Detroit thread. Post Kwame, Monica, and $1 houses here.

[Caliga]

Hm, so a city within a city housing "Eastern European" types? 

Ich approven.

[Savonarola]

Don't mess with a Warlock:

Sheen torpedoed show, not Detroit
Actor's wonky tour debut invited horrible response
Susan Whitall / The Detroit News
Poor old Detroit. For years we've endured the jibes of comedians, we suffer through the Detroit Lions, and now, as the Charlie Sheen circus rolls across the country, we get to hear about audiences in neighboring Rustbelt cities yelling "F--- Detroit!" or "Detroit sucks!" before the aging Hollywood pretty boy even takes the stage.

In the afterglow of the Super Bowl Chrysler/Eminem commercial, it appeared that Detroit-bashing was being replaced by testaments to our grit and endurance. Then came Sheen, riding a wave of tabloid publicity after his winter-long, post-rehab meltdown and firing from his hit CBS show "Two and a Half Men."

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Sheen was the one who put on a rambling, ill-conceived show in Detroit last Saturday, let hecklers distract him and ultimately derail the performance, leading to deservedly horrendous reviews of his "Violent Torpedo of Truth."

But who's to blame? Oh, right ... Detroit.

At least journalists are a little harder to manipulate than Sheen's post-Detroit audiences. In Chicago on Sunday night, the show started with a chant of "Detroit sucks." Then Sheen advised the Windy City audience, "Let's show Detroit how it's (expletive) done."

"Charlie: the problem ain't Detroit," tweeted Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times from his seat in the Chicago Theater.

In his full-length review, Roeper wrote: "That almost nobody walked out is either a testament to the patience of Chicago audiences or the fact that folks figured they'd already paid, so why not stick around to see if anything interesting will happen?"

In Cleveland, the audience also warmed up with a chant of "Detroit sucks." By the time Sheen's sideshow got to Columbus on Wednesday night, the Detroit-bashing had lost some of its zing. There were no chants, but according to Columbus air personality Misty Jordan of Power 107.5, when a fellow wearing a "Detroit" jacket walked to the front of the theater, the crowd booed him.

The actor's complaints about the mean Detroit audience resonated with some. Comedian Chris Rock commented on "Good Morning America" that he felt for Sheen, that he, too, had been booed in Detroit.

The Twitter account of "Sue Sylvester," the character Jane Lynch portrays on "Glee," even got into the act. "Don't worry @charliesheen, I got booed in Detroit, too," she tweeted. "Did you refer to them as 'the ugliest city in Southern Canada'? They hate that."

It was a particularly low blow when, in a tweet, Sheen dubbed Chicago "the new Rock City," co-opting our nickname, "Detroit Rock City."

Is that all you got, Charlie? What made Detroit rock audiences famous wasn't that they cheered anything. It was that they were tough critics, but very loyal once they loved you.

As music business attorney Bob Lefsetz noted in his weekly "Lefsetz Letter" online, it was a mistake to premier the show in Detroit. Gail Parenteau, who worked as a promoter in Detroit in the '70s and '80s, agrees. "He should have gone to Sausalito," Parenteau says. "Charlie, some people learn to swim in a pool. Starting a tour in Detroit is like learning to swim by being thrown in the rapids."

Meanwhile, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing won't rise to the bait of the Detroit-bashing from Sheen or his audience.

"Charlie Sheen is not on the mayor's mind or agenda," said the mayor's spokeswoman Karen Dumas. "Given the inquiries about (Sheen's) Detroit comments, we can only assume that this is yet another publicity-generating tactic, which unfortunately seems to be working."

As if our post-April Fool's Day experience wasn't enough, Sheen producer Joey Scoleri hinted that a makeup date in Detroit might be on Sheen's agenda. There are some who would welcome that.

Dave LaVoie of Wyandotte was at the Fox Theatre last Saturday for the Sheen throwdown, and he'd go back for more.

"If he would offer the ticketholders reduced entry, I would definitely go back," LaVoie said. "The whole atmosphere outside, there was a lot of fun going on. I was a little disappointed with the heckling. I did think we could have treated him better. But I was disappointed that he stormed out."

Asked if Sheen and Detroit would have a rematch, the actor's cryptic publicist Larry Solters would only say, "Rumors abound."

"The ugliest city in Southern Canada?"  Is that actually supposed to be insulting?

[Berkut]

"The ugliest city in Southern Canada?"  Is that actually supposed to be insulting?

The insult was aimed at Canada, not Detroit.

So yeah...

[Savonarola]

"The ugliest city in Southern Canada?"  Is that actually supposed to be insulting?

The insult was aimed at Canada, not Detroit.

So yeah...

Oh, that makes more sense.

Calling Detroit "The ugliest city in Ohio" would be more insulting to us given our long standing rivalry with Brutus Buckeye and Ohio, unlike southern Canada, has some genuine contenders in the ugliest city category.

[Savonarola]

Stone walls do not a prison make,
Nor iron bars a cage;
Minds innocent and quiet take
That for an hermitage;

And now for minds which are neither innocent nor quiet:

Monica Conyers asks to serve remainder of her sentence at home
Robert Snell / The Detroit News
Detroit— Former City Council President Monica Conyers wants out of "Camp Cupcake."

The imprisoned wife of U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Detroit, has asked a federal judge to modify her 37-month prison sentence for bribery and let her serve time at home, according to a three-page handwritten letter filed today in U.S. District Court in Detroit.

     In arguing for reconsideration, Conyers, 46, said a federal judge failed to consider her age, education, work skills, employment record, family ties and "likihood (sic)" she would commit another crime. Plus, her son's babysitter is returning to school soon, Conyers wrote in the letter to U.S. District Judge Avern Cohn.

Her bid is a long shot considering Conyers has filed an appeal, which is pending before the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, said Peter Henning, a law professor at Wayne State University and former federal prosecutor.

"You can ask," Henning said. "Barring extraordinary circumstances, I doubt he would reconsider."

The request comes seven months after Conyers reported to a federal women's prison camp in Alderson, W.Va. Dubbed "Camp Cupcake," the prison camp offers plenty of perks, including washers, dryers, microwave ovens, hair dryers, curling irons and cosmetology areas where inmate-to-inmate pedicures and manicures are allowed.

In a letter, Conyers said the court could, as an alternative, sentence her to home confinement, community confinement or intermittent confinement to "correct the blatent (sic) sentencing disparities."

Conyers is serving the sentence after pleading guilty to accepting at least $6,000 for her deciding vote in the 2007 Synagro Technologies Inc. sludge contract.

After her sentence, Conyers tried to withdraw her guilty plea and appealed.

She complained that she pleaded guilty because she was unable to resist pressure from her lawyer, the government and the news media, according to an appeal brief.

Despite graduating from law school — she bragged about being the only council member with a law degree — and marrying Conyers, who is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, she was inexperienced with the criminal justice system, according to her appeal.

In a letter to The Detroit News this year, Conyers complained that Camp Cupcake doesn't live up to its cushy nickname, provides no second servings of food to inmates and has few education opportunities.

Her lawyer during the case, Steve Fishman, could not be reached for comment immediately today. Her appeal lawyer, Douglas Mullkoff, also could not be reached today.

So... couldn't John find another baby sitter? 

[Savonarola]

Our beauty pageant winner can beat up your beauty pageant winner:

Michigan's Miss USA goes from beauty queen to smackdown queen on new wrestling show
1:10 AM, Apr. 10, 2011  |  99Comments
PER BERNAL/USA NetworkTwitter

DETROIT FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER Filed Under
She's an F-bomb throwing, hot-tub bopping, body-slamming, drink-tossing party girl competing to become a professional wrestler on a reality TV show that debuted last week.

"Yeah, I'm a beauty queen, but I'm (expletive) tough," said Dearborn's Rima Fakih, the reigning Miss USA, as she looked into the camera in the first episode of "WWE Tough Enough," a series that airs 8 p.m. Mondays on the USA Network.

Fakih started her reign as the first Arab-American Miss USA with controversy, after photos of her in a pole-dancing contest surfaced. And she seems destined to end her reign on June 19 in the same manner, raising eyebrows and destroying stereotypes of beauty queens and Muslim women.

After watching the show's first episode, Fakih told the Free Press that she was "embarrassed" about using "inappropriate language," but she is "only human."

"I don't want younger girls to think it's OK to say bad words," Fakih said.

"But I do want younger girls to know you have to stand up for yourself."

Miss USA Rima Fakih keeps crushing stereotypes with latest role as wrestler
Once upon a time, beauty queens were prim and proper, decked out in elegant gowns and sparkling tiaras, using their position to promote such causes as world peace, and, like, saving the dolphins.

Then along came Dearborn's Rima Fakih, the reigning Miss USA.

"You big, stupid mother (expletive)!" she shouted, in the first episode of "WWE Tough Enough," a reality TV show on the USA Network. "Get the (expletive) out of my face. I'm gonna (expletive) kill you."

Fakih was having a heated argument with Mickael Zaki, one of the cast members, who was shown throwing pillows at her. She responded by screaming and dousing him with water.

"You know what?" Fakih said, full of anger, pointing her finger and cocking her head. "I will get you one day, (expletive). I will get you. Just believe me."

The camera cut to an interview with Zaki.

"Rima was definitely acting like Miss Ghetto USA," Zaki said in the episode. "Whatever she gets her hands on, she will (expletive) throw at you. You better make sure there is no liquid around. No forks. No knives. No ninja stars. No newborn babies."

In a huff of anger, Fakih dramatically left the room, snapped her fingers and proclaimed: "Miss USA is out."

Do not get on her bad side
Paula Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organization, which includes Miss USA, gave Fakih permission to take an unprecedented break from her Miss USA responsibilities to participate in the show because she said it was a good opportunity for Fakih, who wants to get into television and acting.

"The one thing I know about Rima is, she won't be put in a box," Shugart said. "She might be put into a wrestling ring, but she won't be put in a box. She has broken every single stereotype."

The series began with 12 men and women living in a house in Simi Valley, Calif., competing for a contract with WWE, formerly known as World Wrestling Entertainment. Former professional wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin decides who will stay or get kicked off the show. The series is scheduled to air for 10 weeks.

Fakih survived the first episode but she wouldn't say how long she lasted in the series. She did hint that she will take even more abuse.

Producers warned her that she would play the part of an underdog.

"I didn't realize that I would be the only one with absolutely no wrestling experience," she said. "In the house, the more that I kicked somebody's butt in some challenge, the more they would hate and hate and hate."

After watching the first episode, Fakih told the Free Press that she was embarrassed by her language.

"I didn't mean to sound like a truck driver, as they say," Fakih said. "My mother called me after the show and she said, 'I'm proud of you, but you curse a lot in this show.' "

Fakih, 25, said the first episode told only part of the story. It didn't show how she was provoked until she "snapped."

"I won't share with you the guy's comments, the things that were said to me," Fakih said. "I took it. I took it, and I responded. He didn't throw one pillow. He threw more than that. At my face. ... I had attacks, insults thrown at me. My mother was brought into it. The fact that I'm Muslim and Arab was brought into it. I took a lot of attacks."

Shugart said she was surprised to hear Fakih's language.

"Oh my goodness, Rima," Shugart said. "I've dealt with Rima for the better part of a year, and I've never heard her curse."

How a wrestling star was born
Fakih didn't train for the wrestling and said the experience was physically draining.

"I can tell you one thing," Fakih said, "in the ring, I tried to hide my pain. ... I've never had a C-section, but I'm pretty sure that's what it would feel like."

She pushed through the pain by taking Motrin, getting iced down and soaking in a hot tub.

"I loved the experience," Fakih said. "It made me feel, to be honest with you, like I can accomplish anything."

The show wrapped up shooting in California in March.

"Rima came back purple," Shugart said. "We had to go buy bulk body makeup to try covering up her legs for events."

Different sides of the same person
Shugart said the reality series does not show a complete picture of Fakih.

"What I love about Rima is, this entire first year has been about growth," Shugart said. "If somebody says she can't do something, she says, 'OK, I'll show you.' "

Shugart sent the Free Press an e-mail with a link to a video of Fakih's Feb. 5 speech at the centennial celebration for President Ronald Reagan in Simi Valley.

"If you look at this speech at the Reagan centennial, which was completely from her heart ... then, look at the woman on the show on Monday night, and you say, 'Wait a minute, that's not the same person,' " Shugart said. "But it is. It's all a different facet of Rima."

In the speech, Fakih said that being crowned Miss USA was the proudest moment of her life. "But being here now, celebrating the 100th birthday of former President Ronald Reagan, matches the pride and honor I felt that night," she said.

"The fact that I'm the first Muslim and the first immigrant to be crowned Miss USA speaks volumes to the fact that anything is possible in this country."

Backlash and praise
As she breaks stereotypes, Fakih acknowledges that she has faced harsh criticism.

"To my face? Never," she said. But she added that she has experienced backlash from some.

"I had certain people who were religious thinking that I was giving Muslims a bad name," she said. "But I had a lot of supporters, even when I traveled to the Middle East. People would pat me on my back and say, 'Congratulations.' "

Sally Howell, an associate professor at the University of Michigan-Dearborn who studies Arab culture, said that it was "refreshing" to learn about Fakih's appearance on the wrestling show because it breaks so many stereotypes about Muslim women.

"There are people on the right who are trying to paint it as Dearborn-istan, this place where Muslims are living in lockstep," Howell said. "Here is this very ordinary American woman, who comes from Dearborn, who comes from the Arab community, and it clearly shows that Dearborn is more diverse. There isn't one Arab community; there are many different ones."

Kathryn Casa, communications director for the Dearborn-based Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services, said that no one from the organization had heard about Fakih's role on the wrestling show.

When it was explained, Casa said, "The thing about the Arab community is it's not monolithic. There are people that would be disturbed by that. And some who wouldn't be. It's not like they are one mind. It's a pretty varied group of people."

Fakih's reign will end June 19 when she crowns the next Miss USA. She hasn't decided on her future, but she has several offers on the table, including preliminary talk of doing a TV show based in Dearborn.

As for a future in wrestling, Fakih can't say how she did in the show.

"I have been told by the producers her story line is very compelling," Shugart said. "She was definitely the least prepared."

Kick their asses, Rima!

[Savonarola]

One torpedo of truth deserves another:

Maher calls for war on Wall St.
Apr 11, 2011 

It looks like the Detroit audience that booed Charlie Sheen's "My Violent Torpedo of Truth" tour opening bomb at the Fox Theatre on April 2 landed a direct hit on Bill Maher's radar.

During Friday's "New Rules" closing segment on his HBO series "Real Time," Maher urged working-class U.S. citizens to begin "a class war" on Wall Street.

"Americans need to have a Detroit moment where they realize they're pooling their money and wasting it on the richest guy in the room," Maher said.

Maher continued the comparison of blue-collar Detroiters getting screwed out of their money by the entitled Sheen during his "self-pity tour" with taxpaying Americans being taken advantage of by "too big to fail" bailout-money-gifted corporations.

"And if you think a guy living large, and rubbing your nose in it that you're not, is funny, here's one you'll really love: You have to pay your taxes next week, and General Electric doesn't."

Maher wondered aloud why people aren't raging mad at GE, which he called "America's largest corporation," when it won't have to pay taxes on its $14 billion in profits.

The comedian and social commentator, who is to play the Michigan Theatre in Ann Arbor on Saturday, ended his Sheen analogy by suggesting the U.S. economy jack one of the warlock's most infamous comments from the flop at the Fox: "I've already got your money, dude."

In the workers paradise there will be no Charlie Sheen.  WORKERS OF THE WORLD UNITE!

[garbon]

Saw this on facebook:
"learned today that of the 11 people isolated with vancomycin resistant staph in the ENTIRE WORLD, 9 were in detroit"

[MadImmortalMan]

Detroit Faces State Takeover If Unable To Cut Spending By $200M
Detroit Spending

Detroit must cut $200 million in spending or face a takeover by the state of Michigan, Mayor Dave Bing said on Tuesday.

With the city's population dropping to a 100-year low, while its budget deficit is projected to climb to $1.2 billion by fiscal 2015, Bing outlined a plan to the city council to balance Detroit's finances over five years.

That plan includes cuts in personnel costs, a one-year suspension of a payment to employee pensions, and a temporary gambling tax increase.

"If we are unable or unwilling to make these changes, an emergency financial manager will be appointed by the state to make them for us. It's that simple," Bing said in his budget address.

In March, Governor Rick Snyder signed into law a bill that bulks up the state's ability to intervene in fiscally troubled local governments and appoint someone to oversee them. The new law also gives state-appointed financial managers the power to modify or end collective bargaining agreements with public sector workers -- a move that sparked pro-union demonstrations in the state capitol earlier this year.

Bing, who pegged the current deficit at $155 million, said the city council, unions and the pension boards had to work together to turn around Detroit's finances. Otherwise, he said, the state will step in and "existing contracts will be voided, legislative powers will be stripped and decisions will be made without the input of elected officials or residents."

That reality was not lost on members of the city council.

"I want to make sure we're not the group that's the answer to the trivia question -- Who was in charge of the city of Detroit when the emergency financial manager came in and took over?" said Council Member James Tate.

Detroit's shaky finances are a major concern in the $2.9 trillion municipal bond market, where the city's bonds are rated in the junk category. Detroit was also cited in a recent Reuters poll as a potential candidate for rarely used municipal bankruptcy.

The mayor's proposed fiscal 2012 $3.11 billion all-funds budget includes nearly $1.22 billion of general fund spending, according to budget documents.

Some of Bing's budget-balancing proposals depend on getting bills passed through the Republican-controlled Michigan Legislature. They include the higher tax on Detroit casinos, pension reforms, the suspension of state driver licenses for three unpaid Detroit parking tickets and the continuation of the city's ability to collect income and utility taxes.

Detroit's population under current state law must be at least 750,000 to collect the taxes, which generated $265 million last year, Bing said.

U.S. Census figures released last month showed Detroit's population fell to 713,777 in 2010 from 951,270 in 2000, as the region suffered from a struggling automotive industry, plant closures and job losses.

Bing said while he believes the final census count will be revised upward, the city must deal with the reality of a shrinking population base and the loss of state and federal funding.

State revenue sharing has already been dropping and Detroit expects to receive less than half of the $332 million it got in 2002, according to Bing, who added that talks with the legislature and governor were ongoing.

But Council Member Saunteel Jenkins said she will be pushing for revenue alternatives in case Michigan lawmakers don't pass needed legislation.

Detroit, which sold nearly $250 million of deficit financing bonds last year, begins fiscal 2012 on July 1.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/12/detroit-state-takeover-spending_n_848230.html


How much money would you loan to Saunteel Jenkins?

[Tonitrus]

$37 million dollars.   

[Savonarola]

Best of luck to Detroit's upcoming financial manager:

Can Mayor Dave Bing save Detroit from a state takeover?

He said he's up for the fight, but he needs help from regional leaders, the business community, the governor and the Legislature.

Most of all, he said, he needs Detroit's 48 employee unions to agree to come back to the negotiation table, knowing full well they'll be asked to leave more there in the form of concessions.

That's a hard sell, said Michael Whitty, a University of Detroit-Mercy adjunct business professor who specializes in labor relations.

"There does come a point where enough is enough, and maybe the mayor is pressing his luck here," Whitty said.

"If there is ever a time for Detroit workers to draw a line in the sand, this is it."

Bing is convinced that the only other alternative is a state-appointed emergency financial manager.

"You know you're going to have a fight with the unions -- there's no way around that," he told the Free Press editorial board Wednesday.

"They're already gearing up for it. It's unfortunate that we have to constantly go back (to them), but that's where the costs are."

In Michigan emergency financial managers have the power to void union contracts (a law that was brought about by the many grievances and lawsuits filed by the various unions that serve the Detroit Public Schools over the current DPS emergency financial manager) so it's in the best interest of the unions not to have an emergency financial manager for the city.   

[MadImmortalMan]

Fire everybody!!

Detroit Moves Against Unions
Mayor and Schools Chief Leverage State Law to Force Change, Close Budget Gaps


By MATTHEW DOLAN

DETROIT—A new state law has emboldened the Detroit mayor and schools chief to take a more aggressive stance toward public unions as the city leaders try to mop up hundreds of millions of dollars in red ink.

Robert Bobb, the head of the Detroit Public Schools, late last week sent layoff notices to the district's 5,466 salaried employees, including all of its teachers, a preliminary step in seeking broad work-force cuts to deal with lower enrollment.

Earlier last week, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing presented a $3.1 billion annual budget to City Council in which he proposed higher casino taxes and substantial cuts in city workers' health care and pensions to close an estimated $200 million budget gap.

Mr. Bobb, already an emergency financial manager for the struggling and shrinking public school system, is getting further authority under a measure signed into law March 17 that broadens state powers to intervene in the finances and governance of struggling municipalities and school districts. This could enable Mr. Bobb to void union contracts, sideline elected school-board members, close schools and authorize charter schools

Mr. Bobb, appointed in 2009 by Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm and retained by Republican Gov. Rick Snyder, pledged last week to use those powers to deal decisively with the district's $327 million shortfall and its educational deficiencies. Mr. Bobb raised the possibility of making unilateral changes to the collective-bargaining agreements signed with teachers less than two years ago.

He is also expected to target seniority rights that protect longtime teachers from layoffs and give them the ability to reject certain school placements.

The Detroit Federation of Teachers will likely fight him on these issues. The union couldn't be reached for comment.

Mr. Bing, a Democrat, doesn't have additional authority to break union contracts and circumvent City Council, but under the new law Mr. Snyder could invest this authority in municipal chief executives such as the mayor of Detroit. That possibility, and the further threat of a state takeover, is giving Mr. Bing more clout to push for major changes.

Democrats and unions generally opposed the law bolstering power of state-appointed managers, calling it an infringement on collective-bargaining rights and violation of the principle of local elected rule. Republicans largely argue the law is the only way to keep the financially threatened city from collapse by forcing unions to scale back their costly wages and benefits amid declining revenues and escalating health-care and pension costs.

Mr. Bing spent the first two years of his term trying to restructure the city's finances to reflect its dwindling population, which fell 25% in the past 10 years, according to Census data. All along, the mayor has sought in his first two years in office to impress upon residents and workers the urgency of Detroit's fiscal crisis, while reassuring them that the restructuring would proceed methodically, with their input.

But in his public comments last week, the mayor signaled that he had little time left for negotiation. He pressed council members to act on his budget proposal or prepare for a fiscal collapse.

If municipal unions fail to agree to new terms, he warned, the city's budget gap would balloon to $1.2 billion by fiscal 2015, all but assuring the city would go into default and the state would take over.

"I'm not afraid of an emergency financial manager being named," Mr. Bing told a gathering of urban-affairs experts in Detroit last week. "Because what it does is right-sizes a lot of the obstacles you have to deal with on a day-to-day basis."

He added: "With a financial manager on the scene, he or she almost becomes God and can do whatever is necessary to bring financial stability back."

Labor representatives are already opposing the mayor's proposed cuts, and casino owners came out against the plan in a joint statement Friday, saying, "Detroit's gaming industry is already the highest taxed industry in the state."

Union representatives couldn't be reached for comment.

In the schools, meanwhile, Mr. Bobb last month identified nearly a third of the district's schools that could be closed or turned over to private charter operators. Seventy organizations showed up at a bidder's conference hosted by the district last week to review rules for becoming an authorized charter school. Bids are due May 2. The elected school board has no official role in approving the plan.

Detroit Federation of Teachers officials called the initiative a poor idea, in part because nine of the schools slated for conversion to charter designation or closure were recently given new dispensation to relax work rules and haven't had enough time to demonstrate their progress, they said.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703702004576268770126239098.html?mod=rss_Politics_And_Policy

[Savonarola]

And what a week it's been for Michigan's emergency financial managers:

Things could get heated at Benton Harbor's commissioners meeting Monday night after Emergency Financial Manager Joseph Harris unexpectedly pulled the rug out from under city leaders this weekend.

Harris suspended all decision-making powers of local officials in accordance with the new state law enacted last month.

Now, city leaders only have the power to call meetings, adjourn them, and approve minutes.

A couple of commissioners support Harris, but others are up in arms. Dennis Knowles said, "It's really an insult. You're talking about piracy, the government has done it in the state of Michigan. The people have been extracted by way of not having a voice, and so now has the government."

There are no items on the agenda for Monday night's meeting, but some commissioners say they still expect it to be heated.

Benton Harbor is on Lake Michigan near the Indiana border.  It's an industrial town, the home town of Whirlpool, and has all the charm of Gary, Indiana but without the Jackson 5.

While there has been lamentation and weeping and great mourning throughout the blogosphere on this I'm glad that the emergency financial mangers at last have the ability to balance their charge's budget and are willing to use it.  I hope the city of Detroit gets the message and balances their budget before they suffer a similar fate.

[Scipio]

There's nothing wrong with Benton Harbor that could not be solved with a good carpet bombing.

[Savonarola]

Next time I'm at Miller's Bar in Dearborn I'll ask them how many lashes one gets for ordering a beer:

In letter to Pastor Terry Jones, Dearborn mayor says city not ruled by Islamic law
Apr 21, 2011  |  108Comments

BY NIRAJ WARIKOO

DETROIT FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER Filed Under

In an open letter Wednesday to Pastor Terry Jones, Dearborn Mayor Jack O'Reilly Jr. blasted claims that his city is under Islamic law, noting it has three strip clubs and a factory that makes pork products sitting across the street from a mosque.

"None of that should be allowed under Shari'a law," O'Reilly wrote, referring to a set of Islamic rules and customs.

The impassioned letter was the city's latest attempt to convince the Quran-burning Christian pastor to stop his planned Friday protest outside the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn. And it represents another effort by the city to counter attempts to label it as being under Islamic law because of its sizable Muslim population.

Across the U.S., a growing number of politicians, Christians and bloggers have been claiming that Shari'a dominates Dearborn. But O'Reilly wrote in his letter: "If Dearborn practiced Shari'a law, would we have three adult entertainment bars and more alcohol-licensed bars and restaurants per capita than most other cities?"

O'Reilly noted his city is home to Dearborn Sausage, which makes ham and is next to "the first mosque in Dearborn."

"No one has ever objected," he said.

Islamic law accusations set off legislative frenzy
From Newt Gingrich to Mike Huckabee to state legislators, a growing number of officials across the country are proclaiming that Dearborn and metro Detroit are under Shari'a law because of the sizable Muslim population. Urged on by an active network of conservative blogs and groups, they are filing lawsuits and legislation against what they perceive as a threat to the U.S.

It's all based on a lie, local officials say -- but one that continues to stick in some minds because of the growing power of social media. During the past few months, the drumbeat against Dearborn has grown louder as politicians and elected officials increasingly cite the city as an example of how radical Islam has infiltrated the U.S.

Several states are considering -- or have passed -- bills banning the use of Islamic law. Last year, Louisiana lawmakers passed an anti-Shari'a bill. In recent months, Texas legislators have cited Dearborn in considering a similar bill. Tennessee also is considering an anti-Shari'a bill. And this week, the Missouri House approved a bill that would ban Shari'a.

Last year, Oklahoma voters approved a ballot measure that would have banned Shari'a law, but a judge later ruled it unconstitutional.

Conservatives point to some cases where judges have cited Islamic law in making decisions. That includes a Florida case involving a dispute at a local mosque, where a judge ruled this year that to resolve one crucial issue in the case, he would consult Islamic law.

Activists also are taking legal action. Earlier this year, the Ann Arbor-based Thomas More Law Center filed a lawsuit against Dearborn, claiming that city officials were influenced by Shari'a when police arrested Christian missionaries last year at an Arab festival.

The fear that Shari'a law is creeping across the country is motivating Florida Pastor Terry Jones and his followers to plan a protest Friday outside the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn.

But city officials, Muslim Americans and others see the anti-Shari'a efforts as part of a campaign to whip up hysteria against Muslims and score political points. In Dearborn, officials worry that the power of social media has spread lies about the town that Henry Ford founded.

Dearborn Mayor Jack O'Reilly Jr. frequently has appeared on national TV shows, such as MSNBC's "Hardball," in recent months, trying to deflect the notion that his city is under Shari'a.

On Wednesday, he reiterated that in an open letter to Jones, noting that Dearborn has three strip clubs and a factory that makes pork products across the street from a mosque.

"There is no Shari'a law in Dearborn, only constitutional law," O'Reilly said.

The definition of Shari'a varies greatly, but it generally refers to Islamic laws, rules or customs that might govern a person's life or society. It could range from personal habits to food to politics and business.

Some have concerns that Shari'a rules in Muslim countries could come to the U.S. But Muslim Americans say they should not be compared to how Muslims live in foreign countries.

They say they're facing the same accusations that American Catholics faced in the 19th and early 20th centuries when some Protestants feared their influx would lead to Vatican domination.

In Wednesday's letter, O'Reilly said, "Shari'a law is church or faith-based law that is applicable only to the followers of that faith."

He compared it to Canon Law in Catholicism or Torah Law in Judaism.

"It can't be carried out in America," he said in an interview with the Free Press. "No one is trying to do that. And we wouldn't let them if they would try."

Imam Radwan Mardini, head of the American Muslim Center in Dearborn, said Shari'a "is not an issue."

"There is no Shari'a implemented in the state of Michigan," Mardini said. "There is no basis for these allegations."

The idea that Dearborn is under Shari'a grew in popularity after an incident in June 2009 at the Arab International Festival in Dearborn, the largest Arab-American festival in Michigan. At the event, some Christian evangelists yelled at passersby "that they were going to hell because they were Muslim," according to a Dearborn police report.

But a video recorded by a Christian missionary group called Acts 17 Apologetics showed them being escorted out by security guards during the festival. It has now drawn more than 2 million views on YouTube, making it the most popular video on Dearborn.

Some Christians -- including a Marlette man who initially organized Friday's protest -- point to that video as proof that Dearborn is under Shari'a.

Last year at the Arab festival, the same missionaries were arrested on charges of disturbing the peace, leading to another uproar. They were later acquitted by a jury and filed a lawsuit against the city.

Their experiences have been used by conservatives to slam Dearborn. In July, Gingrich, the former House speaker, wrote:

"This is a clear case of freedom of speech and the exercise of religious freedom being sacrificed in deference to Shari'a's intolerance against the preaching of religions other than Islam."

Gingrich said the missionaries were handing out copies of Christian literature, which is "of course, forbidden by Shari'a's rules on proselytizing."

The mayor, responding to these months of criticism, said in an interview: "These people are trying to suggest that Shari'a has overridden civil law. That doesn't happen here. We won't let it happen."

There's a protest planned for tomorrow in Dearborn led by Terry Jones.  Some people want to stop them for fear of a riot; but if we stopped everything likely to cause a riot in Metro Detroit then the Tigers would be barred from the playoffs and the police would be barred from raiding blind pigs.