The cowardly Patriot

"In the beginning of a change the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot."

-- Mark Twain, 1904 Notebook

On Sunday, February 13, the ironically named Patriot once again spectacularly failed to grasp the gravity of Harrisburg's situation in its City on the Brink editorial.

While acknowledging "concerns about Mayor Linda Thompson’s ability to lead grow with each new resignation, revelation and stumble" and admitting  "her operating style has been a failure since she took office last January," the editorial board is not "ready to join the resignation chorus."

Safe in their Hampton Township offices, the expatriate Patriot opines "the mayor has one final opportunity to turn things around for herself and, more importantly, the city of Harrisburg."

All she needs to do is . . . change.  Really?  That's it? 

According to the delusional editorial board, Linda can still turn things around if she just changes "not only her governing style but her belief that people who don’t agree with everything she says or does are out to get her."

That might work if Linda Thompson were capable of the Saul-on-the-road-to-Damascus transformation the Patriot naively hopes is possible.

On Saturday, the Patriot ran a transcript of a Chuck Ardo interview which paints a frightening picture of a mental breakdown. 

Chuck told the newspaper, "The mayor has fundamental distrust of The Patriot-News. ... She truly believes that you guys have her office bugged. I am absolutely dead serious."

But wait.  There's more.  According to Chuck, God thinks Linda is doing just fine, thank you very much, and has told her so. Personally.

"I went to see her and told her that I had breakfast with the controller and there was an opportunity to find compromise. It must have been a Friday afternoon because she went home, came in Monday morning, then came into my office and she said, 'I prayed on this all weekend long, and I had a vision this morning telling me not to trust the controller.' It’s indicative of her very fundamental religious beliefs. I really believe that they are a central part of this story."

Paranoia and visions as reported in their own newspaper, yet the editors think if Linda just "changes" she can turn it all around. 

The editorial doesn't factor in the underlying cause for the epic failure of the Thompson administration.  It has become increasingly evident based on first hand accounts and simple observation that Linda Thompson is struggling with some serious mental health issues. 

But don't take our word for it.  Take Linda's.  Through the yeoman efforts of James Roxbury at Roxbury News who has hours of video from meetings no other media attends, we have chilling evidence that Linda D. Thompson is unfit to bear the weight of her office. 

Herewith is Roxbury's highlight reel of Linda on Linda:
 

This is not the first time the Patriot has shirked its editorial duty.  There was the infamous waffle nonendorsement the paper ran before the mayoral election.  That, coupled with a virtual news blackout in the days immediately prior to the election, helped LT ascend the throne of power. 

We weren't fooled then, and we're not fooled now.  Comments  about today's editorial posted on PennLive cast universal doubt Linda has the capacity to change even if she has the will.  Hope for change in Harrisburg?  Not with Linda Thompson at the helm.

While we don't readily subscribe to Signs from God -- if there is a divine being, He, She or It has quite enough to do without being distracted by our insignificant concerns -- but we happened to find ourselves in the book section of Ollie's Bargain Outlet when two titles caught our eye.  What was exceedingly odd was they were adjacent to each other. 

While not rising to the level of  A Vision (which implies a level of celestial access we don't have, aren't likely to get and don't want) one might conclude the juxtaposition was at least A Sign. 



Lest anyone assume we are completely without empathy for Linda, that is not the case.  We agree with Joyce Davis' assertion that those who love Linda must intervene on her behalf.  We have no patience with sentiments expressed by the editorial board of the Patriot or anyone who advocates prolonging Linda's dysfunction. 

Harrisburg's situation is beyond grave and Thompson, flailing at her own demons, must not be allowed to drag the City into the abysss.