This is a simple article to share pictures of this corner of last year’s 2024 Parade of Green Parade in Beacon, NY. Am publishing it now before I chicken-out again. This article has been in ALBB’s Drafts for one year.

After this parade, I received my first anonymous note to my house in the form of a pink Post-It. Sadly, the note asked that I not fly the Palestinian flag again because the writer feared the Trump flags coming out again. A valid fear. Sadly, that has come true.

A Little Beacon Blog will not be at the Parade of Green this year. After the parade last year, more than one person told me that it was their most favorite Parade of Green ever.

Honoring the Parade of Green Committee requirement of No Politicking, we will sit this one out. The only regret I have from last year is not carrying the Irish flag as well.

For the Old Beacon People who shouted at me last year: “Ireland Supports Israel!,” you are deeply misinformed. You can educate yourself at several places, including:

Wikipedia
The New York Times: “Tracing The Deep Roots of Ireland’s Support for Palestinians”
NPR: “Why Ireland Is One Of The Most Pro-Palestinian Nations In The World”
The Jerusalem Post: “Ireland & Palestine - A brief history”

For those of you who shouted at me “White Power Hamas!” I have no words for you. Only that you need to expand your mind outside of your Old Beacon Bubble.

Being in the parade, and coming out in front of the keyboard was terrifying, yes. Even though my name is on every article, and I have videos at my other business Tin Shingle. But I never wanted to come forward over here. I wanted ALBB to be its own thing. Not a person.

When ALBB won “Best Blog of the Hudson Valley” for 2 years in a row, Hudson Valley Magazine categorizes Best Blog in their “People” category. But this publication isn’t a person. However. For Palestine, and the injustice of millions of people that the United States has been doing to people in the Middle East, I came out. “I broke the 4th wall,” as photojournalist Alexa B. Wilkinson told me.

For those of you who typed to me a year ago: “Cover Beacon! There is so much going on in Beacon! Talk about that!” Fine. Done. I’m back.

The blessing that Palestine has given me is that I am not afraid anymore to cover hard topics in Beacon. I broke through the bias wall. All reporters and publishers are bias. It is a theory to be non-objective. Being non-objective is something to strive for, certainly. So that you the reader can form your own opinion.

At the end of the day, articles that get assigned by any publication are financed in time and money. There’s a reason why they were selected.

Therefore, I’ll be down at the podium at City Council voicing my opinion to proposed legislation, and at the Planning or Zoning Boards on proposed projects. I tried to remain objective and not participate in those debates, only report on them if I was able to get an article out. But now I’m in.

As I spoke at the last Planning Board Meeting in favor of the proposed redevelopment of a Healey Dealership building into a Dunkin’ Donuts with apartments above, someone seated next to me who had been in the Anti-Ceasefire Group during those days whispered “There she goes…”

Yes. There she goes. It’s a good song. It will be stuck in my head for a while now.

See you in the next articles.