Saturday, August 05, 2006
Red Speck Strikes Again 2: Electric Boogaloo
I see where His Mediocrity The Governor Willard (R-UT) took money out of flood relief for the Berkshires and redirected it to the North Shore.
Has he been here? Has he even set foot in Berkshire County during his tenure as Governor? I know he's not been to North County.
WF
// posted by Wes @ 9:14 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
New Rule
Anyone who cites the Family Research Institute, whose chair once promoted the idea of "branding" homosexuals on their faces, forfeits their right to engage in civil discussion for at least six months.
This letter writer seems to be the resident anti-gay right-wing slackjaw for the Berkshires, as I've seen his name before.
WF
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Friday, August 04, 2006
Friday Animal Blogging
This is Teddy.
Teddy is a 6-7 year old male Min Pin/Jack Russell. He is here because his previous family had two other dogs. They are not allowed to have three dogs. He loves to eat and he is an excellent mouser that would challenge any cat. He is a happy dog who loves to be spoiled. He has a typical little dog attitude. Come meet Teddy, he will make a great friend.
Teddy and many other animals are available at the Second Chance Animal Center on the Arlington/Shaftsbury town line in Vermont.
And a bonus: Remember those two kittens we've been fostering? They were supposed to be temporary. However, Jawa Girl turned to me Monday night and said, "You know we're keeping Dido, right?" I know when I'm outvoted. This means that Chloe needs to find a home. So if you want to see this around your house:
you can get Chloe early next week at the Second Chance Animal Center as well.
WF
// posted by Wes @ 8:49 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Nutmeg
Scot Lehigh gives us some more info on the Lamont/Lieberman race in Connecticut. Some folks have called Ned Lamont a "one-issue" candidate who is a "radical" and "out of the mainstream." Nothing could be further from the truth.
WF
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They Get Letters
Shorter this guy: You kids get the heck off my lawn!
WF
// posted by Wes @ 8:39 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Topia
Last year, certain factions tried to raise a stink about the Topia Arts Center fundraiser, because they presented a reading of a play (a high-quality play, for the record - you'd think people who were so overly dramatic about "our boys over there" would know good drama when they saw it) that dared question Dear Leader (the stink was raised under the guise of "supporting our troops," which is about as far from reality as you can get).
I wonder if this year it'll be just too dang loud.
WF
// posted by Wes @ 8:34 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Putting aside politics
Thoughts go out to the family of Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Chris Gabrieli, whose mother died yesterday.
WF
// posted by Wes @ 9:52 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Development
Three items are coming before the North Adams Planning Board in a couple of weeks. I must say I'm the most excited about the possibility of a pub close to campus (to compete with the Pitcher's Mound, which is an alright place to be sure, but we need more options).
It's not that I'm a heavy drinker - far from it, actually - but it'll give people Something To Do. Tie this in with the cinemas coming downtown and you're starting to hit critical mass.
WF
// posted by Wes @ 9:45 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Swan Song
State Sen. Andrea Nuciforo, Jr. (D-Pittsfield) has most likely cast his last vote in the State Senate.
Thanks for your service, Senator.
WF
// posted by Wes @ 9:40 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Stay cool.
Drink water and juice today. Stay close to fans or air conditioning. And make sure your pets are taken care off.
WF
// posted by Wes @ 9:31 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Unfrozen Caveman Columnist
Shorter Jeff Jacoby: Voting isn't important.
WF
// posted by Wes @ 9:30 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
The heart breaks
The story of Army Sergeant Brian Fountaine of Boston's Dorchester neighborhood, who now wonders why.
All the platitudes about freedom mean nothing, you realize. We're in the process of sending a generation to the lawnmower, and for what? Iraq had no WMD of import, no connections to those who attacked us on September 11, 2001, and was no threat to us or our interests.
And now these same people want to take a military taxed to the breaking point and put pressure on Iran and Syria.
The blood of Americans is on the hands of every last one of you - from the President all the way down to the chickenhawks who are only too happy to send people to die while they sit in air-conditioned rooms - who supported this indecency. May sleep never visit you again without images of horrific death, and may your ears constantly be filled with the shrieks of the dying.
UPDATE: And for the record, their blood is on all of us - for we didn't do enough to stop it.
WF
// posted by Wes @ 9:20 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
General Court Wrap-Up
The Eagle gives us a post-mortem on this year's legislative session. The failure of the higher ed funding bill to be enacted is arguably the biggest failure this term.
WF
// posted by Wes @ 9:15 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Monday, July 31, 2006
Development, affordability, and WiFi
One of the things we who believe in Muni WiFi will have to be careful about is making sure that this rising tide does indeed life more than the yachts. Though it is not the sole reason (or even the main reason) for it, WiFi does figure into the gentrification* of the Virginia Piedmont.
*Gentrification here in the most literal sense, the creation of a landed gentry set apart by class from the workers.
(hat tip to Governing magazine's blog)
WF
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Law of Unintended Consequences
James Carroll (I have GOT to meet this guy) tells a truth - indeed, the Middle East has been transformed by the Bush Junta's policies. Sadly, the transformation made things even worse.
WF
// posted by Wes @ 10:45 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Labor Relations
Steve Early writes in the Globe about the strike that may have mortally wounded the labor movement, the most important movement of the 20th century - the Air Traffic Controllers' strike of 1981.
WF
// posted by Wes @ 10:42 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
I haven't forgotten
I see that Boston is using a novel approach to muni WiFi. I am intrigued by this.
It's taken some time, but I'm about ready to call that long-promised meeting of interested citizens to get the Muni WiFi ball rolling in NA.
WF
// posted by Wes @ 10:38 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
If you build it, he will come.
North Adams has been entered (by Councilmember Chris Tremblay) in the Granite City Electric Field of Dreams III contest.
North Adams isn't up on the website yet, but I'm told it should be on there soon. So when it is, vote early and often!
WF
// posted by Wes @ 10:32 AM |||Comment (0) | Trackback (0)
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Sunday Religion Blogging
Maybe it's all the ministers in my family (great-great-grandfather, great-grandfather, grandfather, great-uncle, cousin, brother, brother-in-law), but I've always appreciated good theological discussions. One of the most painful ordeals for progressives of faith in recent years has been the near-total overtaking of the Christian religion (in almost all forms and denominations) by those who would use it for political and temporal power.
So it's nice to see the tide starting to turn. While I am fully aware the Bible is much more than the words of Jesus, it is telling that the central figure in the faith never once mentions abortion or homosexuality. He actually DOES mention helping the poor, clothing the naked, and feeding the hungry, yet somehow those issues are never mentioned in "nonpartisan" voter guides from the Christian Coalition and their ilk.
I've said it before and I'll say it again - the fundamentalists/Dominionists/nascent theocratic fascists do not worship Jesus of the Bible. They apparently worship a fellow named JEEEEzus!, who is a rich white guy from the suburbs who only cares about abortion and homosexuality. Nothing else explains the rise of the "Prosperity Gospel" movement, which is one of the weakest theological arguments ever made.
One more thought: the desire to bring about Armageddon should never be the basis for foreign policy, whether practiced by individuals or a government. This is true across Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and all other faiths with an eschatological basis.
