Dick Howe’s already got a write up on the Kevin Thompson (Constitutional Party candidate for MA-05) video from the Folk Festival about his curtailed free speech rights, which you can find here.
First, I just have to say that I despise the Constitution Party. The day they win a seat in Congress will be a sad day for America. While they claim to be for liberty and the Constitution, they want to tell women what to do with their bodies, proclaim the US a Christian nation, and of course gays have no rights according to them.
However, there are two points being made by Thompson with this video - one which deserves debate, and the other which is plainly a simple matter of fairness.
The first is the very concept of these so-called “free speech zones” in the public square. Peace groups and other organizations across this nation have encountered this bizarre concept over the years. If land is owned in public trust (such as the JFK Plaza), can’t it be said to always be a free speech zone? Since others have argued pretty passionately that the Constitution prohibits sign ordinances (that may or may not be in place in Lowell) against political signs on private property, what about public use of public land? So, that’s a debate to have (and I’m not sure what the answer is, though I disagree with Dick - I doubt the Folk Fest people really considered all the constitutional ramifications of having such a policy, they are just following the policy everyone else employs, rightly or wrongly.)
The second issue, and the real problem, is who followed the rules and who didn’t. That is an issue of basic fairness, and I do know the answer to this one.
The Eldridge campaign came out for the Festival on Saturday and I joined them. They were told by Festival people, no signs, no handouts. You can come, and you can talk to people, but nothing else, says they. Apparently, other campaigns were being told different things about “Free Speech Zones,” but more on that later. For now, suffice it to say I met Jamie and his entourage from the time they parked their cars, to the time they left in their cars, and Jamie and his people followed the rules they were told to. No signs, no handouts. We wore teeshirts with Jamie for Congress on them, and we wandered around talking to people.
This, despite the fact we too witnessed the Ogonowski crew with multiple signs, right near the “entrance” to the Folk Fest, where people stream in from the parking garage and much of the food is located. I had also seen them on Friday night as well. It steamed me at the time, because of what I knew the Festival people had told Jamie’s campaign. Did Ogonowski’s people even bother to find out the rules? Or were they just ignoring them? Either way, they should have been stopped.
I also have heard other candidates passed out handouts (frisbees?). Perhaps they were in one of the famous “Free Speech Zones” that we were not told about. (Trust me, Jamie’s people really would have loved to have the chance to pass out information.) Regardless, the information, and the enforcement, of the rules for candidates was inconsistent. The blame falls squarely on the shoulders of Festival organizers and the Lowell National Park employees, much as I love those guys. Never mind the fact that it’s questionable to stop someone from campaigning in the public square, especially if they are gathering official state of Massachusetts petition signatures (either for ballot initiative or candidacy status). I seem to remember people doing it last year for the Green party for Grace Ross, by the way, which I gladly signed.
I got an email from the organizer of the March to Re-Energize NH, a five-day effort to jump start the discussion about renewable energy. It will go on from August 1st (tomorrow) until the 5th. The kickoff is tonight in Nashua.
I’ve often said that I don’t understand why people aren’t marching in the street in response to the Iraq War or global warming, or the health care crisis. Well, these people are doing it for renewable energy - from Nashua to Concord in five days. Why NH (and Iowa)? Because they are still the traditional first primary and caucus states in the union, despite the now front-loaded primary schedule for 2008. They want to make this discussion a part of the 2008 election, because that’s the front lines of policy decision-making for the future of our nation.
They’ve asked if they could send us details about their march on a regular basis, which I will be posting. I actually suggest you go sign up and join them, forget reading about it.
Yesterday’s post, which I couldn’t get online because I had to leave:
March to ReEnergizeNH - 6 Days Left: Farming for the Future
6 days, thousands of Granite Staters from all walks of life will gather on the State House lawn, calling for national action on global warming.
You should see our office: coffee donations stacked high, green flags and green shirts, maps and laptops, the lavender walls barely showing beneath lists of our endorsers and newspaper clippings. It’s not that we’re messy (well, that could be true); people just keep showing at our door, asking to help - friends, neighbors, and the guy from the bagel shop downstairs.
And it’s not just the office that’s swelling with activity - it’s the whole Granite State. Now we have a bus coming from Portsmouth and carpools from Hanover. Newspapers are publishing letters from natives of Hooksett, Amherst, and Nashua daily. A woman we met at the Canterbury Fair yesterday remarked, “You guys are everywhere.”
It certainly feels like it - one second I’m on the phone with the Governor’s secretary, and the next I’m wondering if I bought enough pancake batter for Saturday night’s celebration of New Hampshire maple syrup. Amidst the hype and excitement growing all across the state, it’s easy to forget why exactly Granite Staters are set on walking five full days in the first place.
One farmer reminded us this morning. Eero Ruutila looked out over his rows of summer squash and said, “For the past three years, it’s flooded. It hurts everything. The climate never used to be like this.” He’s in his 21st year of managing the Nesenkeag Cooperative farm, where the March to Re-Energize New Hampshire will stop on Wednesday night.
Farmer by summer, artist by winter, and an every season advocate for the land he works, Eero knows what it takes to build a community around a green enterprise. The farm cultivates nearly 100 organic crops: the specialty varieties go to restaurants in the area, and the others he sells for no profit to food banks to feed low-income families. A walking, breathing almanac, Eero’s spoken at nearly every National Organic Farming Association (NOFA) conference across the state, and he educates on the importance of sustainable farming.
We weeded the garlic, built a stage, dried the rye, and strung our banners, visible from the road. Eero stepped back, approved, and said, “Now we just need people to come.”
And I hope you do. There could not be a better place, or a better time, than right here and right now to send a call to action for real, national global warming solutions. Join the March to Re-Energize New Hampshire - walk for an hour, a day, or all five. By the time we get to the State House Lawn on Sunday, August 5 at noon, we’ll be thousands strong!
[The March to ReEnergizeNH is sending us guest posts about their time on the road marching for renewable energy in NH. You can join them on all or any of those days, from August 1 through the 5th. This is Tuesday’s post. I’m backdating it to sit below my last post about this March. –Lynne]
All of us, organizers and volunteers, are in the campaign office. Laptops, phone lists, signups on the walls, folded chairs, empty juice bottles strewn everywhere. There’s a nervous excitement in the air.
This evening – Tuesday, July 31 at 6:30pm – the March to Re-Energize New Hampshire is celebrating its kickoff in Greeley Park, at 105 Concord St. in Nashua. Granny D, no stranger to long journeys for a cause, will talk to us about the power of walking, and give her blessings as we prepare to go.
Join us for the March to Re-Energize NH! July 31, 6:30pm: kickoff celebration in Greeley Park, Nashua, 6:30pm; Aug. 1-5 (walking through various locations, see our schedule), or the noon rally in Concord NH on Sunday, Aug. 5.
We’ve devoted the last two months of our lives to organizing the March to Re-Energize New Hampshire. Wednesday morning, dozens of marchers will leave Nashua’s City Hall, bound for Concord to issue one of the loudest calls yet for real global warming solutions.
We know that soon – very, very soon – it’s going to be out of our hands, and into yours.
All that we’ve been able to do, all summer, is to create a container. We’ve set aside an empty space, which you and others can fill with your energy, voices, and power to create positive change. Quite literally, on Sunday August 5th, downtown Concord will be empty, ready to be filled with our feet, our voices, and our call for a prosperous, clean energy economy.
Can we move America towards cutting carbon 80% by 2050, and creating millions of clean energy jobs? If there’s anyone in this country that has this power, it’s Granite Staters, right here, right now. We know how to get things done, and we don’t wait around for someone else to make it happen. It’s time to tell our leaders to follow our lead.
What is it about walking that will give this movement its power? I have a feeling that our walking will deepen our commitment, to each other and to this wonderful, challenging and worthy endeavor. Plus, it’s not too often you see hundreds of people simply walking, from one place to another. We might just catch a bit of attention along the way, that we might not have otherwise. Here in New Hampshire, we are, in fact, holding the national megaphone; that means, we have a special privilege and responsibility to speak at this crucial and historic moment.
It’s out of our hands now, and up to you to make this happen. If ever there were a moment to move America towards a clean energy economy, it’s here and now.
Sign up to join us for the March to Re-Energize NH: Aug. 1-5, or the rally on Sunday, Aug. 5:
MassMarrier has two excellent posts on his blog on the Lowell Folk Festival: Best Free Show in the State and Best Free Show: the Music. He is quite familiar with the Festival, an astute observer and a good writer; a great combination.
Both posts are insightful essays on the Festival, its food, music and the and the City. But it was his comments on the attendees which grabbed my attention.
For whatever reasons, many locals don’t seem to attend. That’s easy to tell because of the obvious racial composition at the venues.
Lowell is a very white town, if not by New Hampshire standards, certainly by Boston ones. The last census reports about 69% non-Latino white, nearly 17% Asian, 14% Latino and only 4% African-American.
At most venues, there are obviously far fewer than one of 6 Asians and fewer than one of 7 Latinos. I did not notice a single Black man or woman not connected with a band.
I should ask the organizers what’s up with that.
One of the reasons may be that some of these groups have their own Festivals: Puerto Rican Festival at Boarding House Park; the African Festival on Pawtucket Boulevard and the Asian Water Festival along the banks of the Merrimack River.
One way to attract a wider audience is to bring a performance artist which draws a new crowd. Once they experience the Festival, they then return year after year.
Another reason may be that many former Lowellians who now live in the outlining towns, Dracut, Chelmsford, Tewksbury, come back to the City for this annual event both to attend and more importantly to volunteer. So, in effect it is the Greater Lowell Folk Festival.
He also found the parking fees very reasonable: “Because we came by car, we did the right auto thing, drove right to one of the two big garages in town. They are very close to the venues and the festival deal isn’t bad — $10 flat fee for the day.” I did hear some rumblings from the locals about the fee; but if you are a Lowellian, you should know where to park for free or walk.
Maybe it is time to qualify the “folk” in the Lowell Folk Festival. He writes “…don’t let folk music limit your thoughts to the hippies of my era. Indeed the Lowell Folk Festival has World Music from many locales — Brazil, Nepal and hither and yon,”
Soon after I came home from the Lowell Folk Festival, I read the Sunday Sun; nice piece by Kathleen Pierce about the participating Armenian organization.
But my pleasure turned to complete anger when I read The Column. The comments made about Mayor Bill Martin are based on an inaccurate rendition of the truth and selective usage of facts.
I am referring to the paragraphs that discussed a meeting that took place at City Hall Chaired by Assistant City Manager T.J. McCarthy; the meeting focused on concerns residents impacted by last year’s flood have.
This is the sentence in question: “Mayor Martin was absent [from the meeting] while working at Donoghue’s 5th District campaign headquarters, according to comments he made on a local radio show.”
First let’s take the Mayor’s comments made on George Anthes’ morning radio program on WCAP. Mayor Martin is on regularly, I think once a month for about an hour. Phone calls came in on downtown’s revitalization and that was the major issue discussed. The Mayor in promoting what is happening in the City, mentioned that on Thursday night he had attended the grand opening of a new establishment in downtown. And then, in an effort to give a nod to Eileen Donoghue’s congressional campaign, he dropped her name by saying that he had been at headquarters before going to the downtown event.
His visit at Eileen’s campaign offices in downtown Lowell went this way: he came in, greeted the volunteers, gave encouraging words to the young staff, made a few selected calls, and then left to carry out his Mayoral duties.
How do I know all that? I heard the radio show, the entire conversation, not just five words; and I was there at Donoghue’s campaign headquarters on Thursday when the Mayor came and left. (more…)
Just finished a whole day at one of the ethnic food booths at the JFK Plaza. Great crowd as usual; some rain as usual.
Although I spent most of my time chopping tomatoes, I did get to see some people from my vantage point; actually I saw a whole bunch of bloggers, some who saw me and some who did not. First and foremost, Lynne in a Jaime Eldridge T-Shirt, she was walking around with the Congressional candidate and a group of his supporters; Mike from Marry in Massachusetts Margaret and Jackie from jackiedoherty.org, Dick from richardhowe.com who was working with a Lowell Telecommunication Corporation crew.
I missed Eileen Donoghue when she came by (I had gone for a walk) but there were plenty of the Donoghue frisbees and some t-shirts; I did see some Niki Tsongas fans, the paper kind that you use to move air around.
As for the City Council race, I did not see many challengers. Actually, I only saw Kristin Ross-Sitcawich. As for the incumbents, I did see Mayor Bill Martin and his wife; CC Bud Caulfied and CC Kevin Broderick with his family.
I saw people holding Ogonowiski signs. For all these years working at the Lowell Folk Festival, decades actually, I cannot recall ever seeing people holding political signs. I am not going to go into another rant about signs, but enough is enough.
If you appreciate live music, want to be exposed to new cultures, you really need to come to Lowell tomorrow, the third and last day of the Festival. If you have children there is a great area just for kids; the streets are closed off so you can push your child’s carriage with no worries. If you like to dance, even alone, you really need to come to Lowell.
The Festival is free. A small donation to the bucket brigade is appreciated. The Festival, now in its 21st year, will conclude tomorrow late afternoon.
(I really do apologize for the lack of posting; it’s been a rough week. A house has been acquired in our home-buying sights, though! We are, you might say, in the home stretch. Ha.)
It’s more than likely she meant to say her husband served, not herself, but the Eag-Trib makes a larger point: “Tsongas needs more than a famous name.” It cites the Kennedy versus McCormack 1092 1962 battle, where McCormack pointed out that without the famous last name, Ted Kennedy would have been a nobody in the race.
Kennedy has - whether you like him or not - proven his mettle in supporting policies and fighting for issues that his voters care about. What’s not clear is, would Tsongas?
I think another, even larger point is missing from the E-T article and other discussions around the web. It’s more what she says afterwards, that was no gaffe, which scares the bejeezus out of me: “…I know how Washington works, I can’t believe there’s still people there who I know…”
Let’s examine…there’s a crop of Democrats whose spine still, after our preznit hits below 30% popularity, after the horribly arrogant, illegal battering of our beloved Constitution, after Katrina and Iraq and global warming denial, these Democrats are still unable to utter the word “cut the funds for this illegal war,” nevermind “impeachment.” These are the Dems who let Joe f-ing LIEberman keep his vaulted position in the Senate, after he lost the Democratic primary fair and square, after he continues to vote with the enablist Republicans, after he claims all is so peachy-keen in Iraq. They can’t criticize him, because basically, they are him, with few exceptions. Bought and sold, compromised on their beliefs, knowing better but still voting the authorization for the war anyway. Niki, I know how Washington works too. And I want to elect someone who can stand up against that corrupting, corporate, entrenchment influence. By your own admission, you’re cozy with those very same people, those Democrats who have disappointed again, and again, and again. Could anyone imagine Niki Tsongas criticizing her still-best-buds in Congress when it’s necessary?
After a short hiatus, the debate/forum circuit for 5th District Congressional candidates has resumed.
On Monday, July 30, the Boxborough Democratic Town Committee is sponsoring a debate that will focus on energy policy and the environment. It will take place at the Holiday Inn, 242 Adams Place, in Boxborough ( directions) and is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.
On Wednesday, August 1st, Mass Alliance is sponsoring a debate on “various progressive issues.” It will take place in Lawrence at the Wetherbee Middle School Auditorium, 75 Newton Street ( directions). The debate will begin at 7:00 p.m. and Emily Rooney of WGBH-TV’s Greater Boston will serve as Moderator.
And on Thursday, August 2nd , at 10:00 a.m., AARP, is sponsoring a debate which will take place at the Andover Wyndham Hotel. (directions).
Later on in August, the League of Women Voters is sponsoring two debates, one on domestic issues and the other on foreign issues. We will post details on those forums as near the dates of the events. If you have not attended one of these forums, this is a perfect opportunity for you to see and hear the candidates.
Ha, ha, I couldn’t have possibly guessed that Niki Tsongas would have gone the Mitt Romney route…she has clarified that she supports the individual mandate forcing Mass residents to buy private health care insurance. The individual mandate, if you recall, was Romney’s baby, placed into the MA health care reform bill “compromise” at his insistence.
Besides the MA health care reform being corporate welfare on steroids, the forcing of residents to buy private health care and putting dough in the pockets of big HMOs for really crappy health care is one of the worst elements of the health care mess Romney left us.
Niki and Mitt…both completely misunderstand the health care problem in this country. Both, apparently, side with big business over the welfare of individuals. Would you want Mitt Romney as your Rep in Congress? Well this position, in my eyes, puts Tsongas squarely in Romney territory.
Re: “Niki would not support an individual mandate in the absence of an employer mandate…”
Hello!!!! We are not idiots!!!!
The MA “employer mandate” of $295 per worker PER YEAR is worse than a cruel joke; it is a slap in the face.
So Ms. Tsongas thinks that the $295/YEAR employer mandate is demonstrative of fair and equal “shared responsibility” when the individual mandate is $325/MONTH for a 55 year old? Is she serious?
What is it with the new Barry Finegold television ads? Check them out on YouTube here and here.
What am I missing? Barry, Congress does not listen to us and you will get them to listen. Is that it? Read John Keller’s (WBZ TV) comments on the Finegold ads on his blog and here is BMG’s take on them.
And by now you must have seen the “breaking news story” on the Lowell Sun’s web site. Hilary Chabot is reporting that Niki Tsongas was “YouTubed.” That is the getting caught on tape saying something you did not want to say and having that clip broadcast on the World Wide Web. According to the article, “In an apparent mistake, congressional candidate Niki Tsongas declared during a forum last Wednesday that she’s represented the state’s 5th Congressional District in Washington for 10 years.” Here is the YouTube clip.
She may have been trying to connect her late husband’s personal experience with hers and did not succeed, so she got YouTubed.
By the way, good job local so-called “old media” for digging up this story while the so-called “new media” was fast asleep.
Is emerging communication technology impacting the MA-05 race?
- Leftyblogs MA Blogroll -
Almost all of my favorite lefty blogs in Massachusetts can be found here. Linking here keeps my own blogroll short but still up to date! Below are some other MA blogs which are not listed at LB.
