UPDATE: July 3'rd 2:30 PMThe Republican Reports
(and of course the League of Women Voters did not make a contribution to the Parade to offsets significant costs to produce.)
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So after eight years of constant sniping, brief skirmishes and a few outright battles over the First Amendment “rights” of anti-war protesters to advertise, oops I mean march, in the Amherst July 4’th Parade—privately organized, privately funded and supported by a 9-0 Supreme Court decision (and most recently the local ACLU) to exclude offtopic messages-- it has come to this.
Last year under extreme town government pressure the Parade Committee relaxed the rules to allow any group to march with a sign designating their name; if that name had an anti-war component, so be it. And what happened?
The local chapter of the 'Iraq Veterans against the War' allowed aging hippies who never served their country to march behind their officially approved banner with signs contrary to the spirit of the Parade.
This year the Town Mangler banned town equipment unless the Parade was open to all who wished to march--no matter the spirit of their signage. Even though the Parade Committee wished to honor outgoing Police Chief Charlie Scherpa and Fire Chief Keith Hoyle by making them Co-Grand Marshal’s.
Once again the Parade Committee relaxed the restriction (so the Chiefs' can--and will-- march) allowing additional signage other than just the official name of the group but they had to “meet with the Parade Committee to ensure that the sign plans are consistent with the spirit of the Parade”.
That deadline was even extended after the Friday 6/5 meeting with SB Chair Princess Stephanie and our good friend SB member Alisa Brewer to well beyond 6/19. And the result?
Only the 'League of Women Voters' (you know that “non-partisan group”) petitioned and was approved to march and their signage concerns voting, universal health care, pro-abortion but nothing concerning war.
The conflict in Iraq is over, and we won. President Bush is gone, replaced by the second-coming-of-Christ, President Obama who is now tougher than Bush on the war in Afghanistan (where the Son of a Bitch who vaporized the Towers is probably hiding in a hole.)
Just yesterday--under President Obama's orders--the US launched a new major offensive against the Taliban. But not a peep from Amherst liberals.
Hmmm…
Feel better after your rant, a rant disguised as a coherent blog post?
ReplyDeleteI have a few comments, the first one is about your referenece to "the second coming of Christ President Obama." It is so sarcastic at snide and points to your favorite right wing radio and tv talking points. Just becuase your right-wing propagandist entertainers attribute an metaphysical attribute to Obama doesn;t mean everyone does. If fact, we don't but you do. The right does "resentment" so very well. The left doesn't typically need their politicians to be so endowed-with authority from god. That's the right that wants their politicians to be one of god's enlightened few... you know like Sanford, Craig, Foley.
You should give Obama credit for filling town coffers with stim money - tax coffers, that's your other biggest rant. Without it, our school budget would be millions worse off than it is.
You have your Reagan. Too bad he lost his mind. you have your Bush 43. Too bad you cant even all him a conservative even though he ran as a Republican twice, and held the office, twice.
For a liberal Obama is at least willing to do what it takes in Afghanistan to win, which Bush never was. Remember Bush was the one who let him escape because he wouldn't commit ground troops.
ReplyDeleteAgreed.
ReplyDeleteObama IS doing what it takes in Afghanistan (just as Bush championed and spent ALL of his remaining credibility pushing a "surge" in Iraq that, finally, tipped the balance.)
LarryK isn't a right-winger (see his paternalistic pro-big government position on smoking in bars), so I don't know why he's parroting right-wing talk radio.
ReplyDeleteAs has been said before about the parade, once there was nothing to demand from the Parade Committee, and once it was clear that those doing the demanding did not have the oomph to run their own parade, these malcontents would move on to something else. And that appears to be what happened.
And I'll never understand why LarryS decided to act as their enablers, unless it was political pandering pure and simple.
Funny, folks who are new to Amherst (and in this town far too many are newbies)have no idea what you are talking about concerning the Smoking Ban in Bars, and they probably think it is such a norm now, how could it ever have been controversial?
ReplyDeleteYes, Larry Shaffer was just sucking up to Anne Awad (remember her?) and Gerry Weiss as did Barry Del Castilho before him.
"petitioned and was approved to march and their signage concerns voting, universal health care, pro-abortion but nothing concerning war."
ReplyDeleteDead babies flying out like fire-works? Don't flush them until you see the whites of their eyes?
???
Killers.
Today, the signs.
ReplyDeleteTomorrow, it'll be something else.
It's all about the struggle, and the chance to realize the great causes of one's "yoot".
But once the sign-wavers realize that far too many people on the side of the road think that this is NOT the day to be doing that, they too shall pass into history, like every other mountainous molehill in Amherst politics.
And, at this time in 2019, we'll have forgotten this controversy ever occurred.
Larry (or anyone),
ReplyDeleteIs there a bike parade for the kids at the South Amherst Common tomorrow? I already decorated their bikes in anticipation, but I have not seen any notice about it. I think it was at 10 am. Can someone post info about it? Thank you.
"Sound and fury signifying nothing"
ReplyDeleteA motto for all of Amherst town politics?
Yes the South Amherst Bike Parade for kids, going on now for around 130 years (with no protesters ever) is scheduled for 10:00 AM, with registration starting at 9:15 AM.
ReplyDeleteHow is it that the League of Women Voters has any pretense of political impartiality when they are so very clearly partisan on so very many issues, as evidenced by their desire to use the parade for political purposes?
ReplyDeleteHow can anyone honestly believe that they are neutral????
"The conflict in Iraq is over, and we won"
ReplyDeleteThink so.
Wait.
Did you serve in the same war as those aging hippies?
Today is the day to show what Freedom is all about. Happy 4th, Larry. See ya at the parade.
ReplyDeleteUntil later................
No Mr. Moroco I did not (but if old enough most certainly would have as my father did a generation before that)
ReplyDeleteYou got it Ethel. See ya in a bit.
I always laugh at that I would have served b.s. What a crock. No one held you back from enlisting. We never know when there is going to be a war, and motvated soldiers and sailors are always needed. So, Mr. Chickenhawk, you could have served if you wanted to.
ReplyDeleteHappy 4th, from a person who actually did serve and gladly. (Never went to war, but got to feel the heat on an aircraft carrier doing emergency, fire and rescue).
God Bless this Great Country!
I believe Mr. Moroca was referencing Viet Nam (at least I certainly was with my use of the term "aging hippies")
ReplyDeleteAnd I was too young to even have volunteered.
Larry is not a right-winger, he's a townie. For those of us who moved into the area from elsewhere, you may or may not remember townies from where you came from. These were the guys who sat around in the bars and complained about "outsiders" ruining everything. Their bullying sons turned into town cops so they could keep on bullying, their daughters married the highschool football star who got a job at the local gym or Kmart, lost his hair and entered town politics. You know the type. These people are full of themselves and too close-minded to see how other people think, or be open to someone else's opinion on something. Why? Because they are afraid. Afraid of something new, afraid that someone will show them up, afraid that they'll be of less value.
ReplyDeleteLarry's a little different because he wears his fear on his sleeve and spreads it around with this blog. Larry's afraid, of you and of what you might think of him. He is very afraid.
Larry's fear is what makes this blog interesting. You can taste the fear, it's like blood in the water to a shark.
Glad you like it (the blog).
ReplyDeleteIn athletic competition it's called "the fear of failure".
Townie for sure; but at least I'm not an Anon Nitwit.
"Larry's fear is what makes this blog interesting. You can taste the fear, it's like blood in the water to a shark."
ReplyDelete(Um, who let the text-book socio-path out unmedicated?).
Out roaming the hills of South Carolina are we?
"No Mr. Moroco I did not (but if old enough most certainly would have"
ReplyDeleteWe'll never know.
"The conflict in Iraq is over, and we won"
Don't use we for something you had no part in.
I'll believe in victory when our troops come home.