Quasi-Government

Jupiter et Thétis, 1811

Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres

Zeus, the king of the gods, yawned,
“Today the lesser god Boredom rules.”
The offspring of Kronos bellowed,
“Summon the goddess Nostalgia to Olympus!”

Down the glorious arch of her rainbow
swiftly flew the messenger Iris
to Indiana to the James Dean festival
where the goddess Nostalgia was visiting.

Iris fought through the crowd of mortals
to the stage where sweet Nostalgia,
having assumed a mortal disguise,
reigned as Marilynn Monroe look-alike.

“Quickly fly, the King of Olympus summons!”
In an instant the platinum coifed goddess
Bowed before the god of lightning.
And received her command:

“Go stir up some trouble in Knox!”

A few years ago Mayor Dembowski of Knox was keen on fixing up downtown Knox. There was, no doubt, some committee called something like “The Knox Downtown Re-Development Committee”. Some fixing up took place: new sidewalks, old fashioned street lamps, planters, benches, etc. And then suddenly, seemingly out of the blue, appeared a man with the not-so-bright idea of a movie theater for downtown.

“What a marvelous idea! If only there was money to give this man!” thought the Mayor. “It’s a shame that the wonderful people that gave us the grant to fix the sidewalks won’t give this nice movie theater man some money also.” But the Goddess Nostalgia was not discouraged. Nostalgia sifted through the bank records looking for “loose” money. Ah! Ha! There it was! Some other now-forgotten “Fix Up The Downtown Committee” once existed, long ago. And, wonder of wonders, they had $20,000 or $30,000 just wasting away in the bank.

Soon Nostalgia had the money working away on an old decrepit corner drug store, changing it to a downtown movie theater. Just like the good-old-days of the Saturday cliffhanger matinee! The 30Gs was soon exhausted but Nostalgia showed 2 or 3 flicks. But there was no parking and the trains shook the building so that the mortals thought the balcony would fall. Soon the movie theater fell into disrepair and Nostalgia went on eBay

Zeus roared with laughter.

A Community Activist, Public Citizen, Jim Shilling

Sometimes our little city seems to me to be on the edge of a razor. Knox seems destined to become another ugly and mean place like so many other ugly and mean places across America. Could perhaps Knox become something better? Our public institutions mostly haven’t kept pace with recent rapid changes. As it now stands, laissez-faire is our unofficial policy of governance. There are codes and ordinances that do a little bit towards shaping our future. But these are weak and often not appropriate to the challenges facing our city.

Jim Shilling is and has been and active shaper of Knox. My recent post, Wythogan Park, a modest proposal and the follow-up post, Well, just damn it, Anonymous resulted in strongly worded objections to my recognition of Jim Shilling for his contribution to the park’s walking path.

I want to talk a little about Mr. Shilling as a community activist. (My disclaimer: I am not an expert on the subject of Jim Shilling, so I very well may make some errors and omissions, for these I beg your forgiveness in advance and invite corrections.)

It is often very difficult to accomplish anything in the public sphere. Even well placed politicians and political appointees find it difficult to get things done. I would like to discuss two of Mr. Shilling’s remarkable accomplishments in the public realm: The Gateway Project and The City of Knox Master Plan. (The Master Plan will be published here at a future date.)

One of Mr. Shilling’s strong interests is historic preservation. The Gateway Project is an expression of that interest. The Gateway Project involved using public land (Wythogan Park) and acquiring adjoining private land East of US 35 on the Yellow River. Mr. Shilling was very interested in saving the old Nickel Plate RR depot that was then located downtown alongside the present train tracks. This would involve moving the depot to a new location. Shilling came up with a plan to get Transportation Department money to pay for the Depot renovation. The details of obtaining the funding involved some debatable ethical and financial maneuverings. But he got it done.

The depot restoration required a huge amount of work done to exacting the standards of historic preservation that were demanded by the oversight authority of the State of Indiana. Shilling had to get commitments and coordination from various branches of local government and quasi-governmental agencies. This was a Herculean feat by any standard. The restored depot is generally considered a success and a plus for the City of Knox. I concur.

The stone “gates” to the city were the 2nd element in the Gateway Project. I happen to think that these “gates” are silly. To me they are inappropriately pretentious and grandiose. The problem is scale and intent. The scale is way too grand. The intent is way too grandiose. As a matter of taste, they are a failure. In the photo observe the lettering. The font is obviously a hasty job on a word processor and not appropriate for stone carving. The spacing and layout is ill conceived. Mr. Shilling is responsible for this aspect of the project and was adamant and inflexible about changes to the “gates”. These were a very big deal to Mr. Shilling. Insofar as they do not relate to historic preservation, I consider the gates to be mostly a self-memorial to Mr. Shilling. I consider the “gates” to be a failure.

The walking path was a “key” to the funding. The path was the only “transportation element” in the project. Without the path there would be no funding. The walking path was hastily conceived and terribly flawed. Thankfully, the overall “Gateway” plan had to be approved by the Knox Park Board because all the Gateway Project elements were to be deeded to the Knox Park System. The Park Board made extensive changes to the path design. Because this element was “vetted” by a caring board, the path was a success. The Board hoped to someday make the path a 1-mile loop and it was laid out with that in mind. Mr. Shilling seemed to care less about these changes. He quickly agreed to the changes when it turned out that the changes would result in a cost savings that could be applied to the depot restoration.

In conclusion, overall the “Gateway Project” is a welcome addition to our city. Mr. Shilling’s contributions to the realization of this project are enormous. It simply would not have happened without him. But it is important to realize that without the changes demanded by the Knox Park Board we would not have a net gain to our city. The danger is that a very capable and energetic individual can play with public funds and public lands for a mostly personal interest. Historic preservation may or may not be what our city needs. However, do not demonize Mr. Shilling. It was not in a position of public trust or in any official capacity that Mr. Shilling did what he did. There were many public officials that signed off on all of his activities. He is an extraordinary community activist and public citizen. Although I am wary, he has earned my respect.

Watch for 2 future blog posts:
"Jim Shilling’s Knox Master Plan” and
“Jim Shilling's Historical Bric-a-brac Collection in the Park”

How's the Library Doing? Part 2

In Part 1 of my look at the Starke County Library I tested the High School Age Literature book collection and the library got a B+. That was a very high achievement for a small-town library.

Now I will test a more sophisticated subject area, adult history/ current events. I will be using 2 lists. The first list is recent Amazon.com bestsellers in this subject area. The Second list is short list of classics. Of the 35 books we are missing 7. So we have 25 of 35, 71%. Let’s say, “room for improvement”. Grade C-

Missing Books that the Library should consider for our collection:
1. America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It by Mark Steyn, published Sep 16, 2006
2. The Truth About Muhammad: Founder of the World's Most Intolerant Religion by Robert Spencer, published 15, 2006
3. Banker to the Poor: Micro-Lending and the Battle Against World Poverty by Muhammad Yunus, published October 14, 2003
Comment by Knox Indiana: This book is a history of a 30 year successful experiment in microcredit started in Babgladesh and now spreading worldwide. From the book: "[...] the poor, once economically empowered, are the most determined fighters in the battle to solve the population problem; end illiteracy; and live healthier, better lives. When policy makers finally realize that the poor are their partners, rather than bystanders or enemies, we will progress much faster that we do today."
4. Capitalism and Freedom: Fortieth Anniversary Edition by Milton Friedman, library has 1982 edition.
Comment by Knox Indiana: this updated edition would be a good addition to the collection and appropriate in light of Mr. Friedman’s recent death.
5. The Private Lives of the Impressionists by Sue Roe, published October 31, 2006
Comment by Knox Indiana: This book may be sold out and not available for another month from the publishers.
6. The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York (1974)
Caro, Robert , (We do have other titles by this author)
7. The Making of the Atomic Bomb (1987)
Rhodes, Richard, (We do have other titles by this author)


Books we have in the Starke County Public Library.

ENJOY!
1. The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama There are 2 books by Barack Obama on this list, a remarkable achievement. He is the most charismatic leader in America today. He is giving us a pretty good look at what sort of plan he has. It would be a good idea to read these and start deciding how you would like him as President.
2. State of Denial: Bush at War, Part III by Bob Woodward
3. The World Is Flat [Updated and Expanded]: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century by Thomas L. Friedman
4. Sea of Thunder: Four Commanders and the Last Great Naval Campaign 1941-1945 by Evan Thomas
5. Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq by Thomas E. Ricks
6. Thunderstruck by Erik Larson
7. The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game by Michael Lewis
8. The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir by Bill Bryson
9. Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama
10. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
11. Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West by Hampton Sides
12. The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson
13. Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick
14. The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
15. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
16. The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson
17. Night (Oprah's Book Club) by Elie Wiesel Note from Knox Indiana: A favorite of mine!
18. War on the Middle Class: How the Government, Big Business, and Special Interest Groups Are Waging War on the American Dream and How to Fight Back by Lou Dobbs











19. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared M. Diamond
Note from Knox Indiana: We also have Collapse : how societies choose to fail or succeed by the same author. I think an somewhat better book. Although the subject is slightly different the book have considerable overlap. Knox Indiana considers these books to be a must read. If you don't read and respond to the ideas in these books, you will not be competent to speak on the important questions of growth and ecology being debated in Knox.
20. Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution (1989)
by Schama, Simon
21. A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century (1978)
by Tuchman, Barbara Note from Knox Indiana: A favorite of mine!
22. The Gulag Archipelago, 1918-1956: An Experiment in Literary Investigation (1975) by Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr
23. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany (1960)
by Shirer, William L
24. Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America (1997) by Barry, John
25. This Hallowed Ground: The Story of the Union Side of the Civil War (1956)
by Catton, Bruce

Well, just damn it, Anonymous.

An Anonymous has left a new comment on my post "Wythogan Park, a modest proposal": I, Blogger, Knox Indiana censored this post due to serious and unsupported accusations.
Some rude accusations were made about Ernie Carlson and Jim Shilling, 2 people specifically mentioned as helping the park. I refuse to print these crude attempts to assassinate character. This Whythogan Park post was about trying to improve our park and our community.

I quote Anonymous’ s conclusion. The rest of the post had to be deleted.
“If these are the people that you and our community members are to look up to, then it is no wonder why you find so many things to complain about in your blog. How about complimenting someone for something they have done absent of any selfish motivation?”

Well, damn it, Anonymous; tell me about something “done absent of any selfish motivation”. I would love to hear about it. Tell me about some community project you have recently completed.

Jim Shilling spent years and an astounding effort to bring about the Gateway Project. (The Gateway Project includes the stone wall gates on 35, the old rail station rehab, and the park path.) Nobody was paying him for this. He wasn’t on a Public Board hiring his relatives. He wasn’t bringing building materials home to pave his driveway.

Ernie Carlson that spent a week or more taking apart the crumbing stones and skillfully rebuilding the entrance to Whythogan. Nobody paid him; he didn’t have any family members getting a job or a kickback. Wow.

Well, damn it, Anonymous; do you have anything to say about the idea put forth in the post about making the trail into a mile loop. Is it a good idea or a bad idea? Do you have a better idea?

Well, just damn it, Anonymous.

Wythogan Park, a modest proposal

A few years ago the historic entrance to the park was extensively restored by Volunteer, Ernie Carlson of Knox.
Great Job! Thanks, Ernie!



Wythogan, Knox’s main city park is wonderful asset that has improved gradually over the years. One of the great improvements was the walking trail. 100% of the credit should go to Jim Shilling for getting this done with an Indiana Department of Transportation grant. This wide, well-paved trail starts at the relocated/ remodeled historic train station east of US 35 on the banks of the Yellow River and ends at the relocated railroad bridge at the north terminus of Main Street. The trail goes under highway 35 and follows the banks of the river then curves around to follow the west boundary of the park and then curves through a very nice mature mixed hardwood forest, then up a hill to the bridge. On a summer day you can get a nice nature walk while also seeing the town’s kids at play on the ball diamonds. It is a very pleasant walk. I guess it is about 3/4ths of a mile.

One unfortunate consequence of the funding was that the Transportation Department would only pay for a trail from point A to point B. In other words, they wouldn’t pay for a loop. And people really do prefer to walk a loop. Fortunately, it would be rather easy to add to the trail to make an exact 1-mile loop.

1. Start at present trail in Northeast corner of the Park next to US 35 where the path emerges from under the highway 35 bridge.
2. Go South parallel to US 35 to the old railroad right-of-way. (Picture on Top Below.)
3. Go West on right-of-way to Main Street Bridge. (Middle Picture Below)
4. Swing up embankment to South Trail Head (Bottom Picture Below)


(click on any picture for larger view)
Start at 35 Bridge

West on Right-of-Way









Join at Main St Bridge






This would involve about a ¼ mile of paving. A row of trees could be planted on each side of the old railroad right of way to create a beautiful walkway.

I would love to hear from members of the park board regarding their views on such a project. I also would like to hear from the rather new organization, Friends of the Park. Let me thank the Friends for their involvement in the Park Improvement. How can the readers of this blog help you succeed in your next park improvement project? How can we join the Friends?

O that I had been writ down an ass!

On the Proposition: Am I a Pompous Jackass?

1) pompous. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000.
1. Characterized by excessive self-esteem or exaggerated dignity; pretentious: pompous officials who enjoy giving orders. 2. Full of high-sounding phrases; bombastic: a pompous proclamation. 3. Characterized by pomp or stately display; ceremonious: a pompous occasion.


I recently completed “My Profile”, the section in the upper right column of this, the Knox Indiana Blog. I completed My PRofile at the same time I posted my latest post, a proposed bicycle trail from Knox to Plymouth. This seems to me to be a modestly interesting idea to improve the lives of the people of Knox. The surrounding counties tend to have developed Bikeways and it seems that we could participate civically with low cost and some benefit. The Comment that followed rather took me aback:

Anonymous said...
“Marian Cross?? Is that the best you can do? What a load of crap! Does your wife know you are doing this you pompous jackass?”

I am a sensitive gal and I must admit that this crude comment hurt a bit. I thought that some self-examination and soul searching was in order! So, dear and kind reader, please allow me to carefully examine the above anonymous criticism to discover if I might improve my being through this exercise in humility.

In response to, “Marian Cross?? Is that the best you can do?”…..
Oh dear me. This astute reader did catch me up in a small lie. Truly I was born Mary Ann, not Marian. For reasons of vanity I have, from time to time, used the name Marian. I really hadn’t done so since I was young and single, but for some reason I decided to revert to my old “pet” name for this blog. My deepest apology, precious reader. I truly feel like a “load of crap”, but this confession easies my soul a small bit. Please forgive me. As to the name Cross. This is simply my husband’s name. I am only fond of this name because of my deep regard for the dear man. And I am afraid that it is “the best I can do”, Sir or Madam Anonymous.

In response to, “Does your wife know you are doing this…”
As is clearly indicated in” My Profile” I am female. Therefore (in spite of some 21st century trends to the contrary) I have a husband, I do not have a wife.

The big question, and certainly the most troubling is, Am I a pompous ass?
Working from the dictionary definition of pompous, I have re-read my posts to this blog. Certainly the post concerning a bicycle route isn’t the least bit pompous. Nor do I detect any pomposity elsewhere. So I simply must disagree with Anonymous on this adjective. It doesn’t apply.

Jackass is more problematic, I fear. I don’t think I am “A foolish or stupid person; a blockhead”. My writing has been generally well received and has even been called witty. I suspect that Anonymous was simply engaging in a bit of hyperbole and really meant “Ass” rather than “Jackass”.

So let us examine the proposition: Am I an ass? Upon refection I feel I am kith and kin to the famous Shakespearean watchman Dogberry. I feel I am a watchman (of sorts) like Dogberry and I suppose Anonymous was more or less playing the part of Conrade. I quote:


CONRADE
Away! you are an ass, you are an ass.

DOGBERRY
Dost thou not suspect my place? dost thou not suspect my years? O that he were here to write me down an ass! But, masters, remember that I am an ass; though it be not written down, yet forget not that I am an ass. No, thou villain, thou art full of piety, as shall be proved upon thee by good witness. I am a wise fellow, and, which is more, an officer,and, which is more, a householder, and, which is more, as pretty a piece of flesh as any is in Messina, and one that knows the law, go to; and a rich fellow enough, go to; and a fellow that hath had losses, and one that hath two gowns and everything handsome about him. Bring him away. O thatI had been writ down an ass!


Detail from Painting by Henry Stacy Marks,

Dogberry Examining Conrade and Borachio (1853)

Why don’t you do your part Mr. or Ms. Anonymous?

Why don’t you do your part Mr. or Ms. Anonymous?

There is a new comment posted to my blog below, Knox Blues, Part 1: Nepotism 101. It inspires 2 comments in reply to Anonymous from KnoxIndiana.

Comment # 1 from Anonymous:
“It's your blog. You can choose to print or not print our comments. But your credibility diminishes when you refuse to publish com-plaints about your friends and fellow Democrats....r.e. our for-mer mayor, former police chief and newly-elected sheriff.”

KnoxIndiana replies:
It is my hope that this blog will be less than a complaint board. Perhaps some of our public officials drink too much, eat too much, or don’t work hard enough to satisfy some people. Perhaps they have secret sexual liaisons. I am not very interested in these sort of complaints. My interest is not in exposing the weaknesses of the flesh. I live in a glass house and don’t want to throw those stones there.

If I am going into political muckraking my interest is in the abuse of power:
1.Hiring relatives and cronies for public jobs.
2.Protecting those same relatives and cronies when they screw up.
3.Self-dealing and self-enrichment.
This is the essence of the Harold Welter story. So. Give me some complaints I can work with. For example: Has the Mayor or Police Chief hired any family members? Taken any bribes or kickbacks? Cut any deals to keep friends and family out of jail?

Comment # 2 from Anonymous:
“For years, both WKVI and the Leader have refused to step on the toes of those (advertisers) who pay their salaries. Advertising is a necessary evil to journalism.
It shouldn't be that journalism is the necessary evil to advertising.”

KnoxIndiana replies:
I agree. For example we all know that Harold Welter is an employee of the WKVI. He has used prestigious role as sport’s announcer to great advantage. It helped him get elected to the School Board and now he may be using the role to enhance his son’s career at the school. WKVI, The Leader, and The NewsHawk have been silent about this issues. They can easily ask the very same questions that I pose in my blog, “Questions Harold Welter Might Answer”. I really have handed them this story on a platter. It would be a simple matter to stick a microphone in Harold’s face while he’s at the WKVI recording Coaches’ Corner and ask away. It is a legitimate new story, I think.

But Mr. or Ms. Anonymous, why don’t you do your part? How about writing a letter to the editor? Perhaps copy my questions and ask them why they aren’t covering this story? Please mention this blog, I need the publicity. Blogs ARE news in most places, but not yet in Knox. Blogs keep the press honest. So demand that they they cover and report legitimate Blog reporting.

How’s the Library Doing? Part1

I give the Starke County Library a "B+" in the category, Literature for High School Readers.

How’s the Starke County Public Library Doing? One test is how well they are meeting the reading requirements of ambitious high school students. To do this test I selected a high school literature summer reading list on the Internet, more or less at random. Then I searched our library’s collection to see what they have. The results were pleasing! There were 54 books on the list designed for the range of student talents. SCPLS did not have 6 of the books on the list. That is a 89% score. Also a plus, the Library did have critical texts for several of the books.

I will continue to do further testing of the Library’s Collection in other areas. I welcome your comments. How do you think the Library is doing? Do they have the books that you want? Web Site: http://www.scpl.lib.in.us/

Here is the list that I used for this test of High School Literature:



Grade 9
Parrot in the Oven - Victor Martinez
Walk Two Moons - Sharon Creech
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - Ann Brashares
Curtain - Agatha Christie
Lesson Before Dying - Ernest Gaines
David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury
Stargirl - Jerry Spinelli
Good Earth - Pearl S. Buck
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea Jules Verne

Grade 10
Prom - Laurie Halse Anderson
DID NOT HAVE: Zee's Way - Kristin Butcher
DID NOT HAVE: Once the Acacias Bloomed - Fred Spiegel
Age of Innocence - Edith Wharton
Lords of Discipline - Pat Conroy
DID NOT HAVE: All But My Life - Gerta Weissman Klein October
Sky - Homer Hickam
Dune - Frank Herbert
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey (book, video and critical notes)
Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
Things They Carried - Tim O'Brien

Grade 11
Bleachers - John Grisham
DID NOT HAVE: Death Wind - William Bell
The Car - Gary Paulsen
Beloved - Toni Morrison
Native Son - Richard Wright
The Joy Luck Club - Amy Tan
Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
All the Kings Men - Robert Penn Warren
Light in August - William Faulkner
Anne Frank Remembered - Miep Gies
Moby Dick - Herman Melville
Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemingway
Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
The Jungle - Upton Sinclair
Song of Solomon - Toni Morrison
The Native Son - Richard Wright
The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway
Oldest Living Confederate Widow - Allan Gurganu
This Boy's Life : A Memoir - Tobias Wolff

Grade 12
Don't Look Behind You - Lois Duncan
Teen Idol - Meg Cabot
DID NOT HAVE: The Lottery - Beth Goobie
Crime and Punishment - F. Dostoyevsky
The Mill on the Floss - George Eliot
DID NOT HAVE: Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte (also available Critical Text)
Doctor Zhivago - Pasternak
Le Morte d'Arthur - Sir Thomas Malory
The Great Train Robbery - Michael Crichton
Mists of Avalon - M. Z. Bradley
Hard Times - Charles Dickens (also available Critical Text)
Scarlet Pimpernel - Emmuska Orczy