It appears that Atkinson will have two Viet Nam Memorials soon. For almost two years, a polarized community brought a decision on where to place the name tablets to a stalemate. Now, that’s over. The name tablets will be placed on the Library grounds, joining the memorials of all other past wars. The Town Hall monument will remain “unscathed”.
I heard a man on the news last night. He’s veteran of the Iraq war, recently released from the hospital detour he had to take on his way home. His home-town welcomed him joyously; his boss assured him he still had a job. All was well. But this man also remembered his first return, as a Viet Nam veteran. As a soldier, then, he had been ordered by his boss – the President of the United States – to go to war, and he did what he was told to do. When he returned home, he was jeered, sworn at, spit on, and told he no longer had a job
I’m thinking that the bitterness and anger surrounding the Viet Nam war lives on in Atkinson today, and I cannot say I am proud of us. All veterans deserve recognition and honor.
But that’s almost over now. Atkinson will have two monuments; the one at the Library, showing the names of all Atkinsonians who served in Viet Nam; and the other one. Too bad. I believe the man who worked so hard to bring the Town Hall memorial to Atkinson would have wanted them all together, as a symbol that the Town was ready to acknowledge their service. .
Minerva
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ATKINSON's Vietnam HONOR ROLL as VOTED and PASSED by 2005 Town Meeting and re-approved at Special Town Meeting Sept. 12
EDITORIAL-
A voice of compassion, an example of fairness and reasonable government.
One who believes in the strength and comfort you, your children and your family can draw from good government leadership.
A person who knows Atkinson is our home -- our most important possession that must be preserved and protected through fair taxes and sound community planning and where our children must be safe to grow to become a new generation of leaders.
One who knows that the citizens of Atkinson are all neighbors with her leadership to be dedicated and responsive to all.
One who believes that when those from Atkinson have served our nation and honors are deserved, those honors must be given.
In Valerie Tobin, we now have a leader we know we can entrust with these responsibilities because they are part of her character.
It is our honor to endorse Valerie for election to Atkinson’s Board of Selectmen.
Just a note for those who wish to count the deer.
In January 08 this blog had 16,000 hits and 1,500 unique visitors (for the month).
In 2007 this blog had over 100,000 hits and 5,750 unique visitors (for the year).
In 2007 this blog had over 100,000 hits and 5,750 unique visitors (for the year).
EDITORIAL-
"I offer nothing more than simple facts, plain arguments, and common sense . . ." [TP, 1776]
We take no small measure of umbrage at such a hostile official act against this BLOG’s patron. Therefore, a timely Editorial comment is both appropriate and necessary.
Discussion of Atkinson’s financial direction, from any viewpoint, is fundamental and encouraged and we will always attempt to limit and correct errors.
However, Righteous indignation towards purported error of such inconsequential nature is not appropriate.
The ENTIRE car deal is problematic. If it was caused by poor judgement, improper exercise of authority, neglect or mistake or even specious reasoning, this will never trump the facts that the entire questionable transaction started and ended within a very small circle of confidants.
We find the entire circumstances surrounding the disposition of the police Cruiser highly irregular at the least and the "explanations" somewhat trifling and exhaustive of our intellect.
Mr. Consentino: It’s time to go. Being Chief of Atkinson’s Police Department is NOT a birthright. That is a fabled legend of yesteryear.
Historically in Atkinson, police chief appointments were made "under the hand of the selectmen" for terms of one year at a time, as was also the case in the beginning of Mr. Consentino’s assorted and discontinuous stream of appointments to this position.
Your only remaining credential established on a claim of indispensability has faded.
So time is neigh. Plan a graceful exit, Clean out your desk, Accept the gratitude and tearful sentiments from some. We plan no editorial recriminations. It is time. Thank you for your service, We wish you a long and happy retirement. Bon Voyage.
LETTER
"To All Atkinson Residents,
I am writing to ask for your help. A member of the Atkinson Police Department needs our help. I am here to ask for your help in Corporal John Lapham's fight for his life. As you are aware, John has been diagnosed with Leukemia. He has been once again hospitalized with an infection that is threatening his life. He is one of the bravest people that I have ever met. He has never asked of anything from the residents of the town. Now is our chance to step up and help both him and his family out. As everyone is aware John has been out of work for a few months. His family has been busy helping John to get better. He needs our help, and I am hoping that this town can step up to the plate and help. From the moment that I met John, I have admired him. He does alot, but never asks for anything in return. He has helped so many people in this town. I for one am one of those people. Please help him.
There is a fund set-up in his name at TDBanknorth in Plaistow. Any amount will help John, while he is out of work. It would be great if this town could help ease a burden off his wife.
Thank You
Also if anyone would like to send a card, please address it to:
John Lapham
c/o Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Ctr.
Inpatient mail
75 Francis Street
Boston, MA 02115
United States
Please show Corporal John Lapham, that this community can stand up and show our support to those in need. I for one, miss John and can not wait until he can get better and return to work. Please show him that we support him. "
4 comments:
This issue is still up in the air. The historical society has said that they do not wish to take selectmen Sapia up on his generous offer of a duplicate map stone in front of the historical society. They have said they don't want to spend the taxpayers money on this. If only selectman Sapia felt the same. So it remains to be seen where the honor rolls get placed, and how they relate to the existing memorial. This has been a sad chapter in the towns history, and so unecesary, all because the selectmen got pissed off at Mrs. Grant and decided, hell, stated on camera at a selectmen's meeting that she would never get her way. So many things in town in recent years get decided by who likes whom.
The issue is not up in the air. The decision made at the court "mediation" session has been nullified. The honor roll panels will be placed on the grounds of the Historical Society Kimball Museum, adjacent to the WWI and WWII Korean Conflict memorials. This sad story will someday probably appear in "Yankee Magazine" and the "map stone" in front of town hall will, undoubtedly, be known as the "spite stone". How pitiful!
The sad fact of this mess is that the voters voted to put the honor roll in front of the town hall either side of the existing moument but outside of the flagpoles and not to spend more than a dollar on it.
The selectmen asked town counsel to opine on whether there was any abiguity in the two articles, he said no, the selectmen told Mrs. Grant to go ahead and raise her money privately and they would put them in front of the town hall.
Between that meeting and when the money was raised they got pissed off and decided, in the words of Mr. Consentino, live in a selectmens meeting, carol grant will never get her way, they will never be put there. From that time on, Smilin Jack was trying to find somewhere else for them. After all he will not cross his boss...um..er... mentor? The sad fact is that the selectmen thwarted the will of the voters again, and all of selectman Childs rationalizations about "well, more people voted for the first article than the second so we thought..." or " Town counsels opinion is just one attornies opinion" are just that..... BullS**t!!!
Atkinson's 71 Vietnam and Vietnam-era veterans are still waiting for the honor they earned but which was shamefully denied them by the previous Board of Infamy of Sapia, Childs and Consentino That Board of Infamy shamed and dishonored Atkinson's good name. What remains to be seen is whether the NEW Board of Selectmen after the March elections, show the honor and integrity that the Board of Infamy was so lacking in, and votes to finally right the wrong done to Atkinson's Vietnam veterans and restore Atkinson's honor.
For the benefit of anyone new to town: 2005 Town Meeting passed two warrant articles dealing with
Atkinson's Vietnam veterans.
The first, submitted thanks to veteran-supporting Selectman Brian Boyle, directed that TWO HONOR ROLL PANELS containing the names of Atkinson's Vietnam veterans be placed IN FRONT OF THE TOWN HALL WITH ONE ON EACH SIDE OF THE EXISTING VIETNAM MAP STONE.
That warrant article didn't specify
whether the name panels be placed on the inside or outside of the 2 flagpoles flanking the mapstone. A second, petitioned warrant article then specified that the panels not be on the INSIDE the flagpoles.
Whether the panels were directly inside or directly outside of the flag poles wasn't important, as long as one was placed on each side of the map stone.
Both warrant articles passed Town Meeting. Town Counsel then stated that there was NO CONFLICT between the two warrant articles and that both were LEGALLY BINDING and to be complied with by the selectmen.
At a very sparsely-attended 2005 Deliberative Session, a small group of people who had previously publicly stated their opposition to their being ANY Honor Roll in town listing our Vietnam veterans, succeeded in their attempt to block the townspeople from being able to vote on the original warrant article and gutted the article's funding down to $1.
The disenfranchised townspeople still passed it because it stated their will that the names of our Vietnam veterans be listed on 2 Honor Roll panels to be placed in front of the Town Hall on each side of the Vietnam map stone.
In a very successful fund-drive, the people of Atkinson,especially its veterans,repudiated the group at Deliberative Session who had stripped the funding from the warrant article, by donating OVER the original funding amount.
The panels were ordered, the 71
names inscribed, and invitations sent out to the Vietnam veterans
and their families for a Veterans Day dedication of the panels.
Still pandering to those opposed to
the Honor Roll panels,the Board of Infamy then voted to NOT honor the 2005 Town Meeting vote and refused to allow the name panels placed where town meeting had directed.
The Board of Infamy thumbed thier noses not only at Atkinson's 71 Vietnam veterans and the town meeting voters, but also at their own Town Counsel.
Atkinson's Vietnam veterans arrived
for the Dedication from all over the country, to receive a slap in the face from the Board of Infamy, Childs and non-veterans Sapia and Consentino. Those veterans and their families were subjected to the pain and insult from the selectmen of seeing the panels with their names on them, lying un-installed in the ground next to the place of honor where the townspeople had voted them to be placed. The veterans returned to town for long-overdue honors and were instead, in effect,spit on by Consentino, Sapia and Childs.
Consentino paid for his part in the infamy when Atkinson's voters soundly repudiated him in the March 2005 elections.
Hopefully, voters will also hold accountable and repudiate, Childs-in next month's election and Sapia in March 2008, for 1) their arrogant thumbing of their noses at the townspeople and refusing to honor and comply with both the 2005 Town Meeting vote and their own Town Counsel's legal opinion, and 2) for the pain, hurt and insult to Atkinson's 71 Vietnam and Vietnam-era veterans and their families who were so shamefully dishonored by those name panels lieing on the ground because arrogant selectmen refused to honor the veterans' service to their country by allowing the panels to be installed where legally voted by the townspeople.
Those 71 veterans still wait for the honor due them. They, like the townspeople, wait for a Board
of Selectmen who will stand up for those 71 Vietnam veterans and their families, and who believe in and will uphold the integrity of 2005 Town Meeting vote. The currently-in-storage Vietnam Honor Roll panels still wait to be installed in front of the Town Hall. They wait, the 71 Vietnam veterans and their families wait, the fund-drive donors wait, and the 2005 Town meeting voters wait for two honorable selectmen(hopefully Sullivan and Child's replacement) to do what's right and right the wrong done by the Board of Infamy--to out-vote Sapia and order that 2005 Town Meeting vote be complied with, and finally, to cleanse a selectman stain on Atkinson's name and honor as a town.
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