Rules gag free speech between voters and elected officials.
According to a December 12th memo by the House Franking Commission, congressman in the House of Representatives are not allowed to wish voters a "Merry Christmas" or "Happy New Year" in mail or e-mail.
Congressman use their franking privileges (using taxpayer dollars to pay for postage) to send mail or e-mail to voters throughout the year. However, the Franking Commission, the six-member bipartisan group officially known as the Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards, told legislators that "Merry Christmas" is strictly prohibited.
In addition, the memo also noted that congressman can't use their official social media pages to wish constituents "Merry Christmas" or "Happy New Year." It cited the Rules of Practice which also states congressmen cannot use "colors that give the impression of a holiday greeting."
A Franking Commission spokesman confirmed to The Washington Examiner that members of Congress indeed cannot wish constituents "Merry Christmas" in any official mailing. "Currently, incidental use of the phrase Happy Holidays is permissible but Merry Christmas is not," said Sally Wood. Curiously, these rules do not currenty apply to Senators.
Medford City Committee Chair and State Committeeman Bernie Green urges all of our readers to call or e-mail Congressman Ed Markey and Speaker John Boehner, urging them to reverse the franking rules to allow Christmas and other holiday greetings in mailings to voters.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Recent Capuano Statement on Green Line Funding
Since Congressman Capuano made his initial comments to the Somerville Board of Alderman on December 8th, he has been under great pressure from Somerville advocates to support the full build out of the proposed Green Line to Route 16. In order to keep the readers of our Blog aware of the political maneuvering going on not only for the present, but for the future as it impacts Medford we ask that you read the editorial letter sent by Congressman Capuano. We continue our efforts to educate those directly affected by the current proposed light-rail expansion, but also participate with other concerned residents of Medford to inform all of the pressure by developers to extend the additional trolley service to Route 16.
To read the Capuano letter click here:
To read the Capuano letter click here:
Winchester Residents oppose Freight Train Spur
According to Winchester Patch Editor Daniel Marra, "Winchester could see freight trains driving through town in the near future." Over 25 residents crowded into the Board of Selectmen meeting room [recently] to oppose the possibility of having freight trains stopping in town. According to Winchester resident Susan Busher, a railroad switch has been established by the Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad (MBCR) at Cross Street at the request of Tighe Trucking, Inc. She said "that a railroad siding will be installed that will bring freight trains off the commuter rail for the delivery to the back side of Tighe Trucking at 45 Holten Street." If you haven't weighed in on this issue,and wish to, you should call a member of the Selectmen's Board and/or your town meeting member(s)!
To read the full article click here:
To read the full article click here:
Monday, December 19, 2011
Congress sees the Light over Bulb Ban
By Howie Carr
The forces of of science and rationalism won a big victory in Congress this week over superstition and religious intolerence, but somehow I doubt the American Civil Liberties Union is celebrating. Here's the headline: "Congress overturns incandescent light bulb ban."
That's right. The ban on 100-watt incandescent Thomas Edison light bulbs, which was supposed to begin January 1st, was put off. Congress has denied the green fundamentalists any funds to impose their eco-sharia law on the rest of us infidels who have figured out that global warming is a scam, or should I say false religion. Is that blasphemy, what I just said? Am I a denier? It's certainly lese majeste, because the ruling classes, Republican and Democrat alike, have embraced this this strange cult.
You can see the fanatical true believers engaged in their bizarre rituals, sorting out their trash and depositing each type at a different altar in the suburban landfills - a different one for cardboard and newsprint and green glass bottles and clear bottles and tin cans and aluminum cans. Like all new cults, the Greens have zero tolerance for the older religions. Just because they believe in global warming , it must be true, and therefore anyone who opposes them is an infidel who must be shunned. They have their own Book of Revelation - the movie "An Inconvenient Truth."
Alas, the inconvenient truth is that the date of the apocalypse keeps getting moved back. Temperatures aren't rising, theyr'e falling, thus the now-famous memo from alleged scientists (actually high priests) about "hiding the decline" in global temperatures. Archbishop Barack Obama,who in 2008 predicted tht his nomination would be the day the sea levels stopped rising, now admits he can't control the weather. Well, even St. Augustine was plagued by doubts. What's ironic about the Church of Green is that these are the same people who want government out of their bedroom, or their uteruses, now want government in your light socket, or your toilet.
As late as the 1960's, Roman Cahtolics were forbidden to eat meat on Fridays. It was a mortal sin - an express ticket to hell - to enjoy a cheeseburger or a pepperoni pizza. Yet, no Catholic pol would have ever dreamed of filing legislation to ban everyone from eating meat on Friday. But the shock troops of this new religion have no such qualms. First they came for your toilets that flushed, next they came for your incandescent light bulbs. Whatever happened to the old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it?" Or the Hippocratic oath: "First, do no harm." Stopping the light bulb ban, at least temporarily, was a small victory for us nonbelievers. At least we have something to be thankful for this Christmas, or, as the Greens describe this season, "the winter solstice."
The forces of of science and rationalism won a big victory in Congress this week over superstition and religious intolerence, but somehow I doubt the American Civil Liberties Union is celebrating. Here's the headline: "Congress overturns incandescent light bulb ban."
That's right. The ban on 100-watt incandescent Thomas Edison light bulbs, which was supposed to begin January 1st, was put off. Congress has denied the green fundamentalists any funds to impose their eco-sharia law on the rest of us infidels who have figured out that global warming is a scam, or should I say false religion. Is that blasphemy, what I just said? Am I a denier? It's certainly lese majeste, because the ruling classes, Republican and Democrat alike, have embraced this this strange cult.
You can see the fanatical true believers engaged in their bizarre rituals, sorting out their trash and depositing each type at a different altar in the suburban landfills - a different one for cardboard and newsprint and green glass bottles and clear bottles and tin cans and aluminum cans. Like all new cults, the Greens have zero tolerance for the older religions. Just because they believe in global warming , it must be true, and therefore anyone who opposes them is an infidel who must be shunned. They have their own Book of Revelation - the movie "An Inconvenient Truth."
Alas, the inconvenient truth is that the date of the apocalypse keeps getting moved back. Temperatures aren't rising, theyr'e falling, thus the now-famous memo from alleged scientists (actually high priests) about "hiding the decline" in global temperatures. Archbishop Barack Obama,who in 2008 predicted tht his nomination would be the day the sea levels stopped rising, now admits he can't control the weather. Well, even St. Augustine was plagued by doubts. What's ironic about the Church of Green is that these are the same people who want government out of their bedroom, or their uteruses, now want government in your light socket, or your toilet.
As late as the 1960's, Roman Cahtolics were forbidden to eat meat on Fridays. It was a mortal sin - an express ticket to hell - to enjoy a cheeseburger or a pepperoni pizza. Yet, no Catholic pol would have ever dreamed of filing legislation to ban everyone from eating meat on Friday. But the shock troops of this new religion have no such qualms. First they came for your toilets that flushed, next they came for your incandescent light bulbs. Whatever happened to the old saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it?" Or the Hippocratic oath: "First, do no harm." Stopping the light bulb ban, at least temporarily, was a small victory for us nonbelievers. At least we have something to be thankful for this Christmas, or, as the Greens describe this season, "the winter solstice."
Sunday, December 18, 2011
States move to Cut early Voting Days
More than a half dozen states have passed laws to reduce early voting, setting up a clash with civil rights groups and Democrats who claim the rules could disenfranchise minority voters in the 2012 elections.
Among the states with new restrictions: Wisconsin and Florida, presidential swing states that are key battlegrounds in the fight for control of the Senate, narrowly held by the Democrats.
In Florida, nearly 3.3 million Democrats cast in-person ballots before Election Day in the 2008 contest that swept President Obama into power. By contrast, 810,666 Florida Republicans participated in the in-person early voting that year, according to the Florida secretary of State's office. Obama won the state by 3 percentage points.
In five other states - Georgia, Maine, Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginia - this year approved laws shortening early voting, according to the non-partisan National Conference of State Legislatures. With the exeption of West Virginia, Republicans control the governor's offices and legislatures in those states.
The Republican-controlled Legislature in another key presidential battleground state, North Carolina, plans to revisit a proposal next year to reduce early voting voting from 16 days to 10. North Carolina Rep. Bert Jones said he sponsored the bill to cut the state's early voting by six days to reduce the influence of political money in state and local elections. "The longer voting period gives that much more of an advantage to candidates who have more money to spend." said Jones, a Republican. "Ten voting days is still a generous amount of time." Opponents say early voting restrictions, along with new laws in six states requiring photo identification at the polls, will thwart traditionally Democratic voters, including college students, African Americans, and Latinos.
Republicans think their path to victory is through limiting eligible voters'access to the polls." said Obama campaign spokesman Ben MaBolt. "Our goal is to maximize participation." The Obama campaign scored a very key victory last week when Ohio officials certified that the law's opponents had collected enough signatures to get a repeal petition on the November ballot. That delays the implentation of the law.
Obama's political operation, Organizing for America, helped run the petition drive, which collected nearly half a million signatures. Efforts are underway in other states to combat new voting restrictions, campaign officials said. Early voting has surged in recent years. More than a dozen states launched or expanded early voting programs from 2001 through 2010, according to data compiled by Jennie Bowser of the National Conference of State Legislatures. Overall, 34% of voters in the 2008 general election cast ballots before Election Day, up from 22.2% four years earlier, according to data from the Associated Press and Edison Research. Michael McDonald, an elections expert at Virginia's George Mason University, said it's too soon to tell whether the new laws will lower turnout. The changes may lead to longer lines on Election Day, he said. But, "in a high-profile presidential election, people are entusiastic about voting and will often overcome the barriers put in their way.
Among the states with new restrictions: Wisconsin and Florida, presidential swing states that are key battlegrounds in the fight for control of the Senate, narrowly held by the Democrats.
In Florida, nearly 3.3 million Democrats cast in-person ballots before Election Day in the 2008 contest that swept President Obama into power. By contrast, 810,666 Florida Republicans participated in the in-person early voting that year, according to the Florida secretary of State's office. Obama won the state by 3 percentage points.
In five other states - Georgia, Maine, Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginia - this year approved laws shortening early voting, according to the non-partisan National Conference of State Legislatures. With the exeption of West Virginia, Republicans control the governor's offices and legislatures in those states.
The Republican-controlled Legislature in another key presidential battleground state, North Carolina, plans to revisit a proposal next year to reduce early voting voting from 16 days to 10. North Carolina Rep. Bert Jones said he sponsored the bill to cut the state's early voting by six days to reduce the influence of political money in state and local elections. "The longer voting period gives that much more of an advantage to candidates who have more money to spend." said Jones, a Republican. "Ten voting days is still a generous amount of time." Opponents say early voting restrictions, along with new laws in six states requiring photo identification at the polls, will thwart traditionally Democratic voters, including college students, African Americans, and Latinos.
Republicans think their path to victory is through limiting eligible voters'access to the polls." said Obama campaign spokesman Ben MaBolt. "Our goal is to maximize participation." The Obama campaign scored a very key victory last week when Ohio officials certified that the law's opponents had collected enough signatures to get a repeal petition on the November ballot. That delays the implentation of the law.
Obama's political operation, Organizing for America, helped run the petition drive, which collected nearly half a million signatures. Efforts are underway in other states to combat new voting restrictions, campaign officials said. Early voting has surged in recent years. More than a dozen states launched or expanded early voting programs from 2001 through 2010, according to data compiled by Jennie Bowser of the National Conference of State Legislatures. Overall, 34% of voters in the 2008 general election cast ballots before Election Day, up from 22.2% four years earlier, according to data from the Associated Press and Edison Research. Michael McDonald, an elections expert at Virginia's George Mason University, said it's too soon to tell whether the new laws will lower turnout. The changes may lead to longer lines on Election Day, he said. But, "in a high-profile presidential election, people are entusiastic about voting and will often overcome the barriers put in their way.
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