Blue Mass Group

From Media Matters: Conservatives Accuse Obama Of Lying About Giffords Opening Eyes; Her Doctors Disagree In one of the most cynical displays in recent memory, following the lead of Gateway Pundit Jim Hoft, several  conservative websites – including Fox Nation and MRC arm CNS News – suggested that President Obama lied last night when he said that Rep. Giffords had opened her eyes for the first time shortly after his Wednesday night visit to the hospital. In a recently-completed press conference, Giffords’ doctor Peter Rhee explained that what Obama said last night about Giffords opening her eyes was “true.” In response to a question from a reporter about previous statements that Giffords could open her eyes, Rhee and Dr. B Michael Lemole, Section Chief of Neurosurgery at University Medical Center in Tuscon, explained the important distinction. Namely, Giffords previously opened her eyes in response to “stimulus,” and yesterday she opened them spontaneously, which represented a “major milestone” in her recovery. … While it’s depressing to have to parse this — rather than simply be happy about the good news — such is the state of the conservative media, where absolutely everything Obama says is fodder for their attacks. Instead of [...]

Since the Governor has five positions to fill, I would be glad to be considered for one of these positions. In all seriousness, I have to be diligent and thorough in my current position and it might make sense to have an average person as a member of this board. I will not make decisions lightly, as I know that those decisions can effect the people of our Commonwealth in unforeseen ways. The loss of the officer in Woburn shows this very clearly. I am fully aware that I have made mistakes in the past, but I have worked diligently to be of good use to my employers, my family and my community. Respectfully Submitted, Sincerely, Wayne Wilson Roslindale

In his universal prayer, Alexander Pope makes clear that he knew that the imagination and our thoughts lead to actions. In Rwanda, media was used to create a climate where hundreds of thousands died, because imaginations were fed by the radio and other media a narrative that led to death A fundamental tenet of Buddhism is that what you and I see and hear is like a seed, sprouting in the mind.  The explosive growth of media and media exposure appears to me to have an enormous impact in shaping public opinion and perception, especially for those who are unaware of that impact, or have not been schooled in skepticism. After all, just because something is said in a newspaper, radio, or on the internet does not make what is said true.  However, in dealing with children and many members of the public, I repeatedly encounter the attitude that anything on television or in a newspaper, radio, or internet must be true. Given the ability to “photoshop” and what I have seen in movies, seeing and reading are not believing with me – but what if for most people whatever they hear the most, becomes emotional truth? It is time [...]

One of the reasons that Paul Krugman is a hero of mine is that he has the guts to look unpleasant facts in the face: …The Europeans have shown us that peace and unity can be brought to a region with a history of violence, and in the process they have created perhaps the most decent societies in human history, combining democracy and human rights with a level of individual economic security that America comes nowhere close to matching. These achievements are now in the process of being tarnished, as the European dream turns into a nightmare for all too many people. How did that happen? The linked article is a caution and corrective to the binary thinking that afflicts both Left and Right nowadays. It’s all in the nuances…  

(Posted on behalf of COFAR)

I wrote here previously about our finding that just a dozen executives and lobbyists in the human services industry in Massachusetts had contributed more than $44,600 to legislators and other politicians in the state since 2005.

By way of an update to that, I’ve taken a look at all the provider or vendor agencies listed on the Department of Developmental Services website, and entered them into the Office of Campaign and Political Finance database.

That database shows that a total of 206 employees of 79 vendor firms contributed $166,690.00 since 2001 to a variety of politicians, most of them legislators and statewide office holders, from the governor on down.

According to NECN, all five Parole Board members who voted to parole Dominic Cinelli have resigned: (NECN: Boston, Mass.) – Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick this afternoon held a news conference on the review of the Massachusetts state Parole Board. John Grossman of the Massachusetts Office of Public Safety also spoke at the news conference. The review began after authorities said Dominic Cinelli, a parolee released from a triple life sentence, fatally shot Woburn police officer John Maguire following a robbery on December 26. Cinelli was also killed. Patrick announced that all five board members who voted to release Cinelli have resigned and he has accepted their resignation. Patrick has also accepted the resignation of the executive director of the Parole Board during the Cinelli parole period. Wow. my understanding is that overall, Mass. has one of the lowest recidivism rates in the country.  I don’t know if anyone at BMG can confirm or deny that.

“We will restore science to its rightful place…

           –President Obama’s Inaugural Address

Now, scientists have measured 2010 to be the warmest year on record, tied with 2005.  

The Earth’s average temperature in 2010, as in 2005, was 58.12 degrees, which is 1.12 degrees above the 20th-century average of 57 degrees.

It was the 34th consecutive year that the global temperature was above average, according to the data center. The last below-average year was 1976.

 While the vast majority of climate scientists, who collect and analyze the data firsthand, have told us for years to act to slow down this CO2 pollution, the Chamber of Commerce stood in opposition to science.  In 2009, the Chamber tried to drag science down with a public relations scheme to stage a second “Scopes Monkey Trial” on global warming.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, trying to ward off potentially sweeping federal emissions regulations, is pushing the Environmental Protection Agency to hold a rare public hearing on the scientific evidence for man-made climate change.

Chamber officials say it would be “the Scopes monkey trial of the 21st century” — complete with witnesses, cross-examinations and a judge who would rule, essentially, on whether humans are warming the planet to dangerous effect.

This kind of low behavior, portraying sober science like a kangaroo court,  was so out of line that major corporations such as Johnson & Johnson and Nike publicly chastised the Chamber.  Apple quit.  This denial & delay of action on pollution has been unconscionable.

Our President has a chance to speak to them in February.  I have hope that our President will speak the truth this powerful Chamber:  that the near-term profits of a few corporations are not worth damaging our climate, nor are they worth confusing & damaging the public perception of science.

I hope that our President will restore science to its rightful place, as a source of knowledge for action, above the fray & confusion of petty ad campaigns.

People like Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Michelle Bachmann, and other right wingers, is that they think the can say what they say, and have no one question it. They can say “Kill XYZ” or “We need to take so & so out”, or even “All liberals should die…save for two on each campus…” and think that nobody will take them seriously, or that their sphere of influence isn’t so big, as it won’t give someone justification and validation to act.