CapeCodToday Blog Chowder

Question 1, Yes or No

Forget party loyalty.  Think and act. 

There is nothing new about taxpayers getting angry about a bloated government that permits public servants to gorge themselves at the public trough to an extent that becomes sickening. 

Proposition 2 ½ was passed in the 1980s as a direct response to legislators who arrogantly continued to tax, spend and gorge.  Social engineers had turned the necessary power to tax, without which government can not function, into a tool that corrupted them and the system. 

Some of the consequences?  Personnel compensation policies, infrastructure, and education, etc. are in serious disrepair.    

Proposition 2 ½ wasn't sold as good tax policy.  Instead it was meant to be a political message to lawmakers:  Change your ways, it said, or we'll take your revenue toys away. 

The controversial law has had a positive effect.  Every year communities across the state try to get an override of 2 ½, most of which end in failure, which means that spending is being disciplined.  And it's spending, not the lack of revenue, that was and is the problem in Massachusetts.  We have fallen prey to the socialistic notion that perfect happiness on this earth can be attained through organization and spending. 

The lessons of Proposition 2 ½ have not been long lasting.  Recent years have seen fresh displays of the old arrogance by elected officials and judges.  And the public is angry.  It is increasingly demanding reform that will streamline government, restructure education and eliminate the repeated reports of double dipping and ridiculous pensions.

No more chipping away and patching here and there.  It's time for a complete overhaul of  government, a fresh definition of its purpose, the implementation of new wage and fringe programs that are directly tied to private sector practices and the implementation of a new education program that is aimed at educating, not indoctrinating.  

But to begin such a broad program of reform is not possible within the existing structure and its inborn attitudes until lawmakers are shaken up to such an extent that they will be forced to listen to the people.  One way to do that, of course, is to refuse to support them with your vote. 

Another way is to support Question #1.  It would drop the income tax rate to 2.65 percent in 2009, and to zero percent in 2010.  Similar to Proposition 2 ½, this proposal does not pretend to be good tax policy.  It is shock treatment.  But unlike the earlier proposal, the effects of which were mitigated by state transfers to towns, this one directly hits the transferee right in the belly. 

Is this a crazy idea proffered by a lunatic fringe group?  Far from it.  A similar proposal in 2002 garnered 45 percent of votes cast.  It actually was the majority vote in Barnstable and Plymouth counties, and in the three largest counties, Middlesex, Essex and Norfolk, it pulled 43/49/45 percent, respectively. 

Does it have a chance of passing this year?  Past history, some polls and, especially the activities of the opposition say that the possibility is real. 

Citizens for Limited Taxation, for example, reports that Carla Howell's group, which has organized this initiative, has raised $160,000 vs. $1.5 million by the opposition, with two-thirds coming from national teacher unions.  Money of this magnitude is not raised to fight minor threats.  The Howell proposal is real and, despite the disparity in resources, its message will ring clear to the voters, to wit: We rule; you serve -- or else!         

Taxpayers will be warned over upcoming weeks that the world will end if the income tax is eliminated.  It won't.  But reform will be forced and maybe -- just maybe -- a new era of cleaner, better, smaller government will begin. 

If you want reform, vote against every candidate who refuses to support Question 1.  If you vote no, you're supporting the status quo.  Forget party loyalty.  Think and act. 

Spooky Gas Prices

You're as crazy as a loon if you fill your tank without checking Cheap Gas, blogga!

My man has an aerial view of the region, and he'll help me tell you what's what in the world of Petrol.

You have to be sort of a Lucky Duck to get away from the pump without having to whore out your eldest daughter, although gas prices have dropped from about $4 and change to the mid $2s.

Now, some people will tell you that these falling gas prices are a sign that the economy is bouncing back from the bottom. Others will tell you that it's going to keep dropping... if not to pre-Gulf War levels, then at least to a tolerable $1.99 a gallon or so. Some people will tell you that this little drop in prices is just more corporate bullshit, funded by the Big 3 so as to get people buying SUVs again.

Cheap Gas won't tell you anything like that. All of the above is Speculative, and CG deals exclusively in cold, hard Fact.

Only the truly Silly Goose is getting gasoline on the Cape. If your local station's price drops, you can rest assured that it has dropped MORE over the bridges. All you have to do is go to Buzzards Bay or Wareham and see for yourself.

Now, I know what you're thinking.... why go to Wareham? Well... you can stop by The Helping Paw animal shelter on the Cranberry Highway and make a donation... say, maybe, the $5 or more that you'll save in gas visiting the Ham.

Need convincing? Peep the prix:

Sam's Gas, Speedy Mart and all the local Cumberland Farms stations in Wareham... $2.37

Don't want to drive that far? Lukoil, Wareham ($2.39), Maxi-Gas, $2.43,  Hess Wareham (also $2.43) .. and avoid the Delsie's ($2.55) and Santuit Oil Citgo, clocking in at a ya-got-to-be-kidding-me $2.57

The worst near the bridge was $2.79 at the Citgo on 28A in Cataumet.

The Vineyard is currently rocking $3.19 a gallon, according to what I hear tell.

The best diesel that I saw was Sunoco Wareham at $3.19, Lukoil at $3.25, Delsie's and Monument Beach mobil at $3.45, and Santuit Oil disgracing themselves yet again with the region-high $3.59.

We'll be back again with our special Thanksgiving Travel Extravaganza. Until then... Pump Wisely, folks!

FEEL FREE TO ADD PRICES FROM YOUR TOWN IN THE COMMENTS SECTION!!!

Coast Guard Heritage Museum is now on its winter schedule

Open by appointment and for special events during the winter season

BARNSTABLE VILLAGE - The Coast Guard Heritage Museum at the Trayser on Route 6A Barnstable, MA is now on its winter schedule as we are prepare for the 2009 Season. 

We will open by appointment only to accommodate visitors and group tours.

Call 508-362-8521 or email us at cghm@verizon.net to make an appointment. We will also open for special events to be announced.  We encourage you to visit our website to learn more about us.

We are one of only a few independent non-profit museums dedicated to preserving the history and legacy of the U.S. Coast Guard history including a new wing devoted to Lightship Sailors.

Thank you for a great 2008 season.

Rude, vulgar graffiti sprayed at Barnstable Middle School

Rude, vulgar graffiti sprayed at Barnstable Middle School

HYANNIS - A parent and student walk past graffiti spray painted on the entrance of the Barnstable Middle School Friday morning.  Barnstable Police are investigating this incident as well as another reported graffiti incident at Barnstable High School that took place sometime Thursday night or Friday morning.

Much of the graffiti at the entrance to the Barnstable Middle School was too graphic to photograph.

Photo by David G. Curran

Joe the Plumber on The Vineyard; Times lays off 6 in newsroom; Majority Leader lied about Cape house; Town legal budget skyrockets; Exxon's record profits

"While we need to realign our organization based on today's environment, this will not deter our dedication to serving the community,"-Peter Meyer, Times Publisher

Ottaway freezing pension
Other moves include freezing the company's pension plan for non-union employees. All the changes are aimed at coping with the challenges of the global economy. Newsroom expenses across the chain are being trimmed as well... Pocono Record.

Times announces layoff of six in newsroom
10% of news staff, 3 of 4 local bureaus closed

The Cape Cod Times eliminated three full-time and three part-time newsroom positions as part of a company-wide expense reduction plan announced this afternoon.

The news was part of cost savings measures at each of the six Ottaway Media Group locations. Ottaway President Andrew Langhoff said the changes were "made necessary by the current economic climate."

Most local bureaus to close, 52 positions at Standrad-Times printing face lay offs

The local Times offices in Orleans, Falmouth and Sandwich will be closed, and a reporter who recently left will not be replaced the newspaper reported on its front page today.

In addition to the layoffs, Langhoff said Ottaway will pursue closing the Fairhaven printing facility used by The Standard-Times of New Bedford and consolidate printing at the production center in Hyannis where the Cape Cod Times is currently printed... Cape Cod Times.
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Agency disputes House Majority Leader's statements on Cape home
Official says office never verified co-ownership

The state agency in charge of policing Massachusetts political campaigns is disputing statements made by House majority leader John H. Rogers, saying it did not accept his assertion that he co-owned a Cape Cod vacation house with a political consultant.

Rogers has repeatedly said that he and consultant Thomas Drummey co-owned the Falmouth house to explain why Drummey, a banker and close friend, used money he received from the Rogers campaign fund to make mortgage payments.

While there is no deed or any other public record of co-ownership, Rogers told his House colleagues last week in an open letter that the dual ownership issue was nonetheless "verified" in his favor by the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance, or OCPF.

Public records show that Rogers and his wife purchased the home in July 2004 for $390,000 and sold it in April 2008 for $359,000. They had a $351,000 loan from Randolph Savings, where Drummey is president.

But Brad Balzer, deputy director of the campaign finance agency, said yesterday that that is not the case. Balzer said an investigation of whether political campaign money was used to pay for the house never reached any conclusions on ownership.

"There was no final determination of Tom Drummey's interest in the property; it was never resolved," Balzer said in a statement to the Globe. "We did not conclude that Tom Drummey had an ownership interest"... Globe.
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Joe the Plumber on Vineyard:
Pressing Issues, No Press Corps

He has yet to hold a press conference in his front yard, hold forth on foreign policy regarding Israel, or hire a publicity management agent, as Ohio's Joe Wurzelbacher has. But Joe Guerin, an Edgartown plumber with nearly 30 years experience, has seen his local fame skyrocket in the two weeks following the final presidential debate thanks to Mr. Wurzelbacher and the three little words he inspired: Joe the Plumber... Gazette.

Nantucket's legal bills near $600,000
Brewster spend 1/10 as much

As the Nantucket struggles to rein in municipal spending to avoid tax-increasing overrides, its legal services budget has exploded in the last fiscal year to nearly $600,000, almost double what had been initially budgeted during Town Meeting.

Combined with legal expenses for the town's enterprise funds and the school system, Nantucket taxpayers spent nearly three-quarters of a million dollars for legal representation in fiscal year 2008... On Cape Cod, Brewster town administrator Charles Sumner said the community spent $68,849 on legal services within its $32 million budget. In Brewster, the town counsel, Ed Veara, is appointed by the Board of Selectmen, does not have a retainer, and charges the town $125 per hour... Inquirer & Mirror.
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Exxon Mobil Sets Quarterly $14.8 Billion Profit Record

Exxon Mobil has set a quarterly proft record with reported earnings of $14.8 billion for the third quarter ended September 30, 2008.

Chairman Rex W. Tillerson said, "ExxonMobil's strong results in the third quarter of 2008 demonstrate the continued success of our disciplined business approach. Third quarter earnings excluding special items were a record $13,380 million, up 42% from the third quarter of 2007. Earnings per share excluding special items were up 52% reflecting AQ... Oil/Gas Eurasia. See NY Times,  Suddenly Exxon is challenged, see here.

Chapter 75 THE GUN

                 Read this Book before you Vote

Glenn had to get a gun; he would have preferred the forty-five automatic that he brought back from the Philippines, the one that he disassembled and cleaned every few months, the one that he had used to shoot holes in the large green tubs that his mom had grown cactus in, the one that he had used to shoot creek rats out the window of his mobile home so many years before, the one that Dorothy, in a fit of jealous rage, had pointed at her temple-there were no bullets. Yes, he would have preferred "ole buddy".

And he thought about this as he drove through Metro City and headed south toward Mingo County. Of course, he had to get to Beckley first. He stopped there and filled his tank with gas and for the first time in a long time he loaded the twelve gauge that he kept behind the seat of his Blazer.

After gulping down a piece of coconut cream pie he headed west toward Williamson. He was "in it" now, a place as isolated as any in America; not isolated from people, more like isolated from civilization. But even this depended on many things. This was the land of the Matewan Massacre but the right vehicle and the right license plate could give a man a pass-not to say that the roads weren't safe for a lost New Yorker. They were, up to a point, but Glenn's Blazer with the old Blueridge Gas logo on the doors would encounter no hostilities and besides Glenn looked the part. He was not a red bearded stereotype but he could pass for a redneck and he relished this. The boy from Illinois, who was smarter by half, relished this.

When he got to Williamson he went to the Army/Navy store. Strangely enough, Lewis' "Jew Radar" had detected the owner years before. There was a small Synagogue in town perched on a hillside and the owner of the Army/Navy store was its president. He was a kindly old gentleman who directed Glenn to McGuire's Welding.

"You go about ten miles up this road here and you'll come to a crick with a little bridge over it and there's an old burnt-out house to your left and a dirt road that goes up the holler. You're gonna drive up that holler a long ways and you'll probably wonder if you're ever gonna get there and there's nothing out there, not a thing but you'll finally get to McGuire's. Now drive up on the place nice and slow because if McGuire's been drinking he's liable to pop a couple of rounds off at ‘ya so I'd honk my horn a few times and just sit in your vehicle and wait. Don't get out, you might even be well advised to turn around just in case you got to haul ass."

This made Glenn a little nervous but he set out with determination.

When Glenn had followed the directions to the "T" he found himself face to face with the McGuire compound. An arch some twenty feet high made out of drill pipe strattled the road. Hanging from its beams were steel letters that spelled "McGuire". A gate also made of drill pipe blocked the way. There was no place to turn around; the road had deep ditches on either side.

McGuire emerged from a large ramshackle house that set a hundred feet or so past the gate. He carried an over and under twenty ought six in his right hand but not in a menacing way; more like something that he did as a matter of course.

As he grew nearer, Glenn slowly-cautiously crawled out of the Blazer. McGuire was tall and thin, wore overalls and a C.A.T. cap. His beard was long, down below his Adams apple and bright red; set in the middle of this red hair was a small mouth that held rotten teeth colored by tobacco juice which he spat out at regular intervals; the wad of tobacco in his right jaw was rather large. But in spite of this appearance he had a rich baritone voice, a friendly voice and with it he said, "What can I do for ‘ya?"

"Well," Glenn coughed as he took a small piece of paper out of his shirt pocket, "Henry here," and he proffered the paper to McGuire, "Henry up in Buckhannon, said you were the man to see about a hand gun."

"A ghost?" asked McGuire.

Glenn grinned, not knowing what to make of the question.

"It's what you call a ghost," said McGuire with a grin, "a piece with no markings, a piece that doesn't really exist."

"Well, I guess that's it then," said Glenn.

Without warning McGuire turned and called over his shoulder, "Ida Mae."

A young girl appeared, as red headed as her father, tall and slender in a cotton dress several sizes too big.

"Ida, run in and get me that Smith and Wesson out on the back porch."

She turned and ran towards the house but before she got to the door McGuire called out, "and bring that box of ammo that's sitting next to it."

When McGuire had the pistol in his hands he went into a little singsong sales pitch.

"This piece will do the job for you,
any job you got in mind to do.
It will drop anyone you're so inclined,
to make him leave his life behind.
It's in good shape and I won't hesitate
to sell it for cash."

And then he held the gun by the barrel and handed it to Glenn, "Five hundred."

Glenn looked it over and said, "Nothing's wrong with it then?"
"Like brand new," said McGuire.

With that Glenn turned around and laid the pistol on the hood of the Blazer, reached into his left front pocket and withdrew his wallet which was bulging with one hundred dollar bills.

Seeing the look in McGuire's eye he felt like a fool, a man could get killed for a wad like this so just to be on the safe side he said to McGuire, "Let's make it six hundred that way we'll both feel good about it."

"It's a deal," McGuire said with a snap of his fingers and a criss-crossed handclap.

Glenn looked over to the porch, the redhead was cradling the box of ammo against her breast. She was sitting with her knees up in such a way as to show that she was a real redhead.

"Bring that ammo over here," McGuire commanded, and the girl came over with her eyes locked on Glenn.

"Would you care to spend a little more money?" McGuire said; his meaning was clear. The girl smiled broadly, she had been sold before.

Now, Glenn was frightened. The man was offering his daughter, not out of friendship but because he wanted more of the cash Glenn held in his pocket. There was something threatening about the offer and for a moment Glenn was at a loss for words but he reached into his pocket for the wallet once again and as he did the girl sighed and scooped her breasts up in her hands. This made Glenn even more nervous and he held out four hundred dollars more.

"Let's just make it a thousand," he said, "that way your daughter can get herself a new dress or whatever she needs."

And with that he took the pistol and the ammo into the Blazer and began to load the pistol right then and there; but McGuire didn't seem to notice, he started walking back to the house with the girl and by the time they had gotten to the porch he had lifted her dress up to expose her bare bottom.

Glenn was flying down the road in reverse and kept on flying until he found a turn-around. When he was less than a mile from the house he reached behind the seat and put his shotgun on the floorboard beside him. "These peckerwoods have CB's and walkie talkies. God knows what," he said under his breath.

But there was no one waiting in ambush before he got to the county road.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
When Glenn got home from buying the gun, he found the preacher, John Ifaw there. John was in one the lazyboys in the family room while his wife sat on the couch with Dorothy. Glenn repeated what Cashman had said about "real Republicans".

"That's blasphemous," the preacher said. "The Republican Party is the Party that stands for the Lord, stands against abortion, stands against homosexuality, stands against Socialism, stands for private property."

Glenn was surprised to hear himself say, "By "private property" do you mean the coal companies that run men down into the belly of the earth and ruin their health? A lot of these men never see the light of day except on weekends."

The preacher began to stutter and stall for time, stall for an answer. Glenn looked over at Dorothy and the preacher's wife and he knew they were with the preacher one hundred percent and that's when they lost Glenn. He said, "Excuse me," in a quiet little voice and went and sat in his Blazer.

Glenn remembered Dan telling him about a voice teacher in Los Angeles who had been a life-long Communist. He was rewarded at age sixty-five with a vacation in the Soviet Union. While cruising down the Volga on the Ilych Pretronova he had lunch with a group of comrades and he noticed that their waitress had made fourteen trips to the kitchen bringing out one or two dishes at a time. He asked her "Don't you have a tray?"

To which she replied, "No, we're out of trays and the Central Community did not plan to manufacture them this year."

That's when life-long Communist, Lou Winger, realized that Communism didn't work. As Glenn thought about this in the light of what had happened to him he realized that Republicanism didn't work either; it didn't deliver on any of its promises to the average person. Just like Communism, the cream was skimmed off for those at the top, the ones who would promise anything to maintain power. The Communists appealed to a fear of Imperialists and Capitalist gangsters while in America, the real Capitalist gangsters appealed to a fear of Godless Communism. Accepting or rejecting Jesus was at the core of their argument.

"Who could deny Jesus?" they asked, all the while behaving without ethics or morals as if to prove their hatred of Jesus.

As the preacher left, Glenn turned on the radio and listened to Ferlin Husky as he waved "goodbye."

"I'm gonna have to go out later on tonight and check on a pipeline down by Huntington," Glenn said to Dorothy when he came back in.

She had heard it all before so many times and didn't care one way or the other. She planned a good supper for Glenn, "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach" had always been her motto and tonight she would have roast chicken and stuffing with all the trimmings, including chocolate cake with the walnut sauce that her mother had taught her to make. It was a little too much for Glenn's blood sugar but the weather forecast called for snow; a strange late spring snow and this dinner would be just what he needed.

He told her he was going to take a nap and after he had gotten in bed she brought him his pills, his Isosorb and his Lipitor, his Tenormin and last of all a double dose of Micronase, the tablet that fought sugar. If he was gonna have the chocolate cake he would need the extra dosage.

He seemed strange to Dorothy as he swallowed his medication. His forehead was cold and clammy and his pulse seemed awfully fast. "Are you ok?" she asked.

"I'm just fine," he answered, "I just need a little sleep," and with that he turned on his side and hugged his pillow and within minutes was snoring.

Dorothy could not wake him for supper and so, after watching television for a short while, she went to bed.

When Dorothy woke up at 7:30, she was startled by Glenn's appearance. His face looked like a death mask; there was a slight bluishness to his complexion and he was barely breathing and then she remembered the double dose of Micronase. He hadn't eaten anything, perhaps not since breakfast the previous day.
She rushed to the bathroom and found a tube of glucose; she opened it, parted his lips and squeezed it into his mouth. He was choking on it when she returned to the bedroom with a glass of orange juice. She held his head up and let him drink the orange juice in gulps. Glenn realized what was wrong; his hands were trembling and his head was spinning. Dorothy got out his blood works and pricked his finger and put the blood from the prick onto a testing tab. The blood meter read forty-eight.

"Oh, my God," she murmured under her breath, "Oh, my God." She was slapping Glenn now, "Get up, get up.

Glenn stood up but when he rose from the bed he could barely stand and he collapsed back onto the mattress. At that point she rushed to the phone and called an ambulance then she cut a large piece of chocolate cake and put it on a plate.

"Give this to him if he comes to," she said to Danny Clout, the EMT Captain.

Danny and his partner shared the cake on the way to the Emergency Room.

By the time Dorothy arrived at the hospital Glenn was sitting up with a glucose I.V. in his arm. Halfway through a breakfast of biscuits and gravy he said, "I thought you said it was gonna snow,"
"It did," said Dorothy, "but the snow turned to rain and it rained hard right before I got up."

"I know," said Glenn with a strange grin on his face but for now he just wanted to go home and sit in the sunshine. It was warm out and the willow tree that sat on the hillside above the swimming pool was blossoming. The whole ranch was in bloom-crocuses and daffodils sprouted on the hills and hillocks. Up on the ridge dogwoods fluted their white blossoms, there was a cherry tree up there too, competing with them. This is where he wanted to be but he would have to wait until the E.R. doctor released him. Although he had been hypoglycaemic an hour before, he felt full of life now.

But still he remembered the night before, every detail of it-parking the pickup on the berm, holding the revolver down as he walked through the living room, the look of amazement on Cashman's face, the pumping squirts of blood from the bullet hole, falling in the snow, throwing the gun away in pieces, and his concerns about his footprints in the snow covered lawn until it started raining hard. But when he talked about the job he should have done in Huntington, Dorothy countered his every word.

"You were right here in bed the entire night," she said, "passed out like a dead man and I'm sorry I gave you a double dose of Micronase on an empty stomach; I guess I could have killed you, but I thought you were gonna eat chocolate cake and run your blood sugar way up."

Glenn laughed a rueful laugh upon hearing this. "I know what I done last night," he said as he dialled Cashman's number. He heard the phone click and Cashman's voice say, "Cashman here."

He said nothing but listened asking himself, "Is that really Cashman's voice?"

Once again, this time in a booming resonance, Cashman said, "Cashman here, who the hell is it?"

Glenn hung up and sat zombie like. "Am I loosing my mind?" he asked himself again.

The doctor on duty was Alex Brendle, rotating out of Monongahela General in Metro City. "You're not loosing your mind, Mr. Reeves, you just had an episode of hypoglycaemia. Your blood was down to forty-eight, you ought to check your blood at night before you go to bed. If it's down around a hundred it's not a bad idea to eat something."

"But something happened last night that I can't explain," Glenn said, "I dreamt I murdered somebody. The dream was so real."

Dr. Brendle chuckled, "Is this person alive today. Have you bothered to check it out?"

"Not exactly," Glenn said.

"Well, there you are. How long have you been a diabetic?"

"A long time."

"These kind of things happen to diabetics and you can thank your lucky stars that you woke up before you went into a coma. Just be careful from now on."

Glenn stood and walked out to the Blazer. He found the Smith and Wesson under the front seat and he was shaken up. He clearly remembered breaking it down and throwing it off the ridge into the creek but it was right there and he wrapped his fist around the handle just to make sure it was real. It was not only real but it had six cartridges still in place just where he had put them the day before.

He started the engine and drove out onto the road behind Dorothy's car and headed for town. His mind was whirling, he knew what had happened; a man can't make a mistake about something that serious-or could he. "Am I loosing my mind?" he said out loud and looked in the rear-view mirror after saying it just to check his reflection.

Suddenly the town ahead seemed like a mirage and he pulled over to the side of the road and sat there for five minutes until the world came back into focus. He felt much better now, not happier but more real.

And so that was it, Glenn re-started the Blazer, relieved that he was not a murderer after all. He was free, free of his anger, free of his hatred and for the first time in his life free of his past. He was going to enjoy life from now on-really enjoy it. After all he had recently experienced one of the greatest of pleasures-real or imagined-the pleasure of shooting Cashman right in the face.
_______________________________________________________________________
ADDENDUM
(Photos)
The events of the previous week did not deter Glenn; he still wanted redress. The question was how and where to get it; but the matter was settled one Monday when he reached into his post office box and found a note that read, "We have a large envelope for you at the window."

Glenn retrieved the envelope and opened it in his car. Inside were two aerial photographs of Derrick's home under construction. They showed with clear definition Blueridge Gas equipment and employees digging Derrick's pond. In addition, there was equipment and employees in and around the unfinished house.
Glenn knew what this meant, without Lewis to wink at the whole thing he knew he was in trouble. He had no paper or permission of any kind. He realized it was possible that Cashman would prosecute him and so at that moment he knew everything was settled. Jason had taught him how to play chess; and in the chess game of life he had just been checkmated.

It was only days later that Glenn made a decision to buy a home in Florida. He was advised by Reggie to acquire a place in Boca Raton. He and Dorothy trusted Reggie to pick out a place for them and Reggie took it upon himself to have various repairs made on a stucco "hacienda". He even re-designed the landscaping to his taste and told Glenn on the telephone, "Everything will be ready when you arrive in the fall."

Glenn and Dorothy fell in love with Pelican Point. They fell in love with the weather; it was the first year of Glenn's life that he had not experienced winter and by spring he had made a decision to buy Derrick an impressive home just blocks away. From this time forward the ranch in West Virginia would only see them in good weather.

Beginning October 16th, David Rojay is on YOUTUBE reading Chapter 73-REPUBLICANS. (Search: Red State Hero)

Watch David Rojay on the Dan and Dad Show, Saturday nights at 9:30 on Channel 17. Find David Rojay on Youtube, Find David Rojay on Google. Watch the Dan and Dad Show at capemedia.org (The Rojay Show).

To Contact David Rojay: therojays@verizon.net

To read previous chapters from A RED STATE HERO, go to Cape Cod Today's HOME page, scan down to The View From Cape Cod, Click on Oil, Money, Sex & Republicans and work your way back to the first chapter by clicking on Older Posts to go backwards or Newer Posts to go forward.

Vote NO on Question YES!

It is said that great (or twisted) minds think along the same lines.  I've published three pieces this week, all exhorting you to vote NO!   One on Question 1 on the ballot, one on Question 2, and the third on the candidates.

Alex Papaioannou, a friend and fellow Worcester Polytechnic Institute alumnus, published a piece today titled Vote Early, Vote Often in the Foxboro Reporter, Foxboro's weekly newspaper.  In it he exhorts, among other things, the voters to 'Vote NO on Question YES!'

Alex writes, "Are you as sick of the whole electoral campaign as I am?  Excepting some earthshaking or confidence shaking disclosure, my mind was made up weeks ago.  What we need is to have a little fun during the campaign.  I'd like to see someone print up a few thousand signs [or bumper stickers] that say: 'Vote NO on Question YES!' or, alternatively, 'Vote YES on Question NO!'"

For those who don't want to take the blame if their winning candidate screws up or who plead absolute neutrality, he suggests universal bumper stickers that read 'I Didn't Vote for Them!'

He recalls the days when his grandfather was paid 50 cents and told to vote for a certain candidate using some one else's name.  Some people voted more than once.  He suggests another bumper sticker, 'Vote Early, Vote Often.'  That's reminiscent of  'Vote often and early, for James Michael Curley.'  I know of people who did.

Alex says, "Any of these ideas would be a great moneymaker for the Boy Scouts.  Print up the signs and stickers and sell them on Saturday behind the Town Hall.  At a buck apiece they could make beaucoup dollars."  Spyro, there's a thought for you.

I agree with Alex.  The repetitive rhetoric and length of the campaign are driving us crazy enough.  Most people have already made up their minds on whom they will vote for (pardon my dangling participle).  If we're going to deal with crazy, let's have some fun doing it.  Remember it's better to laugh and be crazy than to be depressed and be crazy.  At least that's what my psychiatrist says as he cackles uncontrollably, especially when I ask him if I can be cured.

I think I'll stand in front of the polling station with a big sign reading, 'Vote NO on Question YES!'  That should drive some people crazy.  At least I hope so.  I need the company. 

Cape Air in Maine: Cape man named head of Mystic Seaport; Report on woman lost off Cape Cod

TODAY's quote; "Don't confuse the stock market with the economy."  - Ronald Reagan

Norton featured at Maine Maritime

"Ladies Aloft," on board the schooner Mary Day, are captured in watercolor and gouache by Linda Norton of Camden.

Norton's original watercolor will be exhibited in the "American Society of Marine Artists: 2008 New England Regional Exhibit," which has traveled from the Cape Cod Cultural Center in Massachusetts to the Herreshoff Museum in Rhode Island and is finishing the three-museum tour at the Maine Maritime Museum. Opening night is Saturday, Nov. 1; the show will be on view through Jan. 4... Village Soup.

Cape Air launches Rockland Maine route

Cape Cod-based Cape Air, which won the approval of Knox County ME commissioners to fulfill the Knox County Regional Airport's essential air service contract, will begin service to the airport located in Owls Head on Saturday, Nov. 1.

"With our nonstop service to six cities from Boston's Logan International Airport we really are New England's regional airline," said Cape Air's founder and CEO Dan Wolf, in a press release. "From Maine to the Adirondacks to our home base on Cape Cod and the islands, Cape Air gives thousands of local residents and visitors access to and from the national air transportation network."

Airport Manager Jeff Northgraves said Thursday that he is looking forward to the new service.  "We've been working close with their operations folks as well as their marketing folks and the transition should be fairly seamless," Northgraves said. "They have hired nearly all of the personnel that were working for Colgan [Air] locally to run the site for Cape Air, including Rocky Stenger who will be their site manager."

Northgraves said there will still be familiar faces behind the reservation desk.

Michelle Haynes, communications director for Cape Air, said some of the benefits of the carrier include speedy processing through Transportation Security Administration screening at Logan's Terminal C, and direct connections with JetBlue. Cape Air offers 10-flight prepaid discount books that can be used by one or more passengers.

"They're great if you're planning a wedding and want to pay in advance for all the bridesmaids to get there" said Michelle Haynes, Cape Air.

In response to concerns about comfort in Cape Air's nine-passenger Cessna 402 airplanes, Haynes said, "We hear about the size of aircraft all the time. People aren't used to it. But it's a part of the fabric of the community in our existing routes."

Northgraves said the airport's engineering firm has flown the new carrier in other markets and was pleased. Northgraves said it is a comfortable ride once passengers get into the aircraft and in their seats... Village Soup.
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Mystic Seaport Names Cape man New President and CEO
Barnstable resident was headmaster of Fay School

Stephen C. White, the former headmaster of the Fay School in Southborough, MA, has been named president and chief executive officer of Mystic Seaport. He lives in Cummaquit on Cape Cod.

Stephen C. White, the former headmaster of the Fay School in Southborough, MA, has been named president and chief executive officer of Mystic Seaport.

White will assume his position January 15, 2009. Retired Coast Guard Rear Admiral Doug Teeson, the Museum's current president and CEO, who earlier this year announced his plans to retire, will remain in his position until that time.

White served 18 years as headmaster of Fay School, the country's oldest junior boarding school, founded in 1866. Fay School now educates an international student body in grades 6-9 as boarding students and day students in grades 1-9.

During White’s tenure, Fay School established a dynamic strategic plan and a comprehensive master plan for future campus development. Under his leadership, the School dramatically increased its endowment and, most recently, he also completed a $20 million campaign designed to support key elements of the strategic plan, including compensation, scholarships, program development and campus expansion...

White presently resides on in the Cummaquid area of Barnstable on Cape Cod with his wife, Maggie... The Day.
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Gainey death report calls for new safety practices
Canadiens coach's daughter lost overboard off Cape Cod

Laura Gainey, 25, the daughter of Montreal Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey, was swept off the Picton Castle during a fierce storm on Dec. 8, 2006, east of Cape Cod.

The owner of the Picton Castle says he is "devastatingly sorry" for the death of Laura Gainey, the daughter of Montreal Canadiens general manager Bob Gainey, who was swept off the vessel and drowned in a severe mid-Atlantic storm two years ago.

"Our thoughts go out to the Gaineys as they have since that horrible night," Capt. Daniel Moreland said in a statement released Thursday following a Transportation Safety Board report on the incident.

"The purpose of this ship is to do good, not harm. It is not truly possible for me to express how devastatingly sorry I and all of us who work with the ship are for the loss of Laura. Laura was a remarkable young woman, treasured by all her shipmates. She will be deeply missed always."

Capt. Moreland said he accepts the recommendations of the board and that Gainey's death has led to an intense scrutiny of safety equipment, practices and procedures on board the Picton Castle.

"We mean to learn all we can from this tragedy. This process is ongoing. The spirit that Laura brought to this ship will sail with us always," Capt. Moreland said... National Post.

See original story here.

Murphy to host election night party

EAST FALMOUTH - Independent candidate for state representative Carey M. Murphy is hosting an Election Night results-watching party.

The party starts at 8 p.m. at Carbo’s Bar and Grille at 681 Falmouth Road in Mashpee.  DJ Bryan Laughead from CapeEntertainment.com will be spinning tunes all night. 

“There are so many people who worked hard on my campaign,” Murphy said. “I hope they’ll all stop by on Election Night to relax a little, enjoy some good food and music, and see the result of all their efforts.”

A resident of East Falmouth, Murphy is running to represent the 3rd Barnstable District.  He is currently serving his third three-year term as a Falmouth selectman.

Are you running for office? Are you involved in a local candidate's campaign? Email us any upcoming Cape Cod political events (campaign kick-offs, fund raisers, informational sessions, debates, etc.) and we'll feature them here on our Cape Cod Political calendar.

Republican Get-Together at Jake Rooney's November 1st

All Republican candidates and supporters are encouraged to attend

Paul and Louise Marahrens are hosting a little Republican get together at Jake Rooney's in Harwichport Saturday evening, November 1st at 6pm. 

There will be light snacks at 6pm and dinner off the menu around 6:30pm.  Jeff Beatty, Republican candidate for the United States Senate, will be making a few comments about the election and the road ahead.

This is not a fundraiser--just an opportunity to get together.  Attendees are responsible for their own meals.

Please give the Marahrens a call at 508-432-3649 or email them if you are able to attend.  Supporters are encouraged to invite friends to attend.

ALL candidates are invited--be sure to bring your signs and bumper stickers!

Jake Rooney's is located at the corner of Route 28 and Brooks Road in Harwichport.

Are you running for office? Are you involved in a local candidate's campaign? Email us any upcoming Cape Cod political events (campaign kick-offs, fund raisers, informational sessions, debates, etc.) and we'll feature them here on our Cape Cod Political calendar.