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“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
(D.U.) Sidney, N.Y.: The rural upstate community of Sidney, N.Y., was the scene of a much anticipated Town Board Meeting last night, to discuss issues relating to Supervisor Bob McCarthy's attempt to force the excavation of Muslim graves from a local cemetery. The controversy became national news when Andrew Reinbach reported about it on Huffington Post, leading to Keith Olbermann's rewarding McCarthy the prestigious “Worst Person in the World” award.
The reaction to this news was immediate. Residents and former residents of the community were outraged, not only by McCarthy's attempts to bully a tiny Sufi farming settlement, but by the way that the Supervisor had soiled Sidney's reputation. Across the country, people recognized the situation as the negative potential of allowing radical right-wing Tea Party activists to take office. McCarthy quickly became the poster boy for the diseased thinking known as nativism. McCarthy's actions offended many, perhaps none more so than his fellow Irish-Americans, who view this as a mutant version of the hatred that their families experienced in the area, from the time when the immigrated to this country due to the Great Starvation (also known as the Potato Famine) through John Kennedy's election to the Presidency.
The powers-that-be in Sidney had attempted to defuse the crisis on Wednesday, by communicating their decision to cease the Town Board's attack on the Sufi settlement, in a letter from the town's attorney to Thomas Schimmerling, who has volunteered to provide legal representation for the Sufi settlement. When they saw that the grass roots movement was still coming to their meeting (see Face Book's “Impeach Bob McCarthy”), the town opted to close the local Boys & Girls Club, which is located in the Sidney Civic Center, and to move the meeting from its usual location to a much larger room.
People began arriving in the late afternoon and early evening, in order to get seats for the meeting. I had the opportunity to sit and speak with Andrew Reinbach and AP reporter Helen O'Neill about the dynamics of this controversy. A half-hour before the meeting was scheduled to begin, all the seats were filled, people had lined the back and sides of the room, and many others were standing outside in the hallway.
The Town Board members, clerk, highway supervisor, and attorney all appeared uncomfortable as the meeting was called to order. In particular, Bob McCarthy's body language communicated a hostility brewing close to the surface, perhaps not surprising considering that approximately 150 citizens had gathered to demand his resignation. He was not able to process simple statements directed at him by other board members; instead, he looked confused, asking, “What?” The advantage of my sitting in the front row was the ability to hear a board member tell him to relax, that “these people are all here to get your autograph, Bob.”
Although this was a public meeting, McCarthy had failed to provide us with an agenda, a practice that is common in any board meeting. Thus, as the board busied itself in trivial nonsense, ignoring the crowd, a number of citizens asked if it was possible to discuss the board's crisis? McCarthy blew up, and threatened to have anyone who spoke tossed from the room. Attorney Schimmerling politely said, “I believe that people are wondering if you are going to show a little class and address the problem.” McCarthy, in tantrum mode, threatened to move to have the meeting closed to the public.
This reporter has known several of the people on the board and in other, related positions, for decades. Although I only know Mr. Cordes (the only democrat on the board) and Mr. Hamilton casually, I believe that both are decent men, who were pressured by the bullying tactics of the three Tea Party board members. Cordes, in fact, had issued an apology earlier in the week. I have also had some very positive contact with the town's attorney, Joseph Armeti, over the years, and although a number of people have expressed anger over his role in this controversy, I believe that his role in this was limited. He and I had a good conversation after the meeting.
The Town Clerk opted to read a letter that members of the board had written earlier in the day directed to the people attending the meeting. They noted that McCarthy had won the recent election, and that not everything he has done since taking office is negative. However, they wrote that they recognized that McCarthy lacks “people skills,” and promised to work with him on correcting this deficit. I noted that McCarthy looked humiliated as this part of the board's message was read.
The board then presented their new proposal for a town law that would require a $25,000 fee for new cemeteries, and threatened large fines and incarceration for any offenders. When questioned about when the last time a cemetery that would be covered by the proposed law had been made, the board stated that it was in the Civil War era. When board member John Schaffer stated twice that it should be “crystal clear” this law had nothing to do with the Sufi cemetery, I noted that his quoting Richard Nixon was hardly reassuring.
A woman from nearby Masonville (which is part of the Sidney Central School district) asked to speak. Her son, a Boy Scout who attends Sidney High School, had recently restored a pioneer cemetery, and received support from local merchants and individuals. Her advocating for creative ways to deal with the costs of cemetery upkeep – I have also worked with area youth groups and historical societies on restoring old cemeteries – appeared to offend McCarthy, who's only response was, “You don't pay taxes here.” Hopefully, wiser people recognize that this lady and many others not only have children in Sidney's schools, but tend to shop in Sidney's stores.
When McCarthy continued to insist the issue was resolved, and that the board would not allow citizens to exercise their Amendment 1 rights as guaranteed by the Constitution, people began asking, “What are you afraid of?” A former village official told McCarthy that he was offended by his telling Fox News that he was the victim in this situation; when he told McCarthy that “if you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen,” the audience applauded for several minutes.
One of the Sufi land owners also spoke. Her presence is that of a gentle, king human being. She said that throughout the past three months, no one from the board had called, written, or visited her, to discuss their concerns with the cemetery. If they had, she would have shown them the proper permits for the cemetery, and taken the time to answer any questions they might have still had. She suggested this would have been better than the board taking a confrontational stance.
Hans Hass, the Sufi spokesperson, noted that McCarthy had told reporters that they had broken the law, and that he (McCarthy) wanted to force the excavation of the graves. He asked if McCarthy would admit the cemetery was indeed legal ? McCarthy would not. Hass asked why, when McCarthy has stated numerous times that he had no idea what the law was, he told reporters it had been broken? McCarthy told Hass to ask the town attorney. Hass said no, you are the one who said this, and so I'm asking you?
At this point, another board member (McCarthy's son-in-law) attempted to deflect attention from this important question. While he was doing so, the town attorney quietly asked Bob if he had really said those things? Bob said no, he didn't think so. I told the attorney that he definitely had, and another front row reporter confirmed this.
Hass politely told Bob's son-in-law that his question was directed at McCarthy, and that only he could answer it. He again asked McCarthy the question. Bob, turning scarlet, folded his arms, and sneered, “Whatever.”
At this point, a young man who is the brother of one of the people buried in the tiny cemetery began to speak about the pain of not only losing a family member, but of having the Town Supervisor threaten to “excavate” his grave. Before he could finish, the Town Board opted to close the meeting, cutting off what many of us considered the most important messages in this conflict.
McCarthy's repugnant behavior is the tip of an ice cube. Over the years, a few people who have fallen for the anti-Islamic hysteria being peddled by snakes such as Glenn Beck have reportedly called the State Police and FBI to complain about the Sufi settlement. Both agencies have visited the farm, and found that it poses no threat to anyone, and that no laws were broken in regard to the cemetery.
The community response has been overwhelmingly positive. The local farmers get along well with the Sufi people. I've known many of these farmers for decades, and I place great trust in their judgment. More, hundreds of community residents have expressed support for the settlement, and outrage at Bob McCarthy's conduct. I fully support their demand that McCarthy either resign in utter disgrace, or be impeached and removed from office. It's important for board members and other officials to recognize that this conflict will not be resolved until McCarthy is out of office.
Peace & Justice,
H2O Man
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