A pox on ‘for sale’ signs
Commentary by Pat Murphy
How would Ketchum city hall react if one fine morning the
town’s utility poles were festooned with "sale" signs and
street corners were adorned with man-sized "sale" signboards
propped up at intersections?
The groundwork for this visual pollution nightmare is
there.
Every few weeks, the same transient rug merchants show up
in Ketchum. They rent space at a local hotel, and proceed to nail small
"rug sale" signs with arrows on utility poles and prop large
"Rug Sale" board signs with arrows all over town.
A hot tub retailer even got wind of the town’s loose
attitude recently, parked a huge RV on an empty lot on Main Street, and
proceeded to set up hot tubs for sale. Not a pretty sight.
What if all the ski shops, all coffee shops, all art
galleries, every real estate broker, every saloon emulated the transient
rug merchants and cluttered the town with their own "sale" signs
on utility poles?
Ketchum soon would look like a cheap flea market in a
rundown economic distress area of the Rust Belt.
City hall talks a lot of about preserving the town’s
character with its zoning and architectural decisions.
But the spreading presence of "rug sale" signs
on utility poles and at intersections hardly does much for the town’s
character.
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Oh, how quickly Sen. Chuck Hagel, the Nebraska Republican,
switches principles like changing underwear, and with about as little
mental effort.
Just a year ago in March, Hagel was one of 63 U.S.
senators, according to People for the American Way, who voted for the
so-called flag desecration amendment to criminalize abuse of Old Glory,
such as burning. The amendment failed for lack of a two-thirds majority.
Every First Amendment group in the country opposed the
amendment, agreeing that burning the flag is as much free speech under the
First Amendment as standing in front of the White House and shouting
obscenities at the president.
But, aha. Hagel now suddenly is a First Amendment patriot,
arguing that campaign finance reform as proposed by his one-time friend,
Sen. John McCain, would violate the U.S. Constitution’s free speech
guarantees.
Go figure.
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Lots of energetic and selfless groups bring honor to the
Wood River Valley with their tireless efforts and causes.
One that deserves a tip of the hat is the Caritas Chorale,
whose 75 voices (accompanied by a 27-piece orchestra from Boise) I caught
performing Bach and Handel.
Cramped and jammed on risers in Our Lady of the Snows
Church, their sound nevertheless was powerful and professional, enough to
bring goose bumps to those with an ear for music that touches the soul.
How good is the chorale? Good enough for some 60 of the
group’s members to tour Europe in June to perform in a series of
concerts in France and Switzerland.
The pity is that the Caritas Chorale must perform locally
in inadequate facilities. They and other artistic Wood River Valley groups
in theater, music and ballet need and deserve a real performing arts
theater with all the acoustical features that showcase their skills.
