ahumbleman's Blog

If you live in a town in New England, there is a pretty decent chance that sometime in the next few weeks or so your town is going to have its annual Town Meeting, a unique New England system of government where all legislative decisions are made by the registered voters in that particular town. It is democracy in its most basic form, where each individual citizen has a say in the budget of their government, the level of taxation, the priorities that the town should take, you (the citizen) are responsible for all the major legislative decisions in town, not some politician who can be the whipping boy (or girl) for everyone's gripes, nope it's all on you.

Now if you happen to reside in a town in Massachusetts, there is a distinct possibility that somewhere on the agenda at your upcoming town meeting is a Proposition 2 1/2 override proposal, and no doubt it is the cause of much controversy. It is no different here in Andover where a proposed 2.5 million dollar override has the town in quite a tizzy. The school department has flat out said that if the override fails, they will have to eliminate the entire athletic program to make up for the shortfall.

With the situation allegedly so dire, one has to wonder why the Town of Andover saw fit to give the teachers a generous new contract, how on earth are they going to pay for it? Surely in these tough economic times the town shouldn't be so quick hand out a lucrative contract to a group of employee's who are already some of the best paid teachers in the state, right? Wouldn't that make sense? Well, apparently the powers that be thought otherwise.

And those tough economic times? How tough are they really? It isn't like government spending in Andover has increase ninety-two percent in ten years or anything. Wait a minute, you mean it has? But, that can't be, Andover has been experiencing hard times these last few years, you mean the budget hasn't been decreasing? No Johnny, it has been increasing every year, in fact if the override were to fail, Andover's budget would still be nearly $138 million dollars. Not a bad chunk of change considering the town as less than 32,000 residents!

I consider myself a moderately liberal guy, if taxes need to be increased to help pay for services then I'm all for it, but when town leaders come groveling to the taxpayers because they were poor stewards of the town's finances I'm sorry but before I'm going to vote for an increase in taxes, how about you stop spending the money on things it shouldn't be spent on? Like awarding generous contracts to already generously compensated town employees. How about ending the ridiculous practice of buying back retirees leftover sick time, which can end up costing the town upwards of tens of thousands of dollars? The Andover Selectmen and School Committee haven't done enough to convince me that we need another 2.5 million dollars in property taxes, and unless something dramatic happens between now and April 30th, I will certainly be voting against the override.

 Part of the legacy that President Bush hopes to leave is that of a President who worked tirelessly to spread the cause of human freedom across parts of the world that have never tasted the nectar of freedom. Many have disagreed with the methods that the President has pursued (including myself), most particularly in relation to Iraq. Whatever one thinks of the decision to invade Iraq, and the subsequent occupation of Iraq, the desire to see all human beings enjoy the freedom that they are rightly entitled to by God is an honorable virtue.

 The legacy of President Bush will largely be out of his hands, it will be determined by his successors, and whatever path they choose to take in regards to both Iraq and the larger struggle against extremism. (A struggle against  all forms of extremism, not just Islamic) Sadly, one part of Bush’s legacy that will be largely overlooked, and one that has certainly had a positive impact on the world, is his policy towards Africa, especially in relation to HIV/AIDS and Malaria.  Under the Bush administration, more than fifteen billion dollars has been spent in Africa helping combat the spread of these deadly diseases that devastate so many families in Africa. Under the Bush administration, hundreds of thousands of treated mosquito nets have been distributed to families in Africa. It has been estimated that well over a million lives have been saved from Malaria as a result of President Bush’s policies. U2 singer Bono, one of the great crusaders for the impoverished has called President Bush the best President for African issues in the history of the United States. Much of this was evident in the warm reception that Bush received in African countries he visited several months ago. As I mentioned previously, it is unfortunate that this piece of President Bush’s legacy will go largely unnoticed. His fate will be determined nearly entirely by events in Iraq, and whether or not his successor(s) can ensure a stable, free government.

 If President Bush wants to be remembered as someone who lead the fight for human freedom during his eight years in office, then in my opinion, President Bush simply cannot travel to China during the Olympic games. I do not think the United States should boycott the games, it would be unfair to the athletes who have trained so hard for this competition, and it would blow a tremendous opportunity to allow the athletes to make a statement on the field of competition. (see Jesse Owens, 1936 Berlin games) However, for the leader of the United States government, or of any free and democratic government across the globe to travel to China to commemorate the games would show at a best an attitude of apathy towards China’s numerous human rights abuses. This is not a liberal or conservative issue, this is about human justice and freedom. This is about freedom loving people around the world telling China that if it really wants to be seen as an emerging world power, then its policies of suppression towards the Tibetan people are unacceptable, its insistence that Taiwan is a part of China is unacceptable, its denial of political and religious freedom to its more than 2 billion citizens is unacceptable, its refusal to use its considerable influence with the Sudanese government to put an end to the genocide in Darfur is unacceptable. Freedom loving people and governments across this globe need to send a message to the Chinese government that these types of abuses will not be tolerated. The governments of the United States and all free countries should stand with the Tibetan people, the Taiwanese people, the Chinese people, and the people of Darfur. President Bush, this summer please stay home!

Here is a great ad by Jim Ogonowski, running to unseat Democrat John Kerry in the 2008 Massachusetts Senate race.

On Tuesday nights during Lent, the church that I attend runs a forum called Who is my neighbor? This forum introduces us to groups who we might not generally think of as being our neighbor. This past Tuesday, we were lucky enough to have a guest speaker, an Iraqi Christian who is a political refugee in the United States. His personal story of fleeing the violence in Iraq is both heart-wrenching and humbling; his views on the situation in Iraq, and what he thinks should happen next were enlightening.

  Before Fadi fled Iraq in the summer of 2006, he was preparing to take a job teaching at a university in Baghdad. He lived in an area of Baghdad that was very unstable, the Iraqi government and U.S. forces had very little control of his neighborhood. Fadi, who was also fluent in English, did contract work with American forces, as did many of his friends. They worked on U.S. bases as interpreters. Of course, in working with the Americans, Fadi and his friends were putting their lives in great danger and two of his friends paid the ultimate price for trying to help rebuild the country, they were murdered by insurgents. It was after his friends were killed that Fadi knew he was no longer safe in his native country and sought to flee to the U.S.

  Life as a Christian in Iraq is also not a walk in the park. After the regime of Saddam fell, among the first groups to be targeted were Iraqi Christians because they were perceived to be a pro-American population. Many churches were bombed, and priests as well as lay Christians were routinely kidnapped and often times beheaded. The result of course has been a mass exodus of Christians from Iraq. Once there were as many as 2-3 million Christians living in Iraq, there are now roughly between 750,000 and a million living in Iraq. Fadi’s sister and mother survived the bombing of the church where the family worshipped. Shortly after fleeing to Iraq, Fadi learned that because it was known he worked with Americans, and fled to the U.S., his family was also threatened and they were forced to flee to Syria, where they are to this day. It was humbling to know that here is a man who has been through so much and yet had the strength to tell his story to a bunch of strangers, unified in our Christian faith.

The majority of his presentation dealt with telling his personal story of attaining political asylum here in the United States (which he received last December), but he did spend a little time talking about the political situation, and many of the questions asked centered around the role of the U.S. in Iraq going forward. The answers he gave were very enlightening. He was critical of the United States for not understanding Iraqi culture and how Iraqi society works. He saved his most pointed criticism for the current Iraqi government. The stable, secular democracy that the U.S. hopes to establish in Iraq cannot exist while the current government is still in power. It is rife with religious extremists, both Sunni and Shia, all reasonable, educated, secular voices have been pushed aside, with most of them leaving the country. Asked whether he thought U.S. forces should withdraw from Iraq, he said yes they should leave………………..when they finish their jobs. Should the U.S. leave now, or within the next six months, Iraq would devolve into complete chaos and destruction. The solution he favors many would consider radical, but he claims it to be Iraq’s only hope for a stable, secular government. He strongly advocated that the current Iraqi government be scrapped altogether, and in its place put what is in essence, a dictator. A strong, secular leader who can provide better security and stability, help guarantee basic necessities such as food, water, electricity, and jobs. Then once the situation settles and the educated Iraqis start to return to their homeland, then the process of building a democracy can begin. It was a very thought-provoking assertion, and that along with his view that American forces should not withdraw anytime soon raised a lot of eyebrows among the more liberally inclined parishioners of my church. It was a very meaningful discussion and one that caused at least the person writing this blog to rethink some of what my ideas were pertaining to Iraq.

 On this morning's Let it Rip segment, and the poll question on myfoxboston ask, is it time for Gov. Romney to call it quits? This is of course not the first time this question has been asked regarding Mitt's campaign. Many individuals (myself included) were questioning whether or not Romney should have packed it in after the twin losses of Iowa and New Hampshire. As it turned out, reports of the Romney campaign's demise were greatly exagerated, as Romney did pick up a couple of victories in Michigan and Nevada.

 However, a day after Super Tuesday where Romney underperformed in races across the country, particularly in the South and in California, the question once again needs to be raised. While Romney performed well in caucus states like Colorado, Minnesota, and North Dakota, he performed poorly in primary states like California, Missouri, and Georgia. Given how West Virginia went down yesterday, it is clear that the only way Romney could win the nomination would be to go into the  Republican Convention with the delegates required to secure the nomination. (1,191 I believe) There is absolutely no way Romney could ever win a brokered convention. If the Republicans go into St. Paul without a candidate having secured the 1,191 delegates needed, it is a near certainty that McCain and Huckabee will cut a deal to put McCain over the top.

 This is a decision that only Romney can make. Romney has often been ridiculed by people because he has essentially self-financed his campaign, but the flip side of that is because Romney has poured millions of his own dollars into this campaign, he is probably hesitant to get out of the race. According to Fox 25, Romney is at best 270 delegates behind Mccain, he is closer to Huckabee than he is to John McCain. The decision to exit a Presidential race, much like the decision to enter one is surely a difficult one to make, and it is not made lightly. If Romney honestly believes that a McCain nomination would be bad for the Republican party, then he should stay in the race, otherwise I think he has to look long and hard about his prospects for actually winning the GOP nomination.

I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.

But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we've come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.

In a sense we've come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights" of "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."

But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we've come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.

We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God's children.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.

But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

We cannot walk alone.

And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.

We cannot turn back.

There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. *We cannot be satisfied as long as the negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their self-hood and robbed of their dignity by a sign stating: "For Whites Only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest -- quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.

Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification" -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; "and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."²

This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.

With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

And this will be the day -- this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning:

My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.

Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride,

From every mountainside, let freedom ring!

And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.

                And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.

                Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.

                Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of
                Pennsylvania.

                Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.

                Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.

                But not only that:

                Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.

                Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.

                Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.

From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:

                Free at last! Free at last!

                Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

Watching last night's republican debate, two things came to my mind. Did Mitt Romney at some point in his life run over the dogs of all the other Republican presidential candidates? Mitt got pummeled from virtually all of the candidates on stage that night. It seemed like all the other candidates got together and agreed to turn their political howitzers on Romney last night, to do their best to ensure that Romney doesn't win in New Hampshire which if he doesn't all but ends his candidacy.

The second thing that came to my mind was that last night's debate was probably one of the best of the whole campaign thus far. The moderator by and large stayed on the sidelines, only jumping in to guide the discussion when it ventured into the weeds. The candidates were able to engage each other directly, challenge each other on their positions and past statements.

All in all, I think Romney did not have a good night, but it probably was going to be tough for him given that the other campaigns have seemed to make it their mission to destroy Mitt's candidacy. He was incorrect, when he said that he never favored a timed withdrawal from Iraq McCain played it pretty safe last night, he was acting like he was the front runner in New Hampshire. If I had to pick a winner, I'd have to go with Fred Thompson, last night he  came across as the conservative standard bearer of the Republican party.

In addition to the many posts on the myfox community site, I also read fairly regularly a few of the local political blogs as well. Many times I have found them to be ahead of what the main stream news reports. If you fancy left-leaning blogs, then Blue Mass Group and Ryan's Take are two of the more premier blogs in Massachusetts. If of course you prefer to read more right-leaning material then Red Mass Group and Hub Politics are two of the better conservative blogs in this state.

The reason I told you that was because ever since the issue of casinos came to the forefront of Massachusetts politics (before Patrick came out with his three-casino proposal), it was pretty evident that many on the left, including Patrick's most ardent supporters during his campaign for Governor, were steadfastly opposed to the notion of casinos coming to the Common wealth. Which is why I was a little surprised when Patrick put forward his plan to bring not one, but three(!) casinos to the state. The anger among Patrick's supporters has been so severe that it sapped a lot of enthusiasm from his base, helping to contribute to what could generously be called a very lackluster first year as  Governor.

 What has puzzled me over the last couple weeks (since the Casino  hearing to be precise) is why the  Governor would be so zealously pushing this Casino plan despite it being so overwhelmingly unpopular amongst his supporters and that fact that if faces an uncertain future in the Massachusetts legislature. Indeed I think that this casino bill will almost certainly define Gov. Patrick's first term in office, if the legislature kills it he will most likely be completely irrelevant in his last 2 to 2 1/2 years as Governor. Which leads to the question, why is Gov. Patrick "rolling the dice"  on an issue that could cost him his base and threaten what little relevance he has to the Massachusetts political system?

The answer may have much to do with a law firm called Ropes and Gray. Roper and Gray is the only national law firm that is a member of the American Gaming Association, and being the member of such an association it shouldn't surprise anyone that they would be very much in favor of bringing casinos to the state of Massachusetts.
  What is very, very, interesting about the whole matter is that Diane Patrick, the wife of Gov. Deval Patrick is a partner at that firm.

I think fox25 should investigate what would appear to be an enormous conflict on interest.

I am talking of course about "No Country for Old Men" an adaptation of the novel written by Cormac McCarthy (my favorite author), and directed by the Coen brothers.

I have never really written a movie review before, and I don't know if this will convince people to see this movie, but it was by far the best movie I have seen in theaters in quite some time. The basic plot centers around three characters, Llewelyn Moss (played by Josh Brolin), Anton Chigurh (played by Javier Bardem) and Sheriff Tom Bell (played by Tommy Lee Jones). One day while hunting, Llewelyn comes across a drug deal gone horribly wrong (the movie is set in Texas in 1980), and finds $2 million in cash that for the rest of the movie he tries to make his own. Llewelyn is hunted by Anton Chigurh, a man who is so evil it is practically beyond all comprehension. A man so evil, yet at certain times he is almost humorous as well. Sheriff Bell is caught in the middle, trying to stop Chigurh from hunting down and killing Moss.

The story is an incredible analysis of human nature and all of its flaws, fate, and evil. From the very first scene of the movie you are sucked in, your attention will be devoted entirely to this movie as it moves from scene to scene. It is an intense film that grabs a hold of you and doesn't let go until the very last scene.

Wow, I can't believe it's been 45 days since I last wrote a blog. I figured with about 5 weeks to go before the Iowa Caucuses (which is just insanely early in my opinion) I figured I'd write a little something about the Republican contest for the nomination. Why would I, someone who has professed his strong dislike for President Bush and eagerly supported one Deval Patrick, write about the Republican race for President? For two reasons, first and foremost it seems all but certain that Hillary Clinton is going to be the Democratic nominee. It looked a little dicey a few weeks ago after her horrible debate performance, but she rebounded nicely (for her at least) the next debate and couple that with Obama doing terrible and she seems to have regained her footing in the race. With Clinton as the likely nominee I am much more inclined to support the Republican in the race, unless of course Rudy G. wins the nomination. ( I know that probably infuriates you Graham, but if he gets the nod, that would be two morally bankrupt politicians representing the major parties, I'll vote third-party if that is the case.) Secondly, when I registered to vote at the age of 18, I originally registered as a Republican and in fact voted for G.W. Bush in '04, but the GOP's complete lack of spending disciplne and the mishandling of the war in Iraq for sometime lead me to a general dissatisfaction with the direction the party was heading. But alas, over the past year I have started to drift more to my conservative/libertarian roots and that is why the Republican field interests me much more than the Democratic side. So without further ado, here are my thoughts on the Republican race, roughly five weeks out from the first contests.

The mainstream media really wants to create a narrative of this being a two man race, when right now it is anything but a two man race. Maybe it is because their feeble minds can't grasp the idea that anywhere from 3 to 5 candidates have a legitimate shot at capturing the nomination. (Rudy, Romney, Huckabee, McCain, and Thompson, in no particular order) The media wants to make it about Rudy vs. someone else, when I think the dynamic is much more complicated than that. A lot of people on this site seem to like Mitt Romney and it isn't difficult to see why. However I think that his campaign may have peaked a tad to soon. Two or three weeks ago Mitt seemed to be headed on the right road to victory, with solid leads in Iowa and New Hampshire, competitive in South Carolina and doing well in his home state of Michigan. Romney was (and still may be) the safe bet to win the nomination. However, Romney's entire campaign strategy has been to win the first two contests and build momentum (and money) towards South Carolina and the rest of the contests, a strategy that has work well for many candidates in the past.

 However, over the past week who was been coming on strong the last couple of weeks in the first in the nation contest of Iowa? The tortoise like Mike Huckabee (slow and steady wins the race). In a couple recent polls, Huckabee has been running either dead even or slightly behind Romney. Huckabee is the one true social conservative who was never a social libertarian (see: Romney) and he also has a hint of economic populism in his stump speech (He has stated that the Republican party needs to stop being the "party of plutocrats", and on more than one occasion bemoaned the high salaries of corporate execs) that will resonate with the electorate at large if, and that is an enormous if, he takes the nomination.

If Huckabee wins in Iowa, Romney is finished, done, dead in the water, however you want to put it Romney's candidacy would effectively be over. If Huckabee takes out Romney in Iowa, the candidate that gets helped the most (besides the Huckster) is Rudy Giuliani. Rudy's campaign has to be loving the fact that Huckabee is surging in Iowa because Romney is without a doubt Giuliani's biggest obstacle to the nomination right now. Should the aforementioned happen, it is entirely plausible that John McCain, left for dead months ago by the media could end up taking New Hampshire, his libertarian/maverick style plays much better in New Hampshire than Huckabee's more socially conservative philosophy. Then you roll into South Carolina, which would be completely up for grabs for either Huckabee, Thompson (his candidacy DEPENDS on winning southern states), and McCain. (I do not believe Rudy has been actively campaigning here, choosing instead to make Florida is first main battle). If McCain or Huckabee win South Carolina, then it really will be a two main race between Rudy and one of the above-mentioned candidates.

 If I were a betting man, I'd bet heavily on Mike Huckabee taking the Republican nomination. Mitt has peaked already in my view and I expect to see his support decline over the coming weeks. Rudy Giuliani is a walking time-bomb whose candidacy could blow up in the Republicans face any moment. If he were to win the nomination, the campaign between Rudy and Clinton would almost certainly be an absolute bloodbath. It would make 2004 look like child's play in the negativity and viciousness that would be flying from both campaigns. A Huckabee nomination would pose a difficult challenge to Clinton. Huckabee is everything that Clinton is not in terms of personality. He comes across as a genuine down to earth nice guy, and when he speaks his arguments and positions sound rather reasonable even if you disagree with him. You come across thinking "Wow, he seems like a decent guy". I really think Mike Huckabee could take down Hillary Clinton in 2008. Of course, if a certain someone who is currently a Republican candidate for President decides to mount a third-party bid (*cough Ron Paul *cough) then the prospect of a Republican keeping the White House for a third consecutive term get even dicier than they are now.

This is just a friendly reminder to anyone who lives in the 5th Congressional district that today is the special election to choose Marty Meehan's replacement. So if you live in the 5th, get out and vote!

This Tuesday, September 11th, 2007 will mark the sixth anniversary of a declaration of war upon us by radical extremists who cloak their murderous and evil beliefs in Islam. There will be a ceremony at the Massachusetts Statehouse marking this solemn occasion.

For the past four years, Jim Ogonowski of Dracut has been asked to speak at this ceremony. Jim is the brother of John Ogonowski, who piloted one of the planes that was flown into the World Trade Center towers. However, on Tuesday, September 11th, Jim Ogonowski will not be speaking at the Statehouse ceremony, because Jim wasn't invited.

As some may know, Jim Ogonowski is the Republican candidate for the MA-05 Congressional seat, being vacated by Marty Meehan. Instead of inviting Jim Ogonowski to speak on this solemn occasion, the organizers instead have chosen.........Marty Meehan. The event organizers have claimed that this decision was not for political reasons, which I find to be utterly ridiculous. They invite the guy who Jim Ogonowski is trying to replace. Even worse, Marty Meehan's wife is the chairwoman of Niki Tsongas's campaign. Niki Tsongas is of course Jim Ogonowski's opponent in the Congressional election.

This quite simply is one of the worst displays of blatant partisanship I have ever seen, and this incident makes me ashamed to call myself a Democrat.

I used to think myself somewhat of a libertarian when it came to people spending their money. My view was (and still is to some extent) “hey, if you want to blow your money on stupid things, go right ahead but I don’t want to hear when you’re broke how you don’t understand you got into this situation.” However, casino gambling presents a whole different set of issues, all of them complex and all of them warrant careful consideration.

 

It irks me to no end when I hear individuals say, “This casino question is a no-brainer, opponents of this are short-sighted,” or whatever other insult proponents decide to hurl at people of seriously question the wisdom of bringing casino gambling to the Commonwealth. I do believe in fact, that people who are jumping up and down demanding that this Casino be built, because “we need the money” are the ones who are incredibly short-sighted.

 

Should town residents approve the casino deal this upcoming Saturday, it would still probably take about 5-10 years for any casino resort to become a reality. The reason for this is because the Indian tribe will still have to negotiate with the state to build a Class III gaming facility. (Class III gambling facilities are allowed to have slots, blackjack, etc.) And as long as Sal Dimasi is Speaker of the House, the prospects of a Class III gaming facility remain murky at best. Now, should the tribe and Commonwealth reach an accord, by the time the resort is ready to be built, Middleborough could be facing one of two scenarios, 1) their budget situation could be worse than today, and now the deal isn’t as sweet as it was when it first got signed, or 2) Their budget woes could pass, and the residents suddenly decide they don’t really want a casino but are now powerless to stop it.

 

For those who think that building this casino is a great idea, I beseech you to think seriously about your position. If and when this casino resort gets built, the character of the town will change irrevocably. Middleborough will no longer be a small, quiet town. It is literally impossible for a town to call themselves “small” that is by design supposed to attract hundreds of thousands of residents across New England. The town will never again be the same. Also, if and when the casino is built, residents will have to pray that the casino will never close, or move because quite simply, you’ll be f’ed financially if it ever does.

 

Secondly, Captainseapig is right, a casino’s job is to take as much of your money as it can get from you. Normally, when you go to a business establishment and give them money, you get some good or service in return. This is not the case with a casino, you give them money, and the vast majority of times you get nothing in return. Residents of Middleborough, if you approve this casino deal, you will be selling the soul of your town for short-term financial gain.

If you are the Patrick administration, and more specifically Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen, what is one thing you do not want to do if you have promised a public, open accounting of the Big Dig problems?

 

The answer? You probably don't want to kick the public out of the very first meeting of the Turnpike Authority since you took over.  It is an especially bad idea when on the agenda of that very fist meeting is the issue of the numerous leaks in the tunnels.

When reporters at the meeting questioned Cohen with respect to the discussion of the leaky tunnels, the esteemed Secretary, a former reporter himself, stated that item must have been placed on the agenda in error. Of course, while Mr. Cohen was lying to the press, Big Dig project manager Michael Lewis was in the conference room, waiting to show the Turnpike Authority a Power Point presentation. The topic of said Power Point? Why the tunnel leak problems of course. This is on top of the news that came out today, the state of Massachusetts is still spending $400,000 a month repairing the hundreds of leaks in the Tip O'Neil tunnel. I don't think it is asking too much when we, the citizens of this Commonwealth, want to know what the hell is going on.

Here is a question for all the Myfox bloggers, What do Al Gore and the Chilean Sea Bass both have in common?

Answer: They were both at his daughter's wedding. The only problem is, the Chilean Sea Bass is one of the world's most threatened species of fish. You can check out the article here. Yes, Mr. Environmentalist served a threatened species at his daughter's wedding. The article did not specify if Mr. Gore purchased "Chilean Sea Bass offsets" in order to neutralize his impact on this threatened species.

I consider myself an environmentalist, I try and take common sense steps to reduce the amount of energy I use, and to minimize any negative impact I might have on the environment. The only thing I ask is that the so-called "leader" of the environmentalist movement not do stupid things like having a global concert that has a negative impact on the environment, and could he please not serve an endangered species at his daughter's wedding? Is that too much to ask?