A coward dies a thousand deaths

So Scotland caved: they released a mass murderer on grounds of "compassion." The man convicted of blowing 259 innocent civilians out of the sky at 30,000 feet and killing 11 more on the ground below.

And only in Libya--or perhaps North Korea--would this monster be welcomed home as a hero.

If you don't like the report...

Left to right: Shaffer, SB Princess Stephanie O'Keeffe and rookie Aaron Hayden.

So these returns from a search on the venerable Daily Hampshire Gazette under the term Amherst Town Manager Blue ribbon committee really tell the story. "Long awaited" and "coming soon" in the same headline all time/date stamped almost six months ago.

Still no public release of the report. Although my reliable source stated it was submitted to the Town Mangler back in May.

Could it be they did not champion the Override as a cure all?

1. Shaffer: Long-awaited blue ribbon panel conclusions are coming soon Daily Hampshire Gazette

   Wednesday Mar 4, 2009

   AMHERST - A three-member panel studying efficiencies in the organization of the town government and schools for more than a year is preparing to release its conclusions. Town Manager Larry Shaffer ... more...

   By SCOTT MERZBACH Staff Writer

2. Expert budget advice pending, Shaffer says Daily Hampshire Gazette

   Monday Aug 18, 2008

   AMHERST - A Blue Ribbon Task Force designed to give town and school administrators insight into making the government and schools more efficient has not yet made any recommendations. Town Manager L... more...

   By SCOTT MERZBACH Staff Writer

3. Amherst forms 'blue ribbon' budget committee Daily Hampshire Gazette

   Wednesday Dec 19, 2007

   AMHERST - Town officials are seeking advice from both financial experts and regular folks as they prepare spending plans in yet another tight year. Town Manager Larry Shaffer has appointed a "... more...

   By NICK GRABBE Staff Writer

Do as I say, not...

Hope springs eternal

So according to the venerable Daily Hampshire Gazette, the Amherst Chamber of Commerce wants to convene a summit meeting of downtown heavy-hitter landlords (and there are only a half-dozen) in response to empty storefronts; meanwhile, less than a week later, the same paper carries a Front Page story about Chamber director Tony Maroulis adding to the problem by closing his art gallery at the end of this month.

The Bully re-reports (from the Gazette)

And it now looks like Lincoln Realty has rented one of the spaces anyway to yet another restaurant (probably for their asking price), without benefit of said summit. And so it goes...
Probably should have removed the Fram Filter sign

Rules of engagement

So after all these years the Australian board of inquiry came back with their finding on the loss of HMS Sydney and her entire crew of 645 (the worst WW11 disaster for our allies) that took place a few weeks before Pearl Harbor on the afternoon of November 19, 1941 .

The light Cruiser Sydney, the pride of the Australian Navy (they of course could not afford heavy duty Battleships--not that ours survived the same treachery at Pearl Harbor), had "inexplicably" approached a disguised German raider to point blank range.

After a radio challenge, the Kormoran suddenly raised her German flag as she simultaneously opened fire on the Sydney with every gun blazing, including torpedo's. The first salvo took out the Sydney's Command and Control and within five minutes about 70% of the crew.

The mortally wounded Sydney returned fire and inflicted enough damage to (eventually) sink the Kormoran, but she limped away totally ablaze only to sink within a few hours with all hands aboard. A total loss of life.

On the early morning of December 7, 1941 the Empire of Japan had planned to declare war on the US only moments before the bombs and machine guns devastated our unsuspecting fleet moored at Pearl Harbor.

Slight miscalculation, as the coded missive from the emperor was not translated by their underlings in time (and never actually said that a state of war exists.) An enraged America repaid their treachery many times over.

Rot in Hell!

This laconic loser purposely places a BOMB on board a civilian aircraft designed to detonate at high altitude where the resulting concussion, freezing temperatures, gale force winds and free falling 30,000 feet at terminal velocity guarantee a horrific death for all 259 human beings on board not to mention 11 on the ground; and now the quaint country of Scotland is considering releasing him on humanitarian grounds because he has cancer????

May he die as painful and horrific a death as he inflicted on 270 innocent civilians. Alone, in a dark cell--with the Devil as his only friend!

Don't worry, be happy

Amherst Town Center 10:30 AM

Does anybody really know what time it is?

10:45 AM Click to enlarge/read the clock

Apparently not, if you are in downtown Amherst.

Consonance and Dissonance

Amherst Cinema this morning
Amherst DPW this morning

A fight for revenues

Massachusetts legislators smell gold in what some critics refer to as a blood sport. The state senate recently passed a bill (34-1) that would regulate Mixed Martial Arts events more popularly known as 'Ultimate Fighting' And they of course, want a piece of the action.

UFC 101 sold out in Philadelphia last week--a notoriously loyal boxing city--drawing 17,411 spectators for a total gate of $3.55 million.

UFC President Dana White, a Connecticut resident but former Boston area gym rat and avowed Red Sex fan, is already talking about a UFC promotion at Fenway Park next year where upwards of 40,000 could be seated or possibly twice the total gate of the recent Philly event.

The state would get a 4% tax on total ticket sales and an additional 2% tax on TV revenues (capped at $75,000.)

Massachusetts lately has been getting more aggressive about regulating commercial physical activities: from Personal Trainers at health clubs to massage therapy licenses and now martial arts.

While I'm a BIG fan of President Reagan's small-government-is-good government paradigm, I still think when it comes to health and safety a little government regulation is a good thing.

The smoking ban in the workplace, legalizing abortion, and probably someday the marketing of marijuana, just to name a few.

Show me the money!

Click to enlarge/read but not if you are the PVPC guy.

So I often wonder about how effective orchestrated letter writing or mass email campaigns are when the target of such stunts may actually see the media story encouraging folks to complain.

After Town Meeting gave Atkins Farm Market a tax break for new construction and over $200,000 in paving via the DPW for a land swap it now looks like the Federal money may not be forthcoming. Seems like Amherst is certainly not getting its share of stimulus.

And in North Amherst business mogul Paul Jones is asking folks to write to the Amherst Postmaster to complain about the North Amherst Post Office closing even though it is not scheduled to close (considering Mr. Jones has rented to them for a generation or two apparently he's not taking chances.)

Although I'm sure the Postmaster will appreciate the use of first class stamps.

The Bully reports:

I hear a train a comin'

Ungated High Street

So the Internet was abuzz last week when some nitwit Amherst teenage girl played chicken with an Amtrak train in Cushman Center (North Amherst) while her nitwit sister took a picture. Gotta love somebody near the train aficionados video camera exclaim "what the fuck" as the girl first enters the frame and ambles to the center of the tracks and then sprints back.

Of course if that crossing had gates chances are the girl would not have done the deed. Although certainly not guaranteed prevention as evidenced by last month's horrific accident that claimed the lives of five teenagers where the driver decided to race an Amtrak train and went around the gates.Station Road with gates

The Railroad closed off Railroad Street, where Amtrak's historic brick train station is located, after a car train mishap a few years back. Apparently they own the north side of the street and it's not a public way (although open to thru traffic for over 200 years) so they simply decided only trains would have the right of way.Barricaded Railroad Street

But now I'm wondering why the town had to repave the railroad crossing on Strong Street (and any cyclist would agree it was L-O-N-G past due) where gates used to exist but seemed to have disappeared recently.Formerly gated and now repaved Strong Street.

I'm told that Cushman Center is slated for gates, but who knows when (he called it "railroad time"). Maybe after the next time a kid plays chicken--and loses.Ungated Cushman Center.

Butterflies Are Free

And so are the two journalists.

Having just visited Korea--the good side--I kind of knew that if anybody could free those two young women Bill Clinton could. His wife Hillary exchanged name calling with their dictator recently (not a good idea with somebody who normally does not have to hear such criticism--mainly because critics are killed.)

But as today's Wall Street Journal points out, you wonder what Slick Willy promised them on nuclear disarmament issues. And what about the thousand or so Japanese and South Korean hostages (some held since the the Korean Conflict was a shooting war) ?

Since the media outlet they represented is led by Al Gore, maybe the two just did it as a PR stunt. Perhaps Air America should send Rachel Maddow over the border.

And another, and another and another

"Officer down!" is perhaps the most chilling dispatch fellow officers can hear crackling over their radio or cell phone. In Amherst, the town force is now down another three officers as a Federal grant failed to materialize that would have paid salaries and benefits for three officers over three years.

Now this is not three additional officers to our beleaguered force; it would simply have maintained three officers in a roster already downsized by two last year.

Town Meeting approved a Public Safety budget with funding for the three officers contingent on the grant. This way Town Meeting washed their hands of the cuts and can now point the finger at the Feds.

Good game bureaucrats big-and-small seem to excel at: cover your ass, find somebody else to blame.

All the news...

So I'm trying to figure out how the DA can complete an investigation in 6.5 months where a man is shot by two different people, the second one--a police officer--killing him (and I agree it was justifiable) but still has not released her findings on the terrible, terrible bus accident that claimed a 2-year-old in North Amherst last October.

My reliable sources tell me the State Police accident reconstruction investigation team concluded it was an awful accident.

The Springfield Republican reports


The Bully reported (way back then)

A somber but proud position

UPDATE (Sunday morning): So if I were the President I would order the flags down to half staff to remember Captain Michael "Scott" Speicher; and hoist a beer to remember his sacrifice.
A long lost pilot will be coming home

Big Y, Amherst
Amherst College (that majestic flag high on a hill.)
Hadley Town Hall
Amherst Town Hall
Amherst Post Office (University Drive)
Amherst Post Office (Town Center)

Of course the Feds are not subject to state law. But only the Federal Government can send our troops to war.

-----Original Message-----
From: State House Events (BSB)
Sent: Wed, Jul 29, 2009 1:10 pm
Subject: Half Staff Notification for Friday, July 31, 2009

Good Afternoon Everyone,

Governor Patrick is ordering the American and Commonwealth Flags lowered to half-staff on Friday, July 31st from sunrise until sunset for Corporal Nicholas Xiarhos who was killed in action.

Pursuant to gubernatorial protocol which states,

"The U.S. flag shall be flown at half-staff at all state buildings from sunrise until sunset on the day of interment of any soldier from Massachusetts who is killed in action in a war zone while on active duty,”

Please be advised that Governor Patrick has ordered that the United States flag and the Commonwealth flag be lowered to half-staff at all state buildings from sunrise until sunset on Friday, July 31, 2009, in honor of Corporal Nicholas Xiarhos of Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts who was killed in action in Afghanistan on July 23, 2009.

Suzzette
State House Event Coordinator

A-Rod leads the charge

So our newest highest paid government employee must think he's a superstar baseball player or something as he is already championing a Proposition 2.5 Override.

The Gazette forgot to mention in addition to his $158,000 salary (a tad above former Golden Boy Jere Hochman's $135,000) rookie school superintendent Alberto Rodriguez also gets $15,000 in housing/transportation for two years. And he left his family behind in Miami to simply rent rather than buy a home here which of course is more directly subject to the vagaries of property taxes.

Plus he's a rookie to not only Amherst in particular--but to Superintendency (if that is a word) in general.

The 3.5% negotiated teachers union raises this year alone are costing taxpayers over a $1 million and the Teachers Union already told the Town Manager to go to hell on forgoing them. Can't really say I blame them, since the new guy came in to replace the old white guy at a 15%+ increase.

School Superintendent Rodriguez admires President Reagan as an influential role model because of his insistence on smaller more efficient government. But Super A-Rod now heads that part of local government that consumes the vast majority of tax dollars and he's already advocating an expansion of that expenditure.

Ch. 3 TV reports

The Bully reports (better late than never)

Sign, sign everywhere a sign

UPDATE: Friday High-Noon.
So my other friends at Hampshire Life--the Friday weekly magazine published by the Gazette also addressed this Rt. 91 sign issue (and since they are a weekly with a bricks-and-mortar deadline, I'm fairly sure their story was in the pipeline before my upload on Tuesday). Although I find it even more alarming that these signs will appear over ALL of the 776 miles of state roadways at a cost of $1,720,000):


So while my friends at the Springfield Republican are ridiculing the $timulus $igns that cost $2,700 each (as of course they should) informing folks their tax dollars are at work, I'm kind of wondering about all the new signs along Rt 91 that designate every .2 of a mile and at every mile a larger one with the Rt 91 logo.

Hmmm, so five signs per mile times the 55 miles between the Connecticut and Vermont border is how much? And if your clunker breaks down do you really, really need to know within .2 of a mile exactly where you are?

The emergency call boxes, spaced about every mile, are equally useless. Massachusetts is the only state to use them on Rt. 91 and I bet they never get used because the three in a row I tried did not work. The technology looks like something from the 1970's and does not even allow voice communication.

And in this day and age where everyone has a cell phone why not spend the money on making sure there's cell reception along the entire route and replace the call boxes with cell phone stations?




Yes, I hit the top button not one of the emergency ones. Nothing happened (no beep, no light.) Waited two minutes. Then tried the next one down the road; same thing. Then the third one, where I sat for 25 minutes just in case a wrecker showed up. It did not.

Who's bluffing whom?

So tonight in two hours Amherst Town Meeting disposed of seven articles,raising taxes on local restaurants and hotel/motels, while giving Atkins Farm Stand (a thriving business) a tax break to expand, purchased two solar panels that are advertised to generate $2 of electricity for every dollar of investment; but denied by a vote of 96 to 78 the Jones Library an additional $34,704 to bring their budget up to minimum state standards--and risking the $70,000 to $80,000 of funding that comes with it.

Apparently less than 10% of Massachusetts' cities and towns have been granted a waiver of the state minimum threshold for funding by town tax dollars. Select Board Chair Princess Stephanie in prepared remarks (not prepared enough apparently as she went over the time limit by 22 seconds) boasted if the state rejected the certification waiver request. the Select Board would quickly call a Special Town Meeting in the fall and suggested town money would then be forthcoming.

Let's hope the state official who decides waivers doesn't read that remark and call her on it.

I voted in favor of the higher number...mainly out of pride. Amherst. where education is the number one industry, with a town seal denoting a book and plough, begging the state to drop minimum library standards.

Seasonal Amherst?

Click to read

Yeah, back twenty years ago the town pretty much rolled up the streets in the sumertime (and the living was not easy.) But these days Amherst is a lot busier with all the summer camps and conventions at our tax exempt institutions (Judie's was busy last night for instance.)

So I find it a little odd that Papa Gino's, who only opened this past March closed for the summer (reminds me of those "gone fishin" signs). It does demonstrate that employees are the number one overhead--but rent in that location can't be far behind.

This from the March 2 Daily Hampshire Gazette:

Company representatives who came before the Select Board, including manager Joseph Kimmel, said they are confident that, even though the popular pizza-by-the-slice Antonio's restaurant is located directly across the street, many college students are already familiar with its products from living in the Boston area.

And another one gone, and another one gone...

So you would think a national franchise selling ice cream could at the very least survive the Summer in the People's Republic of Amherst into the Fall; and by then the students (swallows) return to Amherst (Capistrano).

But that location-- and its congenital twin (the vacant store next door)--is probably the most expensive rent in Amherst, if measured by $ per square foot. And normally I would say that labor is the #1 cost of doing business with rent #2.

But with Ben & Jerry's the actual rent was probably number one overall. And a decade ago, even McDonald's could not survive in that location (killed by Antonio's Pizza back when still owned by Bruno Matarazzo)

An innocent victim

So Bank of America better hope the Conservation Department does not take note of the dead tree in their overhead walkway. The bank--in the very heart of downtown Amherst--has been closed for a while now due to renovations (and obviously somebody forgot to water the tree.)

Bank of America or KFC?

What informed readers want.

So first of all, Amherst has according to our toothless watchdog the Finance Committee (report of January, 2007) approved 10 of 18 Overrides over the past 25 years. Yes, some of them were menu Override where on the same day/ballot a few items appeared, but still The People’s Republic of Amherst has on numerous occasions approved tax Overrides. Thus saying “only 2” is not even close, even by hand grenade measuring.

And of course the other hilarious hypocrisy is the Gazette touts “transparency” as a reason why Northampton just passed a $2 million Override; but the Gazette has also recently taken them to the woodshed (which indeed they should) for not keeping good Public Records notes during executive sessions --especially since those sessions seemed to be related to a $1.2 million buyout of homes near the landfill.

Cherry Hill Golf Course shanks again

So before the Town Manager or LSSE, our expensive recreation empire, spews a disingenuous positive spin on the numbers, here’s what the illustrious business of golf really cost taxpayers this past year (FY-09, ended June 30, 2009):

“Operation Budget: $211,000
Hidden costs: (employee benefits, insurance): $31,000
“Capital costs” Commercial lawnmower $22,000
Total taxpayer funded budget: $264,000

Total Revenues (with about half the patrons from outside Amherst): $254,000

Or a loss of $10,000.

Not bad...compared to the six consecutive years of $100,000 losses between 1999 and 2005, or South Hadley’s usual annual losses of $500,000 on their B-I-G-G-E-R white elephant, the Ledges.

But this loss does not reflect the $30,000 “opportunity cost” of privatizing the operation. The Town Mangler rejected Niblick Management because they wanted a 3-year-deal.

But Shaffer wants Town Meeting next week to approve a 5-year lease/buy on experimental photovoltaic, solar panels for two in-town locations. Hmmm…

And even if you ignore the $30,000 privatization opportunity had Amherst never absorbed Cherry Hill for $2.2 million over 20 years ago (still the most expensive land purchase/taking in town history) the former owner would be paying property taxes of almost $10,000 per year.

As former Czar Anne Awad told Town Meeting in June 2006 (back when she still lived in Amherst): “Numbers can be used in many ways, statistics in many ways” Yeah, for sure. It would help if town officials told the truth.


Hey, at least he was accurate (gotta love the facial twitch) when admitting the golf business would not cover capital.

A haunting reminder

This "ghost bike" appeared near the spot on University Drive where cyclist Misty Bassi was run down by a hit-and-run driver on Memorial Day morning. She was hit head on, so at least her death was instantaneous.

When Umass students return and The Hanger starts packing them in again, maybe more folks will be reminded that a car is a deadly weapon.

CBS reports

Sunday morning...

Don't try this at home kids.

The cost of doing business

So yes, as an Amherst Town Meeting member with too many years business experience I will of course support the property tax break for Atkins Farm stand my South Amherst business neighbor. But if somebody asked me over the past 20 years or so for a list of the top retail businesses in Amherst, Atkins would be high on my list.

And I remember 45 years or so ago when they were neck-and-neck with Wentworth Farms for farm stand fresh produce sales. At the time Atkins was on the other side of the main road and they had a GIANT bright red apple on top of the tiny farm stand.

But today anytime you drive or cycle by during business hours the Atkins parking lot is overflowing. Wentworth Farms is long gone.

Good for me of course since the building I have occupied for the past 26 years or so was originally apple storage for Wentworth Farms, thus if they had not gone belly up due to Atkins…

But how about the Lord Jeffery Inn? Yeah, I know--they are owned by tax-exempt Amherst College who has a BILLION in their endowment. But a year ago it was a LOT higher than that. Thus they cancelled the $20 million renovation of their cozy Inn, although they seem to find the cash to do millions in renovations to their other tax-exempt infrastructure.

Now the decaying Lord Jeff sits forlornly in town center as a high profile public embarrassment. Why not offer Amherst College a tax break over the next five years or so to do the damn renovation?

The Lord Jeff generates collateral business for everybody in the downtown and when Amherst increases the hotel/motel tax to 6% (that too, I will support) the Lord Jeff would pass thru over $100,000 annually to the town.

If we can subsidize Atkins why not Amherst College?

Fast turnaround (Joys of dealing with the Private Sector)

A week from dirt to pavement, not bad.

Last week

Sotomayor & Me

Top row: Nunchakus, brass knuckle knife, push dagger
Middle row: Ninja claw, throwing stars
Bottom row: Balisong Philippine knife, and my favorite: a razor sharp double-edged dagger made from plastic rather than metal so you could easily sneak it aboard commercial airplanes.

Sotomayor on martial arts weapons

While I don’t agree with Ms. Sotomayor playing the race/gender card or her ruling upholding reverse discrimination in the Connecticut firefighter case (recently overturned by the Supreme Court) we wholeheartedly agree about Martial Arts weapons.

Back in the mid-1970’s (yeah, well before that tank ride with goofy oversized helmet) Governor Mike Dukakis signed "emergency legislation" outlawing double-edged knives, samurai swords, throwing stars, nunchakus and such because they were being used against Boston Police trying to keep order during the tumultuous busing crisis.

A very sad use of the American flag

After I first opened a Karate school in the early 1980’s we did an anonymous survey of what else could we offer to customers, and a bunch of responses craved “weapons classes”. We could tell by the handwriting they came from young children.

I then discovered lots of kids were getting their naïve little hands on dangerous mail-order martial arts weapons. Because, after all, the mail carrier does not check I.D’s. “Latchkey kids” could order anything and monitor the mailbox over the next month before Mom or Dad returned home.

The martial arts industry went from the Bruce Lee era (mid 1970’s) to the Ninja mania craze in the early 1980’s. Now it is of course the Mixed Martial Arts which has better staying power then either of the previous fads (although to this day they don’t come any better than Bruce Lee.)

Ninja’s were Japanese assassins who would kill their grandmother in her sleep if the price were right; not something you want American kids worshipping. And of course they used all sorts of nasty weapons to achieve that ignoble end.

The martial arts media hyped it because they sold advertising and magazines. And the weapons dealers loved it because they sold tons of cheap weapons.

So around 1984 in the middle of my five year run as Top Ten nationally ranked tournament karate competition (and professional writer for the national karate magazines) I started my crusade against mail-order martial weapons into states—like Massachusetts and New York—who had declared them illegal.

My theory was the Federal Government should not overrule state government especially on this public safety issue.

And precisely because of my use of the term “states rights” in a cover letter to all US Senators containing a throwing star with the tag line "illegal weapon legally enclosed" on the outside of the envelope, southern Senator Strom Thurmond (Judiciary Chair) co-sponsored legislation with northern Senator Edward Kennedy. Yikes!

At that point even a novice like me could get the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Springfield Union, Boston Globe and Boston Herald, New York Times and NY Post, and finally LA times and LA Herald (where the karate magazines were based) to do editorials supporting the Kennedy/Thurmond bill.

The Senate Bill 1363 passed the Judiciary Committee 11-1 with only Arlen Specter dissenting. Although Orrin Hatch (grilling Sotomayor on nunchakus yesterday) was a Judiciary member back then, he did not show up to vote that morning.

The bill never made it before the full Congress and thus died. But because of all the national press the industry started to police itself (using the disclaimer “will not ship to where prohibited by law” and something about only “adults” can order.)

I never wrote another word for the martial arts media; and I was blackballed on the national karate tournament circuit. A small price to pay.

The Christian Science Monitor reported (way back then):

Typical ads circa 1985 (click to enlarge)

UPDATE: Thursday 11:40 AM

AOL main page is doing an interesting "poll" about Sotomayor: So far 57% do NOT want her approved but (Question #2) 84% think she "will win" approval. Politically speaking is it a BIG enough deal (I would guess not) for those unhappy campers to vote against their Senator in the next election who approved Sotomayor.

Inside baseball (of the Gay variety)

So that disembodied voice you hear responding, “No, I was hoping the Select Board would comment, so I have no comment,” was indeed me. I had emailed the entire Select Board earlier that morning suggesting they make a (brief) public statement in support of Massachusetts State Senator Stan Rosenberg, who ever so casually mentioned in a Daily Hampshire Gazette July 4th column that he was, gasp, gay.

Even earlier that morning, finishing up a bike ride, I ran into (almost literally) former SB Chair Gerry Weiss and pitched the idea face to face. When I got home two minutes later I emailed the entire Select Board.

From a PR perspective I can see Princess Stephanie’s point (play-it-safe, keep silent), as back when she actually worked for a living as a flak in the Detroit car industry (obviously W-A-Y back in the good old days) you let a negative lie low (or is it lay?) and blow over. Don’t address it because it simply feeds the news cycle. But my theory is that Stan’s being gay is not a negative

And today’s crusty Daily Hampshire Gazette editorial demonstrates (better late than never)they agree with me: What Stan did was pretty damn courageous and should be publicly applauded; while what the Amherst Select Board did was pretty damn cowardly.

Of course the little old Gazette is happy Stan Rosenberg did it on their editorial page rather than their competition the BIG city Springfield Republican. Although I couldn’t help note that when the AP picked up the story they did so from the Springfield Republican's article a few days later and not the Gazette.




Today's Gazette editorial:

Worth noting: Sen. Rosenberg's news

We have to admire the courage of convictions, no matter what they are or how they are demonstrated. It is why State Sen. Stan Rosenberg's disclosure that he is gay generated a bit of news, after it appeared as a brief mention in a guest column on this page.

We live in a time when, right or wrong, we want to know about our elected leaders' private lives, as well as their public pronouncements. Rosenberg, 59, the Amherst Democrat, widely known as a hard worker, good listener and a consensus builder, is not one to speak in sound bites. He didn't do that this time either.

His 750-word column published July 4th spoke to the historical reasons Massachusetts is considered in the vanguard when it comes to tolerance, equal rights and social justice. Halfway through, he offered this insight into how his own political views were shaped: "As a foster child growing up as a ward of the state, as a gay man, as a Jew, I understand what it's like to be cast as ¿the other.' "

It made perfect sense that he would include these pieces of information about who he is to explain a belief system he holds dear.

Perhaps to explain why he has never come out as a gay man before, Rosenberg said he doesn't practice "identity politics" - and indeed the fact that he is gay, Jewish, and was a foster child, does not make him a spokesman for the gay community, the Jewish community or adopted people.

It does, however, make him sensitive to their issues. That's not identity politics, that is simply letting all of who you are guide you in the opinions you hold and the decisions you make.

It is also letting the public you serve know you more fully.

Since the column was published, Rosenberg has declined requests for interviews. Since he does not practice identity politics, we suspect he does not want his hard work on policy and legislation to get derailed by this news.

It is his choice to make such a statement and then move on, especially considering that the only reaction to the column and the news from his constituents has been positive. That may well be because Stan Rosenberg has a distinguished political career of 22 years on Beacon Hill. He served in the state House of Representatives from 1987 to 1991; and in the Senate since then. People see him doing the job they elected him for, and that's what counts.

So, bravo, Stan Rosenberg, for making this announcement and doing it in the way that felt right to you. Your constituents are glad to get to know you a little better.

-----Original Message-----
From: amherstac@aol.com
To: selectboard@amherstma.gov
Sent: Wed, Jul 8, 2009 10:45 am
Subject: A vote of support for you know who.

I hope the Select Board will take a moment at tonight's meeting to remind the general public that the town of Amherst is an "equal opportunity employer" and does not discriminate based on race, creed, color, religion, gender, transgender, sexual persuasion or political affiliation (although the last one I'm not so sure about.)


Larry K

What you lookin at