CapeCodToday Blog Chowder

A TUTORIAL: Absurdity, Allegory, Metaphor, and Satire

I start to think, and then I sink into the paper, like I was ink. When I'm writing I'm trapped in between the lines. I escape when I finish... - "You Got Soul" Rakim Allah

MASHPEE – A writer sits at his laptop, amused by some of the comments left on his recent blogs. It can sometimes be amazing, that with the presence and popularity of such animated shows as Family Guy, King of the Hill, and The Simpsons, how folks still can’t recognize allegory, metaphor, absurdity, and satire. Instead, wry humor is mistaken for writing under the use of narcotics. Nope, folks on drugs write things like Alice In Wonderland, “Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” Metamorphosis, and Les Fluers De Mal are examples of altered-state writings. Mine is just an exercise. As a long-time fan of writers like Harold Pinter, Ishmael Reed, Jack Douglas, and William S. Burroughs, he thought he could escape his socially cast role of apologist and return to the roots of his creative writing, but alas, it’s lost of a few.

He considered posting a mini-glossary that might be of some value to some readers (Oxford Pocket Dictionary, 3^rd Edition):

Absurdism (ab-surd-ism) n. An existential philosophy based on the belief that society is irrational and that the search for or expectation of order brings the individual into conflict with the universe.

Allegory (al-le-go-ry) n. A tale where the characters and events serve as symbols for a deeper truths and general realities of human existence.

Metaphor (Met-a-for) n. A figurative use of language, using one object to symbolize another, drawing upon anaolgy and simile.

Satire (Sa-tire) n. A literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn.

For more erudite and serious writings from this author, his fees start at $110/page. Otherwise, we’ll have to deal with what he feels like posting. There’s always the option to ignore and keep going.

Where the Road Begins

A friend once told me that since I spent so much of my free time on the Cape, I should just move here.  But to get here I had to leave a comfort zone I had created over twenty-something years.  The first few steps were the hardest and now the rest has become like breathing.

Breathing a little heavier at times in endless miles of traffic, and suddenly I'm on Cape Cod time or so I've been told by natives.  "We can't always get to our destination on time.  We just have to learn to make allowances for traffic."

It seems everyone understands that there are going to be days when you can't make that appointment on time.  Maybe more of us should take this into consideration as we go about our daily routine.  Since I have been here there hasn't been a day that doesn't go by when you read about someone losing control of their car and getting into an accident.  Are these people in a rush to get to their destination? Is it that there are just too many flavored liqueurs for us to try? Or is it that we are just too tired from our daily struggle to make ends meet to survive this high cost choice of a peaceful existence ?

Fact is everything is more expensive once you cross that bridge.  But is the trade off worth the price we pay? I am sure people ask this question to themselves at least once or twice during their existence here.  And their answers are personal and varied.  For me, I survive at the moment with just one job.

But I no longer wait for hours in line at my bank with a clerk who acts like they have never seem me before.  My waits are shorter at the bank with a friendly greeting by someone who remembers my name.  Most of my chain restaurant choices are replaced by family based businesses where meals are planned and prepared that day from local recipes.

Now I dread going over the bridge

Wherever I drive there's a beach close by to find my peace with an ever changing view.  Once I would have driven anywhere for a bargain.  Mileage, gas or time didn't hinder my search for the perfect deal.  Now I dread going over the bridge.  But I've found local bargains and have met new friends along the way.  The woman who sells me the curtains that I could have gotten cheaper had I crossed that bridge, helps me save money by creating a new way to hang the curtains.  This is my trade off with a bonus.  I am seeing more plays that I could ever afford back home and the quality is that of  any Broadway production.

And beside me sits a patron who shares their history on the island and past plays not a someone who is afraid to even touch my elbow.  It's a trade off once you cross that bridge.  Life isn't always as fast as we would like it to be at times. We are often slowed by traffic and most often snailing our way to some destination.  But within that slow pace We often have the opportunity to catch a different view that we might have missed altogether.  Perhaps maybe in that time we can plan out our day more wisely or experience a view we might have missed rolling down the highway.  Yes everything changes once we crossed that bridge but it is each of us that must decide whether the price often set by others is worth the benefits.

Women take the world's reins

^{The head of Emma Willard School, Trudy Hall (seated left), keynote speaker Katty Kay, anchor of BBC World News (seated center), and U.S. Representative Kirsten Gillibrand (speaking at the podium).}  

The 21^st Century Empowers Women says Symposium
Emma Willard School hosts ten Powerhouse Women

            By Libby Hughes, Boston Bureau for capecodtoday

Remember the movie "Scent of a Woman" with Al Pacino and Chris O'Donnell? Well, the filming took place at one of the oldest boarding schools for young teenage women in the country, Emma Willard School. The campus sits among 137 rolling acres on Mount Ida, high above the meandering Hudson River, in Troy, New York.

The School campus

There, students scurry across jade-green triangles and quadrangles to reach classes and to stimulate  the ‘intellectual senses of young women!"  The towers with protruding gray gargoyles and the 1910 collegiate Tudor Gothic buildings have held history and secrets inside and outside their stone walls for almost a century. Emma Hart Willard put her imprint on the power of education for women during the 19^th century. It still continues without any concessions to co-ed education.

Symposium for women

This past weekend, 750 alumnae signed up to hear nine successful women divulge their open secrets to success. Students crowded into the back seats of the Mott Gymnasium to gain some insights into their futures as they face their entry into the world of the 21^st century. They yelled, applauded, and cheered as each woman unveiled her trials and tribulations (and joys) in cracking glass ceilings.

"The Whole New Mind"

The Head of the School, Trudy Hall, has been the spearhead to new and broader ways of thinking and learning for her female students. She has championed the ideas of a new book by author Daniel Pink, A Whole New Mind, which explores the right side of the brain for its creativity as opposed to rigid facts attributed to the left side of the brain. Corporations are enlisting poets and creative people to become their CEOs, where music and math, stories and art are the new ways to promote products and produce money. What will it do for education? Alums offered their ideas.

Keeping abreast of the times, Trudy Hall pioneered the idea of this Symposium: Women Power, and Responsibility for the morning of September 29^th under an autumnal sun and a collage of red, yellow, and pumpkin colored leaves.

In her introduction, Ms. Hall quoted a definition of "power" as the capacity to act with passionate involvement for a vision.

The successful nine women

U.S. Congresswoman, Kirsten Gillibrand (on right), was a 1984 graduate from Emma Willard School and found her way from a lawyer in NYC to public service in our government for the 20th district of New York. She attributes her dedication to public service to her mother and grandmother. Gillibrand introduced a film video from Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, extolling the importance of the Symposium.

The moderator was Lyne Pitts, Vice President of NBC news and a 1972 graduate of Emma Willard School. Pitts asked the first question of the women about gender and power. Almost unanimously, the women replied there would be fewer wars, and the students whooped their approval.

The keynote speaker was Katty Kay, the nightly broadcaster on BBC World News and mother of four. Her parents lived all over the world, giving her a broad perspective of many cultures. The blonde bombshell in black and chartreuse captivated her audience with issues of balancing the personal and professional lives of women. She addressed the issue of worldwide damage to America's image abroad, but her optimism for America to restore that image was positive. "Women bring a unique perspective to the workplace. I am sometimes more skeptical than my male colleagues. I'm also skeptical about whether Americans will actually vote for a woman president when they get in the voting booth."

Marketing guru, Deb Adams, of Just Cause Marketing turned her business into a philanthropic mission to help the less fortunate. She cited RISK as the way to success. In the old days, female chicks were secretaries in the advertising world. Today, there are more women than men in the field of advertising. How did she progress? By keeping her mouth shut and earning a masters degree.

Elizabeth Colton, Founder of the International Museum of Women and a 1966 Emma Willard graduate, lamented the fact that women's historic experiences have not been recorded in books or museums. She has created a virtual museum to capture these stories over the internet and spread them across the internet.

Ann Cotton of Great Britain has founded CAMFED (Campaign for Female Education) in Africa. Her desire is to break the cycle of poverty through educating young girls-there are 120 million that are excluded from education.

Christel DeHaan, a real estate executive for Resorts Condominiums International, has created Christel House as a transformation agent for children. She feels that education can eventually diminish hunger.

Dina Dublon, a powerhouse on Wall Street for JPMorgan Chase, said that she had to stand out while trying to fit in and that it wasn't necessary to use profanity to fit in.

Holding the audience spellbound

The next speaker held the audience in the palm of her hand. Shirley Ann Jackson is president of Rensselear Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. The two most influential events in her life were the desegregation of schools in public education and the milestone of Sputnik in outer space for breaking the barriers in science and technology. "We need talented women in science and research." During question time one of the students asked her how being a woman of color affected her career. (On the right is the author chatting with visiting alumnae. Photos courtesy of the school.)

Jackson told a real life anecdote during her early days as a student at M.I.T. One night she was in the dorm and a group of white female students were discussing physics. Jackson asked if she could join them. They replied, "go away." The audience gasped in horror. Crushed, she turned back into her room and cried. But, she recalled the life of her mother who was orphaned as a child. Her siblings pooled their resources and sent her to a boarding school. She felt alone and lonely, but she never gave up. Jackson leaned on her mother's courage and strength to get through the hard times of discrimination.

The last speaker was Kathy LeMay, an openly gay CEO of Raising Change, a philanthropic organization for non-profits. "Everything is about women-always has been and always will be."

Who are their heroes?

There were nine questions from students. One major one was for the speakers to name their heroes and people who inspired them. Invariably, each one mentioned a parent or grandparent. Others cited Nelson Mandela or Gandhi or Aung San Suu Kyi from Burma or the Indian millionaire, Usef, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for empowering women in Bangladesh to start their own businesses.

Again, it was Shirley Jackson who blew everyone away with her answer, "The people who are never seen and who keep at it are my heroes as well as my parents."

Almost two and a half hours later, the Symposium was over, but not the ideas that lingered long afterwards. The Emma Willard students were polled by this reporter and found that Katty Kay, Shirley Jackson, and Kathy LeMay had the most impact.

Teddy proves he's "Green"

          _{^{Courtesy of The Washington Times.}}

Motorcyclist airlifted after crash; Rooftop B&E in Hyannis

Motorcyclist airlifted after colliding with car in Marstons Mills

     ^{Two motorcycles collided with a convertible on Route 28 in Marstons Mills Sunday afternoon.}
MARSTONS MILLS -  A motorcyclist was flown to Massachusetts General Hospital after colliding with a car. 51-year old Leo Hooben of Falmouth was listed in serious condition at MGH after the crash which happened early Sunday afternoon at the intersection of Route 28 and Route 149. It appeared that two motorcycles collided with a Jaguar convertible. The second motorcycle was operated by Hooben's wife 51-year old Carol Hooben who was rushed to Cape Cod Hospital with serious injuries and later transferred to Boston. The driver of the Jaguar 45-year old Marc Fater of Marstons Mills was not injured. Traffic was heavily jammed along Route 28 because of the crash and a temporary closure by the Centerville fire station while the helicopter landed and took off. The crash is under investigation by Barnstable Police.
(Photos by Frank Paparo).

Barnstable Police investigate B&E through a rooftop

     ^{Barnstable Police check a Main St. Hyannis roof for evidence after a reported B&E}.
HYANNIS - Passing motorists may have thought some SWAT operation was underway but actually about 10 a.m. Sunday, Barnstable Police responded to a report of a breaking and entering at 342 Main St. Hyannis by Barnstable Road. Four cruisers responded and discovered the Odd Fellows Lodge on the North Street side of the building had been broken into through a rooftop hatch. Police are seen above on the roof looking for evidence. It was not clear if anything was taken but according to published reports the suspect left a vital clue at the scene-his drivers license. In a bizarre turn Police Officer Peter Myrbeck realized the license belonged to a man he had assisted with a medical condition at the Cascade Motor Lodge earlier. 36-year old Barrett Snow of Nantucket was arrested and charged with breaking and entering in the nighttime with intent to commit a felony, larceny from a building and possession of burglarious tools. Police say they recovered evidence in Snow's motel room. (Story and photos by Frank Paparo).

 

Election - A minor setback in the campaign to keep Middleborough casino-free; Statewide Poll - "Yes" to gambling, "no" to casinos

"Yes" to gambling, "no" to casinos

By Dan Kennedy, Media Nation 

If nothing else, today's Boston Globe poll on casino gambling shows that though there may be support for the idea of casino gambling, it's going to be rough sledding for any particular casino proposal.

Overall, 53 percent of those surveyed say they favor Gov. Deval Patrick's plan to build three casinos in Massachusetts. Dig deeper, though, and you can see that they really don't.

The story, by Andrea Estes, gets at this dynamic here:

The poll raises the prospect of a "not in my backyard" backlash, one in which residents favor casinos but fear the traffic and crime problems associated with large-scale resort-casino developments. Fifty-four percent of those surveyed who live in metropolitan Boston said they think casinos should be located in rural areas, while 36 percent of those living in Western Massachusetts said they believe casinos should be in cities.

"I think if it's in your backyard, you're not going to want it," said Ron Hull of East Boston, a teacher. "I've read that crime does go up in areas with casinos, and there is the traffic I'm worried about, too."

When you look at the actual results (PDF), the numbers are even more striking. For instance, respondents were asked, "If Massachusetts were to permit casinos to open, would you want them to be in urban or rural areas?" Check this out:

• Those who live inside Route 128 favor rural areas over urban areas, 54 percent to 18 percent.
• Those who live between 128 and 495 favor rural areas over urban areas, 40 percent to 23 percent.
• Those who live in Central Massachusetts favor rural areas over urban areas, 45 percent to 26 percent.
• Those who live in Western Massachusetts favor urban areas over rural areas, 36 percent to 27 percent.
• Those who live in "Southern" (which I take to mean Southeastern) Massachusetts, Cape Cod and the Islands favor rural areas over urban areas, 44 percent to 24 percent.

So there you have it. In every part of the state, overwhelming majorities do not want a casino built near them.

My other favorite question: "If you had a child, would you want your son or daughter to work in a casino?" The answer: 46 percent "no," 33 percent "yes." This is, of course, another form of NIMBYism, and a particular pernicious one. Why is it all right for someone else's kid to work at a casino but not your own?

In other casino-related news, efforts to recall three of Middleborough's five selectmen fell short yesterday. (The New Bedford Standard-Times covers the story here; the Brockton Enterprise here.)

To the extent that casino opponents allowed the recall election to be portrayed as a referendum on the proposed casino in that town, this is an unfortunate development. But I suspect this will prove to be no more than a minor setback in the campaign to keep Middleborough casino-free.
Dan Kennedy, who grew up in Middleboro, is a visiting assistant professor of journalism at Northeastern University and a media critic at medianation.blogspot.com. He may be e-mailed at da.kennedy@neu.edu.

Cape Cod of yesterday--In the words of a local

Either you're a part of the problem, or a part of the solution

"Either you're a part of the problem, or a part of the solution or don't care to do anything about it.  All you're doing is admitting that this happens. Police sleeping in their cruisers and in houses around town is stealing from the taxpayers. There's no other way to put it. If someone was at my house shooting how would  the police be the first ones there if they're asleep and don't hear the call?  Most, if not all of the older police around town understand that if you were caught doing something wrong, strict punishment wasn't always required to rehabilitate someone. Nowadays it seems to be less about teaching people what is and isn't right, and more about smiting those who cross the law. It's getting to the point of becoming an exclusive Mafia-type underground, where some people are in, and others are out.

When a man shot at the Eastham police station all of the cars were being detoured down the road where eventually the police had a shootout with and killed the shooter.

Well, what I'm trying to say is maybe our boys in blue should either be more lenient with everyone, or stop giving breaks to the people they personally know or like. Like giving the police and fire department stickers to friends so they won't be pulled over if an officer sees them speeding. They can kill someone just as easily, regardless of whether and officer knows them or not. Or putting one of those black and blue striped plates on the front of their personal vehicle while having one of the newer red, white and blue MA license plates (in which case it's illegal to not have the front and rear license plates). I understand that there is crime in Truro, just as there is crime everywhere, but is a signifigant degree less. And I've come to understand that the police motto is "To serve and protect," which doesn't include patronizing our local boys and making them out to be kingpin smack dealing drug lords. A couple guys were caught with some pot..... Maybe when I see a few less officers hiding in their cruisers behind the library with their lights off, I'll be less cynical.

Yeah, theres a lot of things that happen around here, that don't really get spoken of. I've lived in Truro my entire life.  Both of my parents are Truro natives born and raised.  My grandparents moved here in the 40's, we can trace the lineage back to generations living in either Provincetown and Truro. I work with local (and by local I mean born and raised) townies.  What I mean to say is I have heard about the way things were, and not from people who move here 10, 15 years ago, but from the people who know everyone, every place, and every thing.  I can find a person who can tell me anything I want to know.  And I know the reliable sources from the unreliable ones. So the Lower Cape is my home more than 99% of the people who live here.  So naturally I get more and more frustrated as people move here and shape the towns based on their values, not the ones of the people who already live here. An example being a few years back when Stop and Shop was considering buying the Pilgrim Spring Motel and building a supermarket there.  The Truro locals were excited, because that would mean no more drives to Orleans or Provincetown to buy groceries.  This upset local businesses, of course, but that's with obvious merit.  One major debate was concerning the fact that if a supermarket was to be built, a stoplight would have to be put out on the highway to help with traffic.  This set the locals against the summer residents and recent washashores.  The locals didn't want to have to drive as far, and saw it as progress.  The tourists didn't want a stoplight to ruin the quaint feel of the town.  The locals wanted functionality, for this is our home, our life, everything.  But the tourists didn't seem to care.  They didn't want their vacation home to be less appealing.  But I digress.

What I mean to say is I wish there was a way to preserve what the Lower Cape really is.  Not what Thoreau and JFK said it was.  But what the Cape really is.  Putting together what I hear from people, the Cape is beyond repair.  Cape Cod no longer exists.  Between the drugs, corruption in police forces, and rich elitists moving here and shaping the towns into their playthings, the "quaint" innocent Cape Cod can never be resurrected.

I'll admit, the police in Truro aren't as bad as in other towns.  Some of these men are devoted to their families, and the concerns of the people in town were what they focused on most.  What it seems to me is that most new police and firefighters post - 9/11 are less focused on keeping people safe and more focused on being a hero.  This can be seen in how they react to the people around town.  Even off duty, they're overly stern, and don't hesitate to give advice on what is and isn't safe, or is and isn't legal.  You can tell an off duty cop around here, by how they hold themselves, and by "the strut."

But there are things that don't get mentioned.  Like that fact that  three Truro officers were often showing up at Christa Worthington's house before her murder for a little extra-friendly interaction.  But that was never brought up in the recent trial. I don't know what to say about that trial.  There's so much information, but at the same time there's such a lack of it.  On the news you would hear a lot of reports interviewing people who knew McGowan and were friends with him.  But there were never many of people who knew him and didn't like him.  Frazier has had his share of issues.  So I gave up on trying to piece things together there.

I'm wondering why you're interested.  Just out of curiosity.  I don't want to give out any names. I just don't want there to be so many lies and so much bullsh*t around here any more. I guess there isn't a way to make people become more civil with each other, but if there's at least some way that I could let everyone know what really goes on without throwing myself to the wolves...."                                                                           

                 See you around,

Unions to pressure Legislature for casinos; Lobbyists buy casino support

Labor pushing for gambling projects

A statewide poll this week revealed that the voters agree with Governor Patrick about where to put casinosState lawmakers appear more likely to legalize casinos now than ever before, according to one casino expert. Gov. Deval Patrick plans to file legislation within weeks that will propose bringing three casinos to the Bay State. When he does, it will most likely get a more favorable reception than past proposals to expand gambling here, according to the Rev. Richard McGowan, a Boston College economist and gambling researcher.

“There's a goody in it for everybody,” McGowan said, referring to the governor's promise to use casino revenues to fix up roads and bridges and to help residents pay their property tax bills.  In addition to being attractive to the general public, McGowan said state lawmakers will have another reason to support the plan: Union pressure ...

“Clearly he is looking to destination resorts as being the vehicle to maximize revenue. We believe the tribe's plans meet that vision,” said Scott Ferson, who is paid by the investors backing the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe's efforts to build a $1 billion resort casino complex ...   Brockton Enterprise. 
______________________

Casino backers fill key coffers
Most money from lobbyists given to House speaker, despite DiMasi's opposition to expanded gaming

Lobbyists spent $316,321 in the last three years on Bay State politicians, according to campaign finance recordsBOSTON — State politicians looking to fill their campaign coffers might want to consider a new position — casino gambling opponent.  It has worked well for House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi, who has battled fiercely against expanded gambling for three years. He took in $10,575 during that period from lobbyists representing casino interests, according to state campaign finance records. That sum is more than any other lawmaker.

Jane Lane, DiMasi's campaign spokeswoman, argued that the donations prove that money cannot always buy votes.  "The speaker has been a longtime opponent of casino gambling," Lane said. "Obviously these donations have had no bearing on his position and are merely a reflection of their support for the speaker's agenda for the state."

But Barbara Anderson, executive director of Citizens for Limited Taxation, has a more cynical view.  "I'm not surprised. Why else would you be holding out?" Anderson said. "I always assumed his resistance came from the fact that, as long as the issue is unresolved, people will be paying him to vote with them."  The contributions include DiMasi's political action committee, which uses unds to elect and retain Democrats in the House ...  Berkshire Eagle.

Cape's cancer screenings raise fears; Middleborough Selectmen survive recall

Cancer scares grow as screening rises
Better tests sought to reduce anxiety

Cancer specialists are proud that the United States is home to more cancer survivors than any other nation, 10.5 million peopleJane Lee Johnson thought her swelling waistline was just an unwelcome sign of menopause. But when the 49-year-old's abdominal pain grew so severe that she could scarcely breathe earlier this month, doctors at Falmouth Hospital told her that she had something far more frightening: A CT scan had detected a large tumor on her ovaries.

"I was really upset," said Johnson, who underwent surgery at a Rhode Island cancer center a few days later. "I always heard that, once ovarian cancer is detected, it must be serious, because it usually goes undetected. I thought it might be fatal."  But she did not have cancer at all. The large growth on her ovaries was benign, which could have been determined early if doctors had a reliable test for ovarian cancer. The growth needed to come out, but Cape Cod doctors could have removed it without all the anxiety ... Globe. 
_______________________

Middleborough selectmen retain seats in recall election
Casino battle helped spur vote

MIDDLEBOROUGH - Three selectmen survived a recall Saturday, a vote spurred in part by town leaders' efforts to land a billion-dollar casino run by the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe. Wayne Perkins, Steven Spataro, and Marsha Brunelle, three of the five-member panel, fended off challengers by wide margins in a highly charged special election.

When results were read last night, most victors and challengers agreed they would begin working together.  Brunelle, the chairwoman who had been criticized during the summer for gaveling down casino debate, said, "It's time for more open dialogue." 

Jessie Powell, the initiator of the recall who had challenged Perkins, said her camp is planning events aimed at unifying the town, which had been practically torn apart this summer by the casino issue.  Robert Dunphy, who unsuccessfully ran against Spataro and campaigned for a more transparent government, said he still plans to publish an online newspaper about goings-on in town ... Globe. 

Gambling in Massachusetts? No!

Who ever thought that saving was selfish and the gambling was a virtue?

Gov. Deval Patrick recently made the case for the addition of three new destination resort casinos in Massachusetts. 

There is a pressing need for new revenues, he says, in order to fix our roads and bridges, reform our education and position the state for the jobs of the 21^st century.  And we must meet these challenges, he adds, without putting an unfair burden on the “working families” in the commonwealth, and by making the state a Mecca for tourists and a wonderful place to live.

 Now before going further, let’s examine this part of the governor’s case: He is, in effect, saying that Massachusetts out of normal revenue sources cannot fill potholes, fix bridges, pay for schools or appeal to businesses, tourists and potential residents.  But, these problems will be fixed if taxpayers will legalize gambling.   

 Wow!  Who ever thought that saving was selfish and the gambling was a virtue? 

 But there’s more.  The governor is a follow-through thinker who touches all the bases. 

 He knows that legalized gambling affects people and communities.  Families and neighborhoods in the vicinity of casinos can change.  Thus, he says, the attorney general, will have to set up a new law enforcement division, and a trust fund will be needed to treat the social fatalities that will ensue -- crime, compulsive gambling, neighborhood change and congestion and drug and alcohol abuse. 

 Gentleman that he is, the governor doesn’t mention the increase in prostitution that attaches to gambling resorts as surely as barnacles cling to the bottom of a boat.

 Please examine what the governor is saying.  In exchange for revenue the governor wants to create an environment that he knows will result in neighborhood damage and in undesirable illnesses -- he is willing to pay a human price to reach that objective.

 Conclusion: Money is his ultimate value.  How regrettable. 

 The carrot presented by the governor is a tax credit for some that is designed to give real estate tax relief to taxpayers.  But, if true, at what cost? 

 Gambling may be fun for those with ample income.  But for average people who descend by the thousands upon these casinos by bus and other means of transportation, it can be deadly. 

 How many prescriptions have gone unfilled, bills gone unpaid and marriages destroyed because of the lure of the slot machine, or the blackjack table?  Too many! 

 Legalized gambling in Massachusetts, if approved, will be nothing more than a revenue-producing system that is designed to cover up the inability of elected officials to solve the problems of the day, and to define the proper role of government in affordable terms.    

 Roads, bridges and schools need attention not because we lack gambling revenue, but because we lack responsible government. 

 Massachusetts ranks 11^th in the nation on a taxes per capita basis.  The message?  Revenue is adequate.  Use it wisely, cut costs, lower taxes and watch population and jobs grow.