Not hard to understand for anyone isn't--like the author--a far left environmental activist posing a journalist.
In short, Ithaca is the City of Evil.
Posted on 11/10/2013 10:38:14 AM PST by Behind Liberal Lines
In Schuyler and Seneca counties, some candidates ran against the city of Ithaca, rather than living, breathing opponents. They were running against what unsuccessful Schuyler County legislative GOP candidate John White called “the Ithaca mindset.”
As puzzling as that vague description might seem, his comment pales compared to a campaign postcard circulated widely in the town of Covert. The postcard prominently featured a 1960s peace symbol and a floral decorated Volkswagen bug, all meant to alert voters that “Ithaca Liberals Are Coming To Covert.”
The postcard also gravely warned: “They’re trying to take over the town board and bring Ithaca-politics to our town.”
The three anti-hydrofracking candidates who were the targets of the flyer lost their bids for office.
This anti-Ithaca attitude has puzzled me for several years since the first time I encountered it at a meeting in Watkins Glen about the proposed Inergy LP propane storage project. A very civilized public question-and-answer discussion with the Watkins Glen Village Board was going along quite smoothly, I thought, until an audience member — and employee of Inergy — admonished the trustees to stop listening to any more audience comments.
“You would be wise not to be sucked into this Ithaca-based fanaticism,” he said.
Fanaticism?
Most of the audience was asking questions about how safe it was to store 88 million gallons of liquid propane gas in salt caverns. A few wondered if there was sufficient fire protection in case of major catastrophe. Others asked about the impacts of more tractor-trailer rig traffic on already very congested village streets.
Concerned about their community? Yes. Fanaticism? It’s embarrassing to even ask that rhetorically.
Since that time I’ve been a spectator and/or journalist at many meetings in Watkins Glen and the towns of Hector and Reading. I have observed some of the characteristics attributed to the citizens of our municipal neighbor to the east — and like-minded thinkers — that would strike such a fear.
The first is these folks have a penchant for asking often-uncomfortable questions of public officials in public meetings. If the incumbent members of these boards were British, they might call their questioners “quite cheeky.”
From a journalist’s standpoint, I would call them quite good questioners. A second characteristic is these cheeky people want to participate in the governing process by having their opinions heard and actually considered. They are not content to have town and village board members (or county legislators) simply order them to be mute bystanders while the governing body makes its decisions as if the citizen-audience members were behind a glass wall with duct tape over their mouths.
But I believe the characteristic that really stoked the blaze of anti-Ithaca sentiment this fall is that these cheeky people — faced with uncommunicative, uncooperative and sometimes even openly hostile elected representatives — decided to use the democratic process to grab the levers of power and take back control of their communities. Now that’s cheeky.
While the Covert crew lost their bids for office, a staunch anti-hydrofracking candidate in the town of Hector did win a two-year term. And the Schuyler County Legislature will now have a Democrat at the table who vowed to open up the county government to the people if he was elected.
That seems so cheeky, so Ithaca.
And so refreshing.
Not hard to understand for anyone isn't--like the author--a far left environmental activist posing a journalist.
In short, Ithaca is the City of Evil.
City of Evil bump
The city of mischief maybe... for real evil you have to look to Washington DC
White lost by 29 votes... hardly a landslide
Meanwhile, the anti-Ithaca/pro-fracking candidates in Covert each won with over 60% of their vote. But you'll notice the author conveniently ignores this.
selective reporting at it's finest...
It's a tacit assumption made by the liberal majority that OF COURSE you agree with their values, goals, agenda, etc.
OF COURSE you go to see the approved speakers when they come to town.
OF COURSE you support the approved demonstrations and protest against the disapproved ones.
OF COURSE you support the approved causes, and even if you don't have a circle-slash NO FRACKING sign in your front lawn, you are assumed to be against fracking.
OF COURSE you vote for the approved candidates for office.
OF COURSE.
"Mindset"? Yeah, set in concrete.
Protective coloration is advised for venturing into town, unless you look forward to being besieged.
Mischief.... more like ersatz evil.
The author is clueless I guess
The author also conveniently ignores the “Ithaca types” who took out an ad in the local Pennysaver and accused the Covert republicans of being like (actual quote) “Nazi collaborators” for not opposing fracking.
100%!!! i go into ithaca 3-4 times a year and only to have maintenance done on the car... then goto Five-Guys when i pick up the car gone are the days of the Salty Dog, the "OLD" Haunt and the Derby, it's now simply one more place to avoid at all costs
Let's see, Salty Dog -> Captain Joe's Reef -> Max's -> KeyWest -> Castaways (did I forget one?)
Castaways closed down over a year ago and the building is either razed or due for it. The whole frickin' West End is getting "gentrified" out of existence. My band played at the three last incarnations... *SIGH*
The old Haunt is now a D.P. Dough calzone place. Decent calzones, given that they're quick-n-dirty. But not very musical. We played the old Haunt a number of times, too..... *SIGH*
The new Haunt is kinda upper-crusty now, even though it's more metal. I assume you probably experienced "Fetish Night" there. It's not for the faint of heart, but you strike me as a pretty robust character... ya never know.... :)
I heard a rumor that a new bar was opening there soon, for what it's worth.
The new Haunt is kinda upper-crusty now, even though it's more metal.
Actually, I'm kind of liking some of the music at the Haunt these days, now that Dan Smalls is bringing some national acts there: the Old97s, Southern Culture on the Skids, Los Straitjackets and Joan Osborne have all played there recently, for example.
yeah, we both forgot Night Court!
i must be gettin old as i never heard of any of them...
Hopefully more a clone of the old roadhouse, less a clone of, say, Kelly's Dockside. And hopefully they'll have live music.
> Actually, I'm kind of liking some of the music at the Haunt these days, now that Dan Smalls is bringing some national acts there: the Old97s, Southern Culture on the Skids, Los Straitjackets and Joan Osborne have all played there recently, for example.
I should start paying more attention, I guess. I'm living 20 miles east of town now up in the hills, so it's not as convenient to step out on a Fri/Sat night... but it might yet be worth it. Thanks for the tip!
Oh geez... I must be the one getting old... I recognize that name but can't place it -- was that at the West End location that hosted the string of names I gave earlier? Or elsewhere in town?
I remember the Arcade on Aurora St between Seneca and Buffalo, and the Unicorn above Mayers/TGMillers on East State St., and the Ithaca Music Hall (short-lived) on West State next to the VFW and across from the State Diner....
(Dusting off the ol' synapses...)
iirc Night Court became the Arcade, i kinda remember the Unicorn but not the Music Hall, we used to play all those places too...
Come on, you have to know at least one Joan Osborne song.
Most of her output is actually blues and soul and she's quite good.
Man, the Arcade…that place closed in, what, 1982? I’m getting old too.
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