[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Michael Hervey, LIPA’s chief operating officer, told Newsday that his company was just following state law. “I don’t think anyone expected this to apply to flags on poles, but if you read the language there’s no way around it,” he told the newspaper. “We welcome any amendment to state legislation that would allow for American flag attachments to our poles without fees.” Hervey even volunteered to personally pay the fees, but Reich said that’s not the point.

“It’s not the fee,” he said. “It’s the principle of the thing. Getting that money out of us is going to be like getting blood out of a stone.”

Flags were also posted on poles owned by Verizon. However, a spokesman for the company said it typically waives fees for commemorative ceremonies and “we intend on waiving it in this case.”

What an idiot! I ran a stop sign a few weeks ago. I meekly told the copper that I knew what did (without making an excuse or asking for special treatment.) He told me not to do it again. Maybe Michael Hervey could look the other way or say that he had read news stories but had no reliable information with which to make the assessment, or he could have quietly paid it out of pocket.

Anti-nuclear activist bankrupted Lilco twenty years ago and made it a ward of the State of New York. That's no reason to take it out on everyone else.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

“It’s not the fee,” he said. “It’s the principle of the thing."

Ah...ok. It's the principle.

"Getting that money out of us is going to be like getting blood out of a stone.”

Oh. Wait. It is about the money after all? Then take Mr. Michael Hervey up on his offer and be done with it.