Blue Mass Group

Many years ago I traveled to Iowa to attend law school at the Univesity of Iowa and have felt a connection to the place ever since.  It is an incredibly beautiful place and its residents are remarkably resilient people.   This past week the people in Iowa, including those who live in Iowa City, where my alma mater is located, have been suffering through a deluge.  Not only have people had to evacuate downtown Cedar Rapids,  but evacuation orders have gone out to residents in Des Moines, Cedar Falls and Iowa City, as well as other smaller communities.     When I was in law school, some of my friends had a map of the United States that showed the west coast and the east coast as really large and the midwest and central part of the country as a sliver.  They loved to show me the map because they knew I was from the Boston area and they believed that the map was a good illustration of how people living on the east coast and the west coast viewed every other place in the country, especially the midwest; i.e., as insignificant.  In the coming weeks, I hope my former [...]

Last year, when Ken Donnelly ran for the state senate, I found him to be a very impressive candidate.  Even though he wasn’t my candidate, I was greatly impressed with his command of the issues, and his thoughtful approach to solving the vexing problem that face our commonwealth.

John McCain has taken a firm stand on one issue, from which he has never wavered.  John McCain: forced birth advocate since 1983.

Not that I agree with everything Fred has to say, but he’s making a strong case for Webb. I love the opening: Barack, listen up. This election thing is important. If you don’t win this fall, the US will be in the hands of a borderline-senile headcase who thinks we need more wars. The country can’t afford another eight years under an escapee from a psych ward. http://fredoneverything.net/Ji…

Cross-posted from Media Nation. Picking up on Gladys Kravitz’s post on the top 10 reasons that a casino will never be built in Middleborough: The wife of Shawn Hendricks, president of the Masphee Wampanoag tribal council, has taken a restraining order out against him, according to Stephanie Vosk and George Brennan of the Cape Cod Times. The Hendrickses are in the midst of a messy divorce that includes accusations of violence and steroid use. Last year Hendricks took over the tribal presidency from Glenn Marshall after it was revealed that Marshall had lied about his military service and had a record as a convicted rapist. It was Marshall who led the tribe’s efforts to build the world’s largest casino in Middleborough. Hendricks has vowed to continue with that effort.

Candidates for state rep introduce themselves to voters. The Democratic Council of Martha’s Vineyard will host an event to introduce the five candidates for the Democratic nomination for state representative on Sunday, June 29 from 4 to 6 pm at the Oak Bluffs School. The election race was thrown wide open following an announcement this spring by Eric Turkington of Falmouth, the district’s long-time representative, that he would not seek re-election. The five candidates who have filed for the nomination for state representative in the September 16 Democratic primary are: Catherine Bumpus of Falmouth; Dan Larkosh of West Tisbury; Tim Lasker of Chilmark; David Moriarity of Falmouth; and Roger Wey of Oak Bluffs. According to a press release, the Democratic Council “is a coalition of voters who share Democratic values. The Council exists to educate voters about Democratic values and programs and to support candidates.” The Council does not endorse or support candidates until the Democratic Party has formally nominated them, said the press release. Registered Democrats and independent voters who share Democratic values are welcome to participate in DCMV activities. For more information, email MVDemocrats@aol.com.

Here are my thoughts on Tim Russert’s passing, which EaBo broke here yesterday. Not that there’s ever a “good time” for an otherwise healthy 58-year-old to go, but Tim dying this election cycle is like Tim dying during a season in which his beloved Buffalo Bills would go on and finally win the Super Bowl. And as NBC’s Chuck Todd noted, this is Fathers’ Day weekend. Tim authored a best-selling book about his dad and was known around NBC as being a family person interested in everyone else’s kids and dads. CNN’s Campell Brown shares a similar story. I’m very impressed with what news and political people are saying. These statements go far beyond the typical “we’re sorry for Maureen and Luke’s loss”.  I know we can all get hyperbolic when speaking of the recently deceased, but I get the feeling that many of these statements are authentic and would be said in private if Tim were sill alive.  CBS’s Bob Schieffer waxed: Tim was the best of our profession. He asked the best questions and then he listened for the answer. We became very close friends over the years. He delighted in scooping me and I felt the same [...]

Anyone love capitalism like I do?  It seems to have a way of forcing companies I deal with to constantly improve their service.  It’s shape up or ship out.  I used to entrust my money to Sovereign Bank, but recently I switched to Bank of America because it is far more convenient.  There are ATMs everywhere.  Other banks don’t necessary put as much of their budget into opening ATMs.  And consumers like me are letting them know by leaving them for the competition.

When it comes to our system of government, however, we have nowhere else to turn.  We can’t just “switch” governments whenever we want, unless, of course, you want to leave the country.  So, instead, we simply vote less often, or not at all.  Just like the disgruntled customer who stops giving money to a company for bad service, citizens are witholding their rare and sacred right to vote.