Mansfield GOP

2011-02-26T10:57:00.001-05:00

Sun Chronicle article on Mansfield budget

While I might have led the story with a different angle, what's your take?

http://www.thesunchronicle.com/articles/2011/02/26/mansfield/8896002.txt

2011-02-25T14:00:00.003-05:00

Next MRTC meeting is Thursday March 3rd, 7:30 p.m. at the Asia Grill. Hope you can join us!

2009-05-03T16:25:00.002-04:00

Jack Kemp - R.I.P.

I am sad to note the passing of former Congressman Jack Kemp over the week-end. There is no doubt that he stood for what is best about this country and about the GOP. He recognized that there were problems in this country, but with some hard work and serious thought, we could reduce or eliminate those problems. He looked at a failing educational system and proposed vouchers to help parents remove their kids from bad schools. He saw crumbling public housing projects and worked on plans to turn these projects over to the residents that truly wanted a home, not the drug infested rat-holes they were forced to live in. He saw undeveloped areas with high unemployment and proposed empowerment zones to bring in private investment. He looked for ways to leverage the size and power of the government in order to help the private sector make this an even better country. Jack understood that it is the private sector that creates wealth and allows people the opportunity to reach for a higher station in live. In essence, he was what America (and the American Dream) is all about.

I laughed when I saw some commentary about Jack being for outreach to different "non-Republican" groups. I know the commentary was meant in a negative way (as if to say that the GOP must change to attracts different people, etc). Jack truly believed in reaching out to different non-traditional GOP voters and let them know that we believe in what they believe in- stronger families and communities, better opportunity for everyone that seeks it and more personal freedom. If telling people in the poorer neighborhoods that we believe in you and that you can better yourself is outreach, well then I guess I'm for outreach too.

Jack, may God bless you and your family.

2008-10-27T22:54:00.002-04:00

State Rep Debate?

I don't want to be accused of being one of those vicious right-wing bloggers, but I couldn't help but chuckle watching the debate between Jay Barrows and his opponent (the name has been withheld until the next of kin can be notified). I would like to commend Jay for being civil to his opponent and not bursting out laughing during the debate. Here is a man of substance and accomplishment - a true example of what a state rep should be. He knows how to get things done and has done a remarkable amount in such a short time in office. While some would prefer that we run our buses on french fry oil and slap windmills on the top of our schools, Jay has been busy doing the job of a great state rep!

Tough times call for someone who knows how to make decisions and anybody that sees that debate knows that there is only one serious candidate in the race. Even that gasbag Bill Gouviea was biting his lip trying not to chuckle! Jay, I think you struck the right tone (even if you had to break the news to your opponent that the sewage treatment facility is on the Mansfield/Norton line, not Foxboro). Keep up the good work and keep fighting the good fight!

2008-08-07T22:23:00.002-04:00

Good Bye Manny Ortez

Now that the dust is settling on the trade, I wanted to say that I will miss Manny Ortez. Sure, he had his "Manny Being Manny" moments, but at least you could say that there were never rumors or proof that he was cheating like Sammy Soser or Mike Maguire.........

With that said, I still like the trade. Go Sox!

2008-03-11T19:15:00.003-04:00

MRTC meeting Thursday night

Our next Mansfield Republican Town Committee meeting will be held Thursday evening, March 13, 2008, at 7:00 p.m. at Barrows Insurance, 215 North Main Street, Mansfield. We'll be welcoming new members, voting on officers and telling you about a number of great events we have in the works. Hope to see you there!

2008-02-24T23:40:00.001-05:00

Ghana?

A recent Los Angeles Times editorial (re-printed in the Sun Chronicle Saturday) began as follows: "In Ghana, construction will soon begin on a six-lane highway, funded by the United States, that will bear a distinctive moniker: The George Bush Motorway. For a president with few foreign policy achievements to boast about, this will be one of the more positive legacies of his tenure."

I wonder how this is playing in Minnesota. You know, the AMERICAN state where a portion of interstate spontaneously collapsed not too long ago.

2008-02-20T01:18:00.004-05:00

Siding with Jesse

I'm starting to worry. I learned the other day that I share the same sentiments as Jesse Jackson on a particular issue.

This past Sunday's Globe ran a story detailing the history of how the Democrat party has picked it's Presidential nominee since 1968. According to the article, in 1968 Hubert Humphrey won the nomination without winning any primaries, literally leading to rioting in the streets outside the convention. Over the next several elections, committees were formed, racial, gender and age quotas were put in place and winner-take-all primaries were virtually outlawed. Meanwhile, rather than having party insiders - many of whom are elected officials - compete against their constituents to be the actual delegates to the convention, the number of free passes ("superdelegates") has steadily increased, to the point where about 20% of the delegates today are these "superdelegates."

So now we have Obama and Clinton neck-and-neck. There have been stories about campaign donations flowing from the Obama and Clinton camps to the campaign coffers of these superdelegates. There are even rumors of efforts to sway delegates already "pledged" by way of election results. (Seems according to Democrat party rules, delegates aren't technically required to actually vote for who they're pledged to.)

So how is it that I find myself agreeing with Jesse Jackson? The Globe story ends with the following sentiment of his: "The same people who complain about Electoral College strong-arming can't very well have a de facto Electoral College." Exactly.

2008-01-19T10:21:00.000-05:00

"Hillary Uncensored" tonight at the Orpheum

Just a reminder that we're showing the film "Hillary Uncensored" at the Orpheum Theater in Foxboro at 7:00 p.m. tonight. After the film, you'll have the chance to ask the producer questions via teleconference. For more about the film, check out: www.hillcap.org. For directions to the Orpheum, go to www.baycolonyproductions.com.

2008-01-11T14:20:00.000-05:00

It's BACK!!!

Why do I wait until something really ticks me off before I post something? I forget how to log-in half the time and am in an even worse mood when I finally get to where I can post a message. I saw on the news the other day that our esteemed Gov has decided its up to him to have the state pay tuition for all the children of illegal immigrants. What doesn't this guy get about the word illegal? It is hard to believe that the Dems in the Legislature have to be the adults (well, sometimes) while Deval gets to play the spoiled child that doesn't know better. Thank goodness we had a GOP Gov for 16 years to keep the worst ideas of the Democratic Party in check. Now we're relying on Sal DiMasi to block Gov. Moonbat from launching mindless scheme after mindless scheme? God save the Commonwealth!!

I'll debate anyone at anytime about the stupidity of offering another incentive (paid by hard working taxpayers) to people who aren't here legally and are not paying into our system.

Bring it on Governor, bring it on!

2007-12-12T10:35:00.000-05:00

LibSpeak

Ever wonder how phrases get invented? It probably starts by someone claiming it's a truism, and/or that it's been around for a long time. Case in point: a letter to the editor in today's Sun Chronicle arguing for a law banning spanking. Forget for the moment where you stand on that issue, just listen to the following quote: "Keep in mind the tried and true ancient maxim: Use the rod, abuse the child." Now seriously, have you EVER heard that before? Not that Google is the final arbiter of speech today, but I tried Googling that "ancient maxim" and it turned up NO hits. (Of course now that I've posted this, there probably will be one hit - to this blog!)

Yes, there is a similar phrase, and that one really is an "ancient maxim." It is "spare the rod, spoil the child." It's from the Bible. And it means the complete opposite of the letter writer's version. Newspeak indeed.

2007-11-12T13:18:00.000-05:00

Where have all the Hollywood heroes gone?

I know I'm going to sound like everybody's father when I say this. What ever happened to tv shows and movies where there really was a good guy? These days the Hollywood landscape is dotted with heroes with problems. Where are the tv shows that don't feel the need to show the protagonist's failures, or at least show him not succumbing to them? Why does the hero always take the drink? Why does the sexual tension always result in the affair? These days we even have mobsters and serial killers as protagonists. Interesting tv, true - otherwise nobody would be watching and the shows would fail.

Could a show survive if it didn't try to make us identify with the hero because he's got a problem? Would we applaud the hero's victory over his personal demons or would that just distance him from us and make the show less believable?

I'm not talking about shows that are overtly preachy. Shows that center on a minister's family or that feel a bit too folksy aren't going to grab the attention of a wide enough audience to make a difference. It's got to be good tv to begin with. But must it delve into the hero's faults? If it has to, and it shows him being triumphant over them, are we too far gone to buy into that? I hope not.

2007-08-13T22:37:00.000-04:00

The Duel on the Diamond is ON!!!

Come cheer us on as we take to the softball field against our Democrat counterparts this Saturday, August 18th (rain date August 25th), 1:00 p.m. at the Qualters softball field in Mansfield. All proceeds from Republican ticket sales will benefit Special Olympics of Mansfield, which is inaugurating a soccer season in town this fall. State Rep. Jay Barrows, R-Mansfield, will be taking the field with us, while Sen. Jim Timilty, D-Walpole, has promised to play for the Democrats.

2007-08-03T15:19:00.000-04:00

It's back, and I like it

Carla Howell and the Libertarian folks are set to try it again - the petition to end the income tax. The petition, which won 45.3% of the vote when it was last advanced in 2002, is coming back to a ballot near you in 2008. I know not all my R colleagues support it, but personally I'm looking forward to it. Learn more about it here.

2007-06-27T15:28:00.000-04:00

An Open Letter to Richard Ross

I write today not as Vice-Chair of the Mansfield RTC, but as a disappointed voter who happens to hold a position in your party.

In your letter of explanation about your vote on the marriage amendment, you talked about not wanting to put "the people of the commonwealth through the heartache of a hateful campaign of polarizing debate for 18 months. In any debate there will be people who take extreme positions or use mean-spirited arguments. Sadly, that's the reality of politics today.

What you seem to overlook, however, is that there is a legitimate question at the heart of the issue. Like it or not, society still decides what it will call an official "marriage," even post-Goodridge. Why can two men or two women now be recognized as a "marriage" when three men, four women, two cousins - or any other other combination - can not? Is that not a violation of those groups' civil rights, creating "second-class citizens" (to use the language of the Goodridge court)? How is that compatible with not judging people, as you describe in your story about your father? And who gets to decide? Based on your vote last week, it would seem you believe that role does not lie with the citizens of the Commonwealth.

You also talked about how, for the past two and a half years, your staff has been overwhelmed by the marriage issue. That's understandable. Homosexual marriage is a very important issue to many voters. If you do not have the courage to let debate happen, even if it may be ugly at times; if you can't handle the massive input from both sides of an issue, perhaps you are not cut out to be in the legislature.

2007-04-13T13:54:00.000-04:00

American Candidate

Submitted for your amusement...and perhaps serious consideration.

By now we've all heard the lament that more people pay attention to "American Idol" than vote. Then there's the perception that elected officials aren't "like us." What if you could combine both those thoughts and get voters more interested and involved? How about "American Candidate?"

Get 10 or 15 average, down-to-earth folks who might not otherwise have name recognition or the financial wherewithal to make a viable bid for office, but who would be interested and willing to run. You probably wouldn't want to run incumbents here, because you'd really be looking for "Average Joe (or Jane)." You'd want people who could easily be your next-door-neighbor.

Take 8 or 10 weeks. Every week there's a new "task." Each task could be focused on a particular issue, and/or you could have tasks like coming up with a budget that require cooperation among the contestants. Film a half- or one-hour show each weekend of the contestants participating in the task. Put it on YouTube. Have people vote for the contestant of their choice - lowest vote getter is gone.

Yes, there would be a lot to be worked out on how the voting happens. Pure internet voting - early and often? Pay-as-you-vote, like a text message fee or a toll call? That would make it more difficult on out-of-district moonbats attempting to skew the numbers. Attempts to limit voting to Rs or Rs and Us would necessitate some offline voting method / verification and would probably be time- and effort-prohibitive. Would it - should it be partisan? If it's not, is the winner more credible?

What office would you do this for? A lower office means more ability to verify votes (assuming you wanted to do that), but less buzz and probably less participation from viewers/voters. Higher office means more interest, but more difficulty in verifying votes and less credibility if you don't.

What does the winner get? Name recognition - this would probably generate quite a bit of media buzz. Money? I'm sure the campaign finance laws would have to be consulted. How would you fund a money prize? Perhaps with the buck-a-vote you charge?

Awaiting your slings and arrows...

2007-04-05T21:59:00.000-04:00

Air Islam Now Serving Logan Airport

The latest Transportation Bill making its way through Congress has an amendment attached by a Republican Congressman limiting the liability of fellow passengers from reporting suspicious activity of other passengers. We all know the story by now of the Islamic rabble rousers asking for seatbelt extenders and praising Osama & Saddam on a US Air flight in Minnesota. They are now trying to sue fellow passengers that reported their suspicious activity on that flight in question. This would have a chilling effect on anyone even thinking about ratting out the next Shoe Bomber before he reaches the point of no return. From what I heard, the amendment was approved with about 120 votes against. Our tally? 9-1 AGAINST!! (I guess I need to say something nice about Steve Lynch here?) We can be so proud of our delegation sticking up for the rights of Islamic terrorists to continue to threaten and kill innocent Americans.

Do you think they'll be boasting about this vote at the next Democrat Pancake Breakfast? Senator Timilty, is this why Barney Frank is your political hero? Once again, I am ashamed to say that I live in Massachusetts.......

2007-04-03T16:46:00.000-04:00

Exporting Massachusetts

The Globe reports that new Senate President Therese Murray, (D-Plymouth) supports repealing the Massachusetts law that prohibits the issuance of marriage licenses to out-of-state homosexual couples if their home states would not recognize the marriage. Why? If the home state doesn't recognize it, what purpose does it serve, other than to generate test cases to be exported across the country? Surely the catering and wedding planning industry can't be that powerful - that the Senate President advocates for the repeal of a law solely to boost it's bottom line.

2007-03-30T14:26:00.000-04:00

11th Norfolk race

RedMass Group reports that the debate in the race for the vacant 11th Norfolk District State Rep. seat (Dedham, Westwood and part of Walpole) can be viewed online. Sounds like some of the candidates are beginning to respond online as well. This may well be an example of a future where we see a lot more campaigning online.

2007-02-26T14:56:00.000-05:00

Gee, it must mean something when Pravda, (i.e. the Boston Globe ), editorial writers talk about reviewing the whole state corporate tax process, and not just "raising taxes on businesses".

Govenor Patrick should look at all avenues to generate revenue. Picking on businesses to raise taxes might be a populist type of notion here in liberal land, but it is sure to drive more businesses out of state. That will lead to less jobs, more unemployement, etc.

For those of you who are to young to remember, this is exactly what happened to Michael Dukakis and the "Massachusetts Miracle" back in 1990. I personally had to move to the midwest to escape the rampant unemployment that ensued in Massachusetts after the endless overtaxation and regulation of businesses.

I would like to stay in this state. Lets allow cities and towns more discretion at raising their own revenue. Lets limit the states reach on this. Lets not drive businesses and jobs to other states, with excessive taxes and excessive regulations.

Think about it, why are we one of the only states in the US. that is not generating a bunch of new jobs. If you owned a company, would you want to face the tax and regulations of Massachusetts.

People in the suburbs are leaving this state. One might blame the weather in the northeast for that, but... other Northern states are growing.

How do we stop that Governor Patrick.

We humbly await your response Governor.

2007-02-25T12:45:00.000-05:00

Blogging about blogging

Undoubtedly by now most people have heard of the incident involving Sen. Scott Brown, R - Wrentham at King Philip High School. For those who haven't, in a nutshell, prior to an appearance to address students at King Philip, Brown was made aware of derogatory comments about himself and his family by a few King Philip students and posted at facebook.com. Brown read some of the profanity-laced comments before the assembled students and publicly identified the authors. Sen. Brown has since issued a statement in response to the incident, which can be read here.

The issue has been kicked around quite a bit in the papers, in letters to editors, blogs and elsewhere, so I'm not really posting this as an attempt to rehash it all. I am posting it because it's about blogging. As Sen. Brown said, if you write it, you own it; and I think he's right. What you post can probably be found in the future. So post your thoughts and comments, but you really should think of it as if you're face to face with someone - because someday you may be, and your comments might be brought up.

2007-02-06T15:10:00.000-05:00

I was talking with a friend of mine who asked me a good question. This will seem somewhat rhetorical but... How many times do we have to pay for the Mass. Pike? Since the debt for the highway was payed off in 1983, (according to Pravda, er... the Boston Globe), why do we keep paying for the road over and over?

Of course we need the revenue the highway department tells us. (I mean the revenue, less the toll takers making beaucoup bucks).

Or is it that the Boston area needs to keep cranking up revenue from the western drivers in the state. Hardly seems fair, except of course to Boston and Beacon Hill.

Shouldn't the revenue for the state highway system be gained equally from all residents in the state of Massachusetts?

Any thoughts? Is my question to "negative" for Deval and friends?

2007-02-01T11:22:00.000-05:00

Checked out?

A good friend of mine, who readily describes himself as "not political," came to me for advice the other day. A woman he’s interested in invited him to a State of the Union watching party she was hosting, and he didn’t want to put his foot in his mouth while there. I did my best – and wondered if my friend was the "checked out" person Gov. Patrick talked about "checking back in." Probably so.

So my friend is a bright, college-educated professional, but he doesn’t follow politics. How do you reach people like him? At least at this time of year, he’s probably in the vast majority, though I realize that may come as a shock to a reader (or writer) of a political blog in February. How do you bring up political – no, civics – issues three months after an election and have them resonate through until the next election cycle?

Here’s the more brutal question: are people like my friend actually going to vote in the next election cycle? As Jay Severin likes to remind people all the time, any really useful political poll weeds out people that don’t vote. So the typical politician response is that you don’t expend much effort trying to reach people like my friend, because chances are your efforts won’t translate to votes. That’s probably not indefensible in the cash- and time-strapped context of a political campaign, but now seems like a good time.

The final question is what do you reach your apolitical friends with? There’s no shortage of advice out there for the MA Republican party. Some say just give up, you’re dead and nobody agrees with your point of view. Others say focus on fiscal issues, not social issues, market to the old Yankee Republicans that elected Bill Weld. Still others urge Republicans not to abandon the social issues or you risk losing a voting block. Then there’s the likes of the Boston Globe, which surely has the best interests of Republicans at heart (???), urging Republicans to do what they can to work with the Democrats.

As for me, I’ll just continue to be who I am and take advantage of opportunities that present themselves to talk to my apolitical friends about things that get me bent out of shape. If I’m any good at convincing, I’ll make sure I call all my friends next November.

2007-01-31T11:35:00.000-05:00

IT'S BAAAAACK!

The move to grant in-state tuition to illegal immigrants is back. MIRA press release here.

2007-01-29T12:28:00.000-05:00

Government - to protect the people from the people?

Sounds Orwellian, no? So imagine my surprise to open the Sun Chronicle this morning and read that my Senator, James Timilty (D), is pushing legislation to ban metal basketball nets. Why? According to the article, a fifth-grade girl from Walpole hurt her hand - badly - in a metal net. I feel bad for her and her family; I truly do. But what should the response be? More legislation to protect us from ourselves?

There are lots of things we do in our daily lives that could be made safer in one way or another. But that doesn't mean that the legislature should micromanage our lives for us. Remember the ban on Fluff? If enough people feel Walpole should replace the metal nets with nylon nets, they'll speak up and it will get done. In fact, the story continues to say that Walpole removed the metal nets after the incident. That's the way this kind of change should happen; not with legislation.

So how does a state senator look into the eyes of a 5th-grade constituent and say no? It would have taken courage, yes, but it would also have been a great teaching opportunity.

2007-01-29T12:24:00.000-05:00

Which came first - the TV moment or reality?

...and does TV drive reality?

Remember waaay back when a girl-girl kiss on TV caused an uproar? Then there was the debut of shows like "Will and Grace" Now there are plenty of homosexual characters on TV. Would we be where we are now in Massachusetts if the table hadn't been set by television?

Those of you who watch "South Park" probably remember the "Night of a Thousand Sh**s" episode, where the people of South Park tune in just to hear TV characters say that word. After hearing it on TV, it becomes "acceptable" in South Park to use the word all the time, in virtually any setting.

Real or make-believe, we probably do have an easier time accepting things we see on TV all the time. So here's what worries me. No less than two TV shows this season have shown us mushroom clouds. It's the whole premise of "Jericho," where the people of a small town in Kansas deal with the obliteration of several major US cities - including Denver, whose mushroom cloud they see on the horizon. Then there's the detonation of a suitcase nuke on "24." Are we at risk of becoming desensitized to this? No, don't call out the legislators to ban what we can see on TV; that's not the point. But would our reaction be somewhat dulled if we've "seen" it happen before - on TV?

2007-01-02T13:28:00.000-05:00

Christmas vs. New Year's

Why is it ok to say "Happy New Year" but not "Merry Christmas?" Well, of course, because not everyone celebrates Christmas, and we have to be sensitive to those who don't right? We wouldn't want to impose our Judeo-Christian beliefs on anyone else.

Our Jewish friends, however, celebrate Hanukkah. But according to this site, January 1, 2007 is the 11th day of Tevet, in the year 5767. So saying "Happy New Year" on January 1st isn't really accurate to someone observing the Hebrew calendar.

I would imagine that most Muslims don't celebrate Christmas, either. They, too, have their own calendar. According to this site, January 1, 2007 is "Monday 11 Thw al-Hijjah 1427 A.H." in the Islamic, or "Hijri," calendar. Again, January 1st isn't the new year on that calendar.

A little research turned up the claim that the People's Republic of China officially adopted the "solar calendar," but that traditional holidays are still celebrated on the Chinese lunar calendar. I'm not going to pretend to understand all the intricacies, but what I did find over at Wikipedia is that the Chinese New Year is coming up - on February 18, 2007.

Ok, so what about all the atheists, agnostics, pagans, wiccans etc. out there - or anyone else that doesn't identify with Christendom and doesn't want to have it imposed upon them? Let's not forget that "our" calendar was adopted by a Pope. It's based on the life of Jesus Christ. How is this any less "offensive" than wishing someone a happy commemoration of His birth?

I've got a great idea. How about we let everybody choose their own calendar? The calendar is whatever YOU want it to be! I like it. I should come up with my own calendar - one where April 15th doesn't roll around again for another 150 years!

2006-12-08T10:15:00.000-05:00

Air America fails in...Boston?

According to a Herald article yesterday, the Boston Air America affiliate is dropping "progressive" talk radio entirely. The folks over at Blue Mass Group are understandably upset. So let's see: Deval wins solidly, Republicans lose seats in the state legislature, qualifying them for placement on the endangered species list and...liberal talk goes off the air?!?! Very interesting disconnect.

2006-11-15T11:13:00.000-05:00

An open letter to our local candidates

Thank you. Running for office is not easy. It takes a substantial toll on one’s family life and finances, yet you accepted that burden and pressed on. If we hope to turn things around we’re going to need people to follow your example and – win or lose – I hope it’s not the last we’ve seen of you.

Thank you to those who threw their hats into this ring for the first time – Jay Barrows, Mike Atwill, Lydia Wiener. You are examples of what we need for the future: people sufficiently concerned about the state of the Commonwealth that they take action.

Last but definitely not least, thank you to our currently-serving Rs – Ginny Coppola and Betty Poirier. Best of luck in all your future endeavors, Ginny, and Mansfield looks forward to having Betty’s continued efforts on Beacon Hill.

2006-11-08T11:05:00.000-05:00

Mattapan, Roxbury & Hyde Park run out of ballots

I can see it now: this post will undoubtedly be seen as sour grapes on the part of the losing party. But hear me out - one of the major lefty blogs here in MA had a post & link to a Globe story about polling places in Boston running out of ballots. Huh?!?!

How does this happen when you have a known number of voters on the list? Either 1) not enough were printed, 2) there were way too many spoiled ballots or 3) some ballots were used...inappropriately. As to #1, I'm guessing the state has a formula for how many ballots they print - presumably a percent above the number of voters on the list, so as to account for things like #2. So where does that leave us?!?!

2006-11-07T00:52:00.000-05:00

It's GOTV time!

It's here - election day! Time to get out the vote and support our candidates:
U.S. Senator - Ken Chase
U.S. House - Chuck Morse [write-in]
Governor - Kerry Healey
Lt. Governor - Reed Hillman
Attorney General - Larry Frisoli
State Senate, Norfolk and Bristol - Michael Atwill
State Rep, 1st Bristol (Precincts 1, 3 and 6) - Frederick "Jay" Barrows
State Rep, 14th Bristol (Precincts 2 and 5) - Elizabeth "Betty" Poirier
State Rep, 8th Norfolk (Precinct 4) - Lydia Wiener
Governor's Council - Michael McCue

2006-11-02T23:09:00.000-05:00

Non-profits and political bedfellows

Let me preface this by saying that my wife and I are probably greener than a lot of our fellow Republicans. So when someone from Clean Water Action came by the house a while back, we talked to them and we probably even gave them some money, too. I mean hey, who's against clean water?

Fast forward to today, when my wife gets a postcard from Clean Water Action urging her to vote for Claire Naughton for State Representative in the 1st Bristol District. It's the second one she's received in this election cycle. Did I mention that my wife and I are also probably redder than a lot of our fellow Republicans - at least from this part of the country? We may support the idea of clean water, but on a host of issues we disagree with Claire - we'll be voting for Jay Barrows.

All this has got me thinking, though. A lot of organizations I support also support candidates that I can see myself voting for - the NRA, Citizens for Limited Taxation to name two. Then there are grayer areas. Immigration, for instance, isn't always clear-cut along party lines. And this isn't solely a problem for the right. Take a hypothetical Massachusetts Democrat who is also a devoted Catholic and believes homosexual "marriage" is wrong. Does she support a group that opposes homosexual marriage, knowing that they'll probably support Republican candidates?

What percent of issue-oriented non-profits like Clean Water Action advocate not only for their stated issue, but also for candidates they believe will vote their way on that issue? Do they all funnel part of your contributions into their political wings? What do you do when an issue group you like doesn't support the candidates you like - do you withhold support from the group? Then how do you express your support for the issue?

One more thing to think about before writing that next check.

2006-11-01T23:39:00.000-05:00

What is a negative ad?

Sounds like a dumb question, but let's think about that for a moment.

Does an ad become "negative" simply if it tells you why you should not vote for the opponent? If so, why is that so bad? If you listen to the media, negative ads are to be frowned upon (especially if they come from Republican candidates, but that's another blog entry entirely). Is the goal to simply spend all your time talking about yourself and your qualifications? But even if you do that, you're still saying "I've done A, B and C," with the implication being that your opponent hasn't done A, B or C, so you shouldn't vote for the opponent. If you were shopping for a new car, would you only want to know the good features of the models you're comparing - or would you like to know the flaws of each model, too?

Can you talk about the opponent at all without it being classified as "negative?" What if the things you're saying came right from the opponent's mouth? "My opponent said X, so vote for me, because I stand for Y." Lots of campaigns use comparison pieces that highlight where both sides stand on several issues. Are these by definition "negative?"

How about highlighting who endorses your opponent, or where s/he gets campaign contributions? Now you're starting to get into an eye-of-the-beholder situation. Saying that the XYZ Union endorses your opponent only gets you traction with voters who think that's bad. Your opponent cries foul, calls your piece "negative" and probably garners some support from those who think it's a great thing to have the support of the XYZ Union.

I don't want this to sound like a denial of the existence of negative ads, but I think it's safe to say that the definition of "negative" is far less objective than the media would have you believe.

2006-11-01T19:24:00.000-05:00

Cutting John Kerry some slack....I don't want to get booted from our blog but I'm actually going to defend Liveshot Kerry for a moment. I have heard the clip of his latest gaffe and I didn't initially think he was taking a pot shot at our troops. There's no doubt in my mind that he was thinking that he would insult President Bush. The problem is that, just like all liberals, John Kerry has NO SENSE OF HUMOUR. In order for something to be funny, the joke has to have some truth to it and that's why all of the Bush bashing just doesn't get any laughs. As an example, the President has his undergrad degree from Yale and an MBA from Harvard - he's not dumb. Yahoos may disagree with him, but he's not a dumb man. Now Ted Kennedy on the other hand.......

That said, Kerry is getting what he and every other humourless liberal deserve. I can't wish people Merry Christmas without that a##%hole Gouviea ripping us in the Fishwrapper so John Kerry deserves to be vilified in the press. Let us all hope that the GOTV machinery is working throughout our fine country next Tuesday (or it won't be so fine!)

2006-10-30T12:35:00.000-05:00

Sun Chronicle endorses Barrows

Our own Jay Barrows has earned the endorsement of the Attleboro Sun Chronicle! Jay is running for State Representative for the First Bristol District, which includes precincts 1, 3 and 6 in Mansfield, precincts 3, 4 and 5 in Norton and all of Foxboro.

2006-10-27T22:14:00.000-04:00

Here I go again...trying to enter the 21st Century and "blog away". I was almost amused by this week's Mansfield Fishwrapper and the "endorsements" that came in on the Barrows/Naughton battle. I'll direct my comments (and ask for yours) on two of them. First, I know that Mr. Clemmey has a grudge against McCue, McCarter, Amoruso etc. so I guess it extends to Jay Barrows. To insuate that Jay can't be trusted because he's a successful business man is the height of lunacy. If you follow Karl's logic I guess you have to be a retiree or an unemployable pinhead in order to serve up on Beacon Hill (come to think of it, that does describe a lot of them up there doesn't it?) Obviously, Jay hasn't kissed the ring of Mr. Clemmey and so out come the long knives. In this case, I am confident that Jay will garner more votes when people find out that Karl Clemmey doesn't like him. Enough said there...

Also, former Selectman Royle states that Jay is out to help out the big bad businesses that help the community so much. Shocking!!! Something gets done in a positive fashion and it isn't accomplished by robbing the taxpayers blind? That's not right!!! Jay can't be trusted because he's gotten so much done for the surrounding communities and he's done it without picking us up by the ankles and shaking us until the wallets fall out. He's done far more for this community than either Kafka or Timilty and Jay doesn't even have a vote on Beacon Hill yet!

That's why these people have to be stopped and great candidates like Barrows, Atwill and Wiener have to be elected!!!

2006-10-20T02:01:00.000-04:00

Movie night

Thanks to 96.9 FM I was among the listeners who got to see "Border War: the Battle Over Illegal Immigration" at a special screening at the Kendall Square Theater Wednesday night, complete with a talk by the film maker, David Bossie. I thought it was quite even-handed, with one of the stars being the first dual national (Mexican - American), now an activist helping illegals come across. Particularly telling was his identification of Vicente Fox as his president. The film also follows the stories of a Border Patrol agent, a widow of a sheriff's deputy killed by an illegal, Congressman J.D. Hayworth and a Latina activist fighting to stem the tide of illegal immigration. The film is available now on DVD - perhaps fodder for a Conservative movie night at the MRTC.

2006-10-18T12:29:00.000-04:00

What rights do you have?

The issues of treatment of terror suspects and illegal immigration have got me wondering what rights people have. I'm not talking about U.S. citizens on U.S. soil - the Founding Fathers made that pretty clear. I'm also not looking for a discussion on what rights should one have; there are plenty of places to do that already.

For instance, does the Fourth Amendment apply when an American soldier is searching a home in Baghdad? (Again, forget whether it should - I'm sure everyone has an opinion on that - I certainly do.) Does the analysis change if it's an MP searching a soldier's trunk for contraband at a base in Afghanistan?

Let's bring this a little bit closer to home. Let's say a sheriff's deputy in Arizona watches a car with Mexican plates sneak across the border. He suspects drug smugglers and stops the car. What does he need in order to search the vehicle? How about an F.B.I. investigation into a suspected terror cell: the Bureau wants to tap the phone of an Iranian student who overstayed his visa. What do they need in order to accomplish that?

Do the protections guaranteed by our Constitution extend outside the borders of the U.S.? Within our borders, do they extend to people who are not legally here?

2006-10-17T15:15:00.000-04:00

Deval's new radio ad - bad marketing?

I heard a new Deval radio ad this morning put out by some teachers' union. In between poli-speak were soundbites of school-related things that we are left to assume would disappear if Kerry Healey wins. The FIRST of these, within the first few seconds of the ad, was a child saying "uno, dos, tres..." Now I'm not a political ad expert, but I would guess that you wouldn't necessarily want to lead with an issue that could alienate undecideds. It reminds people of Deval's support for driver's licenses and in-state tuition for illegals. But, since I don't want to see Deval elected...alienate away!

2006-10-09T21:51:00.000-04:00

Hey, I told you I was new at this! Sorry about the empty entry. I did want to comment on the letter to the editor in this week's Mansfield Fishwrapper. A member of the Mansfield DTC wrote in to say that everyone should vote for Timilty & Naughton so the Mansfield schools would get more $$. Are you kidding me? Does anyone honestly think that Jay Barrows and Mike Atwill won't fight harder for Mansfield's share of local aid? Our friends across the aisle always want to play fast & free with the numbers & "facts" and here's another example of it. It was the GOP that got the Lottery Funds uncapped to free up more $$ for the schools and local aid. Romney did what he had to do to close a $3 Billion deficit and tried to keep the spending from growing out of control again. The state sits on a multi-year billion dollar surplus and they say we can't have OUR MONEY BACK! When will we get it back? When every school system spends $20k on each kid every year?

I'll save my harsh comments for later.......

2006-10-09T21:50:00.000-04:00

Mansfield GOP

2006-10-09T12:35:00.000-04:00

T-minus 2:30...

...and counting down to the return of Jay Severin to p.m. drive on 96.9 FM talk! Starting today he's back to his M-F, 3-7 slot.

2006-10-08T21:22:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Olivier for setting up the blog. Its my first time posting to a blog so I hope that I don't mess this up. My better half says keep it clean and no joking (except for my log-in name). That pretty much everything I can comment about!

2006-10-07T12:29:00.000-04:00

I’m a little confused. Back on primary day, I read an article about how the U.S. Department of Justice was going to monitoring voting in Boston and Springfield. Why? So as to ensure that non-English speaking people can vote.

Why does this confuse me? Well, I was under the impression that you had to be a citizen to vote. Wait – you DO have to be a citizen to vote. I was also under the impression that before taking the oath to obtain your U.S. Citizenship, you had to meet certain criteria, including proficiency in English. Hmm, I was right on that, too.

Ok, so in order to vote, you need to be a citizen, and in order to be a citizen, you need to speak English. Why doesn’t it follow that in order to vote you need to speak English? That makes logical sense, right? What am I missing?

I did a little digging online and found the complaint that the U.S. Department of Justice filed against the City of Springfield. It turns out that they based their lawsuit on U.S. census data. The Department of Justice alleged that "The Director [of the Census] has determined that more than five percent of Springfield’s voting age citizens are members of a single language minority group (Spanish heritage or Hispanic) who do not speak or understand English well enough to participate in the English language election process and have an illiteracy rate that is higher than the national illiteracy rate. The determination by the Census Bureau...is final and non-reviewable."

Well, maybe a court isn’t supposed to review that determination, but let me try to. Does "more than five percent of...voting age citizens" mean big-C citizens, as in U.S. Citizens, or simply "citizens," as in people who happen to be living there and responded to the census questionnaire? If it’s the latter, then the D.O.J. acted based on raw population, and not U.S. Citizens. According to the Massachusetts Secretary of State’s Elections Division website, non-U.S. Citizens can’t vote anyway.

Let’s move on to "an illiteracy rate...higher than the national illiteracy rate." Ok, if you can’t read, whatever language you speak, I can see you needing help. But that’s not what is being done here. It’s help in other languages that’s being monitored. So I’m back to square one.

The conclusion? Well, I guess it has to be that the Director of the Census has determined, finally and non-reviewably, that logic doesn’t apply. Again, what am I missing?

2006-09-28T12:56:00.000-04:00

Welcome!

Welcome to the blog of the Mansfield, MA Republican Town Committee! This will be a forum for Mansfield RTC members to speak out on issues, upcoming events etc., from the viewpoint of a few red ships in a sea of blue. Comments / responses / thoughts welcome from all. Keep it clean - keep it civil - and have fun!