The latest poll in the Massachusetts Governor's race has some interesting results. While the primary is not until September and the decisive voting is in November, at this early stage it appears that the previously assumed doomed Deval Patrick is making a comeback. He definitely does not appear to be threatened in the Democrat primary by leftist activist Grace Ross:
Patrick - 59% Ross - 15% Undecided - 26%
On the Republican side, former Weld Administration official Charlie Baker has a commanding lead over fiscal conservative Christie Mihos; but with his total still below 50%, Baker can't be said to have the nomination in the bag just yet.
Baker - 47% Mihos - 17% Undecided - 36%
Christy Mihos in East Longmeadow recently. (W.Dusty photo)
However, if the current front runners, plus third party candidate Tim Cahill and Green Party candidate Jill Stein are polled in a four way match-up, these are the results:
No surprise that fringe candidate Stein appears out of it, but the apparent strength of Deval Patrick is surprising and leaves Republicans feeling desperate to try to find a way to get Cahill out of the race.
The blogger known as Rambling Van Dog took this amazing photo of Holyoke City Hall.
Three Pics
The Amherst Survival Center.
The Northampton version.
Out the back window of the Haymarket Cafe yesterday.
The Music Section
Jerry Garcia's pal David Bromberg in Northampton Wednesday night.
One of the often stated virtues of the Obama Administration is its willingness to use "New Media" to interact with the public. In the aftermath of last week's State of the Union Address, YouTube invited their viewers to send in videos asking the President a question, the best of which would actually be presented to Obama at a later date and which he would answer.
Sounds like a high-tech public meeting and exercise in good government, right? However, a funny thing happened on the way to picking the questions - it turned out that the most often submitted question for the President involved the legalization of marijuana! Furthermore, instead of including a marijuana question among those presented to Obama, all of the pot inquiries were rejected by YouTube.
Here were the final votes and top five question topics that were sent to YouTube:
Wow, I can't believe the number of people from outside of Massachusetts who have been sending me messages about how much they appreciate the way our state voted on Tuesday. The whole country, if not the whole world, was watching our humble state to see whether we would start a second American revolution just like we started the first one over 200 years ago. Once again, we in Massachusetts have distinguished ourselves as champions of liberty, and may the light of freedom shine in the coming months, not only in our own country but the entire world.
However, the chorus of praise for our electorate is not universal. Paolo alerts me to this appraisal of the Bay State by Alexander Cockburn:
A year after his inauguration Obama has disappointed so many constituencies that a rebuke by the voters was inevitable. Yesterday it came in Massachusetts, often categorized as the most liberal in the union. This is entirely untrue. It's a disgusting sinkhole of racism and vulgar prejudice, as five minutes in any taxi in the state, listening to Talk Radio or reading the local newspaper will attest.
Ouch! However, I must say I approve of Cockburn's last paragraph:
A final note on Coakley. She rose to political prominence by peculiarly vicious grandstanding as a prosecutor, winning a conviction of 19-year old child minder Louise Woodward for shaking a baby to death. An outraged judge later freed Woodward, reducing her sentence to less than a year of time served. Then Coakley went after headlines in child abuse cases. Innocent people are still rotting in prison as a consequence of Coakley's misuse of her office. For this alone, regardless of the setback the Democrats richly deserved, I rejoice in her humiliation.
So do I.
Assorted Stuff
I've been doing interviews lately. One was with Dutch journalist Tom-Jan Meeus on the Brown/Coakley race. It's about time they started reading about me in Europe! I'll pass along the link when something surfaces from that. Also here's a picture of Michelle, a UMass grad student who interviewed me about my life story for a project she's doing. More about that later.
Early this morning on my way to cooking pancakes for the homeless, I ran into Republican/Masslive dude Greg Saulmon in downtown Northampton. He's smiling despite having just been given a parking ticket.
Bird's is one of my favorite Northampton/Florence stores. Going inside is like stepping into a time tunnel.
My neighbor's psychedelic sled.
Dr. King in a window in downtown Hamp on his birthday.
I belong to political groups online from across the political spectrum, if only so I can keep on top of what everybody is up to. One of the groups I follow is MoveOn.org which is one of the largest and most powerful lefty organizations around. Today I received a request from them to donate money to a campaign to attack one of the Senators who represents our neighbors in Connecticut - Joe Lieberman. Although technically an independent, Lieberman is part of the Democrat caucus and has all the rights and privileges of a full-fledged Democrat. Why is MoveOn.org raising money to attack one of their own? Here's what it says in the email they sent me:
First, Joe Lieberman helped President Bush invade Iraq, and the Democrats in Washington forgave him. Then, he endorsed John McCain, and they forgave him again. Then, he personally attacked Barack Obama at the Republican National Convention, and still the Democrats forgave him.
Now, Joe Lieberman is single-handedly gutting health care reform. The time for forgiveness is over. It's time to hold Senator Lieberman accountable.
First, we're going to launch a huge ad campaign to make sure every last Connecticut voter knows that Senator Lieberman is blocking strong reforms. Then, we'll push Senate leaders to strip him of his chairmanship and seniority. Finally, we'll work to defeat him in his next election.
Our goal is to raise $400,000 in the next 24 hours, to send a deafeningly loud message that we've had enough of Joe Lieberman. That'll take at least 9 donations from Amherst—can you chip in $5?
Oh my, what a turn of events! With the Obama Administration less than a year old the Democrats are already at each other's throats, with litmus tests and banishment into political exile for those who don't pass. Ten months ago Democrats were talking about a new renaissance of the Left, but with the Bush foreign policy now fully endorsed by Obama in his Nobel Prize speech, the economy in shambles and an electoral bloodbath shaping up for the Democrats next year, instead of a renaissance the American Left appears to be entering an era of decline.
Bill of Rights Day
Today is Bill of Rights Day, as officially declared by Congress in 1941. Sadly, surveys show that most people are very ignorant about the Bill of Rights. An American Bar Association poll showed that only 33% of Americans even know what the Bill of Rights is and 70% couldn't say what the First Amendment protects. Great job, government schools! For those who don't know, this is the Bill of Rights: 1. Freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, right to assemble peaceably, right to petition the government about grievances. 2. Right to keep and bear arms. 3. Citizens do not have to quarter soldiers during peacetime. 4. No unreasonable searches and seizures. 5. Rights of the accused. 6. Right to a fair trial. 7. Right to a trial by jury in civil cases also. 8. No cruel and unusual punishments. 9. Unenumerated rights go to the people. 10. Reserves all powers not given to the national government to the states or the people.
As you can see, one of the rights guaranteed in the Bill of Rights is freedom of religion. But is the Christmas tree and Chanuka lights in Northampton's Pulaski Park a proper expression of that right?
Amherst too has a Chanuka display.
Most of us think that it's okay for Christians and Jews to put up these displays, but what if Muslims wanted to put up a display honoring Islam on the town common?
Or what if atheists wanted to put up a banner reading THERE IS NO GOD across Pulaski Park? Is that cool? Why do we put religious displays in public places anyway? It's not as if there are no displays on private property, in fact nearly every storefront in downtown Hamp has a Christmas theme.
Chestnuts roasting on the cathode ray tube.
So why do we need religious displays on public property? What sort of God needs that kind of homage anyway? God is everywhere, and doesn't need to be put on display in the public square. The best way to respect the religious rights of all people is to show favoritism to none and do nothing that appears to publicly endorse one religion over another - or any religion at all. Atheists have rights too! Next year, for God's sake let's do the enlightened thing and discontinue these religious displays on public property.
Political People
Neal challenger Dr. Jay Fleitman greets his female fans at a Springfield fundraiser last weekend.
Neal challenger Tom Wesley campaigning last night at a Holyoke American Legion.
Photo of Northampton City Councilor Jesse Adams by Bill Dwight.
Around Amherst
Looking out of Starbucks with a snowflake sticker on the window.
Captain Candy has moved in where the Gypsy Dog Gallery used to be. Sure to be a hit with the after-school crowd.
On the wall outside Raos Coffee Shop.
Today's Music Video
Trevor Hall is the latest psychedelic reggae-jamband sensation. I hope I don't get death threats from the tribes for saying this, but I think most reggae is repetitious. I mean I like it, but after a bit it all sounds sorta the same to me, like a song that never ends. I never quite got the religious trip that goes along with it either, although all music that praises God has virtue. I guess it just takes a white kid from South Carolina getting painted by an elephant to make it fresh.
