UPDATE 9:30 PM (Tuesday). I stole the brief video of Ms Awad giving her Nixon like resignation speech at last night's Select Board meeting from Mary Carey's blog. I was at the meeting sitting at the journalists table from 6:50 until about 8:35 live blogging but she gave the speech just prior to the 'public comment' period at 6:30 pm.
Original Post (about noon Tuesday):
When I took a photo of Mr. Weiss’s late model auto covered with lefty bumper stickers, I was standing on a town road located only 20 or 30 yards from his front door. When I took a photo of Ms. Awad gardening at her South Hadley home--also from a public road--I was over a hundred yards from her front door (my $100 Kodak digital camera has 3x optical zoom) as the house is located at the top of a steep hill.
Although he never complained about my photo shoot at his home, Mr. Weiss describes the latter as “harassment”.
Of course he also described my Open Meeting Law complaint (later upheld by the District Attorney) as having a “chilling effect” on his Select Board.
I never actually photographed the Amherst condo complex (only the real estate sign down on the front lawn advertising an Open House--where presumably any citizen could have walked through their supposed residency. Or you can go to Sawicki Real Estate web cite and take a virtual tour of their condo (bedroom included).
Take the tour (they are not home)
In our initial phone conversation (prior to calling back to apologize for shouting) Mr. Hubley voiced concerned about my use of the term “locked and loaded” on my blog, considering that a “threat” to do gun violence.
Of course I felt like responding that I would not need a gun to take him out, but knew that might be considered a threat, so I simply laughed and pointed out it was, you know, a metaphor.
Guess I will not bring my daughter Kira trick-or-treating to their South Hadley mansion this Halloween.
When someone accuses you of stalking and harassment, and their accusation makes its way into the local and national press, its time to defend yourself so the public can decide whether to acquit you of the alleged criminal behavior or whether the facts support the defamatory claim.
ReplyDeleteOn a related note, Anne Awad's rationale for resigning from the Select Board doesn't make sense to me. She claims it is because she was stalked. If I were stalked I would get a restraining order, not resign from my elected position, my job or whatever. Moreover, Anne Awad has been less than forthcoming with answers to questions about her residency, voter registration, home in South Hadley, and desire to remain on the Select Board through 2010. Until I learn the answers to those questions I'm inclined to believe that Anne Awad wanted to keep her Select Board position while living in South Hadley and selling her condo in Amherst, which is problematic. I'm also inclined to believe that her accusation about stalking and harassment is a petty political act of retribution toward a blogger that forced the issue of her residency requirement for office. Anne Awad plays the victim card well. I'm not buying it because it doesn't make sense.
Well, at least this happen last night at the Amherst Select Board hearing...
ReplyDelete>Man cuts [own] throat during hearing in Mass. hearing
June 24, 2008
TAUNTON, Mass.—A horrible scene plays out in Taunton where a man cut his own throat during a City Hall hearing. MORE
this [didn't] happen
ReplyDeleteWell...that is the WEIRD thing (probably by design): neither of them actually accused me by name of "stalking and harassment".
ReplyDeleteProbably because they know full well it is blatantly untrue; and since telling the truth (unlike their Letter in the Amherst Bulletin) is the ultimate defense against a Libel/Slander lawsuit...
Having re-read the Gazette, Republican and AP stories, I can see that only the AP connected Anne Awad's reasons for resigning to you by name.
ReplyDeleteThe AP does not say Anne Awad was referring to you when she sighted "threats" and "stalking". Rather, the AP makes the connection by implication, a rather nasty effect.
AP: Larry Kelley has posted numerous entries and photographs in his blog, alleging that Awad and her husband, Robie Hubley, have officially declared South Hadley as their main residence.
He has posted a photograph of a real estate sign advertising an open house at the condominium in Amherst where the couple lives.
Awad said in a June 20 letter to the town clerk that such actions, "that have included threats and stalking," are intolerable and she does not wish to serve under such conditions.
It's also interesting that there is no substantiation of the accusation of threats and stalking by Anne Awad or the author of the AP article.
And then there's this from the Republican, "I was under so much pressure, it was impossible to serve." From whence was the pressure? It certainly wasn't from the alleged stalking or threats because there is a reasonable course of action for that, a restraining order. Perhaps, it could be that the pressure was from defending her residency claim by not answering questions about it. I imagine that would be a big source of pressure.
And Hubley? What about Hubley? Did he resign too?
ReplyDeleteA little journalism humor:
ReplyDeleteWolf (below) the fold - Gazette
Wolf (above) the fold - Republican
And I hope most folks get the original Star Trek episode I'm referencing (Damn, I'm getting old).
ReplyDeleteHint: search 'Wolf in the fold'
Much as I like Anne...
ReplyDeleteThe idea of a politician going off at a reporter merely for publishing critical stories... it's got to make her look terrible in the public eye.
Terry Franklin
The "evil stalker" argument is something that I am seeing a LOT here at UMass. Facts don't matter, all you need to do is say that you are afraid and that the evil conservative is around, and that is enough.
ReplyDeleteI know one young man who got dragged into court TWICE for totally bogus assault charges, in one instance where I WAS PHYSICALLY STANDING BETWEEN HIM AND THE ALLEGED VICTIM!
It goes back to the infamous 1999-01 Campus Pond Rapist hoax - they all were hoaxes - and even though the authorities know (and knew) that they were hoaxes, it simply doesn't matter. It *could* happen, therefore it did.
And since, somewhere in America, there is a selectman being stalked by some crazy, Larry is guilty of stalking. We needn't confuse ourselves with the facts...
Ed
Eight years...
ReplyDeleteIt takes ten to be eligible for a Mass State Pension.
The interesting term Awad uses is "retire" -- wanna bet that she officially retires and gets retiree health benefits from the Town?
There is a retirement angle on this somehow....
To Mr./Ms. Anonymous in the above post:
ReplyDeleteRegarding retirement benefits: no
I know that you posted this at 12:30 am, so it was late and you were having dark thoughts, but......
Once again, think again: no.
Rich Morse
It seems to me that there's a lot of grey between stalking and being within the bounds of legality. In other words, it is possible to harass someone while not breaking any laws (Cape Fear, anyone?)
ReplyDeleteI also can't really understand how going from website to website and posting over and over again how you're not stalking this woman is evidence of not stalking.
I'm not defending her, but her questionable actions do not mean that she's fair game for anyone who wants to bother her.
So she gets her libelous charge published by the Associated Press distributed to every major newspaper in America and because I post my rebuttal on the provincial Daily Hampshire Gazette (and will on the Amherst Bulletin when it comes out) that is evidence that I'm a stalker?
ReplyDeleteHmmm...Try having your morning coffee before posting, will ya.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteIt seems to me that there's a lot of grey between stalking and being within the bounds of legality. In other words, it is possible to harass someone while not breaking any laws (Cape Fear, anyone?)
I also can't really understand how going from website to website and posting over and over again how you're not stalking this woman is evidence of not stalking.
I'm not defending her, but her questionable actions do not mean that she's fair game for anyone who wants to bother her.
__________________________________
Questioning Larry Kelley's self-defense from Anne Awad's claim of stalking and harassment(her implication really because she never actually says it's him)seems to be a weird approach to understanding the facts and dealing the the issues as we find them.
Anytime you want to discuss the elements of the crime of harassment and stalking and demonstrate how the facts in Anne Awad's case justify her claim, please feel free to do it here.
After all, she made the claim in the Gazette, Republican, on the AP wire which is national news feed, as well as on CATV in Amherst.
In the AP story, Larry Kelley is referenced by name, which implies that he is the stalker and harrasser, a nasty bit of implication I'd say.
Ms. Awad said she consulted with the police but there has been no apparent action as a result. No restraining order, no arrest, no warning. What did the police tell her? Could it be that she had no cause of action?
If however, your assessment of the elements of the crime and the facts in the case lead you to believe Anne Awad's "stalker" and "harrasser" was not a stalker or a harrasser, then feel free to explain how the facts in the case cause you to conclude Larry Kelly's actions were innapropriate and why.
Libelous? Hmm, sounds pretty hard to prove.
ReplyDeleteAwad hid her relationship with Hubley. She then hid the fact she was moving to South Hadley and lied to the towns people, the media, and the selectboard about her homestead delclaration. Larry merely used his internet forum to bring light to those issues. I can promise you if this was a conserative politician who was outed for similiar deception, by a liberal blogger, than that blogger would be hailed as crusader for justice. The fact is she is now headed out and the transformation of the select board continues. It will be interesting to see if Weiss faces a difficult re-election. Also Shaffer has got to be feeling the heat because most of the select board that hired him is gone.
ReplyDeletelibelous - defamatory, libeling, referring to something that causes harm to someone's reputation especially with malice or disregard.
ReplyDelete_________________________________
I haven't heard Larry has the intention to take civil action.
Moreover, Awad never named Larry as the stalker or harrasser. Only the AP put her claims that there was one, and the Larry the blogger took action with regard to her residency question.
Nahhh, I'm not going to bring civil action against Ms. Awad. Quite frankly, taking her out (that's a metaphor Mr. Hubley, so don't get all excited) has only ENHANCED my reputation.
ReplyDeleteBehold the Power of the (righteous) Blog.
You said: "So she gets her libelous charge published by the Associated Press distributed to every major newspaper in America and because I post my rebuttal on the provincial Daily Hampshire Gazette (and will on the Amherst Bulletin when it comes out) that is evidence that I'm a stalker?
ReplyDeleteHmmm...Try having your morning coffee before posting, will ya."
Please don't put words in my mouth; I said nor implied nothing of the sort. What the AP chooses to pick up has nothing to do with anything, either.
What I'm saying is that people can do things legal that can make other people uncomfortable. Trying to justify those actions by saying that the person somehow deserves to made uncomfortable doesn't, in my opinion, make it right.
So do we have an obligation to verify that our actions do not make other people "uncomfortable" before we proceed?
ReplyDeleteOr do we act guided by our own sense of what is right and take feedback along the way?
Since "comfortable" and "uncomfortable" is your standard, what exactly do you mean by it?
Yeah, I’m sure I made her “uncomfortable” a few years back when I blew the whistle on her Open Meeting Law violations via email (plotting to destroy the July 4’th Parade) and the District Attorney spanked the Select Board that she then chaired.
ReplyDeleteGot it. If you don't like who someone is or what someone does, they're fair game for anything you want to do to them, within the bounds of the law, of course.
ReplyDeleteAnd if anyone objects, you can resort to the "they started it" argument or the "if it were a conservative" diversionary tactic.
Duly noted.
Yeah--especially if they are a PUBLIC OFFICIAL (you really should have that coffee)
ReplyDeleteand if they leave a comment you disagree with, apparently...
ReplyDeletere:coffee--you buying?
Well for all I know YOU ARE a public official.
ReplyDeleteSure, coffee's on me. I'm at the Club later this afternoon anytime after 3:30
they're fair game for anything you want to do to them, within the bounds of the law, of course.
ReplyDeleteYou're arguing a straw dog: "anything you want to do to them"
Enough hyperbole. Why don't you say what Larry did that you find inappropriate. It's clear you disagree with him about whether what he did was appropriate or innappropriate so why don't you say what he did and why it was innapropriate?
After you clear that up, you can discuss whether Awad's implication that Larry Kelley stalked and harrassed her was appropriate or innapropriate.
I won't be able to make it for coffee. Can I get a rain check?
This isn;t that powdered vending machine coffee is it? This is Amherst, Starbuck, Rao's and Amherst Coffee is the standard. Dunkin Donuts is borderline.
ReplyDelete"Dunkin Donuts is borderline."
ReplyDeleteSo are your blogging skills. You raise a ruckus then refuse to engage in a give and take. Do me a favor and use a screen name so I can choose to not waste my time discussing issues with you.
Mr. o'reilly,
ReplyDeleteWhere's your blog so we can assess your blogging skills?
Well said, well spoken. You've certainly proven your point.
ReplyDeleteThanks for making my last visit to this blog so enjoyable.
anything for you
ReplyDeleteAnonymous:
ReplyDeleteDon't let the virtual door hit you in the (dumb) ass on the way out.
Larry, Do you think this anonymous is the same anonymous as the one who made the same threat to leave and not come back a few weeks ago? I guess our coffee clatch is canceled now.
ReplyDeleteI think your recent suggestion of all "anonymous" folks comming up with a nickname was a good one. Ya' can't tell the players without a program!
ReplyDeleteWhat folks don't know is 'anonymous' or not they leave an IP trail, so if he/she really pisses me off I will hunt them down like a dog (only on public property of course).
ReplyDeleteNote to folks with no sense of humor: Previous comment was a joke (sort of)
ReplyDeleteThank God the whole sordid affair is finally over.
ReplyDeleteWell as that venerable saying goes: "It ain't over until the fat lady sings"
ReplyDeleteBut yeah--we are very, very close.