what a bunch of liberal pussies, wtf is wrong with having ribbons up to support our troops?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The battle over yellow ribbons on the town green in Litchfield, Connecticut goes on following a contentious town meeting where emotions ran high.
Citizens calling for a "five ribbon" compromise that would allow the posting of one ribbon for each military branch were disappointed when the Board of Warden and Burgesses, charged with care of the green, put forth a different plan.
Board members say they'll raise a flag that represents the military branches and would allow a single yellow ribbon.
Leslie Caron, a strong yellow ribbon advocate, who was backed by dozens of like-minded individuals- though many present were not Litchfield residents- says "We're not happy."
From: 7:07 am yesterday
Tucked away in rural Connecticut the historic community of Litchfield was considered a safe haven for America?s troops during the Revolutionary war. Today, it?s a battleground where citizens and a town board fight over how best to honor soldiers serving overseas and yellow ribbons on the town?s green mark the dividing line.
The Board of Warden and Burgesses, charged with care of the green, decided the ribbons placed by citizens look shabby with little upkeep and could possibly damage the trees. Members fear a proliferation of multicolored ribbons if the yellow ones are allowed to stay.
?We just want to preserve our green and not have every Tom, Dick and Harry wanting to put something on the green or do something,? explained Senior Burgess Peter Gay. ?I mean, we had a gentleman come to us, he wanted to put up three thousand black ribbons, so there?s the problem. Everybody?s gonna wanna put ribbons up.?
Leslie Caron is a military mom with a son and daughter-in-law serving in the Air Force.
She is fighting to keep the ribbons in place.
?I?ve got two kids in this fight and so it hits very close to home,? said Caron. ?I just appreciate all the men and women who are serving. I have a lot of friends whose children are serving right now and just think that they need to be represented in a very visual way.?
Caron says the ribbons have been up for years and doesn?t understand why the board is calling for limits now but agrees a smaller number of bows would be easier to maintain- suggesting five to represent all the branches of the military.
A compromise may be reached at a public meeting tonight but the controversy has already taken a toll on the community. City leaders and board members have been flooded with calls, emails and letters questioning their patriotic spirit.
The town?s top executive, Litchfield First Selectman Leo Paul Jr, does not serve on the board and is frustrated by the ongoing controversy.
?I think that we?ve gotten a black eye, which is unwarranted,? Paul said, pointing out a town hall bulletin board recognizing soldiers with local ties. ?It?s not a matter or an argument of patriotism. What it is? is just a dispute on the mechanism by which we recognize our troops.?
?I don?t have any authority over this issue. If I had, I?d put both the borough burgesses and the residents who want to keep the yellow ribbons on the trees in a room, lock the door and ask them not to come out until they come up with a reasonable compromise on how we can recognize our troops,? Paul said.
Just off the town green, the issue is raising the ire among lunch patrons as well.
?It?s hard to fathom the thought that there?s even a controversy over something as simple as supporting our troops,? said Bernie Duszynski.
Members of the Board say they?ve received nasty calls and messages.
?We are not unpatriotic,? Said Gay, who?s hoping for resolution on the intensely emotional subject. ?I?m a Vietnam vet and I was in the United State Army and we all support the troops, but there?s other ways than yellow ribbons.?
Caron says she doesn?t doubt the board?s patriotism and agrees that the time to find a compromise has come.
?I?m tired. I?m just as tired as they are,? Caron said, hoping the fight over ribbons will end soon.
?It?s about everybody that?s dedicating so much of their lives and if they can go out there, all these people in Iraq and Afghanistan,? said Caron, referring to America?s soldiers overseas. ?I think 5 yellow ribbons isn?t asking to much.?
Update: 1:42 pm
Here?s what folks around town are saying about the yellow ribbon battle.
Leah Fagan: ?I think it?s very important for the yellow ribbons to be up right now because it really supports our troops and we just want them to come home nice and safe and we?re really lucky that they?re out their defending our freedom.?
Leo Paul, First Selectman: ?It?s unfortunate that many people in the country have gotten the message that the residents in the town of Litchfield are non-patriotic. That is so far from the truth. We are the quintessential New England town, it goes back to the revolutionary days. In fact, there was a statute of King George the women of Litchfield melted down to make ammunition for the revolutionary war troops. So our patriotism goes back beyond and before the revolutionary war.?
Bernie Duszynski: ?It?s hard to fathom the thought that there?s even a controversy over something as simple as supporting our troops. It?s pretty insane actually.?
Gary Gillman: ?I think that we?ve got a bad national rap and a lot of people think that we aren?t patriotic but, we?re faced with a tough circumstance where people would like to use our green as their talking point and I think that that?s what the board is up against is protecting our green from everyone putting their sign for a tag sale or their view on any political item.?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
The battle over yellow ribbons on the town green in Litchfield, Connecticut goes on following a contentious town meeting where emotions ran high.
Citizens calling for a "five ribbon" compromise that would allow the posting of one ribbon for each military branch were disappointed when the Board of Warden and Burgesses, charged with care of the green, put forth a different plan.
Board members say they'll raise a flag that represents the military branches and would allow a single yellow ribbon.
Leslie Caron, a strong yellow ribbon advocate, who was backed by dozens of like-minded individuals- though many present were not Litchfield residents- says "We're not happy."
From: 7:07 am yesterday
Tucked away in rural Connecticut the historic community of Litchfield was considered a safe haven for America?s troops during the Revolutionary war. Today, it?s a battleground where citizens and a town board fight over how best to honor soldiers serving overseas and yellow ribbons on the town?s green mark the dividing line.
The Board of Warden and Burgesses, charged with care of the green, decided the ribbons placed by citizens look shabby with little upkeep and could possibly damage the trees. Members fear a proliferation of multicolored ribbons if the yellow ones are allowed to stay.
?We just want to preserve our green and not have every Tom, Dick and Harry wanting to put something on the green or do something,? explained Senior Burgess Peter Gay. ?I mean, we had a gentleman come to us, he wanted to put up three thousand black ribbons, so there?s the problem. Everybody?s gonna wanna put ribbons up.?
Leslie Caron is a military mom with a son and daughter-in-law serving in the Air Force.
She is fighting to keep the ribbons in place.
?I?ve got two kids in this fight and so it hits very close to home,? said Caron. ?I just appreciate all the men and women who are serving. I have a lot of friends whose children are serving right now and just think that they need to be represented in a very visual way.?
Caron says the ribbons have been up for years and doesn?t understand why the board is calling for limits now but agrees a smaller number of bows would be easier to maintain- suggesting five to represent all the branches of the military.
A compromise may be reached at a public meeting tonight but the controversy has already taken a toll on the community. City leaders and board members have been flooded with calls, emails and letters questioning their patriotic spirit.
The town?s top executive, Litchfield First Selectman Leo Paul Jr, does not serve on the board and is frustrated by the ongoing controversy.
?I think that we?ve gotten a black eye, which is unwarranted,? Paul said, pointing out a town hall bulletin board recognizing soldiers with local ties. ?It?s not a matter or an argument of patriotism. What it is? is just a dispute on the mechanism by which we recognize our troops.?
?I don?t have any authority over this issue. If I had, I?d put both the borough burgesses and the residents who want to keep the yellow ribbons on the trees in a room, lock the door and ask them not to come out until they come up with a reasonable compromise on how we can recognize our troops,? Paul said.
Just off the town green, the issue is raising the ire among lunch patrons as well.
?It?s hard to fathom the thought that there?s even a controversy over something as simple as supporting our troops,? said Bernie Duszynski.
Members of the Board say they?ve received nasty calls and messages.
?We are not unpatriotic,? Said Gay, who?s hoping for resolution on the intensely emotional subject. ?I?m a Vietnam vet and I was in the United State Army and we all support the troops, but there?s other ways than yellow ribbons.?
Caron says she doesn?t doubt the board?s patriotism and agrees that the time to find a compromise has come.
?I?m tired. I?m just as tired as they are,? Caron said, hoping the fight over ribbons will end soon.
?It?s about everybody that?s dedicating so much of their lives and if they can go out there, all these people in Iraq and Afghanistan,? said Caron, referring to America?s soldiers overseas. ?I think 5 yellow ribbons isn?t asking to much.?
Update: 1:42 pm
Here?s what folks around town are saying about the yellow ribbon battle.
Leah Fagan: ?I think it?s very important for the yellow ribbons to be up right now because it really supports our troops and we just want them to come home nice and safe and we?re really lucky that they?re out their defending our freedom.?
Leo Paul, First Selectman: ?It?s unfortunate that many people in the country have gotten the message that the residents in the town of Litchfield are non-patriotic. That is so far from the truth. We are the quintessential New England town, it goes back to the revolutionary days. In fact, there was a statute of King George the women of Litchfield melted down to make ammunition for the revolutionary war troops. So our patriotism goes back beyond and before the revolutionary war.?
Bernie Duszynski: ?It?s hard to fathom the thought that there?s even a controversy over something as simple as supporting our troops. It?s pretty insane actually.?
Gary Gillman: ?I think that we?ve got a bad national rap and a lot of people think that we aren?t patriotic but, we?re faced with a tough circumstance where people would like to use our green as their talking point and I think that that?s what the board is up against is protecting our green from everyone putting their sign for a tag sale or their view on any political item.?
