Blue Mass Group

…1994 Lt. Governor nominee Bob Massie.

One way of knowing that a subject is polarizing is a dearth of informal public conversation about it.  ”Transactional palaver,” to use T.R. Pearson’s phrase, often provides a glimpse into a nation’s psyche.   Some topics are safe; others are not.  Included among the “not safe” topics these days are Julian Assange and his organization, WikiLeaks.  Professing admiration, respect, and support for Assange and his organization can be tricky business.  Best not to mention him and what they do; otherwise, your neighbors might think you an anarchist or “unpatriotic.”  In a pervasive climate like this, then, several things can happen:  the story of WikiLeaks and its founder will fade from the front pages (we’re seeing that happening now), the story will percolate for a while among the politically active but retain its radioactivity  (we’re seeing that now, too), or the story will drift into the extremity of political discourse and become fodder for those on both sides who are viscerally motivated to exploit and then co-opt Assange and WikiLeaks for their own political purposes.  The left seems to possess a bit more sangfrois than the right when it comes to Assange and his group, and nothing illustrates this more clearly than the profusion of variants on “kill Julian Assange” (.com) currently multiplying on the web.

To riff on the old “Saturday Night Live” skit about convicted murderer Gary Gilmore that got so much criticism back in the 70s, let’s kill Julian Assange for Christmas seems to be a serious rallying cry for some.   Killassange.com was registered on December 21, 2010.  Killjulianassange.com was registered on November 30, 2010.  Julianassangemustdie.com was registered by a fairly prominent right-wing blogger named Melissa Clouthier on December 6, 2010.  Julianassangedeathpool.com on December 6, 2010.  Then, of course, there are variations on this idea with published feelers like “Anyone up for a dead pool on Julian Assange?” posted on December 31, 2010.  Lastly, enter the satirists from Landover Baptist Church with a recent poll “How would Jesus kill Julian Assange?”

On Tuesday, January 25, President Barack Obama will address both chambers of Congress, the Supreme Court, other leaders from the administration, and millions of Americans to deliver his State of the Union Address. Where have we come over the last year?  What does the shift of power in the House mean?  How can we restore civility to public discourse?  What should we look forward to in the year to come? While the President and Democrats in Congress made great strides in helping our economy recover and advancing our values, there are still big challenges and big opportunities facing our nation.  Save the date for Tuesday 1/25 from 7:30 – 10:30 to connect with Young Democrats in your area to watch the President’s State of the Union Address! Local YDM chapters are currently finalizing locations for State of the Union watch parties across Massachusetts.  Make sure that you receive the details by joining your chapter’s Facebook Group: Greater Boston Young Democrats Merrimack Valley Young Democrats Pioneer Valley Young Democrats South Coast Young Democrats Worcester County Young Democrats Democratically, Jonathan PS: All politics are local, and your local elections are right around the corner.  If you are living in Massachusetts full-time or [...]

Christina Green organ donation saves Boston Girl The family of Christina Taylor Green, the nine-year-old girl killed when a gunman opened fire on Rep. Gabrielle Giffords at a “Congress on Your Corner” event, has donated some of her organs, already saving another child’s life. Some of the organs went to a little girl in Boston, CNN reported. “It was very poignant to find out. That’s what Christina was all about,” father John Green told CNN. “It’s a blessing.” This family is amazing.  Even after the horror of losing their beautiful, intelligent and sweet child to such ugly act, they are able to think of others.  I am in awe. The stories of heroism and selflessness in the aftermath of the Tuscon shootings give me hope for our country.  In reality, ordinary people are better than the purveyors of fear and violence would have us believe.  

…that apparently Hell could freeze over.  Here is a video of Glenn Beck praising President Obama for his Tucson speech, though he shares the misgivings of some here of the event’s overall pep rally atmosphere.

It is about time for the 112th House to come back into session, and the first thing on the agenda appears to be an effort to take away any healthcare reform that have been passed by this Administration.

Next comes an effort to slash Social Security and Medicare, an effort to reverse financial reforms, and proposals to “slash” spending-but only on domestic discretionary items.

If the House majority had its way there would be no restrictions on offshore drilling, no rules designed to prevent climate change-in fact, few if any environmental protections at all…and all of this is intended to bring to life the philosophy that government, for all intents and purposes, should just go away and leave us all alone.

I don’t buy into that kind of thinking-not even a little bit-and today we’re going to look around the world and see if we can’t figure out why.

I’m going with the Pats by 21. I think the first half may be closer but then the Jets will get more desperate and make mistakes which the Pats will capitalize on. Pats spread the offense using all their backs and receivers. At least three Jet turnovers, none for Pats. Wilfork rules! Final score… Pats 38-17 Danny Woodcock has a big game… how can you not laugh at their reactions? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…