There was a letter to the editor in Thursday's Daily News that was a fascinating study in ... something. Persecution complexes? Paranoia? Patriotism run amok?
A lady from Elizabeth Township --- I won't use her name --- wrote to complain because there are no square dancers at International Village, the annual ethnic food and music festival at Renzie Park. Apparently she called city hall, asking them to book her square dance group at the village, and the city declined, saying that square dancing is not ethnic dancing.
The lady is upset, she says, because "American" is an ethnicity as far as she's concerned, and she's sick of "Americans" being discriminated against in their own country. (I know I'm tired of having to use the "Americans Only" water fountain at the bus station, and I'm sure you are, too. And I think you'll agree that it was out of line for the Mexican police to make us sew those blue stars onto our clothes.)
Furthermore, she says, she can name at least one other group that performs at International Village that doesn't represent a foreign country, and she's tired of those people getting special treatment. Who do you suppose "those people" are? (Hint: It's not "Swedes.")
I don't suppose it occurs to this Gentle Reader that International Village exists to exhibit non-American cultures.
I don't suppose that it occurs that the entire United States of America is a daily exhibition of American culture.
I don't suppose that she ever considered that although we can see American culture anywhere in (surprise!) America, most people are unlikely to see tambura players or Polish folk dancers outside of International Village.
Nevertheless, I really liked her letter. Especially the thinly-concealed racism, because it's nice to see that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
I also enjoyed the lady's obvious scorn and contempt for the very mission of International Village, because it's important to remember that no matter how nice something is for the community, there's always someone who can find something to complain about.
And the fact that she's heaping scorn on an ethnic festival because it doesn't recognize "American" as an ethnicity just makes the festival a little bit sweeter, in my opinion.
After all, you can't appreciate a rose garden if you don't occasionally grab a thorn and feel a little prick.
In the meantime, I sure hope that lady loosens up her gingham bonnet. I think she's cut off the circulation to her brain.
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Kennywood's open! (Seriously, pull up your fly.) Also, the amusement park with the same name opens for the season on Saturday, just in case you've been living under a rock and missed the stories in the local media. Hours are limited to this Saturday and next Friday and Saturday; daily operations begin Wednesday, May 16.
Kennywood's newest ride is called the Vomitron ... er, I mean, the Spin 'n Hurl ... sorry about that, the "Cosmic Chaos." It's a UFO-themed ride that, according to the park's website, "seats 24 people on a giant disk which begins its untamed flight along the 120’ concave track while its passengers spin around in circle. The result? An experience that offers guests an 'out of the world' experience!"
No, the real result is that your lunch takes wing. But some people like that sort of thing. Just save the fries, corn dogs, pizza, ice cream, cotton candy and caramel corn for afterward. (Me? I'll be on the Cadillacs in Kiddie Land. Speaking of Kiddie Land, there's a new ride there, too, called the "S.S. Kenny.")
Incidentally, Kennywood Entertainment has just added its second park outside of Pennsylvania. The Manchester, N.H., Union Leader and other newspapers report that Story Land in Glen, N.H., has been acquired by the West Mifflin-based, family-owned company for (as usual) an "undisclosed amount."
In addition to Kennywood, Sandcastle and Idlewild, Kennywood Entertainment also owns Lake Compounce in Bristol, Conn., which bills itself as the nation's oldest continuously-operated amusement park. It recently marked its 160th anniversary. By comparison, Story Land is a relative youngster, having been founded in 1954.
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To Do This Weekend: The McKeesport Symphony Orchestra closes its 2006-07 season on Saturday with a concert featuring the winners of its Young Artists Competition and student musicians side-by-side with its own professional performers. I went last year and had a great time. The curtain rises inside the auditorium of McKeesport Area High School, 1960 Eden Park Blvd., at 7:30 p.m. Call (412) 664-2854. ... McKeesport Little Theater, Coursin and Bailey avenues, presents the classic comedy Arsenic and Old Lace at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Call (412) 673-1100.
A district magistrate recently threw out harassment charges filed against a Versailles woman who put a sign in her front yard criticizing the borough's dog warden and the president of council. According to Raymond Pefferman in the Daily News (subscribers-only link), Carolyn Leitzell accused Ken Ferree of Ferree Kennels and Council President Walter Winkler of cruelty to animals, alleging that Ferree strangles stray cats (no, I'm not making that up), and that he was destroying cats without ID tags as soon as they were found.
Ferree denies the allegations. I'd note that Animal Friends has Ferree's address on its website --- and I suspect they or the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society, which investigates animal cruelty complaints and which operates Elizabeth Township's Fallen Timber Shelter --- would have something to say if he were some kind of serial cat-strangler.
. . .
A quick aside: I don't own any pets, unless you count the rabbits that build nests in my back yard (and Port Vue Pete), because I'm terribly allergic. (I do like dogs, though, and I find cats pleasant enough company.)
So forgive me if I don't understand why people don't get their dogs or cats properly licensed and tagged. Yes, I understand cats like to roam around, and yes, I understand collars and tags can come off. But you're not doing your furry friends any favors by letting them run around without identification.
Anyway, Ferree and Winkler filed harassment charges against Leitzell, which District Judge Edward Tibbs has dismissed, according to the News (story not online).
. . .
I'm no lawyer, but I think I can understand Tibbs' ruling. Pennsylvania's harassment statute (Title 18, Section 2709) says that a person is guilty of harassment if they engage "in a course of conduct or repeatedly commits acts which serve no legitimate purpose." Clearly Leitzell felt she had a legitimate purpose --- she was criticizing public officials.
The fact that her criticisms aren't accurate (according to Ferree and Winkler) doesn't constitute harassment.
On the other hand --- and again, I am not a lawyer --- I wonder if Ferree and Winkler have grounds for a defamation suit. Under New York Times vs. Sullivan, public officials must prove malice before they can win a defamation suit, and that raises several questions.
First, as an elected councilman in Versailles, Winkler is clearly a public official. But as the appointed dog warden, is Ferree? Second, did Leitzell act with malice, or is she merely wrong?
If Leitzell is criticizing a matter of "public interest and concern" and not acting out of malice toward Ferree and Winkler, then under Hoeppner vs. Dunkirk Printing Co., she's arguably protected by the U.S. Constitution even if (as Ferree and Winkler say) she's got her facts incorrect.
There's another wrinkle, however. Leitzell was one of the leaders of a petition drive that caused McKeesport council to stop using Ferree as the city's animal control officer back in December. An attorney might well argue that she's attempting to drive him out of business, and claim that as prima facie evidence of malice.
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Incidentally, I found a posting from Leitzell on a North Carolina-based web forum for animal protection officers. It identifies her as being from White Oak, not Versailles.
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Wow! You didn't expect a heavy First Amendment discussion at the Tube City Almanac, did you? These are the kinds of questions for which attorneys receive hundreds and thousands of dollars in legal fees, yet you're getting all this good stuff for free. (Arguably it's worth every penny.)
By the way --- nothing in this Almanac entry should be construed as legal advice, and anyone who relies on my interpretation of any law is a fool. Hire a competent attorney if you need legal advice.
On the other hand, if there are any real attorneys or lawyers out there who care to comment, feel free to add your comments below.
And if you believe that posting a comment constitutes providing legal advice, go ahead and bill the Almanac for your time while you're at it --- the Tube City Tiger hasn't had a good laugh for several days.
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Breaking News ... Late Update (10:06 a.m.): According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, members of the Elizabeth Forward High School band were passengers on a school bus that collided with a tractor-trailer on the Pennsylvania Turnpike between the Morgantown and Downingtown interchanges, shutting down the toll road for several hours. The driver was seriously hurt while 30 other people sustained what are described as "minor injuries." More at the Inquirer's website. EF's website is here.
Busy, busy, busy ... for those of you following along at home, that's the second Billy DeWolfe reference on the Internet in five days.
I don't have time to write, and Officer Jim must be too busy cracking hippies' skulls together to contribute to the Almanac, because I haven't heard from him lately. If you're passing by the doughnut shop, see if he's free.
Rather than post a picture of canned goulash again, here are two recent spots from my alleged radio show. I decided not to embed the links so that I don't slow down those of you on dial-up connections.
Any resemblance to real sponsors (or to humor) is strictly coincidental.
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