Good Cheer
And Schmutz
To All
Editor's Note 12-7-07
It should be clear by now that the photo in question -- as well as other photos -- were posted by the blog Authentic Connecticut Republican.
The Cool Justice Report links to Authentic Connecticut Republican and about 300 other blogs and websites representing diverse points of view.
That being said, I agree the photo of the Nazi woman posted in response to Wendy Kuhne's outrageous and prejudicial statements about the Star of David is offensive. It is also very amusing. I wish I had posted it myself. I also wonder, has anyone done more than Kuhne and Brickload to promote the Nazi photo?
Every one has their own taste meter. I wonder how we might compare the Nazi photo with the Kuhne comments that forced her disqualification to vote on the synagogue plan.
Which is more obscene?
Public officials who stray beyond their authority -- and even those who do not -- should be able to handle criticism and parody. If they can't handle that, then they are not fit to serve.
Complaints by Kuhne and Brickload about taste divert attention from the real issues of civil rights, property rights, discrimination and religious freedom.
Are Kuhne and Brickley running an underground charm school somewhere in the district? Has anyone hired them for this purpose?
What a fine Welcome Wagon Litchfield has presented for this new house of worship.
What a fine job the Litchfield Hysterical District Commission has done running up legal bills for its abuse of power over the past 10 or 15 years. Why hasn't anyone pulled those billing records and done some basic reporting?
New objections to the synagogue continue to surface. It's sort of like saying we don't want a group home for the retarded because of traffic or we don't want busing for integration or the Harriet Beecher Stowe house for whatever cockamamie reason. As a civil rights leader remarked some years ago, "It's not the bus -- it's us."
Those who like to shoot the messenger would do well to turn their guns on the self-satisfied goons who think their whims are more important than the Bill of Rights or the Constitution.
This holiday season is a good time to think about the Litchfield Welcome Wagon as driven by Kuhne, Brickload, et al.
Good cheer and schmutz to all.
A.T.
Editor's Note From Brickload Explosion Story 11-28-07:
As I told The Litchfield County Times this week, the photo is not actually on my blog. But, my blog links to a site called Authentic Connecticut Republican that posted it.
For Kuhne and other officials who have a history of violating or threatening property rights and wasting taxpayer money, certainly a little parody is not out of line.
Journalists interested in a really good story -- which will require some research -- ought to examine the legal bills generated by the Historic District Commission over the past 10 or 15 years and talk with property owners who have been harassed by the commission.
Further, it is noteworthy that the Star of David on the Methodist Church nearby the new synagogue never bothered anyone, but the Star of David at the synagogue was made an issue by Kuhne.
Finally, Brickload would do well to go back to elementary school for study of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Andy Thibault
p.s. Keep those cards and letters coming.
--
"Concerning Mrs. Kuhne's remarks regarding the size of our building, she is also entitled to freedom of speech," Rabbi Eisenbach said. "However, our community has found that a few who are opposed to having a synagogue in town, and one day it's about 'no Jewish star belongs in the district,' and the next day it's calling [the plan we're proposing] 'a health center.' All I can say is, God and good always prevails. We will prevail."
Mrs. Brickley responded to the issue by asking the Board of Selectmen to publicly denounce the blog at a meeting, a request that First Selectman Leo Paul did not honor, according to Mrs. Brickley.
Rabbi Responds To Controversy In Litchfield
By Emily M. Olson
Litchfield County Times
LITCHFIELD - Rabbi Joseph Eisenbach, director of Chabad Lubavitch of Northwest Connecticut, was away on a trip when others first responded with outrage to a blog entry linked to journalist Andy Thibault's "Cool Justice" Web site. The link, leading readers to a site called "Authentic Connecticut Republican," showed a photograph of a blond woman dressed in a Nazi uniform with the name of the Historic District Commission's chairman, Wendy Kuhne, next to the photo.
The blog entry has infuriated members of the community, including Mrs. Kuhne and resident Lynne Brickley, who has also been the subject of Mr. Thibault's blog in the past.
Mr. Thibault's Web site and blog focused on a plan presented by the Chabad Lubavitch to renovate and expand a building the organization purchased on West Street, which it wants to turn into its new headquarters.
Mrs. Kuhne's comments regarding the application focused on preserving the integrity of the historic building, and were criticized and called "anti-Semitic" because of her concern about placing a Star of David on the front of the building, a comment she addressed last week. Her issues, she maintains, have to do with preserving the historic character of Litchfield's borough, which is filled with historic buildings and has set standards and rules in terms of what exterior changes to structures are allowed.
The issues surrounding Mrs. Kuhne's purported objections resulted in Chabad's attorneys asking her to recuse herself from any proceedings concerning the application to renovate and expand the building, and led to what some believe was offensive material and comments being posted on the online blogs.
Mrs. Brickley responded to the issue by asking the Board of Selectmen to publicly denounce the blog at a meeting, a request that First Selectman Leo Paul did not honor, according to Mrs. Brickley.
None of this should be associated with the Chabad Lubavitch project, Rabbi Eisenbach said Tuesday.
"I was away, out of the country with my grandfather, a Holocaust survivor," he said. "To spend the holiday with my grandfather, who lost his entire family in that terrible time, and to see this being associated with our plans and our issues was awful.
"I find the Nazi blog to be extremely distasteful to say the least," he continued. "How can anyone reduce this situation to such hateful and lowly terms?"
Representatives from Chabad Lubavitch, represented by attorney Peter Herbst, were presenting plans this week (Thursday) to the Historic District Commission at a continued public hearing for the renovation and expansion of the former home of the Wilderness Shop, a historic building designed and built by the Deming family, which is located on West Street/Route 202 in the center of Litchfield.
The project will include expansion of the building to improve services provided by the Jewish community center, which provides education, special events, children's programs and religious services. This week, the rabbi was busy preparing for the start of Hanukkah Tuesday night.
He said he has not responded to the "blogger" responsible for the situation.
"I have not spoken with Mr. Thibault, no," he said. "He has e-mailed me many times on the issue and I think this country gives us freedom of speech, so that's his right to do that. But to associate this with our cause is just so distant of the core values of what we are and who we are."
Overall, the rabbi said, there are more important things at stake than "feeding negativity."
"The fact is that God gives us a limited life in this world, and the day is only 24 hours," he said. "We can spend it brightening up society trying to make a difference, or spend it spreading schmutz. When you try to fight darkness, you should light a light ... It's Hanukkah tonight, so it's very important to say that. Light a light, brighten up the room and fight the darkness."
"For us here, there's always a challenge to do more, there will always be challenges, and our teachings are always to try to do good, not fight negativity with more negative remarks. The negative will be eliminated that way," Rabbi Eisenbach said.
The rabbi also commented on statements Mrs. Kuhne made last week in questioning the size and scope of the project.
"Concerning Mrs. Kuhne's remarks regarding the size of our building, she is also entitled to freedom of speech," Rabbi Eisenbach said. "However, our community has found that a few who are opposed to having a synagogue in town, and one day it's about 'no Jewish star belongs in the district,' and the next day it's calling [the plan we're proposing] 'a health center.' All I can say is, God and good always prevails. We will prevail."
1 comment:
Anyone who invokes Nazism in an attempt to be funny is treading on dangerous ground. The photo of the blonde Nazi vixen was terribly stupid and not the least bit funny. It made me consider the entire controversy over the synagague and say to myself: "My word, assholes abound in Litchfield and on the Internet."
I just feel sorry for the rabi.
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