Bob Joyce

And so news finally reaches Joe Fitzgerald of the battle between the West Roxbury Loons of Decency and the Boston Phoenix, five months after the whole thing was all over the blogs and West Roxbury papers. Of course, the Herald's short on space these days, which forces Fitzgerald to economize on words and omit the names of the woman the column is about and the paper she's complaining about.

I wonder if one of the younger members of the Herald staff could show Joe how to use this InterWebs thing, because it's really useful for checking stuff like election results, which would let him avoid the embarrassment of saying self-appointed Defender of Public Morality Bob Joyce gave state Sen. Marian Walsh "a real scare" in 2004, when, in fact, she beat him 2-1.

Via Dan Kennedy, who apparently still reads Fitzgerald so we don't have to.

Bonus: One of the woman's complaints was that she had to shield her son's eyes from a giant Abercrombie & Fitch poster at Faneuil Hall showing "a barechested young man with hardly any pants on." Guess that means she won't be letting him look at Fitzgerald's column online:

West Roxbury's mullahs of morality showed up on the VFW Parkway today to protest alleged sexual exploitation of women in the Boston Phoenix, which they apparently think is distributed only at Gary's Liquors. Fortunately, a phalanx of eight Boston police officers - including two in a prisoner transport van - kept the ten middle-aged and elderly people from running amok through the mini-mall (by 4 p.m., the police presence had dwindled to just two officers).

The protesters, deeply and suddenly concerned about the treatment of young women in the Phoenix (as opposed to the Verizon Yellow Pages, Craigslist, Comcast On Demand, the Boston Public Library or the Amazing adult book store in Dedham), tried convincing passersby to pass by Gary's, which was the only store to tell organizer Bob Joyce to pound sand when he "requested" they stop distributing the paper. Read more

Looks like self-appointed Protector of Public Virtue Bob Joyce and a few of his friends will actually be picketing Gary's Liquors on the VFW Parkway tomorrow to protest Gary's refusal to stop offering copies of the Phoenix.

They're scheduled to be there between 1 and 5:30 - should you find yourself in sudden need of some beer or wine and a chuckle or two. I spoke briefly to Gary today; he says Bob has been great for business, because some people have gone out of their way to start patronizing his store. Directions.

And this despite the fact the Phoenix is back in boxes along Centre Street again.

Earlier:
The hypocrisy of West Roxbury's morals squad.

There are several odd things about Roslindale resident Robert Joyce's campaign to rid West Roxbury of the Boston Phoenix. Read more

The West Roxbury Bulletin reports on a group of West Roxbury residents trying to get the Phoenix banned from the neighborhood because of its adult ad section.

Support Community Decency, Inc. claims it's already gotten several stores - and the Centre Street post office - to stop allowing distribution of the free paper. But Gary's Liquors on the VFW Parkway is refusing, so they're trying to organize protests outside the store at their Saturday meetings at the West Roxbury library. It's organized by Bob Joyce, who ran an unsuccessful 2004 campaign to unseat state Sen. Marian Walsh after she came out in favor of same-sex marriage.

Joyce tells the Bulletin:

"This is not a freedom of speech issue, since we are not deciding whether or not this material is obscene. We are saying that it is indecent, sexually exploitive, and has potential to cause significant harm, physical and emotional, to West Roxbury families. We have a right to oppose the distribution of the Boston Phoenix in a lawful, peaceful way."

The West Roxbury Transcript quotes a Phoenix editor that this is a freedom-of-speech issue because Joyce is a right winger upset with the Phoenix's political stands - and quotes the owner of Gary's Liquors as saying Joyce came into his store and started threatening him.

Neither the Bulletin nor the Transcript asked Joyce why he's more concerned about the moral turpitude of West Roxbury than Roslindale, where he lives.