Cambridge, MA State Senator One of Two Who Voted Against Uber, Lyft

[From article]
State Sen. Salvatore DiDomenico told a group of rallying taxi drivers and medallion owners last week that he is behind them “1,000 percent,” pointing out that the support of the cabbies helped him win his special election in 2010. A day later, he was one of just two senators to vote against a ride-hailing bill seen as friendly to Uber and Lyft.
But what DiDomenico didn’t tell the crowd, or the chamber, is that he is so entrenched in the taxi industry that even one of his aides is a medallion owner.
In fact, James Henry — DiDomenico’s director of constituent services — owns two of them in Cambridge, according to state ethics disclosures.
“The passage of any legislation relative to ride sharing has the potential to impact the value of taxi cab medallions,” DiDomenico wrote in a filing dated March 14, 2016.
In a brief interview after his remarks, DiDomenico dismissed concerns about his decision to take such a prominent stance in the debate about regulations for Uber and Lyft.
“This is not something that I have just been talking about since I was a state legislator,” DiDomenico said Tuesday. “I’ve been working on this issue as a city councilor in my hometown of Everett — and I have been working hard. ... Even before I knew this person had any kind of stake in this, I was an advocate and an opponent of what’s happening today and a proponent for the taxi industry.”
DiDomenico also said Henry has not done any work on ride-hailing legislation.
Medallion values have plummeted in recent years as cabbies have continued to lose business to Uber, Lyft and other ride-sharing start-ups. Boston cab drivers have been kept afloat largely because of almost exclusive access to
Logan International Airport, but taxis in Cambridge have been hit particularly hard.
The Herald reported earlier this year nearly two dozen Cambridge medallion owners have returned their once-valuable investments to the city. The owners said at the time they couldn’t find drivers for the cabs, or couldn’t afford payments on the loans they took out to buy the medallion.
In many cases, it was both.
Henry was not on the list of owners who returned medallions.
“I have heard the personal stories of people in my district, I have heard the personal stories of a multitude of people who are really getting crushed by this,” DiDomenico said. “And the fact that I know someone — I know everybody who has a stake in
every issue, and we’re fighting for the people who need help the most.”
Still, there is no question the value of a taxi medallion is now closely tied to how restrictive the regulations are on Uber and Lyft, a question that likely will be answered by the end of the legislative session this month.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_coverage/2016/07/pols_politics_didomenico_s_aide_owns_two_taxi_medallions

Pols & Politics: DiDomenico’s
aide owns two taxi medallions
One of two Mass. senators to vote against Uber, Lyft
Matt Stout

Sunday, July 03, 2016

Boston Herald

Massachusetts EPA Wants To Bring Rattlesnakes Onto Reservoir Land

FILE-- In this September 2013 handout file photograph from the Mass. Dept. of Conservation and Recreation, a dirt and stone road leads to Mount Zion Island, at rear, at the Quabbin Reservoir in Petersham, Massachusetts. A plan by the state to start a colony of venomous timber rattlesnakes on the off-limits island in MassachusettsÕ largest drinking water supply is under fire. 

(Clif Read/The Mass. Dept. of Conservation and Recreation via AP)

[From article]
The commonwealth wants to “reintroduce” poisonous rattlesnakes to Massachusetts — what could possibly go wrong?
Perhaps you’ve heard about this plan, to turn Mount Zion Island in the Quabbin Reservoir into a sanctuary for timber rattlers. The question is, why? First of all, plenty of venomous vipers continue to slither around the state, and not just in their natural habitat on Beacon Hill.
Second, this “island” is a peninsula, with a causeway to the mainland.
Not to worry, though, we are assured by the state’s hack-
infested Department of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA).
Mount Zion is large enough,” the state lectures us on its website, “that the snakes would have little motivation to leave.”

So now they’re experts on the “motivations” of serpents. But wait, there’s more.

“The snakes will have radio transmitters to provide MassWildlife with important information about rattlesnake behavior.”
That’s great, they’re giving them radios. My show is broadcast on at least three stations that reach the Quabbin. I can 
always use more listeners.
Who’s responsible for this crackpot scheme, you ask. Well, the guy whose name is on the website is Tom French, assistant director of MassWildlife. He makes $105,000 a year. His boss is George Peterson, the commissioner of Fisheries and Wildlife, a former GOP state rep making $129,000 a year.
[. . .]



Suppose you’re enjoying a walk through the woods on a fine summer afternoon. 
Suddenly you hear that unmistakable rattling sound coming from a pile of leaves. You look down and see the coiled serpent, its fangs out. What is the first word that comes to your mind?
Probably two — “Holy bleep!” But that’s the wrong answer, 
according to French’s posting on the EEA website. He describes the rattler as “fascinating” and, my favorite, “persecuted.”
Persecuted is not a word often used to describe poisonous snakes. Usually “persecuted”
refers to someone — customarily a mammal, with two legs — who is “subject to hostility … 
especially because of their race or political or religious beliefs.”
So are timber rattlers “persecuted” because of their political beliefs? What, are they holding a rally for Donald Trump? That’s a … fascinating question.
This persecution, by the way, started around the time of 
“European settlement.” In other words, the reptiles are victims. They deserve reparations.
[. . .]



The local fishermen dutifully trudge in to complain that after the first snake bite, and there will be one, the bureaucrats will close the entire reservoir. As 
always, though, the pencil pushers and the Sierra Club and the rest know better than the people who actually live there.
The opponents are getting 
nowhere because they’re trying to raise common-sense 
objections. As they should know, rational arguments no longer count when you’re confronting the government.
[. . .]
In 2007, a guy in Dracut was trimming weeds in his backyard when one of the mild, persecuted, fascinating rattlers suddenly struck. The viper’s victim spent two days in the hospital in 
Lowell.
And now the hacks want to breed more of these poisonous reptiles. Professional courtesy, I guess you could call it.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/howie_carr/2016/03/carr_a_snake_oil_scheme_for_serpents

Carr: A snake oil scheme for serpents
Howie Carr

Sunday, March 20, 2016

Boston Herald

Mass State Rep. Has The Usual Priorities

"Health care costs are the biggest culprit [for rising budget]." The Democratic Party's health care law did not reduce health care costs as promised? "Another factor is Massachusetts’ structural budget deficit." No explanation what that means. "My top priority is ensuring local aid – in particular for education – grows healthily." No reducing waste and costs? More spending will improve schools? "My second priority is funding for the Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) [. . .] and ensure safe drinking water and healthy rivers, [. . .] I look at Flint and grow concerned" Did Michigan and US EPA fail? "Baker’s directive [. . .] challenged MassDEP, which has more regulations than any department." Do rules by unelected bureaucrats increase revenue from businesses? "My final priority is services for homeless individuals," He does not say "housing people" is his priority. Providing services, i.e., taxpayer money for liberal groups to spend. Like for computer systems, and more studies by academic experts? He favors more shelters but not housing? His stated goal is "to advance the cause of greater economic and social justice" without defining what justice is. Thrasymachus in Plato's Republic suggested "justice is the interests of the stronger." Is that the voters and taxpayers? Teehee! "Budgets are not numbers on paper; they are values statements. The way we spend reflects who and what we value." Very true. 

[Afterthought]

Rep. Rogers does not mention the opioid overdose crisis, un-funded pensions or immigration. http://cambridge.wickedlocal.com/article/20160315/NEWS/160317191

Guest column: Way we spend 2017 budget reflects what we value
By Rep. Dave Rogers
Posted Mar. 15, 2016 at 1:36 PM
CAMBRIDGE Chronicle

Are Researchers Scientists? Should Massachusetts Learn From Colorado's Experience?

Lynn Zimmer, was a sociologist at Queens College, New York. Dr. John P. Morgan was a physician and professor of pharmacology at CUNY Med School. Their 1997 book is a collection of articles about marijuana and legalization. They are researchers but are they, as cited, "scientists?" Holmes says, "But listening to police is no way to find out what’s going on." Then cites an advocate for legalization as if she knows. Police are in tune with the streets, even if they pretend otherwise. "I am shocked to find gambling in this establishment." Does Holmes recommend not being soft on opioids, but soft on marijuana is OK? Rep. Sannicandro, who favors legalization, says “Politicians are overly influenced by law enforcement[.]” More than the marijuana industry and contributions from George Soros? Unmentioned is removing criminals from the pot industry. But illegal pot is still sold in Colorado. Undiscussed is the preponderance of arrests of small street dealers, instead of big time traffickers. Money launderers need to explain their income.

http://cambridge.wickedlocal.com/article/20160217/NEWS/160216883

Column: Fighting yesterday's war on pot
By Rick Holmes
Opinions/Mass. Political Editor
Posted Feb. 17, 2016 at 7:59 AM
CAMBRIDGE Chronicle

Massachusetts Governor Objects To Uncivil Speech

Gov. Baker subscribes to the civility censorship argument, promoted by his alma mater, Harvard College. When former Mayor Galluccio told me at a Town Gown annual meeting "Be nice." he revealed he supports censorship if it is unpleasant. I asked, "How can you solve a problem if you cannot talk about it?" At that meeting the concern was the repeated deceptions by Harvard University PR flacks.

[From article]
Gov. Charlie Baker said Donald Trump’s vulgar remark about Ted Cruz is more evidence the Republican front-runner is unsuitable for office.
“Did he really? Did he really say that?” a visibly aghast Baker said when told by a reporter that Trump had called Cruz “a pussy.” “Look, I made very clear last week when I endorsed Gov. Christie that part of the reason that I endorsed him was I didn’t think that Donald Trump had the temperament and the seriousness of purpose to be president of the United States, and that comment would certainly fit quite well in that particular category.”

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_politics/2016/02/appalled_charlie_baker_on_trump_vulgarity_did_he_really_say_that

Appalled Charlie Baker on Trump vulgarity: ‘Did he really say that?’
Jordan Graham 

Tuesday, February 09, 2016

White Privilege Extends To Protests For Black Activists

[From article]
Is this what they mean by “white privilege?”
A bunch of squirrelly hippies decide to block traffic into the city on an Interstate highway during rush hour — an act of domestic terrorism. And yesterday, a year after their irresponsible, heinous crimes, the smirking, spoiled art-history majors sauntered out of the courthouse in Quincy with “unsupervised probation,” which means zero punishment, as their leader, who lives in a mansion on Moss Hill in Jamaica Plain, refused to apologize.
[. . .]



The lesson is, if you’re a member of a PC-approved, politically protected class — in this case, rich white moonbats — the laws don’t apply to you. In the halls of justice, the only justice is in the halls.
What do you suppose would have happened to these fools if they’d claimed membership in the Tea Party instead of Black Lives Matter? Forget 90 days at the Dedham House of Correction, which the district attorney was looking for. They would have been politically profiled as “bitter clingers,” which would have meant a one-way ticket to some federal pen, maybe even a Supermax like in Florence, Colo. Interference in interstate commerce, conspiracy, violation of civil rights, etc. etc. Plus an IRS audit.
Outside the courthouse yesterday, they looked like a free-the-weed rally in search of a bong, an outtake from an ancient Cheech & Chong movie. With the addition of a single hand-lettered “Hands Off My Trust Fund” sign, it could have been a Bernie Sanders rally. Not a black life anywhere in sight — it could have been the stage at last night’s Democrat presidential debate in Durham.
[. . .]
Nor did the judge. Remember a guy from Concord named Henry David Thoreau? Before the Civil War, he was thrown into jail for non-payment of taxes. He committed the “crime,” so he was willing to do the time.
They’re not making hippies like Henry David Thoreau anymore.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/howie_carr/2016/02/carr_hippie_privilege_rules_in_quincy_courtroom

Carr: Hippie privilege rules in Quincy courtroom
Howie Carr

Friday, February 05, 2016

Newspaper Supports Public Records Reform In Massachusetts

Good editorial, an improvement over foxy State Rep. Rogers' essay. It says, "the Senate bill requires agencies that lose such cases pay the legal fees of the plaintiff, an important incentive for compliance." Taxpayers pay for the misconduct of officials, as they did for the 20-years of FBI criminal enterprises enabling Bulger's serial homicides. Where is the incentive to comply? It is unfortunately unlikely the legislature will write and pass a law that restricts their deal-making options. One area omitted is the lack of inclusion of special police e.g., Harvard University campus police in state public records law requirements. 

[From editorial]
the Senate bill requires agencies that lose such cases pay the legal fees of the plaintiff, an important incentive for compliance.

http://cambridge.wickedlocal.com/article/20160202/NEWS/160209128

Editorial: Fixing the state Public Records Law
Posted Feb. 2, 2016 at 12:05 PM
CAMBRIDGE Chronicle

Massachusetts Water Facility Underground Fire

MWRA error. The good news--unlike Flint, Michigan, the MWRA does not provide leaded water for Massachusetts children. The bad news--their efficiency achievement scores are second to the MBTA. Not bad.

[From article]
Five Massachusetts Water Resources Authority maintenance workers were taken to Boston Medical Center yesterday for smoke-related complaints after escaping a two-alarm underground fire at the Nut Island sewage treatment plant in Quincy.
MWRA spokeswoman Ria Convery said the fire broke out at the Sea Street facility shortly after 1 p.m. in an area of a building that is three stories underground.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_coverage/2016/01/five_injured_in_treatment_plant_blaze

Five injured in treatment plant blaze
Laurel J. Sweet
Tuesday, January 26, 2016

Massachusetts Public Records Law Will Be Fixed By Those Unaccountable to The Law?

Couple of teeny errors and tiny omissions by the foxy Honorable Representative. Records requests have a ten day response time. MGL Chapter 66. Municipalities ignore requests. Others deny any records exist, or delay, delay, delay. The legislature and the governor are exempt from public records law. The reason remains a mystery. Accountability? Guy asked the fox about security at the hen house. Fox replied, "Just fine. May need a few teeny, tiny tweeks but nothing major to worry about. I'm working on repairs myself." Current law allows attorneys fees at discretion of judge. Current law gives Attorney General discretion to file suit and force compliance. Seldom if ever done. Definition of public records needs to include special police departments, e.g., Harvard University campus police. See below report for more details. Contact Society of Professional Journalists, Region One. Sorry Rep. Fox, I mean Rogers, I think you missed the mark.

https://digboston.com/the-secretary-of-secrecy-a-new-column-about-public-records-reform-in-mass-and-just-in-time/

THE SECRETARY OF SECRECY: A NEW COLUMN ABOUT PUBLIC RECORDS REFORM IN MASS, AND JUST IN TIME
January 18, 2016
By ANDREW QUEMERE and MAYA SHAFFER
Dig Boston

[From article]
the governmental agency that is the record holder is obligated to fill that request within 15 days. The record holder, however, may assess fees associated with the production of that record and is unlikely to be subjected to enforcement of the law, as there are neither strong enforcement mechanisms nor the ability to recoup legal fees by way of a court order.
[. . .]
concerns from municipalities about abusive requesters who make an unreasonable number of requests
[. . .]
records access officers
[. . .]
instances in which holders request further extensions, raise objections to the request or requester, or in which requesters appeal to supervisors.
[. . .]
allows the Attorney General to proactively intervene to seek these penalties. There will now be real risk of significant consequences for avoiding compliance

http://cambridge.wickedlocal.com/article/20160125/NEWS/160127352

GUEST COLUMN: Why reforming public records laws is critical
By Rep. Dave Rogers
Posted Jan. 25, 2016 at 4:19 PM
Updated at 4:55 PM
CAMBRIDGE Chronicle

Springfield, MA Officer Charged With Theft of Cash Evidence

Policeman Kevin Burnham holding cocaine evidence. 

No mention if he stole any drugs. The City and MA Attorney General appear only interested in the cash money. Police Commissioner and Mayor called it a lesson learned? Is this the first time evidence was stolen from a police department? Hello? Were these two public officials born yesterday?

[From article]
Police Commissioner John Barbieri said he and members of his department were blind-sided by the alleged discovery of a staggering $385,000 in systematic thefts of cash from the evidence room by retired Officer Kevin Burnham.
During a press conference followingBurnham's arraignment Monday in Hampden Superior Court on multiple counts of larceny, Barbieri said the tip of an apparent pattern was uncovered during a city audit in the summer of 2014, after the then-new commissioner took office and approximately when Burnham retired.
The city's internal auditor initially reported "there were some problems" after Barbieri ordered a review of the department's cash and evidence protocols. He said the review was part of an overall plan to modernize the department, as opposed to a response to any internal rumblings about Burnham.
"We wanted to determine if that cash had simply been misplaced or mis-stored, or whether we, in fact, had been the victim of a larceny," Barbieri said. "Officers reported back that they couldn't locate the cash."
[. . .]
More than a year later, Attorney General Maura Healey's office on Monday announced it was bringing charges against Burnham after a grand jury returned indictments in late December. The indictments state Burnham swiped cash from evidence envelopes stored in connection with about 162 criminal cases. Along with the indictments, Healey's office filed a five-page spreadsheet detailing the alleged thefts
[. . .]
Burnham pleaded not guilty to the charges and was released on his own recognizance. He had been a police officer for 43 years and retired as the department's senior officer in 2014. Healey's office said he "took advantage" of his position as narcotics evidence officer, a position Barbieri said Burnham held for almost 20 years.The citations include piddling amounts under $100; but in one case, nearly $108,000 was never recovered, according to the documents. The spreadsheet tracked cases back to late 2009.
[. . .]
The overall message by Barbieri and other officials at Monday's press conference, including Mayor Domenic Sarno, amounted to: "Lesson learned."
[. . .]
Thus far, the issue has shaken out to be more than a $500,000 problem for a struggling city – given the $385,000 missing from the evidence room, $170,000 for the private auditing firm and thousands more spent on new equipment for the department.
Barbieri said no other police officers have been implicated in the investigation. It remains a question how one officer could allegedly lift nearly $400,000 in cash under the noses of his supervisors, however.
[. . .]
Barbieri said evidence money is now stored in a bank account, as opposed to in lockers in the evidence room

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2016/01/springfield_police_commissione_30.html

Springfield Police Commissioner John Barbieri: Department blind-sided by alleged theft of $385,000 in evidence money by retired officer
By Stephanie Barry | sbarry (at) repub.com
January 11, 2016 at 7:01 PM

Massachusetts District Attorney Investigates Abuse of Disabled Students

[From article]

Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni said Monday his office and state police are conducting an inquiry into allegations of abuse at the Peck Full Service Community School in Holyoke, Mass.
The Disability Law Center released a report last week alleging disabled students were slapped, punched, shoved and restrained for long periods of time. The report said the treatment often left the children with bruises and scratches.



The Holyoke Teachers Association said in a statement the center is "not portraying an entirely accurate or fair picture," without elaborating.
The public school has since hired a new principal and tapped a private company to run its programs serving children with emotional and behavioral disabilities.

http://www.wcvb.com/news/prosecutors-launch-probe-of-student-abuse-allegations/36960274

Prosecutors launch probe of student abuse allegations
Special needs students allegedly slapped, punched, shoved, restrained
UPDATED 8:59 PM EST Dec 14, 2015

Massachusetts Joins 25 Other States Opposing More Syrian Migrants

[From article]
Now, 25 Republican governors – and one Democrat too – have said they don't want Syrian refugees in their states, as President Obama recommitted the U.S. to take a portion of this population fleeing from ISIS.
[. . .]
However, Republican governors from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Texas and Wisconsin said they would postpone programs to bring in Syrian refugees, or they're against the idea entirely, according to the Associated Press.
Governors of these states have said no to Syrian refugees
Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
Georgia
Florida
Idaho
Indiana
Illinois
Iowa
Kansas
Louisiana
Maine
Massachusetts
Michigan
Mississippi
Nebraska
New Hampshire
New Jersey
North Carolina
Ohio
Oklahoma
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Wisconsin
Additionally, CNN reported that Arizona, Georgia, Idaho, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Nebraska, Ohio and Tennessee are also on the list.
Kansas, Oklahoma, South Carolina were added by USA Today.
Presidential candidate Chris Christie, indicating that New Jersey also isn't on board, and New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez also said she opposed the administration's plan.
New Hampshire Gov. Maggie Hassan was the first Democrat to express support for stopping the flow of Syrian refugees into her state.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3320882/Obama-insists-America-continue-accept-Syrian-refugees-Republican-led-states-line-refuse-entry.html

Now 25 Republican governors - and one Democrat too - say they don't want to accept Syrian refugees as President Obama recommits the United States to 'do its part'
President Obama said the United States needed to 'step up and do its part' admitting refugees from Syria
He said that the issue of refugees and terrorism should not be equated in the aftermath of the Paris attacks
A handful of Republican governors have publicly pronounced that their states would not accept Syrians
Obama made a swipe at those GOP leaders - asking them to be more like President George W. Bush in the aftermath of 9/11
By NIKKI SCHWAB, U.S. POLITICAL REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 12:45 EST, 16 November 2015 | UPDATED: 23:36 EST, 16 November 2015

Open Letter to Massachusetts Officials Regarding Organization With Reported Ties To Terrorists

Americans for Peace and Tolerance
15 Main Street, Suite 118
Watertown, MA 02472
peaceandtolerance.org

November 9, 2015

As Jews, Christians, Muslims and counter-extremism researchers, we write this only to inform you about the groups with which you may be meeting.

On November 12, lawmakers will experience ‘Muslim Day on the Hill,’ the first in a series of lobbying days for Massachusetts Muslims to advocate for issues relevant to the Muslim community.

We certainly welcome the involvement of all minority groups in the democratic process. Such participation assuredly contributes to an integrated and free society. Where we have concerns, however, is with the groups organizing the event. We believe these groups are using the language and processes of democracy to work towards an ultimately extremist and anti-democratic ideal.

The main organizing body is the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an organization so toxic in political circles that the Obama administration’s Justice Department has enforced a ban on working with CAIR in place since 2009. This was the consequence of the Holy Land Foundation terrorism trial, in which U.S. District Court Judge Jorge Solis said, in the July 1, 2009 ruling: “The government has produced ample evidence to establish the associations of CAIR…with the Islamic Association for Palestine, and with Hamas.” We have attached to this letter a communication from the FBI to Senator Kyl in 2009, confirming CAIR’s links to a terror-financing organization.

More recently, the Justice Department has censured other federal bodies for speaking with CAIR. In 2014, the UAE designated CAIR as a terrorist organization.

If you have any doubts, we suggest contacting the Department of Justice directly to confirm.

The Holy Land trial also demonstrated that CAIR is an important component of the global Muslim Brotherhood, a network that other Western governments have recognized as a catalyst for violence. British Prime Minister David Cameron has recently described the Muslim Brotherhood, and its front groups such as CAIR, as “extremists who stop just short of endorsing violence….but whose world view encourages people to pursue a course of violence.”

CAIR’s co-sponsors for the lobbying day are equally of concern. The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), for example, is a self-described outpost of Jamaat-e-Islami, the South Asian Islamist movement responsible for the mass-killing of hundreds of thousands during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. The Investigative Project has reported that ICNA texts encourage hatred of Jews and express support for terrorism. One required reading for ICNA members, ‘Islam in Focus,’ describes Christians as “enemies of God.”

The topics for discussion as proposed by CAIR and the ICNA may well seem benign: upcoming legislation on school misconduct, the justice system and affordable housing. But radicalization is not a sudden spurt of extremist rhetoric; it is a gradual, pernicious process.

CAIR’s initial strategy is to assert itself as the political voice of Massachusetts Muslims by addressing some of the legitimate needs of the American Muslim community, but it will eventually be lobbying for the acceptance of a radical and hateful ideology, to the detriment of Massachusetts’s historically moderate, integrated Muslim population and the greater Boston community.

We applaud the civic engagement of Boston’s Muslims, but we urge you to reject the involvement of CAIR, ICNA and the other organizing groups responsible for this lobbying day. Please meet and engage with Boston’s Muslims, but not its Islamists.

Sincerely,

Dr. Charles Jacobs, President
Americans for Peace and Tolerance, Boston

Dr. Ahmed Subhy Mansour
President, The International Quranic Center (IQC), Va.

Professor Dennis Hale,
Department of Political Science, Boston College
Lay Eucharistic Minister, Episcopal Church, Diocese of Massachusetts

Sheikh Dr Muhammad Al-Hussaini
Senior Fellow in Islamic Studies, Westminster Institute

 
Dr Haider Shah
Founder, Rationalist Society of Pakistan

Massachusetts Women State Officials Silent About Criminal Abuse of Women In Business

[From article]

Well, last year, according to the feds, at least four of the union’s enforcers attempted to shakedown a reality TV show, “Top Chef,” whose star is a woman named Padma Lakshmi, the ex-wife of Salman Rushdie.
She survived Muslim terrorists, only to come to Boston and be set upon by Democrat terrorists who called her, among other things, a “bleepin’ whore.” The plug uglies also threatened to “break her face.”

 

According to the indictment, these loyal Democrats “yelled profanities and racial and homophobic slurs at the Crew and others.”
So where are all the female Democrat politicians who have been endorsed by these thugs, whose photographs appear on Local 25’s website — AG Maura Healey, Treasurer Deb Goldberg, Auditor Suzanne Bump, U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark? Where are their statements of outrage about this misogynist violence by loyal Democrats against a woman — an immigrant?



Yesterday I tweeted at all of them who in 2014 so readily sought and accepted the endorsements of the International Brotherhood of He-man Woman-haters and Gay-bashers, asking the feminists to come on my radio show to explain how they could accept the endorsement and cash of such fiends.
When the phone didn’t ring, I knew it was Maura, Deb, Suzanne and Katherine. Somehow they don’t seem very interested in their supporters actually threatening violence against a woman.
Why is it always the feds indicting these alleged extortionists, who in this case were calling a female TV star a “whore”? Did Maura Healey give them a good leaving-alone just because Local 25 endorsed her, the way her predecessor Marsha Coakley would have done?
[. . .]
Repeat after Maura and Deb and Katherine and Suzanne — nothing to see here, folks, move along.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/columnists/howie_carr/2015/09/carr_democratic_female_politicians_ignore_teamsters_war

Carr: Democratic female politicians ignore Teamsters' 'War Against Women'
Thursday, October 1, 2015
By: Howie Carr
Boston Herald

Major Drug Bust in Taunton, MA, Providence, RI

Some of the Suspects Arrested

[From article]
Officials say a street-level drug dealer from Marshfield was among 25 people indicted this week as authorities sought to take down a Taunton-based operation accused of pumping heroin and fentanyl into Southeastern Massachusetts.



On Thursday morning, police in communities from Marshfield to Providence, R.I., fanned out to arrest people accused of serving a range of roles within the operation, from wholesale suppliers and mid-level distributors to dealers who worked the streets. The office of U.S. District Attorney Carmen Ortiz said the arrests followed a 15-month federal investigation that included the use of wiretaps, confidential informants and GPS tracking data.
http://www.patriotledger.com/article/20151001/NEWS/151009160/12662/NEWS

Marshfield man among 25 indicted in alleged heroin ring
By Patriot Ledger
Posted Oct. 1, 2015 at 12:33 PM
Updated at 3:55 PM

Published on Oct 1, 2015
U.S. Attorney Carmen Ortiz announced Taunton heroin bust on Oct. 1, 2015, at the Taunton Police Department.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuVZHfyxsHg

Massachusetts Governor's Legacy

[From article]
Ex-Gov. Deval Patrick — the gift that keeps on taking.
So now we have another dead child that his incompetent hacks couldn’t keep track of, that one of his “embattled” agencies proved utterly incapable of protecting.
You know what Deval would say, with a shrug. Just another “anecdote.” If you asked him today — if you could even find him, that is — he might not even recognize the name of Bella Bond. Hey, he never bothered to learn the name of Matthew Denice, run over and killed in Milford by one of Deval’s drunken dreamers as he drove around unlicensed with his anchor baby beside him in the cab of a truck.
Ben LaGuer, that’s a name Deval could recall. He even contributed $5,000 to the convicted rapist’s legal defense fund. Deval swooned over the Tsarnaevs — they were just some “young fellas.” He went on statewide TV to order taxpaying Americans not to call the foreign Muslim welfare terrorists foreign Muslim welfare terrorists.
Everything Deval has ever touched has turned to you-know-what — and that includes the commonwealth of Massachusetts. His 2006 bumper stickers described him as an uncommon leader, and he was. Uncommonly bad.
[. . .]
Deval was, and is, 100 percent in favor of this fundamental transformation of America into a Third World stew of drug-addled, dependent Democrats. That’s why he “celebrated” the Tsarnaevs. Ten percent of EBT cards are apparently fraudulent — just a little “leakage,” he said with a wave of his little hand.
And every day, in every way, the skies above Massachusetts are dark with chickens coming home to roost.
[. . .]
He was voted in by all the trust-funded liberals who’ve blown into this state over the last 40 years. They are racked by their white guilt, and they seek to somehow assuage it by voting for a black person, no matter how unqualified. Do any other names come to mind besides Deval’s?
[. . .]
Now that you’ve tried to rid yourself of your white guilt, do you feel even the slightest sense of responsibility for what happened to Bella Bond?

http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/columnists/howie_carr/2015/09/carr_deval_still_dragging_down_bay_state

Carr: Deval still dragging down Bay State
Sunday, September 20, 2015
By: Howie Carr
Boston Herald

Massachusetts High Court Bars Police Stops For Smell of Marijuana While Driving

It appears that five of the Justices are smoking too many of those funny cigarettes.

[From article]
A divided Supreme Judicial Court voted 5-2 that police aren’t allowed to stop a car if they only have “reasonable suspicion” that the driver is committing the civil infraction of possessing marijuana. The case involved a 2012 stop by a New Bedford cop who reported smelling pot coming from a moving vehicle.
[. . .]



Since the possession of small amounts of marijuana was decriminalized in 2008, the state supreme court has systematically issued rulings protecting pot smokers.
The court has previously ruled that the smell of burnt marijuana is not enough for a police officer to order someone out of a vehicle when they have been stopped for some other reason. The court also ruled that the odor of weed — burnt or otherwise — does not give police probable cause to search a vehicle without a warrant.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2015/09/sjc_cops_can_t_stop_cars_over_pot_smoke

SJC: Cops can’t stop cars over pot smoke
Police chiefs rip ‘troubling’ ruling
Wednesday, September 23, 2015
By: Bob McGovern, O’Ryan Johnson
Boston Herald

Updated: Body of Toddler, 2, Found on Boston Beach Identified, Murder Charges Filed

Updated: Posted September 18, 2015 8:27 PM ET; Last updated September 21, 2015 9:00 PM


Bella Bond, 2


Bella Bond, 2

You can see the fear in her eyes.



[From article]
A friend of the couple told police he frequently saw Bella crying, and saw both parents lock her in a closet for up to an hour.
"She screamed to be let out," recalled the friend, who told police he moved out because of how the couple treated the child, according to Deakin.
[. . .]
Then, one night in late May, "Bella was unwilling to go to bed and was being unruly," Deakin said Bond told police. "Mr. McCarthy said he would go in the back bedroom and try and calm her down. She found Mr. McCarthy standing over Bella, who was on a mattress on the floor, standing with his hand near Bella's abdomen.
"Miss Bond looked at Bella. Her head appeared swollen and her face was gray. She realized her daughter was dead."
When Bond panicked, McCarthy threatened to kill her, too, she later told police.
[. . .]
Bond has a criminal record that dates back to 1994 and includes committed jail time for prostitution and drug possession, as well as arrests for assault and battery and receiving stolen property, court records show. She has also had restraining orders taken out against her as far back as 1997.
McCarthy, a Boston native, has arrests going back to 1992 for drug possession, possession of ammunition without an FID card and assault with a dangerous weapon. Court records show the majority of his cases were dismissed. McCarthy answered no on his official state police suicide prevention checklist to the question, "Have you ever been under psychiatric care?"
http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/herald_bulldog/2015/09/prosecutor_baby_bella_screamed_to_be_let_out_in



* * *

 
Authorities said they were able to match Bella's identity with the clothes she was found wearing when her body was found on Deer Island in Winthrop on June 25.

[From article]
Amoroso said that he left Bond, his ex-girlfriend, after learning that she had been arrested for prostitution.
He has been in Florida and returned to Massachusetts in August, according to WHDH.
His mother, Patricia Quinn, said she saw the composite image and thought the sketch looked like Bella but was not sure as she had not seen her granddaughter since 2013.
[. . .]


Bella Bond, 2

DeLeo said Bond and McCarthy, who are in custody, were blaming each other for Bella's death. He also added that McCarthy has drug issues.
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker said during the conference that Bond had other children who were older, however her parental rights to two of them were terminated between 2001 and 2006.
According to court records, Bond was arrested at least three times for prostitution, WCVB reported. She also reportedly struggled with drug addiction.
[. . .]

The Boston Herald reported that Siomy Torres, who had lived in the Maxwell Street building on the Dorchester-Mattapan line since June 2014, said state police showed up at her home and started questioning her about her neighbor's daughter.
'They told me they were looking for the little girl, and asked me if I'd seen her,' Torres said.
She said state police showed her the composite picture of Baby Doe and she recognized it.
'I haven't seen her in months. I usually hear her because her room is against the backside of my apartment. I usually hear her crying or running around the house and I haven't heard that,' Torres said. 'I used to see her every day. Running around.'
Torres said she had assumed DCF had taken Bella but once Bond's new boyfriend had come around she stopped seeing the girl and Bond stopped speaking to her.
A DCF spokeswoman said they had contact with Bella twice between August and December 2012 and June and September 2013 on allegations of neglect, WCVB reported.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3241098/Mother-s-boyfriend-punched-Bella-Bond-stomach-died-kept-body-fridge-month-convinced-possessed.html

Biological dad reveals tragic 'Baby Doe' Bella was conceived in an Occupy Boston tent and her 'addict' mom wouldn't hurt her... as police reveal 3-year-old was beaten to death and her body was stuffed in a fridge
Rachelle Bond, 40, of Mattapan told investigators 35-year-old Michael McCarthy punched Bella in the stomach until body went lifeless
She alleges her boyfriend thought her two-year-old daughter, who had become known as 'Baby Doe', was possessed
On Friday, authorities identified 'Baby Doe' as Bella Neveah Amoroso Bond, the daughter of Bond and Joseph Amoroso
Bella was just shy of three years old when her body was found on Deer Island in Winthrop by a woman walking a dog on June 25
Bond and her boyfriend were been arrested in connection to her death on Friday and McCarthy now faces a murder charge
Girl's father said he does not believe Bond has anything to do with their daughter's death
By MYRIAH TOWNER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and ASSOCIATED PRESS
PUBLISHED: 09:47 EST, 19 September 2015 | UPDATED: 16:10 EST, 19 September 2015



* * *


Bella Bond, 2

[From article]
One man is being charged with murder and the mother of Bella Bond -- the toddler found dead in a trash bag on Deer Island in June -- is being accused of being an accessory after the fact to murder, the DA announced today.
Boyfriend Michael P. McCarthy, 35, faces the murder charge while the mother, Rachelle D. Bond, 40, faces the accessory charge, according to Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley. They are both set to be arraigned Monday.
"This child, who's very name means beauty, was murdered," Conley said. "At just shy of three years old, Bella Bond was a true innocent."
News of the arrests come after state officials announced the state's embattled child-welfare agency had been involved with the family of Bella but did not check back on her when this case broke.
[. . .]
Between 2001 and 2006, the department terminated parental rights regarding Bella's mother's other children, according to officials. One remains with the maternal grandmother. The other was adopted by a non-related family, DCF said.
Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo, who lives in Winthrop where the child was found, said the boyfriend of Bella's mother was at Beth Israel Hospital for "drug issues" and that police had tracked the mother down in Lynn.
"The mother and the boyfriend started blaming each other in terms of who harmed the child," DeLeo said. Asked if Bella was the victim of an accident or intentional harm, DeLeo said, "I got the impression (from police) it was deliberate."
The girl's 44-year-old aunt told the Herald this afternoon she can also confirm Baby Doe was her little niece. She said Bella was about 5 years old.
[. . .]
She said state police showed up at her home and started questioning her about her neighbor's daughter.
"I got a knock on my door at 9 o'clock at night asking me questions about them, they told me they were looking for the little girl, and asked me if I'd seen her," Torres said.
She said state police showed her the composite picture of Baby Doe and she recognized it.
"I haven't seen her in months. I usually hear her because her room is against the backside of my apartment. I usually hear her crying or running around the house and I haven't heard that," Torres said. "I used to see her every day. Running around."
Torres said when she stopped seeing the girl she assumed the girl was taken by DCF.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/herald_bulldog/2015/09/boyfriend_charged_in_murder_of_bella_bond_mom

Boyfriend charged in murder of Bella Bond; mom charged as accessory
Friday, September 18, 2015
By: O'Ryan Johnson, Owen Boss, Joe Dwinell, Bob McGovern and Matt Stout
Boston Herald

High Maintenance Massachusetts Spending Other People's Money Campaign Thrives

Massachusetts State Auiditor
Photo by: Arthur Pollock

Are these high maintenance women?

[From article]
State Auditor Suzanne Bump since taking office has racked up nearly $30,000 in travel expenses, including jetting off to 16 out-of-state conferences, booking hotel rooms for events only miles from her home and attending funeral services for fallen Bay State firefighters, a Herald review found.
Taxpayers have picked up the bill for $29,451 in Bump travel costs since January 2011, when she took office, according to a Herald review of data obtained through a public records request. That just about matches the combined $30,000 travel expenses rung up by two attorneys general, two state treasurers, the secretary of state and the inspector general during that same period, the review found.
Bump’s expenses also include the $14.40 she was reimbursed to attend the funerals of two Boston firefighters who perished in a 2014 Back Bay blaze, and $1.80 to drive to a Goodwill Thanksgiving event in Roxbury.
[. . .]
Former Inspector General Gregory W. Sullivan, now at the Pioneer Institute, criticized Bump’s expenses, saying, “I really think the office has to focus within the borders of Massachusetts and get the job done. The best way to save taxpayer money is, don’t spend on yourself. The fact that the auditor is spending far more than the other constitutional officers should be a signal that the auditor ought to rein it in and focus taking care of business back home.”
Bump, in an interview in her office yesterday, said she goes to “great pains” to ensure that travel costs come at “the lowest possible cost to the taxpayer.”
http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_politics/2015/09/state_auditor_racks_up_hefty_travel_bill

State auditor racks up hefty travel bill
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
By: Matt Stout
Boston Herald

* * *

Maura Healey, Massachusetts Attorney General
Photo by: Stuart Cahill

[From article]

Attorney General Maura Healey has literally put on the Ritz while charging nearly $7,000 in travel expenses to taxpayers during her eight months in office, twice flying off for conferences, including a stay at the Ritz-Carlton in the nation’s capital, a Herald 
review shows.
Healey’s travels put her on pace to outdo her predecessor, former AG Martha Coakley, whose travel costs totaled $18,600 in her second term,
[. . .]
Healey has jetted off to conferences for the National Association of Attorney Generals in Washington, D.C., where she stayed at the Ritz-Carlton, and San Diego, where she checked into the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines. Her office said she stayed at both hotels because that’s where the conferences were held.
[. . .]
Other constitutional 
officers have spent far less in recent years.
• Secretary of State William F. Galvin has dropped just $2,000 on travel since 2011, all for flights to testify before congressional panels in Washington, according to a spokesman.
Unlike Auditor Suzanne Bump, who is reimbursed for travel in her personal car, Galvin has a state-leased car. Healey, like Coakley, uses a state trooper escort to travel in-state.
• Former state Treasurer Steve Grossman charged $720 for Amtrak tickets, the only expense the treasury could find from his four years beyond his use of a state-leased vehicle.
Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg has spent roughly $1,000 to attend a conference during her first eight months, but she uses her personal car and has not charged for reimbursements.
Inspector General Glenn Cunha, while not a constitutional officer, is charged with finding spending abuse just like the auditor. He has spent $670 in three years since his appointment, including on one conference to New Orleans. He also uses his personal car, for which he’s charged for reimbursements twice.
http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_politics/2015/09/ag_s_expenses_on_pace_to_exceed_predecessor_s

AG’s expenses on pace
to exceed predecessor’s
Tuesday, September 15, 2015
By Matt Stout
Boston Herald

MA Supreme Judicial Court Voids Statute Making It A Crime To Lie About Political Candidates

[From article]
The Supreme Judicial Court unanimously struck down a nearly 70-year-old state law that made it a crime to publish false statements about a political candidate, holding that the statute violated the First Amendment.
The case stemmed from a campaign battle between Second Barnstable State Rep. Brian Mannal and the Jobs First IE PAC, which distributed fliers before last year’s election claiming in part: “Brian Mannal chose convicted felons over the safety of our families.” The claim was based on legislation Mannal sponsored to require that sex offenders be notified of their right to a public defender. Mannal took the fight to court, seeking criminal charges against the PAC’s treasurer under the law.
Though the state asked the court to dismiss the charges against the PAC official but uphold the statute, the court ruled that the Constitution prevented that outcome because the law banned too broad a category of speech.
[. . .]
the court has consistently protected unsavory speech against laws that could have too broad of a chilling effect on Americans’ free speech rights.
That outcome wasn’t unexpected. Both liberal and conservative groups, as well a host of media companies, urged the court to come to the decision that it did. Boston First Amendment attorney Harvey A. Silverglate said the court understood that in politics, the solution to bad information is more information — not a jail sentence.
“If one person happens to have a larger megaphone than someone else, that’s not disruption, that’s politics,” Silverglate said.

http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/columnists/kimberly_atkins/2015/08/sjc_voids_law_criminalizing_lying_about_office

SJC voids law criminalizing lying about
office-seekers
Friday, August 7, 2015
By: Kimberly Atkins
Boston Herald