Monday, January 31, 2005

HaloScan Services added to The Mirror

We've recently added HaloScan Services to The Mirror to help us better manage reader comments. You will notice the look and feel of the comments sections has changed slightly. Also, we have added a trackback link for each new post. A trackback will make it easier for other bloggers to link to articles posted on The Mirror.

One minor detail regarding comments. You may notice all exisiting comments appear missing. We haven't lost the existing comments. We spent much of last week backing up all the post and comment data. User Comments going forward will be managed by Haloscan instead of Blogger. They are 2 sepatate entities. Comments on the Blogger system remain on Blogger. Comments on the HaloScan system will remain on HaloScan.

We've had some trouble in the past several months with readers leaving comments that were .... let's just say they were off topic. I'm going to try and leave the comments system open for now. If the comments on this blog do become unmanageable, I will be forced to discontinue the reader comment service all togeather. Besides Ms. Elizabeth is a very nice girl as well as a wonderful writer and contributor to the Everett Mirror. Lets try not to offend the sensibillites of our editors and fellow readers with your comments.

Saturday, January 29, 2005

The Buying of the Press

Even journalism isn’t sacred anymore. Although Republicans love to talk about the conspiracy of the “liberal media”, it was revealed a few weeks ago that the conservative pundit Armstrong Williams had been paid $240,000 by a public relations firm that had been hired by the Bush Administration’s Department of Education. Mr. Williams’ job was to promote the “No Child Left Behind” education reform plan with advertising. Just this week, CNN reported that syndicated columnist Maggie Gallagher had a contract with the Department of Health and Human Services to promote the President’s initiative on marriage. President Bush has stated that he disapproves of the practice [of paying for positive press] and has stated that “Our agenda ought to be able to stand on its own two feet.” Indeed, and give the man credit for saying so. CNN also reported that the Bush administration spent more than $88 million on contracts with public relations firms in 2004. This was a 128% increase since 2000. Not surprisingly, Democratic lawmakers are introducing a bill to stop “tax-payer funded covert propaganda” campaigns, although language prohibiting this type of spending has been included in annual appropriation bills since 1951.

Could this be happening at the local level? Perhaps. Although we may never really know just how much money the school department spends on advertising, the amount on the books is still significant. There can only be one explanation for the lengths that some of our local newspapers are willing to go to for the Superintendent, and that is “revenue.” Those full-page ads, complete with photographs, don’t come cheaply – and neither does loyalty. Nowhere else would you find a local newspaper that would call the Boston Globe article something “nice to read.” Here’s something else to consider; there is something fundamentally wrong when the school department complains that it doesn’t have enough teachers but seems to have plenty of money for non-essentials like advertising. Are their priorities in the right place? We think not.

Call your local school committee member and ask him or her to take the pledge. No taxpayer money for public relations. Just like President Bush, the Superintendent’s agenda should be able to stand on its own two feet.

Wednesday, January 26, 2005

To Our Readers

When we started this weblog, we promised that we would deal strictly with fact. Part of that promise is to be willing to admit when our commentary has been . . . well. . . misguided. After reading Tuesday's Boston Globe, we find one of those moments upon us. Yes, dear readers, we have read the profile on our Superintendent of Schools, and we have been transformed. We have donned the black Nikes and the purple shrouds. We are ready to drink the Kool-Aid and enter the parallel universe known as "Fred's World."

We can see you, sitting at your computers, shaking your heads in wonder. What could possibly have happened to engender such a transformation? After all, have we not been vocal in our critcism of all Freddie-like occurances in the past?

Well . . . maybe it was the title of the article -- "His schools, his life." A martyr for the cause of education is our Superintendent. How could we resist?

Maybe it was the image of our Superintendent as Cheerleader, making a rare appearance in the locker room of the EHS girls' hockey team, where "his voice rose, trembled, then boomed" as he urged the girls to victory.

Or . . . maybe it's that we still believe in Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Man in the Moon . . . because you would have to possess the naivete of a child to accept this powder puff profile as anything but a pre-trial public relations maneuver on the part of the Superintendent. While the article does make mention of the indictments currently pending against him, it generally paints a portrait of a tough but misunderstood public servant who has dedicated his life to the betterment of the Everett public school system. Take another look at that article title -- "His schools, his life." In the parallel universe of Fred's World, it's all about Fred. These aren't our schools -- they're Fred's schools.

Now . . . don't misunderstand us. People who dedicate their lives to educating our children are to be admired, honored, even revered -- and there is a list of such people far too numerous to publish here who never get the recognition they deserve. However, people who claim that "it's all about the kids" while behaving as if it's all about them are not "martyrs to the cause of education." Self sacrifice and self-promotion are not synonymous.

The Superintendent has used School Committee meetings as his own personal platform for villifying the Mayor and members of the City Council who question his actions or the actions of the School Department. He refers to these elected officials as the Mayor's "lapdogs" while maintaining his own 9-member Kennel Club in the form of the School Committee -- people who, individually, are fine, intelligent, well-thought-of members of the community but who collectively have allowed themselves to be co-opted to the status of rubber stamp for the whims of the Superintendent.

We hope that you will all read the Globe article -- it is as telling for what it doesn't say as it is for what it does.

His Schools, His Life

Tuesday, January 25, 2005

Wouldn't It Be Cool?

The Massachusetts State Lottery Commission is underwriting a tour of the World Series Trophy throughout the Commonwealth to every city and town in Massachusetts that makes a request. With the city of Everett dropping more than $36 million dollars a year in the Lottery till, we have more than earned the right to have the trophy come to Everett. There has been a lot of talk about getting our "fair share"; but until then, wouldn't it be cool to have the World Series Trophy come to Everett? The website doesn't list an Everett visit yet, and this city deserves this for everyone who has ever spent a dollar on the lottery.Perhaps the Mayor could step up and make this happen? A letter needs to be sent to the Red Sox:

Requests for Trophy visits may be submitted in writing to:
Colin Burch
Boston Red Sox
4 Yawkey Way
Boston, MA 02215

Additional information about the Trophy Tour can be found at the Mass. State Lottery Website.
Massachusetts Lottery Red Sox Trophy Tour

Friday, January 21, 2005

The World We Live In

The world is a very dangerous place these days, and it’s evident right here in the Boston area. Recent news stories have included an alleged dirty bomb plot targeting Boston involving Iraqi and Chinese nationals smuggled over the Mexican/US border, as well as an Al-Qaeda link to the MS-13 gang out of East Boston. Dangerous times, indeed, and it is understandable that city government and the public would be anxious about security.

Police Chief Mazzie appeared before the Common Council on Tuesday night, at the request of Councilor Leo McKinnon, who was looking for information about police action against the MS-13 gang, widely believed to be in East Boston and Somerville. The chief assured the Council that his officers had been monitoring gang activity for a long time, and that there had been no up tick in recent activity.

The Council was also interested in making sure that the police department had adequate manpower. Chief Mazzie did reveal that federal funding for hiring police had "dried up", and that community policing resources, which provided for the hiring of new officers, were being put toward Homeland Security. Councilor Catherine Gover questioned the Chief about his staffing needs, in light of a recent Herald article which referenced an intelligence report linking the MS-13 gang to Al Qaeda. Chief Mazzie agreed that he needed more officers, but recognized that current economic conditions would prevent that from happening if the state and federal government didn’t pitch in.

While one can understand the shift towards Homeland Security, it should not come at the expense of community police programs. Grants from the Homeland Security Office have been slow in coming to Everett, and typically provide for training and equipment – but not officers on the street. Let’s hope that our state and federal officials consider renewing community policing programs – before they wish they had.

Sunday, January 16, 2005

Rights – and Responsibilities – of the First Amendment

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble; and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

So reads the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. It’s a tall order, because it asks of us as a people to exercise a level of tolerance that can challenge the darkest parts of our nature. It asks us to accept pluralism as the American way of life, to accept that there is more than one idea to be considered, more than one point of view that may be valid. We’ve all experienced the urge to rant against those whose opinions we find contrary to our own, offensive or just downright ridiculous. The First Amendment asks us – even dares us – to overcome that urge.

When we at the Mirror first discussed establishing this blog, the type of information we wanted to provide, and the quality of information to be put forward, we were very much aware of our rights under the First Amendment’s provision for freedom of speech. We also had to seriously consider the responsibilities that go along with those rights, and since we were setting up the blog to allow for comments from our readers, we realized that there would be a certain degree of editorial responsibility that would need to be exercised as well. This is a responsibility that we take very seriously, and we do, from time to time, post reminders that while we welcome your comments, we ask that you keep them respectful and free of personal attacks and unsubstantiated rumor. It is important to remember, we believe, that just because you have the right to say something does not mean that you are right to say it.

In composing the articles that appear on this blog, we are very careful that all stories are factual and all commentaries are based on fact, and we have asked the same of those posting comments. Since the inception of the Mirror, we have removed 13 comments – out of several hundred that have been posted. We do not do this lightly, as we believe that everyone is entitled to his or her opinion; however, when opinion crosses over the line to scurrilous gossip or outright libel, those comments will be removed. We do not accept that it is our right or the right of readers who post comments to engage in character assassination of public officials or to spread rumors or engage in lascivious gossip about the personal lives of public and private figures.

We will continue to be diligent in maintaining quality at The Everett Mirror. We will continue to hold ourselves to a higher standard, and we will continue to review the comments posted here to ensure that the personal reputations of elected officials and private citizens are not maligned. We will continue to work to maintain that fine balance between legitimate and libelous commentary. This is shaping up to be a very interesting – and very contentious – election year, and it would be easy to fall into the trap of venting frustration and engaging in mudslinging in the pages of this and our sister blog site. We challenge ourselves – and our readers – to rise above our baser instincts and raise the level of debate to benefit us all.

Thank you.

The Staff of The Everett Mirror

Thursday, January 13, 2005

Checking Our Rear View "Mirror"

Introspection, it has been said, is good for the soul. This thought sprang to mind during the January 10 Board of Aldermen meeting and has been playing over and over since then.

Both Jason Marcus and Michael Marchese made statements on Monday evening accusing Mayor Ragucci of planting personally damning statements about them in the local press related to their actions in reviewing a request to purchase new trucks for the City Services Department. Stories on the subject have appeared in the local papers, and we wrote a piece on the subject ourselves, so we will not bother to recap it here.

Alderman Marcus claimed that the Mayor accused him of ducking his responsibility by feigning illness on the night of the vote; Alderman Marchese was a little less direct in his accusation, but his meaning was clear. What caught our attention, however, was when Alderman Marchese mentioned "websites" that were printing critical commentary about the City Council, and he insinuated that the Mayor is responsible for the creation and content of these sites. "We all know where this comes from," claimed Marchese.

This statement got us at the Mirror thinking (since Marchese references websites, we assume he was including us in his condemnation), are we guilty of being overly critical of the City Council or of giving the Administration a free pass in the articles we post? After all, our goal when we started out was to minimize the "spin" we felt to be so prevalent in the local press. The only way we could answer that question was to engage in our own introspective analysis of our postings over the last four months. Here's what we found:

Since our debut in September 2004, we have posted 33 articles. We reviewed these articles and organized them into eight separate categories, which break out as follows:

Cultural/current events -- 9 articles
Local interest -- 5 articles
Political/General -- 1 article
Political/Administration -- 1 article
Political/Board of Aldermen -- 3 articles
Political/Common Council -- 1 article
Political/School Committee -- 8 articles
Public Service -- 5 articles


These numbers indicate that more than half of our articles are non-politically focused. The one political article that we categorized as "administration" was actually critical of the way the Administration had handled a particular piece of business -- in fact, the very piece of business that prompted the comments made by Aldermen Marcus and Marchese ("Under Suspension -- Thoughtful Planning").

The bulk of our politically-based articles focus on the School Committee and the Superintendent, the controversy surrounding MCAS scores, and the budget overages incurred by the School Department.

At this point in our introspective analysis, we found no evidence to support Alderman Marchese's claim that the Mayor controls "The Mirror." In fact, if that contention were true, we would have to advise the Mayor to find some new writers for this blog, because the current staff is falling short of any goal of self-promotion on the Mayor's part.

Be that as it may, we took our analysis a little further by delving into the comments posted by our readers. We reviewed 88 comments posted on eight of our politically focused articles, including those that were less than flattering to certain members of the Board of Aldermen. Here is how things broke down. Please note that the numbers may not equal the 88 comments we reveiwed, as some of the comments contained more than one "opinion" and could be included under several categories:

Pro-Ragucci administration -- 5 comments
Anti-Ragucci administration -- 7 comments
Pro-School Committee/Superintendent -- 3 comments
Anti-School Committee/Superintendent -- 7 comments
Pro-City Council -- 3 comments
Anti-City Council -- 20 comments
Miscellaneous -- 37 comments
Coments removed -- 12 comments

Note: "Miscellaneous" includes comments that could not be clearly categorized, general discussion, or clarifying comments

Note: Comments were removed because of duplication (a comment posted more than once), inappropriate language, or personal attacks on individuals.

The pro-Ragucci, anti-Ragucci and anti-School Committee comments run just about neck and neck. Taking the miscellaneous comments out of the mix, the majority of the comments were focused on the City Council, and the majority of those were specifically negative toward the City Council. These comments did not indicate any comment on the Administration per se -- good or bad -- and referred just to the actions of either the Board of Aldermen or the Common Council.

Our analysis led us to this conclusion -- rather than railing against the Administration or the content of this or our sister blog, everettpolitics.blogspot.com, perhaps Alderman Marchese and his colleagues should engage in a little introspection of their own.

Saturday, January 08, 2005

Help for the Neediest Among Us

Every day, the generosity of the American people is called upon; requests for donations to various causes -- philanthropical, political, religious -- come into our mailbox on a regular basis. Every day we are called upon to decide how generous we can be, to help the neediest among us. We could never have imagined, however, how great that need would become until the inconceivable tragedy that has engulfed south Asia occurred in the form of an earthquake and tsunami on December 26. The death toll is now estimated to be well over 150,000. The dead cannot be buried fast enough, leaving the survivors open to diseases such as cholera. Food, medicine, clothing and shelter must be supplied for the survivors who walk the streets dazed and confused about what has happened to them and their families.

Can there be any question that, at this very moment, the victims of the tsunamis that have devastated south Asia are the neediest among us?

Many of us feel compelled to help but, perhaps, don’t know where to start. All the news stories covering the relief effort indicate the same thing – cash donations are the most needed form of contribution. The money will be used to purchase the food, medicine and clothing required as determined by the volunteers on the ground who see first hand what the needs are.

It is still wise, however, to use caution when donating to any charity, particularly in a time of crisis when swindlers and cheats will use the opportunity for personal ill-gotten gain.

Susan Wornick, consumer reporter at Channel Five, provides some sound advice for giving during this worldwide relief effort:
-- Give cash only to established organizations such as the Red Cross.
-- Beware of organizations you’ve never heard of, particularly those soliciting
donations by telephone.
-- Never give credit card or checking account information over the telephone –
legitimate relief agencies do not conduct business in this manner
-- Never allow a telephone solicitor to “stop by and pick up a check.”

There are also a number of helpful articles related to the tsunami disaster at www.thebostonchannel.com. We found a useful link at this site for www.charitywatch.org, the website of the American Institute of Philanthropy, a national charity watchdog service formed to help donors make informed giving decisions. In a special section dedicated to the tsunami tragedy, the site provides their listing and ranking of the top ten agencies currently conducting tsunami relief programs.

In addition, the Everett Cooperative Bank, according to a press release published in the Everett Leader Herald this week, is now accepting donations for the Tsunami Relief Fund. The bank has chosen Save the Children for receipt of any donations received, because all funds will be designated by Save the Children for the Asian Emergency Response. According to Save the Children, more than one third of those lost in the tsunami were children, and many more children were left orphaned when their parents were lost in the disaster. According to the press release, the fund will provide medical care for disaster victims as well as support programs to address the long term impact of the catastrophe on children. You can stop by the bank and make your donation, or mail your check to The Everett Cooperative Bank, 419 Broadway. All checks should be made payable to Save the Children and will be forwarded directly to them. Save the Children is also included in the top ten charities list provided at charitywatch.org.

Certain factions in the world with their own political agendas to promote may call into question the generosity of the American people, but we know that we have always been, and will always be, at the forefront to lend a hand when disaster strikes . . . and we know that this time of crisis for our neighbors half a world away will be no different. May God bless them and keep them in His care.

Thursday, January 06, 2005

Congratulations Are In Order

The Board of Aldermen, the Common Council and the School Committee elected the presidents and chairmen of their respective bodies on Monday, January 3, 2005. Congratulations and best of luck to each of these gentlemen.

The new president of the Board of Alderman is Jason Marcus. Jason, a two term Alderman from Ward 2, has previously served as president of the Common Council, providing him with the needed experience to oversee the meetings of the Board. Wayne Matewsky, a twenty five year incumbent from Ward 1, is the newly elected president of the Common Council. Wayne was president during the 1999 session and brings experience to the table as well.

David Ela, who is serving his third term on the School Committee representing Ward 4, was re-elected as the Chairman of the School Committee, and Frank Parker, in his first elected term on the School Committee from Ward 3, was re-elected Vice Chairman

We wish them all the best of luck. It is our hope that these gentlemen, as well as the Mayor, were sincere when they expressed their sentiments that the various government bodies must work together for the betterment of the city in the coming year.

Wednesday, January 05, 2005

Expanding a Point of View

To Our Readers:

The following comment was posted on our blog on Monday, January 3, and one of our editors felt that it played the “racist card” a little too casually and was, therefore, inappropriate. We thought we would repost the comment here, however, and respond to it with a few thoughts of our own.

“Letting someone link small town, provincial politics to Elie Weisel and his writings on the holocaust and not commenting on how blantantly irresponsible that is the nadir of indifference . . . how dare you! Not to mentioned the veiled racism of your apartment reference. . . for some that’s called getting a start on the American dream and most, if not all of our families probably started that way. Grow up and find something valuable to do with your time.”

The anonymous commenter takes issue with this statement: “Although Nobel Prize winner Elie Weisel warned us of the ‘perils of indifference’ at the global level, there is still plenty of peril right here at home.” Elie Weisel coined the phrase “perils of indifference” in a speech given before various dignitaries, including then President Clinton, so it is appropriate to provide proper attribution. Our reference to the phraseology was not in any way intended to, nor do we feel that it does, diminish the enormous tragedy of the Holocaust or any other acts of genocide around the world. In fact, if the commenter had actually read the Perils of Indifference, he or she would know that Weisel not only defines “indifference”, but what it means in terms of our fellow human beings. Within this speech, Weisel makes the following observations on the meaning of indifference:

“ . . . to be indifferent . . . is what makes the human being inhuman. Indifference, after all, is more dangerous than anger and hatred. Anger can at times be creative. One writes a great poem, a great symphony. One does something special for the sake of humanity because one is angry at the injustice that one witnesses. But indifference is never creative. Even hatred at times may elicit a response. You fight it. You denounce it. You disarm it.

“Indifference elicits no response. Indifference is not a response. Indifference is not a beginning; it is an end. And, therefore, indifference is always the friend of the enemy, for it benefits the aggressor – never his victim . . . “

The commenter also accuses us of “veiled racism” in this statement: “Indifference is allowing ten people to rent an apartment meant for only 3.” This statement was not intended toward any particular ethic group but rather, as a subsequent commenter aptly noted, was made in reference to the landlords renting the property with total disregard for zoning or public safety concerns. When the “War on Poverty” was waged in the sixties, housing was a key issue. It is not the American Dream to allow greedy landlords to take advantage of immigrants by charging top dollar while allowing overcrowding and squalor. It is not healthy for families, and agencies and advocacy groups have worked diligently for years to prevent these conditions. Yet, this commenter believes that this is the start of the American Dream . . . that “most, if not all of our families probably started that way.” Perhaps they did . . . and with each generation should come an improvement of condition, not the status quo for which our commenter is opting.

However, there is a broader theme here and an opportunity for an expanded view. Our commenter refers to “small town, provincial politics” as though Everett is unique in this regard. Everett is just one in a long history of communities that have, from time to time, allowed political and personal indifference to rule the day. Does our commenter think that the Holocaust – or the horrors of Uganda, the Sudan, Rwanda or Iraq, to name a few – suddenly manifested themselves overnight? Dictatorships and terrorism happen because people stop paying attention, because they turn a blind eye to the things going on around them – because, as Elie Weisel said in that same speech, “it is so much easier to avoid such rude interruptions to our work, our dreams, our hopes.” It is so much easier to be indifferent. Everett is not Nazi-Germany, or the Sudan, or Rwanda, or Iraq – and we should thank God every day for that – but we are just as susceptible to the “perils of indifference” that Weisel describes as were the people who sat back and watched the annihilation of millions of people because “it is so much easier to avoid such rude interruptions” to our daily lives. Diligence at the “small town, provincial” level is the only thing that will save us – or any community – from the greater “perils of indifference.”

Monday, January 03, 2005

UPDATE -- Special Event January 18, 2005

The following is an update of a special guest posting provided by Ward 4 Councilman John Leo McKinnon:

Mayor David Ragucci & Councilor John Leo McKinnon cordially invite you to "March in Celebration" in an informal parade on Tuesday, January 18, 2005, at 6:30 in the evening from the Everett Armory to Everett City Hall in recognition of the Huskies & Eagles' cheerleading victories in the National Cheerleading Competition held in Disney World, Florida.

C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S ! ! !

Huskies C Team Cheerleaders -- First Place Pop Warner National Champions
Huskies D Team Cheerleaders -- Second Place Pop Warner National Champions
Eagles Seahawks D Team Cheerleaders -- Third Place Pop Warner National Champions

Light refreshments will be served immediately following the procession in the Mayor's Conference Room located on the third floor of City Hall. Citations will be presented at 7:30 p.m. in Council Chamber.

Thank you.

John Leo McKinnon

Sunday, January 02, 2005

It's a Brand New Year -- Why Not Make a Difference?

It’s the second day into a brand new year; the whole year stretches out before us like Glendale Park after a good snow storm. There aren’t any footprints yet - dogs and walkers haven’t left their “mark”. The air is cool and quiet, and the hills haven’t been shaved by sliders. The whole world seems brand new.

The year is ours to do with what we will. We can choose to make a difference or we can choose the status quo; it’s up to us. Indifference is a killer; Indifference will kill a city faster than anything else. Crime breeds when Indifference moves in. Properties falls into disrepair and businesses move out when Indifference sets up shop. The middle class takes flight when Indifference comes to town. The thing about Indifference is this; it doesn’t rob us at night - it’s a daytime con job that pretends to “be minding its own business”, when the business of Everett is everyone’s business.

Although Nobel Prize winner Elie Weisel warned us of the “perils of indifference” at the global level, there is still plenty of peril right here at home. Would this city have witnessed such brazen overspending at the school department or the bid rigging scandal if the School Committee had been “checking” the power of the Superintendent? Would the School Committee be so negligent in their oversight if they had people running against them? The answer is “no”. Complacency and inattention is what created the Superintendent and his School Committee - and it is up to the citizens of this city to take it back.

The “perils of indifference” aren’t limited to the School Department - they are also epidemic in city government. Listen to the silliness at some of the City Council meetings -- both branches--if you think they’re exempt. Political agendas abound, and instead of being a part of the solution, a number of elected officials are settling for obstruction and game playing. The “corner office” isn’t above it all, either. Everyone owns his/her own little piece of the Indifference pie.

Did Indifference move onto your street? Indifference is parking at the bus stop to run into Dunkin Donuts. Indifference is double-parking on Broadway. Indifference is letting litter blow all over Everett’s streets ...and looking the other way. Indifference is allowing ten people to rent an apartment meant for only 3. Indifference is assuming the rules are for everyone else but you.

Have you become Indifferent? Now is not the time for it. Now is the time for action, for participation, for paying attention. If you stand on the sidelines, indifference will make the plays for you. It’s time to get in the game.