Posted on 06/14/2008 9:47:11 PM PDT by raccoonradio
Howie thread starting off with his Sunday Herald column, "Day to salute Archie Bunker, or something"
Day to salute Archie Bunker, or something
By Howie Carr | Sunday, June 15, 2008 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Columnists
It is the highest of the High Hack Holidays: Bunker Hill Day. And befitting its hallowed status, it is becoming Bunker Hill Week.
If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you most likely work for a living, which is quite different from having a “job,” that is, a hack job. For those of you whose last name is not Bulger or Menino, Bunker Hill Day is a “holiday,” but only in Suffolk County - Boston, Winthrop, Chelsea and Revere - and its bastard offspring, the city of Somerville.
The parade in Charlestown is today, and the actual day off from “work” is Tuesday, but only in state and municipal offices in Suffolk, and not even in all of those. For some reason, Secretary of State Bill Galvin insists on keeping his offices open. What a grinch.
In barrooms across the city this Father’s Day afternoon, guys named Sully and Cheech will be pounding them down, grousing about why they have to go to work at all at the DPW or the ISD this week.
“I mean, Murf, not for nuttin’, but da Celts are playing tonight at 9, which means all the payroll Charlies at the City Hall and the State House won’t be getting much sleep. And really, why bother to go to work tomorrow on Bunker Hill Day Eve? And then, if the Celts win, Mumbles will have to have a parade . . . maybe Wednesday or Thursday. Surely no one could be expected to show up for ‘work’ that day either.”
Meanwhile, the state’s political leadership will be MIA, out in San Diego for a bio-junket. It’s all about “growing” jobs, and suntans. Let’s hope Sal and Terry can relax after their arduous week rattling sabers about how the voters better not even think about abolishing the state income tax, because otherwise there won’t be any money left for essential services, like bio-junkets to San Diego.
The sole reason for Bunker Hill Day is to enable the hacks to enjoy another paid day off, to break up that arduous stretch between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.
For the record, the so-called holiday commemorates the 1775 battle in Charlestown between the Brits and the Colonials. Technically it was a Redcoat victory, but they lost more than 200 dead, after Col. William Prescott issued his famous orders, “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes.”
Friday afternoon, I called the five city and town halls to find out about the “holiday” on Tuesday. Revere and Chelsea City Halls were naturally closed; it was, after all, Friday. In Winthrop I got an answering machine in the town manager’s office. Finally, at Somerville City Hall, I found someone who hadn’t taken an early slide.
The operator even knew the name of the holiday, but then I threw her a curveball. I asked her what it was all about. “I’m not positive, sir. Let me give you our Customer Service Department.”
At Customer Service, I asked the same question and was told to hold on while they went to get someone really smart. A confident-sounding young man came on the line. “Back in the Revolutionary War,” he said, “when the British were leaving Boston, they called it Evacuation Day. That’s what this is.”
Really? I could have sworn Evacuation Day was St. Patrick’s Day.
“Oh no,” he said. “Bunker Hill Day is Evacuation Day.” It’s good to know that some things haven’t changed, like public education in the city of Somerville.
Finally, I called Boston City Hall. The guy answering knew he had the day off, but then I asked him the name of the sacred occasion.
“It’s, uh, hold on, lemme get the name.”
A minute or so later, he returned with the name. My follow-up question was, What did it commemorate?
“Hold on,” he said. “Lemme see if I can find someone to get you the low-down.”
A couple of minutes later, a female voice came on the line.
“It’s Bunker Hill Day and Flag Day,” she said.
Yes, but what exactly is it? Why is it a holiday? Why is it called Bunker Hill Day?
She sighed deeply. She didn’t get a hack job at City Hall so that she’d have to take crap from taxpayers.
“Sir,” she said. “If you go to Google, I’m sure you can find out all about it.”
Yeah, I probably can, if I use the search words: “useless hack holiday.”
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/opinion/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1100891
Aaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh yes, ANOTHER high hack holiday,,,,,offices closed on Tuesday??? Um, I’m guessing most hacks have taken a sick or vacation day for tomorrow, heaven forbid they break up a long weekend with a work day.
Monday show ping.
Tomorrow night the Celts give it another shot, this time at home, but I believe Howie’s show won’t be affected (on WRKO).
Last week the Red Sox games shifted up to an hour earlier
so there would be no overlap, but tomorrow night the
Sox are in Philadelphia and I believe the Phillies have
no intention of moving their start time.
Next week I’m on the road in Ohio & Pitt but will try to
keep the ping list going (in Ohio, my motel’s near a Kinko’s
so I can do it from there while in Pitt. the convention I’m
going to will have free comp. use). That’s next week.
Does Boston have a city motto? 'Cause this would be a great one! ;-)
Does this mean we'll have Howie until 6:30? Or will 'RKO lengthn its pre-game pablum?
yes Howie till 6:30 on WRKO both tonight and tomorrow
but WCRN AM 830 in Worcester, which you might be able to
pick up, carries him till 7. Wed is an afternoon game
(on WEEI) and they’re off Thu then Fri they’re
home with another 7 pm start/6:30 pregame.
Thus Howie goes off at 6:30 tonight, Tue night, and
Fri night but he’s on till 7 (WRKO) Wed and Thu
Sandy/Happy/Howie, This where pod-casting the show would be very helpful
Did PB just say “Hungaria”?
Don’t know, but: Deval wants a jet. Who’ll pay for it—
MA voters, got a mirror?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2031928/posts
Somewhere in that thread, there was a line about voting for Obama on the chance that Obama would appoint Coupe to something outside of MA, given Patrick's warming to such an opportunity.
And to think they dumped on Swifty for helicopter rides to her home, at the other end of the state, closer to what, the capitals of four neighboring states that she was to Boston?
Tue show ping
btw I heard a promo on WRKO and could swear I heard Dana Hersey say that tomorrow afternoon’s Red Sox-Phillies game
(1 pm? 1:35?) would be on WRKO. Odd, since weekday afternoon games or Wed. games are on WEEI.
This could be true though because maybe WEEI wants to talk
about tonight’s Celtics game, tomorrow (whether or not
Celts win). It would mean part of Howie’s show would
be pre-empted (first hour or so) and WCRN would not be an option since they too would have the Sox...
Caller to chumpline yesterday: “Tomorrow night I’ll put my computer on the site that has traffic cameras and if I
see cars burning, I’ll know the Celtics won...”
famous Sid: Sid Vicious (not his given name though)
144 in less than 12 minutes. 12/minute, that's one every 5 seconds.
No wonder he turned down the town hall meeting debates.
Howie column ping
Get those signatures and give yourself a pay raise
By Howie Carr | Wednesday, June 18, 2008 | http://www.bostonherald.com | Columnists
How’d you like to give yourself a 5.3 percent pay increase?
It’s not too late yet, but the deadline is today at 5 p.m. If you want to at least put a question on the November ballot on whether to abolish the state’s 5.3 percent income tax, you need to get the signatures to your city or town hall before the close of business.
Oh sure, there is an underfunded anti-tax group out there rounding up the 11,000 needed signatures, and they seem confident. But you never know - look at what happened to Jim Ogonowski, the would-be Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate against Liveshot Kerry. He fell 30 signatures short - that’s right, 30 - of making the ballot.
So if you haven’t signed the petition to abolish the income tax, all you have to do is go online to the Web site smallgovernmentact.org, download a petition (both sides) and sign it. Then get your spouse to sign it, and your neighbors. You have to get it down to the clerk’s office at City Hall, or Town Hall before 5 p.m.
If somebody you work with lives in a different town, print out a second petition, and get him to sign. He’ll have to drop his off at his town hall on his way home.
I know what you’re thinking. The Legislature will never go along with a $12 billion reduction in the money to hire their friends and relatives, not to mention hand out an extra billion or so in corporate welfare to assorted biotech bandidos.
Maybe. But at the very least, this will make it hot for them. If this abolish-the-income-tax question makes the ballot, the hacks and their pinky-ring unions are going to have to spend millions to make sure their gravy train isn’t derailed by working people. Let’s make ’em spend it all.
Remember Paul Guzzi, a charter member of the forgotten-but-not-gone brigade, a guy who last won an election in 1974. Guzzi now runs the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. Here is his take on the people’s attempt to remove government’s sticky fingers from their wallets:
“It is irresponsible, and it goes too far, and reasonable people understand that.”
So, if you make $50,000 a year, and the 5.3 percent income tax suddenly goes away, you’ll be getting an extra $2,650 a year. An additional $50 or so a week. How irresponsible of you to want to keep that 50 bucks in your pocket, when the “needs” are so great.
How will they come up with that $16,457.16 a month for Billy Bulger’s pension?
Who will pay the salary for Sen. Marzilli?
How will we be able to pay to give every hack in Suffolk County Bunker Hill Day off?
What if there’s not enough money left to pay the state cops to run speed traps? What will happen if state judges have to actually show up for work more than 35 weeks a year?
How will Newton be able to afford its new $200 million high school? And what about Wellesley’s new plan to keep up with the Joneses, with its new $160 million high school?
Who will pay for Deval’s Cadillac?
Hasn’t the governor tightened his belt enough? What about all the community advocates he hasn’t hired yet, to . . . advocate . . . for the community? Who will coordinate the outreach to the outreach coordinators, if he has to keep the increase in his office budget next year to under 80 percent?
Billy Bulger, he of the $16,457.16 gross monthly state pension, used to brag that he could slap a tax on a galloping horse. Well, the galloping horse that is the Massachusetts taxpayer is now hobbling toward the glue factory. There’s nothing left, the needle is on empty, and the native criminal class on Beacon Hill says it’s “irresponsible” to finally put an end to the highway robbery.
We can bring their free ride to a long overdue halt. Turn in the petitions today, even if they’ve only got a couple of signatures on them, just to make sure. Ruin the hacks’ summers. Make it hot for them.
Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/news/opinion/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1101526
Wed show ping.
NOTE: Due no doubt to the fact that the Celtics won the
NBA title last night and they want to be able talk about
it on WEEI, today’s 1 pm Red Sox game between the Sox
and Philly is on _WRKO_. That’s right, which means that
Howie’s first hour or so won’t be on his flagship station.
Usually weekday and/or Wed. games are on WEEI but this is
a rare occasion (Celts last won it 22 years ago...)
and Entercom wants to make money, so it’ll run the Sox
on ‘RKO and Celts talk on WEEI. Yep, it’s all about money.
Hopefully WRKO will be back with Howie about 4 pm or so.
Note that the Sox will also be on WXTK on the Cape
and WCRN in Worcester. You might be able to get him
on WHYN 560 Holyoke or WGAN 560 Portland.
Or online.
WVMT 620 in Burl VT has been running all 4 hours of
Howie lately, since Laura I. is in a contract squabble.
Cue Joe Castiglione: Can YOU believe it!
And they pre-empted Rush, too! Tell me again why they fought Howie's attempt to leave . . . I love Howie, but he doesn't seem much of a sports commentator (of course, I'm not a sports fan, so who care?).
Howie has made his displeasure at the situation clear
including the past couple days.
After today any Red Sox weekday afternon games (and
there are not many) or Wed night games prob will be
on WEEI, but we will still have the “last half hour
pre-emption” on WRKO for many 7 pm starts.
(Sox off tonight AND tomorrow though)
As for Rush depending on where you are you can pick him up on
WTAG 580 Worc., WGIR 610 Manchester NH (and its sister
stations at 930 in Rochester & 1540 on the seacoast),
WHJJ 920 in Prov. RI, etc.
It’s now the bottom of the 5th in the Red Sox game (prob
will be over by 4 pm; 7-2 Sox right now)
To hear Howie online during that first hour:
http://www.wrko.com
http://www.wntk.com
(BUT WNTK may be carrying Sox, too!)
Interestingly enough, the first hour’s topic:
>>WEDNESDAY JUNE 18
1st Hour
Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis says up to 30 people have been arrested during the Celtics championship celebration. Is this better or worse than you expected?
Like Howie could be heard (on a reg. radio, not online)
in Boston during this hour?
(WRKO ought to run Howie’s first hour tape delayed at 7 pm
tonight!)
Contact them!
Main Switchboard # 617 779 3400
contact
http://www.wrko.com/pages/336294.php
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