Back in the saddle (about time!)

The Town Manager has made the leap into the blogosphere. Look out folks! Left this comment on his blog (he also uses blogger), but he enabled "moderation" so we will see how long it takes for him to allow or censor it.

UPDATE: 3:45 PM. So the comment was published. Touche! I'm always impressed when a highly paid bureaucrat is in their office on a somewhat nice summer friday afteroon, Although...since he did not respond maybe it was simply one of those low-paid town workers who have to stay at their desks until 4:30 or so. Hmmm...


(comment submitted around 3:00 pm)

Yes, indeed Mr. Shaffer—welcome to the Big Bad Blogosphere! Just remember it ‘s still to a tad like the Wild, Wild West (remember that great TV show?) So brace yourself for a few elbows under the net --to use a basketball metaphor rather than military one. You don’t need to create a hot link to the town web site in the first paragraph since folks have found you via that entry page. And the blogosphere is a 24/7 up to the nanosecond kind of place, so if you are publishing on a Friday August 15 the post probably should not be dated Tuesday August 12. PS: I’m glad your I.T. folks used Blogger. Simple and free—can’t get any better than that!

Inept government with a nice website

Well, it's about time.

So what do you know, Mr. Sanchez understands the concerns of a decorated, legit Iraq war veteran who shed blood for his country.

And what else do you know: the crusty Gazette has been sitting on this story for six weeks.

Would have been a tad more effective if Mr. Sanchez apologized to Rob McAllister in particular and in general the July 4'th Parade Committee. Although I'm glad the Gazette layout editor gave this long overdue mea culpa top billing and relegated Mr. Sanchez's fundraiser this evening on the town common to a less prominent position.

What took them so long?

Calvin's and Hobbes take

Run it up the flag pole and see who salutes

UPDATE: 9:00 PM: Well, the crusty Bully finally went cyber, so here's my Letter:
If you can't take the heat...
So it’s prognostication Thursday morning: What will the Bully reprint this week from the Daily Hampshire Gazette—especially on the Front Page?

Well, this week has been soooooo boring I can’t safely predict the 'Above The Fold' Page One lead story (maybe they will do some original reporting for a change). But I can safely predict my written response to last week’s column. Yeah I know, only Larry Kelley would demand the right to respond to a column that defended him.

Since Mr. Morse is a faithful reader of this blog (although last year he told people to boycott it because it feeds my ego) let me again repeat that I appreciate him taking the time to defend my First Amendment rights in the Awad residency scandal as well as the rights of the July 4’th Parade Committee to limit protest signs.

But he crossed a most sacred line when he brands my public pronouncement seven years ago (and continue to this day) on the infamous ‘Only in Amherst’ flag flap as being a “prior wrong.”

A prosecutor turns public defender

My buddy "Icky" gets off the first column

A story about one of the infamous flags

Jennie Traschen speaks

All these years later, and they still do not get it!

Hoist the Colors!

UPDATE: High-Noon 8/14/08. File this under "what a difference a day makes." (See bottom photo.) The Jolly Roger is gone--but they did not replace it with the American flag either. Somewhat understandable for the People's Republic of Amherst to have a shortage of American flags.

(Original Post 8/13/08 High-Noon) So Amherst is one of a handful of communities nationwide to fly the UN flag in front of Town Hall, the only community in the nation to disallow American flags in the downtown to commemorate 9/11 and now the High School is flying the Jolly Roger in place of Old Glory. Only in Amherst!
Of the two, I much prefer the Jolly Roger!
Damn, now if we can just get rid of that UN flag (it's looking a tad weathered for sure)

Now THAT is worth partying over!

So the X-Czar, finally, slouches off into the sunset! Over The Notch and through the woods to South Hadley she goes (actually she's been there for the past three months).

Let's hope she takes her dapper husband Robie Hubley with her. Maybe now he can resign his AMHERST Town Meeting position???

Let the race begin (2 more take out papers)

Republican news article

Yeah, and I’m sure the Chicken Little Select Board will point to this and say their 3-2 last-second Gerrymandering was worth it, because now we will have a more competitive election.

Obviously neither of these two new candidates (AARP demographic) served in the Iraq War; and the Select Board went out of their way to champion just such a candidate.

I also hear from reliable sources that Isaac BenEzra is trying to garner behind the scenes support for Ms. Awad’s seat as well. So I guess that premeditated attack on me a few weeks ago at the Select Board meeting was his campaign kick off.

Since Ms Awad installed him as the J. Edgar Hoover King of ACTV maybe he’s doing it out of loyalty to the X-Czar. Or maybe he just never met a soapbox he did not relish.

A letter from the President (ours)

Click to enlarge

Thank you Mr. President!

One of the good things about raising two Chinese-born, All-American-girls in the People’s Republic of Amherst is there's never a shortage of “Americans behaving badly” to cite as examples of how not to act.

But Amherst is also full of positive role models--who cherish and defend the American freedoms so very many take for granted.

He Ping.