Blue Mass Group

Originally posted at Lowell Live Feed.

This American Life had a riveting story to tell this week, thanks to reporter Susan Zalkind.

Last May, a weird story made the news: the FBI killed a guy in Florida
who was loosely linked to the Boston Marathon bombings. He was shot
seven times in his living room by a federal agent. What really happened?
Why was the FBI even in that room with him? A reporter spent six months
looking into it, and she found that the FBI was doing a bunch of things
that never made the news.

In 2011, in Waltham, three men were killed in an apartment. Money was left there ($5,000), and there was marijuana spread over their bodies. Their throats were cut.

Today I sent the following letter to the Attorney General:

Dear Martha,

I was deeply disappointed to learn that you have a long-standing opposition to issuing licenses to certain drivers because of their immigration status – calling the idea a “crazy notion” in The Boston Herald several years ago. You also said on WRKO Radio, “I even learned some of our police chiefs are in favor of giving drivers licenses to people who are otherwise undocumented. I am not; I don’t think that is the way to go in that instance.”

As I stated in my testimony to the Legislature’s Joint Transportation Committee last week in support of the Safe Driving Bill (H.3285), this is an extraordinarily simple public safety issue: do we want drivers on the road whose driving skills have been properly vetted? The answer is, of course, “yes.” That is the underlying purpose of a driver’s license – ensure that drivers have passed vision and road tests, know the motor vehicle laws, and have auto insurance.

I believe that undocumented immigrants, like all residents of the Commonwealth ought to be judged on their contributions to society, not on their status under complex and much-debated federal law.

Just arrived in my inbox: a press release from NECN breathlessly announcing their coverage of St. Patrick’s Day events in South Boston.  They will cover the breakfast – hosted this year by Senator Linda Dorcena Forry – and the parade.

Now, as we’ve been discussing, the parade is a controversial subject because of its penchant for excluding (in the organizers’ words) groups whose purpose is to “destroy the integrity of not only this parade, but our faith, this town and our Country.”  In other words, teh gays.  As a result of this, few if any local dignitaries of any note are expected to march in the parade this year.  Even Steve Lynch is looking like a no-show.

So, to NECN’s press release (email, no link).

NECN is once again the television and online home to two classic annual Boston traditions, the South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast and the South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

You know, I’m not sure that all Bostonians really want to be identified with this parade.  Actually, I’m pretty sure they don’t.  More on that shortly.

The breakfast – hosted for the first time by Massachusetts State Senator Linda Dorcena Forry – kicks off at 10 AM at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, with Jim Braude from NECN’s Broadside: The News with Jim Braude, anchoring the network’s coverage. NECN Political Reporter Alison King will also offer live reports and analysis from the event, which draws the state’s most prominent names in politics and public service each year. This year, some of the highest profile presenters include Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Governor Deval Patrick, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Congressman Stephen Lynch, Attorney General Martha Coakley, Treasurer Steve Grossman, Senate President Therese Murray and House Speaker Robert DeLeo. In addition, the breakfast will feature live musical performances by The Dropkick Murphys.

OK, whether you like watching the breakfast or not, that is a newsworthy event.  Of course, the fact that Senator Dorcena Forry is hosting is a big deal.  And in addition, the lineup of elected officials scheduled to appear – several of which represent the entire state – is impressive, and indicates that the event remains more than a neighborhood affair, but rather a central part of the local political culture.  That is an event that should be in the news.

Immediately following the breakfast, NECN Anchor Latoyia Edwards and Chief Meteorologist Matt Noyes will host the South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade coverage beginning at 12:30 PM. Coverage plans include the pre-parade show, videos and interviews, bringing the excitement of the day’s festivities to viewers at home.

Because … why?  What, exactly, is newsworthy about the parade?

“NECN is proud to air two of the most anticipated Boston traditions of all time – the South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast and the St. Patrick’s Day Parade,” said Mike St. Peter, Senior Vice President and General Manager, NECN. “The good humor of our elected officials combined with the wonderful Irish spirit at the breakfast and the enthusiasm at the parade make both events a must-see for viewers throughout New England.”

Sorry Mike, but that makes no sense.  You will note the total lack of any identification of an elected official or other notable personality expected to be in attendance at the parade (in contrast to the listing for the breakfast).  That’s because they’ve all stopped marching because of the parade’s exclusionary policies.  And “enthusiasm,” which per NECN appears to be the sole qualification for the parade’s “must-see” status, is obviously not enough to justify NECN’s coverage.  Lots more people are more “enthusiastic” about plenty of local events around here that don’t get any news coverage at all, much less reporters and crews live on the scene.

Maybe - maybe – something like newsworthiness once attached itself to this parade (after all, it used to be a public, city-sponsored affair).  Not any more.  It’s no longer any kind of “Boston” celebration.  It’s a few people in Southie, like this guy.  Not even the elected officials who represent the neighborhood seem likely to show up – no Linda Dorcena Forry, no Steve Lynch, even Bill Linehan will be out of town - much less any representing the whole city (no Marty Walsh) or state (no Governor, no Senators).  I have no idea why NECN cares.

If you wonder this too, maybe you should ask NECN yourself.

Updated to include link to 2009 report commissioned by Governor Patrick.

A Green Line D train derailed just outside Kenmore Square this morning, where the C and D lines branch.

Get used it — crashes like this will happen more and more frequently until we actually DO SOMETHING about the state of the MBTA.

It isn’t as though the safety issues of the MBTA in general and the Green Line in particular haven’t been identified. Massachusetts government has long history of refusing to fund, and therefore refusing to invest in, the changes needed to bring the MBTA into the twenty-first century.

There is, for example, the May 28, 2008 fatal crash in Newton. The probable cause, as reported by the NTSB, was (emphasis mine):

The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the May 28, 2008, collision of two Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Green Line trains in Newton, Massachusetts, was the failure of the operator of the striking train to comply with the controlling signal indication, likely as a result of becoming disengaged from her environment consistent with experiencing an episode of micro-sleep. Contributing to the accident was the lack of a positive train control system that would have intervened to stop the train and prevent the collision.

An extensive MBTA Review was commissioned by Governor Patrick and performed by external authors/researchers including David D’Alessandro (of John Hancock). The money quote from report is found on page 16:

The Bottom Line: A private sector firm faced with this mountain of red ink would
likely fold or seek bankruptcy.

Why We Urge A Vote For Jason Lewis for Senate

On March 4^th, three honorable people vied for the Democratic nomination for State Senate and the seat formerly represented by Katherine Clark. Representative Christopher Fallon, Anthony Guardia, and Representative Jason Lewis ranged from traditional New Deal Democrat to progressive, and in the end it was Rep. Jason Lewis who emerged as the nominee to succeed Clark. 

We urgently send out the call today for all those who supported Fallon and Guardia to unite behind Jason Lewis.  We were very public Guardia supporters, but it is urgent that all voters who are unenrolled, moderate Republicans, Democrats, independents, and other mainstream voters of all stripes back Lewis.

Onion:

Ukrainian-Russian Tensions Dividing U.S. Citizens Along Ignorant, Apathetic Lines

WASHINGTON—According to a poll released Monday by the Pew Research Center, the escalating conflict between Russia and Ukraine has left Americans sharply and bitterly divided along ignorant and apathetic lines, with the nation’s citizenry evenly split between grossly misinformed and wholly indifferent factions.

“The very real threat of a Russia-Ukraine war has completely polarized the general public, pitting two deeply entrenched blocs against one another: those who have absolutely no clue what they’re talking about and those who couldn’t care less,” said Pew spokesman Andrew Collins, noting that the ouster of Ukraine’s president Viktor Yanukovych and Russia’s subsequent occupation of Crimea has inflamed tensions between the two sides to a level unseen since the height of the war in Syria. “This is not a distinctly regional or socioeconomic split, either. We’re seeing local workplaces, friends, even families ripped in two by their desire to either ignore the whole thing completely or spout an inane, half-witted opinion on it like they’re some geopolitical expert.”

“And as the situation develops and Western powers become more involved, these divisions will only appear more stark,” he added. “In the coming weeks, we can expect to hear a growing cacophony of uninformed and harebrained calls for action or restraint from one side, and absolutely nothing at all from the other.”

Results of the poll found that the two sides are at odds on nearly every facet of the crisis, from last week’s protests in Kiev, to Ukraine’s freeing of former president Yulia Tymoshenko, to Russian president Vladimir Putin’s invasion of the Crimean Peninsula in defiance of Western warnings, with neither group seeing eye-to-eye on any of the developments’ significance—or whether they even have any significance to begin with.

Additionally, nearly half the U.S. public has put forth numerous breathtakingly naive potential solutions to the crisis—which range from economic sanctions on Russia, to economic sanctions on Ukraine, to deploying the U.S. military to the “middle of Asia” to solve the standoff—while an equal number of Americans firmly and repeatedly stated their commitment to not giving a shit one way or the other. …

Borowitz:

PUTIN RECEIVES STRONG WORDS OF SUPPORT IN NINETY-MINUTE CONVERSATION WITH SELF

MOSCOW (The Borowitz Report)—Russian President Vladimir Putin received “strong, unqualified words of support” last night in a ninety-minute conversation with himself, Mr. Putin confirmed today.

The invasion of Crimea was the main topic of the conversation, which Mr. Putin described as “extremely collegial and enthusiastic.”

“We discussed a wide range of issues, including how everyone in Ukraine had invited us to come to Ukraine, and also how the soldiers reported to be in Crimea were not actually Russian soldiers but, in fact, local volunteers who looked a lot like Russian soldiers,” he said. “There was strong agreement on all of these matters.”

Mr. Putin pronounced the ninety-minute conversation “exceedingly helpful.” He added: “It was exhilarating to be able to talk at length with someone for whom I have such boundless love and respect.”

Buoyed by last night’s positive dialogue, Mr. Putin said that he planned to have many such conversations in the days and weeks ahead. “It was good to hear how splendidly everything was going,” he said.

Daniel Kurtzman:

“Putin doesn’t know what the troops are doing there. And he has no exit strategy. He got that from us.” –David Letterman

“Just one day after the U.S. gave Ukraine a billion dollars, the E.U. announced it was giving Ukraine $15 billion. It’s kind of like when your sister gives your mom a fancy necklace for Christmas right after you give her a pair of socks.” –Jimmy Fallon

“Pope Francis told the press today that the Catholic Church could tolerate same-sex civil unions. You know, I think lately when people say, ‘Is the Pope Catholic?’ they’re actually asking.” –Seth Meyers

“Yesterday, House Speaker John Boehner referred to Vladimir Putin as a ‘thug,’ and then called on President Obama to stand up to him. Which is sort of like throwing your drink on a big guy at a bar and then saying, ‘My friend here will take care of you.’” –Jimmy Fallon

“Russia suspended coverage of the Oscars last night. They didn’t show it. And I’m going to guess they’re not going to show the Tony Awards either.” –Conan O’Brien

The press release put out by the “South Boston Allied War Veterans Council” – the outfit that operates the (in)famous South Boston St. Patrick’s Day parade – is an amazing thing.  I’m reprinting it here, in full, without editing.  I have added emphasis.

6 March 2014

We would like to thank all of you who took the time to write letters, faxes and phone calls in support of our recent decision to deny the application submitted to us by LGBT Veterans for Equality. It became evident to us we were being misled by them and that is where negotiations ended. We have always tried to keep things on an even Kiel with regard to our changing community and political correctness. “Do not be fooled by the Trojan Horse”. Indeed all things are not what they seem. The Council has learned this the hard way. We’re not perfect, we’re a group of volunteers that love this parade. We appreciate your continued support in lieu of the derogatory correspondence some of you received as a plot to circumvent donations greatly needed to finance this parade. As you know, this parade is funded by our community and our corporate sponsors. We will not allow anyone to express harmful or inappropriate messages. This was a decision we made for the good of this parade.

Keep in mind, we are approached by all types of groups. Some of which try to destroy the integrity of not only this parade, but our faith, this town and our Country. And to those we say, “No!, stay home, Not in my town” Rest assured, we will continue to exclude anyone that tries to compromise the public’s enjoyment of this parade.  We strive to host the largest and most entertaining parade anywhere. We are broadcast on live television, and draw crowds that exceed one million people.
We are tough proud South Bostonians, with deep scars from controversy that dates back decades. Saint Patrick is the Patron Saint of our Irish. We love our parade. This parade is a chance for all to join together and celebrate the love of friends, family, and the faith of our community. We invite all to join us to celebrate this historic event, but we must maintain our guidelines to insure the enjoyment and public safety of our spectators.

See you all on the 16th of March.
“We’ll take you, and break you, but never forsake you, in Southie Our Hometown”
Sincerely Yours,

The Council

My biggest question about this: who are these groups whose goal is “to destroy the integrity of not only this parade, but our faith, this town and our Country”?  Surely, the FBI or other authorities should be alerted to the presence of such nefariousness operating in our own community with such brazenness as to apply for admission to a parade!

Really, though, the document speaks for itself.  And not in a good way.  Glad to see that even a Southie stalwart like Congressman Steve Lynch has had just about enough, and seems unlikely to show up next weekend.

There has been a fair share of Op eds written on the South Boston St. Patrick’s Day parade, unfortunately bigotry and exclusion have now defined the parade. One of the persons responsible, John “Wacko” Hurley decided it was a good idea to have an interview recorded by Jessica Heslam at the Herald.

Let me just say, bad idea. Even with the soft questions, he doesn’t seem to know how to answer any questions without sounding like a bigot.

Forgot to post these yesterday: in the Middlesex 5th Senate district (to replace Katherine Clark), Jason Lewis (43%) is the Democratic nominee, easily beating Chris Fallon (35%) and Anthony Guardia (22%).  I think there’s some Republican running against him in the general, which is on April 1.  And in the 13th Suffolk House district (to replace Marty Walsh), Dan Hunt is the Democratic nominee and will win the seat since no Republican candidates ran.  Hunt won just over the half the votes cast, trouncing John O’Toole, Liam Curran, PJ McCann, and Gene Gorman.  And the Globe continued to demonstrate its electoral irrelevance at all levels of government, as its preferred candidate (O’Toole) received only 24% of the vote.  If Boston’s “paper of record” can’t wield any influence in a low-turnout race taking place almost literally in its own backyard, maybe it should just get out of the endorsement business all together.

More Candidates are needed for Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to update the Elections Division and the Records Divisions…

Today, I was in Roxbury to tour the Dimock Center to meet with healthcare professionals and discuss my vision to address the spate of drug deaths across the state.

As Governor, I will create an Office of Recovery so that everyone who is in need can find the treatment they deserve.

As part of my plan, I will:

• Create a special initiative that would involve all six New England states to address prevention and treatment. Every governor in New England along with U.S. Congressmen and U.S. Senators would come together to develop a regional strategy that stops the smuggling of heroin across our borders. We will also work with the FDA and the pharmaceutical industry to push for the development of safer, less addictive, pain medicines that cannot be so easily abused.
• Crack down on irresponsible physicians who are overprescribing painkillers.
• Expand the number of drug courts. Those who are sent to drug courts must undergo treatment, therapy and random drug testing and to have periodic hearings before a judge to evaluate progress. We need to stop sending people to jail and start to put them in treatment.

To date, more than 185 lives have been lost since November. That figure does not include Boston, Springfield or Worcester.

We are just seeing the tip of a very large iceberg and if we don’t address this problem, we’ll lose more lives and more families will be destroyed.

It’s unusual that declarative statements by candidates for a major office like Governor are open to the charge of being demonstrably false, but that seems to be where we are with the results of the Democratic caucuses.  Consider:

• Don Berwick issued a press release stating that he “has secured more than the necessary 15 percent of elected delegates to qualify for the September primary ballot.”  But over at Boston Magazine, David Bernstein says that “[n]one of the other campaigns believe this number,” and some of our own resident number-crunchers have their suspicions as well.
• Juliette Kayyem’s Facebook page is plastered with the claim that she “took second place at the caucuses,” behind only Steve Grossman.  This claim is rated “probably not” true by Bernstein, and “extraordinary” and “blustering” by BMG’s finest. (Interestingly, though, she claims only to be “on our way to 15%,” not to have achieved that goal.)

Yes, the math is complicated … but it’s not that complicated.  And yes, “committed” delegates can and do change their minds, which makes the counting messy.  Still, it would be nice if the candidates who are making these claims would join us here at BMG, or at some other suitable location, to explain how and where they are getting these numbers.