CapeCodToday Blog Chowder

Nearly Lost My Head

Link: http://www.dannyschwarzhoff.net

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God Forbid

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Marketing the Constitution: The Federalist Papers

They became the basis for "e pluribus unum."
Historians have figured out who wrote most of them

They are called "The Federalist"  or "The Federalist Papers" and they were written by three Americans in 1787-88 for eventual publication in newspapers throughout the country.  Their purpose was to help educate the American people as part of the ratification campaign for the proposed Constitution of the United States. 

These papers, 85 of them, considered a variety of issues, both pro and con, facing the new country. Their central focus was roles of states and the federal government. They became the basis for "e pluribus unum." and give us a view of the difficult and comprehensive challenges of nation building. While they ended up in the newspapers, some of them appeared in bound volumes and in pamphlets as well.  They spawned a body of literature consisting of columns and pamphlets written by those who opposed ratification, the "anti-Federalists,"

 The unpaid authors of the Federalist Papers were Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay.  Hamilton was 30 years old, Madison was 36 and Jay was 42.  The men used the name "Publius" and never disclosed that they were the authors nor divulged who wrote which of the papers.  Historians have figured out who wrote most of the papers, although 12 of them are disputed.  Hamilton, who wrote the largest number went on to become the first Secretary of the Treasury, Madison became the fourth President and John Jay became the first Chief Justice of the United States.

 The original impetus for the project was Hamilton who felt the written arguments were needed to sell the citizens of his state of New York.  They were circulated throughout the state and exported to the other colonies.

 One notable aspect of the Federalist Papers was Number 84 which was opposed to what later became the Bill of Rights..  Hamilton, the author, believed that if a list of rights were identified, that would suggest that only those rights were important.  He preferred to have the Constitution talk about the powers of government, leaving what was left to the states.

 Over the years, Federal judges, when interpreting the Constitution, have  looked to the Federalist Papers as a commentary on the intentions of the framers of the constitution.  They constitute a rich source of information on a variety of debate topics which were fundamental to the founding of the United States.  The following is a sample of the issues taken from topics covered in the papers.  Virtually any one of these could spawn a library full of books or an entire body of historical/political literature:

 § The relative importance of direct and representative democracy.

• § The relationship between self interest and the common good.
• § Why we are a safer nation if we are united.
• § Relationships between separate states and foreign powers.
• § Disagreements among states.
• § Barriers to factions and insurrection.
• § What are the consequences of war between states?
• § The value of a union to commerce.
• § The balance of state and national powers.
• § Checks and balances.
• § Power of taxation, states and national.
• § Election of the President
• § The courts as guardian of the constitution.
• § Why do we need a senate and what should be its involvement in treaties with foreign powers.?

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Cape owners avoid rate hike; Ocean Bill allows Buzzards Bay wind farm; Coastal threat growing

Cape Cod homeowners avoid big hike in insurance
Regulator finds no basis for another 25% increase

If the FAIR Plan's request had been approved, premiums for policies on Cape Cod would have risen to $2,282.Tens of thousands of homeowners on Cape Cod were spared a second straight 25 percent increase in insurance premiums after a state regulator yesterday rejected an insurance association's request for double-digit rate hikes.  The FAIR Plan, as the state's insurer of last resort is called, had sought a 25 percent rate hike for Cape Cod and the Islands. Other parts of the state faced double-digit increases, too. The average increase statewide would have been 13.2 percent.

Some 150,000 Massachusetts residents and about 40 percent of homeowners on Cape Cod get their homeowners' insurance from the FAIR Plan, because they are no longer able to obtain affordable coverage in the private market. The number of FAIR Plan policyholders ballooned after insurers pulled out of Cape Cod's market following a spate of hurricanes in Florida and the Gulf Coast in 2004 and 2005...  The commissioner's decision is a welcome development for Cape Cod and Islands homeowners, who had already been socked with a 25 percent hike in their 2006 premiums. If the FAIR Plan's request had been approved, premiums for policies on Cape Cod would have risen to $2,282, on average, from $1,826 currently, and $1,432 in 2005...  Globe.
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Accord reached on oceans bill
Could allow a controversial wind farm in Buzzards Bay

"We felt it was really important to set up a transparent public process that will get the public interest ahead of the private interest." - Sen. Robert O'LearyThe state would open up ocean sanctuaries to renewable energy development under a legislative agreement that could allow a controversial wind farm in Buzzards Bay to be built under certain conditions.  A six-member conference committee of House and Senate members reached consensus on the bill this week, avoiding more drastic House legislation that critics say would have opened up Buzzards Bay and other ocean sanctuaries to unlimited renewable energy development.

"We felt it was really important to set up a transparent public process that will get the public interest ahead of the private interest," said Sen. Robert O'Leary, D-Barnstable, who filed the oceans bill and served on the conference committee. "In the same breath, we recognize the need for renewables and offshore renewables and we recognize that we need to move in that direction."  Under current law, development can only take place in the state's ocean sanctuaries if it is deemed a "public necessity." The five protected sanctuaries are on the North Shore, Cape Cod Bay, the southern Cape and islands and Buzzards Bay...  Standard-Times.
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Gathering storm
The threat to coastal communities, including in the U.S., is growing

Major weather events are sure to bring collateral damage, and that damage is costing lives as well as lots of money. Residents of Cape Cod, for example, have seen their home insurance premiums double over the past two years. In many coastal communities insurance companies are refusing to underwrite coverage at all.With so much attention being given to the tragedy in Myanmar -- new figures put the number of dead or missing at 70,000 due to the devastating effects of Cyclone Nargis -- it's worth looking at our own shores for potential catastrophe: Half the U.S. population lives within 50 miles of seashore.

In terms of dollars, businesses would be hit the hardest in a U.S. coastal disaster. Taking that into consideration, private and public sector groups are looking at ways to find public policy and private-market solutions to better protect coastal communities...  "Coastal protection needs to be part of our national conversation on climate change," says Ceres president Mindy Lubber, in announcing the joint venture with the Heinz Center at the Ceres conference in Boston last week. "This is an historic moment in which public and private-sector leaders recognize the rising threat of climate change in coastal communities and the need for strong policies and market-based solutions to reduce that exposure"... Market Watch.

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Huge fire threatens Cape Cod homes

Arson suspected in huge Cape Cod forest fire

On this day in 1957 the front page of the New York Times screamed this headline:

FOREST FIRES RAGE IN DRY NORTHEAST
State of Emergency Ordered in Massachusetts--Cape Cod Fire Uncontrolled
              __________

ARSON IS INVESTIGATED

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Woods in Seven States and Ontario Afire--Dry Spell Is Near a Drought

Forest fires raged in seven Northeastern States and a province of Canada last night.  At least 30,000 acres of tinder-dry woodland was blackened.  Massachusetts declared a state of emergency and Maine imposed restrictions.

Then Massachusetts Governor Foster Furculo ordered 200 National Guardsmen, 200 state employees and convicts from state prison out to fight the fire.

The fire which started in the Miles Standish State Forest and quickly raced towards the canal and Cape Cod, was called "definitely arson" by the Plymouth Fire Chief.

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Bismore Park: Introduction

If you've ever been at sea to witness a sunrise, they are as breathtaking if not more than any sunset. The most stark difference is in the following chain of events. Whereas sunsets generally conjure up visions of solitude and romance, and the end of the day, sunrise is the birth of a new day and not necessarily a harbinger of what lies ahead. This particular sunrise was a daisy, the ocean was almost an infinite pond with a nice gentle swell. The morning sky was crystal clear as the stars gave way to light 90 miles south of Nantucket Island in the Ambrose shipping lane while the F/V Madison Reilly steamed eastward to the 3000 line on the LORAN overlay to start hauling the first of her 1500 traps.

The Madison Reilly was a refugee so to speak, from the Louisiana shrimp industry that was over powered by offshore lobstering standards.

At only 55' , this Bruno-Stillman was re-keeled with a 9' draft and powered with a Detroit Allison 12-71. Saving the need to ever drag anything heavier than a grapple hook to find a lost trawl, the horsepower was reserved for running the hydraulic pot sheaves at full bore and steaming at 13 + kts., which is pretty respectable for an offshore commercial fishing vessel.

She was however modest compared to the larger 65' and up "Lobster Yachts".

Onboard the Madison Reilly the captain was out in the elements, good or bad, with the crew hauling the gear, not inside wearing shorts and slippers with the heat on, screaming out a window like the big boys.

"I can smell the bugs, Skipper", Bobby announced walking into the wheel house as he made his way to the galley to get a "Cup a' Joe", as he called it.

"Hope so"' the captain half answered as he studied the trawl numbers, reviewing the catch from the last trip and trying to figure out the benthic arachnids. The water was finally warming up, which meant stripers and blues, summer girls on the Cape, the lobster world was finally awake, looking for food and the crew was looking for a paycheck.

"So, last night," the captain paused, tossing the ledger on the dashboard, turning around, "Ginger or Mary Ann?"

"Ginger...trapped in Mary Ann's body," the mate chuckled.

"Nice, we're 20 minutes out, want to get the ladies up, 'Little Buddy',"the captain asked?

It was more of an order than a request. The captain ran the boat, dealt with the owner, fish mongers, and other pleasantries while the handling of the crew was delegated to the First Mate.

Bobby and the Captain had been good friends for years, always covering each others back and when the stewardship of the Madison Reilly came along, the captain didn't hesitate to have Bobby onboard as his mate. Knowing his personality, Bobby could select and direct the crew, while the captain focused on making the boat money. The Gilligan's Island banter just started one day and stuck.

"Alright, kids time to rock and roll," the mate warned as he flipped on the lights and hit the power button on the stereo, suddenly Neil Young and the Blue Notes stepped aboard wailing,

"We are men at work
We got a job to do
We gotta keep you rockin'
To keep your soul from the blue…"

"Five minutes," Chris pleaded knowing the answer would be, "sure, get a job at BK and have it you way."   Chris was Bobby's younger brother, fishing during school and summer vacations.  He had a good work ethic for a "kid", as the captain called him, but that only came into play after he got out of the rack.

Tom Irving, the other crew member, was a more permanent member of the crew but everything is prone to change. Tom was from a Plymouth fishing family but didn't want anything to do with fishing, or his family. Tom wanted out of  "America's Home Town" and his fishing dynasty, but until he had the means to get out, this was all he had and appeared grateful to have it.

Approaching the west-end of trawl 14, the flag was motionless and the pod of dolphins that shadowed the Madison Reilly were dropping off the chase as the captain eased back on the throttle. No matter how many times they escort the boat, it is still an engaging show. As the captain and mate watched, the rest of the crew appeared on deck.

"How close, Cap'n?" Chris asked.

"Half a cup," the mate barked,"get moving."

By the time Chris and Tommy appeared on deck ready to work the captain had already hooked and hauled in the hi-flyer and the mate had it stored on the port gunwale and with the bouyline starting to pile up on deck, the end trap was approaching the surface.

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Leave it alone, why don'tcha?

We moved to Cape Cod from New Jersey in 1974. Like most “washashores’ we fell in love with the place after vacationing here. The climate was agreeable; the beaches, great. The long golf season was a plus. We liked the woods, the narrow, winding roads, and the low-key, casual life style. The houses with their weathered shingles were charming. We loved the informal, low maintenance landscaping most people seemed to favor.

We came from a suburban town in northern New Jersey: the exact turnpike exit escapes me. The homes weren’t all the same, but the rectangular lots were. Each house was set back the same distance from the street with a sidewalk in front separated from the curb by a grassy strip. All had paved driveways and were surrounded by meticulously clipped shrubs and manicured lawns. There were few trees. It had all the charm of habitats in a zoo.

Our house on the Cape is in the middle of a nearly triangular lot with streets on both sides and across the flattened point. We left all the trees except those which had to go to allow access for construction equipment and a septic system. This left a small lawn between the house and a patch of woods in back along with narrow strips of grass on the two sides, between the house and a dense row of hemlocks. There is a stand of pine and oak in front. No Lawn.

The term “lawn” is a misnomer. Initially grass was indeed planted. For a while it was duly watered, fed, limed, weeded, and mowed. This quickly got old and hasn't been done in years.

The term “lawn” is a misnomer. Initially grass was indeed planted. For a while it was duly watered, fed, limed, weeded, and mowed. This quickly got old and hasn't been done in years. Some grass survives, along with moss and carpet-like vegetation that's attractive and soft underfoot, with tiny white or yellow flowers in summer. Whatever grows gets mowed like a real lawn, but not nearly as often. A light machine suffices for the spaces around the house. A rugged mulching mower, salvaged from the dump, pulverizes the brush and other vegetation that insists on trying to grow among the trees out front and mulches the leaves in the fall. No raking, ever. It looks rather neat and in harmony with what we consider the Cape Cod ambiance.

Once the only house in the area, the neighborhood is now fully developed. The lots, except for ours, are pretty much the same size and shape. The houses are set back about the same distance from the street, each with a paved driveway, a lawn and meticulously manicured shrubs. The grass is automatically irrigated, rain or shine. Landscapers regularly infest the area, trailers blocking the streets and the peace disturbed by noisy machinery. There aren’t many trees. The effect is eerily reminiscent of the New Jersey town we abandoned.

Presumably these people moved here because they had visited Cape Cod and liked it. Why, then, did they go to such lengths to replicate the neighborhoods they left behind? These aren't tract houses but individual homes built on privately purchased lots. Here was a lovely, wooded area inhabited by quail, skunks, rabbits, raccoons, birds, and even an occasional turtle or fox. Shouldn't people have taken pains to disrupt it as little as possible?

While the environment deserves respect, people needn't always defer to nature. The Fourth of July fireworks should be held on the beach and the plovers should just have to make do. There shouldn’t be any Canada geese defiling the playing fields and golf courses. Coyotes should be treated like the predators they are. Gulls and terns can settle their differences without human interference. Four wheelers ought to have access to beach trails year round and, whales and pacifists to the contrary, those defending our country deserve the best radar and sonar available.

Cape Cod is universally acknowledged to be an area of unique natural beauty worthy of special consideration. Why, then, are so many who found it attractive enough to settle here trying to suburbanize it? They knew there weren’t many sidewalks, four lane highways, nor big box stores. They drove in the summer traffic. Newcomers constantly agitate to abolish hunting, a way of life here since time immemorial. Cape Cod houses had lawns but they weren't worshipped, and sandy areas where grass had a tough time taking hold were tolerated. If those things were important to them, why did they move here? They should have gone to New Jersey. It’s got everything they seem to hold dear.

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These flies get a moth-ful; P.A. Lander returns; Cape Air makes it official in the Adirondacks; Whales exit bay

That pod (or gam) of rare whales has left Cape Cod Bay

The unusually large concentration of rare right whales that gathered last month to feed in Cape Cod Bay has moved on. The state reported Wednesday that the North Atlantic right whales have left, citing aerial surveys and acoustic buoys that listen for the whales...

About 25 to 50 whales annually migrate to the bay in April, but unusually rich plankton slicks this year drew a bigger crowd. Scientists said 75 to 100 animals were in the bay. That's roughly a quarter of their population estimated at 350 to 400...  WBZ. See a video here.
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Parasitic Flies To Attack Winter Moth
Flies Attack Moth From Within, may save Cape's foliage

A team of scientists planned to release approximately 1,000 parasitic flies in Wellesley, Mass., Friday in an effort to control the invasive winter moth.  The winter moth, which has recently come to Eastern Massachusetts, has been stripping the foliage from "trees in towns that stretch from the North Shore to Cape Cod," the University of Massachusetts said in a statement.

Winter moths emerge from the ground in winter, but only the male is able to fly. The female lays her eggs in a tree and then dies. In spring, the eggs hatch into caterpillars that feed on the leaves. The parasitic fly, known as Cyzenis albicans on right dining on a moth larvae, is a natural enemy of the winter moth.

University scientists said it had effectively controlled the moth in Nova Scotia and the Pacific Northwest.  The fly lays its eggs on the leaves eaten by the winter moth. The eggs then hatch inside the caterpillar and the fly larvae destroy it from within... WCVB.
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P.A. Landers, Inc. can bid on state highway jobs... again
Highway official allows Hanover company which was convicted of fraud in Cape road work to get back in the game

Nearly one year after P.A. Landers, Inc. was convicted by a jury for a scheme that involved overcharging for asphalt delivered to public works projects, the Hanover contractor has won back the right to bid on state highway jobs.  P.A. Landers was cleared to bid on federally funded jobs in December. But the company couldn’t get involved with many public jobs right away because nearly all road projects that use federal funds in the state also rely on state funds – and the firm still had been banned from bidding on state jobs...

P.A. Landers, president Preston “Skip” Landers and another executive were indicted in 2005. Federal prosecutors accused the firm of overcharging on highway paving jobs, primarily on the South Shore and Cape Cod, by adjusting a scale at the company’s Plymouth plant to inflate weight tickets for asphalt and to create phony tickets for nonexistent loads.  Preston Landers and the other executive received prison sentences last year, and the company was ordered to pay a $3 million fine after a jury convicted all three of conspiracy and fraud last May...  Patriot Ledger.
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Cape Air makes it official in the Adirondacks
Officials say funding cuts not likely to happen

LAKE CLEAR — Cape Air just started flying in and out of the Adirondack Regional Airport in February, but as it formally celebrates its recent expansion today, it is also poised to lose all of its federal funding to serve the rural airport if the Bush administration’s 2009 budget proposal passes as written.

Passengers board a nine-passenger Cessna 402 bound for Boston Wednesday afternoon. Cape Air is currently under a two-year contract to serve the Adirondack Regional Airport. (Enterprise photo — Emily Hunkler)

But officials at both the small, Cape Cod-based airline and the town-owned airport expressed confidence Wednesday that they’ll retain the Essential Air Service funding.  “This is nothing new,” Airport Manager Ross Dubarry said. “They are always trying to reduce our funding.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” said Michelle Haynes, spokeswoman for Cape Air. “I don’t think Congress will let this happen under the leadership of Charles Schumer. He has always been a great advocate for air service to small communities.”  In February, the airport received a $1.4 million annual subsidy to ensure regular commercial flights out of the area... 

As for Cape Air, there are much more important concerns to address, according to Haynes.  “I’m worried about fuel prices, fuel prices, fuel prices. That’s a reality, and we need to be able to provide affordable flights so people know it’s cheaper to fly than it is to drive.”  The Adirondack Regional Airport in Lake Clear is the only one in the six-million-acre Adirondack Park with commercial passenger flights...  Adirondack Daily Enterprise.

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Hyannis OUI arrest; Yarmouth crash; Burglar surprised in Yarmouth, Two arrested in Falmouth drug bust; Stormy night ahead

Woman arrested for OUI in store lot
HYANNIS - At 12:15 p.m. today the Barnstable Police responded to calls for a woman laying face down in front of the UPS store in the Festival Plaza on Route 132 in Hyannis.  Hyannis EMTs evaluated the woman and police took her into custody. Several eyewitnesses and a store worker said they saw the woman driving erratically in the lot and watched her pull into a parking space at high speed; luckily only tapping the bumper of the car in front of her. She then reportedly got out of the car stumbling and fell in front of the UPS store.  She was arrested for OUI,  operating with a revoked license and operating an unregistered/uninsured vehicle. Story by Frank Paparo.

Two-vehicle crash in Yarmouth
YARMOUTH - At 10:20 a.m. Thursday morning two cars crashed at the intersection of Buck Island Road and Winslow Grey Road in West Yarmouth, shutting down traffic in both directions at the busy intersection. One person was transported to Cape Cod Hospital by Yarmouth Fire Department with injuries considered not life-threatening. Yarmouth Police are investigating the crash.   Heavy rain was falling at the time, but it is not known if the weather was a factor.  Story by Richard Copley.

Burglar surprised in Yarmouth
YARMOUTH - Occupants of a residence on Antlers Road got quite a shock early Thursday morning. They heard noises around 1:40 a.m. and discovered a man crawling out the bathroom window.  Despite a police search of the area the suspect got away.  Technicians checked for fingerprints.  The perpetrator was apparently frightened by the occupants and fled the scene without taking anything.

Two arrested in Falmouth drug bust
FALMOUTH - After a month long investigation, Falmouth Police and the Cape Cod Drug Task Force executed a search warrant at 143A King Street in Falmouth and arrested two people.  25-year-old Kevin Jay Matheme and 21-year-old Hayden M. Flanagan, both of Falmouth, were charged with possession and distribution of cocaine and marijuana.

CWN Weather alert: Wind advisory in effect from 8 p.m. Friday through noon Saturday. A late season nor'easter will affect the region Friday evening into Saturday with rain heavy at times and northeast winds gusting to 50 MPH.

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Nantucket Independent names new Editor

Margaret Carroll-Bergman takes over job from newspaper's founder
Was Publisher of Provincetown Arts

By Peter A. Sutters Jr., Nantucket Independent Writer

The Nantucket Independent, one of two weekly newspapers on this storied island, today named Margaret Carroll-Bergman the newspaper's editor.

"MS. Carroll-Bergman brings years of experience as both a print and television journalist" said an item on their website.

She was publisher at the award-winning Provincetown Arts from 1999 to 2005 where she was married to the former Town Manager Keith Bergman.

Most recently she has been with the other island weekly The Inquirer and Mirror which is owned by Ottaway Newspapers.  The Inky's long-time Editor and Publisher, Marianne R. Stanton, said " I am happy for this new opportunity for Margaret" who had been on the island about a year she said.

"We are delighted that Margaret is bringing her journalism experience and her knowledge to The Independent," said Publisher Dan Drake who took over that job a month ago himself when the newspaper was sold to GateHouse Media..

"I look forward to working with Publisher Dan Drake and The Independent's staff of veteran writers to bring the community the latest news," said Carroll-Bergman, who will join the paper before the end of May.

It is both unusal and a credit to MS Carrol-Bergman that her present publisher wants her to remain on staff that long after giving notice.

Margaret Carroll-Bergman is succeeding Don Costanzo, the founder of The Nantucket Independent which is a part of GateHouse Media.

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