God bless America (but then, this is Amherst)

How embarrassing is this: the ACLU is at odds with the People's Republic of Amherst. Yikes!

So let's hope Town Manager Shaffer has bigger and better things on his plate rather than costing the taxpayers over $10,000 to launch a competing July 4'th Parade so war protesters can march.

And last I looked the War in Iraq is pretty much over and guess what? We won! (and they hate that).

The Republican Reports Link is not perfect so click "Amherst" after clicking this hyperlink

Only in China and...

Original Post 10:00 AM

Yeah, when I was in China recently for a couple weeks I was amazed by their ability to control the Internet. In addition to censoring President Obama's inaugural speech reference to communism they also put a blogger in jail for "inciting state subversion" by exposing lousy school building construction that killed so many children in that awful earthquake in the Sichuan Province in May.

Of course the stark contrast between school buildings that pancaked like the Trade Towers compared to other government buildings nearby that withstood the quake was hard for even the highly-skilled Chinese censors to cover up.

The People's Republic of Amherst simply threatens pesky bloggers with arrest, and then has a "Trespass Notice" hand delivered by a Sheriff. But hey, at least the difference between the Schools and the other town buildings is only in hot water provided (off the charts at the Bangs Center and Town Hall) and not in sturdy construction...I hope.
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10:25 AM UPDATE

Ironically I was checking my open public sitemeter and found someone who arrived here a few moments ago from a search engine called "Onekey—the kid safe search engine,” and of course across the top appeared the names of Amherst schools. They also hit “search the web” rather than “search arps.org”.

According to their ‘About Us’ link: “OneKey partnered with Google.com provides the largest database of kid safe sites”. So I guess we do censor the Net even here in America. But still, a big difference between porn and politics.

Nice to know the Amherst schools have not banned my blog.

Freedom of the blog? Not in The People's Republic!

UPDATE: 4:15 PM Super Sprague responds...finally.
-----Original Message-----
From: Al Sprague
To: amherstac@aol.com
Cc: Helen Vivian
Sent: Wed, 21 Jan 2009 3:09 pm
Subject: Re: Permission to use the 1'st Amendment

Dear Mr. Kelley:

I’m sorry I was not able to respond to the request you sent at 3:17
p.m. yesterday asking to attend the school committee meeting last night.
Unfortunately, we were in budget planning meetings for the entire
afternoon and did not have an opportunity to check email until this
morning. If you wish to attend public meetings on school property in
the future, please call 362-1810 with as much advance notice as
possible. That is the best way to ensure we will receive your request
in time to consider it.

Al Sprague
Co-Superintendent
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Of course my reliable sources tell me the school administration was having a BIG party while watching the inauguration and everybody had to bring in food either from Hawaii or Kenya (at least they did not send out for pizza at taxpayer expense)
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UPDATE: 9:25 AM (Wednesday)
So the local media, swept up in Obama fever, had nothing to offer in their morning edition's of the Regional School Committee meeting last night where if indeed a FY2010 budget was presented makes it an important meeting.

And since I have live blogged a few Select Board meetings in the past or usually if covering a meeting on school property—such as Town Meeting—where there is no free wireless (that costs Ed $30/month) I get my posts up within the hour.

Soooooooo, if I had attended that critical meeting last night you would now be reading my impressions. And yes, I took 'Journalism 101' and watched 'Dragnet', so I know how to relate the facts.

Even if colored with my sometimes (okay, oftentimes) snarky observations, at least you would now be better informed. That is, if I were given permission to attend the meeting.
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Original Post Tuesday 8:00 PM
So I was reminded by email from a blog reader that the Regional School Committee was meeting at 7:00 PM tonight and Acting –Co-Superintendents planned to unveil the FY10 budget, a huge component of Amherst’s $60+ million operation (with some slightly strange ideas for cost savings.)

At 3:17 PM (what we in the private sector refer to as normal business hours) in order to avoid arrest I emailed for permission to attend. It’s now 7:55 PM and no response. Hmm….



-----Original Message-----
From: amherstac@aol.com
To: spraguea@arps.org
Sent: Tue, 20 Jan 2009 3:17 pm
Subject: Permission to use the 1'st Amendment

Alton Sprague, Co-Superintendent Amherst Schools


Please consider this a formal written request for permission to set
foot on Amherst School property--specifically the Amherst Pelham
Regional High School--to attend the Regional School Committee meeting
this evening January 20 at 7:00 PM.

Larry Kelley

Not ready for prime time

So according to the Town Mangler’s only upload thus far this year on his ‘Amherst Town Manager’s blog’ (1/16/09): “The skating rink has been created at Kendrick Park and is ready for use. Nothing gives me greater pleasure than to see people skating in Kendrick Park.”

I had a variety of business uptown today--including parking in town center with my laptop to use the free wireless and catch President Obama’s speech (as I have no TV at home) and every time I passed by the “skating rink” it was empty. The “ice” does not look overly inviting.

The torch has been passed...

Now you see them...

So the Town Manager released his gloom and doom budget, up 3.2% over this year’s and tad over the Finance Committee’s recommendation to keep increases to only 2%. Four full-time positions will be eliminated…sort of.

His administrative assistant Gail Weston is getting the ax but will relocate to another position in the Leisure Services Recreation Empire. And the “human resources consultant” position currently occupied by Kay Zlogar who took early retirement a few years back and then returned as a “consultant” is also history. Last year she consulted $43,000 worth (on top of her retirement benefits).

But don’t play the violin for Ms.Zlogar, as she too is merely being reassigned: now she will consult/oversee the Health Claims Trust Fund--probably to the tune of $43,000.

I believe my Irish mother would describe these maneuvers as “robbing Peter to pay Paul.”

What took them so long?

So, "I'm-here-to-help-you" Government can snatch private land by eminent domain for Schools, Fire Stations or Sewer Treatment Plants and the Supreme Court recently decided they could also take a man’s or woman’s Castle simply to promote economic development (“They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.”)

But the Feds had to waste three years negotiating with a quarry company over the sacred ground where Flight 93--at an unheard of speed for a Boeing 757--came to its final resting place?

Only in America!

The AP reports