http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/ma-news/ en-us Sun, 5 Jul 2009 17:38:13 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286002/posts BOSTON (AP) — A Boston city councilor charged with extortion alleges the state's former U.S. attorney targeted him at the behest of former Attorney General John Ashcroft. City Councilor Chuck Turner sent an e-mail to supporters before a court hearing Thursday suggesting Michael Sullivan sought indictments against him and former Sen. Dianne Wilkerson, another prominent black politician, because he was trying to ingratiate himself with Ashcroft — for whom he now works. "I personally believe that former Attorney General Ashcroft said to Sullivan that if he could take down Senator Wilkerson and myself, he would put up the money to... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2286002/posts#comment Sun, 5 Jul 2009 17:38:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285341/posts The Nantucket Tea Party will be one of more than a thousand such protest events to be held across the nation on Independence Day. The organizers were all set. They were given permission by the Town’s head of Park and Recreation. After the local paper publicized the event, some members of the Nantucket Park and Recreation Commission decided to forget about the First Amendment. One local official was quoted as saying “we don’t want politics on Main Street.” Apparently the head of Park and Recreation was overruled by the commissioners. The Nantucket Tea Party then got permission to use a... redstate.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2285341/posts#comment Sat, 4 Jul 2009 11:15:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284831/posts Massachusetts' Liberals are celebrating the 4th of July weekend by planning to pass legislation to ban public access to firearms training. Since no one in MA can go to their chief of police to beg for a MA LTC without completing training, this is another way to ban firearms ownership in MA without violating Heller. They are undoubtedly laughing it up over this one on Beacon Hill. Pay attention. This is part of Obama's test plan to end private firearms ownership in the U.S. (Patrick was reportedly on the team that helped train ACORN to "win" the 2008 election). Gun Owners Action League http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284831/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 14:17:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284950/posts When President Obama announced on June 9 that some financial institutions would be allowed to repay Troubled Asset Relief Program dollars, he said the massively expensive TARP bailout had made money for the federal government. "It is worth noting that in the first round of repayments from these [TARP recipients], the government has actually turned a profit," the president said. Indeed, TARP supporters have long held out the hope that the program might be profitable. But now Rep. Barney Frank, the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, has come up with a proposal to spend any TARP profits before... The Washington Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284950/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 17:28:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284722/posts Former advertising executive Jack Connors and private equity investor Stephen Pagliuca have joined forces to prepare for a potential bid to buy The Boston Globe, according to people briefed on the sales process. This week the two got approval from the Globe’s owner, The New York Times Co., to team up for a potential bid, the sources said. Connors and Pagliuca had been weighing separate bids for New England’s largest daily. Nondisclosure agreements had stipulated bidders could not work together, but the two sought permission to collaborate. As that team and at least one rival local group craft preliminary bids,... Boston Glob http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284722/posts#comment Fri, 3 Jul 2009 11:09:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284326/posts There will be a tea party on the Common in Boston starting at noon. There will be speakers. Many of us will be staying for the fireworks afterward.http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283755/posts vanity http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284326/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 19:24:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284292/posts AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine Human Rights Commission ruled Monday that the Orono School Department discriminated against a transgender child by denying her access to the girls bathroom. While the school department’s lawyer warned that schools around the state may not be ready to manage the practical fallout from the decision, civil liberties advocates hailed the ruling as an advancement of human rights. Bangor Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2284292/posts#comment Thu, 2 Jul 2009 18:38:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283527/posts Maybe Mitt Romney should look warily over his shoulder, lest a political calamity befall him, too. Continuing President Obama's political good fortune, a growing list of possible Republican opponents in 2012 is falling by the wayside, often due to self-inflicted wounds. The Boston Globe - Political Intelligence http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283527/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 20:13:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283314/posts (snip) On health care, Romney pointed to the successes of his own plan but criticized Obama's for its emphasis on a public option. "The president's plan makes an enormous error by saying we're going to put government into the insurance business. We got everyone in Massachusetts insured and we did it without putting government into the insurance business," he said. "We said instead we're going to help people get private free enterprise kind of insurance they can buy from a number of different companies." He said the system led to plunging premiums while offering a healthy choice of options for... Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283314/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 15:31:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283274/posts Gov. Deval Patrick has only himself to blame for an embarrassing poll showing a narrow win for Republican rival Christy Mihos, opposing strategists and potential challengers charged yesterday. “Patrick right now is running against himself - and losing,” said political strategist and author Dick Morris, a former top adviser to President Clinton who is working for Mihos. “It shows there’s tremendous vulnerability.” Boston Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283274/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 14:48:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283172/posts Gov. Deval Patrick has only himself to blame for an embarrassing poll showing a narrow win for Republican rival Christy Mihos, opposing strategists and potential challengers charged yesterday. “Patrick right now is running against himself - and losing,” said political strategist and author Dick Morris, a former top adviser to President Clinton who is working for Mihos. “It shows there’s tremendous vulnerability.” The Rasmussen/FOX 25 poll released Monday, which surveyed 500 voters, found 41 percent would vote for Mihos and 40 percent for Patrick. The Boston Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2283172/posts#comment Wed, 1 Jul 2009 12:30:25 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282636/posts The word is out that the Obamas will be spending part of their summer vacation in Martha's Vineyard. "Many blacks from Oak Bluffs are elated that the Only One-in-Chief may be joining them. "People are going to lose their minds!" Tonya Lewis Lee says. At the same time, there's also a bit of wariness among the wealthiest ones, an uncertainty whether Obama will affirm them. "Obama is more a man of the people," says a Vineyarder who's part of black high society. "He doesn't seem to identify with affluent black people. His wife definitely doesn't; she is basically a ghetto... The Daily Voice/New York Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282636/posts#comment Tue, 30 Jun 2009 18:40:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282340/posts The Obama-Kennedy health plan is modeled after the Massachusetts plan, which, when adopted, many applauded as innovative and destined for success. In fact, the Massachusetts plan has been a massive failure and is a model for what not to do. It has increased costs. It has wasted taxpayer dollars. It has limited patients' choice. It has hurt small business. It has failed to achieve its goal of universal coverage. Most objectionable, it has created shortages and waiting lists. Promoters predicted that the Massachusetts plan would lower health-care costs, but -- so far -- costs are moving in the opposite direction.... Townhall.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282340/posts#comment Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:49:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282099/posts Twenty-six percent (26%) of Massachusetts voters say their state’s health care reform effort has been a success. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state finds that 37% say the reform effort has been a failure, while another 37% are not sure. Only 10% of Bay State voters say the quality of health care has gotten better as a result of the reform plan while 29% say it has gotten worse. Most (53%) say the quality of care has not changed. As for cost, 21% say the reform has made health care more affordable in Massachusetts. Twenty-seven percent (27%)... Rasmussen Reports http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282099/posts#comment Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:03:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282006/posts Only 26 percent of likely voters in Massachusetts believe health care reform has been a success and just 21 percent believe reform has made health care more affordable, according to newly released poll results. The Rasmussen Reports poll of 500 likely Massachusetts voters, taken in April, also found only 10 percent said the quality of health care is getting better under the reform law rules here. Most of those polled on April 16, 2009 said they weren’t sure whether reform was a success or failure (37 percent), that there’s been no change in health care affordability under reform (44 percent)... Boston Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2282006/posts#comment Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:59:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281915/posts Future perfect Can a clothing-optional policy teach her young girls to be comfortable as women? By Jennifer Mattern June 28, 2009 I ain’t what I used to be. But my daughters don’t know that. They can’t imagine me any other way -- this soft, paunchy creature they have come to refer to as “Mom.” I tell them to take a good look, that someday they are likely to look much like I do now. They laugh. Preposterous! I grew up in a household where everyone’s jiggly bits were kept under wraps. Only once, when I was very young, do I... The Boston Globe http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281915/posts#comment Mon, 29 Jun 2009 21:59:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281644/posts HANOVER, Mass. — A Massachusetts prosecutor says a 6-year-old girl was kidnapped by a would-be rapist but managed to escape from his apartment despite being in leg shackles. Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz says the girl was found Saturday afternoon as police searched the apartment complex in Hanover, about 20 miles southeast of Boston, where she and the suspect live. Her mother reported her missing at about 1:30 p.m. Cruz says the girl pointed officers to an apartment where she was taken. They arrested 26-year-old Justin Shine after a struggle. Foxnews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281644/posts#comment Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:05:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281515/posts Massachusetts' Commonwealth Connector health reforms have reduced the state's uninsured population to less than 3% of residents, the lowest among all states. But a recent survey found an uptick last fall in adults reporting difficulty accessing certain types of care. The outcome of the Massachusetts health system reforms has national implications. Democrats in Congress have offered or are drafting health reform bills based on many of the state-adopted principles, including a health insurance exchange, subsidized private health insurance for low-and moderate-income residents, a requirement for individuals to have health insurance, and a mandate for employers to offer health insurance to... AMA News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2281515/posts#comment Mon, 29 Jun 2009 06:13:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2280914/posts WAPO reports: Kerry's spokeswoman now tells The Sleuth the senator really didn't mean what he said, though his clarification would hardly qualify as an apology. "We stand corrected, the truth is every Democrat hopes Governor Palin is in the public eye for a long, long time, especially on the 2012 presidential ballot," Kerry spokeswoman Jodi Seth says. "Lately it's been Vice President Cheney that everyone hopes would lose the cameras and go for a long leisurely hike on the Appalachian Trail. And good grief, if anyone thinks John Kerry is afraid of strong, smart women, they sure haven't met his... Conservatives4Palin http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2280914/posts#comment Sat, 27 Jun 2009 23:21:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279968/posts "The prevailing narrative today is that Romney has risen to the top of the 2012 Invisible Primary because he's the last man standing. True, Romney hasn't made any obvious mistakes. But his rising standing is a consequence of decisions he's made, and not just a result of the luck." "It's a credit to his communications team that he can appear on television once every two or three weeks and seem to be part of the dialog. When Romney has something to say, he'll find a venue to say it. On auto restructuring, on the Republican stimulus plan, on a free... The Atlantic http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279968/posts#comment Fri, 26 Jun 2009 14:34:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279209/posts Massachusetts Sen. Kerry has joined the fraternity of jokesters using Sarah Palin as a punch line. Kerry was meeting a group of business and civic leaders in the nation's capital when he decided to play comedian, according to The Boston Herald. He was talking about the disappearance of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, the Alaska governor's Republican peer. "Too bad," he said, "if a governor had to go missing it couldn't have been the governor of Alaska. You know, Sarah Palin." Kerry's joke came 24 hours before Sanford turned up to admit an affair with a woman living in Argentina,... Fox News.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279209/posts#comment Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:42:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279835/posts “Who is this guy?” That was my recurring thought watching Gov. Mark Sanford’s slo-mo train wreck of a press conference on Wednesday. I know Mark Sanford from my days as a GOP political consultant in South Carolina. I introduced him at a speech to the libertarian Cato Institute before he became governor. Mark Sanford was smooth. He was smart. Above all, Mark Sanford was cool. In many ways, he was the Republican Barack Obama. Sanford is a true small-government conservative, an ideology that, like Obama’s MoveOn.org liberalism, isn’t very popular. But like Obama, Mark Sanford had the political skills to... Boston Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279835/posts#comment Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:28:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279275/posts WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court said Thursday that criminal defendants have a constitutional right to cross-examine the forensic analysts who prepare laboratory reports on illegal drugs and other evidence used at trial. The court on Thursday ruled 5-4 for a defendant who was convicted of cocaine trafficking, partly because of crime lab analysis. Luis Melendez-Diaz challenged lab analysis that confirmed cocaine was in plastic bags found in the car he was riding in. Rather than accept the report, Melendez-Diaz said he should be allowed to question the lab analyst about testing methods, how the evidence was preserved and other... The Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2279275/posts#comment Thu, 25 Jun 2009 16:53:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278575/posts GARDNER, MA — A Park Street resident is being held on bail on charges that he assaulted his wife and threw her out of a second-story window on Father's Day. Derek R. Putnam, 36, of 86 Park St. was arraigned Monday before Gardner District Court Judge Patrick A. Fox on charges of aggravated assault and battery, assault and battery and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (concrete stairs). He was held on $10,000 cash bail or $100,000 with surety, and a pretrial hearing was scheduled for July 17. In setting bail, Judge Fox indicated that the reason for the... Worcester Telegram and Gazette http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278575/posts#comment Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:03:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278898/posts A former Romney administration public safety czar and Bay State police chief is scrambling to save his reputation after he was caught in an embarrassing scandal over an affair with a reporter covering him in his new post as Milwaukee’s top cop. Edward A. Flynn, who was Springfield police commissioner before becoming Milwaukee’s police chief in January 2008, was forced to publicly acknowledge the “painful truth” of the illicit tryst after intimate e-mail exchanges with the journalist surfaced and were published in a Brew City newspaper. The married reporter, Jessica McBride, 39, a college journalism lecturer and freelancer, and Flynn,... The Boston Herald http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2278898/posts#comment Thu, 25 Jun 2009 03:31:09 GMT