Monthly Archives: June 2021

Jun 7th 2021

WESTERNERS TEND to regard freedom of speech as a universal good. However, a forthcoming report by Justitia, a Danish think-tank, demonstrates that public support for freedom of expression varies widely among countries, just as legal restraints on speech do. In many countries, particularly authoritarian regimes, people say they want fewer controls. But perhaps surprisingly, in a handful of places poll respondents suggest they want less freedom than they currently have.

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The report is based on a survey conducted in February of 50,000 people in 33 countries. The researchers asked respondents whether they believed that a wide range of controversial statements, such as insulting the national flag or making offensive comments about minority groups or religious beliefs, should be permitted. They combined the average responses to each of these questions into an index of support for free speech. They then compared these scores with an index of freedom of expression compiled by V-Dem, another think-tank, which measures how much liberty people in each country enjoy in practice.

In general, the more freedom respondents in a given country said they wanted, the more that country tended to provide. One inescapable weakness in the reports approach is that people in places with tight restrictions on speech may not feel comfortable telling pollsters how they really feel. However, large shares of respondents in many authoritarian countries, including Egypt, Turkey and Russia, were nonetheless willing to say that they approved of liberties that their governments do not protect. This was particularly true in countries that started to limit freedom of expression only recently, such as Hungary and Venezuela. Perhaps people who once enjoyed freer speech than they do now are more likely to support it than are those who have always lived under stricter rules.

However, just as respondents in many countries said they did not have enough freedom of expression, people in others tended to say they were actually given too much liberty. This pattern was most pronounced in Kenya, Tunisia, and Nigeria. These countries grant rights similar to those found in Japan or Israel, but their citizens tend to disapprove of freedom of speech just as much as people do in Egypt or Turkeythe two countries with the toughest restrictions on expression among the 33 surveyed by Justitia.

Although not enough data is available to explain this phenomenon fully, faith and sectarianism may play a role. In general, respondents in Muslim-majority countries were far less supportive of free speechparticularly when it comes to offensive comments about religionthan those elsewhere. Within the Muslim world, this pattern tends to hold regardless of a countrys form of government: respondents were barely more enthusiastic about freedom of expression in democratic Indonesia than they were in authoritarian Egypt. In both Tunisia and Nigeria, Islamist movements have gained ground over the past decade. They may have shifted public opinion against free speech faster than those countries governments could change laws.

Another possible explanation is sectarian conflict. Kenya and Nigeria have been riven by fighting between ethnic groups at various points during the past two decades, and citizens of those countries may fear that hostile speech presages violence. Kenyas low overall score on support for freedom of expression was driven largely by the 82% of respondents there who said that the government should be able to prevent people from making statements that are offensive to minority groups, which was by far the highest share in the survey. In both rich countries and poor ones, people are often willing to sacrifice civil liberties if they think their safety is at risk.

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In some countries, people think they have too much freedom of speech - The Economist

GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- Nearly 60 years ago, Rev. Dick Gleason was cursed at, spit on, kicked and hit.

The assault was only an exercise, but one meant to teach him to maintain a nonviolent response, even in the face of what might await him in Jackson, Mississippi.

Gleason was one of more than 328 people who participated in the Freedom Rides of 1961, a diverse group of people who actively challenged the continued racist policies of the South after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled as unconstitutional the segregation of interstate bus and rail lines and the terminal waiting rooms serving them.

The Freedom Riders challenged illegal segregation by bussing in to the South and sitting in interracial pairs, having Black people sit up front, disobeying terminal waiting rooms for whites and non-whites and more.

Im often referred to as being a civil rights activist, and I am simply a Christian doing what the scripture tells me to do, what the Lord would have me to do: to love my neighbor as myself, Gleason, now 84, said. In the scriptures it speaks about: learn to do right, seek justice and justify it and defend the oppressed, so that was my motivation.

The Freedom Rides began in May 1961 and were met with violence. Early on, a bus was burned, with the riders nearly burning to death because a mob held the doors closed. Ku Klux Klan members were at times given brief free reign by local police to do whatever they wanted to the anti-segregationist riders.

We talk about the good old lets Make America Great Again, this is the America of 1961; it wasnt the Andy Griffith Show either, Gleason said, pointing to other instances of racial violence.

Gleason says while issues of racial justice are more out in the open and talked about today than 60 years ago, infringement of voting rights for minorities and providing equal opportunity from birth remain a battle.

The 84-year-old fears the country has become too polarized, with people listening only to what they want to believe, paving a way to a possible dictatorship.

At the time of the Freedom Rides, Gleason was living in an impoverished and redlined neighborhood on Chicagos South Side and working with troubled Black youth, many of whom were in rival gangs, to give them hope the government never afforded them.

He did so through seven-days-a-week programming at the local YMCA which included sports, tutoring, a non-traditional Sunday service and more. It was a long way from where he grew up in the small town of Lyons, Ohio.

Hopelessness and despair blurted out from their homes, their schools, the streets, Gleason said. I saw behind their facades of being the coolest and the boldest, a sense of the hopelessness and despair of a frightened little kid, striking out at others and themselves for respect, to be respected, to be somebody and live a good life.

Gleason knew no one in the civil rights movement. But after hearing about the violence, he phoned Martin Luther King Jr.s office to join the Freedom Riders.

Gleason arrived at Kings office in Atlanta with six others on May 31, 1961. The group participated in a nonviolence workshop training them to not respond equally to the violence they were likely to face for violating segregationist policies.

Two days later, on June 2, Gleason and several others boarded a bus at Montgomery, Alabama, bound for Jackson. Gleasons tie was partially cut at the back of the neck, in case someone intended to choke him with it.

At the stop in Selma, Georgia, one of the Freedom Riders, Ralph Fertig, was forcefully taken off the bus by notorious Dallas County Sheriff Jim Clark for having asked a white woman to share her adjacent seat with a Black woman.

Fertig was jailed and later allowed to be beaten by inmates for his participation in the Freedom Rides. Fertig said the inmates broke every rib in his body.

Gleason, and the other remaining Freedom Riders whose cover wasnt blown, still had five long hours ahead of them to Jackson. The remainder of the ride was without incident.

Finally, they arrived at the terminal in Jackson.

I was determined to get to the colored waiting room no matter what, and I did, Gleason recounted. I was arrested, interrogated for a number of hours, accused of being a communist. There were a lot of billboards in the South at that time claiming Dr. King was a communist. The movement, we were vilified just like things are happening today.

Gleason spent two days in jail and paid a $200 fine for what authorities called breach of peace.

After five months, the signs were taken down -- the colored only, white only -- signs were taken down, he said of the Freedom Rides. We ended segregation; 328 people.

When his plane landed back in Chicago, policemen were waiting for him. Not to arrest him, as he initially feared, but to protect him.

For his participation, however, his childhood church ostracized him.

Because I went on the Freedom Ride, the church that I depended so much on as a kid disfellowshipped me, Gleason said.

Gleason continued his youth work in Chicago and later marched with King several times after the Freedom Rides, including the 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery in support of voting rights for Black Americans.

When King was assassinated in 1968, Gleason attended his private funeral and later public funeral procession.

Growing up bullied and with pain in his home, Gleason credits a youth pastor for igniting him in the drive that would guide his lifes journey.

I want you to know that God loves you. He has a plan for your life, and if you dream big enough and work hard enough you can be anything you want to be, Gleason recounted the pastor saying to him. I said, Lord, if you make me strong enough I will serve you the rest of my life.

While issues of racial justice are more out in the open and talked about than 60 years ago, Gleason said there is still work to be done in a country becoming more and more polarized and validated by the echo chambers people choose to put themselves in.

Gleason said one of the biggest ongoing justice issues is that of new voter laws being introduced and enacted in areas of the country with the intention, he said, of limiting minority votes.

Just like segregation, issues of racial justice and equal opportunity arent political to Gleason, theyre spiritual.

All the hundreds of voting restrictions that are trying to be placed is to eliminate Black people and minorities from voting, and Christians are silent, Gleason said. Oh, thats in the political bucket. The pastor has to keep spiritual. Im sorry, Jesus said love your neighbors yourself. The Bible speaks numerous times about justice.

He called on white leaders of faith to stop taking a narrow view of what is a spiritual issue, like abortion, and broaden that into areas deemed political, such as equal opportunity, racial justice and helping a baby survive after theyre born.

Whites need to be allies, Gleason said. We need to stand up and speak up and stand by our Black brothers and sisters. Our pastors need to speak up and stand by the movement for justice and put it out of their pail of socialism and put that whole message of justice in the spiritual bucket, for heavens sake.

Gleason now resides in Covenant Living of the Great Lakes, a retirement community in Grand Rapids, and helps people with Alzheimers disease, as well as creates Christian programming for the communitys TV station.

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Anti-segregationist Freedom Rider from Grand Rapids motivated to defend the oppressed - MLive.com

Mark Kinsler, Correspondent Published 4:21 a.m. ET June 7, 2021

Josef Stalin began to build a Communist empire from the ashes of the second World War and the world-wide economic depression that preceded it. Unfortunately, the US overreacted, beginning 44 long years of a Cold War which benefitted nobody.

This appeared in the June 1, 1949 issue of the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette.(Photo: File photo)

Here, from the June 1, 1949 issue of the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette, is one of the earliest propaganda efforts of that war. The aim was to show the weary people of France, Hungary, Indonesia, and Germany the advantages of capitalism over Communism.

The 2021 semi-post-pandemic recession seems to be further separating our haves and have-nots, and many of us would be delighted to enjoy some of these listed luxuries: too many workers lack effective health care, are afraid to unionize, and cannot afford to own a house.

This appeared in the June 1, 1949 issue of the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette.(Photo: File photo)

But we were and still are on the right side.The real gifts of freedom are not the material ones shown in these photographs. We have spiritual, intellectual, and physical security, were protected by the rule of strictly and uniformly enforced law, and our expectation is that government will remain largely uninterested in what we may think, say, or believe. These are difficult to show in photograph captions, but theyre real and worth defending.

Read or Share this story: https://www.lancastereaglegazette.com/story/news/2021/06/07/remember-when-gifts-freedom/7540895002/

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Remember When: The gifts of freedom - Lancaster Eagle Gazette

I just asked my husband to turn off the TV. Its all the same. Whether it be San Jose or anywhere else in our country, the story is the same: multiple people killed, outraged officials, perfunctory measures considered, nothing ultimately done.

What is the purpose of our elected officials but to serve us, the people? We are electing individuals who abet murderers. Pure and simple. No other developed country in the world has this problem. No other developed country permits its citizens to murder each other relentlessly to appease Second Amendment apologists. We are a disgrace.

President Franklin Roosevelt famously defined the Four Freedoms (freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want and freedom from fear). FDR should have included one more: Freedom to exist.

Barbara ConroyPortland

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Letter to the Editor: Gun violence takes away our freedom - pressherald.com

YoloArts in collaboration with Women in Leadership, Davis (WiLD), will host a Celebration of Freedom and closing reception of the Art. In. Action exhibit on June 19, 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Gibson House grounds in Woodland.

This celebration offers the last chance to view the powerful exhibit honoring African American women heroes, civil rights leaders and victims of police brutality through artwork.

Music by DJ Vallas, refreshments and art activities including Juneteenth sidewalk chalk drawing and collage creations will be offered. The outdoor gathering will also include a short program with WiLD co-founder Dzokerayi Minya; WiLD member, Sarah Zimmerman; and spoken word presentations by WiLD members and mentees.

WiLD is a group supporting women leaders, African American women and other Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). It was founded out of the desire to bring opportunities to BIPOC young women and aims to break the double glass ceiling that exists for brown girls.

The Art. In. Action exhibition artwork can also be viewed online at https://yoloarts.org/online-galleries/#current.

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YoloArts Juneteenth Celebration of Freedom planned to honor African American women heroes - Woodland Daily Democrat

New Jersey Pro-Life Organizations Rally Against Reproductive Freedom Act at Noon on June 9that Trentons War Memorial Building

TRENTON, NJ (June 8) A coalition of New Jersey pro-life organizations, physicians, clergy and activists has scheduled a protest against the pending Reproductive Freedom Act legislation for Wednesday, June 9. The event will run from noon to 2 p.m. at the Trenton War Memorial Building. Organizers are inviting everyone to attend. It will be the first major event of the 2021 race for New Jersey Governor. Phil Murphy has called on the legislature topass the bill before June 30.

Yet ascant 15% of people surveyed want abortion permitted at any time during pregnancy, according to a2021 Marist poll. Only seven countriesin the world, including North Korea, China, and Vietnam, allow abortion after 20 weeks of an unborn babys development. Yet the Reproductive Freedom Act (RFA) asserts a right to abortion without any restriction related to gestation meaning that a baby, ready to be delivered, could instead be aborted at that moment. Fewer than one in five people support spending our tax dollars on abortions, the Marist poll found.

The RFA would block parental notification, allow non-physicians to perform dangerous abortions, and force medical workers to provide abortion services, even if doing so violated their personal religious or conscience objections.

The so-called Reproductive Freedom Act is a feature of Governor Murphys move New Jersey forward reelection campaign. Our state already ranks #2 among 50 states and Washington D.C. for the percentage of pregnancies that dreadfully end in abortion. It seems our Governor will not be satisfied until we shamefully hold the title as the #1 abortion state in America.Shawn Hyland, Executive Director Family Policy Alliance of New Jersey

Evidence is mounting that New Jersey intends to become the Garden State for the harvesting of fetal tissue, saidDr. Kathleen Ruddy, a retired surgeon. In fact, this appears to be the driving force, the motive, and the objective of Governor Murphys abortion bill.

The Reproductive Freedom Act (A-4848 / S-3030) would use public taxpayer funds to pay for abortion services to anyone, coming from any state. It would subsidize human trafficking by paying for the abortions of their slaves and potentially subjecting them to forced sterilization, according toRev. Greg Quinlanof The Center For Garden State Families.

Experts note that the Black community is disproportionately the target of abortions, and that abortion accounts for 61 percent of Black deaths in America. So this is black genocide, saidRev. Clenard Childressof Montclair.

S3030/A4848 is perversely laser-focused on barbarically destroying the lives of infants, both before and after they are born. We ask all New Jerseyans to contact their legislators and demand that they reject this disgraceful, inhumane infanticide bill, saidMarie Tasy, Executive Director of New Jersey Right to Life.

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New Jersey Pro-Life Organizations Rally Against Reproductive Freedom Act at Noon on June 9th at Trenton's War Memorial Building - InsiderNJ

Daniel ODonnell got hurt several times as a high school athlete and became intrigued by how the physical therapists helped him heal.

From that exposure the interest grew and grew,' he said.

He specialized in the field at Florida International University, graduating in 1982. The longtime Clearwater practitioner is currently director of physical therapy at Therapy & Sports Center. His bio states that hes one of 37 physical therapists in Florida who are certified in the McKenzie Method of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy.

ODonnell, 64, talked with the Tampa Bay Times about getting muscles, bones, joints and tendons to function properly.

What is the McKenzie Method?

The McKenzie Method is a method of assessment. Thats basically what it is. What weve had problems with in physical therapy is our methods that we used, that we learned to assess musculoskeletal problems. What we typically learn and get exposed to hasnt had a good effect on outcomes because the assessment process has been relatively unreliable or essentially invalid. So what Robin McKenzie did was, he created an assessment process of repeated movements and positions by which a valid and reliable conclusion can be made by the assessment and therefore an appropriate treatment and a better outcome.

So, traditional methods of diagnosing a patients problems can result in using corrective measures that may be opposite of what should be done?

Thats exactly right. And its been proven that thats what happens.

Are all physical therapists starting to adopt the McKenzie Method?

It is gradually becoming embraced, at least in the milieu that I work in, outpatient physical therapy, only because the outcomes are being proven and their statistics are showing that this is a more accurate and more expedient and cost-effective way.

What are the main problems you see that people have?

All of health care is 20 percent of our basic economy in the United States, and 20 percent of that 20 percent is musculoskeletal disorders, which is joint, muscle, bone and any dysfunction that envelopes those parts of the anatomy. ...

We see everything, from post-surgical rehabilitation to injury that doesnt require surgery at various levels, to some of it is just prevention. Someone has a premonition that theyve got something and not quite sure what they may be dealing with, they go to a physical therapist and that can be assessed and a preventative or even maintenance strategy can be applied.

You work with a lot of people who are recovering from hip and knee replacement surgery. Whats the harder one to recover from?

Knee replacement is the most significant time, discomfort and effort at recovery.

It would seem that hip replacement recovery would be more difficult.

Its not. Its a bigger, deeper joint that doesnt require that much rehab and it is much less uncomfortable, and secondary problems are much less. The new hips where they do the front approach to the new hips, and not every orthopedist does this, but the new approach is really sweet. It has a very low chance of dislocating after surgery. It is very low on the level of pain after surgery. People need much less recovery time and recovery effort.

Why is that?

Its called a total hip arthroplasty, anterior approach. That means instead of going from the back or from the side and having to cut some of the muscles of the hip, that isnt done. More, its moving those structures to the side and being able to put the appliance in without too much soft tissue injury.

Why is recovering from knee replacement harder?

Its difficult because the structure of the joint is such that you get the whole joint, the top of the joint, the bottom of the joint and behind your knee cap, all those things are replaced. And when they are replaced some of the ligaments have to be sacrificed. They have to be removed just like the osteoarthritis is removed from the joint. The appliance is attached to the bone on the top and bottom of the joint and behind the knee cap, and then the process of regaining motion, which is pretty difficult for most people, and then regaining strength so as to have a good functional outcome is time-consuming and can be uncomfortable.

Is jogging bad for your joints?

No, jogging is not bad for you. And we can look at this from a global view and say that, really, no exercise is bad for you if its done well and at a level that the individual is capable of receiving it.

But do joggers and runners have to warm up?

A sprinter needs a significant warm-up. A jogger doesnt need that much warm-up. The first half mile can do as a warm-up. But where people get injured is when they try to do something theyre unfamiliar with or they do something with bad technique, or they increase what they can do well but their increases are too significant for the soft tissue, the connective tissue ... to be able to support it. And then that tissue can break down and become injured

Obviously, the higher the level of the athlete, regardless of the sport, the more the warm-up becomes important.

Are there any exercises that are more risky than others?

Yes. One of the high risks is weight-lifting and especially the faster lifts, which are the Olympic lifts, the clean and jerk. Those typically get a bad rap, and they are extremely effective and safe if done properly. You really need a good coach when youre doing those things. And if thats in place, then theyre completely safe. But if its not, people can hurt themselves.

Its the magnitude of weight and the speed at which they have to move it that requires them to be able to do that, and oftentimes when someone gets interested in that, they come in with not necessarily an injury but an inadequacy in motion, and then that throws the lift off and then they just cant do it properly until they fix the motion problem.

Does slow-moving weight-lifting normally offer more benefit?

Yes, especially in acute injury, especially when youre dealing with tendons. Initially, youre going to move slowly, youre going to try to eliminate momentum, and then the holding it at the apex of the maneuver for several seconds, that gives the soft tissue the stimulus it needs to get stronger.

Do you see a change in mood in people over the time they are in physical therapy?

One of the absolute best things about being involved in physical therapy is you get to see that evolution in mood from the initial day of fear, concern, some anxiety, and then it gets better and better and better until the day of discharge, when people feel very comfortable and are quite happy to have overcome their problem.

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Clearwater physical therapist helps patients regain motion and freedom - Tampa Bay Times

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--An Ontario Superior Court judge ruled today that the Ford Conservatives expansion of the Election Finances Act to limit political advertising by unions, advocacy organizations, and concerned citizens is unconstitutional. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario welcomed the ruling, calling it an important victory for freedom of expression and association that bolsters the democratic process in Ontario.

The only way we can truly come out of the pandemic stronger and better as a province is by being able to hear from the very people and organizations that have been on the ground getting us through COVID-19, said Fred Hahn, President of CUPE Ontario. This decision ensures that those of us who arent political parties - like unions, community organizations, and provincial issue-based coalitions - and who cant assume that our announcements or press events will be aired on multiple television stations, can still get our message out. It means Ontarians will continue to be able to access a range of opinions on issues that matter to us all and make truly informed decisions ahead of elections.

Bill 254 would have meant that third parties, like CUPE Ontario, would see limits to political advertising, which includes issue-based campaign ads that are considered to be closely identified with a political party or a candidate. The Bill doubled the period of restricted advertising and, according to CUPE Ontario, could potentially make collaboration on issues up to challenge one out of every four years.

The union, representing 280,000 public sector workers, raised their concerns about the Bill before todays decision.

This is wrong. It is undemocratic. It is unconstitutional, Hahn warned the government during committee hearings in March. The effect of all this will be to create a chill on legitimate and constitutionally protected speech and advocacy.

The Ford Conservatives claim that theyre just really concerned about big money in elections is just patently false, said Hahn today. The real effect of such a measure would have been to keep us from raising critical issues. It would have been an obstacle to talking about the countless ways in which the Tories have failed us all over the last year, to reminding our communities of the cuts the Conservatives started before the pandemic, and to describing what we need to do to keep Ontarians safe and to collectively make Ontario the best possible province it could be in the future.

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A Victory for Freedom of Expression and Association: CUPE Ontario Applauds Judge's Decision That Ford's Election Advertising Bill Is Unconstitutional...

The Longboat Key Town Commission approved plans to resume the annual Freedom Festival celebration and parade.

Commissioners voted 7-0 on Monday afternoon to waive the Longboat Key Chamber of Commerces $100 permit fee. Atemporary road closure is also plannedfor Bay Isles Road on Sunday, July 4.

Im very excited that we can now move forward and start to plan for the parade and for all the other things for the kids, Chamber of Commerce President Gail Loefgren said.

Last year, the towns Independence Day festivities got canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

This years parade is set to close Bay Isles Road from 9 a.m. to 9:15 a.m. Sunday, July 4. Festivities at Bicentennial Park right next to Town Hall would host festivities from 7 a.m. to noon.

During Mondays Town Commission meeting, At-Large Commissioner BJ Bishop asked Mayor Ken Schneier to remove the measure from the consent agenda so commissioners could discuss the logistics of the parade.

I wish that our assistant police person were here to talk about what specific things were going to do to ensure that the traffic in and out of All Angels Episcopal Church is not compromised because they meet at both 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Sundays, Bishop said. Obviously, the parade route runs in conflict with people being able to get to church.

Interim Police Chief George Turner and Deputy Police Chief Frank Rubino were not in attendance during Mondays Town Commission meeting.

Loefgren said she has had conversations with Rubino about this years parade plans.

Public Works Director Isaac Brownman, whose department is the one that reviews permits for public forums, said the town is working with the Chamber of Commerce and the Longboat Key Police Department.

With the parade being 15 minutes, theres a couple of options there, Brownman said.

Fourth of July has been on a Sunday in the past. The year 2010 marked the last time Independence Day fell on a Sunday.

A lot of information will be forthcoming, especially about the parade, Loefgren said. I would like to have people know that the parade this year will be honoring our local heroes through the COVID crisis.

Longboat Key Fire Chief Paul Dezzi is due to serve as one of the grand marshals of Freedom Fest.

Loefgren said she planned to select two other grand marshals: One who works in healthcare and someone from the Publix store at the Shoppes of Bay Isles.

This is a big deal even though its a small hometown parade, but I would like to honor our people, Loefgren said. Ive got to make sure [the] Rotary [Club] will do the Hot Diggity Dog Contest now that weve been approved. The kids and the dogs are the whole reason to do it.

Loefgren said Cannons Marina owner David Miller is again planning to offer$500 to the best float in the parade.

Id like the whole parade to be really bigger than ever this year, Loefgren said. The same amount of time 15 minutes, but more floats.

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Freedom Fest celebration and parade is on in Longboat Key - YourObserver.com

Bobbie Shirley has been an employee at the Freedom Hall Civic Center almost as long as the venue has been open.

Initially starting as a clerk at the swimming pool in July 1975, Shirley worked at the center for more than 45 years before retiring this year as the venues director, a position she stepped into last year after former director Lisa Chamness retired. Before that, she filled multiple roles at Freedom Hall, which first opened its doors in 1974.

The Johnson City Commission issued a proclamation in her honor at a meeting in May.

Freedom Hall will not be the same without you, Commissioner Jenny Brock told Shirley at the time. Ive always known ... that if you wanted any information about Freedom Hall, or the history of Freedom Hall, you were the person who has it all.

When she first took a job at the center, Shirley had just graduated from high school and was looking for extra money. Before that, Shirley had volunteered at Freedom Hall as an usher for the first event at the civic center, a performance by comedian Bob Hope, in 1974.

Since officially joining the payroll, Shirley has worked in the venues ticket booth, at the concessions stand, as the administrative secretary and as the box office manager.

Shes also witnessed, and helped organize, hundreds of performances at the venue, a list that includes rock icons like Aerosmith, country music legends like John Prine and adrenaline-soaked spectacles like WWE wrestling. For Shirley, Jimmy Buffett, Tom Jones and Kenny Rogers were particular standouts. Depending on the act, she explained, planning events at the center can take anywhere from six to eight months or even a year.

But the best part about working at Freedom Hall isnt necessarily all the stars, Shirley said.

Its everybody that you work with, she noted.

The time shes invested at the center has allowed Shirley to develop strong bonds with co-workers, promoters and performers. Shes even watched some performers grow up.

You see people over and over again, Shirley said. You develop good friendships.

Shirley has also gathered a mountain of memorabilia over the years, a collection that includes mugs, tickets, photos, backstage passes, drumsticks, guitar picks and shot glasses. She usually tries to buy an item from every show at Freedom Hall and is more inclined to get something if she likes the artist.

Im trying to get smaller things now, she quipped.

Over the years, Freedom Hall has also encountered more competition. When it first opened, Shirley estimated, the civic center was one of dozens of buildings that size. Now, its one of hundreds.

We are not a tier-one market anymore, she said. Now, shows they do bigger cities. An artist can get a song on the radio and become an overnight sensation and then they pick and choose where they go to.

The center is, however, still plenty capable of drawing large acts.

Freedom Hall is a great place to see events, Shirley said. The acoustics are wonderful in here, and theres not a bad seat in the house.

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Freedom Hall veteran Bobbie Shirley retires after more than 45 years - Johnson City Press (subscription)