Roessler Wrong on Bardsley
I read the recent article by Mark Roessler ("Northampton: Spector vs. Bardsley," May 21, 2009) with amazement and dismay. I have rarely encountered such a twisted version of reality in our Valley press. Not only does it border on character assassination (of Paul Spector) but it does absolutely no service to the citizens of Northampton. An article like this obscures the very real and difficult issues and choices before us.
Making Michael Bardsley sound like a levelheaded, straight-shooter type who is merely calling the powers that be to task for their self-centered, inept governance is childish and inaccurate. Further, every reference to Paul Spector is peppered with words like "sneer" and "dismissive," and references to Mayor Higgins are only slightly less inflammatory. To those of us who know Paul and Mayor Higgins and admire their hard, thoughtful, and honest work on behalf of the city, this is an insult. This is not reporting—it is Fox Newspeak, intended to distract, excite and mislead. Mr. Roessler clearly has a private agenda. I for one will not bother with the Advocate again.
Phoebe Sheldon
Northampton
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Disingenuous: let me count the ways. Councilor [Michael] Bardsley can obtain a line item budget with one phone call—to the treasurer. Has he? He can speak with the department heads about their budgets. Has he? He has had 10 years to do these things, to affect the budget. Has he? Truth is, the budget is pretty much down to the bones—there is very little fat to trim—and Councilor Bardsley knows this. This is grandstanding, pure and simple. Councilor Spector is right—Spector was once a Bardsley supporter, as most of the councilors used to be. Spector got this one right: this is grandstanding, disingenuous, and close to demagoguery.
Peter Hirschman
Florence
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"Free Speech" Distorted
Cathy Young's article "Intolerant of Dissent" [May 21, 2009; on the appearance of conservative columnist Don Feder at UMass] rests on the idea that all free speech should be protected and listened to politely. It seems she misunderstands the meaning of free speech, which is a protection from government intervention into that right rather than insulation from outspoken community dissent. Or rather she seems to understand that freedom of speech should be part of a large agreement, which is only kept by naive liberals, to listen politely and nicely to all people even if their speech is violence-inciting, hateful and racist. This is not say that Feder should not have been allowed to speak, but a community has the right to respond.
It is disturbing that Young found it more problematic that Feder was interrupted than that a woman was escorted away by the police for speaking her mind. More fundamentally, she failed to realize that the protests and interruptions during Don Feder's speech were not a symbolic argument over opinions, but part of a very real struggle for social space and against racism, homophobia, and right-wing propaganda.
Feder wrote, "Pardon my hate-filled rhetoric, but when exactly did homosexuals become a division of humanity instead of a sorry collection of individuals (connected only by their carnal appetites) caught up in a perverted lifestyle?" (www.christiantelegraph.com). Yet polite liberals like Young become upset when he is interrupted, as if this type of hateful rhetoric at an institution of higher learning has no real repercussions. For students at UMass the issue of hate crimes and xenophobia are very real, from day-to-day interactions to police violence.
Feder has freedom of speech; he has been a syndicated columnist for over 19 years and has had no lack of an audience or voice. He came to UMass to continue a conservative agenda and sew the seeds of hate, preaching ideas that would endanger the few protections people of color and gays and lesbians have in this country. Disruption is a commonly used and important tactic of protest. As a student, an activist, and a believer in human rights, I am proud of the UMass students who stood up and refused to let Feder spread more lies about the reality of racism in this country and excuse violence. Even more, I am proud that the students let their community and the world know they take xenophobia, hate crimes, and violence against people of color and queer people seriously enough to speak out.
Marlena Fontes
via email
