And Justice for all?

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The Gazette did a curious story prominently splashed above the fold on the break page about a controversy created by a column published in the Umass Daily Collegian calling into question the facts in the assault case of former Umass student Jason Vassell a violent incident with, gasp, racial overtones.

Now I say curious because one newspaper—especially a bricks and mortar traditional one--does not usually cover another newspaper creating a controversy via a column. Most news editor’s rate columnist just barely above bloggers.

The Collegian columnist relied on public documents for primary source material (probably more so than a typical reporter would) so I also find it curious the Gazette did not use and quote from the same material.

Thus far the response has included a Letter to the editor by Vassell’s two attorney’s lambasting the column and paper. Usually when contacted by a newspaper about a client in a highly public case most attorneys respond with: “I don’t try my case in the media.”

The President of the Student Government Association, who is Asian, also (over) responds to the column with an overly personal counterattack, and when the Collegian insists on editorial oversight an anonymous donor comes up with the cash to buy ad space so the vitriolic Letter would run without editorial filter.

Curiously the Collegian spiked the follow up effort by the columnist defending her original work by citing her reliable sources. Thus, they abandoned her.

A journalist’s (reporter, columnist or blogger) only weapon is their word. And a source needs to know that they will be protected. Reporters have gone to jail to protect a source that divulged information “off the record” and wanted it to stay that way.

If a newspaper will not stand behind a columnist, then maybe they should rethink their mission.

Original Collegian Column

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Not getting the concept, continued...

From: amherstac@aol.com [mailto:amherstac@aol.com]
Sent: Wed 10/8/2008 8:17 AM
To: Bob Saul, FCCC Co-Chair
Subject: FCCC questionaire

Hey Bob,

Alison said on my blog that you decided not to implement controls to avoid duplication of results for the survey questions posted on the town web site and hardcopies at the Library. True?

Larry Kelley


From: "Bob Saul"
Subject: RE: FCCC questionaire
Date: October 8, 2008 6:12:25 PM EDT
To: amherstac@aol.com


Its not that we "decided" not to do it. We have no budget so we could not do it cost effectively.

Bob Saul
GMO Renewable Resources


You would think a sub-committee that was formed to act as economic seers to predict the next five years for our $65 million multi-national corporation would be given some spare change to cover certain critical costs—like protecting the integrity of this important poll.

Even the Select board seems to get it as they are numbering the Town Manager evaluation forms distributed to staff and department heads to avoid an overzealous anonymous individual from photocopying the form and stuffing the ballot.

Interestingly, according to Select Person O’Keeffe’s blog: “Mr. Musante (Assistant Town Manager and member of the Facilitation Of The Community Choices Committee) suggested being cautious about drawing broad conclusions from small samples, and it was noted that the same caution must be applied to public submissions.”

Yeah, you gotta watch that damn public.

People who don't get the concept

I posted a Comment on the Town Manager's Blog Monday morning (that survived the "moderation" process) and received a response--but as a personal email rather than on the blog. And not two hours later o'reilly posted a comment asking the Town Manager "Do you read comments on this blog? Do you respond to questions posed about your post?" So, I guess, the answer is "yes".

(And the Facilitation Of The Community Choices Committee may not be impressed with his answer.)


LarryK4 has left a new comment on your post "ACTIVITIES THIS WEEK": I believe you spoke to a group like this almost two years ago and when the subject of an Override came up, not a single senior in the room was in favor. I hope you encouraged these folks to fill out the questionnaire issued by the Facilitation Of The Community Choices Committee.

From: "Shaffer, Larry"
Subject:RE: [Amherst Town Manager Blog] New comment on ACTIVITIES THIS WEEK.
Date: October 6, 2008 12:53:55 PM EDT
To: LarryK4

Larry,
I did not even mention the questionnaire to the group. Your memory is very good. I was at a Senior Center picnic about two years ago and heard from the participants their opposition to an override.
I hope you are well. Talk to you soon.
Larry

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Received this raging response to my Yahoo account (which I do not check all that often):

You know Larry, I would think you would be happy that we are SAVING the town thousands of dollars by hiring Rick Hood. And I don't mean thousands this year. I mean thousands every year. Isn't that a good thing?

Rick is an expert in Drupal, an open source product, and that is why I recommended him to Jerry Champagne. For you to suggest that I had other motives is just plain wrong. If I thought Rush LImbaugh knew Drupal as well as he knows OxyContin, well I might just recommend him. Rick is an experienced web developer and he is going to do a great job for the school system. We are lucky he was willing to do the project for that price. Projects that are under $5000 don't have to go out to bid. The bidding process itself costs money and delays start times, you know.

Why do you have to mouth off about everything, including things that you don't really know anything about?


Ouch! Let’s hope Rush does not read my blog.

I’m sure Rick knows all-too-well that $5,000 is the cut off for going out to bid. Hmmm…

A billion here and a billion there...

Joint Meeting Town Hall 6:30-ish
So State Senator Stan Rosenberg was his usual articulate well-dressed self, but he was somber—and I do mean somber. Even if Question 1 fails to eviscerate 40% of the state’s revenues he said things are still going to be dire.

When 'His Lordship' Gerry Weiss made a brief introduction and joked about his entertaining /humorous presentation coming up, Stan responded their was nothing funny about the position we are in.

After his presentation he took questions from twenty committee folks sitting in front of him as well as the audience seated behind him. I of course asked Stan about the local lodging tax and how a committee he chaired suggested Umass start paying it (six years ago they projected it would generate $70,000 annually to the town.)

I also mentioned the level playing field argument that every other hotel/motel in town pays it, including The Lord Jeff Inn owned by tax-exempt Amherst College, so why should the Campus Center Hotel have an unfair advantage.

Stan said the University does not like to be put on a slippery slope of having its tax-exempt protective status pierced, but the issue does come up every few years and most certainly would again.

Well let’s hope it is before the Grand Reopening of the Campus Center Hotel after the $10 million renovation.

Small town politics

Some of you political junkies may remember Rick Hood who led a losing charge for the May 1, 2007 $2.5 million Override in one of the more inept political campaigns in Amherst history. So it’s little wonder this $4,500 school web page consultant gig did not go out to competitive bid.

The Bully reports
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And speaking of Overrides, the Facilitation Of The Community Choices Committee (yeah, that gets my vote for dumbest name) want residents’ opinions on upcoming budgets—five years worth no less.

The have an online survey questionnaire available on the town website, although I’m concerned one person can do the Chicago thing and “vote early and vote often”. And we know how dedicated liberal freespenders are to Overriding Prop 2.5

Just say No!
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State Senator Stan Rosenberg gets a free campaign plug when he presents to a Joint Meeting of the Select Board, Finance Committee, School Committee and Library Trustees (damn, will the room be big enough?) tonight starting at 6:30 PM in venerable Town Hall. I wonder if Senate opponent Keith McCormic will show up and demand equal time (he probably has a slightly different view of the budget)

The People's Republic: A view from above

Amherst Town Center Saturday afternoon

I'll see your white elephant...

So my friend and fellow small business owner and of course blogger Max Hartshorne put up a fascinating post the other day about one of my favorite countries—North Korea.

Seems there’s this skyscraper/hotel they “tried” to build that would put them on the map for tourism and entertainment (yeah, just the place I would like to go on vacation).

But they ran out of money (if it was our government we would have simply printed more) and the concrete quality was so poor that it was downright dangerous.

So there it sits, a hulking monument to all things communist.

But before we get all high and mighty remember Umass/Amherst (as opposed to the other four locations) has this $10 million dollar heating plant built in the 1970’s that never threw a BTU of heat. If, however, Mel Gibson reprises the Mad Max series--this would be a great location.

Let’s hope the new $130 million--or whatever it ends up costing--Cogeneration Power Plant fares better (let's also hope those angry skies in the background are not an omen).


And this is the original photo I uploaded thinking--for almost 35 years now--it was the $10 million White Elephant. Damn! But that is what is great about a blog; corrections are like Vice President's: only a heartbeat away.