tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723709701684173708.post5513311174045137618..comments2024-03-28T17:55:31.180-04:00Comments on The Gossips of Rivertown: An Inauguration and an AnniversaryCarole Osterinkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16010623982526286408noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723709701684173708.post-70678361041522228062017-01-20T21:51:15.787-05:002017-01-20T21:51:15.787-05:00What a watershed moment was the Croswell trial, an...What a watershed moment was the Croswell trial, and how exhiliarating to know that it happened here in Hudson. As Judy Garland said at the end of Meet Me in St. Louis, "Right here where we live." Let's hope that the lessons learned from that trial are not undermined by the new regime.Cynthia Lamberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09550592770287010816noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723709701684173708.post-14648016170903369352017-01-20T18:23:31.344-05:002017-01-20T18:23:31.344-05:00Hudson is not only an early home of the first amen...Hudson is not only an early home of the first amendment, it will be the birthplace of the free press' revival -- at least that's what we are trying to do with School Life News, as we promote journalism education for youth. Come vist us at www.schoollifemedia.org. And see our short video, directed by local videographer David McDonald, finished the day after the election and titled "Now More Than Ever." We are teaching kids to know the facts and respect the truth. --pmPeter Meyerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12627451247693034161noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723709701684173708.post-50182286172147597402017-01-20T13:26:58.802-05:002017-01-20T13:26:58.802-05:00Well told, Gossips.
Another thing to celebrate in...Well told, Gossips.<br /><br />Another thing to celebrate in this story is the lineage of pseudonymous commentary in Hudson, of which 'The Wasp' was both a participant and a beneficiary. (A pox on that intellectual cowardice which automatically reduces reasonable arguments to the personalities advancing them.)<br /><br />But the pseudonymous Robert Rusticoat achieved so much more than merely perpetuating the tenets of The Enlightenment. Every libel law in the nation owes its existence to People v. Croswell, a case which liberated the American legal definition of libelous speech from the assumptions which continue to burden like speech in the UK, our previous country. <br /><br />It's no exaggeration to point out that People v. Croswell was a turning point in human history.<br /><br />We need to erect an historical plaque at the precise location of the long-gone newspaper building where Croswell printed 'The Wasp' (several doors west of Vico).<br /><br />Perhaps if we in Hudson made some effort to commemorate Croswell's and Hamilton's watershed achievement, we'd be more justified worrying aloud about specific threats to our ongoing experiment in self-governance. <br /><br />Though the following must remain apocryphal, a contemporary account had it that Hamilton's visceral insult of Burr was delivered at a dinner party in Albany while Hamilton was defending Croswell. Sounds about right.unheimlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00204285837938988668noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5723709701684173708.post-26034947116219744222017-01-20T12:28:34.356-05:002017-01-20T12:28:34.356-05:00Thank you, Carole, for this fascinating piece of h...Thank you, Carole, for this fascinating piece of history. I'm writing as our new President is delivering his inaugural address, which I'm NOT listening to. As with so many other foundational principles, the fact that printing the truth is not libel will be news to him should he ever follow through on his various threats. What a bleak day and time for our country. <br />Happy 7th anniversary to your daring adventure in Gossips. I've occasionally disagreed with your reportage and/or interpretations of events, but I'm grateful for your vigilance and commitment to an enlightened citizenry. We're all in your debt. Ginna Moore https://www.blogger.com/profile/06835297263711674718noreply@blogger.com