Blue Mass Group

By now, everyone has heard the story of Trayvon Martin, the young black man killed by a neighborhood watchman in a gated Florida community. Aside from the shooting’s racial undertones, there are serious questions about the Sanford, FL who police didn’t bother to investigate the shooter’s claim that he was acting in self-defense. There is ample evidence to raise doubt about the shooter’s claim. The actions of the police, and perhaps the shooter, have happened in the context of Florida’s stand-your-ground law, a statute which permits a person who feels threatened to use deadly force without attempting to retreat first. Homeowners perceiving a threat to their safety within their homes have a right to use deadly force under the Castle Doctrine. Stand Your Ground extends that right to the public sphere. If a person perceives that they are threatened, they can use deadly force and claim the right to self-defense. The State of Florida has the blood of Trayvon Martin on its hands, and if some of our state legislators have their way, Massachusetts gun owners will have the right to shoot first in public and ask questions later. The Springfield Republican reports:

Hrm, maybe we’re not all that and a bag of chips after all: Revised data show slower growth in Mass. – Business – The Boston Globe. UMass lowered its estimate of the state’s economic growth after the Department of Labor revised its initial estimates of state job growth in 2011. The revisions, based on additional data that became available over the year, showed Massachusetts created just over 9,000 jobs – far fewer than the nearly 41,000 first reported. Before the revisions, Massachusetts was widely viewed by local economists as enjoying a much stronger recovery than the nation as a whole. The revised data, however, paint a dramatically different picture. The state’s production of goods and services expanded at only a slightly faster rate than the nation’s in 2011, while job growth in Massachusetts lagged far behind. Looks like we’ve been dinged by Europe’s problems. In any event, these numbers are still subject to revision — for instance, the real depth of the 2008-9 crisis wasn’t calculated until years later. The Governor and his team were perfectly within their rights to tout the good numbers, but they shouldn’t cling to them when they’ve been revised. Live by the numbers, die by [...]

I’m encouraging you to consider attending an event for Elizabeth Warren coming up on Sunday here in Boston. The event is this Sunday, March 25 at 4:30 PM at the Boston Teachers Union, 180 Mount Vernon Street, Dorchester, MA 02125. The suggested donation is $50.  Donation for students is $20.12. Here’s the campaign’s pitch… We’re running a true grassroots campaign funded by men and women all across the Commonwealth. Big corporate interests are lining up behind Scott Brown’s campaign, and Elizabeth is counting on you to line up behind hers. With your support, we’ve made a lot of progress over the past several months raising funds to compete, but there’s a lot of work to do to catch up to Scott Brown’s big head start. He has a two-to-one cash advantage. We’re hosting a huge grassroots party with Elizabeth on March 25th in Boston to finish the first quarter strong and keep our momentum for the tough fight ahead. Can you make it? Please come if you can! RSVP on line or by e-mail to events@elizabethwarren.com or call 617-591-2800. In addition to helping fund the campaign, there will be opportunities to meet other supporters and staff members.  Many people have been talking [...]