From the Boston Herald:
Republican Charlie Baker, the well-financed CEO of Harvard Pilgrim, has jumped into a quickly swelling 2010 gubernatorial race only two days after Treasurer Timothy Cahill said he decided to switch political parties.
Baker, who is largely unknown to voters throughout the state, will leave Harvard Pilgrim on July 17 and set up a political committee by July 28, according to a source close to Baker. Read more…
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Yesterday’s care package collection drive was a huge success, garnering nearly 100 boxes of items — enough to assemble several hundred care packages for U.S. soldiers — and $1,500 in donations for the Weymouth-based non-profit CarePacks.
Held at Milton’s Heritage Hall American Legion Post — which donated the use of its facilities — the collection drive brought out local residents from across the South Shore, who dropped off bags and boxes full of clothing, toiletries, snacks, writing and reading materials and other items for U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. In addition to volunteers from the Milton and Quincy Republican committees, student volunteers from Quincy and Milton helped sort the donated items, which were delivered to CarePacks for later assembly into individual care packages for our soldiers. Visit the Quincy Republicans website for photos from yesterday’s successful event.
Sixty-five years ago today, thousands of American soldiers — many of them still in their teens — helped save the world. At a time when it’s become fashionable for some people to blame America for all of the world’s troubles, it behooves us to remember the fact that, were it not for America and those brave soldiers, there likely wouldn’t be a world today — at least not one worth living in.
Consider what the world would be like today had the Nazis won World War II. Pretty horrific thought, don’t you think? That’s why it’s important for patriotic Americans to stand up to the forces of political correctness and defend America’s record for protecting and advancing freedom around the globe.
To that end, the Republican committees in Quincy and Milton are joining forces with the Weymouth non-profit CarePacks to organize a care package collection for our troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. On Saturday June 27 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Heritage Hall American Legion post (114 Granite Ave., Milton), volunteers will collect toiletries, snacks, books, magazines and other items for packaging and shipment to the brave men and women who today continue the legacy of the “Greatest Generation.”
Click here for details on the collection drive and suggested items.
A standing-room-only crowd packed the Thomas Crane Library’s Adams Shore branch last night to discuss possible budget cuts, and to ask library trustees to fight to keep the city’s three branch libraries open.
The hearing was one of three public meetings held this week at eachof the branch libraries (Wollaston, North Quincy and Adams Shore). The response from attendees was unequivocal: The main library is great, residents said, but the branches fill a special role in their respective neighborhoods – particularly for children and seniors who can’t easily reach or access the main library’s services.
For more than an hour, Quincy residents of all ages and from all walks of life described their personal connection to the Adams Shore branch. Mothers recounted the many hours they spent at the library as children, and how pleased they were to be able to share that tradition with their own children. Seniors described relying on the branch’s large-print volumes and books on tape. A volunteer at the Germantown community center told how she regularly brings dozens of neighborhood children to the library on Tuesday afternoons, where the kids use the computers and reference materials to complete homework. Middle school children recalled how they loved attending story hour with “Miss Laurie” when they were younger, and how they now depend on her to help them with homework and school projects.
Many attendees expressed surprise to learn that the annual budget to operate the main library and all three branches amounts to just 1 percent of the entire city budget. Others questioned why the city would even contemplate closing library branches during an economic recession, when its free resources and computer access are needed more than ever.
“How come (the city) can spend $85 million to build the Concourse and millions more for 1,100 condos, but they can’t come up with a couple hundred thousand dollars to keep the libraries open?” one attendee asked.
Library trustees Harold Crowley, Alicia Coletti, Janet DiTullio and Sandra McCauley — accompanied by library director Anne McLaughlin — assured residents that they shared their support for keeping the branches open. “You’re preaching to the choir,” Crowley quipped.
Trustees also encouraged residents to share their concerns over possible branch closings with Mayor Koch and the City Council.
Click here for a list of city officials and their e-mail addresses.
Photos courtesy of Amy KellyContrary to what the so-called “mainstream media” reported, there were more than a “couple hundred” people at yesterday’s Tax Day TEA Party on Boston Common. A lot more. Like, say, a couple thousand people. And that doesn’t count the thousands who turned out for Michael Graham’s waterfront TEA Party later that afternoon.
Now, I hate to disillusion you, but I can’t help but wonder whether the media intentionally underestimated the turnout at these TEA Party events, while at the same time blowing out of all proportion Homeland Security warnings about “right wing extremists.” (For the uninitiated, a “right wing extremist” is anyone who has yet to accept Barack Obama as his/her personal savior.)
Far from being a sea of crazies, yesterday’s TEA (as in Taxed Enough Already) Party was an upbeat and orderly civil demonstration. Both speakers and attendees expressed their frustration at the arrogance of our public officials, who seem to view hardworking taxpayers as an unlimited blank check with which to fund their perpetual gravy train. WRONG! If yesterday’s protest was any indication, that government gravy train is about to reach the end of the line!
In addition to the signs shown in the photos above (courtesy of photographer extraordinaire Amy Kelly!), here are some of my favorite signs from yesterday:
“Don’t spread my wealth, spread my work ethic”
“What’s in YOUR wallet? MY money!”
“A government big enough to give you everything you want is strong enough to take everything you have.”
That last quote comes, of course, from Thomas Jefferson — you know, our most hypocritical founding father who decried the evils of slavery while siring a bunch of his own with his wife’s half-sister/slave. “Do as I say, not as I do,” that was Tom’s motto. No wonder modern liberals are so crazy about him!
Congratulations to Charlestown attorney Jennifer Nassour, who was elected chairman of the Massachusetts Republican Party yesterday. The Mass. GOP issued the following press release announcing her election:
The Massachusetts Republican Party announced today that Jennifer A. Nassour was elected as chair of the Massachusetts Republican State Committee on a platform of strengthening the party’s grassroots, fund raising and communications.
Nassour pledged to be a full-time chair and lead a resurgence of the MassGOP by harnessing the energy, dedication and spirit of Massachusetts Republicans and expanding outreach to unenrolled voters. MassGOP Chair Jennifer Nassour said, “The Massachusetts Republican Party is blessed with great strengths, including dedicated and impassioned activists, accomplished and willing fundraisers, and principles that ring true and clear with Massachusetts voters. Together, we will grow this party from the grassroots up, building a strong base from which we can launch winning campaigns.
“The MassGOP will continue to be the voice for common sense and honesty in the Commonwealth. By promoting and defending our values, we will generate new voters, new resources and a new day for Massachusetts Republicans,” added Nassour.
Nassour replaces outgoing Chair Peter Torkildsen, who stepped down after a two-year term.
The Honorable Peter Torkildsen said, “I congratulate Jennifer on her victory. She has many years of experience helping Republican candidates and she is committed to returning two-party competition to Massachusetts. I look forward to helping her in any way I can.”
“All Republicans in Massachusetts owe Peter a debt of gratitude for his service as an elected official and as steward of the party. We wish him well in his future endeavors and hope to continue to benefit from his experience and wisdom,” concluded Nassour.
Nassour’s comprehensive plan for rebuilding the Massachusetts Republican Party includes focusing on the traditional aspects of a strong party – grassroots, fundraising and candidate recruitment – while also increasing the use of technology to connect and communicate with voters. Her plan also calls for cooperating with New England and national Republican organizations and building connections with like-minded civic organizations.
Nassour, 37, is a Republican State Committee member from Charlestown and is Of Counsel to Consigly & Brucato, P.C., in Milford. Nassour is an accomplished fundraiser and a veteran of Republican politics. As a fundraiser for both political and charitable causes, Nassour has raised more than $1 million. As a state committee member, she has been an active supporter of Republican candidates up and down the ballot, and she served as finance director for the Grabauskas for Treasurer campaign.
Nassour earned her juris doctor from St. John’s University School of Law in 2000. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and a master’s degree in political science from C.W. Post University. Nassour and her husband, C.J. Brucato III, live in Charlestown with their two daughters.
While Democrats were jubilantly celebrating Barack Obama’s inauguration last weekend, Republicans from across the South Shore gathered in Hingham not to commiserate over the November elections, but to plan for the revitalization of the Massachusetts GOP.
The “South Shore GOP Summit,” held January 17 at the 99 Restaurant in Hingham, brought together nearly 50 Republican town committee chairs and members from nine South Shore communities to hear from elected state Republican leaders, including Sen. Robert Hedlund, Sen. Scott Brown and Rep. Brad Hill. The event also gave attendees an opportunity to hear from Jennifer Nassour and Mike Franco, who are candidates to become the next state party chairman of the Mass. GOP. The Republican State Committee will elect a new party chairman January 27.
“This was a great opportunity for local Republicans to meet and discuss how we can revitalize the Massachusetts GOP,” said Richard Pilla, chairman of the Milton Republican Town Committee, which co-sponsored the event with the Quincy Republican City Committee. “It was also a chance for local Republicans to share their concerns and ideas with our elected Republican leaders as well as the people who will be leading the party for the next several years.”
In addition to calls for greater communication and collaboration between the Mass. GOP and local town committees, attendees expressed a desire to redefine what it means to be a Republican.
“For too long, Republicans have allowed Democrats to define us instead of defining ourselves,” said Jennifer Logue, chairman of the Quincy Republican City Committee. “It’s time for the GOP to take back ownership of what it means to be a Republican by offering a positive alternative that voters can embrace.”
Logue said that summit attendees plan to continue meeting regularly to coordinate Republican activities across the South Shore. For more information or to get involved, visit www.quincymassgop.com or e-mail jenniferlogue@quincymassgop.com.
Remember how just a few months ago, liberals were foaming at the mouth over Gov. Sarah Palin’s selection as the Republican Vice Presidential nominee?
Card-carrying members of the ACLU were up in arms at thought of a pro-life Christian woman one step away from the presidency. But of course, that’s not how they spinned it. Instead of admitting that their hatred for Palin was firmly rooted in her pro-family, Christian lifestyle, they labeled her “inexperienced.”
Never mind that Gov. Palin’s governmental experience included sitting on the Wasilla City Council, serving as mayor of Wasilla and advocating for ethics reform as a member of the Alaska Energy Commission prior to becoming governor. Or that Gov. Palin earned her elective offices the old-fashioned way — by actually running for office and letting the voters decide on her candidacy. Sarah Palin was not “one of them,” and so she had to be taken down swiftly and mercilessly.
Contrast this unsavory chapter in American politics with the treatment Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg is receiving as a potential recipient — yes, recipient, as in “handed to her on a silver platter” — of a U.S. Senate seat. Whereas Gov. Palin’s candidacy had Left Coast whackos hanging her in effigy, liberals are positively gaga over the prospect of “Camelot, Part II.” And they seem remarkably untroubled by their standard bearer’s complete lack of governmental experience.
Unlike Sarah Palin — who possessed 16 years of elected government experience — Caroline Kennedy has never lowered herself to run for office. What’s more, this liberal princess hasn’t even been that steady a voter, choosing to skip those pesky little things like elections that can make one late for the charity black-tie gala du jour.
Yet the very same liberals who were apoplectic over Sarah Palin’s alleged inexperience seem to believe that Ms. Kennedy Schlossberg’s record of perfect attendance at the “right” cocktail parties and Democratic fundraisers is all the experience she needs to serve in the U.S. Senate.
Hypocrisy, thy name is Liberal.
Democrats love to joke that local Republicans hold their meetings in phone booths. Not so last night, when 35 local Republicans gathered to celebrate the season at the Fox & Hound Wood Grille & Tavern.
It wasn’t a meeting or a strategy session — just a chance for local conservatives to meet, get to know one another and have a good time. In addition to enjoying a terrific buffet (thank you, Fox & Hound!), attendees took part in a political/current events trivia contest, winning small prizes for answering such brain teasers as “What beauty pageant title did Sarah Palin once hold?” (Answer: Miss Wasilla) and “Name the last five mayors of Quincy beginning with our current mayor and working backwards.” (Answer: Koch, Phelan, Sheets, McCauley and Tobin.)
Among the prizes: A bumper sticker that read “Proud to be everything liberals can’t stand!”; a GOP Christmas ornament emblazoned with “Republicans: Working hard so you don’t have to!”; several “Proud to be a Republican” buttons and a “Proud Republican” t-shirt. (Notice a theme here?)
Here are a few photos:
Susan and Paul Burke join Jim Flaherty at the Quincy Republicans holiday social. Is that mistletoe over Paul's head?
Anne Dawson and Sue Sullivan enjoy the Fox & Hound's festive decorations.
Heather Sargent, Kathleen Sullivan-Moran and Linda Proto catch up at the holiday social.
Frank McCauley and grandson Bryan Logue try to get the most correct answers in the trivia contest.
Well, this just about sums up why America is now headed down the wrong road…again.
Great — now the uneducated, ill-informed people get to choose the president. But hey, at least Obama’s super inspiring, right? Right?
Okay, let me get this straight. Obama listened to Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s vitriolic rants against America for 20 years, but had no idea he was a radical. Then he worked with Bill Ayers to indoctrinate children with leftist political views, but had no idea Ayers was a terrorist who had bombed the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol. Then he socialized frequently with Yasser Arafat’s apologist mouthpiece, but had no idea he advocated radical terrorist beliefs.
Now, Obama admits that he’s seen his “long-lost” Kenyan aunt several times in recent years — including inviting her to his 2004 Senate swearing in ceremony — but he (all together now) … had no idea that she was here illegally, or that she was living in taxpayer-funded housing.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the next president of the United States of America:
Voters of America: Don’t let this happen! Vote for a president who actually knows something! Vote for John McCain and Sarah Palin!
Kumu
Kumu Gupta sent along her thoughts on the presidential election:
With elections in just a few days, I wonder which factor will make a difference in putting the right candidate in the White House – would it be :
1. Progeny – given that Barack Obama is related to VP Dick Cheney , though a very distant connection, they say its in the genes.
2. Astrology – many people believe that your fate is pre determined by the star under which you are born, i.e.- is your ruling planet in the house of leadership or do you have a fiery temper, etc.
3. Race – is the country ready for an African American to lead or will the nation, as some in the media suggest, make the familiar and traditional choice of their ancestors.
4. What the times demand – or is it the person with the ‘perceived’ best ability to tackle the challenges of today- like the wall street crash, Iraq, Al Qaida
5. “Yes We Can” appeal that has mobilized hundred’s of voter’s across the nation.
Ancient believers and eastern way of thinking would have the race bent in the direction of the first 2 factors – progeny and astrology, but then again, the current market crash and housing crisis are makings of recent past which no one could have predicted.(in a matter of speaking, at least not the severity).
While the race question is still up for grabs, as is speculated privately in some circles, the fear set in by the recent turn of events, would make people want to turn to maturity, experience and a strong character – like that of John McCain and Sarah Palin, the Maverick team. They stand for optimism and faith in the strength of the American image overseas.
One would need to be cautious of the “yes we can attitude” since the unfinished part of that sentence starts with a “But”….”we might need to make some tough decisions….i.e. once in the White House, all bets can be off and promises might disappear to ‘balance the infamous budget”, especially given the situation we are in today. Besides how are things promised going to be delievered, if the government already has spend an unprecendented amount in the bail outs – where is the money going to come from. I know we are rich, but $700 billion and then some is a large sum by any standards. We need to get out of the situation, where foreign governments are bailing us out.
And finally, before crying “bloody murder” lets not forget, that President Bush has kept America safe since 9-11 and was able to stabilize the current crisis and at the same time restore and maintain calm in the international markets as well, by working together with world leaders.
In the end, I believe that the ‘right’ person will get into the White House and good will be done, since the founding principles of this country are based on “In God we trust”. Which is reflected in the fact that America has been a powerful nation in the world for a very long time.
One final note – the race is always amongst people who stand up and ‘run’ for office and you will never know, if you could make a difference, if you never tried – so if you want to see things changed , you need to take the lead and run.
Let’s give our troops a commander in chief worthy of the title — someone they can respect and admire — knowing that he, too, has worn the uniform and sacrificed his freedom for others.
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She’s heeeerrrre. Be afraid, moonbats. Be very afraid.
Go McCain/Palin and Jeff Beatty!
U.S. Senator John Kerry and challenger Jeff Beatty squared off in their final debate on WTKK FM today. The hour-long debate sharply defined the differences between the candidates, including their positions on:
Here’s hoping that on November 4, the sheeple of Massachusetts wake up and decide to limit John Kerry’s term themselves.
Once again, the party of “tolerance” shows precious little of it when actually confronted and asked to explain their egregious socialistic comments. It’s been reported that, following this interview, the Obama-Biden campaign canceled all future interviews with this station. And Democrats like John Kerry are already planting the seeds about bringing back the so-called “Fairness Doctrine” — which would give them the power to do away with conservative viewpoints on the airwaves.
Big Brother, here we come!
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