As neighborhood fireworks go off after tonight’s flash boom storm, which prompted the Walkway Over The Hudson to tell everyone to shelter in place, for a storm that made it to Mahopac (but their fireworks resumed after the storm passed), the reaction to the armed trolling of the Clearwater by the US Coast Guard NYPD, and the NAVY has inspired ALBB readers at Instagram to declare an “end of an era” to these 250 years of declared protections of Free Speech. The Comments on that Facebook/Instagram post have reached 701 as of this publishing.

Might we need a Declaration of Independence 2.0?

The sign that was on the Clearwater - it was to protect the Clean Water Act. Which this administration is trying to weaken. Why do you think people in our community don’t know water safety? Because we have to stay out of our waterways because of pollution messing it up. Otherwise, this town, this region, would be much more locked in to its coastal vibe.

Beacon’s legendary Pete Seeger, who founded Hudson Valley Sloop Clearwater, was strengthening the Clean Water Act. In 1955, Pete had to appear before the House Un-American Activities Committee to testify on if he was a Communist or not. Pete’s fellow activist musician and actor, Burl Ives, had named Pete as Communist after Burl was outed in a 1950 Red Channels pamphlet and was blacklisted from employment. After Burl outed Pete, the blacklist ended for Burl.

As Hudson River Sloop Clearwater said today in their Instagram post of the incident: “Nearly six decades later, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater remains resolute in this mission, and to date, more than half a million people have had the life-changing experience of sailing aboard the Clearwater.”

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