-Courier publishes a letter( #2) to the editor on March 6 from an angry local, Tatar, who disagreed with letter writer McNabb (#1) about mainstream media being trustworthy, having a “Code of Ethics”, and that social media is “pushing an agenda” and not interested in facts.
-Then Courier publishes McNabb’s rebuttal letter (#3) march 10, where he explains his position again.
-Then courier publishes a ‘Guest Column’ (#4) on March 11 authored by Tatar, opining on the protests taking place at Courthouse square. (notice Courier photo is NOT of protesters)
Click here to listen: Petula_Clark-Downtown.ia.mp4
-Was this ‘Column’ published to ‘explain to us’ protesters to stop protesting
or 'we' will make it a crime and have you removed?
- Courier_Column_3-11-26.jpg (67.68 KiB) Viewed 662 times
March 11 Courier Guest Column TALK OF THE TOWN;
-The intent of this column is to reach out to the people of Prescott on both sides of the political spectrum.
-We live in a world of 24/7 news coverage, on traditional TV, cable TV and social media. There is absolutely no shortage, nor is there a break from all of this information available to us. As if this isn’t enough, much of it is skewed, biased or completely wrong, thrown at us just to get an emotional reaction.
-One of the best ways to take a break from all this has been to turn off the TV, put our iPhones down, and spend some time relaxing at the courthouse plaza. Whether you prefer a walk with your dog, relaxing on a park bench, reading a book on a blanket on the grass, or simply strolling around the plaza enjoying the ambience of Prescott’s downtown, its a pleasant relief from the constant barrage of current news.
-Now that has changed. Your visit to the plaza could very easily be disrupted by the noise, the waving of flags and signs, and the general takeover of two main corners of the sidewalk. Whether it’s the MAGA Republicans or the Prescott Indivisible, these Prescottonians fail to realize that many visitors who come to the plaza are there to avoid political rhetoric or current news, but instead are instantly reminded of it.
-Protesters, demonstrators and political activists need to understand the key facts: they accomplish nothing, other than resorting to that worn cliché, “exercising our First Amendment rights,” and the end results are always negative. Eventually there will be confrontation, strong disagreement and possibly violence, and eventually it will hurt retail business and tourism. There really is no positive or beneficial aspect to our downtown gained from these displays of political partiality, and it’s highly unlikely that anyone has been convinced to change sides.
-This issue is something the City Council and our mayor have to review and explore possible ways to return Prescott’s courthouse plaza to what it was before Republicans, Democrats or independents turned it into a public arena for political disagreement
-Let’s return the plaza to a peaceful retreat, free of those annoyances we left at home on our TVs and iPhones.
Ron Tatar is a resident of Prescott.
