Monday, November 3, 2014
Chimpanzees with AK47's
" Be it resolved... (1), The rights protected by the Constitution of The United States are the rights of natural persons only. (2), Any entity, including any organization or association of one or more persons... shall have no rights under this Constitution and are subject to regulation... (3), The priveleges of any entity... organization... association.. shall not be... inherent or inalienable. (4), ... government shall regulate, limit or prohibit contributions and expenditures..... (5), .. be publicly disclosed. (6),...judiciary shall not construe spending of money to influence campaigns to be free speech under the 1st Amendment..."
Excerpted from Minnesota HB 276 co-sponsored by Dem. St. Rep. Raymond Dehn.
On Jan 12-13th, 2014 the Indiana State Legislature hosted a tax payer funded shin-dig to welcome other Legislators from all 50 states to attend the first Assembly of States Convention. These nitwits thought it would be cool to shmooze amongst themselves and come up with plans on how and what to amend the US Constitution. The above quoted excerpt was one of those ideas tabled during these two days. Co- sponsored by by St. Rep. Raymond Dehn he opened his speech to the assembly by calling himself ".. the most leftist guy in the room.."
Dehn, other Legislators, private organizations and a whole host of self proclaimed egg-heads are trying to undo the Citizens United decision. Claiming that corporations are not people these guys along with their buddy from Wolf-PAC creator Cenk Uygur (Young Turks ) have gone ahead to form a corporation and political action committee of their own to lobby Senators, Congressmen and state delegations to amend the Constitution making it illegal for corporations and political action committees to influence elections. This way only the seated Senators and Congressmen can be influenced by corporations and political action committees.
Yes America, let that soak in for a second while I pour myself another drink.
Let me give you a quick run down of a small list of the corporations and political action committees and the geniuses piloting this ship of fools;
Convention USA is a non profit corporation founded by retired Michigan Supreme Court Justice Thomas E Brennan and a few of his drinking buddies. The website is an interactive place where any joker can sign up as a delegate and propose amendments. No verification of credentials required.. The site's specific goal is ".... to generate a groundswell of public support for an Article V Convention and force Congress to call the convention.".
Good job Your Honor! Delude the American public while giving them all the rope they need to hang themselves with.
Then there is the University of Texas Law Professor Sanford Levinson. In addition to wondering why the state of Wyoming deserves the same equal representation in Washington DC as California does Levinson wrote in his book "Our Undemocratic Constitution" that the Constitution is very... ah.. well... Undemocratic. I am not sure where he is going with this idea but he's got one thing right in that the Constitution is (his words) "inadequate for our Democracy". Very true professor, because it was written for a Republic. That would be like using a repair manual for a Ford Explorer while trying to fix a Toyota and then calling the manual 'inadequate'.
Lawrence Lessig, all star quarterback of the team that is funding and promoting an Article V wrote in 1993; "... the American people can no longer identify the Bill of Rights.." ( Well Larry, teaching it again in schools might be a good place to start.) "...Its meaning is no longer plain to all... perhaps it is time to amend the text... perhaps it is time to rewrite the Constitution."...
Rewrite the Constitution? Rewrite it into what Larry?
Next in line is this coma patient. Professor Mary Penrose of the Texas-Wesleyan Law School... ( What is up with all these courtroom junkies?)
Speaking at a Harvard Constitutional Conference (now there is an oxymoron) Mary said to her wide eyed room full of sheep; ".... no constitutional right is sacred... it is time today to repeal the 2nd Amendment.. I am in favor of redrafting the Constitution."
Article V is an important tool for amending the Constitution. However, like all tools they are only as good as the people who operate them. Hell, an AK47 is an excellent tool but you wouldn't let a chimpanzee use it now would you? Cenk Uygur, Lawrence Lessig and every law professor from Connecticut to California can have all the $500 a plate lunches they want and talk all they want about calling for a Constitutional Convention. It won't amount to a hill of beans for only Congress can call an Article V. All that the state Legislatures can do through a Convention of States is 'apply' to Congress to call an Article V.
Now this is where it gets dicey. Once Congress gets their grubby little paws on that application all bets are off. Delegates can be held to standards of conduct, the actual wording of the amendments can be polished to a mirror shine, all 50 states can agree on the language, verbiage and punctuation marks all they want. It won't make any difference.
For in Article 1, section 8, clause 18 of the Constitution Congress has the power to "... make all laws necessary and proper for carrying into execution..". And an execution it will be. For once Congress convenes an Aricle V Convention you will have the likes of Harry Ried, Chuck Shumer and Barbara Boxer writing the amendments and the likes of Shiela Jackson Lee, Nancy Pelosi and Elizabeth Warren voting on them.
An entire Senatorial and Congressional delegation of chimpanzees waving around AK47's...
.... And That Is The Diatribe....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvWTX8ZPSaE
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Best Practices, The Politics of Experience
" Conservatism is betrayed when it becomes the private property of a narrow economic or social minority... True Conservatism... was shouldered out of the way by moneyed groups that draped narrow interests in the finery of enduring principles... showing little understanding of its stewardship or preserving function.... only a grab bag of fetishes and stereotypes... the 'right' had muffed its big chance..." James MacGregor Burns. Author, " Roosevelt, The Lion and The Fox."
I was part of an interesting conversation the other day while attending the Columbus Day parade in Southborough Mass. I had been invited by a good friend who is working on the Question 1 Ballot Initiative, Vote Yes on 1, Stop the Automatic Gasoline Tax. The President of The Worcester Tea Party, Matt O'Brien was there and we engaged in a conversation which I thought I would share.
As another election season winds down and the political casualties are counted on the field many Conservatives are beginning to wonder about the ability to take back our country through the election process. We are getting tired of losing. There seems to be insurmountable obstacles placed in our way by both Republicans and Democrats. This season more than the last three reveals a concerted effort from both parties and government itself to unravel the Liberty Movement. No longer is it a case of battling Liberalism but rather the entire apparatus of the political system and process itself; Well oiled campaigns and candidates hell bent on preserving the status quo and maligning any attempts (by the citizens) to return the reigns of power back to the citizens themselves.
In one part of the conversation Matt mentioned that many of us are caught up in fighting for (or against) causes and edicts handed down from on high, candidates and /or incumbents (for or against). While this is a good thing on the whole the Liberty Movement suffers from fatigue due to the scope and magnitude of the issues and officials. It seems almost every week some new front is opened up somewhere and what ends up happening is we scramble to meet that threat. As Matt said, ".. The scope becomes broad but not deep."
I couldn't agree more. In fact, I had suggested that perhaps this is intentional. After all we are living under the Alinsky/ Cloward-Piven model to 'overwhelm the system.'
Matt tabled the idea that we adopt a policy of 'best practices' and begin to focus on the larger picture and better organize the various Tea Parties. Combine our forces, combine the various causes under some sort of cohesion. This has proven difficult from our experience in past conference style meetings. I had attended one such meeting last year where we worked to develop what I called 'A Blueprint For Engagement'. The link to that blog posting is here:
http://thelexingtongreen.blogspot.com/2012/12/blueprint-for-engagement.html
It was a great idea! It was a perfect plan! Unfortunately very little ever came of it. Matt described to me one time where he sat for twelve hours at one 'conference' style meeting and he suggested they all meet again in 100 days to lay out a platform of some sort to be debated and adopted. No one showed up after the 100 days.
As JM Burns said, ".. the right had muffed its big chance."
While we can look at the 25% of votes gained by Mark Fisher as a 'win' in so far as nobody expected THAT big a turn out. I, for one, am not satisfied with nothing less than total victory. It is the same for the Tea Party in my book.
It is vitally important that we band the TP groups together. The opposition has us running around putting out brush fires while the forest burns down around us. The 'loose affiliation' that defined us at our birth must now be outgrown at some point. The opposition is betting on that not happening. They are betting on us remaining loosely affiliated for it will allow them to continue to fracture the organization and pit one area TP against another. While TP 'A' in one town supports a particular candidate or cause, TP 'B' the next town over supports some one else or something else. We already see this in how politicians and PAC's are forming Tea Party caucuses and special interest groups that operate above and beyond the interests of the local chapters.
Enter Reed Chambers Jr. from Nebraska;
Reed is a future guest on the M&P2012 Show and he has developed and implemented a successful way to organize TP groups across his state. The neighboring state of Oklahoma is working to do the same thing under his model. He is also beginning to coordinate on a national level. What Reed calls for is that we organize as a political movement and develop platforms that are to be adopted on a County level first, State level second and then a national level. Mr. Chambers has a long history of working in political groups. He was a Selectman for his town and has been in the tax business since he was a teenager. His family started their business over 75 years ago. Mr. Chambers has seen time and time again the one fly in the ointment of TP's when it comes to filing their tax exempt status.
Essentially, they are all filing under the wrong code.
TP's should not be filing under their current 501 status. 501's are specifically designed for 'educational' or 'social awareness' causes. This is possibly why the IRS was so hot on our trail after the 2010 elections. In 2010 TP's scored major wins from local town committees to Congressional seats. Doesn't sound like an 'educational' or 'social awareness' group to me does it? 501's also limit the ability of a TP group to lobby, raise funds, officially back candidates, or front one themselves. It limits our ability to openly advertise as a political group and to directly engage a candidate in order to defeat them. This is what the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth were able to do in helping to derail the Kerry campaign in 2004 because they filed, under what Reed called a 527 political organization. They were ABLE to do everything I just listed above. This will empower the TP to work off a central platform and directly engage in the election process.
Now, this might not sit well with some TP groups who wish to not back a candidate. I understand. What if the TP backs a candidate and that (then elected) candidate persues their own political agenda? Reed has an answer for that.
We put up our OWN candidate.
One of the lynch pins of putting together the conferences is that platforms are adopted. We then send those platforms to seated Legislators and candidate hopefuls and (quite simply) ask them if they will adopt these platforms as part of their agenda. If they do not then the TP Conference puts up their own candidate who WILL run on those platforms. Since all the TP's are now 527's they can raise money, file papers for the campaign, run advertisements, get their candidate on the ballot and directly affect the outcome in November. It makes the TP a power player without compromising the founding principles that define the organization: Limited Government, Unapologetic American Soveriegnty and Constitutional Originalism. Considering that virtually every city and town in America has some sort of TP group the possiblities are unimaginable.
Interestingly enough this might explain the constant media/ governmental drumbeat to denounce the TP. They know that if this were to happen then it would signal the end of Liberalism and Big Government in America. They have to continue to fracture the organization. For imagine the impact of the 200+ TP groups in Massachusetts alone all filed as 527's and financing their own candidate for Governor.
It is important to stand up for something and if you do not then sit down. It is important that we begin the process of turning the TP into a mass movement that is well funded, sustainable and carries clout. I wrote in another past blog about NOI The New Organizing Institute. These are some scary characters who are organized, filed as a 527 and actively backing Democratic, Socialist, Progressive causes and candidates. They are actively recruiting people. I signed up under a dummy account while researching for the blog post. I get e-mails and web alerts every week from them. Here is the link to that posting:
http://neworganizing.com/
http://thelexingtongreen.blogspot.com/2014/01/in-world-of-idiots-intelligence-is.html
In 2009 the Tea Party was born and by the following year elections were being decided as a result of the awakening in America. I remember the rallies in 09 and 10, even Glenn Beck with his 9/12 project, the mall in DC was packed with hundreds of thousands of people each and every rally. By 2012 that pendulum had swung back as the movement floundered. This was also the time when the IRS began its targeting of TP groups. In 2013 when I attended the Defund Obamacare rally in October we were lucky to fill the Capitol Hill lawn with a few thousand people. The co-opting of the movment by PAC's and the stack of election losses in 2012 began to affect the movement. The members responded by pulling out.
Noted British Psychiatrist RD Laing wrote in his 1967 book, "The Politics of Experience";
" No group can be expected to be held together for long on the pure flame of such unified experience... Groups are liable to disapear through attacks from other groups... But, the simplest and perrenial threat to all groups comes from the simple defection of its members... the danger of evaporation.."
The press is watching us and so is the opposition. They see the dwindling numbers and know their tactic is working. They see their policy of divide and conquer creating results. The 'loose affiliation' that was once our strength is now our Achilles heel. Before we could not be pigeonholed on a particular issue or candidate. Now, people are asking. " Well then, what DO you stand for? Who DO you support?" Because our committment is very broad but not very deep we are being ".. shouldered out of the way.." as author JM Burns wrote. We cannot sustain on the "pure flame" of our cause or we will face the danger of complete evaporation.
....And That Is The Diatribe....
I was part of an interesting conversation the other day while attending the Columbus Day parade in Southborough Mass. I had been invited by a good friend who is working on the Question 1 Ballot Initiative, Vote Yes on 1, Stop the Automatic Gasoline Tax. The President of The Worcester Tea Party, Matt O'Brien was there and we engaged in a conversation which I thought I would share.
As another election season winds down and the political casualties are counted on the field many Conservatives are beginning to wonder about the ability to take back our country through the election process. We are getting tired of losing. There seems to be insurmountable obstacles placed in our way by both Republicans and Democrats. This season more than the last three reveals a concerted effort from both parties and government itself to unravel the Liberty Movement. No longer is it a case of battling Liberalism but rather the entire apparatus of the political system and process itself; Well oiled campaigns and candidates hell bent on preserving the status quo and maligning any attempts (by the citizens) to return the reigns of power back to the citizens themselves.
In one part of the conversation Matt mentioned that many of us are caught up in fighting for (or against) causes and edicts handed down from on high, candidates and /or incumbents (for or against). While this is a good thing on the whole the Liberty Movement suffers from fatigue due to the scope and magnitude of the issues and officials. It seems almost every week some new front is opened up somewhere and what ends up happening is we scramble to meet that threat. As Matt said, ".. The scope becomes broad but not deep."
I couldn't agree more. In fact, I had suggested that perhaps this is intentional. After all we are living under the Alinsky/ Cloward-Piven model to 'overwhelm the system.'
Matt tabled the idea that we adopt a policy of 'best practices' and begin to focus on the larger picture and better organize the various Tea Parties. Combine our forces, combine the various causes under some sort of cohesion. This has proven difficult from our experience in past conference style meetings. I had attended one such meeting last year where we worked to develop what I called 'A Blueprint For Engagement'. The link to that blog posting is here:
http://thelexingtongreen.blogspot.com/2012/12/blueprint-for-engagement.html
It was a great idea! It was a perfect plan! Unfortunately very little ever came of it. Matt described to me one time where he sat for twelve hours at one 'conference' style meeting and he suggested they all meet again in 100 days to lay out a platform of some sort to be debated and adopted. No one showed up after the 100 days.
As JM Burns said, ".. the right had muffed its big chance."
While we can look at the 25% of votes gained by Mark Fisher as a 'win' in so far as nobody expected THAT big a turn out. I, for one, am not satisfied with nothing less than total victory. It is the same for the Tea Party in my book.
It is vitally important that we band the TP groups together. The opposition has us running around putting out brush fires while the forest burns down around us. The 'loose affiliation' that defined us at our birth must now be outgrown at some point. The opposition is betting on that not happening. They are betting on us remaining loosely affiliated for it will allow them to continue to fracture the organization and pit one area TP against another. While TP 'A' in one town supports a particular candidate or cause, TP 'B' the next town over supports some one else or something else. We already see this in how politicians and PAC's are forming Tea Party caucuses and special interest groups that operate above and beyond the interests of the local chapters.
Enter Reed Chambers Jr. from Nebraska;
Reed is a future guest on the M&P2012 Show and he has developed and implemented a successful way to organize TP groups across his state. The neighboring state of Oklahoma is working to do the same thing under his model. He is also beginning to coordinate on a national level. What Reed calls for is that we organize as a political movement and develop platforms that are to be adopted on a County level first, State level second and then a national level. Mr. Chambers has a long history of working in political groups. He was a Selectman for his town and has been in the tax business since he was a teenager. His family started their business over 75 years ago. Mr. Chambers has seen time and time again the one fly in the ointment of TP's when it comes to filing their tax exempt status.
Essentially, they are all filing under the wrong code.
TP's should not be filing under their current 501 status. 501's are specifically designed for 'educational' or 'social awareness' causes. This is possibly why the IRS was so hot on our trail after the 2010 elections. In 2010 TP's scored major wins from local town committees to Congressional seats. Doesn't sound like an 'educational' or 'social awareness' group to me does it? 501's also limit the ability of a TP group to lobby, raise funds, officially back candidates, or front one themselves. It limits our ability to openly advertise as a political group and to directly engage a candidate in order to defeat them. This is what the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth were able to do in helping to derail the Kerry campaign in 2004 because they filed, under what Reed called a 527 political organization. They were ABLE to do everything I just listed above. This will empower the TP to work off a central platform and directly engage in the election process.
Now, this might not sit well with some TP groups who wish to not back a candidate. I understand. What if the TP backs a candidate and that (then elected) candidate persues their own political agenda? Reed has an answer for that.
We put up our OWN candidate.
One of the lynch pins of putting together the conferences is that platforms are adopted. We then send those platforms to seated Legislators and candidate hopefuls and (quite simply) ask them if they will adopt these platforms as part of their agenda. If they do not then the TP Conference puts up their own candidate who WILL run on those platforms. Since all the TP's are now 527's they can raise money, file papers for the campaign, run advertisements, get their candidate on the ballot and directly affect the outcome in November. It makes the TP a power player without compromising the founding principles that define the organization: Limited Government, Unapologetic American Soveriegnty and Constitutional Originalism. Considering that virtually every city and town in America has some sort of TP group the possiblities are unimaginable.
Interestingly enough this might explain the constant media/ governmental drumbeat to denounce the TP. They know that if this were to happen then it would signal the end of Liberalism and Big Government in America. They have to continue to fracture the organization. For imagine the impact of the 200+ TP groups in Massachusetts alone all filed as 527's and financing their own candidate for Governor.
It is important to stand up for something and if you do not then sit down. It is important that we begin the process of turning the TP into a mass movement that is well funded, sustainable and carries clout. I wrote in another past blog about NOI The New Organizing Institute. These are some scary characters who are organized, filed as a 527 and actively backing Democratic, Socialist, Progressive causes and candidates. They are actively recruiting people. I signed up under a dummy account while researching for the blog post. I get e-mails and web alerts every week from them. Here is the link to that posting:
http://neworganizing.com/
http://thelexingtongreen.blogspot.com/2014/01/in-world-of-idiots-intelligence-is.html
In 2009 the Tea Party was born and by the following year elections were being decided as a result of the awakening in America. I remember the rallies in 09 and 10, even Glenn Beck with his 9/12 project, the mall in DC was packed with hundreds of thousands of people each and every rally. By 2012 that pendulum had swung back as the movement floundered. This was also the time when the IRS began its targeting of TP groups. In 2013 when I attended the Defund Obamacare rally in October we were lucky to fill the Capitol Hill lawn with a few thousand people. The co-opting of the movment by PAC's and the stack of election losses in 2012 began to affect the movement. The members responded by pulling out.
Noted British Psychiatrist RD Laing wrote in his 1967 book, "The Politics of Experience";
" No group can be expected to be held together for long on the pure flame of such unified experience... Groups are liable to disapear through attacks from other groups... But, the simplest and perrenial threat to all groups comes from the simple defection of its members... the danger of evaporation.."
The press is watching us and so is the opposition. They see the dwindling numbers and know their tactic is working. They see their policy of divide and conquer creating results. The 'loose affiliation' that was once our strength is now our Achilles heel. Before we could not be pigeonholed on a particular issue or candidate. Now, people are asking. " Well then, what DO you stand for? Who DO you support?" Because our committment is very broad but not very deep we are being ".. shouldered out of the way.." as author JM Burns wrote. We cannot sustain on the "pure flame" of our cause or we will face the danger of complete evaporation.
....And That Is The Diatribe....
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Clusterfuck!!
" ...But when once a standing army is established in any country, the people lose their liberty...Give me leave.... to warn you of your present danger...Recollect the history of most nations... havoc, desolation and destruction.. by standing armies.." George Mason, the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
".... Where-ever standing armies are kept up.... liberty, if not already annihilated, is on the brink of destruction..." Jurist George Tucker, Blackstone's Commentaries
In two weeks the Westford Massachusetts Police have stolen $480.00 from me for offences that were long since paid and adjudicated yet... Never entered into the system. Thanks Massachusetts' Court System Computers.. I, am now officially broke for the next week.
I cannot get any of that money back until October 31'st when the case is finally dismissed. Even though it was dismissed years ago..
Are you as ready as I am to kick something?
Perhaps this should be another addition to a series I wrote here known as "Welcome To Bizarro-World"? Because, that is where I am once more. Hell, even Alice soon learned she was deep in the rabbit hole.. I HAVE NO FUCKING IDEA WHAT IS GOING ON!
The cars are black, sleek, stealthy and souped up beyond what your dad could ever imagine while working on his 72 Nova. According to a recent John Birch Soc. Magazine article published in late September 2014 police cars are required to be DHS compliant in order to receive Federal grants. Chrysler (big recipient of bailout money) now builds a special police package Charger for cities and towns. All of them funded in 'Fusion Centers' under grants from DHS. In the next three years all of our plates will be scan-able from these new cars. All of your life's crap will pop up on the police computer screens in their cars. Not that anything from a terrorist will come up because that will be profiling but your failure to pay some fine or a lapse in insurance payment will warrant a pull over and an arrest of you.. The AMERICAN citizen.
Oh, and yeah.. Your car gets towed at $200 and $100 a day storage fee.. How the fuck is a working man (or a poor, working, single mother) supposed to pay for this?.. I was under the impression that Liberals were all about the dis-enfranchised...
Apparently I was mistaken.
Case in point; My own Chief of Web Security for M&P2012 was arrested and jailed last year. His van was towed. After his release he found out his van was sold at auction because (duh) he was in jail and after 30 days they sell the vehicle because it is de-facto declared as 'abandoned'. Do these people check records? No. He had personal property stolen by the police and the tow companies contracted by the police from his van. Actual property that was inside that vehicle! Never mind that my friend has (still) the title to his van.
It was sold at auction. This man is on State Disability. He works on my show under a volunteer basis. I do not pay him.
Case in point #2; Another good friend bought a used car. It was found to be defective. Under the Lemon Law she sought out to have it repaired (which it was-thank God). However, she was pulled over because her sticker was expired. Under new mandates a car with an expired or no inspection sticker is a tow-able offense.
I think you all know what happened next.. Yup, it was towed..
But here comes the rub..
You cannot get back a vehicle until all claims from the police are met. Insurance, registration and.. A valid inspection sticker.. But, how does one get a valid inspection sticker if you do not have the vehicle that which needs said inspection? Don't you have to drive it INTO an inspection place to be thus inspected?
Oh, do not be afraid, they have that covered..
She had to have it fixed and repaired right there at an incredible cost before she could drive it away... All the while being charged each day for storage..
Nice system we have don't we? Single mother, low pay, on EBT.. Ya' know.. The whole demographic Liberals are betting the farm on?
Getting back to my story.. The police in Westford told me point blank that if they see me here again they will tow my truck.
I work there for a company I have been recently been hired by. I am trying to get back on track but I will not be able to thanks to these tools of the Federals. I explained this to them. Once, long ago, we could tell a police officer our story and he/she would grant us some slack. Sure, they would catch us and catch up on what our status was but we could always go home after we talked and explained.
No longer.. You are arrested. Property stolen, fines paid out your ass and you still are no closer to SOLVING those problems for which you were stopped for in the first place.
Clusterfuck!!
....And That Is The Diatribe....
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Freedom's March
"This Town Needs an Enema!!" Jack Nicholson, from Batman.
And a full flushing I would add! Good God in Heaven this state has gone "straight into the dumper", said Archie Bunker.
Where in the world does a Republican dressed as a Democrat get all the press?
We have watched this time and time again. We see the one hopeful up on the stage under the lights, in front of cameras, captured on Youtube. A guy from Worcester Mass with a shoe string budget gets candidates to show up for a forum just by posting a Facebook page (me). Yet the massive party money and massive press jilts the grassroots candidates to a 'spoiler level'.. Who decides this crap?
I have to take off my hat to all of those candidates who stick out their necks, take out loans and put up their house as collateral. Why? Because they believe in this notion of Constitution, of Republic, of service over self to run for office.. I know. I interviewed many of them from across this nation since 2010. It is almost bitter sweet.
Bitter sweet in that so many step up over and over and over again yet get shafted by the process each and every time. We talk about an election process being the secure foundation of our continued freedoms yet we are all well aware that process is rigged and flawed. We hear about the ocassional 'upset' and we have that collective moment of hope. But, for every 'upset' there are countless losses. Countless losses from candidates who reflect, and carry on, what our Founders envisioned what public service should and must be.
Public service is NOT a career. It is a calling, much like what a person would do for the church or a missionary. As we get molded deeper and deeper into Socialism that calling becomes clouded amidst the lights, camera and pay scale of such a position. A newly elected official soon learns the money must be mined and generated for the next election. It jades and impedes upon an idealistic candidate who wishes to fix what is wrong. I covered this with my good friend and former candidate for Congress Pat Barron in 2011. I also spoke to Geoff Deihl after my Symposium privately and he admitted that it is all well and good to have these moral compasses.. Then you get elected.. And, you end up in a world of shit creeks and (quite literally) without a paddle. You are left with dealing with what is on the docket and your specific idea gets shifted down the pile somewhere. You are busy raising funds and have little time (nor clout) to put forth your ideas. Vote 'no' on everything and you are seen as an 'outsider'. No one will work with you. Vote 'yes' and try to compromise on some bills and the constituency that got you elected views you as a turncoat.
Either way you are screwed as a Legislator. Look at Scott Brown..
I view Scott Brown as a man of integrity trying to navigate rough waters. He soon learned in his short stint as Senator that this process is a friggen nightmare! To make matters worse? When you wake up from that nightmare you discover that your constituents are sending you e-mails telling you that you betrayed them.
Either way, you are screwed!
So, what is the incentive for a local man/woman to run for this higher calling? In short, there is none save the moral compass of the individual who decides to get hung out to dry in the process.
Case in point, my good friend and 2014 candidate for State Rep. for the 13th District Worcester, Jackie Kostas. This woman had nothing to gain from tossing her hat into the ring. She could walk away from this tomorrow and no one who would blame her. But she could not stand by one more day and watch her adopted nation slide into the very same nation she escaped from. I covered her campaign earlier this year and here is the link below. I also had the honor of her coming onto my show for an interview and that link is below as well.
http://worcesterherald.com/2014/08/the-campaign-of-jackie-kostas/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DonYphn_iqs&index=72&list=PLU_Z4p-v1UQZSKw62f2lfyrEoRg1xxWNb
Has she been written up in the local Liberal dominated press? One would think they would, right? She has all the right credentials; Latino immigrant, escaped Communism, took the oath of citizenship. A typical American/immigrant success story. Sounds good, except for one slight problem. She is running as a Republican. More to the point, she is affiliated with a local Tea Party organization. Well, we can't have that now, can we?
Interestingly, the seated Democratic Rep. Mahoney didn't think he would have to face a challenger (par for the course here in ole' Taxachusetts). Once he got wind of Jackie knocking on doors though he opened up his DNC war chest. But, don't expect Mahoney to be knocking on your door any time soon folks. He'll send some one to do it for him. Jackie, on the other hand, will be glad to meet with you personally.
These are the people I am talking about. The ones who beat the bricks. They meet so many people they go home exhausted and then: Get up to go to their jobs all day and go back to hit the bricks again.. And Again... And Again..
... And That Is The Diatribe....
And a full flushing I would add! Good God in Heaven this state has gone "straight into the dumper", said Archie Bunker.
Where in the world does a Republican dressed as a Democrat get all the press?
We have watched this time and time again. We see the one hopeful up on the stage under the lights, in front of cameras, captured on Youtube. A guy from Worcester Mass with a shoe string budget gets candidates to show up for a forum just by posting a Facebook page (me). Yet the massive party money and massive press jilts the grassroots candidates to a 'spoiler level'.. Who decides this crap?
I have to take off my hat to all of those candidates who stick out their necks, take out loans and put up their house as collateral. Why? Because they believe in this notion of Constitution, of Republic, of service over self to run for office.. I know. I interviewed many of them from across this nation since 2010. It is almost bitter sweet.
Bitter sweet in that so many step up over and over and over again yet get shafted by the process each and every time. We talk about an election process being the secure foundation of our continued freedoms yet we are all well aware that process is rigged and flawed. We hear about the ocassional 'upset' and we have that collective moment of hope. But, for every 'upset' there are countless losses. Countless losses from candidates who reflect, and carry on, what our Founders envisioned what public service should and must be.
Public service is NOT a career. It is a calling, much like what a person would do for the church or a missionary. As we get molded deeper and deeper into Socialism that calling becomes clouded amidst the lights, camera and pay scale of such a position. A newly elected official soon learns the money must be mined and generated for the next election. It jades and impedes upon an idealistic candidate who wishes to fix what is wrong. I covered this with my good friend and former candidate for Congress Pat Barron in 2011. I also spoke to Geoff Deihl after my Symposium privately and he admitted that it is all well and good to have these moral compasses.. Then you get elected.. And, you end up in a world of shit creeks and (quite literally) without a paddle. You are left with dealing with what is on the docket and your specific idea gets shifted down the pile somewhere. You are busy raising funds and have little time (nor clout) to put forth your ideas. Vote 'no' on everything and you are seen as an 'outsider'. No one will work with you. Vote 'yes' and try to compromise on some bills and the constituency that got you elected views you as a turncoat.
Either way you are screwed as a Legislator. Look at Scott Brown..
I view Scott Brown as a man of integrity trying to navigate rough waters. He soon learned in his short stint as Senator that this process is a friggen nightmare! To make matters worse? When you wake up from that nightmare you discover that your constituents are sending you e-mails telling you that you betrayed them.
Either way, you are screwed!
So, what is the incentive for a local man/woman to run for this higher calling? In short, there is none save the moral compass of the individual who decides to get hung out to dry in the process.
Case in point, my good friend and 2014 candidate for State Rep. for the 13th District Worcester, Jackie Kostas. This woman had nothing to gain from tossing her hat into the ring. She could walk away from this tomorrow and no one who would blame her. But she could not stand by one more day and watch her adopted nation slide into the very same nation she escaped from. I covered her campaign earlier this year and here is the link below. I also had the honor of her coming onto my show for an interview and that link is below as well.
http://worcesterherald.com/2014/08/the-campaign-of-jackie-kostas/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DonYphn_iqs&index=72&list=PLU_Z4p-v1UQZSKw62f2lfyrEoRg1xxWNb
Has she been written up in the local Liberal dominated press? One would think they would, right? She has all the right credentials; Latino immigrant, escaped Communism, took the oath of citizenship. A typical American/immigrant success story. Sounds good, except for one slight problem. She is running as a Republican. More to the point, she is affiliated with a local Tea Party organization. Well, we can't have that now, can we?
Interestingly, the seated Democratic Rep. Mahoney didn't think he would have to face a challenger (par for the course here in ole' Taxachusetts). Once he got wind of Jackie knocking on doors though he opened up his DNC war chest. But, don't expect Mahoney to be knocking on your door any time soon folks. He'll send some one to do it for him. Jackie, on the other hand, will be glad to meet with you personally.
These are the people I am talking about. The ones who beat the bricks. They meet so many people they go home exhausted and then: Get up to go to their jobs all day and go back to hit the bricks again.. And Again... And Again..
... And That Is The Diatribe....
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
The One Trick Pony-Healey Imposes TCI for Massachusetts. Part I
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The article piece below was written by James Aloisi on sustainable funding for transportation. It is an admirable attempt at finding a solution to a problem that should not exist in the first place. Failing to make that connection puts the remainder of his thesis in doubt. His use of the standard divisive terminologies in describing the efforts of citizens to reign in an out-of-control tax policy lends further credence to where his political ideologies lie. That ideology being that bigger government is better government.
Behold the one trick pony.
" In Massachusetts, raising the gas tax in any meaningful way is politically difficult to do. As a result, its purchasing power has significantly deteriorated over time. I tried unsuccessfully in 2009 to raise the gas tax by 19 cents a gallon; last year the Legislature enacted a paltry 3-cent-per-gallon hike - the first such increase since George H.W. Bush was president. Also last year, for the first time, the Legislature acted to allow the gas tax to be automatically adjusted for inflation. That commonsense notion is now under attack by right-wing activists who have placed a repeal proposition on this year's general election ballot. The fight over the gas tax inflation adjustment, while important in the short term, is a distraction to the conversation that needs to take place regarding finding a long-term fair and sustainable approach to transportation funding. One thing seems certain: the gas tax is not the future of transportation funding. As automobiles become more fuel efficient and hybrid/electric oriented, the gas tax will diminish as a reliable source of transportation revenue. We need to find sustainable alternatives, derived from transportation sources. First, though, we need to put an end to the old habits of evading responsibility by turning to political slogans, financing gimmicks and excessive borrowing."
And just who is James Aloisi? (from Wikipedia)
James A. "Jim" Aloisi Jr. is a Boston-based writer, lawyer and consultant with a specialty in transportation planning and policy. Aloisi is secretary of Boston-based transit policy advocacy group TransitMatters and a lecturer at the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning.[2][3].
So, Jimmy here is a classic policy wonk. I mean.. Look at that guy!
Wikipedia goes on to list his accolades as Chief of Massachusetts Revenue back in the 80's! The guy never met a tax hike he didn't like.
Having stated himself and his tenure in government only magnifies his inability to understand the economic crush of mounting taxation upon the working poor of the state. Taxation for taxation's sake does not produce sustainable revenue for a specific agency (in this case transportation). The history of government mismanagement of tax revenues is as old as government itself.
At the original writing of this blog piece the tax revenue surplus in Massachusetts was in the billions of dollars. At no point in time was there talk of plugging the transportation gap with that surplus, nor paying off deficits, nor any tax relief for the taxpayers. However, the legislators granted themselves pay raises, remodeled the State House corner office and laid the plans for a billion+ dollar Convention Center.
The unfunded liabilities in the transportation sector went, well. Unfunded.
The automatic gasoline tax would do nothing to address this problem. Just as the DMV rate hikes of 75% will never go to fixing roads and bridges. Mr. Aloisi conveniently neglects to mention that all tax revenues now go into a general fund. So, the ruse of an indexed gasoline tax being the panacea to our transportation woes is simply not true.
I personally filmed the DMV dog and pony show and I personally worked on the Repeal petition of the automatic gasoline tax. Once the public was informed on the ramifications of such a scheme many became upset and educated themselves even more. I spent most of the fall of 2013 educating the signers of the first round of petitions. By the summer of 2014 when we gathered the second round of signers, I ran into more and more people who saw the plan written up in newspapers, local news stations and many articles online. By this time, it no longer mattered what side of the political aisle you sat on, this policy was going to affect Democrats and Republicans alike. Basically, anyone who drives a car or drives as part of their job, business or vocation.
People of every ilk just signed the petition.
This brings me back to the disconnect that Mr. Aloisi seems to have. Increased costs of gasoline mean increased costs of goods and services. This is called inflation. And since the gasoline tax is indexed on inflation the tax will rise incrementally each and every year.
But that was the whole plan to begin with, wasn't it?
Well, that was some years ago. Today in 2024 we have a Democrat in the corner office at Beacon Hill. Our esteemed rug munching Governor has dusted off the shelf and is re-introducing TCI once more upon the citizens of Taxachusetts.
And it is all about transportation. She has commissioned a "Task Force". I am sure Climate Change will enter the picture sometime soon.
In the Howie Carr piece, he asks the basic questions of any cognizant person who a turnip is NOT. Where did the other money go?
I wrote a blog piece years ago about Worcester getting lots of that Cigarette money from the Congressional hearings. Apparently, Massachusetts was to get $64 million for X amount of years for health care and the whole 'Stop Smoking" campaign. But only $8 million was actually targeted and spent.
Where did the rest of the money go?
And true to any Democrat policy that cannot defend the merits of their case Healey waited until the filing for ballot question opposition had passed. So, don't be looking to voice your opinion on this wallet grab in the little red cookbook the Sect. of State sends out this November.
The current Google search puts the Massachusetts Federal and State gas tax at just shy of .45 cents/gallon. According to the link below Massachusetts is responsible for .24 cents of that. And the Healey Administration has not disclosed any numbers as far as I can see.
As a political writer and former radio producer from 2009-2019 I have had the unique opportunity to speak with candidates, authors, activists, business leaders and Tea Party members on my show. I have conducted hundreds of interviews and never heard anyone tell me that higher taxes translate into a better economic model.
So, what does this leave us with? It leaves us with an underemployed population struggling to stay afloat amidst staggering inflation fueled by (pun intended) indexed gas taxes, net job losses and an increasing inability to make ends meet. Currently there are well over 1 million Massachusetts residents on some sort of state aid/ food stamps. That is roughly 1/6th of our population.
And now we have another un-knowned number of illegals our Governor has let in. Maybe they will be buying gas!
As I spoke to candidates from the western part of the state, they made me aware that they have to drive several miles just to get to work, the store, a hospital, school. Hell, anywhere due to the rural countryside. And jobs aren't exactly growing on trees out there in the Berkshires.
As I spoke to candidates from the western part of the state, they made me aware that they have to drive several miles just to get to work, the store, a hospital, school. Hell, anywhere due to the rural countryside. And jobs aren't exactly growing on trees out there in the Berkshires.
An indexed gasoline tax would cripple these people.
OH, and Mr. Aloisi? The T doesn't run out there so what good would it be for these people?
While the left claims that higher taxes forces the wealthy to pay more of their fair share the reality is that the major burden of taxes are borne by the working poor.
OH, and Mr. Aloisi? The T doesn't run out there so what good would it be for these people?
While the left claims that higher taxes forces the wealthy to pay more of their fair share the reality is that the major burden of taxes are borne by the working poor.
And let me point this simple model out.
Higher taxes reduce purchasing power on middle- and low-income workers. Higher DMV rates forces a working poor single mother to choose between a $50 inspection sticker or gas money. High fuel and DMV rates make automobile ownership virtually impossible for the working poor and they are just one break down, one cancelled high-rate insurance policy or one police pull over away from being screwed financially.
The car is towed at $200 and stored at $200 a day.
The poor suffer.
Higher costs mean businesses cannot pay decent wages to loyal employees and forces many to lay them off. The entire climb up the socio-economic ladder collapses. Food costs more because it takes fuel to get it to the store.
The poor suffer.
The crazy, suggested solution to this problem was that we raise the minimum wage. Not that it would do any of the wage earners any good if they knew they had to pay more of that 'imagined' raise in fees, fines, taxes, fuel costs, insurance hikes, never mind that any wage increase puts a person into a higher income tax bracket and may force their employer to lay them off because the employer simply can't afford it.
But Mr. Aloisi wouldn't know anything about this. Or our Governor.
To quote his own article; " having spent many years in and out of government."
The One Trick Pony.
This guy has no idea what the working poor have to deal with just to survive. Government agencies exist only for the perpetuation of those agencies, NOT to serve the public trust.
I attended the DMV hearings. I noticed the majority of audience members were union workers for the state. All their well-appointed cars were parked in the Union Station parking garage proudly displaying the state worker license plates.
The insurance, gas, maintenance, inspections, even the weekly wash and wax are performed by other people and paid for by you and I.
The insurance, gas, maintenance, inspections, even the weekly wash and wax are performed by other people and paid for by you and I.
Hell, when I grew up in Northborough the police drove the squad cars home at the end of their shifts. Talk about transportation costs.
So, before we begin to lament on the condition of our transportation system, we should take a critical look at the agency that oversees it. Mind you, the original 500 million back in the Doolittle Deval Administration wanted for Mass Transit was supposed to plug the pension gap; not to lay more track to western Mass or Fall River as he opined. Worcester alone had over 100 million in unfunded pensions, most of it centered around the transportation sector. Amazingly the city was still able to redesign and remodel the sidewalks and Worcester Common with expensive paving stone and a marble entryway sporting the city seal. Never mind the money spent on the new Hub and the new multi-million-dollar bus maintenance facility.
And let us not forget Polar Park.
The article Aloisi wrote and the comments he made for The Commonwealth Magazine is what I call The One Trick Pony.
The article Aloisi wrote and the comments he made for The Commonwealth Magazine is what I call The One Trick Pony.
He uses the same rhetoric we hear all the time.
Repeal The Automatic Gasoline Tax.
.... And That Is The Diatribe....
Repeal The Automatic Gasoline Tax.
.... And That Is The Diatribe....
Wednesday, September 10, 2014
What The Hell Just Happened?
Apparently Massachusetts voters never learn a lesson. Mass voters are like the consummate newbie in a prison full of hard core lifers. The established GOP and DNC purposely drop the 'issues' soap and we just bend right over (like idiots) and WHAMMO! Fucked again!
The crooks don't even give us the courtesy of a reach around to delude us into thinking we made an 'informed' decision.
I will tell you who made an informed the decision, though. It was the voters who voted for the outsiders who lost. Well, in most cases. Warren Tolman WAS and idiot!
The upside of all of this was at least the Communist Party.., excuse me. Democrat Party ended up with a split vote. Neither Coakley, Grossman or any other Dem won a decidedly majority of the votes. The only disturbing aspect of that fact is it is obvious that Massachusetts Democrats could give a rat's ass where their Socialism comes from. More taxes, more regulations, more rules, mandates, laws, ordinances. It doesn't matter who is in charge. Massachusetts Democrats love to show off their designer shackles.
Can I get those engraved? Oh, for an extra fee? How silly of me!
But how the hell did Charlie Baker make the grade? I watched Mark Fisher crisscross this state from Pittsfield to Plymouth attending every single event he could cram into a 24 hour day. I ran into Mark several times during the election and each time he remembered who I was and greeted me warmly. He attended my Candidate's Symposium and every answer he gave was direct, simple and to the point. Come to think of it? He was destined to lose on that principle alone.
I also ran into Charlie Baker several times during the campaign. Each time he would stare at me like a gaunt concentration camp victim. There are only so many times you can say, "The Meat And Potatoes Show" before you realize either some one is just not listening to you or they are dumber than a box of donuts. In Charlie's case I think both axioms apply. Come to think of it? He was bound to win on that principle alone.
Although I invited Mark to my show every time we met, I understood he was busy. He was always gracious and apologetic for not being able to come on. The day he personally sent me a message that he would attend my Symposium I was happy and left the poor guy alone from then on. No one from Charlie's team returned the half dozen invites I sent them. I personally spoke to Karyn Polito at the Automatic Gas Tax party in Shrewsbury and (again) invited them onto the show. Karyn turned to one of her staffers (who was shitfaced) and told them to give me a business card and to call them tomorrow...
No one remembered me. No one knew what I was talking about. Mind you, this dynamic duo could potentially be our next Gov. and Lt. Gov. Scary isn't it?
I will tell you an interesting story associated with the Baker campaign. I will disclaim here and now that this has nothing to do with Charlie or Karyn. So, I cannot blame them. I will also include a link to another blog post I wrote some time ago about another incident I experienced while interacting with their campaign staff. Both this story and the related link should give you a good idea of what we are dealing with here.
While in the early stages of planning my August 30th Candidate's Symposium my buddy Wayne and I attended a Republican Town Committee meeting at 18 Grafton St. on the first floor office. This was late June of this year. After the meeting I motioned to Wayne to follow me into a back storage room. There, I pointed to about two dozen stacked chairs that were stored. I said to Wayne that we need to remember these chairs and be sure to get them prior to the event so we could use them. I knew the chairs were there because I have been attending meetings and events at 18 Grafton St. since 2010.
Sometime between late June and late August the Baker team arrived and set up a call center in that first floor space. At that same time I was conducting sit down interviews for my show on the fourth floor at the Liberty Clubhouse. I was there almost every other day and on weekends. I conducted around a dozen interviews there.
Each time I was there I would check to see if anyone was at the Baker office so I could speak to them about the event and the chairs.
No one was ever there. I was there in the mornings, afternoons, evenings, weekends.. All times and days. I would even peer into the windows and knock on the door to see if any one was home. No one.. Ever!
So, as the Symposium drew closer I began to get concerned and asked the building manager if he could get in touch with any one from the Baker team downstairs. He gave me the phone number of a guy named Ryan from Mass GOP. So, I called Ryan.
Naturally I went instantly to Voicemail. I left him a detailed message explaining the situation and my number. About ten minutes later Ryan called me back.
" Did you listen to my message?" I asked.
" No, I did not." He replied. I then repeated the message to him.
" I don't know about any chairs.." He interjected during my explanation. I further explained how I knew they were there and where they were. I even told him I would return them promptly after the event so as to not upset his staff's schedule.
" How do you know this? Have you been in our office?" Ryan was starting to get testy at this point.
"Yes!" I said. " I have been to many events down there and was there last June at an RTC meeting. I made a point of seeing if the chairs were still there and they were."
"Well, I will have to check with my boss and besides, Saturdays are one of our busier calling nights and we will need all of the chairs.."
At this point in time I realized that Ryan was just plain lying to me. As I said a few paragraphs ago I was constantly at the building and never saw any one there on a Saturday night. In addition how was it that Ryan suddenly needed all the chairs he just told me he knew nothing about?
I asked him to please check with 'his boss' and to get back in touch with me. I thanked him for his time and hung up.
Ryan never called me back.
The next day I ran into Brad Wyatt (building owner). I explained the situation and Brad gave me the best response I had ever heard.
" You know why he did that don't you?" He asked. I was at a loss.
" It is because they know Mark Fisher is showing up at the Symposium."
Brad could not have been more correct.
In fact, of all the candidates who signed on for the Symposium none of the candidates riding Baker's coattails (who agreed to attend) bothered showing up. All of the grassroots candidates who put their own necks, their money and good names on the line DID show up.
This may be the last time we see a candidate like Mark Fisher run for office in Massachusetts. Given the way he was treated at the convention, treated by the Mass GOP, the press during his legal battle to get on the ballot and the complete lack of support from the GOP itself in general will exclude any and all possibility of a meaningful outside candidate with straight answers to ever choose to run for office ever, ever again.
.... And That Is The Diatribe....
P.S. Here is that link.. http://thelexingtongreen.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-baker-campaign-wants-no-press-at.html
The crooks don't even give us the courtesy of a reach around to delude us into thinking we made an 'informed' decision.
I will tell you who made an informed the decision, though. It was the voters who voted for the outsiders who lost. Well, in most cases. Warren Tolman WAS and idiot!
The upside of all of this was at least the Communist Party.., excuse me. Democrat Party ended up with a split vote. Neither Coakley, Grossman or any other Dem won a decidedly majority of the votes. The only disturbing aspect of that fact is it is obvious that Massachusetts Democrats could give a rat's ass where their Socialism comes from. More taxes, more regulations, more rules, mandates, laws, ordinances. It doesn't matter who is in charge. Massachusetts Democrats love to show off their designer shackles.
Can I get those engraved? Oh, for an extra fee? How silly of me!
But how the hell did Charlie Baker make the grade? I watched Mark Fisher crisscross this state from Pittsfield to Plymouth attending every single event he could cram into a 24 hour day. I ran into Mark several times during the election and each time he remembered who I was and greeted me warmly. He attended my Candidate's Symposium and every answer he gave was direct, simple and to the point. Come to think of it? He was destined to lose on that principle alone.
I also ran into Charlie Baker several times during the campaign. Each time he would stare at me like a gaunt concentration camp victim. There are only so many times you can say, "The Meat And Potatoes Show" before you realize either some one is just not listening to you or they are dumber than a box of donuts. In Charlie's case I think both axioms apply. Come to think of it? He was bound to win on that principle alone.
Although I invited Mark to my show every time we met, I understood he was busy. He was always gracious and apologetic for not being able to come on. The day he personally sent me a message that he would attend my Symposium I was happy and left the poor guy alone from then on. No one from Charlie's team returned the half dozen invites I sent them. I personally spoke to Karyn Polito at the Automatic Gas Tax party in Shrewsbury and (again) invited them onto the show. Karyn turned to one of her staffers (who was shitfaced) and told them to give me a business card and to call them tomorrow...
No one remembered me. No one knew what I was talking about. Mind you, this dynamic duo could potentially be our next Gov. and Lt. Gov. Scary isn't it?
I will tell you an interesting story associated with the Baker campaign. I will disclaim here and now that this has nothing to do with Charlie or Karyn. So, I cannot blame them. I will also include a link to another blog post I wrote some time ago about another incident I experienced while interacting with their campaign staff. Both this story and the related link should give you a good idea of what we are dealing with here.
While in the early stages of planning my August 30th Candidate's Symposium my buddy Wayne and I attended a Republican Town Committee meeting at 18 Grafton St. on the first floor office. This was late June of this year. After the meeting I motioned to Wayne to follow me into a back storage room. There, I pointed to about two dozen stacked chairs that were stored. I said to Wayne that we need to remember these chairs and be sure to get them prior to the event so we could use them. I knew the chairs were there because I have been attending meetings and events at 18 Grafton St. since 2010.
Sometime between late June and late August the Baker team arrived and set up a call center in that first floor space. At that same time I was conducting sit down interviews for my show on the fourth floor at the Liberty Clubhouse. I was there almost every other day and on weekends. I conducted around a dozen interviews there.
Each time I was there I would check to see if anyone was at the Baker office so I could speak to them about the event and the chairs.
No one was ever there. I was there in the mornings, afternoons, evenings, weekends.. All times and days. I would even peer into the windows and knock on the door to see if any one was home. No one.. Ever!
So, as the Symposium drew closer I began to get concerned and asked the building manager if he could get in touch with any one from the Baker team downstairs. He gave me the phone number of a guy named Ryan from Mass GOP. So, I called Ryan.
Naturally I went instantly to Voicemail. I left him a detailed message explaining the situation and my number. About ten minutes later Ryan called me back.
" Did you listen to my message?" I asked.
" No, I did not." He replied. I then repeated the message to him.
" I don't know about any chairs.." He interjected during my explanation. I further explained how I knew they were there and where they were. I even told him I would return them promptly after the event so as to not upset his staff's schedule.
" How do you know this? Have you been in our office?" Ryan was starting to get testy at this point.
"Yes!" I said. " I have been to many events down there and was there last June at an RTC meeting. I made a point of seeing if the chairs were still there and they were."
"Well, I will have to check with my boss and besides, Saturdays are one of our busier calling nights and we will need all of the chairs.."
At this point in time I realized that Ryan was just plain lying to me. As I said a few paragraphs ago I was constantly at the building and never saw any one there on a Saturday night. In addition how was it that Ryan suddenly needed all the chairs he just told me he knew nothing about?
I asked him to please check with 'his boss' and to get back in touch with me. I thanked him for his time and hung up.
Ryan never called me back.
The next day I ran into Brad Wyatt (building owner). I explained the situation and Brad gave me the best response I had ever heard.
" You know why he did that don't you?" He asked. I was at a loss.
" It is because they know Mark Fisher is showing up at the Symposium."
Brad could not have been more correct.
In fact, of all the candidates who signed on for the Symposium none of the candidates riding Baker's coattails (who agreed to attend) bothered showing up. All of the grassroots candidates who put their own necks, their money and good names on the line DID show up.
This may be the last time we see a candidate like Mark Fisher run for office in Massachusetts. Given the way he was treated at the convention, treated by the Mass GOP, the press during his legal battle to get on the ballot and the complete lack of support from the GOP itself in general will exclude any and all possibility of a meaningful outside candidate with straight answers to ever choose to run for office ever, ever again.
.... And That Is The Diatribe....
P.S. Here is that link.. http://thelexingtongreen.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-baker-campaign-wants-no-press-at.html
Monday, July 28, 2014
Ghosts and Goblins of The Past. Things That Go 'Bump' in the Night
OK, I am going to be called a racist because I have some problems with our current Administration. I guess I never was able to get over the teachings of my Kennedy Liberal mother who implored upon my upbringing to question everything and everybody. Guilty as charged. But look on the bright side. I am 51 as of this October and already past the 'Life Values Curve' of the Cass Sunstein model lodged into Obamacare so if I become catastrophically ill or injured, no medical attention will be paid to me and I will fade like a newspaper left in a sunny window.
However, there IS an advantage to my growing old age. I no longer give two craps about what people think ( in general or, of me). I can say what I think and feel and only old codgers like me will listen. I KNOW what I am talking about because I have read about it 14,000 times and lived through it several times over as well. I have been places, seen and done things that will curl your toenails so anything any one says in rebuttal better have their shit together.
This latest chapter in my life's book has unfolded to where I am now covering elections, events, protests, writing articles, researching, engaged in self study of American History and its exceptional place in our evolution as a species. I have created out of thin air, my own media network which has grown beyond anything I even imagined. Thus; requiring me to write, research, read, create, expand and develop more of my intellect in order to feed this monster I have created.
So, sit down. Shut up and listen to what this old man has to say!... And pull you damn pants up!
First of all. You live in the most amazing place ever created in the entire history of civilization. My grandmother lived through one of the most incredible centuries in all centuries combined. The 20th. She watched from her birth in 1898 to the first flight of those two kooks who built bikes for a living. Every one said they were nuts until one morning at a beach on the Carolina sea shore. She kissed goodbye friends and relatives in 1917 and 1942 to go and fight for freedom. None of them came back except her husband (my grandfather) who suffered years later from gas attacks and 'Shell Shock'.. Yes, that was the term and that should remain the term!
She made beer and whiskey in a still in the kitchen and sold it during Prohibition.. Grandma was a Dealer!.. She never took a drink though... Ever.
She marveled at a new washing machine and a crazy idea known as a refrigerator. Canned food scared her and GOD FORBID you dare leave a condiment jar uncovered! She never learned to drive and even as I drove her around in my own modern safety equipped vehicle she elected to sit in the back and would always tell me to "..Slow down!" Once television came on the scene she was amazed.. WOW! Three channels in black and white that was constantly going , ".. on the blink.." as she would say.
Until one night in 1969 when she watched Neil and Buzz goof off on the moon. ' Youd 'ave thought they 'ave more sense than that!". She said in her Lancashire English brogue.
She watched Vietnam and begged my father to hide my older brothers from the draft. She had NOTHING good to say about the Soviets yet, even she, would tell the next person to, "let the man speak!"
She worked her entire life until she retired at 75. Then, she decided to work some more because that was who she was.
She voted for Reagan, and Bush. She rejoiced as The Wall as hammered down. She cried and remarked during Bosnia; " ..if the Russians were still there? They'd 'ave put an' en' to this malarkey!"
She died at 98 and was spared the horror of 9/11. She would have been so ashamed of America to have allowed this. She would be horrified to see America as she is today.
You see, even though my grandmother was very Liberal, she knew who to choose as a leader. She EXPERIENCED leaders in her time and could tell when some one was blowing smoke up her dress.
I was raised this way... I grew up in that Democrat household but was constantly exposed to questions and my elders yelling at the TV and talking politics at the dinner table. Essentially we lived as free Americans and God help the poor SOB who told us otherwise.
So, do not tell me what I am because I stand up and say 'wait a second..'. This is something engrained into my DNA and my children have it as well. If we are to accept the idea (invented) that being gay is from birth then do not denigrate me for my very American political beliefs.. I was born this way! I was raised this way! It is in (quite literally) my DNA... If I can take a moment here: My parents played instruments, grandparents, great-grandparents, my bothers; thus, I played in bands as well.. DNA!
My children question all the time and are constantly put under the microscope by teachers, social workers and the police.. Is this the America we want? I hope my children fight to their last dying breath for what is given to them by God and enshrined in our Constitution. Given the current state of affairs with our family, I do not worry.
Neither my parents or grandparents had to worry about a government agent knocking on the door because their child spoke out in class or defended a friend in a fight.. That is my cross to bear because of the society we have created for ourselves.
But this is where we are at today. So, excuse me if I have a problem with where we are. Things tend to 'bump' now from normalcy of what we should be to being imposed upon us now. The ghosts of our past are nudging us into action. It des not matter if you were raised in a staunch Republican household or in my, Liberal Democrat household. Our ancestors are calling to us from their graves to action. You may 'hold' a party line but we are all bound by the principles of our Republic and what that means to our posterity.
....And That Is The Diatribe....
However, there IS an advantage to my growing old age. I no longer give two craps about what people think ( in general or, of me). I can say what I think and feel and only old codgers like me will listen. I KNOW what I am talking about because I have read about it 14,000 times and lived through it several times over as well. I have been places, seen and done things that will curl your toenails so anything any one says in rebuttal better have their shit together.
This latest chapter in my life's book has unfolded to where I am now covering elections, events, protests, writing articles, researching, engaged in self study of American History and its exceptional place in our evolution as a species. I have created out of thin air, my own media network which has grown beyond anything I even imagined. Thus; requiring me to write, research, read, create, expand and develop more of my intellect in order to feed this monster I have created.
So, sit down. Shut up and listen to what this old man has to say!... And pull you damn pants up!
First of all. You live in the most amazing place ever created in the entire history of civilization. My grandmother lived through one of the most incredible centuries in all centuries combined. The 20th. She watched from her birth in 1898 to the first flight of those two kooks who built bikes for a living. Every one said they were nuts until one morning at a beach on the Carolina sea shore. She kissed goodbye friends and relatives in 1917 and 1942 to go and fight for freedom. None of them came back except her husband (my grandfather) who suffered years later from gas attacks and 'Shell Shock'.. Yes, that was the term and that should remain the term!
She made beer and whiskey in a still in the kitchen and sold it during Prohibition.. Grandma was a Dealer!.. She never took a drink though... Ever.
She marveled at a new washing machine and a crazy idea known as a refrigerator. Canned food scared her and GOD FORBID you dare leave a condiment jar uncovered! She never learned to drive and even as I drove her around in my own modern safety equipped vehicle she elected to sit in the back and would always tell me to "..Slow down!" Once television came on the scene she was amazed.. WOW! Three channels in black and white that was constantly going , ".. on the blink.." as she would say.
Until one night in 1969 when she watched Neil and Buzz goof off on the moon. ' Youd 'ave thought they 'ave more sense than that!". She said in her Lancashire English brogue.
She watched Vietnam and begged my father to hide my older brothers from the draft. She had NOTHING good to say about the Soviets yet, even she, would tell the next person to, "let the man speak!"
She worked her entire life until she retired at 75. Then, she decided to work some more because that was who she was.
She voted for Reagan, and Bush. She rejoiced as The Wall as hammered down. She cried and remarked during Bosnia; " ..if the Russians were still there? They'd 'ave put an' en' to this malarkey!"
She died at 98 and was spared the horror of 9/11. She would have been so ashamed of America to have allowed this. She would be horrified to see America as she is today.
You see, even though my grandmother was very Liberal, she knew who to choose as a leader. She EXPERIENCED leaders in her time and could tell when some one was blowing smoke up her dress.
I was raised this way... I grew up in that Democrat household but was constantly exposed to questions and my elders yelling at the TV and talking politics at the dinner table. Essentially we lived as free Americans and God help the poor SOB who told us otherwise.
So, do not tell me what I am because I stand up and say 'wait a second..'. This is something engrained into my DNA and my children have it as well. If we are to accept the idea (invented) that being gay is from birth then do not denigrate me for my very American political beliefs.. I was born this way! I was raised this way! It is in (quite literally) my DNA... If I can take a moment here: My parents played instruments, grandparents, great-grandparents, my bothers; thus, I played in bands as well.. DNA!
My children question all the time and are constantly put under the microscope by teachers, social workers and the police.. Is this the America we want? I hope my children fight to their last dying breath for what is given to them by God and enshrined in our Constitution. Given the current state of affairs with our family, I do not worry.
Neither my parents or grandparents had to worry about a government agent knocking on the door because their child spoke out in class or defended a friend in a fight.. That is my cross to bear because of the society we have created for ourselves.
But this is where we are at today. So, excuse me if I have a problem with where we are. Things tend to 'bump' now from normalcy of what we should be to being imposed upon us now. The ghosts of our past are nudging us into action. It des not matter if you were raised in a staunch Republican household or in my, Liberal Democrat household. Our ancestors are calling to us from their graves to action. You may 'hold' a party line but we are all bound by the principles of our Republic and what that means to our posterity.
....And That Is The Diatribe....
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