summer; name a lawn care or construction company that is NOT looking for laborers, let alone nearly every fast food restaurant, grocery store, etc.). The system is in place, although it may be flawed, but this kid chose NOT to participate in the system but rather make his own (sell drugs and any other litany of criminal activity that he may or may not have participated). Fuck him! You don't want to be called a thug or a piece of trash then don't be one. Pretty fucking simple in my book. My guess is that this councilman has thousands of constituents; is he calling them all thugs and pieces of trash or just the ones who display the characteristics of a thug.

Does this letter solve any of the problems facing this city? No. Does it add to the problem? No. It's one person, elected by the people of that area saying that he is sick of the crime and his opinion of the people committing those crimes is that they are trash, etc.

I am not exiting both my high horse and my soap box...

[Yerdaddy]

I doubt they have to now. While I don't know these kids my guess is that it is their choice to sell drugs. I'm pretty sure that there is a public education system in Cleveland and there are plenty of jobs to be had (it's summer; name a lawn care or construction company that is NOT looking for laborers, let alone nearly every fast food restaurant, grocery store, etc.). The system is in place, although it may be flawed, but this kid chose NOT to participate in the system but rather make his own (sell drugs and any other litany of criminal activity that he may or may not have participated). Fuck him! You don't want to be called a thug or a piece of trash then don't be one. Pretty fucking simple in my book. My guess is that this councilman has thousands of constituents; is he calling them all thugs and pieces of trash or just the ones who display the characteristics of a thug.

Does this letter solve any of the problems facing this city? No. Does it add to the problem? No. It's one person, elected by the people of that area saying that he is sick of the crime and his opinion of the people committing those crimes is that they are trash, etc.

I am not exiting both my high horse and my soap box...

You lost me. Are you still in your horse's box or not? Cuz I got soapy seconds!

[spoon]

Perhaps he's trying to change the world, one letter to a crack dealer at a time. Let's all hold hands and sing.

[SatCam]

SERIOUS FUCKING BUSINESS

[lleeder]

I wonder who read him the letter?

[spoon]

I wonder who read him the letter?

Ouch!

[sailor]

Because if he was he wouldn't have time to write letters like this, or think that telling people to leave town or die is constructive.

guy can't have a hobby?