Flushing!

Something that needs to happen to Amherst's current antiquated form of government.

And speaking of the unelected Town Manager who thinks he’s Boss Hogg, Mayor Daley circa 1968: Last week at a ceremonial tree planting to honor former Assistant Town Manger, and forever DPW chief Stan Ziomek, when called upon to turn a ceremonial space or two of earth the Town Mangler announced he would do it like the DPW. So he made one stab at the ground, dropped the shovel while announcing, “break time!”

Gotta love the cartoon (And if any of them thought it libel they should flunk)
UPDATE: 8:30 AM Mary Carey (acting as Professor) reports that none of the kids thought it libel. There's hope for them kids.

Of course if any of them were a fan of Poe's 'The Purloined letter’ they would realize Mary would not have published the cartoon on her blog if it was libel. Duh!

Hustler (not that I ever read it) got away with publishing a cartoon of a (drunken) Reverend Falwell having sex with his mother in an outhouse. Although former Amherst resident Max Karson was arrested for comments in a classroom a day after the Virginia Tech massacre and recently caused a stir with a satirical column about declaring war on Asians.

Only in Amherst (forum)

Umass Daily Collegian covers the Parade controversy
Typical brain-dead, knee-jerk, uber-liberal response on Masslive.com Amherst forum to the pernicious parade soap opera that keeps marching on and on.

Townie ‘Anne12’ (probably not Anne Awad although I heard that rumor once) started a string by saying Memorial Day is approaching and it’s too bad the Memorial Day parade is not getting the same press as the 7/4 parade, echoing a point I made when hammering the Bulletin editorial that suggests Memorial Day or Veterans Day are less “cherished” than the 4’th of July.

Ryan Willey, who selflessly started “Operation Going Home” where he will honor any local war veteran with a free formal funeral sendoff via his skilled bagpiping, responded:

The worry here is if it ever became an event that was attended then the protesters would want to march. Then the Memorial Day parade would end up just like the 4th of July parade a political pinata hung up for a beating. No thanks keep it small and attended by those who honor and remember.

LloydLoar, detonated an IUD:
So, now do YOU support the War for Lies?

Another frequent female townie ‘Cavemansgirl’ (hey, it’s the internet) responded:

How do you read someone's wish to keep a Memorial Day parade on topic about remembering the fallen, and get out of it that they support the war in Iraq? Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for soldiers of wars stretching back to the dawn of our country. Wanting to keep it protestor-free does not mean that someone is gung-ho about Iraq. Calm down and keep your head about you.

LloydLoar, supposedly a peacenik, countered with the combative: “Having trouble answering the question? Having trouble with things all over the place these days, eh?”

Normally you would brand LloydLoar the quintessential ultra-left wing whacko, who gives liberalism a bad name. But then, look at current Select board Chair, His Lordship Gerry Weiss (or better yet look at the bumper stickers on the back of his car): pushing a town bylaw to handcuff police from enforcing immigration law or pressuring a local chapter of the Boy Scouts to publicly repudiate their national organization's stand on gay scoutmasters in order to use public land to sell Christmas Trees?

And of course encouraging Larry Shaffer, the unelected Boss Hogg Town Mangler, to nationalize the July 4’th Parade without the full Select board input.

Yeah, “normally” is a word not often heard in reference to the People’s Republic of Amherst.
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UPDATE: 10:00 PM (yeah I know it ‘s only been 20 minutes since I uploaded but loquacious Loyd just posted a doozy):

5.1.1.2.1. You raise an excellent question.
by LloydLoar, 5/7/08 21:27 ET
Re: Memorial Day Parade... by Anne12, 5/7/08
I'm always ambivalent when facing this issue. Here's a detail or two that troubles me. When I see men my age marching in their Vietnam era uniforms, tears come into my eyes for them and for us all- I'm sad, torn when it comes to celebrating their service because I think we ALL let them down for allowing that action to be so deeply politicized and wrongly prolonged. I'd say that everybody in my age has complex and deeply troubled felings when we see them marching.

Then along comes a Vietnam era jeep with an anti-aircraft gun mounted on the real and I'm reminded how many non-combatant women and children were killed indiscriminately by these weapons.

It's THEN I begin to wonder HOW can we "Support the Troops" when the effort was WRONG, ILLEGAL, DEEPLY DAMAGING TO ALL INVOLVED and the US Crime of our Lifetimes up until the IraqAttack/War for Lies/Endless Occupation.

Lastly, when faced with the Gulf War and returning from Iraq and Afghanistan vets, all I can think of is the HUGE numbers deeply injured by PTSD,the VA debacle unfolding before us,.....

What's to "celebrate"?

A (war) story worth telling

Click to enlarge

How far the mighty have fallen

South Hadley seems to be collecting Amherst’s castoffs: Former School Superintendent Gus Sayer, Town Manager Barry Del Castilho and now Select person (former Czar) Anne Awad.

I find it hard to believe you would spend $310,000 on a new house and then rent it out.

As to whether she legally changes her address and steps down as an Amherst town official because of this relocation, Ms Awad tells the Gazette that she will “let them know.” In other words, none of your damn business!

Ms. Awad carried on a long-standing relationship with Robie Hubley then married him before telling voters--including the time leading up to his election on the Select board she chaired. Hubley paid for it last year when Alisa Brewer trounced him by a two-to-one margin.

So it’s a pretty safe bet she stall for a year, the time remaining in her Select board term, before publicly announcing this important decision.

The Amherst Select board is already struggling with image problems after allowing the Boss Hogg Town Manager to make policy: kicking the Boy Scouts Christmas tree sales off town land, or nationalizing the July 4’th Parade—something Awad tried to do a few years back when she was at the peak of her power.

The Select board, if they wish to remain relevant over the next year, need to call a Special Election and bring aboard a new member vested in the community.

The $12,000 cost of that Special Election is money well spent.

Bully strikes out

Journalism’s #1 cardinal rule is FACTCHECK! The Amherst Bulletin failed miserably that basic concept (yet again) with their editorial Sieg Heiling the People’s Republic of Amherst arrogantly nationalizing the July 4th Parade in 2009.

First and foremost, the ELECTED Amherst Select Board NEVER voted to “back Shaffer on the question” (asserted not once, but twice).

The Boss Hogg, unelected Town Mangler deliberately dictated to the Select Board (like banning Boy Scouts from selling Christmas trees at Kendrick Park next year) his decision: Kill the private committee’s 7/4 Parade and “take over” a prime patriotic holiday Amherst discarded in 1976.

And how dare the Bulletin suggest we “find a better home on a holiday that is not so closely aligned with the cherished principles of free speech and independence.”

A group of affluent white, middle-aged men declare independence from a stodgy monarchy; but it was the ultimate sacrifice of the fledgling military—honored on Veterans Day and Memorial Day—that made it happen.

In addition to retracting the erroneous Select Board vote that NEVER OCCURRED, the Bulletin owes all Veterans an apology for pronouncing July 4’th more “cherished” than Memorial Day or Veterans Day.

Yes indeed, Shaffer’s “stance creates a hundred and one headaches for himself and other town officials before Independence Day rolls around in 2009.”

Amherst is a $65 Million enterprise that is a $1 million or so in the red. Perhaps our highly paid, appointed Town Manager could find better ways of spending his valuable time?

And if Gazette/Bulletin editors can’t find the time to properly research their viewpoints, then perhaps they should spike these editorials altogether.

Why is Northampton different?

Click photos to enlarge.

So I went to the Gay Pride Parade yesterday in Hamp—their 27’Th year. No I’m not Gay--not that there's anything wrong with that, I just love a Parade (and support Gay Rights).

Could not help but notice the lack of anti-war signs, or homophobic signs from some Religious fundamentalist group. And even the 'Raging Grannies' left their anti-war placards home. Also noticed almost a dozen police officers doing traffic detail and I bet the city picked up that cost.
But when one of the 'Raging Granny' spokespersons called me last month inquiring about the Amherst July 4’Th Parade she was ever so quick to announce she was in a wheelchair (Yes, we allow wheelchairs) and equally quick to ask if we allow anti-war signs:

No, you can carry a banner designating your group and sing all the anti-war signs you like (did not even ask if they know the Star Spangled Banner) but no extra signs dealing with politics-be it war, abortion or gay rights.

http://amherstjuly4thparade.com/

After the Pride Parade I took my darling daughter Kira to the Amherst Common School Carnival, where I also noted a lack of anti-war protesters or politics of any kind.

And last year Kira proudly participated in the other July 4’Th Amherst (Bike) Parade in South Amherst for kids that has been happening for over 100 years: also no war protestors.

Jada

So when I wrote that teaser yesterday about a major breaking story coming up later in the afternoon I had no idea it would be purely personal:

After waiting almost three years for the phone to ring heralding good news from China, the call, unexpectedly, came.

On Wednesday I made the mistake of going to The Rumor Queen, a blog for waiting parents and read reports/rumors suggesting our call would not come for another three months.
http://chinaadopttalk.com/

Then I made the BIG mistake of reading the anguished comments (she had 83 that day) from parents in the same slow boat as me. Heartbreaking. And yeah, I had Town Meeting—the ultimate torture--later that night.

But somehow we managed to make this month’s cutoff; just how I have no idea, and--for once in my life—I’m sure not going to ask questions. We will travel in June before the Olympics rush, stay two weeks, and then return home--thus increasing the population of Amherst by one (from one People's Republic to another).
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Oh yeah, the major breaking news event I had in mind did occur but I can’t talk about it just yet. Suffice it to say, it will bring a swift conclusion to Amherst’s embarrassing Parade fiasco
Amherst July 4'th Parade page
UPDATE: 11:30 AM
Somebody just called on his cell as he was driving through Hamp and wondered if the Gay Pride Parade would allow protesters to march with anti-gay sentiment? Hmm...
1'st Amendment Tolerance in NoHo