This may seem like a silly thing, but I thought it was an interesting story that deserved wider attention. I found the post on a friend’s facebook page and thought it seemed like a massive overreaction. Have credible threats been made? I wanted to know so I added this comment on the mayor’s post:
Have there been any credible threats made against the lighting and celebration of the $75,000 cone in an obscure little town in the middle of nowhere? Or is this just some xenophobic, bigoted show of force created by paranoia induced by media propagandists? Personally, if I were a taxpayer in the city of Cookeville, I would be outraged at the waste of taxpayers funds and would want the necessity for this excessive display of force thoroughly investigated.
As a bit of background, the $75,000 cone I refer to is the fake Christmas tree the city purchased this year. One of the commenters on my friend’s post is a city employee who made it clear that the city of Cookeville can ill-afford such frivolities as a $75 K fake Christmas tree, much less calling out “a significant” militarized law enforcement presence if there is not a credible threat that calls for such a response.
I admit that my comment was really snarky but, all snark aside, it is a legitimate question. Has there been a threat to justify such an action in a town with a very strained budget? We may never know. My comment was quickly deleted and I was blocked from commenting further. So far, he/his minions have left some critical comments in place (a few others have been deleted but I didn’t think to make screen shots) but no one has asked if his response, and the expense of it, is justified.
The comments in the post are starting to turn anti-Muslim . . .
This could get interesting.
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