Fact-Checking the "PRT Boondoggle" Blog
A project of the PRT NewsCenter

Friday, August 03, 2007

Time Traveler

Italics content: HIGH
Minnesota anti-PRT propagandist: LOW


Greetings, PRTistas and other lovers of objectivity and
ethics. Remember when Kenwood the Minnesota anti-PRT propagandist claimed an old Google Maps photo of Cardiff showed that, first, the ULTra PRT test track had been bulldozed, and then, later, that the bulldozing hasn't happened yet (Light rail segment obliterated - Heroic editor sounds alarm, 2/19)?

Well, he's time traveling again -- only this time more distastefully.

The headline of his post screams: "Green Party PRTista David Shove Uses Bridge Tragedy to Bash Central Corridor LRT" --

When someone posted a Pioneer Press story about improvements needed to make the Washington Avenue bridge strong enough to support the Central Corridor LRT line, Green Party PRTista David Shove chimed in with this post:

PRT pods weigh MUCH less (1500 lbs I recall) and so would require NO bridge upgrade.

LRT - the more it costs, the more the contractors and building trades love...

Source 1
Source 2
Source 3
Yes, it would be awful if David Shove used the August 1 Minneapolis I-35W bridge tragedy to score political points. Only here's the thing: he didn't. The article was about a factual consultant's report that the deck of the Washington Ave bridge must be strengthened in order to carry light rail -- THAT, not I-35W, was what Shove was commenting about. But from his post, Labridor shows he comprehended what the subject was.

What's more, the Pioneer Press article in question ran on July 31 -- the day before the bridge collapse. So only the weight of LRT was part of the article's context, I-35W wasn't.

Then read the discussion thread. Though Shove posted his comment on August 2, the I-35W bridge collapse is clearly not part of the context of Shove's post either. Not until 15:57 on August 3 does Douglas Petty (not Shove!) mention "Another ‘accident’ waiting to happen"--but without mentioning PRT, so Ovendoor doesn't put words in Petty's mouth.

Now then: who is using the bridge tragedy to try to score political points? For shame, Mr. Puffy!


P.S. - Notice he's gone back to using "PRTista" the way a right winger would
(By any other name, 4/27)?



gPRT
Time passages / buy Ken Avidor a ticket on the last train home tonight

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