Posted on 11/03/2012 9:43:50 PM PDT by raccoonradio
Howie thread for the week starting with his Sunday Boston Herald column. There will also be a special Howie Carr/ Jeff Kuhner ELECTION DAY thread to launch probably tomorrow
Sun column ping
State House in need of corrections
By Howie Carr | Sunday, November 4, 2012 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Columnists
If the Massachusetts Legislature had a liquor license, it would have long since been padlocked as a public nuisance.
This is the way its always been, and alas nothing much will change after Tuesdays elections. So lets look at a few of Beacon Hills ethical midgets who are desperately seeking to wedge their snouts back into the public trough, beginning with Senate President Therese Murray.
You know about the three convicted-felon House speakers, but the Senate is matching that torrid pace. On Murrays watch, three solons Anthony D. Galluccio, Joseph Jim Marzilli and Dianne Wilkerson have ended up in the can.
Do you recall the Probation Department indictments last spring? Murray was not charged but she was mentioned (by title) three times for obtaining jobs, more than any other State House hack. Asked why she was grabbing so many payroll-patriot jobs, she said, This is what we do.
As to why she was running up thousands of dollars in legal bills, she explained, H.R. You know, human resources, wink, wink. Shes running against Tom Keyes, who got 48 percent of the vote against her in 2010.
Rep. Barbara LItalien retired two years ago due to ill health. The voters got sick of her. She was defeated by Jim Lyons, a solid conservative from Andover. But dont weep for LItalien. After a nationwide search, she was hired by Treasurer Steve Grossman for a $100,000 phony-baloney hack job as director of government affairs, whatever that means. The local paper called it obscene.
Now LItalien wants her old $65,000-a-year job back. Go figure.
In the past, LItalien has been endorsed by another extinguished ex-solon, Willie Lantigua, now the mayor of Lawrence. When I say Lantigua, what two words first come to mind? Answer: grand jury. Correction: grand juries.
Meet Kathleen OConnor Ives, a Newburyport city councilor. Now shes running for Steve Baddours old Senate seat, as a Democrat, naturally. Last month, the lovely Methuen power couple of ex-Sen. (and ex-mayor) Sharon Pollard and her husband, ex-Rep. Tom Lussier, held a get-together for Ives at their home.
Why is this noteworthy? Because Pollard and Lussier may be the only married couple to have both been bagged by the State Ethics Commission. Lussier was fined $5,000 for misusing a state credit card for, among other things, airline tickets for his better half, Her Honor the mayor.
That was in 2002. Five years later Mrs. Lussier was hit with her own $4,000 fine. You know, the traditional conflict of interest.
In their letter to cronies, the retired reprobate reps mentioned Ives ideas and thoughtful responses. What more do you need to know?
Ives did not return repeated phone calls.
Remember Rep. Jolly John Rogers of Norwood, failed candidate for House speaker? He once compared the felony conviction of Good Time Charlie Flaherty to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. (It was Easter.)
Having nowhere else to go, Rogers is now running for an 11th term against Republican Jim Stanton of Walpole, who has a real job. Heres the gag: Rogers put out a flier this fall bragging that he has sponsored NEW STATE ETHICS REFORM laws.
Now thats rich. See, Rogers has a pal named Tom Drummey. He worked at a Randolph bank while Rogers was paying him $6,000 a month as a consultant. Drummey then turned around and paid precisely $6,000 towards the mortgage on a Falmouth vacation home that Mr. and Mrs. Rogers held the deed to.
Drummey argued he really did have a half-interest in the house. Federal regulators were so impressed with his argument that in 2010 they banned him from the banking industry. Meanwhile, the very ethical Rogers campaign committee (the same one that gave Drummey six large a month) paid a $30,000 assessment to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance to pay for its investigation.
Postscript: Despite the squalid end to his banking career, Drummey apparently holds no grudges. He just gave his buddy Rogers a $75 contribution.
Jolly John did not return the usual repeated phone calls.
Then theres Sen. Michael Moore of Millbury, running against GOP challenger Steve Simonian. The Worcester Telegram endorsed Moore, citing his deep roots in local government. Said roots include not only his $75,875 Senate salary but also a $28,840 state pension he grabs as a retired assistant deputy jail superintendent, as the paper reported last year.
Note the two diminutives in Moores job description, assistant and deputy. Rule of thumb in the hackerama: the more diminutives, the less work. Did I mention that the retired assistant deputy is 49-years old?
The sleaze and greed at the State House is so endemic that sometimes it even ensnares the rare Republican a GOP rep dropped out of his re-election fight after being accused of misusing a clients funds. But almost all of the embattled solons are Democrats. If you have a real job and pay taxes, the Democratic candidates for the Legislature are not your friends.
Unless you give them, say, $75.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1061172232
Back to the regular ping list.
Salem News said Tisei lost narrowly but some votes may not have been counted; recount? In the meantime here’s what Chip Ford wrote in a reply to an article about it. He’s part of Citizens for Limited Taxation, Barbara Anderson’s organization (Barbara, Howie, and Jerry Williams were “The Governors”
years ago on WRKO):
>>Thank the next Libertarian you meet for more intrusive government, higher taxes, and public corruption. Fishman enabled them all and made a huge contribution to their continuance. Without Fishman’s Quixotic and meaningless campaign and his 5% vote total, John Tierney would have been defeated. Im sure Congressman Tierney appreciates the Libertarian’s contribution to more of the same the incumbent couldnt have won another term without the third-party assist. From time to time new terms come into the political lexicon and stick, such as “being Borked.” A new one is deserving today, being “Fishmanned” in a close race where otherwise a viable, good candidate would have won.
Nice job, Daniel; you must be proud. Thanks for empowering bigger government and higher taxes. They couldn’t have achieved this success without you.
Howie’s column for his email list
see post #4
best thing he’s written in 10 years.
DREAD has been the word of the day for 50% of us in this nation.
BTTT
BTTT
In regard to Allen West, this to me is the most shocking, MOST shocking I say, event in this election. A true patriot of principle defeated by this sick Murphy POS who is still a goddam drunk ... just WTF? Over. In re "Connie Mack" ... who TF decided that THAT drunken slob was a Senatorial Candidate? Perhaps his ineptitude washed over to West's contest?
Post Mortem: Romney took false hope after his first debate victory and decided, upon the advice of his son ... of all people... to "take the High Road," at the very same instant that the Mombasa MF was going in the gutter. He could have quite easily, as we have all reiterated ad nauseam, kicked the krap out of Kid Kenya over Benghazi, Fast and Furious, Solyndra, etc. etc. etc. also ad nauseam.
In addition, he never, NEVER, I say, unleashed Ryan to come forth with a coherent recovery plan. BTW, I never could decide whether Romney, this artificial, no-fat, no sugar, no dairy products, plain vanilla frozen yogurt product was alive or dead. Look up "Bland," "Boring," "Banal," in your Funk & Wagnalls and they will probably have a Romney Photo in the definition. At least the gay anorexic African gave forth an occasional sign of life ... crooked as they come, of course. And, he got tough while Milquetoast Mitt got "nice."
’ If someone will please explain to me how Elizabeth Warren managed to best RINO-Though-He-May-Be-Brown in an American election, I would be eternally grateful. ‘
Only 32% of Mass voters are Republican. 33% are Independent. The rest are Mass*oles. I agree, how the heck did the Indies vote for the Faux Indian??
Now we have to listen to that wretch for 6 years. And can you imagine her glee when the next SCOTUS appointment comes up??
I expect 2 will be retiring after Jan 21st...
mcscreamer filling in for Howie on Friday and Monday.
WARNING WARNING WARNING WARNING
you mistyped and meant to type 12
12—Republican
35—Democrat
53—Unenrolled
The indies (myself incl. though I voted Brown) prob should have had the sense to go for Brown, etc. but I think many unenerolled/indies lean left on many issues, or they did this time. Many women decided to go for Warren (first female
Senator), “war on women” etc. People may have found they
didn’t “like” Coakley but believe it or not many seem to
like Fauxocohantas. Liking, as a person.
...this despite the ads Brown ran which insisted he was pro-choice etc. Mass Citizens for Life or some kind of anti-abortion group endorsed Brown feeling he was on their side;
if anything he may have said in the past abortion rights “should be up to the individual states”. States’ rights. And of course the libs would sneer oh yeah, states’ rights, so if some states wanted slavery that would be OK too right?
As for McScreamer yes she’s on today and Mon. as Howie is off to Florida. Now the Fri column ping for all
Fishman sinks Tiseis effort to unseat Tierney
By Howie Carr | Friday, November 9, 2012 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Columnists
Photo by Christopher Evans
Dan Fishman, the Libertarian candidate in the 6th Congressional District, knows what a lot of people are thinking. But hes not taking the rap for the re-election of reprobate Rep. Johnny Pockets Tierney.
I certainly recognize the numbers indicate thats a real possibility, the software engineer from Beverly said yesterday. But to me theres not a lot of difference in terms of agenda between the two parties. Theyre both interested in increasing the power of government.
Yeah, Dan, but what about Tierneys corruption? His wife, his brothers-in-law, his stepson all mixed up in the three-generation gambling mob set up by Tierneys father-in-law? Tierneys own wife went in the can. Mr. and Mrs. Tierney didnt pay taxes on more than $200,000 that Patrice received from her gangster siblings. It was a gift, she explained. Every month, they gave her another $2,000, and in return, she handled their cash while they were on the lam in the islands. Some gift.
This is the Massachusetts kleptocracy at its absolute worst. And in the finest Bay State tradition, the architect of the corruption has been re-elected. Thanks Dan Fishman.
Here are the numbers from Tuesday:
Tierney, Democrat, 179,603; Richard Tisei, Republican, 175,953; and Fishman, Libertarian, 16,668.
Fishman said he figures if he hadnt been in the fight, his almost 17,000 votes would have been a wash between the two major-party candidates.
So, I asked him, who would you have voted for?
Oh, I would have voted for Rich Tisei, definitely, he said. The Republicans are increasing spending, but theyre doing it more slowly than the Democrats. I found Rich Tisei to be an incredibly thoughtful man with considered positions.
Tisei hasnt been speaking publicly since Tuesday night. I think hes still banging his head against the wall. His campaign staffers have been complaining about monkey business in Lynn, but without Fishman in the fight, what happened in the City of Sin wouldnt even have mattered.
Sometimes sleazy Tierney-type incumbents put in straw candidates to split the anti-corruption vote. Fishman had the effect of a straw, but he was on the level. He really believes this Libertarian stuff.
You want a scandal? he said. People approached me and offered me money to run TV ads on the bathroom bill these were Tea Party types who dont like Tisei. To me, it was a non-issue.
And now its over. Tisei would have been a good congressman. At least he would have been honest. Instead we get Pockets Tierney. Chalk up another win for the Libertarians.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1061173437
He said back before the special election that he would support a conscience clause; I guess he said it again this time, but I only saw it in a crawl on the a.m. news, certainly not in an ad.
Thanks for the heads up...that's a skip
Isn’t there a recount under way in West’s district? The Blaze yesterday:
>>?Rep. Allen West is leading by more than 300 votes in Palm Beach County, Fla., a hopeful sign for the Tea Party favorite fighting for his political life after Tuesdays election, a source told TheBlaze.
No winner has been declared in the congressional race between the Republican West and his Democratic opponent Patrick Murphy, though Murphy had a 2,456-vote lead in the unofficial vote total.
But a Republican observer who has been monitoring the counting process said West pulled ahead in Palm Beach County on Thursday as the initial count continues. Ballot printing errors led to ballots that could not be fed through scanners in some areas, so Florida election workers have been forced to reproduce their contents onto new ballots that can be read properly, the observer said. As the votes are counted for the first time, West has taken a slim lead.
may tune in at 3 just in case. You never know...what if she catches a cold and they put Avi or Kuhner or someone else in? Most likely it’s her though
“Mistah speakah! Face the issue! But they ran like rats!”
He also talked about TV shows like “Gerardo” and
“Nightlife”.
Herald:
Joseph Early Sr., a former U.S. Congressman from Massachusetts, has died. He was 79.
Early, a Democrat from Worcester who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1975 to 1993, died Friday at his home in Worcester.
His death was confirmed by Tim Connolly, a spokesman for Earlys son, Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr.
Before being elected to Congress, the elder Early was a state representative from 1963 to 1974.
Early lost his seat in the U.S. House in 1992 to Peter Blute, a Republican from Shrewsbury, after a House banking scandal. Early was cleared of any criminal wrongdoing.
Whitey Bulger trial pushed back 3 months to June
Don’t know if Michele is talking about this but...
Brockton shops hit on EBT fraud
By Matt Stout and Patrick Whittemore | Friday, November 9, 2012 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Local Coverage
Photo by Patrick Whittemore
Employees at the five Brockton shops authorities raided yesterday amid a months-long sting operation were allegedly using other peoples EBT cards to buy groceries they then re-sold at their own stores sometimes at double the price in what officials are calling a whole new breed of abuse that screams for better state gate-keeping.
I had not heard of it before this probe, said Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz, who oversaw the probe that yesterday led to the busts of eight people many of them store owners and employees in a long-running scheme to turn food stamps into cash.
And, Cruz said, at least one of the inner-city stores sold little to no food at all, raising whole new concerns about how the state approved it to accept EBT cards, whose intended use is to help families get nutritious food they otherwise cant afford.
Whos allowing them to do this? Cruz said of the shops. Thats the question I have. There certainly needs to be a better gate-keeping.
State and Brockton police yesterday executed search warrants at five shops on North Main and Montello streets. Among those arrested on larceny and fraud charges: Abu Osman, 33, the owner of B&D Mart; Dominic Saintus, 41, owner of Dip N Sip; and Djovany and Marie Pierre, a brother-sister duo at JP Communications, which police said sold only various drinks, cigarettes, cellphones and a small amount of snacks yet had an EBT terminal.
Police say another man, Jeff Cicerano, shepherded an undercover cop around Brockton to stores that would turn EBT credit into cash, leading Judge Ronald Moynahan to remark in Brockton District Court that he sounds like the ring leader. Others charged include Orlando Andrade, 47; Felix Rodriguez, 42; and Daniel Dieu, 50.
According to authorities, undercover troopers had gone to each of the stores since May, where theyd hand the EBT cards to store clerks. In some cases, authorities say, the clerks would punch in fake EBT transactions, giving half of the amount in cash to the customer while pocketing the rest.
In other cases, the clerk would take an undercover officers EBT card, use it to buy groceries at a discount store and give the officer half of what they charged to the card in cash, authorities said. The clerk would then stock the store with the cheaper products but at marked-up prices.
Theyre always coming up with new ways to scam the system, said Taunton state Rep. Shaunna OConnell, who has led the charge on EBT reform. EBT has just turned into a crime ring because its so easy to get in on it and its easy to traffick them.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/regional/view.bg?articleid=1061173459
Good to see my hometown still as corrupt as ever. It remains a nice place to have "come from", not bad living in the 60s and 70s. Now, not so much...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.