Veterans Day annouccement on City's website.
(Click to enlarge.)
Plainfielders who read the city's official (and presumed official) pronouncements on this year's observance of Veterans Day may find them alternatively incontrovertible, inscrutable, and inexplicable, or perhaps all three.
Above is a screen shot of part of the City's official notice posted on the City's official website (view the complete page here, PDF).
Herewith a transcription of the information (presumably officially released, as not even a cub reporter would make a submission such as this) in today's dead-tree version of the Courier News (couldn't find it online, sorry) --
PLAINFIELD
The city will break in its new veterans' hall with a special Veterans Day ceremony Wednesday.
The hall is located on the ground floor of The Monarch, an unfinished condominium development at 400 E. Front St. An extremely short parade, starting at 10:30 a.m., will include a march from the city's current senior center at 305 E. Front St. to The Monarch, which also is site of the city's new senior center, which has yet to open.
Mayor Sharon Robinson-Briggs and others will speak during the 11 a.m. Veterans Day ceremony. The event will include free refreshments, giveaways and live music, plus performances by the Plainfield High School ROTC and marching band.
Earlier in the morning will be the city's traditional prayer and wreath-laying at the war monument at the corner of East Seventh Street and Watchung Avenue.
Some may wonder whether some of the information truly needed to be given ('unfinished condominium development', the refreshments are 'free', and the senior center 'which has yet to open'). We must take it on faith that the observance will actually take place in 'the new Veteran's Center', since the developer's agreement explicitly states the veterans' center will be used as the sales center for the condos until all units have been sold.
At the same time, other valuable information is absent (are the veterans organizations playing no role at all? else why are they not mentioned? When exactly 'earlier in the morning' will be the wreath-laying at the war 'monument'?).
Mayor Robinson-Briggs was quoted in Sunday's Courier (see here) as saying,
"We know we have to do a much better job of getting information out to the public," she said, in particular mentioning what she labeled occasional misinformation appearing on some of the city's many popular blogs — which she said could be cleared up by greater transparency. "It's obvious in some cases that they (bloggers) only had a little piece of what the reality of a situation was ... and not enough to tell the real story or the whole story," she said.So, there you have it.
The mayor, in her own words, says 'a much better job of getting the word out to the public' needs to be done, and that 'it's obvious that [the bloggers] only had a little piece of what the reality of a situation was ... and not enough to tell the real story or the whole story'.
As you can see from this example of a simple, straight-forward public event, Mayor Robinson-Briggs is absolutely right, on both counts.
About a) what must be done by her administration, and b) how what her administration says (or doesn't say) helps or hinders the bloggers.
This is the mountain up which, by her own admission, she must climb in her second term.
Honor Guard at a Veterans Day observance.
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9 comments:
Dan,
If your transcription of the press release is accurate, the numerous grammatical and syntactical errors are enough to make the English instructor in me cry. Why can't this administration hire someone with basic writing skills to write press releases?
Why on earth wouldn't they note the exact time of the "wreath-laying" and prayer for those who might want to attend? That's the aspect of the observance which holds the most meaning for vets, their families, and their friends!
In addition, the idea of "free music and giveaways" at a Veteran's Day observance seems inappropriate. Who attends a Veteran's Day observance for free food, music, and giveaways? What do you "giveaway" at a Veteran's Day observance? (It also implies the opposite--that attendees might have had to pay for music and that there might have been items for sale.) Will the center remain open, or is this just another cheap photo op?
I think that in light of the horrific events of last week, the observance should reflect a more somber tone. This is not a time to be festive. Unfortunately, it seems as if we are in for four more years of this cheap, tacky hucksterism.
Rebecca
P.S. My late father was a veteran, and many members of my family (as well as friends) are currently serving in the armed forces.
As I posted on Doc's page....you, Doc, Maria and Bernice are the problem. IF NO ONE KNEW any of the partial or full information there would NEVER be a problem!
Assistant Mayor Sharon's New Motto
" See No Evil,Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil"
--- and of course her best, " All is well, all is well!! "
On a positive note, we have 4 more years of her astounding us with her seemingly endless supply of goofs, gaffes and golly gee whiz maneuvers.
Glad Assistant Mayor Sharon is "helping" us and not trying to ruin the city. Could you imagine what total complete train wreck it would be with her predilection for disaster and Mayor Jerry's "keeping Plainfield out of trouble".
"Break in'? Does that mean "break into" since I am not aware that a CO has been issued for the building,and unlike the terms for the yet unoccupied Senior Center I think the Monarch/UCIA-city Agreement states that the Veterans center will be turned over when the condos are all sold.
Probably the Veterans associations were ot even considered. I know the VFW boycotted the memorieal for many years after WW2 because of the inscription, so the ceromon y was almost an American Legion affair.
Are there chapters of any of the other Vet organiztions in Plainfield?
Doc....
Details, details..
This is what is wrong with you bloggers. You all keep looking at "details". If we all went through life like Assistant Mayor Sharon or Mayor Jerry we would all be as equally happy as they or ignorant...History shall decide I am sure.
Will you all please keep in mind that the Mayor (as per her Election Ads) is the hardest working person for the City. She has to be with all of the mistakes and problems with her administration. If we had someone half as competent, we wouldn't need someone to "work so hard" Thanks, Ms. Mayor for working oh so hard on OUR behalf. Start surrounding yourself with competent people and you might just have a successful four more years.
Should we observe this day of gratitude with free refreshments, giveaways, and live music? Is this what our veterans served for? And it will all be for the glorification of our mayor at taxpayer expense. Someone should tell her that she won the election and can stop campaigning, or is she already looking for a third term?
Per Jim's comment: I can only hope I have moved out of Plainfield by then...
to Rob: that's the one thing we can agree on!
November 11, 2009 7:46 AM: Anonymous....
Agree on me or we having moved? If me....OUCH, you must be Assistant Mayor Sharon...WE, totally understand.
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