Phillip "Grasshopper" Pickering says he feels "disrespected" by a story appearing in the St. John Source titled, "Island Council Planning Committee Meeting Covers Unexpected Ground" in which, Pickering says, his remarks were taken out of context.
Greetings St. John Source,
It has always been quite interesting to me how the media works. When things are said you print what you think someone meant instead of exactly what was said. In short pure rubbish! I feel I've been disrespected by your article concerning the St. John council meeting last week. What I said must not be taken out of context. Nothing was written about the inclusiveness we spoke about but we jump straight to who's gonna pick up arms! Why is this?
Why is picking up arms the issue? Is this all you heard Grasshopper say? What about my Idea for getting a rally and getting all cross sections of St. Johnians together for the betterment of St. John (drafting a real inclusive charter proposal) and if need be, demand what is due to St. Johnians from the current St. Thomas/St. John system. Since we pay the highest taxes we can and should demand what's due but not reaching the local indigenous people in order to accomplish this is wrong. I am and have never advocated violence to solve anything!!! This is my beloved St. John and those who love and cherish it the way I do would not like to see anything such as in-fighting stain our way of life. All I did was bring reality to the foreground. If we act stupid and dig our heads in the sand and pretend we don't have a serious problem building here, then I'm afraid this could blow up in all our faces. I knew what I said would be taken the wrong way by some but not by the media! Still, I recorded my bit of what I said just because of my experience dealing with other media topics. People who know me know I speak what I know to be factual and not inflammatory! Please don't take things out of context! I can defend myself and what was said!
Phillip "Grasshopper" Pickering
Cruz Bay, St. John US Virgin Islands

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