Next up, “contact tracing”.

Remember the name “Paul Farmer”….

If Democrats and RINOs follow the lead of their socialist mentors, an American could be required to have contact tracing approval to get a job, obtain a driver’s license, gun permit, bank account, attend a school, maybe even leave the house, and we all know you’ll probably need to have some kind of government approved health care plan (which means whomever creates the app you use, will also have access to your medical record).

I think part of the point behind tracing and the work associated with that and especially the support for people who are isolating is it’s hard to understand if you don’t do something like this how you give people confidence that you’re chasing what I would call an affirmative approach to deal with the spread of the virus. I was not of the opinion that we should wait for the federal government to head down this road. I wanted to get going on this because I do think it’s something that’s critical to our strategy to deal with containing COVID generally.
— Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker (R), 4/28/20

Of course, college students and other useful idiots will be required. The fact that Apple and Google are already onboard means that contact tracing functionality could be on their next app upgrades and the indoctrinated youth think this is really cool.

Contract Tracing Apps for the Coronavirus Are the New Trend. Here’s Why.

Downloading and installing an upgrade could also mean you may have given them all the “consent” legally required. Don’t buy anything we’re being told that’s voluntary because when liberals are involved, voluntary is temporary.

In case you think this is sensationalism rumor-mongering, it’s already happening in the United States….

Inside an ‘army’ of COVID-19 contact tracers in Massachusetts
What to Know in Washington: Ragtag Virus Tracer Army Takes Shape
Coronavirus News: NYC hiring 1,000 contact tracers
DC plans to expand its ‘Contact Trace Force’ to slow the coronavirus’ spread
What is a contact tracer and how are they helping to slow the spread of COVID-19 in East Tennessee?
Here’s What It’s Like To Be A Contact Tracer In Cabarrus County (NC)
‘You may have been exposed to the virus’: What to expect when a contact tracer calls you
Indiana plans to centralize COVID-19 contact tracing through state health department
How California’s contact tracing army could serve as model for nation’s reopening
Iowa Guard soldiers deployed for coronavirus contact tracing
Connecticut’s new coronavirus contact tracing strategy will use cellphones and volunteers to track infections as the state emerges from the pandemic
Contact tracing back in the spotlight as Texas approaches COVID-19 peak
Pa. to set coronavirus testing, contact tracing benchmarks just days before gradual reopening is set to begin
Georgia Among States Working To Build Contact Tracing Abilities

UPDATE

It turns out, it’s worse than we all thought.

So, if you think you can just decide not to participate because this is the United States of America and we have Constitutional rights, think again.

That “incident” was a false rape accusation and for precaution-sake, I reached out to the Brookline Police Department to find out if there was anything lingering that may have reared its ugly head.

I received the following response from the Town of Brookline.

Okay, so….

All reports of rape and sexual assault or attempts to commit such offenses, all reports of abuse perpetrated by family or household members, as defined in section 1 of chapter 209A, and all communications between police officers and victims of such offenses or abuse shall not be public reports and shall be maintained by the police departments in a manner that shall assure their confidentiality; provided, however, that all such reports shall be accessible at all reasonable times, upon written request, to: (i) the victim, the victim’s attorney, others specifically authorized by the victim to obtain such information, prosecutors and (ii) victim-witness advocates as defined in section 1 of chapter 258B, domestic violence victims’ counselors as defined in section 20K of chapter 233, sexual assault counselors as defined in section 20J of chapter 233, if such access is necessary in the performance of their duties; and provided further, that all such reports shall be accessible at all reasonable times, upon written, telephonic, facsimile or electronic mail request to law enforcement officers, district attorneys or assistant district attorneys and all persons authorized to admit persons to bail pursuant to section 57 of chapter 276. Communications between police officers and victims of said offenses and abuse may also be shared with the forgoing named persons if such access is necessary in the performance of their duties. A violation of this section shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than 1 year or by a fine of not more than $1,000, or both such fine and imprisonment.
— Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 41, Section 97D

One slight problem: there was no rape, thus there was no “victim“.

The “victim” filed a police report of rape and valuable man hours were spent investigating. For some unknown reason, the “victim” was given my name and she subsequently referred to me personally as her attacker.

A very nice Brookline police detective called my place of employment numerous times via the company switchboard (there were no personal smartphones at the time) and identified himself as such, which obviously created unwanted drama. He, on numerous occasions, assured me he knew I didn’t commit the “rape”. He told me he personally interviewed the bartender who knew me at the corner bar I frequented, as well as other patrons who knew me and confirmed my presence there at the time the “rape” was supposed to have occured.

During one such phone conversation with the detective, I was warned to be careful in the Town of Brookline because the boyfriend of the woman (who it turns out was cheating on him while he was out of town) made public threats that he was going to shoot me for raping his girlfriend.

The detective also gave the white “victim” an opportunity to identify me in a public place and once there, failed to do so. A white female district attorney (who obviously believed that women NEVER lie about rape) proceeded to pursue a criminal indictment. I was later told by the detective on the phone that I was three hours from being indicted for rape when the woman suddenly recanted her charge and the matter was dropped.

But the damage was done and I was later fired from my job due to mistakes made due to the stress making it hard to concentrate, as well as the numerous phone calls by police during my work hours.

The “victim” was allowed to just walk away, despite the female district attorney being made privy to information proving my innocence and still aggressively pursuing my prosecution.

Massachusetts prosecutors have violated defendants’ rights to a fair trial regularly and without punishment, even as wrongfully convicted victims of tainted prosecutions have spent years in prison before being freed, decades of court rulings show. Some prosecutors failed to turn over important evidence to defense attorneys or didn’t disclose information bearing negatively on witness credibility, judges said. Others misrepresented evidence in their closing statements to the court.

At least seven prosecutors whose behavior prompted courts to reverse convictions went on to higher posts. Some became judges and district attorneys.
— WGBH, 4/3/16

I attempted to appeal the denial of the public records of this incident with the Massachusetts Secretary of State’s office as instructed and was again denied because the identity of the “victim” had to remain protected and confidential.

“Closed”.

So, what’s the conclusion here?

If you are falsely accused of rape in Massachusetts, the false accuser is considered the “victim”, NOT the person who filed a false police report, which incidentally IS a crime.

Whoever intentionally and knowingly makes or causes to be made a false report of a crime to police officers shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred nor more than five hundred dollars or by imprisonment in a jail or house of correction for not more than one year, or both.
— Section 13A: False reports to police officers

If you are falsely accused of rape in Massachusetts, you have no access as to what was reported about you, the ability to contest the accuracy of what is in that police “record”, knowing who made the false allegations against, no say in who gets to see that “record” if requested, and how long that “record” will remain active. If there’s no statute of limitations regarding rape, then that false accusation “record” could be maintained indefinitely.

The fact the Town of Brookline has denied my request to see any or all information regarding the incident in question implies a “record” IS in existence and accessible should the right person ask.

The fact a false rape accuser can achieve “victim” status in Massachusetts is something every male in the Commonwealth should be concerned about as their lives can be ruined; not only can the false accuser walk away, but Massachusetts will make sure that false incident comes back to haunt you and the person who ruined your life will get on with hers just fine.

With the cooperation of the police agency of a small metropolitan community, 45 consecutive, disposed, false rape allegations covering a 9 year period were studied. These false rape allegations constitute 41% the total forcible rape cases reported during this period. These false allegations appear to serve three major functions for the complainants: providing an alibi, seeking revenge, and obtaining sympathy and attention. False rape allegations are not the consequence of a gender-linked aberration, as frequently claimed, but reflect impulsive and desperate efforts to cope with personal and social stress situations.
— Eugene J. Kanin, Ph.D., 1994

False rape accusations: Why must we pretend they never happen?

This is the reason why I’m highly suspicious whenever I hear or read about any sexual assault incident.

The latest victim is the nation’s oldest orchestra organization, the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Boston Symphony Orchestra principal flutist Elizabeth Rowe has filed a lawsuit against the orchestra, claiming that she is making substantially less each year than her closest peer — a man.

Rowe’s suit was filed in Massachusetts’ Suffolk County Superior Court on Monday morning, the day after a new, statewide equal pay law went into effect. Her suit may be the first gender pay equity claim filed under the Massachusetts Equal Pay Law (MEPA). She is asking for more than $200,000 in unpaid wages from the orchestra.

Rowe’s lawyer, Elizabeth A. Rodgers, says that her client has met repeatedly this year with the BSO administration in hopes of resolving the matter, including providing them with documentation of MEPA. The statute passed in 2016 but did not take effect until this past Sunday, specifically so that companies had ample time to audit and remedy salary and wage gaps.
— NPR, 7/5/18

A little background with my perspective is in order.

After a couple of summers working as a stage crewman for the Berkshire Music Center at Tanglewood, summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, I was hired by the BSO in 1977 as a Press Office Assistant and in-house Graphic Designer. During downtime that coincided with auditions, I would sit in the darkened second-level back row and watch dozens of talented musicians from around the country show off their ability, most of the time, for one open seat.

Rowe’s complaint, filed in Suffolk County Superior Court on Monday, one day after the law went into effect, alleges that since she was hired in 2004, the BSO “has discriminated against Rowe on the basis of gender by paying her an amount less than other comparable males.”

Rowe, who won a highly competitive audition to earn her coveted post at the BSO, is seeking more than $200,000 in unpaid wages.
— Boston Globe, 7/6/18

“Other comparable males”…? How could she conclude that?

I mentioned my experience watching numerous auditions at Symphony Hall because, at least back in 1977-79, auditions were only between those evaluating and the person auditioning. It wasn’t like all of those who sought an opening were standing side-by-side, freestyling, and being able to clearly see who comparibly was better than the other.

And yes, skills do diminish over the years in any profession. Elizabeth Rowe’s time will come and seeing how the lead violinist (“concertmaster”) is normally be the highest paid, one would think she should be damned grateful to be the top paid principal female as a flutist.

I say this because when Ms. Rowe claims she was offered less money than her “comparable” male counterpart.

Rowe says that she is currently the top-paid female principal player in the BSO, while the BSO’s principal oboist, John Ferrillo, is the symphony’s top-paid male principal musician. According to the BSO’s 2016 IRS Form 990, Ferrillo was paid $286,621, the largest salary paid to any BSO principal musician.

John Ferrillo was hired by the BSO in 2004 at the same time Rowe was. If you observe supply and demand, finding and keeping a good oboist could give that person better bargaining power than a flutist, of which there probably a lot more to choose from. Just sayin’.

(Violinist Malcolm Lowe — the orchestra’s concertmaster, who serves as something of a liaison between the symphony’s musicians and its conductor — earned $415,402 in 2016.) The BSO’s three other highest-paid musicians — its principal trumpet, principal viola and timpanist — are all male.
— NPR, 7/5/18

Like the affirmative action argument, if blacks aren’t hired for certain jobs, was it really racism or the amount of blacks who applied for that job. During my time at the Berkshire Music Center where students got expert tutelage from BSO musicians, I can’t remember seeing many female trumpet players or percussionists and that’s always explained the current gender disparity in those positions.

I guess we can no longer say a male at the Boston Symphony might be better and/or more senior than a female.

As playing for the Boston Symphony Orchestra and its subsidiaries has always been a great honor for a classical musician, it’s not like the BSO is only place Elizabeth Rowe could’ve worked. Some people looking for to work for a particular company do some research and have a rough idea of how much said position earns before they walk into an interview. If you don’t like what that employer is offering, you go somewhere else. Elizabeth Rowe accepted the amount offered. Maybe she negotiated up, but if she had an issue with compensation, she should have said something during the hiring process; not sue a day after an equal pay goes into effect.

What are the possible ramifications of Rowe’s suit?

Females who audition for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, a nonprofit that probably meets that liberal stereotype, will now have to be really good where they maybe didn’t have to be because it was all about hiring women. Males may not be tasked with doing as much because it will now be all about “equality” and them not earning more than women for equal work.

Back in the day, people’s wages were a personal thing and not for public consumption outside of the high-priced world of sports and entertainment. Now, there will be personal evaluation and scrutiny of the wages of the artists, not just within the BSO but all entities with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and if you don’t think there will be wage-envy, scrambling to pay women and minorities hire wages regardless of their performance, you just wait.

Town Administrator Allan R. Chiocca has been placed on paid administrative leave while an external harassment investigation looks into “serious allegations against certain town officials,” town solicitor John Clifford said Tuesday.

Four of the town’s five selectmen gathered Tuesday night and voted immediately to move their meeting behind closed doors in what’s known as “executive session,” which falls under an exception to the state’s open meeting law. After they returned to their public meeting about 15 minutes later, Clifford said the four selectmen had decided to hire attorney Regina Ryan of Discrimination and Harassment Solutions, LLC to look into the allegations.

Selectmen vice chair Deirdre Hall was not present at the meeting. Clifford would not comment further on the nature of the allegations or say why Hall was not at the meeting.
— The Patriot Ledger, 5/30/18

What’s great about small communities is the insightful scuttlebutt within their neighborhoods.

Whoops.

Funny how Deirdre Hall left that little detail out from her Democrat supporters….

Last evening, at my request, the Rockland Board of Selectmen initiated an internal investigation involving an allegation of inappropriate behavior by the Town Administrator towards me. Soon after the incident, I reported this matter to two members of the Board of Selectmen. I am cooperating fully with this process and I hope to see a thorough and fair investigation by the Board.

I currently need to prioritize my needs and those of my family. We ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time.
— Deirdre Hall (D), Candidate for State Representative

As she’s now implying “rape”, hopefully after hiring an attorney, the Rockland Board of Selectmen will call the cops and press filing-a-false-allegation charge against Hall. That is, IF they have the guts to do so.

Selectman Deirdre Hall has withdrawn her candidacy for state representative after asking the board to open an investigation into the behavior of Town Administrator Allan Chiocca. The board announced Tuesday that Chiocca has been placed on paid administrative leave and an independent investigator has been hired.
— The Enterprise, 5/31/18

Kinda’ makes you wonder what “Hall for All” implies because while she’s been caught this time, doesn’t mean it’s the first.

Rockland Selectman Hall takes leave during investigation
“Indeed I no longer feel that my children are comfortable or safe taking the school bus or participating in community activities,” she said. “This is a deeply disappointing consequence of my decision to stand up for myself in a situation where I was treated improperly.”

Hide behind the children…. IF she did nothing wrong, why is Dierdre Hall excusing herself from elected duties and leaving the town to tear itself apart?

Hall, a married mother, had initially claimed she was too intoxicated to have consensual sex with Chiocca, but the investigation found otherwise.

“Regina Ryan’s account showed that Mrs. Hall was really the aggressor and Mr. Chiocca was not,” said Larry Ryan, who is now Chairman of Rockland’s Board of Selectmen.
— Fox 25 Boston, 6/11/18

What’s even more disturbing is that, according to Fox 25’s report, the “spouses” of Hall and Kimball decided to go along and keep the affairs quiet so Democrat Dierdre Hall’s state representative campaign could go on unaffected.

Women have the power to not only destroy the careers of men but absolve themselves of any responsibility as to their initial consent-turned-assault.

The board released only a two-sentence statement from private investigator Regina Ryan that rejected Hall’s assertion that any sexual activity between her and Chiocca was non-consensual because she was intoxicated. “With respect to the allegation that Ms. Hall violated the town’s discriminatory harassment policy,” Ryan wrote, “I substantiate Mr. Chiocca’s allegation that on May 1-2, 2018, Ms. Hall used her position as a member of the Board of Selectmen, who was actively reviewing and would soon be voting on his request for a contract extension and salary increase, to pressure him into engaging in sexual activities with her.”
— Commonwealth Magazine, 7/12/18

This should make you question how many of those actresses in Hollywood who are piling on the Weinstein rape parade were indeed victims or willing participants who didn’t get the career boosts they expected as an ROI.

h/t Christopher Pinto

UPDATE

It appears the Rockland Selectboard was busier than the constituents were told.

Last week, a report by Discrimination and Harassment Solutions, LLC concluded that then-selectman Deirdre Hall used her position as selectman to pressure Chiocca into engaging in sexual acts. Though Hall was found to be at fault, town attorney John Clifford said last week that the investigation identified “other serious misconduct” by Town Administrator Alan Chiocca, which is what led to Tuesday’s disciplinary meeting.

The report also tied Selectman Edward Kimball to the investigation, saying he and Hall were also having an “intense physical and emotional affair” through March and April. The report says Kimball was “furious” to find out about the encounter between Chiocca and Hall, and that he demanded to be shown the surveillance footage without disclosing the nature of his interest.
— Patriot Ledger, 7/17/18

“Hall for All”… take a number!

Meanwhile…

Allan Chiocca has been on administrative leave since May pending an investigation into “serious allegations” of sexual misconduct. Town officials in Rockland, Massachusetts, agreed Tuesday not to take disciplinary action against the town administrator after an investigation cleared him of sexual misconduct allegations, revealing that his accuser was actually the alleged aggressor.
— NBC 10 Boston, 7/17/18

Allan Chiocca isn’t really “cleared” here. Instead of engaging in sexual activity because he says he was being threatened, he could have reported it, a sting could’ve been set up so it wouldn’t end up being a “he said, she said” because we all know whose word is initially taken. Instead, Chiocca succumbed and he should never be allowed to be employed as a town administrator anywhere every again.

UPDATE

He initially rejected the idea of stepping down as Selectboard chair, was voted out of his chairmanship by his fellow colleagues but as a recall effort gained steam, sparing the potential damage to the ego was apparently was more important than doing right by the people, so…

A selectman targeted in a week-long recall effort has resigned his position. Edward Kimball, an eight-year member of the board, submitted his letter of resignation to the town clerk Tuesday morning.

An independent investigator was hired by the town in May to look into claims by Deirdre Hall that Town Administrator Alan Chiocca had acted inappropriately toward her during an after-hours meeting at town hall that was caught on video. The motion included an affidavit from Kimball, which said Hall approached him and said Chiocca engaged in inappropriate behavior with her.

Kimball’s affidavit implied his interest in the claim about Chiocca was purely professional, but the report says he was “furious” to learn of the encounter and asked IT Director Eric Hart to show him the security footage.
— The Enterprise, 7/31/18

With all the ensuing drama, we still have the false claim of “inappropriate behavior” we now know was instigated by Deirdre Hall, not to mention insidious family members who were able to look the other way for a variety of self-serving reasons.

Meanwhile, some politicians who believe they are entitled to the support of constituents don’t take rejection well.

Police were called to Rockland Town Hall on Wednesday to respond to reports that Edward Kimball was arguing with residents who were collecting signatures to support the selectman’s recall.

Four police cruisers responded to town hall at about 4:45 p.m. Wednesday for reports of a “possible assault in progress,” according to the police log. The officers said there was no assault but that Kimball got into a verbal argument with someone standing outside with a group collecting petition signatures in an effort to force a recall election for the veteran selectman.

“My understanding is that some adults got into a heated argument which ended prior to our arrival,” Rockland police Lt. Nicholas Zeoli said in an email. “There were no charges filed.”
— Patriot Ledger, 7/26/18

With all due respect to the good local reporting of those at the Patriot Ledger and others covering this ongoing Greek tragedy, the ONLY reason why this hasn’t made national news is because we’re talking about foul Democrats and a media that covers for them.

UPDATE

There are many in the political class (including their spouses and children) who seem to believe the world cannot exist without them and even when some should hang their heads in shame and leave those they affect alone, these people come back with the full expectation of acceptance.

The husband of a Rockland selectman who resigned after investigators found she used her position to solicit sex from the town administrator is running to replace her in an upcoming special election.

Christopher Hall, husband of former Selectman Deidre Hall, is among four residents who have taken out nomination papers to run in the Nov. 6 election. Two seats are open because Deidre Hall and former Selectman Ed Kimball resigned in the aftermath of the scandal.
— Patriot Ledger, 8/23/18

Some of us would be laying low humiliated, even to the point of considering moving out of town and trying to make a fresh start where no one knew who we were.

Others want to be elected.

BTW — Christopher Hall didn’t win.

It is a very scenic town and as I worked at a local television station, came to know many of the town’s people. They were, in most cases, very decent people with community values. But the longer we lived there, a need was very apparent: good paying jobs.

So instead of sitting back and complaining, I decided to run for State Representative. As a potential Republican on a 85% Democrat Beacon Hill, I knew from the beginning I’d be allowed very little (if any) influence on legislation for the state, so the campaign was focused.

It was purely economic development, not a personal career move and only sought one term to try and do the following:

— Submit an application for Empowerment Zone status for the district that would have given any new business that moved into the area tax breaks and incentives, and offering the same for existing businesses that could expand and hire new employees. I had an in with the federal government to make sure our application would be reviewed before the program was sunsetted as promised by a potential Obama administration.

— Would meet with the six towns in the 2nd Franklin District, ask them what kind of high-paying jobs they would like (computer research and development, pharmaceuticals, medical clinics, etc.).

— Would then use the power of the office to make appointments with CEOs of the high tech businesses in and around Route 128 encircling Boston, ask them to come out to our area for a drive and see if there was a piece of land they might find conducive to either fleeing their high-tax area or maybe set up a smaller satellite of their business.

You can view the campaign infomercial at your leisure.

It was an insult to many of us that Boston took our taxes and seemingly only used us for campaign propaganda. While their politicians bragged about “getting rid” of sex offenders that imperiled their children, our towns became the dumping ground for their sex offenders imperiling ours. The incumbent I ran against did virtually nothing to slow the import of these individuals into our bedroom community and I warned voters that he was only seeking one more term so he could be eligible for a pension and then would run for county sheriff, of which he at the time denied.

After serving the term as state rep, he was elected Franklin County sheriff in 2010 where he is to this day. And don’t get us started on the lame representation the district has received from 2008 to today with a self-server who recently changed her party registration from Republican to “unenrolled” to put “people over party”.

Sure.

I left Massachusetts for a job in Virginia in 2009 but return to that small town as frequently as possible (for among other things) to see old friends, breathe clean air and consume correctly-prepared shrimp and lobster sauce at our go-to eatery. What’s sad is every time we return, the lack of economic development is still glaring, so you can imagine my disappointment when I recently read the following….

Athol looks to marijuana cultivation to create jobs in old mill
ATHOL – The town is negotiating an agreement for marijuana growing at a sprawling mill that has been mostly vacant for decades, and it could bring 500 jobs to town.

During an Oct. 17 meeting, selectmen voted 4-1 for the letter of non-opposition to the cultivation, manufacturing and extraction facility. The move opened the doors for nonprofit Herbology Group Inc., which holds the provisional license, and developer Sea Hunter Therapeutics to move to the next step.

Frank A. Perullo, spokesman for Herbology, said the companies were attracted to the building in Athol because it is zoned appropriately and the town has set parcels of land for indoor cultivation.

“Once we find a site that is zoned appropriately that meets state buffer requirements, like (away from) common areas where children congregate and the requirement of the town buffer, we are interested,” Mr. Perullo said. “This site is perfect. It is secure, surrounded by a river and railroad, and there is only one entrance. Athol is the only property right now in our sights. We love the property. It is the way to go.”

However, Selectman Rebecca Bialecki, the only board member who voted against the letter of non-opposition, said she is not a supporter of recreational marijuana. She said although it is a legalized industry in Massachusetts, she has many concerns about drug use and abuse in Athol.

“It is a drug, legal or not, and any substance which can alter someone’s mood or impair judgement can be problematic,” Ms. Bialecki said. “We are struggling with an addiction epidemic in our state. I don’t see this as an industry that is one to build our future on.”
— Worcester Telegram, 11/5/17

This a clear illustration of the contrast in philosophy between liberals and conservatives, Democrats and Republicans.

In swoops this nonprofit Herbology Group, Inc. with the assistance of a predator ‘disruptive’ lobbyist from diversity-challenged The Novus Group to sidestep the people and go for a resistance-squashing “letter of non-opposition” and all that implies in pushing for this and other medical marijuana facilities in economically-challenged areas of the Commonwealth.

Novus assists clients in building consensus amongst elected officials and grasstop leaders. We serve as the eyes and ears of the developer both in City Hall and within the community.
— Novus Group “services”

Instead of bringing in jobs that pay well and challenge the mind, high-aiming liberal Democrats dangle 300 or so $15-per-hour jobs that dull them. In this case by a nonprofit (you know how we feel about most nonprofits) and Herbology’s business plan projection is not very ambitious.

While all the “buffer” assurances are in place, it would defy common sense that free samples wouldn’t leave the building and infect an already drug-infested area; not to the extent of major metropolitan cities but if you already have a crystal methamphetamine problem, why would you want to open a pot factory as the potential second major employer in your small town?

Did the Athol Selectboard really think this through or was it all about low-paying “jobs” and increased property taxes with little regard to documented ramifications?

Traffic fatalities linked to marijuana are up sharply in Colorado
Legal marijuana stores lead to increases in property crime
Hospitals Reporting More Colorado Babies Being Born THC-Positive

That’s just what Athol needs.

Makes one wonder what the outcome of the Athol Selectboard would have been had they known they were the target of “disruptive lobbying” by a group of rabid millennials fresh out of college who could care less about the quaint communities they ultimately harm.

As Castle Rock will make neighboring Orange look uncharacteristically twisted, the towns and people of the North Quabbin area of North Central Massachusetts will always be one of our homes away from home. It’s just sad that there’s little in the way of real forward thinking by those supposedly in leadership positions that could really do good… if they really wanted to.

Yet another example of the soft bigotry of low expectations is What Happened and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer small town.

Imagine the ego it took to write “Obamacare Critics Still Tell Just One Side of the Jobs Story” while plotting to deceive and destroy the health care coverage of millions of individuals and families.

In listening to “Health Economist” Jonathan Gruber’s presentation of the “agenda” at the University of Pennsylvania, the arrogance is quite disturbing and the question that most comes to mind is… “Who elected YOU?”

“What’s been great about this process is that it’s been a fairly intellectually honest process,” said Gruber.

Turns out it was a good day to check in with Gruber. Of course, lined up on the other side, we have the entreaties of millions of misinformed, Bible-banging suckers, so there’s that.
— A Brief Interlude With Expert Opinion, Esquire Magazine, 9/26/13

This progressive educator (and his family) is probably having a very bad last few days and deservedly so. The truth always comes out and there can be a reckoning.

B&R Flashback: ObamaCare: DEFUND, Not Repeal

This must be done. What’s sad is that Gruber has more balls than some of the Republicans now in charge.

On a Friday evening, days before gay marriage was legalized, Ambassador Alan Keyes went to Boston’s historic Faneuil Hall and shared his impression on how we got here, why, and where we may be headed as a society.

Considering where we find ourselves today, some of his observations in 2004 were quite prophetic.

Apparently  not.

In the six towns that make up the 2nd Franklin, Democrat Martha Coakley beat Republican Scott Brown 6776 to 6070. It’s even more clear my home district is as dysfunctional as the black community, and my saying this is going to really irk them.

The truth hurts.

You know how your car drives; how it feels.

Let’s say you notice something feels very wrong with your car and you take it to the shop. You tell the mechanic what feels wrong and he tells you to leave it with him. He later calls, you pay him and begin to drive off, when you feel the same thing wrong with your car.

You take it back to the mechanic, tell him he didn’t fix the problem, describe the symptoms, and leave it again. You get another call later, pick up the car and when you’re driving away feel the same problem with the car.

The question is, would you ever take your car back to that mechanic again?

Blacks would, and so would the majority of voters in my home district.

In the black community (and most of the 2nd Franklin), Democrats hold almost every elected office from clerk to congressman. According to the hype, both communities should be utopias on Earth. However, both suffer from a chronic lack of economic development, questionable or outright failing schools, lackluster home sales, high foreclosure rates, and no end to that pattern in sight.

Despite what many of you may think, I’m not looking for everyone to become Republicans tomorrow. That’s quite unrealistic. But I look forward to a day of political competitiveness and accountability, because when politicians know they don’t have to produce to keep their jobs, they get lazy and don’t. I invite any of you living in either area to think of ONE meaningful thing that an entrenched Democrat has done to put one meal on your table (not including welfare or unemployment benefits).

Texas is a state that’s weathered the recession storm better than almost any other. What do they have that others don’t? A politically competitive climate. If a politician doesn’t deliver, next election the people give someone else a try.

I’ve talked to people in the 2nd Franklin who tell me their representation hasn’t done shit for them in the many terms they’ve been returned to office, yet they keep getting reelected. This is not the politicians’ fault. It’s the fault of those who refuse to hold them accountable, and both my district and the black community will not. For that, your complaining will continue to fall on deaf ears.

While the rest of the state issued a clear warning to Washington, D.C. after the special election, most of the 2nd Franklin District of Massachusetts chose continued unemployment, almost non-existent economic development, and a political class that’s been given a pass so they don’t have to work to improve anything.

As much as I love that area, you can lead a horse to water….

As I said during the campaign, “If you like the way things are, by all means, vote for the incumbent… and don’t complain.”

They did, so don’t.