Bitter or angry and fed up?

A reader asks why I "seem so bitter," about everything. I think Gabriel is mistaking righteous anger for bitterness.

Let's revisit why this blog was started.

Media General reporter Mac McLean photographed the breasts of local businesswomen without their consent or knowledge and showed them around the newsroom of the local daily newspaper - The Danville Register & Bee. Managers, including assignment editor Bernard Baker, Managing editor Arnold Hendrix and editorial writer Robert Benson and several others responded to Mac's "I can see her t**'s!" and schoolgirl giggling with rude and inappropriate and hostile commentary. When others in the newsroom protested the comments and objected to the videos we were all put on the bully and black ball list and gradually forced out or fired.

Mac was "promoted" and hired up to another Media General paper where he's right at home with an arrogant little editor who hates rural areas and rednecks so they all sit around making fun of the south. Lovely. About as white bread good ole boy as it gets I suppose.

The rest of us didn't have such opportunities because we did not sleep with subordinates or our bosses - as others did. And others did benefit. They gained promotions and opportunities to move up within Media General because they performed better on their backs than at their desks. Watching people grope each other, play grab-ass and public displays of affection that offend most of those forced to watch is not a happy workplace. Like I said, Steve Kaylor would do well to rent out rooms in the basement....

Media General - a corporation who says they are opposed to a hostile workplace - is not really opposed to managers sleeping with subordinates and breaking up marriages - if you will lie to your wife and cheat on your wife or boyfriend what's to say you won't do the same to readers, staff or management? But MG doesn't care about that. They're opposed to anyone working for them that objects to a hostile workplace. Those of us who have morals, standards, ethics and a personal faith object to the harassment, bullying and abuse that goes on at the newspaper.

For those of us who have been bullied, abused, harassed, suffered humiliation, embarrassment and disruption of our lives because of the poor management at the Danville Register & Bee - we are not bitter - we are angry. I am the only one who doesn't have a family or assets or anything to lose really by speaking out. So I am the voice for those who are there - still suffering and miserable. I'm the outlet for those who have been terminated or laid off or have suffered because of the management at the Danville Register & Bee. Trust me - there's a lot of cheering going on over this blog - including people in high places at MG who want to speak out but can't. How do you think I knew about the press room?

Bitter? No. Angry? DEFINITELY. Will my anger burn out? Not likely. I have an EEOC investigation I'm waiting on...as are two other folks who have also filed - one anonymously - who is still there...and diligently documenting all kinds of things! THREE employees filing EEOC suits? And you think that's bitter? What planet are you from?

So - in a town with potential and community and a future you have a newspaper who is motivated solely by money, who places car wrecks and fires above politics and community issues and needs and ranks the gore and tragedy above the positive things happening in the city "because it sells newspapers." If you are a resident of Danville is that really how you want this historic city viewed? As a magnet for death, wrecks and fires? Sure tragedies happen and people want to know if a friend or neighbor was involved - but it doesn't have to be front and center of the paper every day. We don't have a daily paper. We have the Pittsylvania Enquirer.

How about this - there is a gang problem in Danville. 12-14 year old black boys who must kill an innocent person to be initiated into the Crips or the Bloods. The police, the paper, the city officials keep denying the problem exists and say "Oh - it's only wanna-be's" because citizens will panic and not go out at night because, like a certain victim in the Wal-Mart parking lot a couple of years ago - there's a chance they'll be killed. The families and relatives of police officers know and they know to stay inside at night and they do.

And our fine city? I hear about city employees being forced to go to former City Manager Jerry Gwaltney's home to wash his car, mow his yard and take care of his personal property...police who are angry that the million dollar slush fund has never been accounted for - money that could hire extra officers and pay the ones here a decent wage...no news about a hospital where billing is still screwed up and people are dying from negligence but the newspaper won't investigate because they have a major advertising contract and they're too busy chasing ambulances in order to get a photo of some mangled person for the front page in order to sell newspapers.

Local merchants are in fear for their safety and their employees safety because of the DAILY SHOOTINGS AND DAILY STABBINGS. Does the paper report on the problem from the merchants side? On the shortage of police officers? On the problem with the revolving door court system? No. A newspaper is the last guardian and watch-dog...or was until

So you tell me...angry or bitter? At what point does an angry citizen who wants to see change become bitter rather than outspoken?

I was hired and promised opportunity to do what I do - write and take photographs and video; do investigative reporting and expand Ag coverage. I moved, set up housekeeping and then find that I can't do what I was hired to do because I'm not part of the pimp and porn minded central management at The Danville Register & Bee. I don't particularly like working for a Publisher who lies to the citizens or knowing what a racist, anti-Christ newsroom the paper has.

Media General may be hoping this blog will eventually go away - but it's not going to. If anything happens to me there are others who will keep it going.

The town, the county and the state - and according to the stats I'm getting at least 12 countries - find this all very interesting. They tuned in to the count of almost 10,000 hits last month. Bitter? No. Sad? Yes. Angry? Yes. And you should be too. If you're not angry, then you're just not paying attention.