Freedom of speech: for whom?

UPDATE: 5:15 PM: Naturally the McCormic campaign jumped on this journalistic travesty:

For A Fair and Balanced Panel Discussion on ACTV

The Amherst Bulletin announced yesterday that the Amherst
Community Television station will be hosting a free campaign appearance for the well-heeled state senate incumbent at the expense of his opponent. State Senator Stanley Rosenberg has been invited to be a panelist on a program about Ballot Question 1, to be taped and aired in the run-up to the upcoming election, in which he is facing an opponent, Keith McCormic, who was not invited to appear on the panel. McCormic is considered to be an expert on Ballot Question 1, and will be speaking at a Ballot Question 1 event in Boston on October 4th at Faneuil Hall.

Also, all three panelists are known to oppose Ballot Question 1. For the cable access station to advertise this program as an opportunity for voters to learn about the issues involved is misleading at best, since only one side of the arguments will be presented.

The Bulletin article neglected to mention that the panel discussion is being orchestrated by the League of Women Voters, which, as an organization, is opposed to Ballot Question 1 on the statewide level.

There are two responsible things for ACTV to do: 1) Make the discussion fair and balanced, by inviting speakers (including McCormic) who are in favor of Ballot Question 1; or 2) Bill the event as a slanted panel that will give the arguments against Ballot Question 1. Because if the bias is allowed to go forward unchecked, the impartiality of the station could be called into question. After all, 95.4% of ACTV's revenues come from the Town of Amherst, and most of the rest come from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, which Rosenberg has actively increased funding of during his tenure on Beacon Hill.
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Original Post 3:30 PM So the Amherst July 4’th Parade Committee endures years of bureaucratic bullying from the Amherst Select Board, Town Manager, the Amherst Democratic Town Committee and the League of Women Voters to allow any-and-all “opinion/protest” into the private celebratory parade, yet the People’s Republic of Amherst now excludes dissenting opinion/speech on Ballot Question One--the one that would significantly reduce the supply of pork to the public trough.

ACTV is the town of Amherst. They receive $250,000 annually from Comcast –a small slice of overall revenues from Amherst subscribers (5%)—and if they went dark tomorrow that money would be diverted to the town’s General Fund. So it is Amherst tax money.

President Reagan killed the FCC “fairness doctrine” in 1985. Ironically that damn Republican opened the door for folks like ACTV to get away this unfair and unbalanced coverage of a major political ballot question.

State Senator Stan Rosenberg is slated to speak at the Panel Discussion with two other opponents of the ballot question. Keith McCormic, his opponent in the state senate election, champions passage of Question 1.

Talk about a stark difference! Yet Mr. McCormick is being denied a seat at the table.

What are they afraid of?


Amherst Bulletin 9/26/08:

Amherst panel talk takes up Question 1

A panel discussion of ballot Question 1, concerning the repeal of the state income tax, will be taped in front of a live audience Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m. at the ACTV studio at 246 College St. The panelists are State Sen. Stanley Rosenberg; Pam Schwartz, Western Massachusetts coordinator for the Coalition of Our Communities; and Tim Sheehan, Fort River Elementary School grade 4 teacher at and President of the Amherst-Pelham Teachers Association.

The program is free and open to the public. Parking is limited and the studio seats 50, so residents are advised to arrive early. For information call 253-0633.

No, they didn't serve donuts

Amherst PD, with help from Amherst FD and the Sheriff's Department hosted a burgers and dogs cookout (using no town tax dollars) this afternoon for a bevy of local seniors. SALT (Seniors and Law Enforcement Together) is one of those things that in the cold Republican business world would be called a "strategic alliance".

For Info click here

Summer breeze, made me feel fine

Almost Gone

Those darn Professors!

UPDATE: (3:00 PM) So one of the Anon's comments got me thinking and I need to link to a Republican article so it is easier to do as an update rather than in comments:

Well, Anon (and I get the impression you were on the receiving end of that originalemail—so why the Hell did you not tip me?)…I’m a tad bummed that the good chaplain had a SOM (School of Management) email address—but hey, even pro business folks could use salvation.

And the good chaplain teaches about homelessness, eh? I did note another interesting article in today’s Republican (by veteran reporter Mike Plaisance) about getting out the homeless vote. And why do I get the impression that most of them would end up voting the Democratic slate?

Let em eat cake--as long as they vote Democratic

UPDATE: 3:15 PM. So my friends at the Umass Republican Club just joined the party:

From: "UMass Republican Club"
Subject: Obama forces derailed at UMass Amherst
Date: September 23, 2008 2:50:11 PM EDT

Thanks to quick maneuvering and relentless media pressure from the Massachusetts Republican Party and the UMass Amherst Republican Club, UMass Amherst has become one campus where university-sanctioned political bias will not go unanswered.

We direct your attention to the following news story and we encourage you to contact our Chancellor (chancellor@umass.edu) or University President (presidentwilson@umassp.edu) with your inquiries.

http://news.bostonherald.com/news/regional/general/view/2008_09_23_UMass_chaplain_fails_in_effort_to_boost_Barack_Obama_s_chances/

The story has also received front-page attention from the influential Drudge Report: http://www.drudgereport.com

Thank you,

Brad DeFlumeri

Vice President, UMass Amherst Republican Club

(Original Post 10:00 PM, 9/22/08) So I guess nobody will be shocked by the revelation that an unnamed Umass History professor would reward students with two credits for hustling in New Hampshire for the new messiah, Democrat Barack Obama.

Funny, you never hear these sleazy PC missteps attributed to the Isenberg School of Management or those brainy Polymer Science and Engineering folks.

On Sunday night (so it was not on company time) a bevy of writers with Umass connections—most notably Pulitzer Prize winner Madeleine Blais now teaching in the Journalism Department; and as described in a radio commercial for a local restaurant as the “bad ass Puerto Rican poet” and current professor in the Department of English Martin Espada performed at a fancy wine-and-cheese event at the Hotel Northampton raising $26,000 for Obama.

In Monday’s Daily Hampshire Gazette Ms. Blais, who helped organize the affair, boasted:” We’re going viral," she said. "It's beginning to look like a populist uprising."

Hmmm…if that’s the case--then why are his poll numbers not moving on up?

The Boston Globe Reports (based on AP story)

Speaking of "going viral." Yikes!

An oldy but a goody

And who could forget this display?

Politically active indeed!

Let the sun shine!

So today’s Sunday Republican struck me—journalistically speaking—as a tad schizophrenic. The awesome editorial from Editor in Chief Larry McDermott championed the Open Meeting Law (bureaucratic political nitwits otherwise known as the Boston City Council wants the state legislature to exempt them from OML because they love to do their duty under cover of darkness).

Larry's editorial

Yet in the same edition we also had a story by staff writer Stephanie Barry about a “retreat” of the Springfield School Committee with new Superintendent Alan Ingram and a quorum of that committee.

According to Barry’s article: Member Michael P. Rodgers said after the retreat that the dialogue was long overdue. He also commended Ingram for uniting committee members.

"He has a calming effect," Rodgers said. "A unified School Committee will result in a unified school system."

Sounds to me like a violation of the Open Meeting Law.

Stephanie's story

Chilling effect, indeed. And I thought Amherst officials were whacked.

Down in the Valley

Final loose end

Click to read: note the RETURN ADDRESS 11:45 AM

10:00 AM
I stopped into the Town Clerk's office on the way to the Jones Library where I am at the moment keeping my darling daughters occupied, to inquire if Mr. Hubley resigned his Town Meeting seat yet (I had asked to be informed when it came in--but Public Documents Law does not allow for asking in advance for a document).

Sure enough, Mr. Hubley did indeed resign his seat as of 8/31 (no mention in his resignation letter of stalking, harassment or aliens flying black helicopters).