Tempe's Spring Fever

Cactus League spring training has wrapped up today at the Tempe Diablo stadium, but that doesn't mean Tempe's streets are hitting a lull in action.

Some of today's headlines:

Tempe's worst arrest a spitter. Living the dream! It's been a minute since a good spittin' on and urinating in public Tempe story. Before rushing to judgment on this brave Tempeon, let's remember, we did urinate outdoors, freely, for, oh, I don't know, the majority of human existence. Really, I think Mill would be cooler if it smelled like pee. It works for Paris, wonderful city, smells like pee.

Another asinine column from the Repub's Katie Nelson. Non-reporting at it's best once again with Tempe's hype machine for mega-developers. Shall we start placing bets she's hired to do PR for one of these developers before the year is out?

A bit of Pedestrian justice! (Later soured by jerk cops). I suppose it would've been acceptable for the police had he been hit and killed by this vehicle? Priest and Baseline is a nightmare area for pedestrians along with...hmm, well, the rest of this stinkin' city. Support walkers' rights!

What do empty promises look like?

Monti, Monti, Monti...what have you done?

MONTI'S: Everyone sells out?

Tony Wall's 3W Companies, one of the many developer scums prowling the streets of Tempe eyeing land for the next yuppie mega fortress, has made a supposed "genuine promise" that nothing will come of the historic Mill Ave. cornerstone, Monti's La Casa Vieja since it's land sale. That would make this the first instance a developer has ever been honest about their intentions, history being made folks! From the Republic:

Much like recently approved plans to preserve - but still develop - the Hayden Flour Mill, Wall said 3W Companies intends to create a mixed-used building that incorporates the restaurant, or at least the historic part of it.

The original house is at the north end of the building. The rest is additions tacked on over the years, and those likely will be demolished.

...

The Monti's land was sold late last year after months of negotiations. Neither Wall, nor Monti would disclose a purchase price.

...

Monti said he was dedicated to finding a developer who "would do it right."

"Over my dead body would this building be harmed," Monti said. "I needed to find people who understand the tradition and respect my family's contribution and honor the Hayden family heritage."

Monti said he believes he found that developer in Wall and 3W Companies. But the process will be slow. It's still too soon to tell when the actual redevelopment will start.

"It'll be years, not months," Wall said. "Though I wish it were sooner. We have a lot of work ahead of us."

In the meantime, Monti's will stay open "for the foreseeable future," according to Wall and Monti.

And while, it will close down during construction, Monti's plans to continue catering, and reopen the restaurant inside the new project.

3W Companies' is a partner on another major project in Tempe: University Square is a $500 million, city-block-size project on University Drive just east of Mill Avenue.

I don't know about you, but after reading this article it seems clear that preserving Monti's is the last thing on 3W's agenda! Wall makes it perfectly clear that he wants to get moving on destroying most of the Monti's building, and somehow incorporating it into another of his company's tributes to unjustly acquired wealth. Obviously, Wall and the assorted developers are scum due to sit in one of the circles of hell, but how far up her ass was this reporter's head? Oh, wait, it's the Arizona Republic's Katie Nelson, duh. The last thing to expect from her is one single critical thought questioning development here in Tempe. Hell, it would be no surprise to anyone if it is revealed she's been in their pocket all along.

Finally, Michael Monti, owner of La Casa Vieja, through inheritance, deserves the biggest "F U" out of all of these scoundrels, largely because he is the only one who has professed to having any actual principles. Developers are ruthless, it's their thing; most journalists are cowards, that's their thing; but Michael Monti should have been different. See, Monti is also one of the top dogs of Arizona Chain Reaction, a business organization that encourages Arizonans to "shop local" for the benefit of sales tax revenue that, in theory, will enhance the community, and also emphasize the unique character of independent business over the Wal-Mart style big box commerce. Well, mission accomplished, Monti! You've now done your part to further soil what's left of Mill Ave., and when I say what's left, I'm being generous. What's left of Mill Ave., is the last dangling turd, on the verge of dropping into the toilet bowl. Then a nice big flush, say goodbye to what was once an interesting place to live and enjoy the city, and you've done your part now by rolling out the red carpet to big money who will do whatever they can to destroy the best parts of what made Tempe the city it was.

It sure has been a nice long shit, so take your time whiping, Michael, it's worth millions.

If the heat doesn't kill you...

Loads of great news for Arizonans this week, in addition to Arizona taking the honor for being the 3rd most dangerous state in the country (which I honestly think is pretty cool, keepin' the west wild and all that, we were only outranked by our neighbors New Mexico at #2, and Nevada at #1), the enemy of all that is good and kind, industrial capitalism, has really gone the distance to put Arizona's economy ahead of the people.

In line with the long history of such actions, groups of rich guys have been running shit in Arizona for as long as there has been an Arizona. The successful effort to change the AZ constitution to make us a right to work state was a good showing of their everlasting political muscle, most of the 22 states with such a law have it on the books as a statute, but not AZ, nope, it's in our constitution! It's beyond obvious they have increased their struggle against human freedom and welfare, after all, workers having no rights on the job wasn't enough, another drop in the bucket for these guys. So, what do you do when you're a millionaire who lives on the other side of the country, and have made your fortune by you and your buddies' companies destroying Arizona's unique bio-region and annihilating anything that resembles workers rights for your profit, then what?

You kill every one.

LOOKIN' GOOD: An Open Pit copper mine in Bisbee, Arizona

The Arizona Repub reported today on the devastating news that our state has leapfrogged the rest of the country in our toxic emissions:

Tens of millions of pounds of toxic chemicals were released into Arizona's air, water and land in 2005, a 15 percent jump from the previous year, according to a federal agency.

Toxic releases nationwide went up 3 percent during that time, according to new data from the Environmental Protection Agency. But as mining has grown in Arizona, so has the presence of toxics in the environment.

Mines and metal facilities were responsible for the majority of the 65.2 million pounds of toxics released in Arizona.

Copper mining has grown in Arizona as international demand for the metal has soared. The waste rock and ore left over from a mine often contain toxic metals.

The data come from the Toxics Release Inventory, a company-reported national database that details where and how toxic chemicals get into the environment.

While the seemingly unstoppable march of industrial development continues with it's toxic goosestep, there are those who fight to stop the total destruction of our state and fellow residents' lives. Just this past weekend a demonstration was held on the Chandler/Gila River community border against local scumlord Romic. Their operation is, according to their own website, a "world class hazardous waste management!", but it stinks of racism to this writer, as the Gila River indian community (it should be noted, by this I refer to the people, not the tribal government) has struggled for years to shut this and other polluters down in the Gila River area.

BURNIN' DEATH HERE: Romic's Gila River plant

GRACE (Gila River Alliance for a Clean Environment), a grassroots Gila River organization, is calling for Romic to shut down for good after a toxic plume was discovered underneath the Romic plant contaminating nearby water, and after members of GRACE were allowed to inspect the Romic site, finding evidence of mishandling of the waste all over the facility. Over 70 people participated in the demonstration, from different tribes, as well as residents from across the valley concerned for our collective health.

It is this sort of collective action our state needs if we want to continue to brag about our sunsets and mountains, but ten or fifteen years from now, when it's too late for both our state and (sadly) the world, our tumor ridden asses will have no one to blame but ourselves.