MARCH 25 - MARCH 31, 2000
MARCH 31, 2K
Goodbye Mr. Freeman
Good morning. I almost wrote Mr. Chips, but I caught myself and it is 27.5
degrees at 6:10 A.M. And another headline is in The Error today.
City officials, building owners sign papers
"It's all over but the passing of the check," the article said. And
there was a cute (unsigned as usual) editorial yesterday entitled "Recipe For
Money."
The gist of it was buy a run down building, be a former supporter of the Mayor, hire a
sleazy attorney, and threaten to open a despicable and reprehensible business so City
Council will pay you off to go away. It was cute, but missed the point like most of the
unsigned and unclaimed editorials in The Error do. A person who has become a
friend who knows about that first hand is Dick Freeman, the General Manager of Howard
Johnson's Motor Inn here in Bradford. He is retiring today and he will be missed.
I met Dick Freeman when I decided to run for office in 1995. We were in the Smethport
Diner. I was delivering The Mountain Laurel Review as well as getting signatures
on my petition. Dick asked me if he could sign my petition to support my candidacy. That
was the beginning of our casual and warm friendship.
So much has happened since that day in the diner. So very, very much. It seems more
than just five years but that's what it has been.
To run a business, any business, anywhere, and especially in Bradford where if you are
not looked upon favorably by THE ALLIANCE you are really pulling
something off. Dick has done that and done that successfully. But, when you step on the
wrong toes, or don't bow to the right millionaire, or kiss the proper side of the butt of
that millionaire, things can change very fast. When a block of "exclusive rooms"
were not set aside for the Zippo Swap Meet way back when, THE ALLIANCE decided
we needed a new downtown motel. Enter Comfort Inn and all the wonderful perks and
variances not generally afforded to the common folk and thus the battle began.
The Comfort Inn stands today in all its wooden splendor and Howard Johnson's has
responded with a new face and a determination to keep going. Dick has been the heart and
soul of that idea and even with the deck stacked against him with the Commissioners, he
unsuccessfully plead for reduced taxes based on the lost income that will be felt when the
usual 50 rooms a night are now divided in half.
Dick and I both knew that THE ALLIANCE, as usual, missed the
forest for the trees. Their dreams of grandeur for Bradford are only dreams. Until they
can do more than create government subsidized $9.00 an hour jobs, open new incubators,
grab at mythical power bases, and give businesses and tourists a reason to travel to
Bradford they are only imitating their parents and playing at being the tycoons the men
who made the money really were. The fact is they are not.
Tourism is not up even though we have a new tourism director. Business is not better
even though we have Ray McMahon and his gang saying that it is. What is true is we have
the highest taxes per capita of any county in the Commonwealth. That reason and that
reason alone is why any forward looking business will never come here unless we are
prepared to give away the entire store. In that same sense, why would two hotels,
The Comfort Inn and Howard Johnson's be full at the same time for any event other than the
Swap Meet?
As Dick retires the demise of Bradford must be taken into consideration. It must be
because Dick in spite of all the City Councils and all the Mayors who have come and gone
has actually worked to make Bradford a better place.
He wasn't there with his hand out. He didn't ask for government subsidies or LERTA's.
He just wanted the opportunity to make his hotel one that the town could be proud of. That
he did and he did it in spite of the incompetents who tried to hold him back. Now he is
going on to a well deserved retirement. I know I have entertained Dick over the years, but
the words to describe how I truly feel about him, how many people truly feel about him,
are said by a nephew.
He wrote to me saying his uncle was retiring. I wrote back and said I would write an
article about him. (I intended to put his picture with it but he was not in yesterday when
I dropped by to take it.) His nephew wrote back and said this:
I think it would be a nice idea.
His real name is Alex C. Freeman. Did you know that he is one of ten
children? He was born in Smethport, the son of Archie H. Freeman and Crystal Cunningham.
He dropped out of high school to join the Navy during WW II, served on a destroyer, came
home after the war and finished high school.
He also served in the Air Force during the Korean Conflict. He has been in
the Hotel Business in both DC and Bradford most of his adult life. He returned to Bradford
to be near his parents in their later years.
He is a bachelor and is a favorite Uncle to his 35 nieces and nephews who
all know him as Uncle Dick.
You might also know that he managed to run over his own leg with his car a
few years ago. This was quit painful and entailed a long recovery but is certainly a
unique experience. He is my God Father, and a really nice person.
Brian Freeman
Thank you, Brian.
And as I read it once more along with you I wonder how you sum up a man's life? How do
you do it?
Is it in the money he made or the power he controlled? Is it whether or not THE
ALLIANCE approves or not? When it is all said and done, when it is over. All
the boats and airplanes, all the fancy club memberships, all the girlfriends, mistresses,
and people clamoring to be at your feet to tell you how wonderful you are, really don't
matter a wit. No, they don't.
What matters is how your family feels about you. What matters is if you have done right
by them. And all the money in the world can't buy that. A wife knows. Children know. We
all know.
Dick Freeman is and has been a genuine man who cared about his business, his county,
his town, and most of all, his family. Beyond that, what more can you say?
Have a great and well deserved retirement Dick. You deserve it.
Comments are welcome at editor@mlrmag.com.
MARCH 30, 2K
What will they possibly do?
Good morning. It is 33.1 degrees at 5:46 A.M. And the headlines in The
Error blast out one more time.
City officials to sign papers today to buy
building
By ANNE SWEENEY HOLLIDAY /Era Reporter
What are they going to do when I haven't done anything else? Will they
print historical articles that will read : "On this day in 1996 Harold T. Beck
was seen laughing at George Petrisek when he fell off a curb in broad daylight, breaking
both arms, and wasn't even drunk?"
Who can say? But one this is for certain, it will be dull, that's for
sure. And as the School Taxes and the County Taxes continue to climb, not to mention the
City with its own Real Estate Development Corporation going full bloom, who will be able
to afford to live here except for the guys who have been calling the shots from the club?
As I walked into the Bradford Hotel last night I was greeted with mixed
emotions. Sheffer and Peckham (that's Billy Peckham, the great Irish Tenor and finest
Police Chief in the history of Northwestern Pennsylvania and all of Upstate New York)
simultaneously greeted me with: "Well done, brother Beck!"
Welfare Wes and Toothless Tim on the other hand accused me of selling out
to the system.
"We wanted that place to open up. We were looking forward to it. You
sold us out," they said.
Then there was Mattress Margie who called me a "financial
whore." Bold talk, I thought, even for her. Maybe, especially for her.
Of course I was expected to buy a round of drinks for the bar. And when
word spread I was there you would be surprised to see who showed up. Every freeloader in
town came in except for Ray McMahon and his crowd. I was kind of disappointed. I thought
Ray might come in and let me know there were no hard feelings. Maybe that was too much to
wish for.
Sheffer was in his glory.
"It hasn't been this good since the Power Women used to come in
here," he told me patting me on the back. "This is great," he said.
"This is just plain great."
"What does that mean that you can't open up any more adult oriented
businesses?" Peckham asked me.
"Your guess is as good as mine," I answered. "The first I
heard about it was in the paper."
"Do you want to?" he asked me.
"No. Not really. No more than the ones I already have," I
answered.
He laughed. "Yeah. I guess if they are already in place there isn't
much they can do about it."
"You would think so," I said. "And what would they do if I
decided I wanted to? Sue me? How can they deny me something that anyone else in this room
is allowed to do when I haven't broken any laws or done anything wrong?"
Peckham agreed with me but he reminded me of one thing. "As long as
John Cleland is judge, you don't have the same rights as everyone else."
I nodded my head in agreement.
"Really," I admitted to Peckham. "I didn't want to run a
nude club. That's a young man's job. I like being at home with my family. The only time I
get out anymore is when I come in here, with a driver of course, or when I go to the
Rainbow, and I walk there. I'm not up to this stuff anymore. I really am not."
"Ah come on!" Peckham chided me. "That doesn't sound like
the old Bud I know. Where's the fight? Where's the sting?"
"Gone," I said. "You are looking at a kinder and gentler
version of the old product."
"Right!" Peckham said in disbelief. "I don't believe that
for a second and neither will anyone else."
"Oh well," I said. "Oh well." With that I went home on
a perfectly miserable evening.
Your comments are welcome at editor@mlrmag.com.
Please note our new e-mail address.
MARCH 29, 2K
On a snowy and windy morning
I woke to find that I am not going to be a Third Street (Or is that Main
Street?) property owner much longer. It is 34.5 degrees at 5:54 A.M.
City buys nude club
By ANNE SWEENEY HOLLIDAY/Era Reporter
What a headline.
At the same time, Tommy Clark forwarded me a picture that really speaks
for itself. It kind of describes the way City Council must feel reading that headline.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that Tom Riel deferred comment until a
future time. Hopefully that will be somewhere in the year 2016. In reading The Era's commentary
on a deal I am supposed to be a part of I find some interesting stipulations. First I
heard of them. Oh well. What is there to say other than Jim Buck won second place in a
writing contest. Big deal.
The account of that was even more humorous.
He supposedly won the prize for reporting on my phone bills. I guess this
was a fiction writing contest because as it turned out the calls to America On Line
originated in the District Attorney's office. Jimmy, Larry the Lionhearted, and the
highest paid telephone operator in the state conveniently put my name on the bill for the
phone line that was later traced to be located in the DA's office. That was a hoax Larry
put out there just like the one about not raising taxes. That's water under the bridge but
it does go to the credibility of the award that The Era is bragging about. And
they used that ferret picture, too.
I was watching WSEE-TV out of Erie and the weather girl has a dancing
ferret. It was on a table the other morning and it was up on his hind legs dancing. It
looked just like Jim! A bearded ferret.
Oh well, congratulations on your award in fiction writing. Don't you have
a Master's Degree in that from the University of Maryland? I'll bet your parents are proud
of you. That should help with the new job.
I really love days like this now.
I can stay home and play on my computers. Sharyn has fixed up my office
and made it quite comfortable for Rocky and me. (That has an interesting sound. Does that
make be Bullwinkle? Or maybe with the city buying my NUDE CLUB, Boris Battinoff?)
On to other things - that person down state now has a rebuttal and apology
to Johnnie. In keeping with our policy of selective publication, I hesitantly give it to
you.
Re: Child pornography
From: A down-stater
I certainly apologize to Johnny if he feels I believe he is a child
pornography lover. You can detest it, though, and still be in favor of weaker
enforcement that would hamstring attempts to control it.
Johnny writes that police "should be out there on the streets busting the
suppliers, producers, and distributors of 'pornography' not behind a desk
'chatting' in adult chat rooms."
Well, Johnny, in this cyber-age, adult chat rooms are where child pornography
is trafficked. It's not exchanged in public parks or Rotary meetings or
corner restaurants.
If undercover agents want to curb heroin trafficking, they go to places such
as lowlife bars or rock concerts. They don't take a pew at the local Lenten
service or sit in the park, waiting for someone to stroll by, swinging a
heroin packet.
It seems offensive that police seize home computers -- snatch them right out
of people's dwellings. That's supposed to be sacred territory. But, Johnny,
it's also where the crime is being committed. If police don't take it to
where the likely the criminals, they're wasting their effort and OUR money.
Why do they raid houses and seize computers? First, they had better have a
valid search warrant before they even attempt to do that. (And when they
don't, it doesn't take a razor-sharp defense lawyer to blow the whistle.) But
they seize computers as evidence. The computer is where the files reside.
Without evidence, they have no cases against people who break the law.
Can they entrap people? Of course. We should always be on guard against
overzealous law enforcement. And there are valid defenses in these cases. For
instance, police have to prove that a suspect had control of the computer at
the time the offense was committed.
But I've yet to hear the defense that somebody mistakenly downloaded dozens
of pornographic photos. And while Johnny complains that the law contains
"gray areas" when it comes to the age of the subjects in photos, Pennsylvania
law is very specific.
Besides, most child pornography trafficking involves young children. Have you
ever heard of age becoming a defense issue in one of these cases? Let me know
when a defense lawyer approaches a judge, arguing, "Yes, your honor, she
LOOKS seven. But she's really twenty-two."
I agree with you, Johnny: we have to protect the rights of law-abiding
Americans. At the same time, we certainly have to protect our innocent
children. We can do both.
And with that I will say good morning. I'm going to watch the bad weather
from inside today. Send your comments to editor@mlrmag.com.
MARCH 28, 2K
Good news for some, bad for others
Good morning. It is 30.6 degrees at 6:02 A.M. The new look on the front page,
Home page in Computer Language, drew comments yesterday. For the most part people liked
it. And for those of you that read this column first thing in the morning, I added a
letter from Johnnie (not the Gateser) in rebuttal to the letter from the downstate woman
who twisted what he said in his first comment. And then we had the others who said the
usual.
Here we go again. You are full of it. I truly have a fun time reading your
"stuff" and I am totally amazed that I find myself shaking my head and chuckling
over the stuff you write. You must have loads of fun writing all of this stuff. I do
enjoy a little humor now and then.
Publisher's Comment: Linda, if I didn't have fun. If I didn't enjoy this, I wouldn't do
it. What's the big deal? You read it.
Bud,
Just finally catching up on your columns. have been very busy. In reply to whomever it was
who was whining about women's history month and reminding us all that April contains
Secretary's day. A day where underpaid women will expect gratification from male executive
bosses. Well, let me remind you, that there are plenty of female executive bosses out
there, myself included, who will be rewarding male secretaries(or administrative
assistants as they like to now be called) for their loyalty and dedication to their jobs.
Publisher's Comment: As well you should. And by the way, thank you.
Hey there, I am forced to agree for once that the State Police in your state,
Highway Patrol in mine, should be protecting people and not arresting people. It seems to
me that maybe the term "Thought Police" might be more appropriate. We really
haven't come very far from the days of the Salem Witch Trials and the Scarlet Letter, have
we?
And this was said, too.
We all should sit up and take notice when the State Police in your state can invade
a man's house and seize his computer and his files and arrest him for engaging in looking
at Kiddie Porn. I am in agreement with Johnnie on this one. I don't endorse Kiddie Porn or
anyone who is involved in it. No way! However I am concerned at how easy it is to
"plant" that sort of thing in someone's computer without them even knowing it.
How easy it is for the Police to carry the evidence into the targeted person's home and
frame him. This is a pretty fine way to destroy people who have fallen out of favor or
have stepped on the wrong toes.
And this was said:
I noticed your new front page. I also noticed that you are going to keep alive the
Asbestos Scandal at the local high school. Good for you. You are right. The symptoms in
some of the weaker children will be appearing soon. Even the very strong will develop
symptoms that they will dismiss. Eventually, they will succumb to what they were exposed
to. As long as there are copies of your movie and your magazine, no one can deny that it
happened. Keep up the fine work that you do.
So with that, the news.
The printed version of The Mountain Laurel Review will be out in
mid-April, only two weeks from now. We are revamping the look and the content of the
magazine. The material you read here will not be the material that will be included in the
magazine. We have additional writers who will be exploring new issues that are pertinent
to local matters.
"Like what?" You ask.
Did you ever wonder why the resignation of Candy Bush was played down? Did you wonder
why Doug Shaw's story on alleged missing funds and an alleged repayment was removed from
the radio so fast? Did you wonder why the paper left it alone? Does it smell like the work
of the Alliance? We will explore that.
And, did you ever wonder what happened to the "John Doe Lawsuit" that blamed
me and supporters of mine for the infamous "letter"? Did you ever wonder why
George Duke and his private investigator went away? Have you ever wondered what was in the
Drug Task Force Investigation? Did you ever wonder why the lead investigator was fired?
Would you like to know about that?
Of course there is the continuation of the Cornplanter Chronicles, the search
for the real murderer of Kathy Wilson, and our now nationwide search for Marjorie West.
All of that and more in the spring issue of The Mountain Laurel Review.
We will feature new work by Tom Clark and we will let Johnnie (not the Gateser) have a
place now that we have people accusing us of having him as a staff writer. In all it will
be worth reading. At least we think so. And then there will be the others.......like the
Tuna, and Bozo, and the bully, and ...........
By the way, comments should now be sent to editor@mlrmag.com.
MARCH 27, 2K
Help us find Marjorie West
Good morning. It is almost nine believe it or not. I stayed up and watched the
Academy Awards, took a Tylenol PM, and slept till eight thirty.
Have you checked out our new front page?
We've toyed with this design for over a year and yesterday I put it up. It
isn't all working yet, but it will soon.
Ralph McGibney told us about the Marjorie West story in 1994. It has become a
regular story every year in May ever since. It is a regular section of this web site and
last year we offered a $1,000 reward for information leading to the finding of Marjorie
West. This year we have upped the ante. This year we are offering $10,000 and we are going
to start a nationwide search. Marjorie, if still alive, would be 67 in June. Have you seen
this woman?
The Continuing Search for
Marjorie West
DO
YOU KNOW THIS WOMAN?
$10,000 REWARD FOR INFORMATION LEADING TO THE
DISCOVERY OF MARJORIE WEST
Details can be accessed by clicking here: Whatever happened to Marjorie
West? A Missing Child A Missing Child
In other news Bradford has a Third Street Manager, or is that a
third Main Street Manager? Either way, the future looks poor and the lady does not hold
much promise as far as we are concerned. Bradford is doomed to failure once more. Oh well.
Meanwhile, we have upset everyone with the dialog on the guy who was
arrested using his computer to access kiddie porn. We are interested in your opinions on
this subject. We are interested in what you have to say.
Bud, This is in response to the letter from
"Down-state, in Blair co." who wrote in response to MY letter you printed on
mar. 24 th .
First of all "Down-state", You twisted everything I tried to say, and missed
my point entirely. I am 100 percent AGAINST child porn in any way, shape or form! I
suggest that when you (or anybody else) read something you don't "pick and
choose" words out of a sentence or paragraph (Know as:" taking something out of
context") ......I can do that to YOU, and I got YOU saying:I love child pornography,
and pictures of young naked children in sexual poses......OH , YOU DO,do YOU,
"down-state"?.....that came from your first paragraph .......I just took certain
words...."out of context".
I NEVER said or implied that I thought state troopers were "EVIL"....or bad
in any way.....I do feel that they should not be paid to go into "Adult" chat
rooms and trade or even view child porn.
I ABSOLUTELY feel that NOBODY should be producing, distributing, or viewing "Child
Porn". I feel that the troopers in question should be out on the streets PROTECTING
our children from such dangers!
Two points I TRIED to make, that passed you right by are :
1. There are different ages that describe the (Black and White) difference between a
"Child" and an "Adult", it varies by state, or country. But when most
people hear the term "child porn" they most often think of a pre-teen child. I
am just pointing out that a person can view a naked picture of an ADULT WOMAN in Holland,
but in this country, the very same picture can be described as "CHILD PORN" I am
in NO-WAY saying I approve of this in any way! I'm just making this point.
2. There may be other pictures of naked children that may not be considered "Child
Porn" .....Here's just a few examples: How about a group picture of a "nudist
camp" (many available on the web) that has children in it? Or the use of "naked
children" in TV advertisements? Or in the context of "art exhibits" or
books? Or what about viewing naked children interacting with adults on the learning
channel? ....Again I am NOT saying this is right or I approve of it.
Just in the course of operating a computer for interests that have nothing to do with
sex or nude pictures I have clicked on nude sites....accidentally.....I have been
"spammed" nude photos and adult sites. Why isn't my ISP prosecuted for this?
Aren't they responsible for distributing this? They are putting "stuff" into my
computer that I did not ask for or want. Why don't the state troopers monitor the penncom
lines and bust them for distributing "porn"? Wouldn't it be more productive to
stop the "source" of the porn?
In closing I want to say that I was NOT defending the accused "pervert" (or
any pervert) in St. Marys, as "down-state" said, "down-state" was very
wrong. I was pointing out some "right to privacy issues" and trying to show a
"gray area" when trying to define "Child Porn".
And one more thought....where on earth did the troopers get "child porn"
pictures to send this guy.....did they produce them? or "steal them"? I can't
begin to think of a Legal Source of "Child Porn" to be used by them.........I
want to go on record saying they ( the state troopers) should be out there on the streets
busting the suppliers, producers, and distributors of "pornography" not behind a
desk "chatting" in adult chat rooms.
Johnnie!
I know this is a slow start to the week, but tomorrow is another day. And
besides, I am getting over a "beauty hangover" after watching the Oscars last
night. Gosh those women are good looking. And I guess your comments are welcome on that
subject too. Linda accuses me of thinking of women as sex objects. Thank goodness I do. I
sure am not going to look at Tom Clark as one!
Have a nice day. Contact me at rdhedbud@penn.com.
MARCH 25 & 26, 2K
Tom Clark talks, and what you have to say
This is your column on the weekend. Tom writes as usual but first we have a
comment on the Child Porn arrest.
To the Mountain Laurel Review,
Your writer, Johnny, has an interesting take on things -- the evil state police
investigators bearing down on the innocent folks who are merely indulging themselves in a
dose of kiddie porn. And I love the imagery: mole-eyed troopers, sitting night and day in
darkened rooms, peeping at child pornography and then kicking down doors to get the
computers of innocent folk whose only sin is lusting after pictures of naked children in
sexual poses. Mean ol' government.
Perhaps, though, Johnny should consider for a moment the real victims. Children who are
forced into sexual activity -- real or simulated -- are molested. Molestation is
psychologically shattering to many children, often twisting their emotional growth and
burdening them with mental scars that will never go away. Have we gotten so low and
permissive that we think we have a RIGHT to hurt children?
Would we even THINK of defending some warped soul who could consider this entertainment?
People who create a demand for child pornography feed this sick cycle where we allow
twisted adults to harm little children -- for sexual entertainment, no less. And the
appetites of the people who are so mentally ill as to lust for children are simply whetted
by this porn. Do they seize the computers of child pornography customers? Lord, I hope so.
Child pornography is against the law -- one mark that we still want to be a decent
society. Those computers are where the evidence is to prosecute the worms who would
traffic in sexual pictures of little boys and girls.
Frankly, I'd be just as happy to see fewer state troopers behind every other tree with
radar guns if it meant more were protecting the welfare of our children. The measure of a
society if how well it defends its most defenseless. A Down-state in Blair County, Pa.
Publisher's Comment: Johnny is not a staff writer for the MLR. What was
expressed was his opinion and I believe that he personally decried those who engage or
partake in any way with Child Pornography, as does the magazine and this column.
RTFC before you comment.
The point that was being made, I believe, is that the State Police was inviting
people to participate. Is it okay for law enforcement to break the law just to catch
people who want to break the law? Should they enable people like the alleged person who
was arrested just because they helped him get what he wanted? I don't know. I wonder and
have always wondered about that kind of activity be it Child Pornography, selling drugs,
or catching men who frequent prostitutes. But then what do I know. You seem to have all
the answers.
And going back to Women's History Month, an easier subject to handle than that one, it
still doesn't end and maybe, just maybe, thank goodness.
Ok, Bud, looks like I opened a can of worms with the WHM. Sorry!
Next time, the lobster's on me.
Don't worry, only a few more days left in March. But DO remember that April has
"Secretary's Day" and again, underpaid women will be wanting recognition from
their high-paid male executive bosses.
With that on the horizon, on to Tom Clark.
Mrs. Hyphen Goes To Washington BY TOM CLARK
Throughout the history of man, political and societal policies have
been altered by military coups, citizen uprisings and other acts of
civil disobedience. A group of discontented people start with a mild
revolt which, in turn, gathers momentum into a full-scale movement. The
end result, hopefully, will be a change in policies or laws that will
satisfy the citizenry.
Here in modern America, peaceful protest can become an electronically
organized media event. Since the invention of the Internet (thank you,
Mr. Gore), it is relatively easy to rally and organize a large group of
people for whatever cause.
Once a group has established a growing sentiment towards their cause
and recruit a strong membership, the next step is to make the rest of
the country and the politicians aware of their motivation. A viable way
of attracting attention from our governing body is to show strength in
numbers with a march on our nation's capitol.
Louis Farrakhan, a psycho, racist Muslim, organized a Million Man
March in October of 1995 in an attempt to unify the black community.
His goal was to get one million sober. hard working black men to march
on Washington.
According to U.S. Park Service estimates, Farrakhan came up about 700,000 men short of
his goal. The problem was not his cause, but himself. Many blacks viewed him as a
back-stabbing separatist who would do the black community more harm than good. The end
result of the march was moot.
A few weeks ago, thousands of truckers converged on Washington to
protest the high cost of fuel. This one didn't make any sense to me.
First, fuel prices are out of Congress' hands. If the federal government repealed the 4
1/2 cent tax on gas, $71 billion would be lost on highway construction and improvement to
our rapidly deteriorating roadways.
Second, driving a big rig to Washington to protest fuel prices is like
sucking down a six pack on your way to an AA meeting. How many gallons of fuel were wasted
by these truckers on this ill-attempted protest?
The organizers will tell you that they wanted to make Congress aware
of the high costs of fuel. Take a picture of the price on the pump and
fax it to the Congress members. That way, you can stay home, not burn
any fuel and not smell up D.C. with your fumes.
Now, Washington is embracing for another round of protesters...and
this one may get nasty. On Mother's Day, May 14, the Million Mom March will hit the
National Mall to protest our nation's gun laws.
According to Donna Dees-Thomases, a New Jersey mother of two that uses that stupid
hyphen in her last name, the march grew from her anger at the pre-school shootings in
Granada, California, last year. She
immediately applied for a permit for the march and took her cause to the Internet.
This bevy of mad mothers wants Congress to pass "common sense" laws for gun
control. "We want Congress to create a meaningful gun policy in this country that
treats guns like cars", Mrs. Hyphen said. "We are asking Congress to enact
sensible laws or face a 'time-out' in
November". Spoken like a true soccer mom.
The Million Mom March, www.millionmommarch.com.
is generating some strong backing by some heavy hitters in the gun control lobby,
including the Bell Campaign, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, and Handgun Controls,
Inc. Hyphen Woman is certain that their goal of one million women showing up to lend their
support on Mother's Day will be reached.
Here's where this gets really good. A Dallas-based grassroots
organization that calls themselves the Second Amendment Sisters,
www.sas-aim.org., are organizing a counter-march for
the same day in
Washington. These women, also known as Moms 4 Guns, are calling their gathering the Armed
Informed Mother's March.
In a Washington Post article from March 20, Debra Collins, the
Colorado state coordinator for the Second Amendment Sisters, says that their movement is
to emphasize self-defense, safety education and
responsible parenting as solutions for violence against children and
women.
"The root of the problem is really with or morals and family life. You can't
legislate morality and that's what the Million Moms are trying to do", Collins said.
"We just have to make sure that people don't think
that the Million Moms speak for all women".
Collins was the victim of domestic violence and feels that a gun saved
her life. It is estimated that 44 percent of all U.S. women own a gun
or have access to one. The Second Amendment Sisters are using the
rallying cry, "Hey, Annie...they're comin' to git yer gun!". Kinda catchy, eh?
So, on Mother's Day in Washington, D.C., we will have a million moms
on one side, lobbying for gun control, and a smaller number of female
proponents of gun freedom on the other side. The numbers won't matter
much, since the smaller group will most likely be armed.
Could this get ugly? Put over a million angry women in a small area
and, I would have to say, it may get riotous. The bathroom lines alone
will be a major source of confrontation and chaos.
If things get too far out of hand, I'm sure that the National Guard
will be on hand for peace keeping measures. They can put away the
rubber bullets and tear gas, though. One guy on a bull horn announcing,
"There's a big sale at Sears!", should disperse the crowd quite nicely.
Thank you Thomas. Comments are welcome at rdhedbud@penn.com.
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