Steph Upon A Potty

I’m going to go on a rant. Forgive me.

Dear Editor,

The St. Patrick’s Day Parade for All, which winds its way through each March, is not a celebration of Irish heritage, but gay pride. The organizers, dissatisfied with the big NO received from the Ancient Order of Hibernians for the main event, found us instead.
Each year, there are no onlookers except of a purely incidental nature, happening onto it as if bumping into clear glass. Marchers in this parade are represented, not by significant Irish-American groups, but by a few marching bands from other boroughs, hipsters, anti-war groups, politicians and candidates, all Democrats, doing lots of pandering. They are tooting their own horn, because the parade has nothing to do with us.
The parade snakes past our churches, with St. Sebastian’s Church having been an especially prized target. Catholics and most all denominations do not support same-sex marriage or other socalled gay-friendly demands. So we become their piñata.
The presence of police officers, the suspension of parking rules for the parade, and the cleanup are incompatible with the parade’s tiny scale. Storefronts lose precious parking spaces for their customers.
It is said that the leader comes from Astoria. Given all the progressives and new-agers there, Astoria seems like their perfect venue.
So I will do on this day what I do each day, which is to sweep under the 61st Street & Roosevelt Avenue train station to keep it clean,
a more immediate concern than a parade with no audience and no connection to us here.
David Rosasco,
Woodside

This guy’s a jackass.

The name of the event is the St. Pat’s For All Parade and it seems he’s missing the point entirely. “…not a celebration of Irish heritage, but gay pride.” Well actually, it’s both. The event began because gay Irish community members weren’t allowed to march anywhere else in the city. What it has evolved to is a parade to celebrate the diversity of the Sunnyside/Woodside area, that anyone who lives here knows is vast. Only the Irish can celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? I thought everyone was Irish on March 17th! Isn’t that the saying?

This should not be an us vs. them issue. The whole idea, like I said, is to embrace the diversity of the neighborhood, and by saying a parade should not march because it is not mostly a certain type of person is intolerant and whiny.

“Marchers in this parade are represented, not by significant Irish-American groups, but by a few marching bands from other boroughs, hipsters, anti-war groups, politicians and candidates, all Democrats, doing lots of pandering. They are tooting their own horn, because the parade has nothing to do with us.” Oh oh oh, I see what this is about. You’re saying they can’t have a parade, not because most of them aren’t Irish, but because most of them aren’t Irish, Republican, pro-war old people living in Woodside. Aw, poor David. He wants a parade of his own; that’s what this is really about. Well good news! You can parade around by yourself any day, David! Take pride in the fact that you’re a homophobic bastard with a fear of change!

“Catholics and most all denominations do not support same-sex marriage or other socalled gay-friendly demands. So we become their piñata.” LOLZ

So in the end, it turns out he’s a troll under a bridge. Seriously, “So I will do on this day what I do each day, which is to sweep under the 61st Street & Roosevelt Avenue train station to keep it clean.” Apparently one can only have a parade if they answer this guy’s riddle.

Dear Editor,
Catholics have rights too. Both Queen of Angels and St. Sebastian’s have religious services on Sundays from 1 to 2PM, plus 2PM Baptisms at St. Sebastian’s.
For several years, the St. Pat’s For All parade started at 1PM, marched past Queen of Angels and St. Sebastian’s during their religious services, drums banging, bugles blaring, bagpipes skirling, plus enhanced music from trucks. The noise disturbed religious services, violating Catholic rights. It was so bad 3 years ago, that there was total chaos at St. Sebastian’s. Traffic was stopped, the St. Sebastian parking lot was blocked, no cars could get out from the 1PM Mass, no cars could arrive for the 2PM Baptisms.
It was intolerable. I wrote to Commissioner Kelly (see Woodside Herald 2/15/08), urging successfully a 3 or 2PM start for the parade. Thus for the last 2 years the parade started at 2PM at 43rd Street. Catholic services were not disturbed. Catholic rights were not trampled.
However, last year the Woodside Herald reported, March 13, 2009, that the parade organizers were considering a Woodside start for this year. A Woodside start would be disastrous, as already explained. Here we go again!
In January this year, I wrote to Commissioner Kelly urging no change from last year. I also copied Detective Toro of the 108 Pct. In January, at the 108 Pct. Community Council, we were assured publicly that there would be no change in the time or place of the start: 2PM, 43rd St.
Thus, I was stunned and shocked to read in the Woodside Herald, February 26th that the parade would start at 1PM! I called Inspector Kavanagh and Det. Toro insisting on the promised 2PM start. Det. Toro reassured me that the parade would not start before 2PM.
This blatant anti-Catholicism must stop!
Al Volpe,
Woodside

This guy is also a jackass.

First of all, the parade isn’t starting until 2pm, so he can shut the fuck up for now. But he touched on more than that in his letter, so allow me to continue.

One day…ONE DAY this parade takes place with their “drums banging, bugles blaring, bagpipes skirling”…well it is a parade after all. But it only happens on one day of the year and you’re really going to make that an issue? This in NO WAY violates the rights of churchgoers. For you to stifle this annual parade would violate the rights of everyone else in the community. It’s the afternoon for Christ’s sake. They can make all the bloody noise they want to on this ONE DAY OF THE FUCKING YEAR. Jesus.

“It was intolerable,” he says. You know what’s intolerable? You are, of anyone who doesn’t go to church. Especially those that make a lot of noise one day a year. What a sad, sad little man.

“This blatant ant-Catholicism must stop!” It’s all in your head, Al. Enjoy your silent service.