City leaders afraid of Hanson

Somebody's actually trying to bust Hanson?

Hanson??????????

You'd think a tame band like Hanson - yes, the "MMMBop" guys - would be safe from hassles, but not in BushAmerica. For Pete's sake, the Bushists tried to get Oscar the Grouch banned, so nothing is safe these days.

The incident happened in (drum roll, please) Covington, Kentucky, a city I'm quite familiar with because it's near my digs. Covington is an industrial burg of 50,000 opposite Cincinnati. And, man, is it run by right-wingers! After city officials bulldozed a homeless encampment and brutally killed a cat, the city was ranked as one of the most unfriendly to the homeless in all of North America. Covington hosts an annual Mardi Gras festival, but it bowed to complaints of a lone busybody by opening it to only a limited number of ticket holders, which has made the event a laughingstock. The city also banned pay phones run by companies other than the local phone monopoly, which charged more for calls. City officials' excuse was that other companies' phones accepted incoming calls, which officials falsely claimed was of use only to drug dealers. (This is yet another extreme example of innocents being forced to sacrifice freedom for the failed War on Drugs.)

But recently, Covington officials met their match: Hanson! The group led a mile-long walk down Madison Avenue just prior to a concert, to raise awareness of poverty and AIDS worldwide. The band's promoter was promptly slapped with a ticket just for conducting this walk. The citation carries a penalty of up to $250 in fines and 30 days in the hoosegow.

Out of 54 cities where Hanson has led this walk, Covington is the only one where they've had trouble.

When I read this story, I was doubled over in laughter that city officials felt so threatened by Hanson, of all people! Just think if it was somebody like the Sex Pistols that was known for rowdy concerts. If it was someone like that, they'd put the whole city under lockdown!

The promoter said, "The city of Covington apparently are the only folks that are with-it enough to understand the full impact of the Hanson barrage." Police officials said organizers have to apply for a permit at least 30 days in advance for any event like Hanson's walk. That may be true - but why didn't this rule apply when a group of Nazis held a rally to complain about the homeless having it too easy? Even if the rule isn't selectively enforced (which it is), the mandatory 30-day notice is so long that it amounts to being an unconstitutional infringement on public assembly.

Quite frankly, I've never been a Hanson fan. When Hanson was at their peak of popularity, I listened to stations that played Poe and Tears For Fears. But it's supposed to be a free country, and I'll defend Hanson's right to walk through Covington.

The promoter has to return to Covington next month to answer the charges. Police warned that if he doesn't make the 300-mile trip here from Nashville next month, an arrest warrant will be issued.

About the Covington confrontation, the promoter said, "I saw where they just arrested a guy for swimming across the river. I'd probably be careful if I were riding a bike around in Covington. It seems like they have a citation triathlon they're trying to complete." Considering that Covington cops unconstitutionally dispersed a pro-union rally not long ago, and that I've had several run-ins myself, it does seem that way.

(Source: http://news.nky.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20080426/NEWS0103/804260413)