The Ballad of Marty Minolta
An entertaining take on Albuquerque's Red Light Cameras from my good friend, and a good man, William H. White, municipal judge of Edgewood, New Mexico:
HAD ENOUGH?
Had enough of arrogant public officials, their Big Brother programs, and their Star Chamber hearings?
With the stroke of a pen, Mayor Chavez and the City Council have taken away your RIGHT to be presumed innocent.
They have taken away your RIGHT to be individually and personally charged with wrong doing.
Your case has now become a "Public Nuisance" hearing:
The Redflex project manager is the same person.*
The Project Managers are required to hold regular meetings.*
I wonder who takes the minutes? There are, of course, no meetings. And no minutes. And no one to hold the City accountable.
*14 December 05 Agreement between the City and Redflex.
WHAT YOU CAN DO?
The Ballad of Marty Minolta OR Saga of the Shutterbug Stalin
W.H. White, June 2007
Albuquerque had a mayor,
he was a camera fan.
He placed 'em here, he placed 'em there,
he spied throughout the land.
It started with the red lights;
some folks were slow to stop.
But there was little revenue
in tickets from a cop.
So Marty sat and Marty thought,
there came some sly insights.
"I'll simply change the law a bit;
who cares about their rights?"
"No need to come before a judge;
Craig Loy can write a law.
We'll make 'em prove they're innocent."
He smiled at what he saw.
Then this camera Alcalde
looked at speeders like some sheep.
He could help some special interests
if he made those fines real steep.
And the camera crazy Council,
noting revenues were thin,
said, "Click and flash and take their cash.
We'll fleece them to the skin."
And the people still stayed silent,
when they should have formed a mob,
so these scheming politicians
looked for other ways to rob.
Now Marty likes to talk a lot,
and one day upon his cell
a fine idea came to him;
"We'll have fines for this as well."
"If it's good enough for Santa Fe,
it's good enough for us.
I've already trashed their freedoms
and they haven't made a fuss."
But someday soon we'll have enough
of the way that we've been shorn.
They'll, none of them, deserve our votes,
they'll only have our scorn.
And what of little Marty
and his fascist camera plan?
The day is near when all will sneer,
"Why, he's barely half a man."
W.H. White, June 2007
Albuquerque had a mayor,
he was a camera fan.
He placed 'em here, he placed 'em there,
he spied throughout the land.
It started with the red lights;
some folks were slow to stop.
But there was little revenue
in tickets from a cop.
So Marty sat and Marty thought,
there came some sly insights.
"I'll simply change the law a bit;
who cares about their rights?"
"No need to come before a judge;
Craig Loy can write a law.
We'll make 'em prove they're innocent."
He smiled at what he saw.
Then this camera Alcalde
looked at speeders like some sheep.
He could help some special interests
if he made those fines real steep.
And the camera crazy Council,
noting revenues were thin,
said, "Click and flash and take their cash.
We'll fleece them to the skin."
And the people still stayed silent,
when they should have formed a mob,
so these scheming politicians
looked for other ways to rob.
Now Marty likes to talk a lot,
and one day upon his cell
a fine idea came to him;
"We'll have fines for this as well."
"If it's good enough for Santa Fe,
it's good enough for us.
I've already trashed their freedoms
and they haven't made a fuss."
But someday soon we'll have enough
of the way that we've been shorn.
They'll, none of them, deserve our votes,
they'll only have our scorn.
And what of little Marty
and his fascist camera plan?
The day is near when all will sneer,
"Why, he's barely half a man."
HAD ENOUGH?
Had enough of arrogant public officials, their Big Brother programs, and their Star Chamber hearings?
With the stroke of a pen, Mayor Chavez and the City Council have taken away your RIGHT to be presumed innocent.
They have taken away your RIGHT to be individually and personally charged with wrong doing.
Your case has now become a "Public Nuisance" hearing:
- The hearing officer works for the City.
- The City and a private company, Redflex split the revenue.
- The video is reviewed by City and Redflex employees.
- You must PROVE you are not guilty.
- Good luck, sucker!
The Redflex project manager is the same person.*
The Project Managers are required to hold regular meetings.*
I wonder who takes the minutes? There are, of course, no meetings. And no minutes. And no one to hold the City accountable.
*14 December 05 Agreement between the City and Redflex.
WHAT YOU CAN DO?
- Contact the Mayor (768-3000) and your Councilor (768-3100). The City's website is: http://www.cabq.gov follow the links.
- Politely, but firmly, demand an end to the whole camera enforcement program.
- Remember like an elephant, and "throw the bums" out if they persist in this heavy handed, greedy program.
- If you are cited, demand a hearing. It may not be fair and you may be busy. The Americans at Valley Forge, Bull Run, and Wake Island could have been "busy", too. This is about principle, not about your time or your money. FIGHT BACK!
- Spread the word. Feel free to reproduce this. Put it on the bulletin board. Put it on the net. I'm "mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more." How about you?
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