No sense of humor

Bully drops a bomb
So His Lordship Gerry Weiss sent a routine housekeeping message over the privately owned (so she can trample First Amendment rights anytime she wants) Town Meeting Listserve, and I of course used the opening to ‘respond all’:

To: amhersttownmeeting@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thu, 29 May 2008 10:18 pm
Subject: Re: [AmhTownMtg] 20B and procedure

So, ugh, it sounds like Town Meeting will drone on beyond June 10'th. And on THAT DAY, according to a legal FDIC mortgage, Ms. Awad and Mr. Hubley (although by a Homestead decree signed April 10 he has ALREADY vacated the town of Amherst) become "primary residents" of South Hadley.

Could you please do your job and schedule an election to replace Ms. Awad--preferably when it will not cost taxpayers a ton of money. Thanks.

Larry Kelley
Precinct 5
Legal and Spiritual resident of Amherst

To: amhersttownmeeting@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Thu, 29 May 2008 11:45 pm
Subject: Re: [AmhTownMtg] 20B and procedure

A reminder to everyone that this forum, especially the poster of the
last message:

Discussions of a person(s) will not be tolerated on this listserv. This
is the only warning that will be given before removal from this group.

Mary Streeter
Group Moderator

The Pounding continues...

Click to enlarge: Article over on right above the fold.

So Bully for the Bulletin for continuing to question this sad story of aging, arrogant, political has-beens who desperately cling to their “power.”

The first thing I learned in Journalism 25 years ago (News writing and Reporting 101 at Umass) is always check the spelling of a source name. Although most readers will not notice a misspelled name the person you interviewed sure will and they will wonder what else you screwed up.

And the second thing I learned--even more important--was NEVER LIE TO A REPORTER!

At this point (with the Registry of Deed’s office still showing no change in the Declaration of Homestead being South Hadley) I’m starting to question the couple’s sanity.

Unfortunately, the Amherst Town Government Act does not have a provision requiring town officials undergo psychiatric review.

Enough is Enough!

Okay, so here is my uniform for Amherst Town Meeting this evening. And yeah, I sit directly in front of Anne Awad. If the Moderator has me arrested, I will sell "Free Blogger Kelley" T-shirts to make bail.

UPDATE: 10:15 PM. No I didn't get arrested; but then, the Moderator went WAY out of his way (as opposed to the normal just going out of his way) to avoid calling on me for anything, thus I could not stand up and display my nifty shirt (maybe I'll do a print run of 100 and hand them out at the next Town Meeting). But Town Meeting has a few nights left and it's my official uniform until we dissolve--although I did promise Stan Gawle, who sits next to me, that I would wash it.

An 'Only in Amherst' Movement

No blood for oil. And if only Americans stopped mowing their lawns how much oil could we save? Then there would be no need to go to war with Iran.

I remember the night of 11/1/06 asking Amherst Town Meeting to consider what they would do if Iran had a missile warming up on a silo that contained nuclear or biological materials aimed at the heart of Israel?

They overwhelmingly passed the nonaggression, appeasement article anyway. You would think an overly educated community like Amherst would not have to be reminded that those who fail to learn from history (giving Hitler the Sudenland) are doomed to repeat it.


EMBASSY OF PAKISTAN
INTERESTS SECTION OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN
2209 Wisconsin Avenue N.W. Washington, D.C. 20007

Tel: (202) 965-4990 Fax (202) 965-1073 www.daftar.org

In the Name of the Almighty

December 7, 2006

Ms. Sandra J. Burgess
Amherst Town Clerk
4 Boltwood Ave.
Amherst, MA 01002

Dear Ms. Burgess:

We would like to express our appreciation for the courageous stance of the participants of the Amherst Town Meeting in urging diplomacy with Iran and expressing opposition to any U.S. military action against our country. Your letter along with the attachments was submitted to the office of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Upon receipt of any response, this office will notify you accordingly. The staff of this office would be more than happy to respond to any questions you might have.

Sincerely,

A. Mohzabadi
for Mostafa Rahmani

Yeah, gotta love that December 7'th date of dictation and the "In the name of the Almighty" heading. Kind of like the last recorded words from the cockpit of United Flight 93.

By train, bus, or helicopter. Just go!

Okay, so it is now close of business (5:10 PM) Tuesday and still the Massachusetts Registry of Deeds (masslandrecords.com) clearly shows that Amherst officials Selectman Anne Awad and her husband Town Meeting member Robie Hubley have not “removed the Homestead declaration” on their new South Hadley home or retaken one out on their (up for sale) Amherst condo as stated in a Letter to the Editor last week.

And the Registry of Deeds also does not show a new mortgage on the South Hadley home minus that pesky Occupancy clause (saying they have to make it their primary residence by June 10).

I remember as an impressionable 17-year-old, just coming of age with politics, being stunned and amazed our President—the leader of the Free World—could lie to the American people.

And here we are, 35 years later…

Antiquated Amherst Town Meeting: No escape

So on Thursday we celebrated our 25’Th Wedding anniversary with an overnight at the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, the second home to Norman Rockwell. And although he painted the famous “Freedom of Speech”—now an icon to Town Meeting supporters while living in Arlington, Vermont the Red Lion Inn proudly displayed it in our suite.

The rustic Inn’s clientele (not to mention the artwork in our bedroom) reminded me of Amherst Town Meeting: rich, retired and overwhelmingly white. About the only diversity I heard was the occasional mid-town Manhattan Jewish accent.

Memorial Day in Amherst

For the first time in twenty-five years I could actually attend the Amherst Memorial Day parade. My wife and I have an agreement to attend Memorial Day celebration in Southwick, her hometown, but she has a family reunion this Wednesday so she decided not to make the drive today.

The weather was perfect. Naturally the town forgets to put the main flag at half-staff so July 4’Th Parade Committee Chair Kevin Joy did the honors.

An F-15 streaked overhead to get things started


The turnout was great, numbering in the hundreds spread out along the less than a mile route. And no, not a single protester to be found—even on that corner in Town center they have occupied every Sunday for the past thirty-five years.

Blog Guru Tommy Devine chasing down a shot or two (photo that is)


And even former Amherst Democratic Town Committee Chair Harry Brooks who spearheaded the attack on the July 4’th Parade Committee two years ago for not allowing anti-war signs marched peacefully in the lead group without carrying a sign of any kind.