NORTHAMPTON - Are you an aging hippie between 30 and 75 with protesting experience? Or a young punk 18 to 22? Then Boston Casting wants you to be an extra in a new Mel Gibson movie that's being shot in the city. Gazette lead 8/1/08:
So Mr. O’Connor has been protesting in Amherst Town Center every Sunday for over 30 years; just my luck--he was not there today when I shot this “drive by”(Oh My God! A military metaphor…or is it a Hip Hop Gang metaphor?) photo below at exactly 1:00 PM when Pat Church yelled "Okay folks, that's time!" And they quickly started heading off. Yeah, this is the same Pat Church
John Langford, however, was present and accounted for (also—like Vince—hanging around there forever). You can see his bald spot just above the "G" on the banner ‘Global Peace and Justice”
Gotta love the young lady (so Mr. Gibson will not be interested in her…well, at least as far as “aging hippies” goes) flashing the peace sign while looking the other way. Maybe her Spidey senses felt the presence of a paparazzi stalker.
Yeah, these folks have been in Amherst Town Center every Sunday since 1966. Aging Hippies indeed!
This is located (click to enlarge) within feet of the official flag pole in Town Center almost exactly where these folks have exercised their First Amendment rights since 1968. Fair enough. But three or four years ago when a prominent businessman (not me) wanted to donate a granite marker to commemorate the stunning events of 9/11 he was blown off like dried up leaves on a lawn.
Mary Carey's revealing profile
And many UMass students are enlisting in the military upon graduation (the campus ROTC chapter wins awards for quality of recruits) or have already served, or are in a Guard/Reserve unit subject to callup.
ReplyDeleteOr there are those that are going into other forms of government service. (The uniformed service are not the only branches of the service.)
There are two realities here, and let no one think - for an instant - that Langford and Vince O'Connor speak for me or the UMass students whom I know...
Ed Cutting
Yeah, agreed.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think I figured out what is "really going on" with the rescheduling of the election to replace X-Czar Awad, supposedly to avoid "disenfranchising" U-Mass students.
More tomorrow.
I think I know what is going on, also, Larry, and I am just a dumb resident of Amherst. This form of Town Government has taken a stand, to make things happen the way that they want them to be, and that is not very Democratic, as far as I can see.
ReplyDeleteVery good comment, Mr. Cutting. Could not have said it any better, myself.
Larry,
ReplyDeleteWhat's your point?
Larry: I for one am comforted to know that we have folks like you to counter the likes of Vince O'Connor. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYour welcome.
ReplyDeleteOf course if 'His Lordship' Weiss has anything to say about it, I'll be behind bars (where they don't have wireless)
Just to be clear, the Amherst police would need a witness and a complaint to bring action. Apparently, they have already reviewed Awad's statement and decided not to proceed with an arrest or even an interview.
ReplyDeleteWeiss believes moral, ethical and community values are the obvious jurisdiction of the Select Board.
Most Amherst citizens just want him to spend our money judiciously and set priorities and policy rather than having the unelected town manager assume that role.
Weiss' resolution about Awad and 'certain Amherst citizens' reminds me of the Republican party's ill-considered interference in the affairs of Terry Schiavo's family; unjustifiable, no authority to do so, bad judgment, political motivation. Imagine the entire house and Senate and President bringing the full force of the Federal government on the issue of whether her husband had the right to pull the plug after the circumstances had been litigated extensively by courts with jurisdiction?
Our institutions are broken because moral factors are being confused with ethics and law.