I have trouble with titles. I remember a fictional newspaper writer who got into trouble by titling an article "Doctor Saves life in Accident". That's me. I had trouble writing the title of this diary. There isn't a casual lurker of this blog who doesn't know by now that Dr. George Tiller was assassinated by a Christian anti-choice gunman on Sunday. And now, this.
Actually, I suppose I should reverse the order of the items in the title, since Dr. George Tiller was murdered on Sunday and the Grand View Topless Coffee Shop was destroyed by arson early Wednesday morning. Presenting things chronologically is, I believe, the Chicago style of title-writing.
But I'm not changing the title. First, a little background information on the coffee shop.
Vassalboro, Maine's newest coffee shop is garnering national attention for something other than its $3 a cup coffee. At the Grand View Topless Coffee Shop, the waitresses are, well, topless.
And well staffed,
You'll have to scroll to the bottom for the most stunning detail. The Kennebec Journal reports that the shop's owner Donald Crabtree said that he interviewed 150 people for the positions, "and narrowed the field to 10."
Further evidence that this is a rough job market.
They had customers,
"I really hope it works," Dick Brochu said of the business. "It's different. I kind of like it. If you don't like it, I say don't come in, stay away."
Implying that criticism of the coffee shop has been overblown, Rene Brochu said, "The evil is in your head."
And, of course, because they were sex loving immoral, sin-loving, G-d hating unbelievers-in-the book, they had arson.
It was called the Grand View Topless Coffee Shop, but not everyone liked the business image of topless waitresses -- or "bare-istas"as some observers called them. The shop made national news when it opened a few months ago.
"We know from the very onset that this was a controversial business based on the amount of press it got and the reaction it got," says Department of Public Safety Spokesman Steve McCausland. "I am not aware of any threats that were leveled against the business and/or anyone associated with the building. But obviously now that we're dealing with an arson case, we'll certainly look into that."
The reason I'm not changing the title of this diary, is that it is my hope that the arsonist who decided that Richard Crabtree, the owner/operator of the Grand View, didn't intend to murder him just put him out of business, and his staff out of work. Better he and his people should starve than propagate "immorality. I have no reason to believe this is true. Maybe the murder of Mr. Crabtree was the goal. Mr. Crabtree was sleeping in the associated motel, along with four other adults and two children when the arson occurred. It may be that Richard Crabtree was an intended target, as was Dr. Richard Tiller, and that any other adults/children/firefighters would be acceptable "collateral damage" in the war to keep America "moral". Although there is already considerable "collateral damage";
A waitress at the shop, Krista MacIntyre, said the job was the best she's ever had. She hopes the fire doesn't put the shop out of business.
"We should keep on going, get back up and make it an even bigger place," she said.
I am giving the "moral crusader", the benefit of the doubt. I hope that s/he can see a difference in felony arson and murder. I'm writing the "headline", not chronologically, but in the hope that our "moral crusader" sees a distinction between property damage and human life.
I have little hope that I am correct. Richard Crabtree is simply, an American entrepreneur, a guy starting a small business, an employer, the kind of person we need during the Second Republican Depression. His only, potentially fatal, mistake was in offending someone's belief in what their "invisible-friend-in-the-sky" orders America to be. Disagreeing with what some "moral" believer in some good book or other can result in death. Richard Crabtree should now take the same precautions as, and be provided with the same precautions as Dr George Tiller.
Richard Flick estimated that 97 percent of Vassalboro’s 4,200 residents opposed the topless cafe. He hopes Crabtree doesn’t rebuild.
Sherry Perry, also of Vassalboro, said: "I’m a believer and I’m a Christian and I don’t want this trash in my backyard. No good can come from it."
Take care, Mr. Crabtree. If you continue to fight for your right to serve coffee and glazed donuts to the glazed looking, but appreciative customers who support you, your life will remain in danger. Better to lead a quiet, if less prosperous life. Perhaps your town is looking for a tailor to make chadors.