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Message of the Day: A Sign — 47 Comments

  1. Our irresponsible Algonquin Township Highway Commissioner teaching us a lesson on how to spend public monies…stay tuned…tic, tock, tic, tock, tic, tock, meeeeeoooooowwwwwwwww

  2. Uncle Meatball spending our tax money doing what he does best…making a fool of himself.

  3. I’d debate free speech with smug NWH or other similar rag journobabies, if they finally admit it’s a right everyone else has too. Or do I have to have a useless Journalism Degree to become expert?

  4. Know the truth and the truth shall set you free.

    The Northwest Herald is truly fake news.

  5. Which socially retarded manchild, suckling at the public agency teat, cooked up that gem?

  6. Regardless of one’s opinion of the message, this is an unabashed misappropriation of taxpayer resources for a personal vendetta.

  7. Regardless of one’s opinion of the message, this is an unabashed misappropriation of taxpayer resources for a personal vendetta.

  8. Andrew, you have lowered yourself to the childish behavior of our nation’s chief megalomaniac and have now demonstrated that you are one, as well.
    So what if the NWH reports things differently than you want them to?
    Respond professionally.
    You weren’t elected to spar with the media.
    Just do your job well, act responsibly, with maturity, and decide ethically and you’ll be rewarded.
    Behavior like this is unbecoming of ANY government entity, of which yours is among the tiniest.
    I am embarrassed for your constituents.

  9. Although the NWH gives “Fake News” a bad name, I would have to agree that this is an inappropriate use of a public resource.

  10. It’s a beautiful sign that speaks the T R U T H.

    But some snowflakes (the Miller Crime Family; cultural Marxists; NWH editors and scribblers) can’t handle the truth, so they explode with rage and hate.

    Good job Andrew! That’s why you got elected.

    People are sick and tired of the rats and enough people are waking up to reality.

  11. Finally somebody with enough scrotal development to call the liars out!

    Bravo!

  12. The NWH is the embarrassment, not Gasser, a man who can’t be bought off or scared off by a bunch of fraudsters and pennylicks.

  13. Angel and his slimy buds, a few questions:

    1) How the hell is public money being spent by the message?

    2) Does Gasser have a right of free speech?

    3) Didn’t Gasser win the election?

    4) Isn’t Bob Miller a crook?

    5) Do I have a right to cancel my subscription?

    6) Do I have a right to support Gasser?

    7) Wasn’t the recent Herald cartoon depicting mass-murderers Mao, Salin, Hitler & Trump typical of NWH fakery?

    8) Isn’t Gasser a bit like Trump in this cartoon? — https://grrrgraphics.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/trump_adult_in_room_ben_garrison.jpg

  14. I’m trying to imagine the outrage we would see on these comments (and from Cal) if the same thing, or something similar, had been done by Bob Miller.

    This is an absurd, childish, and arguably illegal use of township resources.

  15. 1) How the hell is public money being spent by the message?

    Seriously?

    It was put up during work time and it is owned by the township (ie public money).

    2) Does Gasser have a right of free speech?

    Of course he does. But he doesn’t have the right to use public resources for political messages.

    3) Didn’t Gasser win the election?

    Yea.

    4) Isn’t Bob Miller a crook?

    That hasn’t been proven. No charges have been filed. But also not very relevant to Gasser’s inappropriate use of public resources.

    5) Do I have a right to cancel my subscription?

    Of course.

    6) Do I have a right to support Gasser?

    Of course.

    7) Wasn’t the recent Herald cartoon depicting mass-murderers Mao, Salin, Hitler & Trump typical of NWH fakery?

    No.

    8) Isn’t Gasser a bit like Trump in this cartoon? —

    No.

  16. Gasser was elected to maintain roads, not spew Trumpisms against his political enemies while at work.

    If he just wrote this on his personal social media pages, not nearly as many people would be complaining (though the usual haters would be).

    I doubt this is illegal, but it does come across as childish, petty, inappropriate, and not a wise use of time, and that’s coming from someone who absolutely believes NW Herald has a bias against certain groups and individuals.

  17. Not sure if NWH is fake news but they sure are in Jack Franks back pocket.

    Enough so that their new name should be the Jack Franks News.

    I do agree that the sign is inappropriate and needs to come down.

  18. That sign should be used for factual messages to citizens passing by on the highway.

    Gasser should use other and private means to express his opinion about a newspaper.

  19. Perhaps the Herald could use its editorial and opinion pages to express their outrage, if they have any, about the bias in the major media such as the two big newspapers in NY and DC and also on broadcast and cable tv news programs.

  20. Alabama-Snake: keep your lame imaginings to yourself.

    You are a NWH flack.

    What about that?

    If, If, If …. what if a meteor, hurtling at 45,000 mph, vaporized you and your buddy, the mental-breakdown former NWH editor* who got canned for very mysterious reasons under very opaque circumstances,

    Now that would be a fortuitous event!

    *Dick Peterson, who lives in Woodstock, is a mental-health advocate. He is a freelance writer and a former Northwest Herald Opinion Page editor. He can be contacted at dickpeterson76@gmail.com.

  21. “People are sick and tired of the rats and enough people are waking up to reality.” I demand more respect for our sunshine blogger! Stay tuned…tic, tock, tic, tock, tic, tock, meeeeeoooooowwwwwwwww…

  22. Dear family values, God fearing, gun clinging, fiscally responsible, overburdened taxpayers, journalism experts, compassionate conservative brothers and sisters: Would you support friend-of-the-sunshine-blog and McHenry County Board Chairman Jack. D. Franks to post a similar message questioning the motives and intentions of this trash can blog and its sunshine blogger during his time as Board Chairman as a “bona fide” exercise of his free speech right? Sit back, relax, and enjoy compassionate conservative nonsense…stay tuned…tic, tock, tic, tock, tic, tock, meeeeeoooooowwwwwwwww…

  23. It’s unfortunate we don’t have more public officials like Gasser.

    If we did, Illinois wouldn’t be in the toilet swirling around with turds like Madigan, Dart, Rauner, Franks and Rahm.

  24. ladyjane

    1. The sign is owned by the public. Question for you: How would you react if a school or park district put vote yes on our signs during a referendum?

    2. gasser has the right to free speech. He has a social media page for this type of tripe.

    3. gasser won. Doesn’t allow him to do this sort of tuff on my dime.

    4. No fan of Miller, but he has been convicted of nothing. So no.

    5. yep.

    6. yep. I think he’s nuts, but that’s just me.

    7. The cartoon was political satire which has been around since we were colonies. It made us do a comparison to other national leaders who called the media the enemy. Facts can hurt sometimes. Right?

    8. See #6.

  25. Next, my contribution to the trivia-question-marathon-A-Palooza:
    1- What is the political party whose cult-like followers advocate for “personal responsibility?”
    2- What political party never takes responsibility for anything wrong they do, even though they control all 3 branches of government and always blame Democrats?
    If your answer to both questions is the republikkklan party, it means you are not fully a committed, fully vested sunshine commenter. Stay tuned…tic, tock, tic, tock, tic, tock, meow, meow, meeeeeoooooowwwwwwwww…

  26. Andrew Gasser broke another campaign promise to not use gov property for personal use.

  27. Tom, go back to finger-painting at the NorthWorst Herald.

    Soon the paper will fold, and you may well have to get a productive job.

    Maybe you could get a job at Brookfield Zoo.

    Gasser is Great.

    The Herald blows.

    Next tempest in a teapot.

  28. I still don’t get how public money was misspent by Gasser on his message.

    But hey, I understand why you creeple gotta defend fake news and try and tar the very person exposing it for what it is: FAKE NEWS!

    Gasser’s Message is a long overdue public service.

    I applaud him for telling it like it is.

    Angel, go back to Oaxaca.

    Alabama, go back to your NWH fake news desk.

  29. The Herald is the blight on this county.

    And I can’t wait till it’s gone.

  30. There IS bias in some national and statewide stories in the newspaper from time-to-time that come from an outside agency/source.

    Locally, Gasser should document instances where he sees or has seen bias, omission of facts, etc and submit that to the publisher and editor.

  31. **Alabama-Snake: keep your lame imaginings to yourself. You are a NWH flack. What about that?**

    LOL – y’all are silly.

    I think that the NWH is a lousy sloppy newspaper.

    I don’t know a single person there now.

    And I’ve only once known a single person (the great Ryan Byrne, who died way too young) that worked there.

    It’s also got a right wing editorial board that makes terrible arguments that lack logic.

    I have no interest in defending the NWH.

    I do have an interest in pointing out the hypocrisy of many of you.

    And I do have an interest in defending a free press.

    But, do ahead and make absurd assumptions and arguments.

  32. In the article in the Herald, Fat Jack complained that “The taxpayers also paid for the time for him or someone else to change the letters. He cannot use government resources for personal use.”

    The reporter at the Herald didn’t see fit to mention that Jack’s publicly employed gofer Kevin Craver was caught red handed changing the sign at Jack’s campaign headquarters.

    http://mchenrycountyblog.com/2018/04/12/county-employee-changes-campaign-sign-mid-afternoon-work-day/

    Rules for thee, but not for me

  33. What exactly has Gasser accomplished in his months on the job?

    Numerous lawsuits, slashed services and a whole new crop of patronage pigs in the trough.

    I was deeeeeeelighted when Miller’s reign of corruption ended and high hopes of Gasser cleaning house.

    He’s proven himse!f to be no less corrupt but much less competent.

    Just shut up and do your job!

  34. People can cry “fake news” all they want, but it obvious most people only say it when they disagree with the message.

    Left.

    Right.

    You’re all being duped.

  35. I can’t say that I oppose, or support the sign usage.

    I don’t take it that seriously.

    I do support the message.

    It’s the first truth I’ve read with NWH in it.

    It didn’t cost taxpayer’s anything, and to compare that thought with what BM cost us, is absurd.

    I can understand the Highway Commissioner’s action.

    As much as Ed has outright lied about Mr. Gasser, and the Township Road Dist., what recourse does he have to defend himself?

    Gasser tried working with the NWH, he tried using social media, to no avail.

    He put the message on the sign, and how does Ed Komenda respond?

    Yep, with more FAKE NEWS!

  36. Most of the things that are being called “Fake News” are precisely the opposite of “Fake News”. The NYT, WaPo, LATimes etc. are the epitomes of professional journalism which at least espouses and tries to be “objective”, although some may disagree that they have been successful in that regard.

    The NWH, on the other hand, has been bought and paid for by the Franks and Miller families and it’s reporting reflects that.

    Unlike this blog, whose biases are obvious and which make no pretense of objectivity, the NWH continues to pretend it exists in the universe of objective professional journalism when it does not.

    That makes it particularly dangerous.

    That said, it is still improper for a public office to use public property to vent his political frustrations, whether it costs any actual taxpayer dollars or not.

  37. “I can’t say that I oppose, or support the sign usage.” Nothing more intriguing and worth of investigation than compassionate conservative ambivalence. Sunshine blogger, get to the bottom of this…tic, tock, tic, tock, tic, tock, meow, meow, meeeeeoooooowwwwwwwww…

  38. Baffling.

    First, this has NOTHING to do with Mr. Gasser’s right to free speech. The First Amendment guarantees that, for the most part, the government cannot punish or limit speech. The First Amendment does not impact the ability of private citizens and organizations to punish or limit speech. This is why it’s permissible for a private employer to fire an employee for engaging in speech the employer disapproves of; private employers have the right to manage their employees as they see fit.

    HOWEVER, the First Amendment doctrine becomes complicated when the government is the employer. First of all, government employees are only protected by the First Amendment when they are speaking as private citizens. If their speech is part of their official job duties, then they can be fired or disciplined for it. (Garcetti v. Ceballos; (Pickering v. Bd. Ed.). Here, Mr. Gasser, in his official capacity as a Highway Whatever, is speaking as a government employee, not as a private citizen (only in his official capacity may he change the sign).

    Furthermore, the sign outside the Highway is either A. a limited purpose public forum – where the government opens a non-public forum to speech whereby we ask 1) for what purposes did the governmental entity intend to allow expressive use of the forum; and 2) does the expression at issue fit within the purpose so designated?(the government, in dedicating the forum for expressive purposes–that is, in defining the forum–may adopt reasonable limitations on who may use the forum.) OR B. Government Speech where the government itself is speaking (Walker v. Texas Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans). In the latter, the government is unrestrained in messaging (e.g. allowable types of license plates; choosing to promote the benefit of vegetables, etc.).

    Here, the former is clearly teh correct analysis. The government has opened the forum up to certain speech. In defining the forum the government may adopt reasonable limitations on who may use the forum. e.g. Non-profits may put up messages, but not for profit companies. Also, it is under no First Amendment obligation to have opened a limited forum, but once it does, it must allow all within that designation to advertise or use the forum equally. A public university student center meeting rooms found to be a limited public forum in Widmar v Vincent could be restricted in their use to students, but the university could notallow students to meet for academic, social, or political purposes, but not for religious purposes.

    Here: the sign outside the building often contains myriad messages such as when recycling will be collected; when certain non-profits are selling their wares, and when the library may have a book sale. If it allows the Jaycees to advertise christmas tree sales, it must also allow a non-profit selling say, matzoah to advertise.

    However, viewpoint cannot be limited once open. Here, Gasser used government messagig to promote an overtly right wing partisan message while acting as a government employee. First, he can most certainly be fired for doing so. Second, if the forum is open to political messages (it isn’t), it must be open to all political messages. The sign could say “Remember to vote,” but not “vote repubican.” If indeed the forum is open to politics, the democrats or communists or socialists would be free to use the board to express their messaging.

    Either Mr. Gasser should be disciplined for his unlawful use of the sign, or the sign should be open to all who wish to express a political opinion.

    Frankly, this is ridiculous partisanship and stupidity taken to new heights… and it’s shameful…

  39. A very boring and tedious post by Liberty.

    Liberty Lost said:

    “Gasser used government messagig to promote an overtly right wing partisan message while acting as a government employee.”

    Agreed that Gasser should not use government property for his personal opinion of a newspaper. But, why is his message “right wing” if he thinks the newspaper is biased? Can a person express an opinion, not well composed by Gasser, about a newspaper or any media be it FOX news or MSNBC without putting a right or left label on them?

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