The Politics of Yellow Ribbons - MERGED

[super26]

Don't tack a yellow ribbon to the hydro pole: utility
Last Updated: Monday, February 12, 2007 | 7:26 AM NT
CBC News
A woman on Newfoundland's west coast says Newfoundland Power is preventing her from showing her support for Canadian troops in Afghanistan.

Anita Wheeler had wanted to staple small, yellow ribbons to power poles along the main road in her community of Meadows.

She said she cannot understand why Newfoundland Power has told her to not place the yellow ribbons — a universal symbol of support for troops — on power poles.

"You go around, you can see things on poles — yard sale posters, birthday posters. So it's just a little bow. It's not a big thing," said Wheeler, whose husband is with the Armed Forces and was recently sent to Afghanistan.

"It means everything. It's just to know that the support is there and that we think of all of them."

Newfoundland Power says it forbids posting anything to its poles.

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The utility says even one staple can cut a worker's protective clothing, putting them at risk of electrical shock.

Wheeler said she will now go door to door through Meadows and ask residents if she can put the ribbons on their property.


Edited to correct typo in topic title: Vern

 

[career_radio-checker]

I can actually see this as a legitimate excuse. I've seen how bad some telephone poles can get with those nasty staples, the poles actually look silver. Now if I was utility worker I would have no problem saying "look, I support the troops, but I will not risk having 15 000v go looking for the ground through my scrawny body, just because you want to staple that ribbon to this pole." What's more, is that once those ribbons are up, chances are they would stay up and be exposed to the elements. Because they are not on anyone's property they would soon become an eyesore as they tatter and fade in the wind, becoming more of an insult than a sign of support. We can't presume that just because we "support the troops" we have a right to place our support wherever we please.

 

[Jaydub]

What about tying an actual yellow ribbon around the pole?

 

[Quag]

Would never stay

 

[COBRA-6]

Ribbon stencil and yellow spray-paint then...

 

[career_radio-checker]

Apparently my last sentence has no resonance.

 

[COBRA-6]

Apparently my last sentence has no resonance.

I agree with your last sentence, but that is not the point at hand. The article stated it was a safety issue with the staples, now if the hydro company had said they don't allow their poles to be used in campaigning for causes that would be different.

 

[TN2IC]

It is funny, at my in laws (out laws) town Fall River, Nova Scotia, they have the yellow ribbins all over the poles. I believe no one said anything about that!

 

[gaspasser]

It is funny, at my in laws (out laws) town Fall River, Nova Scotia, they have the yellow ribbins all over the poles. I believe no one said anything about that!

Those ribbons aren't there for the troops, they're there so you can make out where the bloody road is.
If you aren't watching, the road  moves.

LOL    ;D

PS. Nice to see the the backroads people aren't so back woods.
BYTD

 

[armyvern]

TN2IC, Fall River NS would be the operative words in your post. I don't belief that NS Power/Hydro or whatever it's called there makes decisions for NLFD/Labrador Power. They are each governed by their own sets of policies & rules.

In NB, Oromocto/Gagetown specifically, yellow ribbons are tied around the telephone and lamp poles. Yellow garbage bags, torn into strips and tied on. They've been there for quite awhile and obviously would not compromise the lineman's safety as they have no staples in them to speak of.

Perhaps, they should give this method of ribboning a try on the rock.

Vern

 

[TN2IC]

TN2IC, Fall River NS would be the operative words in your post. I don't belief that NS Power/Hydro or whatever it's called there makes decisions for NLFD/Labrador Power. They are each governed by their own sets of policies & rules.

True, I was just stating in case someone wanted to relate this case to figth with.

 

[wildman0101]

re posters on poles
this is for the hydro guys
you dont want to climb up/down whe a pole is full of staples ,,,nails,,tacks ect
post elsewhere thats appropriate.. windows ... lamp standards,,(sreet lights),malls oe; info boards
as they arnt so much unsupportave of the troops as in thier job safety factor,,
ill shaddup now ,,
                                          best regards,,,
                                                    scoty brandt

 

[Quag]

re posters on poles
this is for the hydro guys
you dont want to climb up/down whe a pole is full of staples ,,,nails,,tacks ect
post elsewhere thats appropriate.. windows ... lamp standards,,(sreet lights),malls oe; info boards
as they arnt so much unsupportave of the troops as in thier job safety factor,,
ill shaddup now ,,
                                           best regards,,,
                                                     scoty brandt

OK....I think I understand what you said....No wait....Huh?

 

[armyvern]

True, I was just stating in case someone wanted to relate this case to figth with.

Fight what with?

This is simply media spin coming from the opposite angle this time.

Hydro didn't tell her that the Yellow Support Ribbons weren't allowed (though that does make for a more emotional headline that's for sure!!). They told her it was because of the staples, they explained this to her.

Problem: Staples not allowed. Also explained that they consider them a safety hazards to the Linemen in NFLD/Labrador.

Solution: Use yellow plastic tableclothes/garbage bags (avail at the buck store) and tie them on.

No more safety hazard. Silly as we may think that rule is, it is their rule!!

But the headline was great wasn't it?

 

[TN2IC]

But the headline was great wasn't it?

Indeed girl... 

 

[proudnurse]

In response to the article, when people post yard sale advertisments, etc they don't ask for permission they just go ahead and to it anyways. I'm sure that the hydro company would tell those people, just as this lady was advised that those would not be allowed either.

I don't think that the company is necessarily telling her that by not allowing the ribbons to be stapled on, that they don't support the troops. It is safety reasons for the linemen. Poles get hit in car accidents, etc and those guys need every safe measure possible to do thier job. Nothing like Hazards with stuff like papers and staples from "yard sale posters" getting in the way of thier job as it is.

Rebecca

 

[jbeach95]

The following letter to the editor appeared in the London Free Press:

Ribbons on police cars send a poor message

It's recently come to my attention a number of London police service vehicles are sporting yellow magnetic Support Our Troops ribbons.

I have no objection to civilian vehicles displaying political messages. However, I do object to a blatant violation of the Police Services Act.

The act states that LPS is "committed to conduct all investigations with fairness and impartiality." The ribbon found on many police vehicles indicates LPS has aligned with one specific side of an extremely hotly contested political debate.

Complete impartiality in any situation is admittedly difficult to achieve. However, for LPS to so obviously commit itself to this particular political cause baffles me. Impartiality refers not only to race, colour, sex, age, or sexual orientation, to name a few. Impartiality involves a conscious, active and self-evaluative effort to weigh all opinions equally.

It involves the ability to make judgments free from bias and discrimination -- which includes political views.

Fairness and impartiality cannot be achieved by officers wearing either their own or their employer's political affiliations on their sleeves. Not only is it now impossible to attain impartiality, but it appears the LPS is not even trying.

[name deleted]

A-Channel news ran a story about it at 6:00, then another updated story at 11:00. The second can be summed up in this article from their website, http://www.achannel.ca/london/news_43550.aspx

Yellow Ribbon Controversy
Police Involvement Draws Criticism

Police are investigating after the person who complained about the yellow ribbon campaign on their cruisers was threatened.

Yellow "Support Our Troops" ribbons have become a common sight on cars as Canadian Forces fight and die in Afghanistan.

But at least one University of Western Ontario Political Science student thinks that the back of a London police cruiser is no place for such a message.

The student wrote a letter to London Police Chief Murray Faulkner outlining her concerns about the ribbons.  She says it's not the message that bothers her it's the fact that it's the police who are expressing it.

Police Chief Murray Faulkner says there have been no officer complaints about the ribbons and he expects there won't be given the close ties between the police and the military.  Faulkner insists that it is not a political opinion but support for the troops and their families.

After our original story aired on A-Channel news at six, the student identified in the story received a phone call in which the unknown caller threatened to burn down her house.

Police are now investigating that threat.

A-Channel withheld her name in the later segment, and so have I.

What's wrong with the police showing their support for Canadian troops? I agree that it is NOT a political statement, just one of support for the individuals, especially since there are many London police officers who are in the reserves.
It makes me even more mad that I actually know her, having been in the same class this past school year. :rage:
Of course, I do not condone threats of any kind, and think that it was a poor reaction to the situation.

 

[HollywoodHitman]

She got her 15 minutes of fame. Maybe if we ignore it, it will go away. Good on the cops for supporting our men and women overseas.

 

[proudnurse]

She got her 15 minutes of fame. Maybe if we ignore it, it will go away. Good on the cops for supporting our men and women overseas.

+1 Hollywood Hitman

~Rebecca

 

[MikeM]

Fuck her.

The cars here have yellow ribbon with the regional insignia in the centre of the loop, looks great, very professional. The police are a para-military organization, I see no reason why they shouldn't be showing their support, maybe I'm biased.. but she's out for her 15 minutes and got it.