The Most Moronic Statement I’ve Seen In A Long Time
27 02 2008In a letter sent to the Springfield News-Leader today, Hank Zeniewicz, “public relations director” for the new homeless shelter that Larry Rice wants to build in Springfield, compared the Springfield city council to Hitler. In the article, Zeniewicz said things like:
““In 1933, after coming to power, Hitler and his henchmen passed resolutions against those who were homeless. They called them, as does this resolution call the homeless here in Springfield, ‘undesireables’ in an attempt to rid Germany of their homeless population,” Zeniewicz wrote.”
“How long will it be before the Mayor, the City Council, the County Commission and the Schoolboard (sic) all start demanding that we say, ‘Sieg Heil?’”
Quite simply, that’s the most moronic thing I’ve heard said in a long time and one of the most moronic things I’ve seen printed in the Springfield News-Leader. I’ve often said that running to Hitler comparisons for something that is obviously far from the genocide committed by Hitler is an example of someone who can’t present a coherent argument and valid case for their side of an issue. Seeing these statements today does nothing to dissuade me from that opinion.
And get this part of the story: “Zeniewicz sent a letter on New Life stationery and identified himself as a New Life public relations spokesman but also said his views are his own and he is not speaking for Rice.”
Here’s a free lesson in public relations for everyone. When you send a letter that claims you are the public relations spokesman for an organization on the letterhead of that organization you’re not just speaking for yourself. While your views might be your own the second it goes out on that letterhead it represents the organization. Either this man is not really the public relations spokesman for the group or he has never really had any kind of training as a public relations spokesman.
Larry Rice needs to denounce the statements of this man right now or else risk people believing that he too thinks the Springfield City Council is like Hitler.
I whole heartedly believe that more needs to be done to help the homeless in our community. I was in favor of Mr. Rice’s center should adequate security be provided on site for the center. There is a track record of violence in Mr. Rice’s facilities and therefore security is a viable thing to ask for by the community but there is no denying the need Mr. Rice was planning to help fill. However, after these statements to the newspaper, I no longer support Mr. Rice, New Life Evangelistic Center or those wishing to make this facility a reality. Any group that wants to make comparisons between our city council and Nazis is not someone that we need in this community.
I’ve seen several comments from people to this story who are trying to spin this as the city being against veterans or homeless veterans and THAT IS NOT THE CASE. To make the claim that this is about the city council having a dislike for veterans or veterans in need is simply lying. This issue has to do with Mr. Rice and the track record of his facilities that raise very serious and very valid questions. If the people who are so concerned with helping homeless veterans want to really help them the first step is to stop trying to soften what was sent to the newspaper by a New Life Evangelistic Center public relations spokesman and instead work with the community to ease their concerns and get them on board.
Let me make this very clear to the New Life supporters: THE BURDEN TO MAKE THE CENTER SAFE AND EASE THE FEARS OF THE COMMUNITY IS NOT ON THE COMMUNITY. IT IS NOT ON CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL OR THE CITY OF SPRINGFIELD. IT IS ON NEW LIFE EVANGELISTIC CENTER AND BY EXTENSION THEIR SUPPORTERS. Quit making claims of discrimination, quit trying to get national media to come in and put out your spin of persecution and start working with those around you in the community to show you are going to be good neighbors. Prove to those worried about the safety of their children that you are going above and beyond to protect those children.
The “city council hate homeless” routine is tired and done. You have lost my support and likely lost the support of many others who were sympathetic to your situation because we recognize the need for helping the homeless in our community. Drop the Nazi references, quit the pity party and step up and show responsibility to the community like you claim you’re going to instill in the men who come through your doors.
Actaully if you compare the violence at shelters with violence at hotels/motels for a given period they are pretty close. And most violence is like on like, that is, homeless people assualt other homeless, most violence in hotels is domestic, etc. On the other hand teens have been known to troll hunt (group assualt a homeless person) (a few years back some teens killed a homeless man on the northside), and I would suggest what is Central High school doing to prevent its students from assualting the homess Vets which may come to Larry’s center?
I know my comment is far-fetched and mostly satirical but I believe so are those who worry that their high school student is going to be harmed by the homeless. I have yet to hear of a homeless person assualting a high school student in this town but i have heard the reverse.
There’s a problem with your scenario…the school isn’t moving to where the shelter is but the shelter near the school. The onus isn’t on the school to prove anything regarding the shelter because they’re not the new item changing the social dynamic.
They got to Godwin’s law pretty fast.
Very well put, Jason. As for Mr. Zeniewicz, I believe Jonah Goldberg would be proud of his attempt to play the Nazi card.
HIgh school students are more likely to be killed at school by their classmates than by a homeless person hanging around due to nearby services. The folk who have raised this issue of Fear could better use their time addressing that real danger than to engage in imaginal fearmongering.
Of course, if one really wanted safety one would have to turn Central High into a Super-Max prison
I’m curious why you’re ignoring the issue of Rice’s responsibility to the community when he opens a center of this nature. His centers have had a track record of violence and while you may want to try and water it down by comparing it to other things it’s still a track record of violence. Why don’t you address the actions taken by Rice and his representatives?
Because there is an institutional bias against the homeless in this city. If no one speaks up for them who will?
Also, its across the street from a police station! I really doubt that there will be many problems with patrol cars coming by many times an hour.
Again, Central High students stand a greater chance of being harmed by their peers than by a passin homeless Vet. People tend to misdirect their fears. There is an interesting chapter in the book “Freakonomics” which deals with this issue.
Jason,
Why do you try to portray other shelters in other locations to this one in Springfield ?? It is the same logical argument as comparing school violence elsewhere.
Let us not forget that Hitler didn’t start gassing the jews as soon as he got elected this transpired over time. People remember the atrocities of Hitler, however before the mass murdering he did much good for Germany.