Ithaca: City of Evil? (Free Republic and several freepers mentioned prominently)

©Ithaca Times 2005 ^ | 08/31/2005 | By: Mike Levy

[Behind Liberal Lines]

Ithaca is the City of Evil.

At least, that's what I read on a recent cruise around the Internet. I forget what I was looking for in the first place, but what I found was a Free Republic forum about the debut of Rush Limbaugh's radio show in Ithaca.

While I had reacted to Limbaugh's appearance with a shrug, conservatives on the message board considered it a victory. A discussion of Ithaca and all of its supposed horrifying qualities ensued, including the following exchange: Ultra Sonic 007: Um, I might be ignorant here ... but what's the big deal with Ithaca? Skooz: Ithaca is the City of Evil, silly. Trimegistus: It's a lovely town, which would be much nicer if the Air Force actually did spray it with deadly germs.

The "City of Evil" moniker isn't a new one. I've seen it before, and I've noticed it on the occasional bumper sticker. Still, it always makes me scratch my head. I'm one person who bleeds Ithaca green. I fell in love with this town for all its culture and polite populace. I attend every moment of Ithaca Festival that I can, I proudly wear my two "Ithaca is Gorges" T-shirts (though not at the same time), and I gladly pay a few bucks a month so my computer can act as the music scene's ambassador to the world, streaming dozens and dozens of local bands to anyone who might give a click. Most of what I love about Ithaca is non-political, in my mind at least. I decided to break it down as a healthy review.

* Ithaca is creative. Where else can you find a small-town parade with stilt walkers, cars adorned with tutus, zydeco bands on flatbed trucks, and marching musical chainsaws? What about all the theater companies, big and small? And don't even get me started about the homegrown music. Seriously, how many towns this size have sent so many of its local bands to perform overseas?

* Ithaca is healthy. How many parks and hiking trails are there within a 15-mile radius? Who can tell? I can go out to a great restaurant and eat local, organic vegetables. It's so easy to be vegetarian or even vegan here, as many restaurants have menus clearly labeled to help out those with such diets. More liberals, per capita, probably eat vegetarian than conservatives. But I don't see why eating healthy should have a political bent to it. For me, it's a joy to be able to go to social gatherings and feel comfortable that my kids will be offered something nutritious. This is not the case when I leave town.

* Ithaca is friendly. I can't count on one hand how many times an opposing driver has honked at me. People are pretty polite and few are in such a hurry that they have to run you down. There are scores of people I know only because our paths often cross, and we've figured while we keep seeing each other, we might as well start a conversation. That does not happen everywhere.

* Ithaca is kid-friendly. Where do I begin? The Sciencenter, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the Museum of the Earth offer endless opportunity for learning. Other institutions like Cornell Cooperative Extension have regular programming for children. Our downtown library has books a-plenty and a cozy space that kids love. The surrounding scenery alone provides abundant opportunities for life lessons, exercise and fresh air.

* This brings me to my last item: Ithaca is beautiful.

After all these years, I still get a fuzzy feeling when I return from a road trip. I usually let out an enormous sigh once we make it over the last hill and start to come into the valley. There's no need to go far when I hit the doldrums; I can escape in less than 10 minutes by stepping onto one of the dozens of hiking trails.

What I love most about this town is non-political.

I'm sorry if conservatives do not like that there's a place in the world where liberals are out in the open and comfortable. You can't win them all. Or can you?

Anyway, last time I checked, liberal was not a four-letter word.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

Ithaca is creative

One example of their particular creativity being spending $500,000 to install solar panels on the new library (in cold, dark, upstate NY).

Ithaca is healthy.

With a "healthy" embrace of sodomy.

Ithaca is friendly.

Except to conservatives.

Ithaca is kid-friendly. Where do I begin?

How about with the fact that the local newspaper reported, “In most places, youngsters spend their summers camping, or at the mountains or the beach. In Ithaca, they learn how to become social activists.”

The School District has mandated that elementary school students in the first and second grades be graded on how well they "respect others of varying cultures, genders, experiences, and abilities." It's even listed on the schools' report card. Despite this alleged tolerance, a student who was found reading the bible on her lunch hour was chatised for doing so. Another was directed not to bring a book about Christmas to school.

There's even a taxpayer funded "alternative" (ie, hippie) school that let's students graduate in majors like basket weaving and political activism, and invited convicted cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal to be its graduation speaker .

Basically, in Ithaca "friendly" means "willing to indoctrinate."

This brings me to my last item: Ithaca is beautiful.

Yeah, the scenery can be pretty, but the people are damned ugly:

Anyway, last time I checked, liberal was not a four-letter word.

No, but "evil" is. And Ithaca is the City of Evil.

[denydenydeny]

But still, it's nice to see that you're being noticed.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

City of Evil bump:

And a special "shout out" to Freepers Skooz, Ultra Sonic 007 and Trimegistus for making the news here.

;-)

[Behind Liberal Lines]

But still, it's nice to see that you're being noticed.

I dunno. In Ithaca, FR is like "fight club." The first rule of FR is that you do not talk about FR.

;-)

[DesScorp]

Anyway, last time I checked, liberal was not a four-letter word.

Yes it is. In a thesaurus, liberal should be the equivilant of sh!t...

[GSlob]

Well, it is just a den of iniquity, and not even that big a den at that. There are bigger dens around, like San Francisco.

[DoughtyOne]

Anyway, last time I checked, liberal was not a four-letter word.

True, and niether is FU. Isn't it a pity that others beside Ithica's home grown have opinions?

Hyperbole is the background shrubry that exists on the internet. It's always there just out of sight, or sitting behind the nice stuff in the foreground. That being said, it's interesting that people like this only care to mention the bad things that are said, and not the good.

When folks come here to say uncomplimentary things, someone else usually chimes in and says some good things. The person who says the unflattering things is frequently taken to task for it by some local. Perhaps that's what this person is doing.

I do think there are more productive ways to confront incorrect opinions. Writing a reasoned note to those who said unflattering things would be a productive way. Of course, if you have no backbone, you'll probably prefer to write articles in other media platforms, not willing to actually defend what seems to mean a lot to you.

Come on back Mike. Perhaps there is something to admire about your town other than a forum where folks are attacked in public behind their back.

[ken5050]

Ithaca is friendly?..go ahead..park your brand new Ford Expedition with the "Bush2004" and "Isuuport the troops" bumper stickers in town, and see how many times it gets keyed..

[mc5cents]

It ain't for nothin' that Cornell U. is called Big Red. And it has nothing to due with the color of the team's uniforms.

[lysie]

Each item listed made me hurl except for...

* This brings me to my last item: Ithaca is beautiful.

And that's not totally correct.

The countryside of Ithaca is beautiful.

Ithaca itself is the City of Evil.

[RedBeaconNY]

For all of its extreme wacky liberal culture, I like Ithaca. I don't share any of its ideology... so I imagine it's just because I grew up there. The Ithacans are not all there in the head (see the solar panels, modern 'art' (esp the space shuttle things on the bridge by the ice cream store gone jewelry store), the lack of modesty, poor hygeine, sodomy, liberal politics) but they've got a great little piece of the country by means of the scenery AND the best food around for any palate. And protesters are just so... funny. ;)

BTW- is that place still in a major drought, or did you get some rain off of Katrina?

[Chode]

damn... i feel like i've been slighted by the Peoples DemocRATic Republic of Ithaca EVIL!!!

[billnaz]

Just curious. Is there a shooting range in or near Ithaca? Since liberals hate guns, I'm betting gun owners who live anywhere near Ithaca have to drive some distance to shoot.

[lysie]

One of my family's experiences in Ithaca was a stop at Purity Ice Cream.

Yippee!! It was a hot summer day and my husband, young daughter and I thought what a treat that would be!!

Hubby and I ordered 2 blueberry ice cream cones and our young daughter wanted chocolate.

What we got was ice cream with little round blue gelatin balls that were supposed to be blueberries and carab that was to be chocolate.

I can't ever remember throwing an ice cream cone away..at least not after the first bite.

Ew!!! That stuff was terrible.

However, Cayuga Lake is wonderful!!

[cardinal4]

Anyway, last time I checked, liberal was not a four-letter word.

Must have been a long time since he checked..

[Always Right]

What I love most about this town is non-political.

Only because conservatism has been outlawed and is considered hate speech.

[lysie]

Yes.

[pierrem15]

A lot of the town itself (as you would expect in a socialist paradise) is a dump.

Oh give me a home, where the barking moonbats do roam,
Where the hippies and the dopers do play,
Where seldom is heard, a conservative word,
And the Internationale is sung all day!

Ithaca Senior High class of '78. And no, I won't post any graduation photos :-)

[sionnsar]

[lysie]

Ah come on. Pretty please.

My hubby and my brother worked on a job several months (Octupus or something like that) in Ithaca. After work the went to a bar/restaruant for chicken wings and a couple of beers.

I rolflol each time they tell me that they were "hit" on by "guys".