[N0help4u]

4th of July canceled in some places because it surprises the birds

The state banned Gualala's Fourth of July display after complaints that the 2006 one disturbed shorebirds. A lawsuit and threats of business boycotts add to the discord among residents of the area.
By John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
July 3, 2008
GUALALA, CALIF. -- Two years ago, Sid Waterman gazed up with satisfaction at this town's first Independence Day fireworks. He knew how hard he and a few other citizens had worked to bring such a display of civic pride to this isolated Mendocino County coastal community.

"Every time the crowd roared," said the racing-car parts manufacturer, "my chest puffed up with pride."

A mile down shore, on a small rocky island, some nesting seabirds reacted differently, according to local birders who soon made their feelings known.

The birds, they said, flew about in disarray, uncharacteristically abandoning their nests after dark and leaving their chicks vulnerable to predators.

"They were exploding their fireworks in the middle of nesting season," bird enthusiast Diane Hichwa said of Waterman's fireworks committee. "It was hardly patriotic and absolutely inappropriate."

This summer, Gualala will have no Fourth of July fireworks.

It won't be alone. With fires in the tinder-dry state burning through more than 400,000 acres in recent weeks, communities around the state are canceling their plans, as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has urged them to do.

In Gualala (pronounced way-LA-la), the circumstances are different.

After the 2006 fireworks, environmentalists asked the California Coastal Commission to intervene in any plans for future displays in this unincorporated village about 160 miles north of San Francisco on grounds that fireworks frighten pets and cause air pollution. Local bird groups conducted a study last year that suggested harm to the birds.

In June, the commission banned the fireworks display. Then a Superior Court judge refused to stay the commission's ruling.

The flap over fireworks has prompted cross words between neighbors and threats of business boycotts. Meanwhile, the Gualala Festivals Committee, which organized the fireworks, has sued the commission.

Lawyers for a watchdog group that filed the suit say the commission's decision to ban fireworks has less to do with nesting birds than with power.

"Independence Day celebrates freedom from arbitrary, overreaching government power," said Graham Owen, an attorney with the Pacific Legal Foundation. "In this case, the Coastal Commission is acting like the Grinch that stole the Fourth of July."

Residents are also blaming each other for the standoff. "This is a divided town," said Marshall Sayegh, a festivals committee spokesman. "People don't like to admit that but it's the truth."

Fireworks proponents point to the Sea Ranch, a wealthy, private community nearby in Sonoma County that relies on Gualala for most services. The bird island lies just offshore from the Sea Ranch, and residents say many of the complaints came from there.

Gualala's two supermarkets removed fireworks donations jars after some customers -- many of them residents of the Sea Ranch -- threatened a boycott, Waterman said. At a local pharmacy, employees stopped wearing buttons advertising the Independence Day celebration when shoppers balked.

"There are a lot of wealthy people around here with way too much time on their hands," said Michael Thomas, who owns a diner in town. "This thing has made enemies out of friends. It's terrible."

The study monitoring the bird population on the island last year found that a larger than usual number of nests were abandoned around the time of the 2007 fireworks show, said Hichwa, the birder. "Do private individuals have the right to diminish the quality of public lands?" she asked.

Sayegh, the festival committee spokesman, said critics "are acting like we're setting off fireworks right over a rookery. The island is a mile away. You can't even see it from the launch site."

In a statement, John Fox, community manager for the Sea Ranch, said he supported the Coastal Commission ruling. "The birds couldn't change their nesting habits," and the committee "wouldn't change the timing of its patriotic display," he wrote.
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Denver National Anthem “Switcheroonie” Controversy Continues

YouTube - Black National Anthem replaces Star-Spangled Banner

The controversy surrounding the singer who replaced the National Anthem with what is dubbed the “Black” Anthem at the Denver Mayor's State of the city address still continues days later, as criticism and outrage grow over this despicable act:

Instead, the mayor said, his office had been deluged with angry telephone calls and e-mails. At least 80 people had expressed displeasure Wednesday with Rene Marie's song choice Tuesday.

Other politicians also were weighing in. Speaking during his monthly appearance on the “Mike Rosen Show” on 850 KOA on Wednesday, Gov. Bill Ritter said the performance had been “inappropriate.”

“If you invite someone to sing 'The Star-Spangled Banner' at an event, you invite them to do just that,” Ritter said.

“The problem here is she was invited to do one thing, and she chose to do another thing,” Ritter said.

“It's a fair interpretation to say it's disrespectful.”

The mayor had used much milder language the day of his speech. He said then that Marie had apologized and told him she meant no disrespect.

On Wednesday, he said he had grown angrier after watching televised interviews of the singer. It became clear, he said, that she “was making a political statement.”

He said that while he thinks the lyrics to “Lift Every Voice and Sing” are beautiful, it wasn't appropriate to replace “The Star-Spangled Banner” during an official city function.

” 'The Star-Spangled Banner' is sacred, one of our most beloved traditions,” the mayor said. {Source: Denver Post}

And of course, the singer who started the controversy has zero remorse and no regrets:

The song, which Marie sang to the tune of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” is also called the “black national anthem.”

Marie said she didn't tell her hosts that she would not sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” as planned and called it a “switcheroonie.”

Marie was not paid for her performance, just as others who sing the national anthem during official city functions are not compensated.

In interviews, Marie said she has chosen not to sing the national anthem any longer because she now wants only to express how she feels as an African-American woman living in the United States.

At least this travesty didn't come at taxpayer expense. Is this a new trend we are seeing more frequently now, most notably with Michelle Obama's quotes a few months back?
-- Michael Sparxx

[excon]

Is this a new trend we are seeing more frequently now, most notably with Michelle Obama’s quotes a few months back?
-- Michael Sparxx

Hello N0:

Nahhh, this has been going on for a long time. Waaaay back, Bo Diddly was invited to perform on the Ed Sullivan Show. Ed wanted him to perform a certain song, but he performed another one. He wasn't invited back.

Happy birthday, America.

excon

[N0help4u]

I love Bo Didley and wasn't happy when he died last month!
What I wonder with her singing the wrong words would that be just cause to not pay since it was not agreed on and it wasn't what they 'hired' her to sing? Or is that volunteer?