Hadley's Howard Johnson'sOozing the outdated bricks and mortar 4’th Estate policy of “never apologize, never explain” today’s Amherst Bulletin editorial suggesting a compromise on the July 4’th Parade brew-ha-ha controversy actually champions a sound principle:
Let the League of Women Voters have their rag-tag “Protest Parade”; although Iraq is now won and even President Obama, the darling of the liberal left, is talking tough on Afghanistan.
Let them run the same route as the normal, All-American Rockwell style parade (at a safe distance from the end) that private organizers have promoted since 2002, after the town gave up in 1976.
The same cops who control things for the private July 4’th Parade Committee can stay in place and also handle the yahoos (since Union rules guarantee them 4 hours and two parades can happen within that time frame.) The two groups could probably also split the cost of insurance.
Too bad the Bully did not think of this eleven months ago.
Bully Nitwit editorial 5/2/08
What I find journalistically fascinating is this same “newspaper” previously told the private Amherst July 4’th Parade Committee to go find another holiday to have a Parade (yeah, gee there nitwits, they should have a July 4’th Parade on April 1’st eh?)
And they applauded the Town Mangler’s Nazi like takeover of the Parade from the private group by declaring he would not give them a permit for July 4, 2009—A resoundingly overt violation of the First Amendment and an idiotic move that brought a reprimand and federal lawsuit threat from the ACLU (also the darling of the left).
We think the 6-year-old Amherst parade will find a better home on a holiday that is not so closely aligned with the cherished principles of free speech and independence. Shaffer's stance creates a hundred and one headaches for himself and other town officials before Independence Day rolls around in 2009. But anyone who takes seriously the rights won by the nation's founders - a fight that began on a certain July day in 1776 - owes Shaffer a tip of the tricorn.
Any real newspaper that takes seriously their journalistic watchdog role—unlike the toothless, aging, arthritic, senile Bully--would have told Shaffer where to stick that tricorn.
Click to enlarge/readThe Bully "reports"
16 comments:
I wonder if anyone will protest the LWV and their parade? Chants of "lying treasonous scum" come to mind.
I guess Amherst has made it to the top of being STUPID. Wow, I never thought this would happen, but guess who we have for a TM? If someone were to protest the LWV sector of the parade, that would be great. That, I would like to see.
I am going to see the REAL parade because of the reasoning that it was resurrected. 911 was terrible and there are going to be threats as long as the US is a country, so get real, people, and support your Country, Troops, Police and Fire. There really is no time for dissention.
We must stand together,
Until later.............
We're under attack so have a parade. Brilliant.
Last I looked the barbarians were not yet at the gate.
Last I looked the barbarians were not yet at the gate.
I know why you had to leave, but if you had hung around another 20-30 minutes on Wednesday, you might have second thoughts about that statement...
Last I looked the Bully had a circulation over 10,000 hard copy. Kind of a BIG kettle wouldn't you say? (freakin nitwit)
If the League of Women Voters sponsors it, and the LWV wants to keep its nonpartisan 501c3 status, then would have to permit all entries into their parade, including a "Larry Schafer Is A Schmuck" group - holding signs "Fire Him NOW" and such.
You know, this sounds like a really interesting test case - and far better than the hypothetical of the most racist, sexist, homophobic, (etc) speech as the test case.
Better yet, a "LWV Are Schmucks" group. That is exactly what is being done to the July4/VFW group and the VFW has no claim to political neutrality like the LWV does...
go for it Ed.
Greg of FIRE has a great quote - and it applies to certain "adults" in town as well as just "students":
"I recognize that campuses are in many ways the front lines in the culture wars, but I just wish that people would remember that the Bill of Rights and the protections on free speech were designed as the ground rules for maintaining a diverse and pluralistic society. These days, however, it seems that this lesson has been lost and that far too many people only believe in free speech to the extent to which it protects them, and throw it out the window when it's a point of view with which they disagree. If students keep learning these kind of lessons, whether they be taught by campus administrators or state legislatures, we shouldn't be surprised that so many of them believe there is nothing wrong with destroying publications they don't like."
Ed, why don't you carry that sign in the LWV parade? I woould like to see a pic of that on Larry's Blog.
Until later...............
I'd like to hear the LWV response if Ed even asked to carry such a sign.
While I don't want to see their parade interrupted as ours has been, I'm wondering just how far they will allow people to go in their signage and just what groups will be allowed in? Will all groups be allowed in, no matter what they stand for?
Yeah the First Amendment can certainly be an "all or nothing" proposition.
If you loudly declare that you are a public entity (such as the Town of Amherst or League of Women Voters) and all the tenants of the First Amendment will be adhered to, then yeah, you—WIDELY--open yourself up to the KKK, NAMBLA, and anti-Semitic nitwits who hate Israel.
Hopefully I will be in town this coming July 4 and will be more than happy to do security patrol work on my mountain bike for the private parade committee.
But the other Nitwits are on their own.
Helen, I agree 100% about the interruptions. I have a feeling that if they actually do some work of their own and they face some of the issues you do that maybe, just maybe, they will understand why you had to come up with the rules you did.
I'd like to hear the LWV response if Ed even asked to carry such a sign.
Lots of folks are starting to realize exactly who Ed is and who he knows. The incident of 1 April isn't going away.
And hence, even Ed would be interested to hear the response from the LWV when they realize whom it is coming from.
But one war at a time...
Good for you, Ed, I got your back.
Until later..............
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