BSO

BSO

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Autumntimes

My lost brother John was in town visiting his big Irish family this week, a family he hadn't even met five years ago. Here is just a portion of the motley crew - my brother Dick, my sister Donna, John and the family troublemaker at Amherst College.



John arrives just in time for the local pumpkin explosion!



Deadhead selling gourds in the UMass Campus Center.



This UMass student has attracted attention with her militant non-conformity.



Heather selling her wares in downtown Northampton this morning.



Nearby David Narkiewicz was campaigning for Mayor of Northampton.



Here is the first 2012 anti-Obama sticker I've seen in Hamp.



In Easthampton last night Amherst Senator Stan Rosenberg joined Amherst Representative Ellen Story to listen with other Democrats to U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren (center). Warren is off to a strong start, but I predict she's another Martha Coakley - the more voters get to know her, the less they will like her.



Dust Witch in Easthampton last weekend.



In an Amherst window.

4 comments:

Max Hartshorne said...

Martha Coakley II Will flame out.

Anonymous said...

Well, that ends my interest in this blog.
I was pulled in due to the humorous critiques on Springfield (Where the pols are Democrats in name and Republican in action) and how it's a city that can't do anything correct for its citizens. And has been in a state of entropy since the late 1950s. I should know. I grew up in Springfield. And still hear about how incompetent things are from family members who live there. Or at least are trying to live there.

Anyway...
I try to keep an open mind on differing views, but there's a limit. This western MA tribal isolationism and the pseudo-libertarian groupthink disguising itself as staunch, rugged individualism gets old. I'm also surprised on how well-travelled, well-read, sophisticated, cultured, and all-around nice people can be so willfully misinformed.


That being said, how about checking out information that goes beyond the Koch-funded, FOX approved, Limbaugh encouraged talking point memos?

www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2011/07/25/5_1311610818112.html

motherjones.com/politics/2011/08/gop-smear-campaign-elizabeth-warren

www.thesunchronicle.com/articles/2011/09/14/news/10178402.txt

baystateliberal.blogspot.com/search/label/Elizabeth%20Warren

www.nationofchange.org/elizabeth-warren-proper-case-liberalism-1318258144

crooksandliars.com/clsphinx?keys=elizabeth%20warren

True, the above web sites can be accused of having a "liberal bias". But they're more interested in facts rather than skewed smearing and distortions. And some of them link to sites and show clips that disagree with them.

I didn't like Martha Coakley. She was out of touch. She was a terrible choice. The facts and history back it up. The Democrats should have chosen Capuano. I'll agree they play it too safe in MA. Scott Brown was a wake up call. But I also know he doesn't stand a chance against someone who will fight him for that seat.

Warren made Obama's administration uncomfortable because she spoke truth to power. The President is too busy being a compromiser to a foundation of bullies. Warren stands up for the people. Even for rugged individualist like yourself. It may be early in the race and the Democrats still have yet to pick their nomination, but if they DON'T choose someone like Warren they WILL be repeating the Coakley disaster. If she gets the nomination, it's Warren's to lose only if she caves in to the corporate status quo and betrays her principals.

Larry Kelley said...

I hope she can handle criticism better than you just handled it for her.

Anonymous said...

The hippy with the gourds looks like Shaggy from Scooby-Doo.

I'm usre you've heard the story about Scooby-Doo and the five colleges, or Scooby-Doo and the five housing areas at UMass.

http://www.snopes.com/radiotv/tv/scoobydoo.asp

Carlito