Hello Out There

Hello,

I am just seeing if anyone gets notified when this blog is updated. I haven't been active in the Tea Party or politics for the last few years but I still have another blog: Odds and Ends

Since this blog had quite a few followers at one time I am wondering if there might still be an interest in reading what I have to say.

While my new blog hasn't focused a lot on politics if there is an interest I just might be persuaded to start writing about it again.

Leave a comment on this post or email me at imjustmusing@gmail.com

Thanks

Paul

Who is being intolerant now

On Sunday Boston held it's annual St. Patrick's Day parade. This year the one group who probably most closely represents St. Patrick's ideals decided not to participate. It seems they were subject to a smear campaign by other groups participating in the parade.

I am referring to the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic organization that promotes "charity, unity and fraternity". This has led to some infighting between the Knights and the Massachusetts Catholic Action League. I could get into the fight but that is not the point of this post. (You can read the Knights statement here) What is the point is that a parade honoring a Catholic saint has alienated all Catholic groups. For years now we have heard the same thing, "If this group is included then we won't march." And yes, I am referring to the various Catholic groups.

The KofC wanted to march in the parade to help spread a message of pro-life and traditional marriage, two issues important to what I'll call "real" Catholics (I'll get into that in a minute) yet another Catholic group who decided they are more Catholic thinks that they are wrong and allegedly started a smear campaign. I guess they have decided to lower themselves to the level of some of the same groups they are against and who use the same tactics.

The left is always preaching tolerance and inclusiveness while at the same time attacking any one who is against their particular agenda, isn't  the Catholic Action League doing the same thing? Unfortunately for most people they have absolutely no idea who St. Patrick was and what he did. This is only an excuse to drink and party to excess, It is also an excuse for many non-Catholics and "nominal" Catholics to profess their love for a saint who they probably have no idea about.

“Boston Mayor and nominal Catholic Marty Walsh should be proud of himself. With this afternoon's spectacle, he has retired his campaign debt to the homosexual community, and he created a new, de-Christianized Saint Patrick's Day Parade, which is welcoming and inclusive to everyone, except of course, the followers and spiritual children of Saint Patrick.” - Catholic Action League

As promised here is what I mean by "real" and "nominal" Catholics. A nominal Catholic is one who claims they are Catholic in their beliefs, yet fails to follow the teachings of the Catholic< font-family: inherit;"> Church.  They pick the teaching they want to follow while ignoring those they don't, Right here in Massachusetts we have many "nominal" Catholics we can choose from. Our new Governor who during his campaign claimed to be a good Catholic yet in one ad told how he was pro-choice. John Kerry, Pick a Kennedy, Marty Walsh, all nominal Catholics, who change their views in order to get elected.

Okay. I'm wandering, it's an age thing. The point is the Catholic Action League, if they did carry out the alleged smear campaign, is lowering itself to the same level as the groups they are against use. We will never get anywhere that way.

Thursday Thoughts

Here are some random thoughts from my daily perusal of the news:

He is just like any other black man

Are we really meant to believe what NPR is trying to tell us in this passage:

At the time Obama told reporters, "You know, if I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon." More than a year later, after the acquittal of George Zimmerman, who shot Martin, Obama said, "Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago."

That very personal statement is an example of how, in his second term, Obama seems less reluctant to highlight race and to discuss his own experience as a black man in America. - NPR News Obama Returns to Selma

No, not that our president could have been Trayvon but that he really experienced what many black Americans experience in this country. Did he grow up in poverty? Did he have little or no education? Just wondering.

Freedom of Religion under attack again.

It seems that at least in one town in Florida that churches have come under more control of the government. A Christian church that was holding services in their own coffee house, was infiltrated by an undercover enforcement officer and told they had to cease and desist.

Churches in Lake Worth, population 36,000,  have been ordered to acquire a business license. As if the church has to get the government’s permission to preach and pray? - Fox News

I wonder if it had anything to do with this (from the same article):

Pastor Mike Olive told me there had not been any problems until early last month, when he had an encounter with Andy Amoroso, a city commissioner.

“After we opened up the coffee bar and started doing services, I heard that he told people we were anti-gay,” Olive said. “So I went to his shop to ask him about that.”

You don't think the LGBT lobby had anything to do with this, do you?

Were any of these Hilary's?

It seems the Justice department had made some arrests regarding a billion stolen email addresses.

US authorities Friday unveiled charges against two Vietnamese nationals and one Canadian in connection with a computer fraud scheme to steal over one billion email addresses. - The Guardian

I can't help but wonder, how many of these belonged to Hilary Clinton?

Republican or Democrat?

I guess there was an election way up there in Vermont and a dead guy won.

A Vermont man who died the day before a town meeting vote was elected to serve on the select board after officials withheld information about the death, citing state campaign laws. - Guardian US

I have heard of many dead people who vote, but never one running for office? What party to you think he belonged to?

Breaking the Glass Ceiling

It seems that contrary to what Hilary Clinton tells us over and over again, maybe the glass ceiling hasn't really been broken?

In late February, Hillary Clinton, a self-proclaimed champion of women's rights and gender equity, came under fire for a Washington Free Beacon analysis that showed women on Mrs. Clinton's staff during her tenure in the Senate were paid an average of 72 cents on the dollar compared to male staff. Now, an analysis of the latest IRS filing for the foundation that bears her name, the Bill, Hillary, and Chelsea Clinton Foundation, shows a similar compensation disparity between men and women employees. Although compensation figures are available for only a limited number of Foundation personnel, the 2013 Form 990 filed with the IRS shows that out of eleven highly compensated individuals listed, the top eight are all men. - Weekly Standard

Could it be a case of “Do as I say, not as I do?”

That's it for now, see you next time. 

O

nce again honest, hardworking citizens are being persecuted for their religious beliefs. While it appears that some groups are free to practice their beliefs, others are threatened with boycotts, lawsuits, property seizure and even jail.

From the WTF Department

I am listening to Mark Fisher, one of the Republican candidates running for Massachusetts Governor on Monday Night Talk on FM 95.9 and something he just said really disturbs me. He just made the statement that the state republican party has told him he will need $25,000 just to attend the convention where he would hope to get nominated. Again, I may have heard wrong and will need to listen again but still...WTF.

Now, I don't know much about the process, but he is making it sound like this is something new and if it is, I have to agree with him that it sounds like a ploy to keep select candidates out of the convention. I will re-listen to the podcast when it becomes available, after all I may be wrong, but unfortunately I do believe it.

The state party has their own agenda and ideas  as to who will make the best candidates seeming to forget they have been wrong in the last major elections in this state. Can we say Gomez? The second Scott Brown? Charlie Baker? They haven't won, just like the national republican party, by backing candidates who continually lean left. Don't they understand that we need real conservatives to run?

Evidently I am going to have to look more into the process of electing delegates to the convention. It would seem to me with my limited knowledge that everyone should be allowed to attend the convention if they are duly elected and it shouldn't be that only the candidates with big money behind them who should be able to attend the convention.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this and also would love to receive any information on the process.

I believe there will be a podcast available of the interview on the 95.9 website in a few days if you would like to listen for yourselves. Here is the link to Mark Fisher's site as well.

State Senate Campaign: James Ehrhard on Howie Carr

As I have written lately, there is going to be a race for the state senate here in central Massachusetts. While I do have a favorite I am going to use this blog to put out the information so you can make an informed decision during the primary and later in the general election.

Right now there are two Republican candidates for the seat: Mike Valanzola of Wales (for you who aren't from these parts, Wales is on the border of Connecticut) and James Ehrhard of Sturbridge (you know the place with the village you all went to when you were in grade school).

Since either one of these candidates would be a definite improvement in the State House, I will do my best to post news, comments, etc. etc. on these two candidates and yes even opine on them as well.

Ehrhard was on the Howie Carr show the other day and here is the audio from the show. If anyone has any audio or other material for the Valanzola campaign, I will be happy to post them as well.

Here are the campaign websites for both candidates:

• James Ehrhard
• Mike Valanzola

And for the record, it really would be a lot easier on writers, bloggers, commentators, political junkies, etc. if the candidates were required to have easier names like Smith and Jones

Time for a Change in Massachusetts Politics

This year could be the chance for Massachusetts voters to make a difference in how our state is managed, or mismanaged, depending on your point of view. This week we learned that Central Massachusetts' longtime State Senator, Steve Brewer has decided to retire which will certainly make it easier for the two announced republican candidates to gain the seat. Yes I know there is also at least one announced Democrat running as well but Anne Gobi is part of the problem.

Yes, Brewer has done a good job representing the citizens in his district, just ask all those folks he has helped get those nice government jobs with the nice pensions. Yes, I had the chance to use him to get me one of those jobs years ago if I had wanted to but I changed my mind. Yes another bad choice as I could have had a nice pension lined up but there was just something about doing that which struck me as so wrong.

Anyway, don't forget it has also been Steve Brewer and his democrat colleagues who have done the following:

• Raised our taxes, including our infamous automatic gas tax increase.
• Driven jobs away from our state through increased regulations and taxes.
• Put Massachusetts at the top of the list of states people are most likely to move out of.
• Created an unsustainable system for pensions for government workers.
• Helped foster a culture of corruption, by supporting our governor, in many state agencies and through welfare fraud and abuse.
• Given away our money on failed "green energy" projects, which are based on questionable science at best, and is promising to spend even more.

Need I go on?

I wrote about how Massachusetts has a awesome chance to change this culture in 2014, but only if they have the kahunas to do it. Unfortunately we have given so many entitlements to various groups, the uh hum poor, the unemployed who refuse to look for work, the government workers who want more and more with no way to pay for it, the faux disabled, that the democrats have almost guaranteed they will keep control of the state. And this week our governor actually lied to the voters on camera. Boston News, Weather, Sports | FOX 25 | MyFoxBoston

But I am an optimist. I truly believe there are enough people out there who are tired of giving their hard earned money to the state to throw away, totally unaccountable to anyone. 

We must get rid of the good old boy network, and bring intelligent, rational people to the table so we can have rational and intelligent discussion on important issues. It is time to leave all the emotions outside the door, we can not sustain the path we are on.