Bellicose Bumpkin

I’ll be playing at the Flat Iron Cafe on Saturday, March 27 2010 from 7:30 to 10:30. Please try and make it. The last gig was a lot of fun with a great turn out. If you have a limited time window, or tolerance for listening, come a little later since things tend to thin out as the evening wears on.
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Facebook users can see the event announcement here. You can see my profile here.
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I’ve been working on some new material and experimenting with some new picking techniques. I’m playing around with a style adapted from clawhammer guitar. Clawhammer is a very percussive style where all notes are played with a down stroke using only your finger(usually index) and thumb. The index finger strikes the string with the nail while the thumb sort of plucks with the fleshy part (down stroke) – kind of pulling it down and out. The nail makes a clicking noise when it hits the string that when done right produces a unique sound.
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Here are a couple of videos from the last gig. Quality is not great – audio contains a lot of noise from the table where it was filmed from – but it still gives a fair idea of the sort of stuff I do. The first video is a jazzed up acoustic version of the Monkees song Papa Gene’s Blues and the second one is a subdued version of Little Bird Of Heaven – and song with and old time feel from the Reeltime Travellers.

Senator Marc Pacheco came to the Middleboro Board of Selectmen meeting on 3/8/2010 to answer charges that his legislation was intentionally leaving Middleboro out of the running for a casino. Pacheco went so far as to say that anyone who says such a thing is lying.

Strong words.

Here are my issues with Pacheco. He was a total no-show during Casino Summer ‘07. Many of us called, emailed, and sent letters and got nothing but canned responses when what we needed was leadership. His appearance now seems like an election year attempt to do damage control. He still has not clearly stated his position on a Middleboro sovereign indian casino – which makes me think he’s against it.

Pacheco is unapologetically pro-gambling – which is fine. At one point he stated that expanded gambling in Massachusetts would produce $1B a year in revenue. A wild number that far exceeds even what Governor Patrick was floating in 2008 for his three casino plan. Patrick’s numbers were heavily criticized as being overly optimistic – by a factor of two according to an MTA study.

If Pacheco came to Middleboro and said, “I’m pro-gambling and fully support a sovereign indian casino in for these reasons …..” I wouldn’t like it but I’d respect it. Rep. Tom Calter came here – stood in front of both CFO and the Middleboro BOS and stated his position relative to a sovereign indian Middleboro casino in clear and direct terms. That makes me want to vote for Calter whereas Pacheco’s appearance accomplished the opposite. Sure if he’s going up against a teabagger, this lifelong liberal Democrat will probably vote for him. But I may cross party lines for the first time since the horrible Gingrich years if there is a reasonable opponent. That could all change if he addresses this question in unequivocal terms: Do you support a sovereign indian casino in Middleboro?

My last issue, or at least the last one I feel like mentioning is his verbosity. He was here to say – “My legislation does NOT omit Middleboro from possible casino locations despite what some people and some newspapers have said”. He took almost 40 minutes to say something that could have been said in less than 5. I seriously doubt anyone is going to get through all 4 videos due to the unengaging and repetitive monologue Pacheco subjected the BOS to. I know that sounds mean but it’s true. I have a newfound respect for the BOS’s patience and above all their ability to stay awake after seeing this.

And my real last issue was his answer to a question by resident Mike Solimini. Solomini asked why states with a lot of casinos like Nevada and Florida have higher foreclosure rates than Massachusetts. Pacheco answered “They would have a higher foreclosure rate for they’re much larger”. Clearly he was confusing “rate” with “quantity”. This was a simple, clearly stated question that Pacheco failed to understand and answer. Boo hiss. At 3:30 of part four is a question about donations from gambling interests from Allin Frawley followed by Solimini’s question.

Mr. Pacheco – you should do a podcast with me. It would really up your Internet street cred and give you an unscripted forum to show your stuff and address this issue directly.

Pacheco at BOS – Part 1

Pacheco at BOS – Part 2

Pacheco at BOS – Part 3

Pacheco at BOS – Part 4

The Middleboro ca-bingo emporium and 5 star albatross around my town’s neck continues to bubble up in the news – most recently in reports about DeLeo’s casino plan. Let’s look at a couple of cherry-picked facts in no particular order to set the mood before I talk about DeLeo.
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There was the legislator who said to one of my peeps. “There’s not going to be an Indian casino in Middleboro. Rt. 44 is a state road. If we have to we’ll turn it into a *&$##@ one way”.
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We have 100 plus pages of objections Governor Patrick submitted to the BIA opposing land into trust for the proposed Middleboro casino land – land that the tribe STILL doesn’t own by the way.
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We have the tribe refusing to give us any money to get started on the infrastructure.
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Then there was Calter, Canessa, Pacheco (who all represent Middleboro) signing on to legislation that would put the casino anywhere in the known universe except Middleboro.
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We have the tribe fishing around Fall River to locate a casino there.
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So that’s where we are in my estimation.
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In today’s Enterprise we have a column from Alice Elwell that puts a Middleboro perspective on the news that Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo will introduce legislation for four slot parlors and two resort casinos. Note that most news reports are calling this a plan for two casinos when in fact it’s a plan for six. Nowhere in DeLeo’s speech was Middleboro mentioned. I have to admit that I took no notice of that until reading the Elwell column.

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Local officials said House Speaker Robert DeLeo sidestepped how an Indian casino in Middleboro would fit into the gaming plan he laid out in his speech to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.
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“Funny, he didn’t mention the Middleboro billion-dollar resort,” said Finance Committee Richard J. Pavadore.
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΄I noticed that,‘ said Selectman Muriel C. Duphily. ΄How come?‘
Ed: Mimi – that’s because it’s not coming
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Mark Belanger of Middleboro, a casino opponent, criticized the House speaker’s proposal.
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Belanger said there is no evidence expanded gambling would do anything except transfer jobs from the general economy into the casinos, and coupled with social costs, the net effect likely would be negative.
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Also, he said, consumers’ discretionary income would be diverted from other forms of entertainment to a resort casino, hurting such places as concert halls, museums and restaurants.
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“It will create jobs but a similar number will be lost in the general economy,‘ Belanger said. ΄It doesn’t make economic sense.

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That Mark Belanger guy sounds like he really knows what he’s talking about. I’ll bet he’s good looking.

This Blog and the Comments attached are often full of anger directed at Town Officials and Town Employees. People are questioning salaries, benefits, and job performance. Sometimes the complaints extend beyond Middleboro to state and occasionally federal officials. The comments will often make note of the difference between the public and private sector. At times, these statements are angry and have a “this needs to be changed’ point of view.

I wanted to remind everyone that a Democracy is a PARTICIPATION SPORT! Everyone wants to criticize but nobody wants to get off the couch and make a change. YOU can help by getting involved. I don’t mean voting in an election once or twice a year or coming to the occasional Town Meeting. I mean running for a town office or putting your name into be appointed on one of the many town committees in our community.

The immediate response is “I don’t have the time”. Take a look around and see what is available, I think you might be amazed at the small amount of time you need to commit. This year alone, Middleboro has open slots on the Finance Committee and Parks and Recreations Committee. Those are just the elected offices that have openings, I am certain there are committees that need appointed help! Just take a quick glance through the town book.

I know they next question to be made is, ok Rich- why don’t you run? A fair and valid question, but I think I am doing my part. Prior to coming to Middleboro, I spent 6 years on an appointed Finance Committee followed by 6 years elected to a School Committee. Since coming to town, I have sat on the Superintendent’s Search Committee, did 2 terms on the School Council, been working with Casinofacts, Casino Free Mass and currently working on the override campaign in Middleboro. I also sit on the Board of Directors for Middleboro Youth Soccer. Running for office hasn’t been a priority for me. Who knows what the future holds?

I have the greatest respect for anyone willing to put their name forward to run for office. Never mind the time or resources you need to campaign, the sheer act of putting your name on a ballot for people to choose or not choose you is one of the greatest acts of courage a person could ever do. I have had my fair share of complaints with members of the Board of Selectmen, but I do respect their willingness to serve our town.

Everyone has responsibilities and commitments that burden us each and every day. We need people to become active participants in Town Government. Don’t sit on the sidelines and complain! GET INVOLVED! You don’t like how the benefits are structured; run for office and help negotiate the contract. Don’t like how the town spends money; ask to sit on the Finance Committee. Don’t like how the schools are being run; ask to sit on the Superintendent Search Committee.

When you sit at home and write a comment, it may feel good to get it off your chest, but we need you to stand up and be a part of finding the solution!

Thanks

Something I’ve been meaning to write about – a Rhode Island high school that is threatening to fire every teacher in an under-performing school. The superintendent wanted longer school days and the teacher’s union refused without financial incentives. The school board voted 5-2 to fire the entire staff at the end of the school year. Teachers have offered a counterproposal and talks will resume.
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This NYT article from 10 days ago offers some perspective to go along with the more recent Globe article.
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There’s something appealing about a nuclear option like this when conditions warrant a reboot of a failing system. I’d expect to see more actions like this with other public employee unions as local budget shortfalls continue to collide with the costs of supplying raises and generous benefits to government employees.

This Globe column has me wondering if Middleboro BOS chairman Pat Rogers is starting to have an “aha” moment about the prospects for the Middleboro casino and the slim chance that it will move forward:

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“They said they needed time to get their house in order, and we gave them that,’’ Rogers said. “But we haven’t heard anything from them in a while, and we’d like to get some of the capital projects needed for the casino started.’’

Rogers said reports of the tribe talking to Fall River officials didn’t concern him. “What does bother me is they don’t seem to be moving this project forward,’’ he said.

Town officials, though, were dismayed after they recently discovered that the tribe had completed an exhaustive Environmental Impact Statement on the Middleborough site but has not turned it in to the federal Department of the Interior. “This project has to be on a dual track, with federal recognition and an environmental impact statement to make sure the site is suitable,’’ Rogers said.

He said the release of the environmental analysis will also help leaders in neighboring communities with their planning for possible impact from the casino. “There’s no reason for them to be sitting on it,’’ Rogers said of the tribe. “Right now, they seem to be stagnating.’’

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The last I heard, the tribe owed something like $30K to the company that did the EIS but didn’t have the money to pay for it. I could be wrong on that number but no matter how much they owe, it’s short money considering the millions that investors have flushed into this project. So why the delay on submitting the EIS? Granted there really is no rush since there is no way for LIT to be approved, but still. Why not submit the EIS to maintain the illusion that the project is on track? Maybe by submitting the EIS, the tribe will have to start ponying up millions to Middleboro for the needed infrastructure – money that they don’t have and can’t get.
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I don’t know but it’s fun to speculate.

Dan Kennedy has chimed in on the Murphy articles about the cost of healthcare for local goverments. Check out his post.

Kevin Cook drew my attention to this Globe article about the skyrocketing costs for the generous health care benefits that cities and towns provide their employees. The article characterizes municipal plans as far more generous than those in the private sector. Lack of political will at the state and local levels have contributed to the problem.

Issues covered in the article:

• Lifetime benefits given to employees, elected officials with short service time
• State law that requires towns to cover retirees and towns that don’t force retirees onto Medicare at age 65 – continuing to provide cadillac healthcare plans instead.
• Doubling of municipal healthcare costs from 2001 to 2008
• Prop 2 1/2 caps on taxes means that health care cost increases eat up all revenue increases. This means closed fire/police stations, reduced library hours, etc.
• Overly generous benefits that insure a family will always choose the public health plan of one spouse over the private plan of the other.
• Prop 2 1/2 override efforts are partially spurred by health care cost increases – overrides that are short term solutions.
• Benefits for current and future retirees are an unfunded liability is in the hundreds of millions for some cities – $600M for Brockton and $5.7B for Boston
• Elected officials in some towns also get health care benefits: “Six former city councilors are insured by Everett, plus 12 current ones. In Kingston, 10 part-time elected officials receive town-subsidized health coverage, including four Planning Board members, three Health Board members, and a sewer commissioner, all of whom typically attend two meetings a month.”
• Municipal health care plans are far more generous than private sector ones on average. Lower co-pays, lower employee contribution percentages, and greater benefits.
• State law that subjects benefits to collective bargaining
• Lack of local political will – “Communities, under a state law passed in 1991, can force employees to enroll with Medicare, but only if the change is approved by the city council or town meeting. In some places, that has proven politically difficult, given the clout of active and retired municipal workers.”
• Overly generous pensions that allow police, firefighters, and teachers to retire before age 65. This makes them ineligible for Medicare even if the town had the political will to compel them to use it.

This just in from the “Nice Gesture” department. Citing local budget problems, Middleboro Town Manager Charles Cristello refused to accept his yearly salary increase at the Middleboro Board of Selectmen meeting of 2/22/2010. This is partially related to my last post about Middleboro salaries. The raise would have amounted to $3,900. As I’ve said before, towns need the same flexibility as private industry when it comes to employee compensation. Raises should be merit based and contingent on the ability to pay for them. This would be a sea change in the way local government works – don’t expect to see it any time soon.

I got this communication from a person who wishes to remain anonymous. This is not the first time I’ve heard complaints about the top-dollar salaries Middleboro pays some of it’s department heads.
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Is this person right? ….. Discuss

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I need to vent so what better place.
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Tonight at the BOS meeting they will be approving , ratifying, or whatever the hiring of a new head of the water dept.. This person a former employee in the Town of Bridgewater appears to be minimally qualified yet, if hired, will be coming in at a STEP 4 pay rate. That is the highest step with, I believe, a salary around 75K. Then there are the attendant perc’s like health and retirement benefits, comp time, vacation time, etc..
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Our new DPW head was a transplant from Bridgewater as well. This 85K+- position was given to a person without a PE or other accreditations one would normally associate with this position and especially at this pay rate.
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We are entertaining a new head of the treatment plant. A leading contender coincidentally is also from the Town of Bridgewater. Am I seeing a trend here? A friend from Bridgewater told me that the word is out. Look for a town job in Middleboro. “They pay big!” Boy did that make me feel proud.
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So here is my question? What is our propensity for repeatedly hiring unqualified or under qualified town employees at top pay? I find it beyond belief that in these times we are unable to find qualified people to fill these vacant positions without getting screwed financially.
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Were there no people within the Water Dept. that might have been at least as qualified or experienced? Someone that might have gladly come in at a lower step and worked up? Did we not have any qualified residents (who, for my money, should be given preference)? If the people we are hiring represent the best people we could find and the best deals we could make then we need to have someone else doing the looking and the dealing.
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We are already burdened with plenty of shamefully overpaid town employees. We hire people other towns [Berkley comes to mind] can’t boot out fast enough.
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It is high time, well past high time, that we stop offering outrageous pay packages for position we could fill with capable people for less. I have heard precious little outrage but maybe I am not listening in the right places. Can I be the only one that finds our hiring practices ludicrous?

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Mark and I have had countless conversations about blog writing over the past few years we have formed our friendship. He has always wanted me to start my own website and get a blog going. I have been hesitant and not really sure I wanted to commit to something along those lines. His latest and greatest offer to me was that I could be a contributing writer to his Nemasket blog. This interested me and I thought I would give it a try.

We agreed that the focus did not have to be about the casino/lack of a casino or anything of that sort. It probably will be scattered for awhile, so I look forward to feedback from the many millions of readers that regularly read the Nemasket space. I hope you enjoy!

ARGUING 101

Several weeks ago, Mark and I were at a party with many of our friends. During the course of conversation, we became involved in a “discussion” about the upcoming override vote. As usual (except for Casino Issues), Mark was on the wrong side of the argument and I was “gently” pointing out that he was wrong. Perhaps the best way to describe the “talk” was to remind the readers of the Dan Aykroyd/Jane Curtin, Point Counter Point on Saturday Night Live. Our “conversation” went on for about half an hour. Needless to say, we both agreed Mark was wrong and moved on to some other topic. As it ended, I was amazed that the entire party was now in the dining room watching the “chat”.

Even more amazing was the reaction people had to our “argument”. Mark and I had driven to the party together and people were asking if one of us needed a ride home. We had to explain that Mark and I were fine. We weren’t personally offended about the conversation and yes we were going to disagree from time to time. On the ride home, both of us were laughing about how people were concerned that our arguing could hurt our friendship. IF THEY ONLY KNEW! Mark and I have had some great “talks” since we have come to know each other. Again, I cannot emphasize enough, that he is most often WRONG!

I do not think I can/could maintain a friendship with anyone that was not willing to argue. I don’t expect to agree with anyone all of the time. I love bouncing ideas and challenging each other’s points. I believe as long as you are willing to listen, be respectful and open, your opinions will develop and become stronger. Also, you may just learn a thing or two!

I think we need more Arguing Time in Middleboro. Everyone needs to take the time to listen to other people’s opinions and then react. There are far too many important issues that will be coming on the horizon. There needs to be an exchange of ideas and thoughts. We need to find a way to have people come forward and share. Every side has at least two sides, so before we make a decision let’s allow for some time to “talk” it over. At times, it may seem angry and yes maybe a little confrontational. As long as we are willing to respect each other, Middleboro will be a better community!

At the Middleboro BOS meeting of 2/22/2010, Town Manager Cristello read a draft letter to be sent to the Mashpee Wampanaog about recent news reports that the tribe was looking to ditch the Middleboro casino in favor of a more Mass-friendly location like Fall River.

The first video contains a lengthy discussion where Selectman Steve McKinnon pushes the board to use the opportunity to improve know weaknesses in the IGA – such as the fact that the base payment of $7M don’t get a CPI increase until the doors open. We’re on year three since the IGA was signed. If CPI was 2.5%, that would be a loss to Middleboro of over a half million dollars. As usual, the rest of the BOS do absolutely nothing and McKinnon is left hanging as the sole dissenting vote.

In the second video, selectman candidate Allin Frawley and Brian Giovanoni ask some questions. Allin wants the board to find out what our options are if the tribe does go to Fall River – what legal recourse do we have. A very smart idea which naturally the hopelessly pro-casino board of selectman reject.
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Board discussion of letter

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Public discussion of letter

I’ve been critical of Scott Brown – I find his record to be indicative of someone who leans far right. I also expected that his rush to be certified was actually a rush to oppose anything and everything proposed by President Obama.

In the jobs bill at least, Scott Brown was one of only five Republicans to support it going against the partly line.

I’ll give him a big atta-boy for that. But I still find this to be hilarious and I hope that Senator Brown proves me totally wrong.

Write your US Representative and Senators to lodge your opposition to pending legislation that could provide the dreaded Carcieri fix. This could potentially allow the Secretary of the Interior (SOI) to take land into trust on behalf of the Mashpee Wampanaog for a casino in Middleboro. From Gladys’ post:

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And so, once again my friends, we are called upon to pick up our pens, our telephones and our laptops and contact our representatives in Congress.

And we have to do it quickly! There’s no time to waste!

Several bills and devices designed to create an end-run around Carcieri are being debated as we speak.

These are:
Cobell v Salazar, settlement
S.1703 (Carcieri fix)
H.R.1711 (Akaka bill)
H.R.3690 (The Indian Tribal Federal Recognition Administrative Act – Section 14)

Write your Congressmen immediately and tell them to oppose these bills.

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Gladys has contact info for senators Kerry and Brown.
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You can contact your US representative, Barney Frank in my case, via the House of Representatives page. On Frank’s contact page he advises:

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If you would like to ask Barney to support or oppose a bill, the best way to reach him is to send an email. Or you may also call the Washington office at (202) 225-5931. We discourage constituents from sending postal mail because House security procedures can delay delivery for up to several weeks.

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Once more into the breach friends – WRITE THOSE LETTERS.

Hyper-spin meister Bill O’Reilly somehow manages to sound reasonable and pitches a bunch of moderate softballs to Sarah Palin – who fails to hit a single pitch. Palin shows a stunning inability to recognize and discuss the core point that O’Reilly is trying to make – that the Teabaggers are at risk – that radical elements within the movement will destroy their credibility.

Interesting Globe article about a Wampanoag tribal member who sent a letter in support of Cape Wind and called the Mashpee/Aquinna opposition a “fabricated cosmology”. Remember that the Mashpee and Aquinnah Wampanoag, who have no issue with mega-casinos, are opposing Cape Wind on the grounds that their sacred ceremonies require an unobstructed view of the sunrise – a premise that has been questioned before. An excerpt of the letter appears in the article:

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Jeffrey Madison, a Martha’s Vineyard lawyer, wrote in a Feb. 9 letter to US Interior Secretary Ken Salazar that his father and grandfather were both medicine men of the tribe and “I am stating to you with complete honesty and knowledge that I never participated in, witnessed, or even heard of a sacred spot on the horizon that is relevant to any Aquinnah Wampanoag culture, history or ceremony. Nor did I see, or hear, either my father or grandfather conduct such ceremony.”
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Madison also submitted a petition to Salazar with eight signatures of other Wampanoag tribal members, saying they did not believe the wind turbines would “materially interfere with any significant cultural activity.”
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Critics of the project immediately challenged Madison’s claim because the firm he works for, Wynn & Wynn, was hired about two months ago to help strike a compromise with the tribes.

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My religion – the worship of nature requires that my town of Middleboro not be marred by a towering hotel/casino. Can I get the same consideration that the Mashpee want for the their view of the Nantucket Sound?

On January 29, 2010, I sent this email to MA State Representative Tom Calter

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As a Middleboro resident, one of the best alternative energy sources – windmills – is not feasible for me due to the low average wind speeds.
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Before Rep. Bosely was removed as chairman of the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, I floated this idea by him – http://nemasket.net/the-bumpkin-plan/
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Basically, the idea is to open up state land in windy areas and allow private citizens to erect windmills and get the money generated by feeding electricity into the grid. Bosley said:
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“That is a very good idea. It would combine private investment with a government program to promote renewable power. Let’s see if we can make that work.”
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Do you think this idea has any merit?

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Three days later I got this response from Mr. Calter:

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Mark, I love the idea!!! I will speak to Rep Bosley in the Chamber on Thursday. Let’s get together for coffee to talk further. Let Betty know when is good for you…Her number is redacted. I look forward to getting together soon.. Tom

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I met with Mr. Calter at the Flat Iron Cafe on Tuesday Feb. 16, 2010. He immediately asked me what was going on in Middleboro and what did I think of it all. I told him about my CFO connection, that I was totally opposed to casinos, but that I respected that he was upfront with his opinion. Remember that Calter spoke at a CFO meeting and clearly outlined his support for the governor’s resort casino plan and his opposition to the Middleboro casino. He later was “summoned” to a Middleboro BOS meeting and clearly explained his opposition to the project and problem with the IGA – calling it a deal that provided “fixed revenue for variable costs”. Whether you agree with Calter’s position or not, you have to respect that he is honest and upfront about it. From the general conversation, I’m even more sure of what I’ve been saying all along: The state has no interest in a casino in Middleboro and even less interest in a sovereign indian one.
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Mr. Calter gave me the short version of his philosophy on life and a bit of his background as business man. He also showed genuine interest in who I was, my family, my work and generally tried to get a feel for where I was coming from.
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I gave him the high level details of the idea to put windmills on state land. I showed him some data about the potential energy that could be generated – nearly 1,000 MW. In context, Cape Wind will average around 170MW. Tom asked if I knew of any hurdles – saying that his place was to remove any legislative barriers to the idea. I told him that I didn’t expect him to implement this plan single-handedly – that would be the job of the governor or other state agency. I told him that according to a 2009 study there were no regulatory problems I was aware of – just a lot of engineering and environmental work to identify exactly where and how many wind mills could be erected. In other words turning potential numbers and general locations into actual numbers and specific locations.
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Tom said he would talk to Secretary Greg Bialecki – head of Housing and Economic Development and asked me if I would like to attend the meeting. I told him that I gladly would but didn’t think that I necessarily bring anything to the table for that meeting. In other words, I’d attend if he thought it would be helpful.
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Regardless of whether or not anything comes of this, I give huge credit to Tom Calter for responsiveness. He answered my email, arranged a one-on-one meeting, discussed the idea and plans to take it up with the Secretary of Housing and Economic Development. You can’t ask for any more than that. I find it very interesting that I can send email to a state rep and get prompt and personal attention. He even paid for my drink and bowl of soup. That’s far more than I’ve ever gotten from the Middleboro Board of Selectman. I didn’t even get a “no thank you” when I offered the town a free web site, training, and year of support. That said, I’ve found Rullo and McKinnon to be responsive. Even so, I can’t go to the town web site and get any email address or even phone number to contact my selectmen – and there is something very wrong with that.
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Very wrong.

From the Enterprise:

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A familiar face will no longer be showing up at many local events. Peter J. Sgro Jr., 61, died suddenly at his home on Tuesday morning.
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Sgro retired from the Water Department in 2005 and took up freelance photography as a hobby. He chronicled day-to-day life in town, covering everything from sports and politics to a new ladder truck at the fire station or a night school graduation. He also was a fixture working the polls in Precinct 4.

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Peter was a great guy – he took photos of my oldest son Jake when he was just a few days old. I saw Peter at the Soule Homestead benefit last Saturday night. Jane Lopes and I were talking and he came up to ask Jane what she wanted for photos – he was taking pictures of the dance.
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I didn’t know Peter very well but my wife was quite friendly with him. He seemed like a real nice guy and was a great photographer – capturing many an image for the Gazette.
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Only 61 – that’s a damn shame.
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Update.
I just gave the news to my wife – she’s very upset. Coincidentally she talked to him on Monday night – she saw him on the Y walking track and briefly spoke to him down by the stretching machine. He was complaining of back pain. Very sad.

As a new dog owner, I’ve been watching The Dog Whisperer and have to say I like the show. Host Cesar Millan focuses on a dog’s pack mentality to exert dominance over the dogs. In this Boston Globe article a number of animal trainers and behaviorists are taking issue with Millan’s methods:

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His TV show is a hit and celebrities swear by him. But his tough-love training has detractors barking that positive reinforcement is less cruel and fetches better results.
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“If you’re good at it, it works some of the time, in some circumstances, but I don’t think it’s a good form,’’ says Karen Pryor, a behavioral biologist who lives in Watertown and is a pioneer of modern, force-free animal training methods developed through her work with dolphins in the 1960s. Her 1984 book, “Don’t Shoot the Dog!,’’ is considered a positive-reinforcement training bible. “If you think back to the ’40s, people were very strict with mothers and babies. Now pediatricians and schools and parents have swung to a reinforcement-based model. In the dog world, I think that operant techniques are gradually sweeping the system.’’
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Pryor used psychologist B.F. Skinner’s theory of operant conditioning to develop the clicker training method, in which a small plastic noisemaker is used as a marker to let an animal know when it has performed a behavior that will earn it a reward; simply put, an animal tends to repeat an action that has positive consequences. Now widely used around the world by animal trainers in zoos, performing-animal handlers, and domestic pet trainers, the clicker method and other positive, noncoercive forms of training have scientific evidence backing up their effectiveness, according to Dr. Nicholas Dodman, director of the Animal Behavior Clinic at Tufts University.

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One episode that is oftne cited by Milan’s detractors has him in an altercation with an Alaskan Malamut in which Millan gets bit several times and brings the dog under control with a choke chain. Having seen the clip, I don’t think it’s all that bad and don’t know what else he could have done to control the animal.
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Without knowing anything about dogs, Millan’s theories seem to make a lot of sense and I think his detractors are way exagerrating charges that he is cruel to the dogs. I love the show and his methods seem to work.

Shortly after Scott Brown was elected senator, I sent this email. It’s been over three weeks and I haven’t gotten so much as a form letter response like “thanks for the email”. So much for the hope that Scott Brown would listen to his contituents. Kennedy on the other hand was known for the responsiveness of his office. Here is the letter:
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Senator-elect Brown,
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Hopefully you are aware of the proposal by the Mashpee Wampanoag to build a casino in Middleboro. You may know that a sovereign Indian casino is not possible at this time. Carcieri v. Salazar found that the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934(IRA) only allowed the Secretary of the Interior(SOI) to take land into trust(create reservation land) for tribes federally recognized prior to 1934.
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What is your position on S.1703 and H.R.3697 which would amend the IRA to allow the SOI to create reservation land for tribes recognized after 1934? For reference, here are the bills in question:
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s111-1703
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-3697
And the Carcier v. Salazar decision
http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/07-526.ZS.html
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I suppose a more general question would be “Do you support locating a casino on sovereign Indian land in Middleboro Massachusetts or generally in the Commonwealth?
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Regards,
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-Mark

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Back in October 2008, I wrote a post humorously titled The Bumpkin Plan. In short it was an idea to use state or federal land in windy areas to allow private individuals to erect windmills. The energy from the windmills would be fed into the grid and the money from the electricity would go to the private investor. I had posted the idea as a comment on Rep. Dan Bosley’s blog and got a very favorable response from him. I didn’t follow up on anything and that was the end of it.

Recently for various reasons, I’ve decided to revisit the idea. I sent email to Citizen’s Energy about the idea. They pointed me to a MA study from 2009 that explored the idea of using state land for renewable energy. This EOEEA page has links related to the study including an index of potential sites and a map of the sites. I also contacted a government official who was pretty enthusiastic about the idea.
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Clearly, when one looks at wind potential in Massachusetts, there is a vast amount of untapped clean renewable energy.
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This post is more of a scratch pad to spitball some high level details for a plan that would allow private individuals to purchase an interest in energy generated by wind mills(and possibly other renewable sources) on state land.

• Individuals would be allowed to purchase an amount of kilowatt hours. It makes no sense for me to buy a windmill but rather a quantity of electricity.
• The state of MA would create the regulatory/legislative plumbing to implement this plan in a way that won’t lead to years of costly litigation
• The state of MA would build the infrastructure to get power from state lands to the grid
• A portion of the money generated from the sale of electrical energy would go toward maintenance, infrastructure, and possibly general state revenue.
• Considering Patrick’s relationship with Obama, perhaps there would be federal assistance to fund a large portion of it as a pilot program for other states
• Windmills would be erected, managed, and maintained by the state or some combination of state/private entities.
• My friend Dave suggested that existing power lines might be a good place for windmills to compensate for line loss and to utilize what is usually otherwise unutilized swaths of land.
• If possible, currently unemployed MA residents could be paid to work on the infrastructure. Think of it as a miniature WPA specifically for creation of energy infrastructure
• Done right, this program could leap frog Massachusetts into a world leading center for wind and renewable energy technology and promote good jobs in the clean energy economy.
• This plan has a PR advantage over fully commercial plans like Cape Wind – nobody can accuse a corporation of currying favor if all the investors are private citizens like myself.

I’d welcome any additional ideas or refinements to the ones already presented.

USS-Mass is asking for people to sign this petition which calls for an independent cost/benefit analysis of casinos and slots.
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Now back to the post.
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Adam Bond floats some interesting ideas about the latest developments in the Middleboro casino saga:

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The BoS just doesn’t get it. The Tribe is out negotiating a better deal–apparently they don’t share your “neighborly” feelings Mimi. It also appears that our own so-called representatives are on the move to help the Tribe get a casino — SOMEWHERE ELSE. Good riddance at this point.
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We have a House Bill and a Senate Bill that BOTH show that the sponsors of the Bill would be more than happy to have the Wampanoag Casino somewhere other than where the Tribe and Town have agreed to put it. Mr. Pacheco claims that he has no interest in having the casino moved from Middleborough, yet the bill he offered (just something to get discussions started), talks about a preference to a sovereign tribe in “Bristol County market” which apparently is supposed to include Plymouth County.

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Bond has a point in that the bill repeatedly mentions Bristol County as the location for any indian casino.
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The bill mentioned in the post outlines the sort of preference that would be given to any casino with an indian component:

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whether, in the Bristol County market, the applicant is, or partners with, a federally recognized Native American tribe situated and with governmental offices in Massachusetts with land held in trust by the United States of America for the use and benefit of said tribe and which land is otherwise gaming eligible under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, that seeks and agrees to accept a commercial license consistent with the terms and conditions of this chapter and any regulations promulgate hereunder and waives its sovereign immunity and rights under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, in which case such applicant shall be given preference for a license in the Bristol market

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I read this legalize as saying that to get a preference, the tribe must have trust land eligible for gaming under IGRA and agree to a fully commercial casino in Bristol County. Trust land is a very tall order thanks to Carcier v. Salazar which means that no Indian tribe is going to get a preference for anything.
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This is a great example of what the BOS is NOT doing and HAVE NOT done since the IGA was signed in July 2007. No matter how things change, what events occur, or what Supreme Court decisions come down, the Middleboro selectmen do nothing. In this week’s Gazette, along with my wonderful column, is an editorial from Jane Lopoes that wonders why the heck the BOS aren’t calling the tribe given the events in Fall River recently.
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Why indeed.

Fresh on the heals of the Sarah Palin being caught red handed cheating on her interview answers, we have this close up photo of Scott Brown’s hand taken during one of his campaign rallies.
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I’m sure these come in real handy at Teaparty fundraisers.

Great article in the Cape Cod Times about an ugly sounding spat between Herb Strather and the Mashpee Wampanaog. Yet more bad news for the Middleboro casino. As an aside, the Cape Cod Times has rocked on this issue. The author of this article – Stephanie Vosk – was the very first reporter to call CFO. But I digress – back to the story:

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Tribe leaders may be looking to cut ties with the people who financed their quest for federal recognition, but some of those investors don’t want to go quietly.
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Over the past decade, Detroit real estate developer Herb Strather formed a group of 300 investors to bankroll the tribe in exchange for a cut of future casino profits. Now that the deal has gone sour, some of the investors are considering taking legal action against the tribe if they’re left out of the potential windfall.

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Legal action against the tribe? Come on dude, it’s not like they own millions of dollars worth of Cape Cod real estate. Oh wait …. they do.

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Strather says he’s been told that his contributors will get back between 80 percent to 90 percent of the money they’ve doled out, but only if and when a casino opens.Ed – Guess what dude?.. you’re not getting your money back if it’s dependent on a casino opening in Middleboro
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Strather, who has contributed into the “seven figures” himself, said he’d have to pay his other investors first and wouldn’t see a penny. “This is not expressive of the tribe that met the Mayflower. This is not the same as the tribe that helped Harriet Tubman in the Underground Railroad, that helped the slaves,” he said last week. “This is completely a vindictive situation.”

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I had to break it to you Herb, but this is not the tribe that met the Mayflower. There was no Mashpee Wampanoag tribe when the Mayflower landed. That whole “met the Mayflower” thing is a bunch of sentimental nonsense. And what’s up with this Harriet Tubman story? That’s news to me. Details anyone?

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From 1999 to 2006, AtMashpee covered the tribe’s day-to-day costs.
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In total, the investor group has doled out more than $25 million over the past decade, said Strather, who headed up the group before stepping down a few years ago. “We supported the tribe with a very big budget, from Day 1,” Strather said. “I never ever, ever remember saying no.”
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Through an attorney yesterday, the tribal council rebuffed Strather’s claims. “Herbert Strather has no relationship with the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe,” attorney Howard Cooper said in a prepared statement. “His claims have no merit whatsoever, and as such the tribe will not respond further to them.”

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If $25M won’t do it, what does it take to have a relationship with these guys?

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But in 2008, Glenn Marshall, the tribal council chairman who signed the initial deal with Strather in 2000, admitted to federal prosecutors that he had funneled more than $4 million of Strather’s money through a state corporation to make campaign contributions and pay his own bills.
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Last year, Marshall pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 3½ years in federal prison.
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“I don’t know if they’re trying to blame me for that or not. I simply wrote checks,” Strather said in a recent interview. “No, I didn’t scrutinize really a lot because I love the tribe so much. I was so liberal with them, I gave them whatever they asked me.”

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“Just wrote checks”? What sort of investor just writes checks? Hey Herb – would you like to invest in my new invention? It’s a car that runs on rainbows. Just write me some checks

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But Strather says the break arose because the plan called for a $1.6 billion casino — a model deemed no longer feasible under tough economic conditions. Instead of trying to renegotiate — which Strather says he would have been willing to do — the tribe went looking for other financial backers.

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If only someone had told the Middleboro board of selectmen that the deal was not financially feasible …. oh right … I did. But that was back in 2007. Maybe they forgot.
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Ay Carumba!

This week’s Gazette column is about exercising in winter – something that is tough to get motivated to do, but really helps your winter mindset. These photos are from a recent run at Pratt Farm and a bike ride in the woods at the Morgan property.
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If you don’t like the embedded slideshow below, you can see a larger version here
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