Muddy Borehouse has weighed in recently on whether Livingston Democrats should have carried signs during the Howell Melon Fest protesting Republican policies and actions. Not that it's any surprise, but the Livingston Press and Argus columnist says we should not have done so even though we have a right to do so.
Apparently, we violated the sanctity of the Melon Fest, which is reserved exclusively for melon-worship. As Borehouse said, "There's a time and a place for protests like that, and I don't think the Melon Fest parade was the time or the place."
The time and place for protests is when and where people will see them. And they saw them at the Melon Fest.
What the public didn't see, of course, was the letter that Livingston County Democratic Party Vice Chair Donna Anderson sent to the Press and Argus in response to a Republican letter. Although Borehouse found the debate over the signs fascinating, his newspaper didn't think it was worth more than one letter pro and con. (The newspaper did publish Party Chair Matt Evans' very well-written response to the GOP letter.)
Here's Donna's letter:
"After I read Allan Filip’s letter and finished laughing, I had to respond to his comments. It’s hilarious that the Chair of the Republic Party wishes the Democrats 'would show a little more class.' Is this the same Allan Filip whose wife arranged to bring Ann Coulter, the hate spewer, to Livingston County? Ann is such a 'class' act in her thigh high skirts barely covering her anorexic body, tossing her waist-length hair about while she promotes her poisonous ideas with hate speech. It’s small wonder that Senator Hansen Clarke (D) won election over her at Cornell. She hasn’t run for office since.
"The Democratic signs were expressing democratic views in language that children could read. No one was called a 'faggot' or 'raghead' nor did we call for assassinations of political figures. The Republic Party’s girl, Ann, has used all of these hate speech words plus numerous others.
"Our signs were messages calling for change in policies and our government. The parade watchers certainly liked them because we were applauded all along the parade route. Our inexpensive handwritten signs, unlike Coulter, didn’t cost us $30,000. either.
"Children love a parade and it’s good that the Jaycees provide the MelonFest parade. Caring about children, however, is more than throwing a parade that makes kids happy for a few minutes and pretending the nation doesn't have any problems. It's also about making the tough choices to protect our children's future, including saving them from the draft and huge deficits and providing them with health care. It’s a class act to carry signs with those kinds of messages.
"For the readers of the Press and Argus, here is a list of the messages on the Democratic signs:
"Senate GOP quit stalling on State budget
"We want universal healthcare!
"No spying on Americans!
"Mike Rogers voted against children's health
"Support the troops, bring them home!
"State Senate: Don't balance the budget on our student's backs!
"I leave you, the readers, to judge for yourselves whether these messages are 'hateful slogans.'"
Donna is right, especially by noting that caring about children means more than throwing a parade and pretending the nation has no problems.
The only regret I have about the signs is that they weren't melon-themed. Next year, I'm going with, "Bush is a melon-head." On the other hand, that's a slander on melons.
1 comment:
Muddy Borehouse? Judy, you're resorting to juvenile name-calling to make your point?
And you're a University of Michigan instructor?
It looks like that football game isn't the only thing that U-M has to be embarrassed about.
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