Amherst Town Room, Town Hall
So the accusations are starting to fly faster than quail frantically fleeing the hunter's birdshot.
The venerable Amherst Bulletin in today's editorial has strongly suggested I am an "extremist" for wishing to fly commemorative flags in the downtown to remember, commemorate, honor the 2,997 citizens slaughtered that awful day.
Well I suppose if I'm in the same camp as the Amherst firefighters, who issued a strong statement of support for flying the flags every 9/11, that's okay with me.
And Select Board Chair Stephanie O'Keeffe borderline resorts to libel/slander in the same Amherst Bulletin front page article by strongly suggesting I purposely, willfully "exploited people's misunderstanding and oversimplification of this issue."
Interestingly the article closes with an exchange between O'Keeffe and an ardent flag supporter who thanked her for clarifying the complications, but even so, still thought the commemorative flags should fly on 9/11. Sounds pretty reasonable to me.
Last night around 10:30 PM WWLP Ch 22 News put up another flag flap story stating unequivocally that I "questioned the patriotism" of Amherst and town manager John Musante on my Fox & Friends live appearance on Sunday morning.
They even interviewed an Amherst resident who was aghast that I would dare to question their patriotism. Only thing is I never even remotely suggested that. The interviewee probably got it from the Gazette coverage where Ms. O'Keeffe is complaining about uninformed viewers questioning her patriotism.
Bu you would think the reporter could have at least watched the five-minute-30-second Fox interview, or maybe contacted me for comment/fact checking. She had been stalking me on Twitter for the past two weeks, so it's not like it would have been hard for her to reach me.
I notice this morning the story has been pulled from wwlp.com
As long as you keep pushing this issue, Larry, those flags will NEVER fly annually on 9/11. Give it a rest already.
ReplyDeleteIt's not about me pal, it's about 2,997 innocent civilians who trudged to work on a beautiful late summer Tuesday morning ... and never came home.
ReplyDeleteExactly. So why not get someone else to be the lead person on this next year rather than yourself.
ReplyDeleteI cannot think of a better person than Reynolds Winslow, Chair of the Human Rights Commission, and look what happened to him on August 27.
ReplyDeleteLarryK said...
ReplyDeleteIt's not about me pal, it's about 2,997 innocent civilians who trudged to work on a beautiful late summer Tuesday morning ... and never came home
Exactly -it's about the innocents who were killed on that brilliant morning. I still tear up at the thought. I can still picture the beautiful sky that morning. I can still remember beginning that beautiful day with such optimism and joy - and going to bed that night with a heart heavy with grief.
BUT, you have made this about you, Larry. How is it that you can't see that? Are you really that obtuse? Leave it alone. Let someone else take up the cause next year. Or several someone elses! If you speak up about this again this year, next year, the year after and so on - those flags will not fly. If you agree that this should not be about you, you'll stop already.
If I acted on advice from Anons like you, I would not get out of bed in the morning.
ReplyDeletePeople in the street have names and opinions, but until you meet each one are still anonymous. If you are trying to win the battle you must win the hearts and minds of everyone, including those of us who are anonymous. Aside from this being combative will only earn you enemies who do not wish to work with you due to resentment. The same deal with the university.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the war, but not the battle plan.
put it on a ballot already!
ReplyDeleteActually there "Stormin Norman", I only have to win the hearts and minds of 50% plus one.
ReplyDeleteConsidering the issue at hand, not very difficult at all.
Mr. Kelley,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you 100% on this absurd issue. There's absolutely no reason in (my opinion) why the town I grew up in shouldn't fly our nation's flag on as to quote you "that awful day". We in this country and certainly countries around the world have all had terrible tragedies we should never forget. For many US citizens including myself, Pearl Harbor, Oklahoma City and 9/11 immediately come to mind.
With that said, this is where I disagree and I'm saddened about your recent comments to the media. In the last few days,I've had to defend myself as well as many of my town of Amherst life long family and friends from countless outsiders who now claim that Amherst Massachusetts does NOT believe in the American flag. Old glory has been flying proudly ouside my house for thirty years.
So please, in the future when you have to voice your opinion to the media as to who is or isn't a patriot in Amherst, here's a easy solution. Make it crystal clear to whom your accusing. Seems only fair to firefighters and hundreds of others who stand with you on this issue.Don't you think?
Most of all, it's time to walk the walk. Select Board Member Kelley? Town Manager Kelley? Sounds like to me you could get things accomplished and REALLY do something. Obviously, you have an enormous about of time on your hands.
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ReplyDeleteActually you should take a look at the Fox & Friends interview (it's posted below) before you accuse me of things I did not do.
ReplyDeleteYou're sounding like that Ch 22 news "reporter."
I never questioned anyone's patriotism. Ever.
What I think is a shame is that every day our soldiers are getting killed and severely wounded in a senseless war that has no end. Nobody says a darn thing about it. How many more have to come home missing limbs? But, whether or not to put up some flags? Well. let's all get in a lather.
ReplyDeleteTell that to the three firefighters raising the flag over the smouldering remains of the Twin Towers late that afternoon.
ReplyDeleteBut no, you wouldn't have the guts. Cowardly Anon Nitwit.
Larry, do you even have a job? How do you find time to fit in all of this public indignation?
ReplyDeleteYeah, actually I do – in addition to raising two young daughters.
ReplyDeleteI’m working on two major consulting projects (involving two things I’m good at: research and writing), one due on October 1 and the other October 15.
Probably for more revenue than you will make over the next month or two (or three or four).
I also had jobs when I was fighting on the national karate circuit, but still managed to find the time to train hard enough in Sport Karate to be ranked #1 in New England six consecutive years and four times ranked in the top ten nationally, peaking at #3 in 1983.
And if this blog is such a monumental waste of time, what does that say about YOU coming here to post comments? (As a Cowardly Anon Nitwit naturally).
You know what I love about your denigration of we "CANs?" You seem to go after anyone in this town that you disagree with. You publish people's salaries. You drag anyone over the coals that you have deemed, from your perch of righteousness, unworthy and in many cases, flatly evil. Why on EARTH would I want you to even know my name, only to be hounded and publicly humiliated. You are a liability, as far as associations go.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, "writing" and "researching" is not work, as far as I'm concerned. And neither is (hahaha) karate. That's privilege! Get a real job!
At least you did not denigrate my stay-at-home dad status as well.
ReplyDeleteMichael Bardsley made that mistake against David Narkewicz in the mayoral campaign.
And David is now the mayor of Northampton.
Is it true what I saw on FOX News? That Amherst will not fly the American flag on 9/11? For chrissake, who the hell's flag are they gonna fly, Russia's? Who is responsible for the banning of flying the American flag in Amherst on 9/11??!!
ReplyDeleteLarry, I think you should make 'em fly it on Pearl Harbor Day as well, before the commies in that town forget that day as well. Give 'em hell, Larry!
The town refuses to fly 25 commemorative flags that do fly on Memorial Day, Veterans Day and more celebratory days like July 4 and Labor Day.
ReplyDeleteBut they will allow them to fly on 9/11 in 2016. Of course the 4,600 kids who started UMass this week will graduate (most of them anyway) in May of 2016.
So if the flags do not fly this Tuesday those kids will have never see the commemorative flags flying in Amherst to commemorate, remember and honor those 2,997 slaughtered citizens.
Larry, you will lose a lot of readers on this blog when you continue to distort this issue like this. Anon 841 you should know that altho the 25 commemorative flags will not be flown every year, the town will be flying other American flags as well as have a solemn ceremony honoring the innocent lives lost that day. The ceremony begins at 945am. Amherst flies the American flag every day of the yesr.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to guess, I would say every municipality in Massachusetts flies a US flag every day of the year.
ReplyDeleteAnd I have attended every one of the 9/11 ceremonies at AFD. Remember, the firefighters union issued a statement of strong support for the commemorative flags fly every year.
I did not say Amherst was different than other towns in flying the flag daily. I am simply pointing out that your implication that Amherst does not fly the American flag is straight out wrong.
ReplyDeleteI don't need to spin this in the least. Not flying commemorative flags on 9/11 is flat out wrong, And it seems a lot of people agree over on the Amherst Bulletin Facebook page. But you probably will not vote since you have to identify yourself.
ReplyDeleteI can't find anywhere on the Amherst Bulletin facebook page where anyone has said anything about flying the commemorative flags. I see some responses to the question "Should Amherst fly the flag every year on 9/11?" But that's simply asking should we continue to fly the American flag every year on 9/11?, as Amherst has always flown the flag on 9/11. Admit it, Larry, this is about you and your ego, you for some reason really have co-opted the whole issue. The picture you took at ground zero with the American flag is about you, for you, feeding your ego.
ReplyDeleteWow, that amazing. How can anyone possible misread, misinterpret that seemingly simple Amherst Bulletin poll question?
ReplyDeleteProbably the same way people did Fox News or even -- well before the Fox news segment -- the Springfield Republican article (which was picked up by September 11 Families' Association in New York on their national website).
On the Amherst Bulletin Facebook page the hint would be the question response option that references the Select Board's compromise of once every five years (which is not doing very well at the moment).
CLEARLY they are talking about the 25 commemorative flags, because as you seem to well know, the American flag, as in all communities in our state, flies 24/7, 365 days a year from the town common, police and fire stations, and schools (although not always in the summer at the schools).
PS: No, I'm not going to publish those three other nasty comments you tried to post between the hours of 3:31 AM and 3:34 AM.
Normally I would say "go start your own blog." But I notice from your nasty posts over on Masslive that you actually have (did you take that photo of the flag burner?).
"Not flying commemorative flags on 9/11 is flat out wrong..."
ReplyDeleteThe problem Larry, is in you thinking that it's your job to be the arbitrator of right and wrong in this town. A vote was taken at Town Meeting. It failed 2 to 1. The Select Board interpreted that vote rightly, in my opinion. Some folks are in favor of displaying the flags on 9/11. The vast majority, of the sample that had a chance to vote, are not. So, they came up with a compromise policy that allows them to fly on some, milestone years, attempting to address, in the process, both perspectives. I get that you don't agree with that decision. But it was one that was based on some objective measure of townspeople's range of opinions. Continuing to badger and berate isn't the way to deal with your disagreement on this. If you think flying flags on 9/11 is the popular opinion in town, then figure out a way to get it on the ballot. Provide the Select Board with another objective measure to base their decision on, rather than just your own and a handful of others' yearly impassioned pleas. They were elected not to represent your particular, strongly held viewpoints. They were elected to represent the entire constituency. And that is what it seems to me, they are trying to do.
Well, since that Select Board meeting two weeks ago where Chair Stephanie O'Keeffe said nobody cares about this issue, the Amherst Firefighters issued a public statement strongly supporting the commemorative flags fly every 9/11.
ReplyDeleteAnd the Facebook Poll on the Amherst Bulletin page is running 85-1 in favor of flying the flags annually over the Select Board option of every five years.