By Howie Carr on Apr 20, 2021 04:59 pm
Did you ever dream you would be living in a police state where the local Stasi would set up multiple snitch lines where you turn in your neighbors for such terrible crimes as a soccer game in East Boston, a youth-hockey tournament in Hyde Park, a St. Patrick's Day party in Billerica or a karaoke night in Danvers? Welcome to Maskachusetts 2021. The Panic is long over, but Gov. Charlie Baker, like an angry ex-boyfriend, just can't let go. He's gone from following the science to following the science fiction, and he just keeps pushing his own toxic brand of what Gov. Ron DeSantis calls Faucism. After weeks of FOIA requests, the Department of Public Health ("Over 65,000 Criminal Drug Lab Tests Falsified!") has finally turned over to the Herald a handful of the recent reports from its publicly funded COVID-19 rat line. To read the entire reports on the DPH snitch line, go to howiecarrshow.com. I have a feeling these reports are the G-rated ones, which don't fully show just how deranged these Karens have become. The Karens calling the DPH snitch line truly seem to believe that she/he will die if exposed to … something. So why are they out and about, dealing with us infidels, deniers and Deplorables who just want to go back to living a normal life? Consider the incident report of the karaoke bust in Danvers March 7: "Walked in and place was packed. Karaoke going on and even waitstaff was participating. Walked out. Clear violations to the guidelines. They have other entertainment planned as well." At that point, Karen links to the restaurant's Facebook page. Karen always links to the restaurant's social media. It's called evidence. But why did Karaoke Karen risk her life by going to the Danvers death house in the first place? She never heard of Uber Eats? Home delivery was made for Karen. But this is a recurring theme on the snitch line. Karen can't resist the takeout, perhaps because she knows it will give her something to report to her dear leader, Gov. Charlie Bacon. In Leominster, Karen walks into a restaurant and notices "about 30 individuals at the door, close together, without masks. When I asked the owner what was going on, he shrugged his shoulders." Shrugged his shoulders! In other words — indifference. Down through the ages, that's always driven the religious fanatics into a frenzy of outrage, and it still does. And remember, Maskachusetts has a long history of, among other things, hanging witches in Salem and burning Catholic convents in Charlestown. Every once in a while, a religious cult goes out of control in Maskachusetts. It's happened again. On March 4, Karen reported a restaurant in Millers Falls where she is a regular and "not only is the owner walking around without a mask, he is approaching tables and talking to people … This is very concerning and dangerous." Memo to Karen: If you don't like a place, stop going there. Here's one from a large factory in Lynn where Karen reports the response to the Panic has been "subpar": "People are not wearing a masks (sic) and not adhering to social distancing. Inside the manufacturing areas employees are constantly removing masks to speak if they are wearing them." Karen is describing a factory that produces heavy machinery. How are they supposed to communicate? The snitch line excerpts the DPH sent us were heavy on car dealerships. There was a pattern here too: Karen arrives early to get some work done on her car (Prius? Subaru?). She is shocked to observe multiple offenses against the state's Faucist policies. From a Leominster car dealership on March 3: "As soon as I walked in, a few employees quickly rushed to put their masks on." Same day, at a dealership in Brockton: "As I was having my car serviced, I noticed at least 5 associates of the dealership not wearing a mask at all or on the chin. Watched a service-team member approach a customer and start talking to them with no mask at all or visible. Team member going in and out of New vehicles with no face coverings. Totally inappropriate." In Raynham: "No sales rep is wearing a mask when they first open up. I came here early to drop my vehicle off for service and had to wait. They are openly walking around without a mask as I sit in the waiting area." Openly! They're not even trying to hide their … heresy. Here's a restaurant in Dennis: "No one except the bartender had a mask on and the place was packed." Could there possibly be a connection between those two facts? Likewise, a golfing establishment in Pembroke seemed to be doing well on March 14. Was it because management, as Karen tut-tutted, "allowed customers to walk about maskless"? The Ward 18 rat who dimed out the youth-hockey tournament last month in Hyde Park even did his own Faucistic analysis of the alleged peril: "(It) creates an unnecessary risk, even with masks, for a super spreader event." Youth hockey tournament — super spreader. Looting, arson, rioting, shooting at cops — peaceful protest. A Salem coffee shop is dimed out for allowing too many customers: "No regulation, no posted max capacity. No one telling anyone to wait." That's the real problem of course. No one is ordering Karen around and telling her what to do and generally acting like the Gestapo. Karens of both sexes like to be bossed around. In the year since Maskachusetts was taken over by Faucists, Karen has once again proven the truth of the old axiom: If you believe in nothing, you will fall for anything. Karen has fallen, and a year later she still can't get up.
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By Steve Kramer on Apr 20, 2021 05:40 am
The issue surrounding elimination of Native American images, nicknames and logos for schools and athletic teams is being debated all over the country. Polarized discussions persist over removal of mascot designations such as warriors, indians, braves and redskins. Typically, long-term residents and team supporters oppose eliminating traditional Native American logos whereas those with less of an affiliation or sentimental connection favor changing the nicknames. What should be done? What reasonable policy can eliminate the endless community disagreements about Native American nicknames that should be discussions on more compelling issues? The issue is not limited to schools and their logos, as millions of dollars are at stake in collegiate athletics and numerous professional sports franchises with longstanding Native American nicknames such as Braves, Indians, Seminoles and many others. The answer is simple, and it simply reflects common sense by considering the preferences and concerns of those most affected — Native Americans themselves. Let them decide as opposed to groups of white Caucasians — Native Americans can choose which logos and images should be eliminated, and which, if any, are permissible and not offensive to their sensitivities, If logos were to be proposed with images of Italians, Asians, Irish or African American citizens, they would be subject to their approval. As a result, why should predominantly Caucasian communities be the arbiters regarding Native American interests? Let the Native Americans determine which, if any, of their images or logos are acceptable. There are numerous Native American leaders who have the capacity and authority to solicit a democratic consensus from their constituents as to which logos should stay or go. Once that determination is made, communities, professional and collegiate athletic teams should be willing to abide by the collective determination of their fellow Native American citizens. Rather than continue to engage in polarized Caucasian debates about matters of Native American self-interest, it's about time we defer to the Native American community to decide these issues for themselves
Steve Kramer is an attorney, and former assistant attorney general in Massachusetts from 1980 to 1987.
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By Paul Craney on Apr 20, 2021 05:30 am
Since MassFiscal was founded in 2012, we have sounded the alarm to the state's rapid level of growth under former Speaker Robert DeLeo and now it appears Speaker Ron Mariano will follow in his footsteps. Speaker Mariano was first sworn into office in 1992, and for nearly 29 years he has consistently voted to increase the size of state government. He has never shown any regard for paying down the state's debt, lowering the cost of doing business or living in Massachusetts. Last week, Speaker Mariano's House Ways and Means Committee released its first initial state budget coming in at $47.6 billion. That puts the total at $1.3B, or a 2.6% increase over last year's spending according to The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. Speaker Mariano is a career politician who voted for the controversial 2017 pay raise and he's seen his taxpayer-funded paycheck increase nearly 64% during the last five years. In comparison, the state budget has increased over 20% during that time. It is clear, the leadership may change, but their insatiable appetite for spending taxpayer money never changes. A big question we anticipate every year during budget season tends to be "Are there any new taxes?" Luckily, for now, we can say no. So, how is Speaker Mariano going to pay for his hefty new budget? He relies on the continued increases in tax revenue collections (56.6% of total budget resources), as well as some increased reimbursements from the Biden administration. Speaker Mariano's budget also calls for draining a portion of the state's rainy-day fund to pay for the increase in spending. This was done last year, and is being tried again this year under the speaker's plan. If Republican House Minority Leader Brad Jones ever wanted to object to anything the speaker does, this should be on the list. Last year, the state dipped into the rainy-day fund, as no one knew what the early days of the pandemic would bring. However, the state collected more tax money than what they anticipated and now the Biden administration is showering Massachusetts with billions of dollars. Speaker Mariano and his leadership team should never consider continuing the practice of increasing state spending and dipping into the state's depleted rainy-day fund while tax collections are coming in ahead, but they do it because no one objects. There's hardly any debate, let alone transparency in the budget process. The speaker's budget doles out cash with some skeptical practices like additional spending on reimbursing school districts to help them "stabilize" for a significant decrease in enrollment. Yes, that's right, fewer students to teach but more money to teach them. For the Massachusetts Teachers' Union and their sympathetic lawmakers, this is economics. Overall, if you are used to worse budgets and are thinking "it could be worse," well, we still have time for that. The House is expected to debate the budget soon. If history repeats itself, it will mean a whole lot of closed-door horse trading and very little actual debate in the public eye. Followed with a rubber-stamped vote of approval by the Democratic majority and no dissent by Republican Minority Leader Jones and his Republican leadership team. Let's hope I am wrong, and Jones finds a newfound courage that was missing under the previous speaker.
Paul Diego Craney is the spokesperson of Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance.
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By Boston Herald editorial staff on Apr 20, 2021 05:10 am
Tensions are high across the U.S ahead of the jury’s verdict in former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s trial for the killing of George Floyd last year. Thousands of Minnesota National Guard troops have already been deployed throughout the city alongside police officers as part of what city and state officials describe as a deterrent to potential looting and violence in response to the verdict, according to the Washington Post. Many cities nationwide, including Boston, are preparing for possible protests. Sources told ESPN that the NBA has instructed teams to prepare for the possible postponement of games should protests, civil unrest and team reactions warrant it. No one wants a repeat of last summer, in which Minneapolis erupted in violence after the killing of Floyd. A police station was burned and an estimated $350 million in damage was done to buildings and businesses. Boston was also the site of riots and looting last summer, resulting in injuries to police officers. There is a group of people who hold great sway over the timbre of anticipated demonstrations, both in the wake of the Chauvin verdict as well as other police shootings, most notably Daunte Wright and Adam Toledo. Our elected leaders. This is not the time for scoring political points, or issuing campaign-boosting sound bites, or fanning the flames of an agenda without regard for the fallout on communities. This moment calls for skilled leadership. A great example of what not to do comes from Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) who, at a Black Lives Matter Rally in Minnesota this weekend protesting the killing of Wright by a police officer, told reporters: “I hope we get a verdict that says guilty, guilty, guilty. And if we don’t, we cannot go away. We’ve got to stay on the street. We get more active, we’ve got to get more confrontational. We’ve got to make sure that they know that we mean business.” Business owners who saw their livelihoods vandalized or worse last year are no doubt chilled by those remarks. Police departments are already burdened with pols decrying the justice system as “racist, front to back,” and urging departments to be defunded. The Chauvin trial and the recent shootings of Wright and Toledo have sparked more demonstrations calling for justice, including in Boston. A notable rallying cry has returned — “abolish the police.” This is a great opportunity for elected officials to step up and address the need for justice, while also acknowledging the community’s needs as a whole. Calls to “abolish the police” as gun violence plays out on Boston streets are counterproductive. Neighborhoods in which a grandmother is shot to death while sitting on her porch and teens are gunned down in the prime of their lives want the violence to stop, for the guns to be taken from the places where they raise their families. You need police for that. Not alone — the work must include community and faith-based organizations to work in tandem with law enforcement. But scenes of Boston police at the sight of the latest shooting, gathering evidence to find the perpetrator, and the BPD’s almost daily chronicle of firearms confiscated in traffic stops or from disturbance calls demonstrate the critical role law enforcement plays in battling the epidemic of gun violence. The impetus to pounce on the all-police-are-bad narrative for political gain undermines the very communities politicians purport to care about.
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