Friday, December 30, 2011

Happy New Year

Enormous thanks to all those who took the time to read our blog posts this year and, on occasion, joust with us over the finer points of what we write.

Looking back, 2011 was quite a year. From Occupy Boston to the killing of Osama Bin Laden, from corruption on Beacon Hill to the brewing race to replace President Obama, a lot happened over the last 12 months.

Yet, as we stand here on the precipice of a new year, we see an America that is largely unchanged from the one we saw at the beginning of 2011.

Many of the problems that have plagued our nation remain unresolved -- high unemployment, staggering national debt, and foreign policy challenges just to name a few.

Although we fill these pages talking about these troubling issues most days, we also try to look toward the future and foresee what's coming. Politics always has been, and always will be, a process of trying to create a better tomorrow, and we love having discussions with you here about what that tomorrow should look like.

So, here's to that tomorrow. Here's to 2012.

See you next year.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Meredith Warren on NECN "Year in Review" Show


Meredith Warren joined the roundtable panel on NECN's Broadside with Jim Braude again last night for the second half of a two-show discussion of noteworthy political events in 2011.


In this second part, Warren and her fellow panelists State Senator Robert Hedlund, Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral, and Professor George Bachrach discussed significant happenings on the statewide level in Massachusetts, including the race for U.S. Senate, the passage of legislation to license casinos, and corruption on Beacon Hill.

Please click on the links below to watch clips from the show on NECN.com:

Race for the U.S. Senate

Casinos

Corruption on Beacon Hill


Wednesday, December 28, 2011

Meredith Warren on NECN "Year in Review"

Last night, Lyric's Meredith Warren appeared on NECN's Broadside with host Jim Braude for a special 2011 Year in Review program. Joining her to discuss highlights from national politics were State Senator Robert Hedlund, Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral, and Professor George Bachrach.

Among the topics discussed were an assessment of President Obama's third year in office and the current status of the Tea Party and the Occupy movement.

To watch the video on NECN.com (posted in segments), please click here or on the image below.

Thursday, December 08, 2011

Occupy ______________

We praise Boston Mayor Tom Menino for advising "Occupy Boston" protesters they have until midnight tonight to vacate Dewey Square. Their protest is protected by the First Amendment, but their occupation clearly is not and it needs to end.

All of this begs the obvious question for Occupy Boston -- what next? Or, where next?

Well, assuming that Occupy Boston wants to continue its vigil against... whatever it is they're protesting... we suggest the following list of the top ten places around Boston where they could relocate their protest.

TOP TEN PLACES FOR OCCUPY BOSTON TO RELOCATE


10. The State House - after all, nobody else hangs around here this time of year, anyway.

9. The Paul Revere House - with all of those new taxpayer-funded public bathrooms on the way, what better spot?

8. The Cambridge Courthouse - huge, vacant and ready for visitors. Also includes a jail in case things get out-of-hand.

7. Stage an Enchanted Village Occupation at the old Filene's Basement location in Downtown Crossing. This site could be vacant for years.

6. The Hynes Convention Center - plenty of room and tons of parking.

5. One of the Harbor Islands. We hear it's beautiful out there in mid-winter.

4. Protest big banks by squeezing everyone inside one ATM machine kiosk.

3. Kelly's Roast Beef in Allston - going out of business on Sunday, they could use the business.

2. Line up at the nearest WalMart and claim you're just preparing early for Black Friday 2012.

1. Return to headquarters and camp out on the front yard of Elizabeth Warren, the self-proclaimed inspiration for the movement.


OK, obviously we're just kidding. Don't relocate there, or anywhere else for that matter.

Actually, we think the best thing for Occupy Boston to do would be to fold-up tent and look for something constructive to do. Believe it or not, we actually think the Occupy movement raises some legitimate points, even though we disagree with a lot of it. But, we also think there are few more pointless ways for them to achieve any meaningful change than by trespassing on public property and staging sit-ins all over the place. Mayor Menino made a good point the other day in telling protesters they need to pick and choose an issue to focus on and take their message to Washington.

Wednesday, December 07, 2011

Van Magness on NECN

Fred Van Magness was a guest on NECN's Morning Show today, talking about the news in politics: the race between Gingrich and Romney, the upcoming debate with Donald Trump, and the latest polls.

Click on the image below to watch the full video on NECN.com.


Tuesday, December 06, 2011

Ten Questions for "Occupy Boston"

To promote a spirit of open dialogue, we publicly post the following ten questions to the Occupy Boston movement and we invite their response by way of the comment section of our blog (please note and abide by our policies regarding comments, listed on the sidebar):

  1. What are the names of the leaders of your organization, what are their responsibilities, and are they receiving financial compensation?
  2. What are the specific goals of your organization and what, specifically, are you protesting?
  3. Have you identified one or more circumstances under which you would consider your objectives to have been met and therefore end your occupation? If so, what are they?
  4. Do you claim your organization is intended to promote a political purpose? If so, have you registered with the Federal Election Commission or the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance to report monetary and in-kind contributions to your organization, as required by state and federal law? If not, will you concede publicly that your movement does not serve a political purpose?
  5. Do you claim that donations to Occupy Boston are tax-exempt? If so, on what basis? If not, on what basis will taxes be paid?
  6. According to your Declaration of Occupation, adopted by your General Assembly on November 29, 2011, one of the three goals of your organization is "planning for the American Spring." Can you please specifically define what you refer to as the "American Spring" and when will it occur?
  7. According to the same Declaration of Occupation, you claim to "peacefully exercise our first amendment rights." What is your organization's policy regarding those who do not exercise their rights peacefully? Do you have a zero-tolerance policy?
  8. Can you please list the names of any political organizations with which your group coordinates its activities?
  9. What is the policy of your organization regarding the use and enjoyment of Dewey Square by other individuals or organizations seeking to exercise their free speech rights during the term of your occupation, whether or not they agree with the goals of your organization?
  10. Do the members of your organization consider Dewey Square to be their current domicile? If so, are they registered to vote there? If not, when is it there intent to leave their current location in Dewey Square, and where do they plan to vote in the 2012 elections?

Meredith Warren on NECN


Meredith Warren was a guest on NECN's Morning Show this morning, where she spoke about the latest news in the GOP Presidential race -- Gingrich, Romney, the latest polls, and what it all means going forward.

Click on the image below to watch the video on NECN's Web site.

Monday, December 05, 2011

Occupy Boston tramples on the rights of a true American hero

Hey, Boston Mayor Tom Menino. Good news!

We think we just might have come up with a solution for getting rid of all those Occupy Boston protestors on the Greenway. In fact, it's a way to be patriotic and kick them out at the same time.

The solution: Occupy Boston needs to pick up their tents and leave so the city can honor Admiral George Dewey.

Here's the background.

Occupy Boston's tent city is located in Dewey Square, a piece of land owned by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (formerly the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority) and subject to a lease for control by the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, Inc.

Dewey Square, it so happens, was named in honor of George Dewey in 1898. Dewey was a highly-decorated officer in the U.S. Navy. In 1898, Dewey had gained fame for his military success commanding U.S. Naval forces in the Battle of Manila Bay in the Philippines (commencing with his now-famous order, "You may fire when you are ready, Gridley."). He was the only person ever to be named Admiral of the Navy for the United States by special act of Congress on March 24, 1903. He even served as a presidential candidate for a brief time back in 1900. (On the Democratic side, we might add.)

Who knew? We sure didn't until we looked it up online. But he sounds very interesting. And, we think that such an esteemed person deserves to have his life and professional achievements honored so that more can appreciate his history. Possibilities would be to commemorate the anniversary of his birth (December 26, 1837) or the date of his death (January 16, 1917). And, what better way than to sponsor a public ceremony in the very park named in his honor? In fact, Mayor Menino and his staff ought to head over to Boston Public Library right now to start researching how we could honor Admiral Dewey.

Of course, all of this would mean that Dewey Square would have to be free for such a purpose. Completely free. In other words, members of Occupy Boston would have to vacate Dewey Square and take all of their tents and kitchen sinks and other implements of insurgency with them so the square could be cleaned up and made ready. We would, of course, expect throngs of people who are not currently calling for the end to capitalism as we know it to turn out to honor Admiral Dewey, a great American.

After all, as the members of Occupy Boston say, it's all about the ability to exercise free speech, right? And, by asserting exclusive full-time possession and control over the Greenway, Occupy Boston is effectively squelching the right of everyone else to use, enjoy, and exercise their free speech rights in Dewey Square.

Exercises like holding a ceremony to honor the memory of a distinguished American, Admiral George Dewey, on December 26, the 174th anniversary of his birth.

Mark your calendars – it's just three weeks from today. By the way, anyone know where to go to pull a permit?

Friday, December 02, 2011

Meredith Warren on NECN

Check out Meredith Warren's latest interview with NECN today, where she talks about Mitt Romney's campaign for President and upcoming coverage of the candidate's family life.