The Observation Deck

Gandhi statue on Martin Luther King Blvd. Indian Cultural Garden

A city that was for years was based and marketed itself as an open loving city, accepting all, and always willing to talk, and have open intelligent discussion seems broken on so many levels. Recently I too had been pulled into cesspool that is permeating all social media emanating out of the minds and fingers of so many Lakewoodites.

Then from Gary Rice, Julie Hutchison, and others came some familiar old words...

"Be the change you wish to see in the world." Gandhi (which was never actually said by Gandhi)


Gandhi statue on Martin Luther King Blvd. Indian Cultural Garden

“If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. ... We need not wait to see what others do.”

In 2018, the 14th year of the Lakewood Observer in print, I hope we can all work together again to build and heal this community for everyone.

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Jim O'Bryan wrote:In 2018, the 14th year of the Lakewood Observer in print, I hope we can all work together again to build and heal this community for everyone.

There can be no healing until scoundrels such as (but not limited to) Bullock, Summers, and O'Leary are removed from office.
Frankly, it is too late to save the city financially....we've passed the tipping point.
As for "healing" the city's soul....it's probably too late for that, too.
This City Hall and its allies will continue to divide the community in order to advance its agenda.
It's all quite sad....for many years I was a very proud resident....but no longer.

I feel the same way Mike. Also Trump is creating the same atmosphere in our country. Who could ever be proud of Trump and his completely divisive actions and words towards people and our respected FBI and CIA, I am baffled. He needs to leave office just like our City Officials that have dragged Lakewood down.

Jim, there was a lot of Love at Lakewood Hospital, Mayor Summers and others destroyed that for the love of money and we all know money is the root of all evil. Nothing will change in Lakewood until the current regime is ousted. Who can be our new leaders?

It is supreme folly to allow the actions of someone else to impact one's feelings about love, life, relationships, and pathways.

Anger is like cancer. It grows slowly within and reveals quickly without.

However we feel about the loss of our hospital, and in whatever way it went down, there will be many months until another election provides the opportunity to convince voters to take another pathway. In the meantime, we all must continue to live together here in this small microcosm of America.

Gandhi was indeed a social activist, of course, but he was also one who promoted healing within and without. Gandhi also knew that love was the one thing that the British could not argue with. When confronted with that love, they had to back down.

One time, as a handicapped kid, I was brutally harassed at school by a bully. I asked my mom how to handle it. She replied, "Just say "May God forgive you" to him.

I had my reservations, but went ahead and tried it on the guy the following day at school, but I was not prepared for what happened. He was taken aback, and started crying his eyes out, asking for my forgiveness. I had made a new friend.

It worked.

Anger and hatred have bitterly infested all sides of our Lakewood tragedy, but it is possible and more than that, it becomes absolutely necessary to work for change with love... and in that manner, to indeed become the change that we would like to see.

"You will not be punished for your anger. You will be punished by your anger" Buddha

Back to the banjo...

james fitzgibbons wrote:I feel the same way Mike. Also Trump is creating the same atmosphere in our country. Who could ever be proud of Trump and his completely divisive actions and words towards people and our respected FBI and CIA, I am baffled. He needs to leave office just like our City Officials that have dragged Lakewood down.

James, Mike


I agree we as citizens have a right to know the facts, and make decisions based on the facts.

At the same time I have witnessed what a life based on hate has done to people. Marriages destroyed, people sleeping on couches and in basements. Kids going through terrible holidays, parents on the verge of jail time, all fed by blind hate.

I am refusing to give in to it. I still want to see resolution, but I cannot, and will not give another Joule* to hatred. Energy cannot be created or destroyed only transferred, and the only way a person acquires power is from another giving it up. I'm done with that.

We have a group of people working together to put it all into perspective, especially with the ways people move among groups, following money. There are overlays and understanding being put together, all in a positive way to help others understand. That is where my energy goes, not to negative bastards that only know the sickness of hate.

* 1 Joule (J) is the MKS unit of energy, equal to the force of one Newton acting through one meter.

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Jim, I agree hate is a killer. I do not know anyone who is seething with hate at this point, what is there to love? No healing without admission of wrong doing and asking for forgiveness, none of the people involved in the dirty dealing that closed Lakewood Hospital will ever admit they screwed all of the people that live in Lakewood. Being disgusted is not the same as hate.
I hope we get new leadership. I know you are too busy to be the Mayor Of Lakewood?

Jim O'Bryan wrote:

james fitzgibbons wrote:Jim, I agree hate is a killer. I do not know anyone who is seething with hate at this point, what is there to love? No healing without admission of wrong doing and asking for forgiveness, none of the people involved in the dirty dealing that closed Lakewood Hospital will ever admit they screwed all of the people that live in Lakewood. Being disgusted is not the same as hate.
I hope we get new leadership. I know you are too busy to be the Mayor Of Lakewood?

No interest.

I get the disgust, just the law director flagrant disregard for the courts and the law is disgusting. Outrageous.

All coming from the new depth of hate being spawned in Lakewood by people supposedly "building Lakewood." To me, I cannot understand, nor do I want to, and I will not give in.

I spoke with Gary Rice the other night while working on the video and he agreed. I had coffee and time with Matt Kuhns last week, and he agreed. Time to take another breath, and walk away, while others can thrive and/or die on insanity and hatred.

Good things come to those that wait! I hope!