Left In Lowell

Yet another attack on Patrick’s corporate past and his progressive creds, to loosen Patrick’s considerable liberal support. And once again, the facts are twisted by opponants, when actually, it appears that Patrick did the right thing when working for the United Air Lines corporate board, advocating for domestic partner benefits for same-sex partners and succeeding at getting United to be the first airline to do so.

Once is an anomaly, twice is a line between two points, three times plus is a pattern. Again, it appears this attack on Patrick’s corporate service originates (sneakily) from the Reilly campaign (it has their media fingerprints all over it). And once again, the Globe misleads its readers into thinking there’s a controversy, when instead there’s a complex set of facts that when put together, gives me, at least, a picture that Patrick is both a good lawyer and a powerful advocate for corporate reform from the inside. He advocated on behalf of his employer, United, for the reason David states in his post, while subsequently making history within the company and helping same-sex couples.

I’m tired of Reilly spewing distorted or outright wrong facts in this campaign. While both Patrick and Gabrieli have positive, idea-driven campaigns (however much I hate how Gabrieli got in the race and how he’s running it, I have to admit that), Reilly has nothing to run on but being for the tax rollback (making him Healey Lite) and distorting his biggest opponant’s record. Chris, watch out, if you become the frontrunner be prepared to answer attacks such as these.

I have no issue with legitimate questions about any candidate’s past; however, Reilly goes beyond the pale and into Karl Rove Republican territory with his tactics. Sad that he has nothing else to resort to.

Not much reported here in the US, and more than disturbing, is the amassing of Turkish and Iranian troops along their border with northern Kurdish Iraq. Now the Guardian is reporting that Iran and Turkey are shelling parts of Kurd territory in Iraq. Both countries have a history of oppressing the Kurdish minorities within their borders. Turkey outlawed their use of their own language until last decade, and even now that language is restricted. They have continually used the term “terrorist” to excuse using violence against them. It is again one of those situations where treating a whole ethnic people as dogs turned many of them into rebel seperatists.

Turkey and Iran fear an independent Kurd territory in Iraq. It might give their own Kurds ideas - stupid things like freedom from oppression and such. Turkey ought to look at its own handling of their crisis for the origins of the violence some Kurds have turned to against Turkey. Instead, they’ll join the US’s enemy in violence against Kurds in another country. I’m severely disappointed in this otherwise-democractic ally.