"Secure, scorching, and festive Fourth" by Maria Cramer and Jeremy C. Fox | Globe Staff and Globe Correspondent, July 04, 2013
The heat was stifling, security measures were intense, and memories of the Boston Marathon bombings were lingering, but hundreds of thousands of devoted revelers jammed patches of green along the Charles River on Thursday to take in Boston’s July Fourth gala.
Temperatures rose to 93 degrees by midday and lingered above 90 into the evening, which some officials primarily blamed for a lower turnout than recent years.
Just getting onto the Esplanade for the annual fireworks display and Boston Pops holiday concert was a task with security heightened....
State Police said some potential revelers may have stayed home to avoid the scorching temperatures and humidity....
As if we never had a hot Fourth of July before. That wasn't the reason crowds were small and this thing fizzled.
State Police Colonel Timothy Alben, who acknowledged the strict security measures also may have kept people away.
Mission accomplished!
State troopers in bulletproof vests, federal officials, and local police patrolled the Esplanade and nearby footbridges throughout the day and into the evening, along with what Alben called “an exponentially larger amount of cameras than ever before.”
**************************
But for some, no obstacle could keep them away....
Throughout the day, visitors seemed unusually patient with the sometimes slow security measures at checkpoints.
Sheeple.
But the process was not without a sense of confusion. Backpacks were not allowed, yet security workers allowed some to carry in large duffel bags and bulky purses.
State Police spokesman David Procopio said backpacks are less malleable and flexible than some other types of bags. He said some people were asked to roll up their bags inside clear plastic bags while passing through security and were allowed to unroll them once inside.
Dale Schaetzke, a Shrewsbury real estate auctioneer, was surprised when a security official made him give up a beach umbrella, which was not on the list of prohibited items. He said the security officers who confiscated it told him they did not want beach umbrellas because they could be used as spears.
Schaetzke noticed that pop-up tents and canopies were allowed, though.
“I understand that there is a hyper-sensitivity to protecting public safety, but if you can bring in a 10x10 tent, why can’t you bring in a beach umbrella?” he said.
Alben said he understood the new rules may have led to confusion, and that State Police will reassess procedures for next year.
Don't go then, either. Just shelter in place.
“The public has cooperated tremendously” with the security, he said. “There are always going to be some people who don’t like [tight security]. We understand that. But I think it’s the world we live in.”
Yeah, well, this world of lies, imagery, and illusion isn't one I want to live in.
Stay the f*** out of Boston, world.
Some revelers said the restrictions and large police presence made them feel safer....
Shay Zohal, 32, was at the event for the first time and said he wasn’t bothered either. “I’m from Israel,” he said. “So....”
That's who the Globe talked to?
Governor Deval Patrick said the security level was appropriate under the circumstances.
“I think we have done what the public expects us to do in the wake of what happened at the Marathon,” he said. “After every incident, everybody takes a step back and tries to learn from it and that’s what this is about.”
It's called fine-tuning the tyranny.
And why was this cut for the web version??
Surinder Singh, 40, who operated the Mela Indian food station, said the mood felt different this year. In the past he was allowed to drive on to the Esplanade, but this year he and his staff had to carry in their food supplies.
That's because "police should be suspicious of food vendors and others."
I was also told for many it was the heat not the security that kept them away, and some National Guardsman saw it as his patriotic duty to suffer heat stroke. Whatever, Globe. Why the story had to be rewritten and reedited is beyond me.
--more--"
The concert may well be over for me too, dear readers, for am I sick of reading the Boston Globe. The surest sign is related items I would have linked in the past, but am now not even interested in clicking on them. In fact, I no longer want to read the Metro section and see what a shitty city is Boston. Maybe there is something there, but I don't care anymore.
The elitist and insulting ma$$ media just isn't getting it done for me anymore. This blog has run so far afoul of its original goals of 9/11 truth, paying homage to the victims of AmeriKan imperialism and telling their story, and assuring clean elections (how naive I was seven years ago). Things I was seeking to prevent like the total surveillance society and advancement of the neo-con plan for global domination have proceeded apace despite the failures. Now -- thanks to the MSM -- this blog has been tied up with divisive secondary issues like race and sexual preference.
Even if there is an important story the way it is presented is so offensive I really am not interested anymore. I'm tired of sifting through the endless layers of lies, obfuscations, and distortions of my Jewish War Paper, sorry. This idea that I'm going to keep current while catching up isn't working out, and I'm sick of looking at stacks of half-read Boston Globes cluttering up my living space.
If I want to find out what is really happening in the world I go here, or I scroll a blog roll.
This may be the final encore here, folks:
"Across nation, Fourth celebrants salute liberty; Statue is reopened to the public after hurricane damage" by Colleen Long | Associated Press, July 05, 2013
The Statue of Liberty reopened on the Fourth of July, eight months after Hurricane Sandy shuttered the national symbol of freedom, as Americans around the country celebrated with fireworks and parades and President Obama urged citizens to live up to the words of the Declaration of Independence....
He obviously doesn't mean that because it would mean that whole crowd down their would be tarred, feathered, and dumped into the Potomac.
In Arizona, somber tributes were held Thursday for 19 firefighters who died this week battling a wildfire near Yarnell. But officials in Prescott, Ariz., where the fallen firefighters were based, said the city’s traditional Fourth of July celebration would go on as usual, including fireworks.
At the site of the wildfire, officials say they expected to have the blaze up to 85 percent contained by Thursday night.
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, speaking at the reopening of the Statue of Liberty, choked up as she told the crowd she was wearing a purple ribbon in memory of the fallen firefighters....
I was told it was their own fault.
In Pennsylvania, a second Civil War reenactment commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg drew as many as 40,000 people. A narrator recounted the moves of Union and Confederate soldiers over two loudspeakers, as if doing play-by-play and color commentary for a football game....
Yeah, war is just a big game!
This reenactment was held by the Gettysburg Anniversary Committee, the group that has held such events for roughly two decades. This version appeared to draw bigger crowds on the holiday than the one held last weekend by the Blue-Gray Alliance, which has had several battle depictions for the 150th anniversary across the country.
The real battlefield at Gettysburg National Military Park was the focal point of visitors on the actual anniversary days. Up to 10,000 Union and Confederate soldiers died in Gettysburg July 1-3, 1863.
The Park Service finished up its special anniversary programs Thursday, focusing on the aftermath of the battle, including the stories of residents, prisoners, and the wounded.
Related: Globe Gets Ready For Gettysburg
Also see:
How did celebrating freedom and independence turn into celebrating war?
In his weekly radio address from Washington, Obama urged Americans to work to secure liberty and opportunity for their own children and future generations.
I guess that's why they were out protesting your NSA spying operation.
The first family later hosted a cookout at the White House for servicemen and women.
Atlanta and Alaska planned holiday runs....
Police in Hermosa Beach, Calif., stepped up patrols after years of drunken and raucous behavior from revelers. Hartford postponed fireworks because the Connecticut River was too high.
Related: Slow Saturday Special: This Post is Swollen With Stories
In Union Beach, N.J., which suffered severe damage from Sandy, residents had something to celebrate. The working-class town won a party and fireworks contest from the television station Destination America and USA Weekend magazine.
‘‘It’s wonderful. Everyone’s been so depressed,’’ said Mary Chepulis as she watched a local band perform on a stage that stood where the home next to hers had been.
Related: Sunday Globe Special: East Coast Still a Mess Six Months After Sandy
Also see: May Day: Sandy Stirred Up Sewage Tsunami
Smells like a stench was coming from my newspaper.
Every July 3, she and her friends and family would stand on a deck packed with people, food, and coolers and watch the fireworks. Next week, she’ll find out if the grant money she will receive is enough to rebuild the home where she lived for 15 years.
What is taking so f***ing long?
--more--"
I would like to finish by thanking all my followers and readers all these years. I would not have stuck with this as long as I have were it not for you. I love you all!
