David Driscoll on Education Reform

Our Commissioner of Education, David Driscoll, wrote an op-ed in today's Boston Globe. At first, I thought he was speaking prophetically. He makes some good points: Massachusetts may be this nation's leader on education, but we're only the best player on a very bad team. He recognizes that this country has changed all sorts of things when it comes to our educational system, hoping to make it better, but those changes never permeate through to the surface.

So, the Commish wants to create changes that aren't just on the surface. His solution?

Toughen and expand Grade 10 assessments to include a tougher battery of tests

Yikes! More tests! He complained earlier in the peice about teachers "teaching to the test," yet just wants to make them have more tests they're going to teach to? Is he (how do I put this nicely?) insane? I'm not intrinsically opposed to testing in schools, even if some of that testing determines whether or not students will graduate. I'd rather them just be used to show which schools need help and where - but there certainly are certain things that every student should know before they graduate and a test could be that determination.

However, the only reforms Driscoll actually offered were tests, tests and more tests. I have no doubts that more testing will achieve a higher grade on all these exams, but does that mean our students are any better off when they graduate? Will a test help them make a business presentation? Will a test help them on stage, create art, take photographs or write a good example of journalism? Perhaps, but none of the tests we have today do any such thing.

What would help students learn more is addressing the actual reasons why they aren't. Maybe they aren't trying in school because they don't value what they're learning? I can tell readers that there were certainly classes that I felt useless or easy - and when that happened, my effort plummeted. Anecdotal? Sure, but I doubt I'm alone there. If we can find ways to make students actually interested in what they do, they're that much more likely to learn.

Maybe we need to offer students more choices about what they learn. After all, who made up the rule that students have to learn about European history? What if they wanted to learn about Japan instead of England? Who says people have to take either French or Spanish - why not Mandarin Chinese or Italian?

Maybe schools need to tackle some of the real problems that millions of students face: external stress. Maybe we need more counselors to help students deal with problems, such as relationship issues, sexuality, dealing with all that work, whatever. Maybe we need to figure out a way to get parents more involved, so they can pass on the appreciation for education - whether they have a college education or not. Maybe we need to figure out ways to help with real problems at home, because if your parent is an alcoholic getting an A on your math test isn't going to be a high priority.

I don't know all the answers, but I do know more testing isn't one of them. Perhaps we need to try some trial and error, with more pilot schools to test out these theories. Driscoll did offer one good idea: longer school days. However, they shouldn't be just about core curriculum. They should be able extra help for those who need it and fun for everyone, including those getting extra help. It should be the opportunity everyone has to participate in sports, learn instruments, create works of art and do any number of things. Yet, all of these things would cost money - a lot of money. It's going to take a lot to convince enough people in this state of the value of longer school days with more opportunities for students before people will invest more money in it. Furthermore, there's probably no feasible way of doing it without raising taxes: would the Commish write an OP ED suggesting in favor of that?

Uniting in Common Interest

The New Bedford Standard Times prints a doozey today, one that I - in large part - agree with.

MassINC and the Brookings Institution gently call them the "gateway" cities. They are places like New Bedford and Fall River, Holyoke and Lawrence, Pittsfield and Lowell — former mill towns that got left out when the factories closed, leaving poverty and unemployment and all the related social problems behind. With a new governor who was not cookie-cut from the Boston-centric Beacon Hill crowd and a lieutenant governor who was the mayor of Worcester — itself a gateway city--the public policy research organizations decided the time was right to release a study that shows just how badly these old working cities have been left to wither even as Boston and its wealthy suburbs bloomed as the manufacturing economy gave way to a "knowledge" economy driven by technology and research.... Want commuter rail to SouthCoast? Well, forget it because $14 billion or so is going to the Big Dig. Merge UMass Dartmouth and the Southern New England School of Law? Not going to happen because Suffolk University and the New England School of Law don't want it to happen.

The paper's solution?

Organize what the Brookings Institution's Mark Muro calls a Gateway Cities Coalition that will represent the collective interests of all these old milltowns. Then invite their municipal leaders to a Gateway Cities Forum and hold it right in New Bedford/Fall River. Bring in not only the public policy experts... and help these cities define a Gateway Cities Agenda that will articulate our shared concerns and common demands.

Then present every state lawmaker and every candidate for statewide or federal office with that agenda and its associated legislation and notify each candidate that if they desire the support of those who live in or near these old cities, then they know what our expectations are. Therein is power — and enough to compete with greater Boston on equal or near-equal footing.

Sounds good to me. It's long since time that the brink cities across this state join together. Over at BMG, whether there's whole tons of validity in it or not, people are obviously angry and the state needs to do something to relax the mood. For several years, Boston has had more than it's fair share of resources toward improving the city - improvements that were necessarily. But, it's well past time that the state focus on giving other regions of the state what they need to improve and provide a high quality of life for its citizens. That means a train in New Bedford, subway in Lynn, public law school in Dartmouth and improvements that go beyond my scope in central and western Massachusetts.

It's up to making citizens across Massachusetts realize that they need to band together - not tear each other apart, a la that Mass Pike thread - if they want any major and necessary projects to happen in their city too. What happens in New Bedford really does matter in Springfield too in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Deval's Education Plan aka Deval's the Greatest

At least that's according to the Boston Globe.

After years of painful local aid cuts, Patrick pledged he would stand up for cities and towns.... In a small line item, Patrick has accomplished multiple goals. We love Deval. He's the greatest.

Okay, so maybe I added in those last two sentences, but the Globe was very high on Deval Patrick's educational plan. They seemed to think it was bold, innovative, fiscally prudent and was actually meant to do the right think - not suck up to towns.

Here's how Deval is doing it:

Patrick is using the education budget not so much to make friends as to influence the pace of education reform in Massachusetts. It's the right approach. In many places, there is little hope of closing the achievement gap between rich and poor during the traditional 6.5-hour school day. Ten schools with about 4,700 students are now attacking the achievement gap under a $6.5 million pilot program from last year's budget. Another 4,000 students stand a chance to join them if the Legislature backs Patrick's proposal to double the effort.

They're going to benefit from approximately 25% longer school days, mainly to help students with their core subjects. I'd like to see some money thrown in there for enrichment programs and athletics, but there isn't a big "S" written on the front of Deval Patrick's chest. Baby steps, Ryan, baby steps.

So, now that Deval Patrick is actually throwing the Globe a bone releasing more info, we're not hearing about his drapes, cars, secretaries and furniture. Who'd have thought? The good thing about Deval Patrick is he seems to be a quick study, so let's hope all that nonsense from a week or so ago won't hurt any of the Governor's bold plans. Innovation isn't easy - and it becomes much harder when the media isn't reporting the facts. Transparency, good ideas and good communication will equate to more of these positively beaming editorials in the future.

The Globe: Getting it Right the Second Time Around

Lately, I've scorned the Globe - and for good reason. Stories, left and right, were flawed and missing key facts. Quite frankly, I was sick of it - and even paid them a letter to the editor. Here's one thing I can say about the Globe - even when they don't print letters, they clearly read them. Furthermore, they browse the blogs, including my own - so at the very least, when criticism is laid upon them and that criticism is extremely valid, the Globe often throws us angry readers and bloggers a bone... or belatedly makes up for a lousy story.

Today is an example of that.

One of my recent blogs - and the letter I sent them - was about a horrendous story on how businesses were "blasting" Patrick's plan to close loopholes. The story neglected to mention key information, which was widely available, such as the fact that Massachusetts has one of the lowest corporate tax rates in the country. Furthermore, story never discussed the more than dozen states that have closed the very same loopholes, including states with a lot of corporations like Illinois and California.

Well, here's a snippet of today's lead editorial:

Debate quickly became heated over whether Patrick was proposing a major tax increase on state businesses, or merely "closing loopholes." The question is more than semantic. And the answer, in truth, is that the plan would be both.

When fully implemented, Patrick's tax increases would yield some $500 million, only $75 million of which would go to property tax relief, while the rest would go toward balancing the budget. Since the total take for corporate taxes in fiscal 2006 was only $1.4 billion, $500 million more represents an enormous tax hike, says Michael Widmer of the business-funded Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.

Sure, it's a big percentage increase, but from a very low base. According to the liberal Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, the state ranks from 43 d to 49th in its level of corporate taxation. Besides, say Patrick's budgeteers, the targeted taxes really are loopholes. The largest change, called combined reporting, would prevent companies from setting up subsidiaries in low-tax states that could suck up revenues that should legitimately be subject to taxation in Massachusetts. Seventeen states use this method, and others are moving in that direction, they say.

Why, the editorial mentions the very same things I criticized the Globe for just the other day. They learned their lesson. Furthermore, they did an important thing: critiqued the governor for not getting going on some of his other campaign promises, such as speeding up the permitting process. It's something that should go along with closing the corporate loopholes. Not only is it the right thing to do, it's the type of compromise that could soften the corporate blow and make them all the less likely to bitterly stave off such basic things as tax fairness.

So, the Globe did a good job today. Let's just hope that next time they can get it right the first time.

Don't Just Support the Troops - Save the Troops

I read this today - and really loved it.

"Support our troops" is a once-meaningful phrase that has been hollowed out and stripped of all meaning. Like "freedom" and "democracy," like "victory" and "success," it's a flimsy phrase connoting not its original meaning, but the dog-whistle politics of its speaker.

Republicans have used the phrase to attack everything from non-binding resolutions to Representative Murtha's funding proposal to revoking the war authorization. Their goal is to put Democrats on the defensive, to goad them into a response which falsely suggests to the American people that "supporting the troops" is actually up for debate.

And Democrats, all too often, willingly walk into that trap. There is no such debate on the issue of supporting our troops. The debate we're about to have--the debate we need to have--is about much more than yellow ribbons on SUVs and red faced rants of treason on the Senate floor. It's not just about supporting our troops, whatever that phrase means at whatever politically opportune moment that hollow phrase is uttered.

It's about saving them.

Go and read the whole thing, I just touched on the surface of the post.

We all support the troops. I don't know one person who's placing the blame of Iraq's disastrous consequences on the troops - it's all about the people who planned and implemented this tragedy. However, to say that Democrats can't move to block funding of the army because it somehow isn't supporting the troops is intellectually dishonest at best. It's not about supporting the troops - it's about saving them.

Anyone who argues otherwise wants to keep the troops there longer, where more of them will be maimed and die in the thousands. The ones who survive will come home to hospitals that can't care for them and will be scorned if they try to receive the mental treatment they need.

How is that supporting the troops?

America has a way to go...

I can't believe this happened. It's one of the saddest things I've ever read about. A lot of people like to say "why do we need bills against hate crimes?" Well, folks, this is why.

Andrew Anthos, 72, the gay senior citizen who waged a nearly-two-decade campaign to have the Michigan capitol dome lit in red, white, and blue, died yesterday from injuries sustained in a brutal hate attack.

Anthos, whom his niece says had a lifelong disability, was riding a bus home and a stranger, apparently offended that Anthos was singing, asked Anthos if he was gay, followed him off a bus, and beat him with a pipe. Anthos spent the last few days in a coma, paralyzed from the neck down, before dying yesterday.

It's now more important than ever that Massachusetts legislators stand up and do the right thing next Constitutional Convention. If they go and vote to put civil rights on the ballot, they're sending the message that gay people really are second class citizens. They're sending the message that gay people have no rights. People viewed as being less than human are much more likely to be savagely murdered or victimized, be it in the form of a lynching or tied to a fence to be brutally beaten before eventually dying, all alone in Laromie, WY.

So, what will our state leg do? I can't fathom the hate that will come from a campaign to ban marriage equality on the airwaves. I can't fathom the violence it could spark (we've already seen a small glimpse). I don't want to think about the tears, grief and sweat - all because a small minority in this country seeks equal rights. If just a dozen more state legislators come to that same realization, all of it could be avoided. Andrew Anthos should be a stark reminder to everyone about the very real dangers that exist when some people are viewed as less than others simply for their own feelings.

Patrick's Budget

The Globe has some of the key proposals:

Governor Deval Patrick will unveil a budget Tuesday that would boost state aid to cities and towns by more than 5 percent, and increase spending on community policing, while providing virtually no increase for the state's human service agencies.

Patrick, seeking to fulfill campaign promises while grappling with a gaping budget deficit, would send an additional $200 million to communities for education, which would mean at least $50 extra per student, according to administration sources. His budget proposal also calls for:

Spending $13 million to help 800 of the state's 1,500 half-day kindergarten classrooms expand to a full day.

Doubling the amount spent on extended school day programs to $13 million.

Increasing other local aid to communities by $112 million, including a $15 million increase in lottery distributions.

Adding about $10 million in community policing grants to help pay for 250 new officers.

Not too shabby. I wanted to go to Melrose on Tuesday and listen to his speech, but unfortunately I have rehearsal. However, I expect we'll have a year in which the UMASS system is at least level funded. I expect some other good ideas coming from Patrick's administration too.

However, the Governor is going to face some very tough choices in a very difficult financial situation. That means a lot of the legilsature's pet projects may have to be cut. That means a lot of truly important projects could face a loss of funding. That means even I am probably going to be pissed off at some of his decisions - but it can't be helped. What Patrick's priorities, resourcefulness and creativity bring to his budget decisions will - in great part - determine his competency in office. I expect we're going to have a wizard, but who knows?

Sadly, Governor Patrick may not be given the chance he needs to make the budget work - despite the fact that Massachusetts voted overwhelmingly for him, in large part because they felt he was going to be exceptionally competent in creating budgets. Didn't we all vote for him, in large part, because of his business savvy?

Beacon Hill seems poised to prevent many of Patrick's attempts at closing the gap. For example, the House Speaker - DiMasi - isn't very fond of Patrick's proposal to give towns the option of creating a local meals tax. How anyone could be against that, I don't know. It just gives towns a choice, one they could choose not to employ. However, for some towns this year, it could mean the difference between level funding a school - or laying off a teacher. Aren't we trying to improve our school systems? Doesn't the State Leg get that?

Beacon Hill ought to pass Patrick's proposal to give towns more control over what they do within their own borders. They also ought to pass his other proposals meant to increase tax fairness and balance the budget, especially the removal of corporate loopholes. Massachusetts is one of the most generous states to corporations in terms of taxation - while the rest of us suffer. No one is suggesting we tax the hell out of Bank of America; it's just time everyone pays their fair share in making our Commonwealth great. Deval Patrick seems poised to help do that, he may just need a lot of angry constituents on his side calling Speaker DiMasi.

Hey Globe: Facts First, Please

Businesses "blast" Patrick's tax plan. With the way things are going lately, I'm sure the Globe was only more than happy to avoid little things called poignant facts at the top of their story. Here's the first paragraph:

Governor Deval L. Patrick is looking to companies to cough up nearly $800 million more in tax payments over the next two years, through what he calls "closing loopholes." But businesses call the seven proposed changes job-killing tax increases.

If you wanted to know the answer, you won't get it from the Boston Globe. The Globe could have analyzed relevant information, but didn't. For example, are Massachusetts corporate taxes high? If they're not high, they're not going to be "job-killing tax increases." Furthermore, you won't find out what are other states are doing - because the Globe ignored that question too.

The funny thing is it's not as if this information isn't available. Just the other day I received an email/press release from the nonpartisan Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (MBPC) discussing the topic, informing citizens about the facts. I'm sure the Boston Globe received the same email. What did the report have to say? According to the MBPC, Massachusetts has paltry corporate taxation. In fact, we have one of the 8 lowest in the country. Closing a few of Patrick's loopholes isn't going to kill jobs.

Did the Globe find anyone to support the Governor? One small blurb at the very, very end - where no one would read it. No mention of the MBPC study, no Harvard professors discussing tax policy... nothing. It's just like a CNN "debate" with two people bashing heads, sparring the audience of any relevant facts, but without that second bashing head and in print. Thanks for the fair and balanced coverage, Globe, I'm sure Fox News would be proud.

Tell me this isn't true?!

The big scary monster strikes again. With what I've read from commenter Steverino on BMG, I'm about to be very angry.

Emily Rooney just reported on "Greater Boston" to the nodding agreement of Paul Cellucci's Republican press secretary, that the curtains were falling off the wall in the office--and that a table collapsed under the weight of a book at a press event the week before the furniture arrived. You heard me. A press event. Which none of its attendees reported on. The press knows exactly what they're doing--playing their "outraged" readers and viewers for fools.

If it's a choice between Deval spending money without being a little more transparent and getting kicked around in the media, rightfully so or not, or the media just, well, lying... I'd rather Deval be made the villain. Otherwise, the media is dead - and not just dying slowly. Ultimately, I can't think of one thing more important to democracy than a free and fair media... so to see it officially six feet under would be a crying shame.

It could have been that Deval really did need new furniture - that the furniture and decor that was there was completely falling apart. Budget crisis or not, those things need to be replaced if that's the case. It's not like drapery is cheap... look what upwards of only $600 buys for one window at JC Penny! And furniture?? Just ask Steverino about it...

And in a world where one can easily pay $10,000 or more for a single couch, the furniture was hardly "lavish." The prices reported in today's Globe were right in line for decent furniture. While, as a grad student, you doubtless have humbler tastes, don't you agree it might have raised a few eyebrows to replace the collapsing
furniture in the governor's office with beanbag chairs and crushed Dorito bags?

Let's Just Sell the State House and be Done With It

Quite frankly, I've had it with all the craziness. The Massachusetts State House - you know, the one with the huge-ass Golden Dome - is an historical landmark. Thousands of important decisions have taken place there. Hundreds of significant historical figures walked through its doors. Most importantly, it's a credit to the entire people of Massachusetts: a symbol of what all our collective hard work can do. If we don't want to continue to work hard to keep it up, as elegant and modern as it has ever been, then let's just sell the damn thing and be done with it.

Maybe some art museum will come sweeping in, ecstatic for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have such a magnificent building. They'll really appreciate every single brick and flake of gold at the top; they'll upkeep the building by providing it new and nice things like furniture and drapery. Spending money on upkeep won't ever be a problem for them, it's not as if the press casts a critical eye on what non-profits spend their money on.

Maybe some gigantic corporation would want to buy it. After all, it's a large lot. If the building wasn't big enough for some CEO to decide to HQ in Boston under the Golden Dome, then they could just tear the whole damn thing down. Sure, all the hippies will throw a conniption, but protesting hippies and all their 'love and respect' for history and art is so tiresome. Meanwhile, we can just count the tax-dollar dough all the jobs such a spartan complex could bring. Of course, we better give the corportation lots of blood money "incentives" so they'll come; we'll just tax the hell out of their employees to make up for it.

Meanwhile, after the State House is sold and gone, we can just rent out the cheapest office space across Boston. After all, who needs one centralized location? It's really just a matter of convenience. We can have one office here, another there, maybe even in a closet... and, really, there is space aplenty after the 'merger' of some of our biggest, most important corporations. That way, people can be really happy because the state operations will truly be cost-efficient and spartan as all hell. We won't waste a dime on elegance - only rich people deserve that, and only in their private homes and clubs. Why should the people who work at the state house, who make crap anyway, be entitled to a comfy chair and nice curtains? Let's just sit their tushes on the floor while we're at it, too, the free-loading serfs. And screw keeping it nice for visitors - we don't want them anyway.

The most important thing to remember is we can't stop at the State House. Historical landmarks - of any kind - are all expensive. Let's start by getting rid of the most expensive things things this state operates - it's parks. We have one of the largest state park systems in the country, yet (not unexpectedly) woefully underfund it. See, we already have our priorities straight, we just need to follow through, get off our asses and call Century 21 to take the tens of thousands of acres off our hands. Who needs parks anyway? Imagine all the 500k, unaffordable townhouses we could throw up instead? Then, let's save this state thousands every year by letting the Zakim Bridge blue lights dim - for good. The entire bridge itself was probably a waste of money, but what can we do now? I suppose we can stop with the upkeep completely and let it eventually fall into the dirty water. People can find an alternative route.

Clearly, the state is suffering a budget crisis. Therefore, we need to find more money and can't spend a dime on upkeep and such trivial things as our historical landmarks. Even if people just give the state fancy drapery as donations, we still can't have any of it. That's what yard sales are for! Let's just sell all this state's assets and have ourselves a fundraiser (anyone else like to regift?). Our respect for the art and history of this great state will be dead - good riddens. We've been heading toward mediocrity for a while now; doesn't this race to the bottom sound exciting?

Update: Some perspective for everyone to consider when they go and say Deval's apology is petty or doesn't matter.

New Rules: What an Incoming Governor Can and Can't Do

I'm so sick of this nonsense about Deval Patrick spending money on this or that... it all seems pretty routine and rational to me.

If Laura Bush can have her own plane & staff, surely the wife or husband of a governor - who wants to work on important public causes - deserves his or her own personal secretary. I think we can all agree that we don't want our Governors driving in a Honda Civic either, if only to spare their legs on long trips. A small remodelling of the Corner Office doesn't bother me either. Furthermore, a helicopter ride or two a month to important events held at remote areas of the state isn't going to kill our budget or create waste - it just provides Governors with the opportunity to actually show up in Great Barrington, Provincetown or Westfield. While we're at it, let's buy our Governors a fairly modest 3 bedroom Town House in Boston, that way future executives from Western Mass and Cape Cod aren't at a huge disadvantage when they're elected to office.

It's time for the public to come up with some guidelines for what's right - and wrong - for Governors to spend tax dollars on. Just what can they spend on cars? What cars are and are not okay for them to drive? What's an appropriate use of an helicopter? Would any of us consider cheesy 80s drapes in the Corner Office appropriate - or are they akin to airing outer space skinamax from a projector on the Golden Dome?

Deval Patrick was easy pickins because, to the Herald and Globe, there really were no guidelines on what was and wasn't okay to spend money on - the tabloids "print media" just made their own hit pieces rules as they went along. However, the questions are entirely valid and I really don't know the answer. I'm hoping for some great discussion in the comments. Just what is appropriate for an incoming Governor to use state money on? Keep in mind, not all Governors have been or will be as wealthy as Deval.

Update:

Maybe the line isn't really a particular amount, but the necessity of transparency. I have a hard time believing that the public would have a problem with new curtains and a caddy if the intentions to get them (and the rational behind them) were made in advance. One of the core goals of the progressive movement is transparency, so this seems like a very good answer to me.

Why North Carolina is Stealing So Many Jobs...

It's no big secret that many people who have left Massachusetts have moved to North Carolina. The question has just been "why?"

This past weekend, President's Day Weekend, I went to North Carolina for a small family trip. We were there to catch a few big ACC Basketball games and see the Greater Raleigh sites - which, oddly enough, is basically college after college after college. Unbeknownced to me, in just a very small area there's a set of colleges that rival Greater Boston itself in size - and class. While Raleigh may not have a Harvard and MIT, it does have a Duke and Wake Forest. Furthermore, Boston doesn't have anything like the University of North Carolina - a major research university affordable to the public (with tens of thousands taking advantage of the opportunity), with a bunch of great programs. Heck, Boston doesn't even have a NC State - an affordable university open to tens of thousands and offering housing for most of them.

People have been looking at all sorts of reasons for why North Carolina is suddenly becoming the state to move to. Some have said it has everything to do with affordability; others say there are still fairly well-paying Blue Collar jobs available there. Some new sectors are popping up in the Raleigh area as well, lured by lower wages for employees. Of course, the reason probably has to do with all of the above.

However, the colleges and universities in that area cannot be underestimated. With Raleigh being the area most people are moving to, it can't be forgotten that there probably wouldn't be a Greater Raleigh without the many universities surrounding it. They're providing jobs - lots of jobs. There must be at least 100,000 college students in a very small radius - no one should be shocked that there are new cities popping up that don't look much larger than a Lynn or New Bedford in terms of population, yet have several small sky scrappers and tons of new development.

The fact that people can get a nearly-new 3 bedroom, 2 bath townhouse with a garage for under 200k certainly isn't keeping all those new graduates out of the area after they graduate. Meanwhile, Mass grads are getting panick attacks when thinking about moving back in with their parents till they're 30 because they couldn't afford a house if they wanted.

Or they're moving to North Carolina.

NC clearly gets that public colleges and universities are the best investment their state can make. They're wreaking the benefits, too - with tons of new academic buildings in both major public universities I visited. There are multiple large research hospitals, tech and bio tech industries moving in (they have a stem cell park!) and who knows what else. Meanwhile, Massachusetts can't manage to build UMASS Boston a new parking garage and UMASS Amherst and Dartmouth have infrastructural needs that rival those falling concrete slabs on their sister campus.

Massachusetts is going to have a lot of difficulty addressing these very large and very real issues to compete with the North Carolinas of this country. For starters, it's not like everyone in this state can take a pay cut. Heck, we don't even have the benefits of nice weather to attract new blood to this state. However, sometimes we forget our own advantages. With hundreds of thousands of out-of-state students coming to the Bay State for their education, there's a four year long golden opportunity to net upwards of half of them if we can help them get jobs. By creating new and more affordable housing, more of them will be inclined to stay. By refocusing on declining areas like the South Coast and Springfield, we can provide areas of this state with as much potential and even affordability as the Greater Raleigh area.

Heck, in many ways, we're actually in an advantageous position. Most of the infrastructure is already there for us, we just need to improve it and add a few fine details. North Carolina had to build everything from scratch. A rail stop here, some key housing development there... and suddenly there are new hot spots that every intelligent, hardworking, tax-paying twenty something is dying to move to. Furthermore, we have a culture that extends way beyond the crazy-hair wearing, ACC-sports obsessed mentality of the folk down there.

Who cares about the Tarheels when there's the Red Sox, Patriots and Celtics around? Okay, not so much the Celtics, but they surely don't have the Museum of Fine Arts, Theater District and Coolidge Corner. They definitely don't have our history, open-mindedness and lefty blogroll. So, let's stop losing people to states like North Carolina - no offense to the fine people of NC. If Massachusetts isn't the kind of state that's attracting thousands of new residents every year, we need to look long and hard at just why that is. It's indicative of some systemic problem that must be addressed before it's too late. I can't help but think a lack of affordable education, dispersed throught the state, isn't just one of those reasons.

An Example of Why the Herald Sucks

So, my very conservative and registered Republican brother and I have an email exchange that's gone on for 25 replies now. I'm sure number 26 is imminent. What's so important that we're going back and forth like a pair of four year olds on a see-saw?

He's peeved that Deval Patrick is ________.

A. Popular.
B. Solving real problems.
C. Fixing Mitt Romney's budget crisis.
D. Making sure he visits the entire state in a timely manner.
E. All of the Above.

The correct answer is E.

My bro is mad that Deval Patrick used a helicopter to get to official state events, is currently driving a Caddy - leased by the state. My bro's pissed Deval is proposing to stop tax loopholes (the businesses will flee!) and is going to allow towns the option to create a meals tax (who will be willing to pay that extra dollar or two to eat in Nantucket?!).

Apparently, my brother has been reading the Herald a little too frequently. Sadly, it's easy to be angry at the world when reading the Herald; stirring up everyone's emotions is how they sell newspapers. So it's no wonder this story really bothered my brother. After all, why wouldn't it? Let's examine the article:

It's about the fact that Deval Patrick now has a state-leased Caddy, which is worth a cool $46,000. He's driving in style. In the story, the only people quoted are:

1. The State Republican Chairman
2. State Sen. Richard Tisei, the minority leader, a Republican.
3. State Sen. Bruce Tarr, another Republican.

I'm shocked they didn't even manage to find a Democrat - with just a handful of Republicans in the entire State House, their phone lines must be going off the hook with all these calls from the Herald. However, noticeably missing from the discussion are:

1. Anyone relevant to the facts
2. The manufacturer.
3. The State Police, who I assume are responsible for Patrick's transportation.

Heck, the Herald couldn't even manage a single differing opinion. Of course, they did bury this little nugget in there:

A Patrick aide said the car was selected from a short list of vehicles that meet state police security specifications. The aide said the governor had sought to obtain the same kind of car used by Romney but claimed that vehicle was no longer in production.

But it was in between a barrage of Republican-hate. Basically, the entire article was just a platform for the Republicans to complain about Deval Patrick. It wasn't about the news, because the Herald refused to follow up on the key debate: did Deval Patrick even choose that car? The Patrick administration says no. Isn't that an easy thing to follow up on? Instead of going right back to the Republican State Chairman, who wouldn't have any expert knowledge on the subject whatsoever, how about calling the manufacturer to fact-check the Patrick administration? How about calling the State Police, or whoever is in charge of carting around Deval Patrick? How about calling anyone who is actually relevant to the story - not just Republicans who would love to take any opportunity to make a swipe at the Governor.

It's now been almost an hour since my brother last emailed me. This was the last point I made to him. Apparently, he had no way to refute it. Neither will any Republican, conservative, Herald-reader or Howie Carr fanboi. Why? Because the truth hurts. What an appalling Republican hit-piece, written directly by the Boston Herald. Even that tabloid-of-a-newspaper ought to have some standards.

Deval's Fix: Close Lonestar-sized Loopholes

The state needs money - or we'll face Romney-esque cuts. Businesses, by and large, are taxed easy - while citizens get smacked around by the government with new bankruptcy rules and all sorts of burdensome procedures. Mega-corporations in Massachusetts leave some gaping holes in the taxes they pay. For example, just look at what would put $200 million towards closing this state's fiscal 1.3 billion dollar gap...

Combined Reporting. Advocates of combined reporting see it as a comprehensive approach to closing corporate tax loopholes by making it more difficult for corporations to shift profits to low-tax states like Delaware. Currently, companies with multi-state operations in Massachusetts pay taxes based on a calculation of the property, payroll, and the sales they have here. Combined reporting would require corporations, when filing their tax returns, to list all of their profits... and apportion the tax to more accurately reflect the size of their business in Massachusetts. Seventeen states, including California and Illinois, currently use combined reporting. Expected new revenue: $200 million a year.

Doesn't that just... make sense? Shouldn't businesses have to pay the same proportion of taxes to a particular state as their profits they receive from that state? Isn't that, oh I don't know, fair? The Globe notes that Elliot Splitzer in New York is proposing the same changes to the Empire State. California and Illinois, both states with important cities and lots of corporations like Massachusetts, have apparently caught on too.

Another proposed change, which is just as clearly and unambiguously a loophole for corporations, is the rare ability for corporations in Massachusetts to declare themselves a Corporation in terms of federal taxes - but a "partnership" in Massachusetts, thus saving money. Umm, hello??? Either they're corporations or not. How much would mullah would that bring in? $100-150 million. That kind of insanity makes one wonder if our state legislators even wrote that law, or if it was something faxed directly from Bank of America, Gillette and State Street?

So far, that's 300-350 million dollars, which goes a long way to solving this year's upcoming budget crunch. Deval says there's another 50-100 million in other loopholes, but isn't as specific with the smaller fixes. While the Patrick administration warned that the money may not be entirely available in time for next year, our state clearly needs to revamp its entire tax structure in order to keep from getting in these budget crunches every few years.

Sometimes it isn't just the tax rate that's the problem - sometimes there are just unfair taxing practices that prevent those who could most afford it from paying their fair share. It's time to say enough to that nonsense. If people are going to have to cope with budget cuts next year, businesses are going to have to make concessions too. That's the only way to avoid the same kind of devastation left by Romney's service-cutting wake.

Deval Patrick and Local Government

Two days, two prominent articles about Deval Patrick's big plans. Interestingly enough, they're both about Deval's plans for local governments - but, to many, they may seem somewhat schizophrenic. On the one hand, Deval wants to give towns more tax freedom and ability to decide how municipalities will fund their many important services and functions. On the other hand, Deval's wants to hold towns and cities responsible for their individual pension selection.

So what's the answer to solving the state's Beacon Hill-municipality divide? More freedom or more oversight? Is there really even one answer to the question, or does Deval Patrick see the need for both in different capacities? His recent proposal would suggest the ladder. However, regardless of his proposals, there's no doubt a very real problem exists in this state. Just like individuals sometimes can't handle situations alone, be it from disaster or a continuous series of unfortunate events, sometimes towns and cities get stuck in goo they can't get out of on their own. Sometimes, they're newly constructed high schools sink.

Now cities and towns just have to figure out how to get out of that goo. While there are no easy answers, there is one thing Massachusetts should know that's a fact: the status quo isn't working. Deval Patrick's recent proposals may either be wholly inadequate to address the problems or could even exacerbate them, but at least they're a start. At least they attempt to address real problems, instead of allowing the state to remain in blissful ignorance.

The fact that Deval Patrick is really serious about changing the dynamic of government should be applauded by all, regardless of whether or not we individually agree with his proposals. It has been long since a governor has been this bold. While Deval has kept a relatively low profile as governor so far, his policy proposals are down-right revolutionary. Whether the revolution will be good or bad will be decided in the history books - but, at least we know there's now going to be a chapter called "Deval Patrick's Bay State Revolution."

Perhaps, in the end, what municipalities need is more capacity to address their own, unique problems - but live with the added responsibility that comes with it. Throughout history, many people have viewed towns and cities as children of the state. It seems as though Deval Patrick thinks the toddler stage is over; the only way to grow up is to gain responsibility. However, he doesn't appear to think localities are quite ready for the keys to the car yet, either. So, if any towns or cities come home past curfew - no phone privileges for a week! Well, that all depends on whether or not his proposals can get through Beacon Hill's vacuum - the one that sucks up all the good ideas.

My New Favorite Phrase!

"Tax Freedom."

I actually, truly love it. I'm sure Rush Limbaugh would have a field day with it, but who cares what spews forth from his mouth anyway? Towns should have more tax freedom - an ability to decide what in the town should be taxed and what shouldn't. Furthermore, they should have an ability to decide how much those taxes will be. There are risks and rewards for everything a town or person does - and those risks are different wherever you go. Towns should be able to make that assessment on their own.

Tax freedom... a new way to add a little "small d" democracy into government, with a brilliant term to package it. Sadly, in this day and age, winning the battle of rhetorics can often determine the outcome of the war. If my gut instincts are right, towns are one step closer to being able to choose whether or not the potential added revenue is worth the risk of driving away business (my guess is it won't). It'll be interesting to watch - kind of like a lab, except with real people instead of little mice and monkeys. PETA should be thrilled!

PS: Let's not just give Boston the car keys, every town and city in Massachusetts needs them. If almost 60% of Boston's budget comes from property taxes, it's probably 75-80% of most small towns. Granted, they'll always be at a disadvantage (and in most cases can afford such, as long as its not overly burdensome), but all towns and cities deserve a little flexibility in dealing with their own problems - by creating their own solutions.

Casted

So I'll be in Moby Dick: the Musical! I didn't get the part I wanted (Ahab), but I still did get a pretty good role - with a few solos, including a very difficult one. In fact, I'm kind of scared of it.

Anyway, this is the time of year I tell everyone to prepare for fewer blogs as rehearsals start to kick in (my first is tonight, the day I found out I was casted) - but it always seems as though I manage to write just as often. We'll see.

As Much as Tom Finneran is a Poopy Pants...

Doesn't this read more like an opinion hit piece than front-page material? Geez, Globe, maybe you just need an Anna Nicole headline or something? Not only does scary Tom Finneran suck, which is something almost all of us could agree to (seriously, was anyone a fan of him?), but now he was playing nice to his fellow democrat on his first day on air! Wow! What a schmuck!

I guess the Globe expected Tom to call Deval a Laguer-loving, fat lesbian or something? How shocking Deval was invited to golf instead! Who would have ever expected a former speaker of the house to want to golf with the current Governor? I mean, really?

Update: In case anyone didn't detect my sarcasm, the first sentence of my second paragraph is mocking the typical WRKO host's crazy rants. Especially with recent developments at our state crime lab, LaGuer's recent appeals shouldn't be taken lightly. If our DNA evidence is suspect, that speaks very poorly on our entire criminal justice system.

An Interesting Conversation With Two College Republicans

One of the curious phenomenons at UMASS Dartmouth is the fact that, like most of the country, Young Republicans tend to outnumber the official college democratic organization on campus. Granted, UMASS's democratic organization is new and more students at the university identify as liberals than conservatives, but the fact remains that Young Republicans tend to band together like a pack of rabid, hungry (or should I say starving?) wolves. However, that isn't necessarily a bad thing, at least for selfish, little me: it makes for interesting conversation.

I just got out of the Underground Cafe (where I got a delicious caramel-coffee smoothie) and bumped into two Young Republicans. Out of the several things we talked about, two things jump out at me in particular. The first: who they think will be nominated for President, from both parties. Interestingly, neither of the two picked John McCain. One of them was a die-hard Romney pick; the other thought Rudy Guiliani would eventually win. For democrats, one thought Barrack Obama would jump ahead - the other thought he was running for VP to Hillary Clinton's invulnerable campaign war chest.

The second interesting bit of the conversation was a small debate on how Deval Patrick won. While it wasn't the longest part of our conversation, it was one of the few moments where there was some heat in the room - and I don't mean the hot java. Did people really agree with more of Deval's positions than Kerry Healey's? Was she just a campaign train wreck? Or, did Deval Patrick merely say all the right things? One of the Young Republicans demanded that, point by point, citizens in this state agreed with Healey more than Patrick. I disagreed - and he seemed stunned.

There seems to be this (largely media-driven) campaign among many circles in this state that suggests that while Deval Patrick won, Kerry Healey was actually the person people tended to agree with - they just didn't vote for her, for whatever reason. Maybe it's some conciliatory offer to the final GOP circles in this state, now that they're completely out of power. However, it forces the notion that the GOP is really the party of the people - and I'll challenge that assumption any day of the week. While people may have disagreed with Deval on issues like immigration, they seemed to be very keen on his strong defense of public education, civil rights, disastrous consequences of property-tax hikes and the importance of not cutting the income tax anymore, at least for now. Heck, I'd bet people trusted Deval more on matters of criminal justice.

That said, I don't think people actually voted for Deval because of any laundry-list of issues. I don't even think it's all that important. Besides, it's probably next to impossible to come up with any empirical evidence supporting any side. After all, the only difference between such a list and the Mississippi River would be that the river is blue and wet. Otherwise, they'd be just as long and unchartable (and that's if it were written in 8-pt font). The list would have to include such important issues as "should we allow a Dunkin Donuts on Eastern Ave in Swampscott?" Man, the people from Springfield are really going the care about that!

Ultimately, any list of issues would have to be weighted - and that's the point I should have made in between drinking my smoothie. People obviously cared about Deval's messages on education, fiscal sanity and - most of all - hope than anything on Kerry Healey's check list. That's something one of the College Republicans - the one who was stunned - just didn't get.

Ultimately, it makes me all the more confident going into the future. I don't think these Republicans are alone - most of the institutionalized party suffers from a narrow viewpoint. I don't care how big the dormitory is at the Heritage Foundation, at least when the only interns accepted into the program are the ones who tote the party line. Group Think is a powerful device, but not so much when everyone's privy to what the group is up to and most people aren't a part of that group. America's not really keen on Republicans at this moment.

That's one of the great things about the progressive movement: while people may tend to be more liberal than other constituencies inside the Democratic Party, we tend to have a more critical viewpoint than others. We've gone against our own party, including traditional liberals, as often as we've gone against Republicans - at least in recent years. We're inherently trained to question every aspect of authority, from our own leadership to Republicans. Subsequently, you get people challenging old party conventions - such as narrow-minded issue groups and politicians that were previously the party's warp core.

So, when I said Mitt Romney has a lot of baggage, the Romney fanatic just didn't see it. It doesn't matter what Mitt says now, a lot of people won't ever be able to get past the fact that Mitt Romney demanded he was a stronger proponent of gay rights than Ted Kennedy. Is Focus on the Family ever going to willingly get behind that? The few conservative republican voters who could forgive him are probably going to have a problem with the discrepancies that exist between what he says and the truth.

The same narrow thinking could be applied to the other Republican's opinion that Hillary is some insurmountable mountain that no other dem could defeat. Obama's going to mount a credible challenge with free publicity alone (I can just imagine him debating Hillary) and Governor Richardson may just catch on. Al Gore could decide to run tomorrow and be able to raise the money and power to steal it. Heck, he got a standing ovation at the Grammies last night, with the Queen (Latifa) by his side - that's right, Al Gore is cool now!

Republican institutions are as strong and well funded as ever, but ultimately they've been producing few ideas and the one's they have created have proven to be abject failures. Hello, tax cuts and war on Iraq... My little talk with Republicans on campus today illuminated many of the party's faults: they couldn't even agree with the notion that the Republican co-sponsor of a nonbinding resolution on Iraq filibustering his own resolution was a tad hypocritical and could come back to bite them. The Republicans who 'don't support' President Bush's escalation were just helping their party by filibustering debate - no biggie. Well, my Republican friends, we'll see in two years - won't we? I look forward to many years of narrow-minded Republican Group Think before they realize that their party is rotting from the inside. It may just give us enough time to fix all the crap they've screwed up.

The Globe Talks Starter Homes

Hopefully something will be done on the issue. It'd be nice to be able to afford a house before I'm 40.

Cockroaches Can Apparently Survive Anything

Look who just got a new job (my sympathies to the normal and sane people in Providence).

According to Towleroad,

Former Boston radio host John DePetro, who has a habit of denigrating gays and lesbians, is back on the air, on a Providence, Rhode Island morning show.

There are two amazing things about this:

1. That he's actually being put back on air, even after all those fiascoes. Apparently, the radio station in Providence openly doesn't care about homophobia on their airwaves. At least WRKO pretended to care (and ultimately cared enough to fire one radio jackasockey, even if Howie's rants go unabated).

2. Such an average radio talk show host would be rehired (let's all be honest here, even for bat-crazy wingnuts, DePetro wasn't anything special).

Well, in the spirit of good will, good luck to DePetro - he's going to need it. His mouth has a way of... saying things, things that get him in trouble (which is saying a lot, considering the station he worked on). In my heart of hearts, I just know DePetro will be unemployed soon enough, so until then let's hope the signal goes haywire in the land Providence, Rhode Island.

Oh, and John, you better watch out for the Army of Lesbians in Baghdad - they're about to win the war on terrorism.

Swampscott Loses Another to Iraq

Swampscott, my hometown of barely 3 1/2 square miles, has lost a second soldier to Iraq - Jennifer Harris. My sister just sent me a frantic email about it because Jennifer went to school with my sister for seven years.

"She was a great kid,” said Swampscott town veterans agent Jim Schultz. “This was her third tour. She was scheduled to come home next week.”

That's what happens. People in uniform are going back for tour after tour, stuck on the sands of Iraq for months at a time. At least during the Vietnam War people were only forced one tour, these so-called volunteer corps are getting a whole lot more than they bargained for. Yet, Iraq isn't even the daily headline. From my sister's email: "It's hard to believe sometimes we are at war until it hits home."

Well, Swampscott now knows plenty about it. It's a small town and everyone is affected by these losses. I can't speak for anyone else in the town, but I say it's time our populace stop paying in the form of the blood of its young so George Bush can save a few cheap bucks on the blood that fuels Exxon Mobile. It's time Bush's foray into the Middle East end.

First Jarrod Raymond, now Jennifer Harris. Who's the next person George Bush is going to sentence to death for a war he chose, a war he lied about? Who will be the last person to die for George Bush's mistake?

Update:

The Globe has a front-paged story on Jennifer Harris - and a larger story on how the US is having a problem with keeping 'copters in the air. If they can't keep them safe, they should be grounded.

Building Momentum on Marriage Equality

Last night, the Marriage Equality Coalition of the South Coast hosted Marc Solomon of Mass Equality in New Bedford. Marc came prepped with a power-point presentation to discuss the history of the marriage movement post Goodridge - and where we're at now. Specifically, they're focused on avoiding a plebiscite, but are prepared to raise the "15-20 million" they'll need to defeat Team Homophobia if we lose at the next ConCon.

While I appreciate Mass Equality's efforts on marriage equality - there may be no such equality without it - I can't help but think we need to try our hand at some new tactics. To be successful, any movement has to stay on top of their opponents in all sorts of areas - so when Solomon spoke about how anti-marriage foes were winning the rhetorical debate with 'let the people vote' chants, it makes me a little worried. Clearly, we're not staying on top of things.

A movement needs foresight to be effective - this isn't just about the next ConCon. To win, we need to build momentum on our side again - set the discourse and look like the sure bet. To do that, we need some successes and new messages going into the next ConCon. In terms of messaging, it's time to challenge the very principal upon which we allow the plebiscite to determine rights of the minority.

Even many conservative Republicans would agree that 25% of the legislature is a bar set too low to move amendments forward; why not push that angle? If the public disagrees with the amendment process, they're not going to care if we block this amendment procedurally. It won't cost a single legislator their seat. We need a narrative that says "civil rights now, procedure later" and promise not to block anything procedurally when the process is fair. The fact is I am a process person, but when it just doesn't work and is universally ignored, it's time to scrap it.

I asked Marc Solomon about trying to change the process and he essentially told me 'maybe you could start that movement' last night, because Mass Equality just wasn't going to do it. As if this 22 year old, broke college student could do that? Solomon's missing a golden opportunity to shape the debate - and look toward the future. He's also missing an opportunity to bring in allies, key in the marriage debate, who would easily agree with a new amendment process.

It seems like lots of people think if we can kill the amendment this year, it'll be dead for good. Well, it's not that hard to get 68,000 signatures - so that kind of thinking is crazy. Unless people want to be stopping these petitions every year by the slimmest of margins (since it only takes 25% of state legislators to pass), we ought to be trying to overhaul the system.

Secondly, we need some small successes and momentum going into the next ConCon. The atmosphere must belong to us. To do that, I suggest Mass Equality and allies demand the state legislature repeal the 1913 racist/homophobic law that stops out-of-state gay couples from getting married here. Governor Patrick is our ally on this issue; we've got our ace on the mound. It's message-sending time: we can push equality bill after equality bill until people get the basic concept that Massachusetts is about personal freedom, not suppression and religious intolerance. It's better to go in victorious on important issues, than last year's ConCon loser.

Marriage equality, in Massachusetts, ought to feel very safe. It's an almost 4 year incumbent that's directly benefited 17,000 people - 8,500 happily wedded same-sex couples. Imagine that kind of constituent service - and its leader admits the other side has the momentum? No sir-ree. People in Massachusetts have been very supportive, almost from the start. It's time to take advantage of that understanding and expand rights for all, by building momentum and using it to protect the political process from further abuse by amending the state constitution in a responsible way. Marc Solomon and Mass Equality could be a key to that process, but they're just not there yet.

Oh, Yeah, the Economy is Doing Fantastic

Foreclosures are a good thing, right? Because, this past year, there sure were a lot of them in the Commonwealth. In fact, it was a record year...

Seems like the perfect time to start making some good investments.

The Best Investment This State Can Make

This post is for anyone who thinks investing in Public Higher Ed is just giving a bunch of freeloading students a helping hand handout when they should go and secure loans in excess of a hundred thousand dollars to pay for private education - or shut up and work at McDonald's or something. President Jack Wilson has an important message for yousz guyz.

A single taxpayer's dollar spent on the University of Massachusetts results in $8 earned by the state's economy, Jack Wilson, president of the five-school system, said yesterday during a visit to SouthCoast. The equation for the direct economic impact of the school's five campuses reads like this: $435 million legislative annual appropriation plus $90 million in other state funding equals $4.3 billion fed into the commonwealth each year.

"Invest in a university and it pays off big time."

He won't get an argument from this blogger.

Best of all, UMASS spreads the cash love around the state.

"Ninety percent of the research done outside of Route 128 is done by the University of Massachusetts," he said. "A lot of times people don't pay attention to the area beyond Route 128. UMass does."

The sad thing is that, coming from the perspective of a UMASS Dartmouth student, the system is woefully underfunded. Prices have skyrocketed to attend this school, yet class sizes are way up and the buildings are continuing to deteriorate. UMASS Dartmouth doesn't have enough classrooms, full-time professors or even a legitimate theater that can house most events comfortably, with room for all those who would want to attend. Just ask students who wanted to see the gubernatorial debate held here before the last election - only a select few were allowed in.

I can't count the amount of times I've heard demeaning remarks directed toward the UMASS system. Governors and the entire State Legislature have shunned and slashed us in the past. Other colleges in this state have done everything in their power to keep the UMASS brandname down, such as single-handedly killing a UMASS Dartmouth School of Law. Despite all that, the system has survived. Despite all that, more people continue to attend and want to attend.

As President Wilson has testified, UMASS is one of the best investments this state can make. The state gets $8 for every dollar invested in it - a profit line that would send ExxonMobile stocks through the roof. Even though this state's fiscal situation is precarious, it has to find the money to make sure the UMASS system can quickly begin to shine. It's the key to rebuilding the middle class and attracting new workers (and the tax dollars that come with them) to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

CPR on New Bedford

Last week I discussed my Civil Rights class and the big paper I have to write about anything on a civil rights movement that I wanted. In the blog, I wrote about my preliminary topic - and the response was great. There were lots of comments for discussion and I even got several emails, including one from the head of Knowthyneighbor.org offering me an interview on the subject (something I appreciate!).

Anyway, we have fairly easy - but interesting - weekly assignments called "CPR" - or Critical Policy Review. Basically, it's a short paper on a current Civil Rights issue to keep the class grounded in the present. I did this Monday's CPR on New Bedford and its first anniversary of the homophobic attack on Puzzle's Lounge. Because Civil Rights is very important to me, I think I'm going to be posting many of my CPRs on this website, at least if they're relevant to what's going on in Massachusetts. So, without further ado, here's this week's CPR.

Critical Policy Review: A Year After the Attack on Puzzle’s Lounge

Just a little more than a year ago, a man went into “Puzzle’s Lounge,” a gay bar in New Bedford. He asked if it was a gay bar – and when someone said yes, proceeded to shoot three people and use his hatchet to attack others. He quickly fled and three days later killed his ex-girlfriend, a police officer and himself in Arkansas during a police chase. It was an act of hate that hit the New Bedford area and UMASS Dartmouth very hard, especially within the GLBT community.

For the anniversary, several organizations came together to have a small candlelight vigil called “Light the Night” as a protest against violence in all forms. Among the speakers were the Mayor of New Bedford, Superintendent of the city’s school system, editor of the region’s largest newspaper and the founder of an organization to help the victims of Puzzles to get by. It was interesting to see what they all had to say and how all different kinds of people and organizations in New Bedford have altered policy and practice, realizing the type of potential violence some people in their community had to deal with that they didn’t know of before.

There were several interesting articles to come out of the event, including the South Coast’s editorial on the anniversary. The paper editorialized that Jacob Rabida, the alleged shooter, was clearly “a troubled teen-ager” and the attack on Puzzle’s wasn’t necessarily a reflection of the city’s attitude toward gay people, but the fact that there are always going to be insane people everywhere.

The point wasn’t that New Bedford shouldn't have done anything to prevent something like happening Puzzle’s again, it was that what Jacob Rabida did could have happened anywhere – from the deep red South to liberal, glbt-friendly San Francisco. Because of the reaction of New Bedford – a universal rejection of Rabida’s violence and a true, honest, compassionate attempt to analyze and address the incident by people of all levels within the city – the editor’s point has merit. New Bedford, as a city, took the incident very seriously and people really banded together in unity. The aftermath of Puzzle’s is that the vast majority of New Bedford has proven itself to be a diverse, accepting city.

Other articles on the subject worth mentioning briefly:
-The SouthCoast Times did an article about the vigil that was very worth reading, about what each speaker at the vigil had to say.
-InNewsWeekly did an article on the year-long anniversary, interviewing many people within the New Bedford community, including your’s truly,
-New Bedford Councilman Joe DeMedeiros had an article about him and his decision to publicly “come out” just after the Puzzles incident, something I wrote about a while ago.

New Tools for Ryan's Take

I've finally upgraded to blogger 2.0, with a transition that's been perfect so far. What does that mean for readers? Basically, my posts will now come with labels. Since I have more than one way of searching through my entire database, labels aren't really a big deal. However, it'll give readers the opportunity to instantly check out blogs on a topic from a particular post that interests you right away.

I'm going to look into the new layout options and give them consideration. However, I'm happy with the basic format of this site. I'd like for it to look more original, but I'm not an HTML whiz, so that probably won't ever happen.

Light the Night: No More Hate in New Bedford

Last night's vigil in New Bedford, Light the Night, was held to commemorate last year's attack on Puzzles Lounge. For half an hour, a wide assortment of people met in front of the New Bedford Public Library in the Downtown area to say no to violence. There were lots of old people, young people and everyone in between who came together in peace and remembrance.

Several people took a few minutes to speak, some about the night one year ago and some to speak about how New Bedford has changed since. It seems, thankfully, that the city has taken equality and community to heart and is really on the right track. It seems that even the victims of Puzzles would agree:

Robert Perry, one of the victims of the attack at Puzzles Lounge a year ago, said New Bedford is a better place now than it was then. "I know some significant things have happened," said Mr. Perry, who was shot, stabbed and struck in the face with a hatchet in the Feb. 1, 2006, attack by Jacob D. Robida. "Things have happened in the School Department and the Police Department. There are people who are listening. There are people who are aware of the problem."

I'll take Perry's word for it - if he thinks New Bedford's gone far enough, his hatchet to the face earned him the right to say it. There is no place for hate in this world. There is no place for inequality based merely on things like the color of your skin, what sex you're attracted to or any other trivial thing. Last night, people from New Bedford's Superintendent to the Mayor made that point. So did the community, who showed up in numbers.

It's Not a "Hoax"

Or a "suspicious package" or anything the media keeps blabbing on about.

It wasn't even a package at all. It was a Mooninite. It was glowing, florescent lights.

It wasn't a hoax - a hoax would require malicious intent. Certainly, we can all agree here that none of this was malicious. Certainly, Time Warner didn't intend for any of this to happen.

Wherever the blame belongs - and there's plenty of room for debate there - let's keep this discourse grounded in reality. Otherwise, the discussion is tainted.

Crime Doesn't Pay

From an email forwarded to me:

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Catholic Citizenship, Philip D. Moran, announced that the Board has accepted the resignation of Larry Cirignano, Esq. as Executive Director of Catholic Citizenship.

Mr. Moran stated, "the Board wishes to thank Larry for his tireless efforts advancing the mission of Catholic Citizenship over the past years. Further, we want to congratulate him for his invaluable work towards realizing a successful vote by the Massachusetts Legislature on January 2nd with respect to the constitutional amendment on same-sex marriage."

No one likes a bully - even, apparently, a bully's friends.

Thanks, Brian, for the info.

UPDATE: Apparently, I was wrong. Word has it, he's getting a promotion! Yikes...