I just wanted to let everyone know that I’m going to be liveblogging tomorrow’s ConCon, probably making a few posts based on what I hear (during lunch, etc.). I’ll be posting both at my site and here, on BMG. Mike is going to be there too, but he’s posting afterwards. Chris Mason is going to be there as well, I just don’t know what he’s up to in terms of blogging. Update: I can’t sleep tonight, so spent a while and wrote something I hope people find a little extra worthwhile. It’s time this thing is over, for good. Enough is enough. Update: So, the liveblogging did NOT work out. Sorry guys – I tried everything, I walked about 20 minutes trying to find a suitable place… there was no signal outside the state house. Anyway, I’m going to write one helluva diary to make up for it. Technology, as great as it is, can also suck =p When will Boston go wireless? (Soon, but not soon enough).
From the CA Assembly Floor
On June 5th, lawmakers in the CA Assembly debated AB 43, the Religious Freedom and Civil Marriage Protection Act. Below are a few excerpts from lawmakers who spoke before the bill passed the Assembly with a 42-34 vote. The comments clearly show that the debate is the debate is the debate, no matter what state you are in.
This very bill was passed last year by both chambers, only to be vetoed by Gov. Schwarzeneggar. Now that it has passed the Assembly, again, it goes before the Senate, where it is expected to pass, again. If the CA legislature can do this twice in a row, surely the MA legislature can at least manage to not promote discrimination at the ConCon.
Debate excerpts after the flip, courtesy of the hardworking folks at Equality California. Enjoy the logic, ahem, of the people who spoke against equality under the law.
Strange winds blowing through the State House
Legislators are performing a gut check in anticipation of the Constitutional Convention and some strange winds are blowing through the State House. According to the Milford Daily News State Rep. James Vallee has changed his mind and will vote against the amendment. While as reported by Jon Keller of WBZ TV, Rep. Paul Donato is standing firm. Also reported by WBZ TV state Rep. Anthony J. Verga, D-Gloucester, was rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital after taking a tumble at the State House. Verga, who was undergoing tests Wednesday evening, had voted in favor of the amendment. Then there is a seemingly strange quote from Rep Paul Casey – “If I’m around tomorrow I’ll probably vote to put it on the ballot,” Casey said, and when pressed, added, “If I’m here, I’ll be voting for it.” Hmmmm. Interesting indeed. Might there by an outbreak of the flu tomorrow? Let’s hope so.
Join us for June 20th presentation: Global Warming – Truth & Consequences
Global Warming: Truth and Consequences, a live presentation on climate change, will be held on June 20th at 7:00 p.m. in the Main Hearing room at Burlington Town Hall at 29 Center Street. The presentation will discuss the evidence for and risks of climate change, with special focus on the consequences of global warming for New England and what local communities can do about it.
The featured speaker will be Nick d’Arbeloff, Executive Director of the New England Energy Innovation Collaborative and a representative of The Climate Project.
Minor Globe article #2 that caught my eye.
On sly, workers rate hospital service
By Liz Kowalczyk, Globe Staff | June 13, 2007
The young woman slipped into a busy primary care waiting room at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, took a chair in the back row, and pretended to read Shape magazine. As patients streamed in, standing in line to speak to a receptionist, she began taking notes on a form concealed in her magazine.
“She was engaged in a very long personal conversation,” the woman wrote about one of the receptionists, who was talking to another employee. “At one point the line was several deep, but the person . . . was not helping to check people in.”
The note-taker is a mystery shopper, one of a new breed of hospital employees in Boston and nationwide who secretly watch fellow workers to see whether patients are treated courteously and helpfully.
Globe article #1 minor story that caught my eye
A gullible public and their assets are soon parted. Weld pitches sale of lottery, Pike Seeks backing of state leaders By Andrea Estes, Globe Staff | June 13, 2007 Former governor William F. Weld, a staunch supporter of privatization during his administration, has reemerged in the halls of the State House, now as a corporate lawyer trying to drum up support for the sale of lucrative state assets. In the past week, Weld has met with the governor’s staff, state Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill, state Auditor Joseph DeNucci, and House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi, pitching the idea of privatizing the lottery and “transportation infrastructure” such as the Massachusetts Turnpike and the Tobin Bridge, according to several state officials. http://www.boston.co…
It’s been great…
This has been an excellent conversation so far. In the last two months, I’ve learned more about environmental issues of all kinds, including this particular issue of coal-to-liquid transformations. It appears that there are some people who are very knowledgeable in the field of energy development, fuel production and so on. I myself am a beginner, but so are so many others in this field. We have a lot to learn together if we are going to advance the causes of environmental protection that are so needed in the world today. So thanks everyone for your comments and your developed reasoning. The more dialogue in these areas, the better.
Latest Romney Video (put out by McCain camp)
http://www.youtube.c… Mittster. Why make it so easy?
Obama backs off coal-to-liquid; gets embarrassed by his campaign’s general counsel
Alert reader/blogger lori notes the LA Times’ report of Barack Obama’s backing-off yesterday of his previous support for promoting coal-to-liquid technology. With pressure mounting on Democratic presidential candidates to adopt hard-line positions on curbing global warming, Sen. Barack Obama on Tuesday backtracked from his long-held support for a controversial plan to promote the use of coal as an alternative fuel to power motor vehicles…. At issue is legislation, introduced in January, that would give the coal industry tax breaks and other incentives to harness the abundant natural resource as an alternative fuel. A bipartisan group of lawmakers, led by Obama and Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.), promoted the idea as a way to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign oil…. With his statement Tuesday, Obama seemed to be making his choice clear: pledging to oppose any plan to turn coal into liquid fuel unless it adhered to strict environmental safeguards…. Obama’s aides described the statement as a “clarification,” distributed to correct what they said were false media reports describing the senator’s views on the issue. But it sparked confusion among coal industry officials, who until Tuesday had viewed Obama as an ally on the issue, and drew cheers from environmentalists, who described [...]
MWRA comes to the Blue Hills
Friends of the Blue Hills been pressing Governor Patrick to suspend MWRA plans to fill the Blue Hills Reservoir on Chickatawbut Road in Quincy at a cost to ratepayers of $40 million unless MWRA agrees to replace the 8.7 acres of protected wetlands that will be lost. Such replacement has been required of every state agency including MWRA for a generation. Here’s a look at our latest mailing. In the meantime MWRA is charging ahead with construction despite the express opposition of the city of Quincy. Here are some photos taken at the site Sunday (click on one image to get to the next). Beware, they’re not pretty.
