ahumbleman's Blog

 I suppose that it was inevitable that the pregnancy of Bristol Palin, daughter of McCain running mate Gov. Sarah Palin was going to come out at one point or another. It is regrettable that all too often intensely personal and family issues such as this become the news of the day when the silly season of the Presidential campaign is upon us.

 I disagree with virtually everything that Gov. Palin stands for politically, we are quite simply at opposite ends of the spectrum. However, I do have much admiration for her and her family. She is a mother of five, the youngest of which has Downs Syndrome, while simaltaneously being Governor of the largest state in the Union. I don't care what political persuasion you are, if you're able to do all that you are alright in my book.

 Now we find out that her seventeen year old daughter is pregnant. I cannot begin to imagine the difficult strain this has placed on the Palin family, it doesn't matter that she intends to marry the father, a teenage pregnancy is a difficult ordeal for not only the young mother to be and father, but for both families.

 While I understand that it was unfortunately neccasary for this news to be made public, in the grand scheme of things this matters not one iota, and I would certainly hope the Obama campaign or any opponents of McCain/Palin would try to make politcal hay out of this. This is an intensely personal matter for the Palin family, and one that I'm sure they will get through, judging by the character of the Palin family that has been showcased thus far. So while I am a political opponent of Gov. Palin, I consider myself a human being first, and I like to consider myself a fairly decent one at that, so my thoughts and prayers are with Gov. Palin and her family as they deal with this difficult and personal family matter.

Offered without comment, because really, does the Declaration of Independence need one?


IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776 The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America

hen in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these united Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor.

What do these three countries have in common? They all practice warrantless eavesdropping on their own citizens, with zero regard for privacy rights. In both 2001 and 2006, the U.S. State Department issued scathing reports on Russian human rights abuses, their report included concerns over Russian government officials spying on Russian citizens communications. From the report in 2001:

“…require Internet service providers and telecommunications companies to invest in equipment that enables the [Foreign Security Service] to monitor Internet traffic, telephone calls, and pagers without judicial approval caused serious concern.”

And from the 2006 report:

“The law states that officials may enter a private residence only in cases prescribed by federal law or on the basis of a judicial decision; however, authorities did not always observe these provisions.

The law permits the government to monitor correspondence, telephone conversations, and other means of communication only with judicial permission and prohibits the collection, storage, utilization, and dissemination of information about a person's private life without his consent. While these provisions were generally followed, problems remained. There were accounts of electronic surveillance by government officials and others without judicial permission, and of entry into residences and other premises by Moscow law enforcement without warrants. There were no reports of government action against officials who violated these safeguards.”

And in Zimbabwe:

“ Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on Friday signed into law the controversial Interception of Communications Bill, which gives his government the authority to eavesdrop on phone and Internet communications and read physical mail.”

Responding to heavy criticism from opposition leaders, “President” Mugabe offered this response, that should put people who advocate for the warrantless wiretapping program here in the United States to shame:

“But Communications Minister Christopher Mushowe said Zimbabwe is not unique in the world in passing such legislation, citing electronic eavesdropping programs in the United States, the United Kingdom and South Africa, among other countries.”

The reason I write this tonight is because it appears very likely that Congress is going to give its seal of approval to warrantless eavesdropping sometime in the next week. There is no courage in Congress to stand up to this egregious abuse of the constitution from either Republicans or Democrats. It is especially inexplicable why Democrats would be willing to support such a horrifying expansion of executive power, and outright decimation of privacy rights. How I wish we had Britain’s conservatives.

Yesterday, Senator John McCain ridiculed presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama for saying he may sit down with nations hostile to America and Israel. It is clear that McCain intends to use this to make Obama vulnerable, and it could have worked too if only the internets didn't exist, because then this treasure would never have been found.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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?

I saw this article in today's Globe, regarding Secretary of State Bill Galvin's attempt to prevent ballots from being printed in Chinese. I agree with Galvin's assertion that translating candidates names into Chinese could have disastrous consequences, especially when you look at the possible translations for some candidates names. Although the potential translations for Mayor Menino do seem rather fitting don't they?

Any thoughts on the matter?