{"id":1777,"date":"2018-03-16T20:03:49","date_gmt":"2018-03-17T01:03:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/truthinaddison.com\/?page_id=1777"},"modified":"2018-03-16T20:03:49","modified_gmt":"2018-03-17T01:03:49","slug":"dont-be-fooled-by-fake-names","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/truthinaddison.com\/?page_id=1777","title":{"rendered":"Don\u2019t Be Fooled By Fake Names:"},"content":{"rendered":"

Don\u2019t Be Fooled By Fake Names:<\/strong>
\nIdentifying the Negatives When They Try To Hide<\/strong>
\nKeeps Us On The Path To A Positive Future<\/strong>
\nBy Susan M. Halpern<\/strong>
\nFormer Addison Councilmember (1992-1999)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There is no positive way to be negative. But the folks who would divide us keep trying. Today brings us a new tactic. They\u2019ve apparently formed a new group that encourages all of us to \u201cExpect the Best.\u201d They\u2019ve put out a couple of posts, but you can\u2019t tell who is actually sponsoring the message. So, let\u2019s unpack this latest tactic and do a little detective work.<\/p>\n

The message of the posts is the same old story. They attack the current council by claiming that Addison\u2019s \u201cHigh Standard Culture has waned and dwindled at a dangerous pace in the last two years.\u201d Of course, that two-year period is significant, because the 2016 election was when Addison voters elected a council that was not beholden to or controlled by Addison\u2019s ex-mayor. That is certainly a strong indication that we\u2019re dealing with the same folks with the same old negative message. Next, the postings claim that Addison should expect \u201chigher standards\u201d and a council that should take their duties \u201cseriously.\u201d The clear import is that the current council does not meet these criteria. Again, the same folks with the same old negative message.<\/p>\n

So, what do we know about the identity of the person posting? On Next Door the posting was supposedly made by \u201cAslaugh Lothbrook.\u201d Of course, I immediately wondered, who is \u201cAslaugh Lothbrook?\u201d Again, with a little detective work, we can see a clear effort to conceal the true source of these postings. First, check the Dallas County records, and you will see as I did that the name \u201cLothbrook\u201d yields no results. In other words, no one named \u201cLothbrook\u201d owns property in Dallas County. We also reviewed the voter list, and to no one\u2019s surprise, found that no one named \u201cLothbrook\u201d voted in Addison\u2019s election last year. We also noted that on the Next Door site, the address for \u201cAslaugh Lothbrook\u201d is listed as Azure Lane, where the ex-mayor\u2019s partnership owns a house but no one named “Lothbrook” does. Hmmm.<\/p>\n

So, who is \u201cAslaugh Lothbrook?\u201d Well, with even a minimal amount of searching, you will discover as I did that the History Channel has an original scripted series called \u201cVikings.\u201d And, lo and behold, one of the characters on that show is named \u201cAslaug Lothbrok.\u201d And that leads me to conclude that \u201cAslaugh Lothbrook\u201d is likely a fictional name, and thus an effort to conceal the real identity of the person behind the posts. So, why hide? Well, it\u2019s the same tactic we saw last year, when vile campaign pieces were circulated as part of a coordinated attack on Mayor Joe Chow. There, those involved hid behind an innocuously labeled Political Action Committee. This is just more of the same.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be fooled. It\u2019s the same group, with the same negativity, and the same fundamental attack on anyone who isn\u2019t them. If it\u2019s not their idea, it\u2019s a bad idea. If it\u2019s not their solution, it\u2019s a bad solution. Everyone who isn\u2019t them is awful. According to them. Doesn\u2019t Addison deserve far better than to be subjected to such gamesmanship?<\/p>\n

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