The Army Soldier Show returns to Fort Campbell’s Wilson Theater Saturday for two performances. Showcasing the musical talents of 22 Soldiers from locations across the globe, the 2013 Army Soldier Show celebrates 30 years of entertaining troops with their “Ready and Resilient” tour which pays tribute to many of the Nation’s milestones.
The 75-minute musical production by Active Duty, Army Reserve and Army National Guard Soldiers put an entertaining spin on how Soldiers and their Families maintain readiness and resiliency.“This year, the Soldier Show pays tributes to the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation; the 75th anniversary of “God Bless America;” the 60th anniversary of the Armistice of the Korean War; and the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Vietnam War,” said Jessica Ryan, MWR marketing.
“Ready and Resilient” is a high-energy live musical production that showcases the talents of active-duty Soldiers selected by audition from throughout the Army.The show is assembled and rehearsed five weeks for a four-month tour of more than 40 installations worldwide, said Sgt. 1st Class Robert Isom, Army Entertainment.
“During these trying times of rtls, along with the Army’s current status of deployments, Wounded Warriors, and loss; this message is not only important, but timely,” said Isom. “We as a Nation will bounce back as we have always done in the face of trying times, and we are here to do our part. It is not only a show, but a life changing message to give all those who will hear, hope for today and tomorrow, to continue on forward no matter what challenges life hands us.”
“Every American, military-affiliated or not, will be able to see themselves in the show,” said Army Soldier Show Artistic Director Victor Hurtado in a U.S. Army Installation Management Command news release. “The fact that the show is entertaining someone is already taking them away [from their mindset], but the messaging is going to inspire. We know they are coming to be entertained, but further, the content in the show is designed to hopefully be a time-released pool of inspiration.”
“The show is very much about illustrating not only ways to get away and be resilient, but also illustrating overarching solutions to certain issues that are facing the military today, like [the Army’s Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention Program], Gold Star, Blue Star and Survivor Outreach Services,” Hurtado said.
“Panhandling within the area creates a situation of unease and effects the quality of life and vacation experience for those here,” city attorney Tom Ellenburg told city councilmen in June.
Carotti said, however, it may go a little deeper than that and pointed to a U.S. Court of Appeals case where five “panhandlers” sued the city of Charlottesville, Va., claiming the city’s panhandling laws violated their rights to free speech and right to assemble.
“The presence of homeless people begging in public places makes some people feel uncomfortable. But the First Amendment does not allow the government to ban speech simply to prevent discomfort,” Rebecca Glenberg, ACLU of Virginia legal director, told its website publication in February when the ruling was filed. “Localities may not ban people from asking for money simply by invoking the magic words ’public safety.”
She said Thursday that the ordinance, which was ruled lawful in U.S. District Court but overturned in the Court of Appeals, was painted as a panhandling ordinance, but really deals with aggressive panhandling more so than restricting a person’s right to assemble and free speech.“What our ordinance is, is more about harassment... and violence,” Dickler said. “So it’s not panhandling, per se. That’s certainly how it got painted.”
Dickler said their case centered around the Downtown Mall where people were persistent in asking for money or donations. She said the city certainly stands by the rights of individuals to assemble and the freedom of speech, like to ask another person for money, but what it doesn’t stand for is when that question becomes harassment. In other words, to ask for a dollar is fine, but to get denied in that request and then ask for 50 cents and then a quarter is pushing it beyond someone’s hands free access.
The city of Charlottesville then went as far as creating a Downtown Ambassador Program, which, as Dickler puts it, “raises visibility of official presence.” These part-time city employees – funded partially by tourism funds and with some law enforcement funding – act as Polo-shirt wearing tour guides, but can also be the middle men between someone who feels they are being harassed and the police.
“If the county is going to entertain passing such legislation, we’re going to have to have evidence and make public record of the problem,” Carotti said. “ ... Things such as it interferes significantly with normal traffic flow... that it creates a heightened sense of insecurity or alarm. That it creates public safety or a nuisance type concerns for the county.
“And even if we establish that, our ordinance is going to have to be narrowly tailored with the least restrictive means of governing this type of activity. We are not going to be able to simply say, ‘We think this might be a problem for the county because the city is prohibiting this activity. We think that that’s going to mean that this activity is going to migrate into the unincorporated areas of the county.’ That’s not going to be sufficient,” he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment