Author John Fulton to speak at the South Shore Writers Club

The South Shore Writers Club is hosting a talk by writer John Fulton on Saturday, December, 8, 2007 at 11:00 am at the Abington Public Library.
All are cordially invited to attend. Light refreshments will be served.

Fulton's latest book, The Animal Girl, is a collection of two novellas and three stories. He has also written a collection of stories called Retribution and received a ‘Push Cart’ prize for the story, Hunter. Fulton is a Professor in the MFA program at U-Mass, Boston.

The Abington Public Library is located at 600 Gliniewicz Way, Abington, MA 02351

Kingston's Casino

The well-chronicled Christmas shopping rush is on as is the all too familiar logistical downside to this annual shopping frenzy as the crowds and traffic add stress to our daily lives. And nowhere is the impact greater than at the local mall and Independence Mall, located in bucolic Kingston, Mass. is no exception. But Lost in the shuffle, so to speak is a disruption wrought on the gambling venue at the east end of the mall's food court.

The dozen or so tables abutting the back of Dan's Hennessy News kiosk that are usually held down by serious-looking people carefully marking their Keno tickets are feeling the seasonal crush as hungry shoppers are forced to migrate there to find a place to wolf down their slice of Regina's Pizza. This is putting pressure on the regular denizens who find themselves boxed out. When I first saw an elderly couple sitting side-by-side at the four-place table, I thought it heart-warming until I realized that this was merely a way for both to view the big Keno monitor on Hennessy's back wall, where every three minutes a new game of Keno pops up amid animated flourish. It has lately become so crowded, that Hennessy’s regulars are forced to use the buddy system with one partner holding the table while the other fetches new betting slips or makes the occasional visit to the cashier. Ditto for bathroom breaks.

Given the hardships being faced by Keno aficionados during the shopping crunch and with an eye to the possibility of the gigantic casino planned for a few miles away in Middleborough, management might want to start thinking about a few upgrades.

First, they should consider separating the gamblers from the eaters by walling off the gambling area, which could then be made more casino-like with softer lighting and appropriate background music. With access constrained, a liquor license and smoking area could give it a real casino feel, but those changes are probably far off in the future.

One important change, and one that could be made immediately, would be to re-locate the lottery cashier operation to the back of the kiosk where it would face the “action.” This would also make the cashier more accessible to gamblers trekking up to place bets, or, as sometimes happens, collect their winnings, which are almost always taken in the form of lottery scratch cards. Hennessey's may sell a dozen or so different newspapers, but it has numbered slots for as many as forty eight different scratch cards. No wonder the sales are brisk for Lucky Fast Scratch Tools at only 99 cents. It’s probably a tribute to the cleaning staff that the area isn't ankle-deep in scratch card scrapings. Separating the gambling and merchandise traffic would also help to alleviate the cashier congestion that happens as non-gamblers line up with the punters to make a purchase from Hennessy's limited assortment of soda and chips. For now, these are the chips that you eat, not the ones you place on the table games, but who knows what the future might bring.

The Governor’s plan is to put a casino within easy commuting distance of every Massachusetts resident. Why not go one better and put one in each shopping mall. We already have a good start at Independence

Federalist Society, Happy 25th

As part of the View's long-standing quest for intelligent discussion of the issues of the day, we are pleased to give a Hat Tip to Jeff Jacoby and his article about the Federalist Society and its contribution to civil discourse. The Society's critics on the left might spend a little more time emulating its thoughtful approach and less time trying to cast it as a secret conservative cell.

As Jacoby writes:

"At a time when so much of what passes for public discourse is poisonous and extreme, the Federalist Society's commitment to fostering dialogue and intellectual diversity is a priceless resource."

The issues which we face today are too important to be dealt with via demagoguery.

The Long Slog to Dissent

For the remaining eight members of the Plymouth Charter Commission, the relief of completion must be heavy with ambivalence as they release the proposed town charter for consideration of the voters while recognizing that it lacks a consensus of its own members. Three of the Commissioners having submitted a dissenting minority report.

Sixteen months is a long time to spend in meetings and hearings, studying the vagaries of municipal government while trying to discern the structure that best meets the needs of Plymouth. In addition to the normal day-to-day issues faced by most other Massachusetts municipalities, Plymouth must also act with full regard of the Town it could become in the future when its vast tracts of open land are subject to development. These open tracts collectively equal, in round numbers, the average total size of an existing Massachusetts municipality.

One would have to believe that each of the commissioners stood for election to that post in May of 2006 with an earnest commitment to make our town government better, more efficient, and responsive to the citizens’ needs. As a starting point, the Commission analyzed the current Town Government to determine what parts needed tweaking and what parts should be preserved. Input was gathered from far and wide, from experts and concerned citizens alike. Unfortunately, the volume of input from the latter seemed lacking.

Some of the comments heard repeatedly during the Commissions’ deliberations were calls for simplicity, transparency and accountability, desirable aims all. Many Plymouth citizens bristle with straightforward demands such as lower taxes, more responsive services and, above all, simplicity. Commissioner David Buckman, perhaps showing the strain of the past sixteen months, offered the following: “You want simple government. I’ll give you simple government. I’ll give you the Third Reich. It was simple, it was efficient and it was evil.” He might have sought out a less-despicable example but his point is well taken. Even a benevolent dictatorship might be easy to understand, but it typically doesn’t do much in recognizing dissent by the governed.

Unfortunately, designing a Town charter in these times is not an easy task nor does it lend itself to simplicity. The challenges with which a Town must deal are varied and complex and must accommodate substantial state and federal regulation. While it is now too late to change the proposed charter, voters would be well advised to spend some time studying the issues. A good place to start would be the Charter Review web site. In the final analysis, the voters might decide that reforming the board of selectmen into an executive committee that includes a mayor with limited powers does not provide improved accountability while it adds complexity; ditto for the creation of a second Planning Board, even though many might agree on the importance of this function. Should this be the case, we may just find ourselves back at square one with our existing government. The old saw, people get the government they deserve, may be true as far as it goes, but they also tend to get governments they understand.

Rush to Casinos

It is interesting to note that when Massachusetts State Reps, Michael Morrissey and Brian Wallace proposed that a question be added to the state’s presidential primary See Globe Article that would allow voters to express an opinion on the Governor’s proposal for establishing three state-sanctioned casinos in Massachusetts, Senate president, Therese Murray was quick to indicate her enthusiasm for bringing the proposal to debate in the senate. Since all of the above-mentioned are on record as being casino supporters, it is safe to say that they expect the answer to the question:

“Do you support the establishment of up to three resort casinos in Massachusetts?” will be strongly positive.

With the Governor touting nearly half a billion dollars of projected tax revenue and thousands of new jobs, this reaction is easy to predict. So, seeing the outcome of this proposed public response going her way, Murray is jumping on the bandwagon of soliciting public support. This is, of course, the opposite course she took when over 170,000 Massachusetts citizens petitioned to put the question of gay marriage on the ballot. In that case, she, and her colleagues, took the tack that the legislature knew better and that the question was too “sensitive” to be put before the people as they denied access to the ballot for this issue. On the other hand, the Morrissey-Wallace proposal is for a non-binding referendum, so its results can easily be ignored if necessary.

In the meantime, Rep, Tom Calter (D-Kingston) who represents the Middleborough precinct that would be home to the proposed Wampanoag casino has announced his opposition See Article to that planned facility, primarily on the basis of the impact of an estimated 50,000 additional cars on the already congested local roadways. While clearly not a blanket opposition to the larger issue of casino gambling for Massachusetts, it is at least a start at looking at all aspects of casinos and not just blindly chasing elusive revenue projections.

On the face of it, casino gambling may look like a perfect solution. Casino attendance is voluntary. If you don’t want to contribute, stay home. Gambling, or Gaming as it is called, is being promoted as just another entertainment option. And the litany of fuzzy rationalizations goes on and on. But it’s not a free ride. Casinos will bring its baggage that will change forever the environs in which it is situated. Since the Governor’s proposal calls for at least three casinos, established on a regional basis, this means the environs will include the whole state.

Check out the Casino Free Mass website, especially the “talking points” section. Make no mistake about it, this organization is against casinos, but their arguments make interesting reading, even for gambling supporters.

Veterans Day 2007

Winston Churchill might seem like an unlikely source for a quote offered in tribute to The United States Military. But he had an American mother, and say what you will, the man could speak the English language. In August of 1940, speaking in the House of Commons in tribute to the Royal Air Force, he said:


"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."

On this day of remembrance, these words take on new meaning as we recall and honor the sacrifice of our military personnel some of whom who continue to protect our beloved country and our way of life.

No Iron Lady

Peggy Noonan possesses a rare talent for cutting through the bovine effluence and getting to the heart of the matter. Writing in the Wall Street Journal might limit her exposure somewhat as most of the lefty media tries to ignore the Journal’s existence, let alone its editorial opinions. But for producing tightly reasoned and balanced analysis, it has few peers. What better place to showcase the talents of Peggy Noonan. Moreover, the Journal is very good at getting its message out via the web.

In her recent piece, Things Are Tough All Over, Ms. Noonan cites Margaret Thatcher as an example of a strong and highly-effective leader who never needed, and probably never considered playing anything resembling the gender card. Mrs. Thatcher sought no special quarter from those with whom she dealt and all the while carried her femininity with ease and dignity. And Ms. Noonan cites several other examples of effective leaders who happen to have been women. The article is a great read.

There is a larger point than Hillary whining about how the “boys” ganged up on her in the last debate and that speaks to the need for candidates to provide an honest and forthright articulation of their positions on the important issues. If candidates utilize the strategy of avoiding taking a position so as to avoid future criticism, and Mrs. C is not the only candidate that answers questions with non-answers, they will leave voters scratching their heads as they try to drill down beyond the sound bites to discern just how a candidate might handle the demands of the presidency. Watching Mrs. C. try to avoid taking a position on Elliott Spitzer’s plan to issue drivers licenses to illegal aliens was agonizing and frustrating. How many of us yelled at the screen, "answer the damn question."

The issues are large and complicated. War is easy to hate. What’s to like? And yet we are faced with real and serious threats from dangerous enemies that do not play by the old rules. The United States is a compassionate country that tries to meet the needs of its less-fortunate citizens. But we must ensure that a balance be struck between government control and the self-reliance that has made this country great. As a son of an immigrant, I have special reason to appreciate the opportunity that America has offered to new comers over the centuries. At the same time, if we do not deal constructively with the flood of illegal immigrants in our midst, we run the risk of unraveling the very fabric of our way of life. These, and similar issues, are complex and their solution will not come from fence-sitting non-answers. Would that we had more writers like Peggy Noonan to guide us through the obfuscation.

A City and a College

Thanks to our brush with Noel over the week end, we managed to be out of contact via the internet for several days. Modern Technology is surely a wonder, but is still susceptible to a tantrum from Mother Nature. In the meantime, several new developments have occurred that are hereby worthy of mention:

Fitchburg, MA- This week Fitchburg voters overwhelmingly elected Lisa Wong as their next mayor. Wong, a political neophyte, won handily over local businessman, Tom Donnelly. In another time, the mayoralty might have been Donnelly’s by succession. A well-known Fitchburg native who has served for many years on the City Council, Donnelly would have been a shoo-in. Suffice it to say, these are different times as this old city, along with many of its counterparts in New England, struggles to survive in the face of years of decline stemming from the loss of its old-economy industries. Its downtown is neat and pleasant, but there are entirely too many vacant stores and offices. Apparently the voters felt that it was time to try a fresh approach and decided to give Wong a chance to produce on her campaign emphasis on new business development and economic revival.

One of the bright spots in the local scene is the vibrancy of Fitchburg State College. In addition to being one of the areas largest employers, it also supports the local economy through the scores of visitors to the campus for academics, sporting events and cultural activities. The strength of the College’s commitment to its community is best reflected by its College/Community Partnership program. Led by its dynamic president, Bob Antonucci, the college has also reached out to the local communities through a variety of programs. When a new athletic complex was built a few years ago, the old gymnasium building was turned into a Boys and Girls Club for the local kids. The Center Stage program provides an annual series of top cultural events open to all. The college regularly hosts academic and athletic events for the region’s high school students.

Last Saturday, amidst a Noel-induced downpour, I attended a reunion of my fraternity, formally known as The Esoteric Society, at the FSC campus. Fraternities, in general, have a well-earned reputation for marginal behavior and perpetual partying. And while there may have been some of that over the years within Delta Phi Pi (nee, Phi Delta Pi) it also has produced many strong and lasting friendships that have survived the rigors of graduation, families and careers and, in the case of some of us, retirement and beyond. These are some of the best people I know and I am proud to be an Esoteric. As we move forward, we will be investigating the possibility of endowing a legacy scholarship at FSC. At this point, this is only an idea, but if anyone can make it happen, these are the guys.