The Definition of Insanity

Gov. Deval Patrick uses hand gestures to demonstrate his chances of getting his casino bill passed.

It takes a little bit to actually shock Porcupine, but Deval Patrick succeeded in doing so today. This morning, in front of the Brookline Chamber he announced his intention to resurrect the failed casino gambling bill.

The Democrat told a Brookline Chamber of Commerce audience that "an unyielding need for property tax relief, the possibility of slot machines at the state's racetracks and ongoing efforts by the Wampanoag Indians to build their own casino will reignite the discussions".

Acccording to the Boston Globe, Patrick said, "There's a lot of interest in it, and issues that die in one session don't die a permanent death. They tend to come back over time." Under one scenario, Patrick said, casino gambling supporters might try to expand the slot machine bill to include the resort-style casinos proposed by the governor. Patrick projected that his plan for three casinos would generate at least $600 million in licensing fees, $400 million in annual tax revenues and 20,000 permanent jobs.

Indeed, there's nothing that Porcupine enjoys more than seeing the Globe exasperated. But what the Globe fails to mention is that the source of these projections is Clyde Barrows of UMass-Dartmouth, and that he is also a recent author of a 'poll' which claims that a majority of the electorate wants casino gambling in Massachusetts - but not in their town. The jobs, the dollars, the concept - all have been thoroughly discredited. To bring three casinos on-line at the same time in a mature and fading market is madness. The profit would be wiped out by the need to have union-run laundry and service contracts in a state owned enterprise - which is why the bill enjoyed such enthusiastic union support. Which of course presupposes that casinos are even an appropriate venture for the state to get into - don't we already have enough problems from a something-for-nothing culture? (Forgive Porcupine - he was a Scout leader, and the Baden-Powell prohibitions against gambling as the ruin of a young character come bubbling up from time to tiem).

What can possess the Governor to follow this path once again? His liberal base is admantly opposed to casinos. The Legislature does not want it. Conservatives do not want it. Indeed, nobody seems to want it but the Governor and SEIU.

The classic definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome. The Governor has already publicly embarassed himself, but perhaps his liberal friends can talk him down out of this tree. Indeed, the liberals are castigating the Pioneer Institute for saying that Patrick had devolved into a 'machine politician'. To Porcupine, the only omission was that the machine is a slot machine.

Two Minds With But A Single Thought...

...or is it two minds with almost a single thought between them? According to former Congressional candidate and Democratic Party Chair Philip Johnston: "We all said that we could have closed our eyes when Obama spoke [and] it could have been Deval."

Should Sen. Obama become the nominee, the People of the Commonwealth will bear a great responsibility - better acquainting the nation with how talk can be cheap, and how sometimes, when change is what you proclaim when you are unable to accomplish anything, the only change you see is the chump kind.

Fake Outrage or Real Issue?

Porcupine enjoys reading different newspapers when he is away. Since he is currently in the middle of a white-out snowstorm in Maine, he has had ample time to read two stories in the Sunday Bangor Daily News, and to consider them in light of one another.

The first is a front page story, Section A, which is part of a series called ‘Mainers in Crisis’, sub headed "Some of these stories have not been told because the victims of $100-per-barrel oil feel to embarrassed by their circumstances to reveal them." Knowing Maine, Porcupine doesn’t have any trouble believing that assertion. The story of the McAlpine family is one of a dozen stories featured.

The Cliff Notes version of the story of Bruce McAlpine and June Days is as follows – Last fall, McAlpine’s towing business burned down, forcing him to look for temporary work since unemployment doesn’t cover the self-employed. When their son, Bryce, was born in October he spent 49 days in neonatal intensive care, eating up the family’s heating oil savings with drives from Ellsworth to Bangor; Maine has a new higher gas tax, so a car costs even more to drive than in Mass. And public transportation is non-existent. When they brought the baby home at Thanksgiving, the oil tank was empty. McAlpine couldn’t find a heating oil company which would deliver fewer than 100 gallons, so he bought fuel a few gallons at a time for a while and brought it home in a jug. They have Styrofoam panels over the windows in their trailer to conserve heat, and leave the oven open after dinner is cooked. By not paying the electric bill – which can’t be turned off until April – they got together the money for oil, all the time knowing that they have a huge debt to pay in the spring unless Bruce can find regular work.

On the front page of Section B, a Bangor man whose company had a contract to clean the floors of area Hannaford Bros. supermarkets has been charged in federal court with employing illegal aliens and harboring illegal aliens at his Fruit Street residence. The investigation of Manuel Cornejo, 29, began a year ago with the arrest of one of his former employees. Cornejo is an American citizen but lived in El Salvador before moving to the United States, according to the U.S Attorney’s Office. Eight employees, working at local supermarkets, all had false Social Security numbers, and four were living at Mr. Cornejo’s house. Hannaford Supermarkets has not been charged (something Mitt Romney, who was caught in a similar situation, can take comfort from). Interestingly, the supermarket contracted with a Danvers, MA firm, Cleaning Services Group, which had hired the Bangor firm using illegal immigrants as labor. It seems odd that this Mass. firm did not notice that Mr. Cornejo wasn’t withholding any taxes or unemployment from the wages of his workers.

So – we have a lifelong Mainer, McAlpine, desperate for work in the Bangor area, and an El Salvadoran bringing worker to Maine for the jobs 'Americans won’t do'. How moved do you think Mr. McAlpine is by arguments that illegal immigrants should have tuition tax breaks? Or that El Salvador is lacking in economic opportunity and freedom?

Like Porcupine’s friend Dan Kennedy, will Bruce McAlpine regard illegal immigration as “fake outrage over a non-issue”, as Kennedy states HERE and HERE? Or will he see it as an issue to rival the Iraq War when he chooses who to vote for for President?

Hey, You Can't Deport 12 Million People!

This sentiment has always been a favourite of the pro-amnesty crowd. There are too many people here illegally already, we really want to know where and who they are. We need to coax them out of the shadows, so we must create a Path to Citizenship, which will not penalize them as law breakers and line jumpers (since they chose to ignore the existing Path to Citizenship of applying for it, getting a green card, etc.).

Now, there is evidence from Gov. Mitt Romney’s home state of Massachusetts that with proper enforcement, you may not need to deport 12 million people – when they realize that amnesty is not forthcoming, they begin to leave under their own steam.

First, a brief Massachusetts timeline on the issue. In June of 2006, Gov. Romney began negotiations with the Federal government to allow Mass. State Police to detain and hold illegal immigrants in cooperation with ICE (a post on the subject is HERE), right after the Federal government created the program. In Dec. of 2006, the final contract was approved with the Executive Office of Public Safety. At the time, Porcupine wrote of Gov.-Elect Deval Patrick, “He touted his experience as a Clinton Dept. of Justice appointee, and even went so far as to claim during debates that he had been a prosecutor (well, perhaps not in an actual courtroom, but support staff are important too!). Given his legal credentials, it will be difficult for him to refuse to enforce the law, and his base won't allow him to do so.” Porcupine was wrong – immediately upon taking office, Gov. Patrick cancelled the enforcement agreement that Gov. Romney had negotiated – amnesty for all! But law enforcement was down, not out. Using Romney’s agreement as a template, the Sheriffs of Massachusetts took the same training that the State Police had taken, and two counties, Barnstable and Bristol, were certified for ICE detention as well. What practical effect has this had?

Well, the Cape Cod Times - newspaper of record for Barnstable County - is reporting that Brazilians there are returning to South America in record numbers (Link HERE). "Here, I don't have immigration documents. I have little opportunity," Denevaldo Dos Santos, an illegal immigrant working as a landscaper, said in the story. According to the Times, many Brazilians bought homes using sub-prime mortgages (how exactly was THAT accomplished with no Social Security number?) and are now facing ballooning interest payments and are choosing to default. "They've been here for so long and expecting this law that never came," said Connie Souza, an immigrant advocate with Catholic Social Services in Hyannis.

That is correct, Ms. Souza. And now that the realization has set in that the hoped for amnesty will not materialize, well, it may not be necessary to deport 12 million people. This is a real result of law enforcement, and sealing the borders, and it is from Gov. Romney’s home state; it could have been a state-wide result instead of a county-wide one, but the Democratic Gov. Patrick, backing Obama for President, prevented that. You won’t read this story in the Boston Globe, or hear it on CNN – but it is true just the same.

The Remaining Three Hundred

A friend of mine in the State House sent this to me - it went out via email to all state workers -

Dear Colleague,
The last few weeks have been some very exciting times for Massachusetts. Today I want to remind you about another exciting event that’s just around the corner.
Local elections are next Tuesday, November 6th. I encourage you to cast your ballot. Local officials make critical decisions about your roads, your schools and your police officers and fire fighters. Showing up and participating on Tuesday the 6th is just as important as showing up for any election for president, congress or governor. Get your neighbors to participate as well.
Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. If you don’t know your polling location or need any other information on voting or your local officials, please visit www.mass.gov/vote.
Thank you ,

Of course, the 'important' areas - at least to Deval - held municipal election on Nov. 6 (on Cape, only dysfunctional Barnstable). But it's worth noting that FOUR-FIFTHS of the communities in the state did NOT hold municipal elections.

What is going on in the 'remaindered' areas?

Well, down on Cape, a man who had his wind deductible raised by the FAIR Plan from $500 to $5,000 had his roof hit by a tree - and effectively has no coverage.

In Sturbridge, they learned that the cost of the new wastewater treatment plant has shot from $10 million to $18 million in just two years' time, and will have to find the money for it at town meeting next April.

In Hanover, they learned that the average property tax bill will be going up about $50 next year to about $1,500.

Perhaps it's time for Gov. Patrick to take another field trip to the hinterlands - the quaint places where they don't hold municipal elections on Boston's election day. It's only most of the state, after all.

Setting Priorities

Well, they came for a celebration, and they certainly got one...

After all, how often do you see a sweet moment with Sen. Dianne Wilkerson, here with her grandson, and Rep. Joyce Spiliotis and her grandson, Nick....


Of course, knowing that the Senators weren't there to keep an eye on them led to the Senate staff grabbing some box seats on the balcony, led by the Senate Clerk on the right....

But indeed, all of the Usual Suspects at State House ceremonies were down below, from Sal DiMasi on the left, to Therese Murray, to Deval Patrick, to John Henry, to Tim cahill on the right, with tiny Martha Coakley playing peek-a-boo behind John Henry's shoulder....

And Gov. Patrick got to speak flanked by not one, but two, World Series trophies....
Yes, the State House was indeed the Epicenter today of Red Sox Nation....

NOW can we talk about the most amazing sports rivalry in NFL history as the 7-0 Patriots meet the 8-0 colts THIS SUNDAY????

Deval Canute - or, GamblePort Lives!

“Then, thou shalt count to three. No more, no less. Three is the number of the counting, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four, shall thou not count, neither count though two, excepting that though then procedeth to three. Five is right out!”
From the 'Book of Armaments', Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Porcupine has enjoyed the many pronouncements of Governor Deval Patrick about how casino gambling will operate in Massachusetts.

Long ago, Porcupine predicted that the Governor would create an independent authority like the Mass. Turnpike or Massport - because those have worked out so well, haven't they? Besides, when the Governor's plan to merge the Turnpike and MassHighway is completed, all those politically connected toll takers will need new jobs - and they DO have experience handling quarters....

Three resort casinos will magically flourish in economicaly depressed areas as exclusive resorts. The financial success will continue on its magical basis, as they are staffed with Unionized waitresses, and linens are procured from SOMBWA approved services - hang the expense!

OF course, usually when a new Board or Commission is created, the Creator ascertains that those being named are willing to serve on it, avoiding the political disavowal of Tim Cahill, the State Treasurer who flatly refuses to serve.

Now, with $125 million short in the Lottery and a demand being laid down for $1 billion for stem cell research, Deval Canute is once again commanding the seas to recede as the Legislature watches with dersion.

But none of this matters, as casinos will be the Alpha and Omega of fiscal health for the Commonwealth. For truly, like King Canute, this is a matter of faith - GamblePort lives!

Aaaarrrrggggghhhhh!

T'is here again, by Great Neptune's Man Nipples! Avast, the Annual 'Talk Like A Pirate Day' is upon us once more, and Porcupine will celebrate, having known more than a few pirates in his day!

Last year, the Great Holiday fell upon Massachusetts Primary Day, as Porcupine wrote HERE, and t'was the the Blackamoor, Cap’n Devvy Sharkbait, who bested the Hibernian, Guideon the Parrotless, and the tall Florentine, Slashin' Baird Dawkins, and prevailed o'er our lass, Navigatin' Kerry Cooke. The names were devined with the help of the Pirate Name Generator, and Prickly Pete Porcupine has it here for his mates and fellow cutthroats.

To shape up agin', here's a practive drill your all you lubbers, to get into shape, courtesy of Cap'n Slappy's web site-

* Organize a pirate-themed knitting bee.

* Purchase copies of pirate classics and have a "read-along" at a lock-down facility for the criminally twitchy.

* Quietly contemplate the meaning of "Booty"

* Get blistering drunk on rum with yer mates and puke in the neighbor's Zen garden.

* Sponsor a lecture on the complicated psyche of the man and cultural zeitgeist of the world in which Edward "Blackbeard" Teach lived.

* Hold a muffin baking contest!

* Randomly call people at their place of employment and yell, "ARRRR!" into the telephone. (THIS is Porcupine's personal favorite!)

* Get a tattoo featuring the likeness of soulful basso profundo crooner, the late, great Barry White! (so smooth! so DE-val!)

Now, w'Cap' Devvy workin' to put the swabs o' Mass to work on a plan to lighten the gentry of their doubloons in a gamin' parlour and pass of the Black Spot to high-faced pension boards, it behooves us all to sling the lingo and sharpen the cutlass, as we prepare for boardin' on the other states of the S.S. New England. Let's do Cap'n Devvy proud, and show 'ow little we care for Injuns when there's booty to be had!

Why, We BET We Can Help You!

Porcupine very much enjoys listening to Finneran’s Forum on WRKO in the morning, and today he got to hear Deval Patrick explain his stance on casinos while stuck in gridlocked traffic on the Mass Pike. Porcupine’s only criticism of the exchange between Deval and Tom is that Mr. Speaker really needs to get that slightly hushed deference out of his voice while talking to His Excellency. Deval was in fine fettle, and is apparently taking his title seriously – when speaking, he havers between the ‘Royal We’ and ‘I’ when referring to his initiatives. For example – WE are going to limit the number of casinos to three, and place them in these venues – versus – I will not accept a lot of amendment to My proposal. Brave words indeed for early in the battle. Click on the Forum link to listen for yourself.

Porcupine has cheerlessly predicted this all along. The Governor will back casinos because he needs to pay off on at least SOME of those pesky campaign promises, without reverting yet again to Kerry Healy's 50 point program for ideas. The fact that he was anti-casino pre-election is a buried fact, deep in the Globe archives, where it won't be brought up again by them.

All along, the objections of Treasurer Cahill and Boston Mayor Menino centered on the State not getting a big enough cut. By legalizing casino gambling outright, Deval has a unique opportunity for patronage well into the next decade.

Who will operate these “three resort style casinos” that the Governor wants? Cahill's office? Porcupine is convinced that GamblePort is just months away. After all, Transportation Secretary Cohen and the Governor have already announced that they are proceeding with a plan to merge the MassPike with MassHighway, just like GOP governors have sought to do for years, to eliminate waste and inefficiency. Ah, but what IS inefficiency? A new entity like GamblePort can become a haven for politically connected toll takers if the merger of the Pike with MassHighway is completed. After all, they DO have experience with handling quarters. Still, the STATE is going to put three resorts out to bid? Tell me, Deval - who has the best linen contract in Mass.? Ohhhh - sorry! WRONG answer! Yes they ARE cheapest, but they're not UNION!

The Democrat establishment wants casinos in New Bedford, Worcester and Boston. The problem all along has been that the Indian Gaming Act stipulates that tribal casinos must operate within 50 miles of tribal lands - and there aren't enough Dorchester Democrats looking for patronage in Mashpee. So - they'll do this legalization. Still - the tribe can put its Middleboro lands in a Federal trust and operate a casino per the voted agreement with the town with NO cut to the state. It can be a much smaller operation and still be profitable without the Beacon Hill Vampires to assuage.

The sad truth is that even three is too many casinos. Mohegan Sun wasn’t even built until Foxwoods had been established for ten years, and the Connecticut tribes have been careful to protect market share as they expanded. Three casinos coming on board simultaneously? All will fail, as they will not prove economically sustainable. But those are just the state casinos – after waste, patronage and ineptitude have swept them away into tattered hulks like the Hynes Convention Center or the Worcester Centrum; the Wampanoag may still have a petite and profitable operation on Federal trust tribal lands in Middleboro without the monkey of state government on their backs. Everybody could have made a decent profit if not for the greed of Bacon Hill, but Deval has proven he cannot say no to too much.

The Lime House and The State House

Treason doth never prosper: what's the reason? Why, if it prosper, none dare call it treason.
John Harington, British Poet, 1613


















What do these buildings have to do with one another?

The first is the lime-green house with many residents, home of the now famous Paw family. Father Paw is a postman, earning $49,000 per year; Mother Paw is a Housewife. But from this little oak at 41 Shelbourne Ave., a mighty oak has grown. Father and Mother Paw, along with their four adult children (one of whom is a school lunch aide) who list this address as their residence, have donated a combined $45,000 to Hillary Clinton since 2005, for her presidential campaign, her Senate re-election last year and her political action committee. In all, the six Paws have donated a total of $200,000 to Democratic candidates since 2005, election records show. Remarkably, their donations mirror those of controversial Chinese 'bundler' Norman Hsu, who also listed the tiny house as his legal address for a brief period of time.

Here are some 'blasts from the past' regarding the Clinton Administration and the Chinese with Cash -

President Bill Clinton, during his 1996 re-election campaign, accepted cash which in some cases originated with Chinese military officials anxious to influence Defense Dept. export policy on advanced missile and satellite technology. The policy ultimately was changed by the Clinton Administration in the way the Chinese wanted, and they obtained the highly sensitive technology over Defense Dept. protests. In that scandal, the FBI traced $300,000 in contributions back to the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C. Back then, the Chinese relied on just one or two intermediaries to serve as the donor, so they were caught, but the results seem to be effective.

Operating with an interim top secret clearance (but without FBI investigation or foreign security check) Commerce official Huang requested several top secret files on China just before a meeting with the Chinese ambassador. Huang and the Riadys then held a meeting with Clinton. Not long after, Huang went to work as a Democratic fund-raiser, but remained on Commerce's payroll as a $10,000-a-month consultant. Huang raised $5 million for the campaign. About a third of that was returned as having come from illegal sources. Among the problem contributions: $250,000 to the DNC from five Chinese businessmen in order to have a brief meeting with Clinton at a fund raiser.

Macao businessman Ng Lap Seng, closely linked to a couple of major Chinese-owned enterprises, was regularly bringing in large sums of money to the United States, according to customs records. On one occasion, he arrived with $175,000 and then two days later met with Charlie Trie and Mark Middleton at the White House. That evening Ng sat at Clinton's table at a DNC fund raiser.

The New York Times reported in 1998 that the Defense Technology Security Administration said Loral's unauthorized release of sensitive technology to the Chinese gave rise to at least three "major" violations of U.S. national security, three medium violations and 12 "minor" infractions.

Throughout these dealings, the CEO of Loral, Bernard Schwartz, contributed at least $1.5 million to the Democrats, making him the single largest contributor to these groups during the period in question.

Three major players in the China scandal – John Huang, Charlie Trie and Johnny Chung – were all allowed by the Justice Department to cop pleas.

Remember now? You will read a lot about it briefly, but Labor Day may wash those recollections away.

Of course, Sen. Clinton is giving the controversial money to charity. She made use of it, and will garner more donations to replace it. Early Money Is Like Yeast, they say, so returning questionable donations later AFTER you've become front runner is not as impressive as it seems.

And what does the Clinton Lime House have to do with the Patrick State House?

Well, today Mararet Botsford was confirmed as Deval Patrick's first pick for the Supreme Judical court, after a 5 - 3 vote (unusual in itself as they are commonly unanimous). The Friday before Labor Day isn't the sort of high press day such an event would usually garner.

But - one day after the nomination was made, Judge Botsworth's husband Stephen Rosenfeld, contributed three times the legal limit to Patrick's campaign fund. It is difficult for him to plead ignorance, as he was Dukakis' legal counsel. Naturally, the money will be returned through proper channels.

It would appear that even though he worked in the Clinton White House, Deval didn't learn enough of the Lime House tricks - but, getting another liberal justice appointed despite campaign finance improprieties is a step in the...well...direction he wants to take.

Sunday Summer Sing Along - 2007 - Number One!

For the first new song of our Sunday Summer Series, Porcupine was inspiried by the immortal Blossom Dearie, and her rendition of Cole Porter's ' Always True To You, Darlin', In My Fashion', to reinterpret the song for Gov. Deval Patrick, who is 'Always A Progressive In His Fashion'.

When some bloggers I have met,
Campaign on the Internet,
When the Net begins to get, I cry "Hooray!"
Since I'm always a Progressive in my fashion,
Yes, I'm always a Progressive, in my way.

That Crown Vic was such a HACK!
Even heating it did lack!
If a Governor gets a Cadillac, okay!
But I'm always a Progressive in my fashion,
Yes, I'm always a Progressive in my way.

I've been asked to have a meal
By a biotech big wheel,
If the meal includes a deal, accept I may.
But I'm always a Progressive, in my fashion,
Yes, I'm always a Progressive, in my way.

The proponents of Same Sex
They are keen to give me checks,
And their checks, I fear, mean same sex is here to stay!
See? I’m always a Progressive in my fashion,
Yes, I'm always a Progressive in my way.

Illanois' Barack – forlorn -
Calls me up from night 'til morn,
But with Hillary, I’m torn – what can I say?
But I'm always a Progressive, in my fashion,
Yes, I'm always a Progressive, in my way.

With my tax plan on the fritz,
With DiMasi throwing fits,
I begin a media blitz to have my say -
For I’m truly a Progressive in my fashion,
Yes, I act so darn Progressive, in my way.

If Mister Arnall, plutocrat, from a Board where I have sat,
Needs some phone calls to a bureaucrat, Okay!
But I’m always a Progressive in my fashion,
Yes, I’m always a Progressive in my way –
I’m always a Progressive in that Ole Bill Clinton Way!

Next Week - Down in the Depths!