Where Have I Been?

As with most places of employment, there are rules.  Where I work we have all sorts of rules, standards, and directives.  Some of these are unofficially broken down into a language that is easy for everyone to understand and remember.  The following could be referred to as the first and most important commandment:

What happens at work stays at work.  Also, what happens outside of work stays there.  Never the two shall meet!

For several reasons I have followed this commandment very closely over the past several years.  This blog is a source for local politics.  Also, the mayor of the Village of Alexandria Bay is a co-worker.  I view it as unhealthy to bring work back to the home and it is expressly forbidden to bring personal matters or politics into the work place.

In late February, a meeting took place at work with my boss, the mayor, and a third party.  I was not at this meeting, but I have been told what was discussed by the third party.  Fellow co-workers took it upon themselves to poke fun at the mayor regarding his public comments about "Bad Bikers".  The mayor must have shed his thick skin [needed by anyone in politics] that day.  At this meeting he produced printed portions of my blog including the photo of the biker with the word mayor photo-shopped on the vest.   Supposedly  these items upset my boss, probably the desired effect the mayor was looking for.  The mayor just broke the first commandment.  I was also told that my boss had received phone calls from other similar places of employment complaining about my blog.  Woops.... they also just broke the first commandment.

There are some that wanted me to believe that if I did not give up my Right To Freedom of Speech [the blog], that I might be transferred to a undesirable location of employment  or be fired.  I knew this was not true.  Those that could not get me to believe this lie, succeeded in making my family believe in it .  That is why I shut the blog down.  I was unable to speak to my boss, because he was away from work for all of March.  So I waited patiently for his return. 

I recently spoke to my boss.  He assured me that I am free to blog about anything I want.  He also assured me that he would never try to smother anyone's Freedom of Speech....... so long as the first commandment is not violated.  Sorry if all this seems vague to you.  It is intentionally written this way.....so I do not break the first commandment.

It is clear to me that the mayor and maybe a local business man were the only ones that took actions attempting to strip the  freedom of speech away from me.  I also know who the other foes are, cheering from the sidelines when the blog closed.  There are others that urged me to reopen the blog......some were sincere....others had another agenda.  Unlike some politicians I know,  I am not soliciting any kind of sympathy from anyone.  Just a brief and intentionally vague explanation of where I have been......

Blog On!