Cape Cod Crusader

A Voice of Christmas Past--The Music of Karen Carpenter

 Few performing artists have made an impression over the years.  Only one stood out for me and her name was Karen Carpenter.  Some have described Karen's voice as a musical instrument. Burt Bacharach who wrote, "Close To You", for the Carpenters, described Karen's voice, "As one of near perfection".

At the age of 32, Karen died of heart failure due to complications of an illness she had been battling for sometime.  A new book released this year, "Little Girl Blue", written by Randy L. Schmidt, attempts to unravel the mystery of what happened to Karen Carpenter, leading up to her untimely death.

I often wondered what this beatiful voice was hiding beneath that happy face made for cameras and Hollywood stardom. If you really listen to her voice, you can hear it. She was trying to share her own personal story, but it can't be found in the words, it goes much deeper.

Karen Carpenter was a true romantic who knew how to reach an audience through her own emotion found in her songs--songs which made us happy or sad, whether they be teenage years of heart break or adult years of heart ache, Karen could comfort your soul if you let her. 

More about Karen Carpenter  here: http://www.karencarpenter.com/

Official Carpenter's website: http://www.richardandkarencarpenter.com/biography.htm

Merry Christmas, JFK

Robert Knudsen  /  AP

President John F. Kennedy, Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, New York City, April 27, 1961. The President and the Press: Address before the American Newspaper Publishers Association.

"The very word secrecy is repugnant in a free society; and we are as a people inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, secret oaths and secret proceedings.

For we are opposed around the world by a monolithic ruthless conspiracy for expanding its sphere of influence--on infiltration instead of invasion, on subversion instead of elections, on intimidation instead of free choice. 

It is a system which has conscripted vast human and material resources into the buiding of a tightly knit, highly efficient machine that combines military, diplomatic, intelligence, economic, scientific and political operations.

Its preparations are concealed not published. Its mistakes are buried, not headlined. Its dissenters are silenced, not praised. No expenditure is questioned, no secrets revealed.

That is why the Athenian law maker Solon decreed it a crime to any citizen to shrink from controversy. And that is why our press was protected by the First Amendment.

I am asking your help with the tremendous task of informing and alerting the American people. I am confident that with your help, man will be what he was born to be--free and independent". 

________________

 Videos of JFK's address: 

Audio and transcripts:

http://www.jfklibrary.org/Historical+Resources/Archives/Reference+Desk/Speeches/JFK/003POF03NewspaperPublishers04271961.htm

________________

A captivating speech by JFK, for which to some extent could be applied to events we find ourselves faced with today.  

My only memory of JFK was in the voices of family members who hailed him as, "The greatest president to have ever lived". 

I was only 2 years old when JFK was assassinated.  Years later,while visiting extended family in N. Italy,  I was surprised to find a road named after JFK. 

What astonished me more was how they spoke of JFK, as if he were more than just a president. There was something other than his charm and good looks that held their fascination. Could it have been qualities uncommon which made him the great leader he was, one who worked tirelessly for the poor and others marginalized by society, evidenced by many policies put in place by JFK and brother Ted? Was JFK the only president who railed on about world peace? I don't think I've ever heard similar speeches referencing that topic by those who have followed. It's one thing to talk-the-talk, another to walk-the-walk.

His loss was no doubt felt by millions around the globe and due mainly by the fact he was able to make a deep human connection world-wide in his crusade for peace. How many presidents do American's feel equal admiration and miss deeply when they leave office?

Has anyone wondered what our nation would be like today if JFK had never been assassinated? Would we have world peace or and endless series of wars and political divisions as we have now?

Let us hope that the spirit of JFK lives on as the spirit of Christmas-- with wishes of peace on earth and good will towards every man, woman and child.

Merry Christmas

President John F. Kennedy and First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy stand by the White House Christmas Tree in the Blue Room of the White House on December 13, 1961. November 22, 2008 marks the 45th anniversary of the day President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. (UPI Photo/Robert Knudsen /John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum)

Why Your Vote for Bill Keating will make a difference for Working Men and Women--

Bill Keating has a proven record for supporting womens rights and protecting working families.

He supports teachers, gay rights and he's pro-choice.

Bill is tough on crime and puts sexual offenders and batterers away so they cannot continue to roam free among society to repeat crimes against innocent children and women.  Bill has also worked hard to establish programs for victims who have suffered at the hands of violent criminals. 

Bill Keating has shown the voters he's got what it takes to be the most qualified Congressman for the 10th district.

Here are just some of the imporant issues working families face today,  which Bill has promised to support--

(found on his website below)

JOB CREATION

Bill understands that small businesses drive our economy and create new jobs. In the legislature, he fought to get small businesses greater access to capital. In Congress, he will fight to get small businesses the help they need to create jobs by providing tax credits and freeing up loans so businesses can hire again.

EDUCATION

Unlike his opponent, Bill will not vote to dismantle the Dept. of Education, which provides college aid to middle class families. Bill supports providing the resources public schools need to maintain high levels of educational excellence and prepare our children for the new economy and emerging technologies of the 21st century.

Bill understands that children can only learn in a safe educational environment. That's why, as District Attorney, he initiated a bullying prevention program to encourage respect among school children and to improve school climate. He also sponsored school safety training for law enforcement officials to prepare communities to deal with natural and man-made disasters. As a legislator, he sponsored the law creating drug free school zones and to require sprinklers in schools.

PROTECTING OUR FAMILIES

As a District Attorney, Bill Keating made our communities safer and stronger. He has worked on community-based crime and injury prevention. He founded Norfolk Advocates for Children , a nonprofit child advocacy center for those who have been sexually and physically abused. In the Legislature and as DA, he has made it a top priority to go after sexual predators and prosecuted sex crimes. In Congress, he will fight to keep our families and children safe and secure - and continue the advocacy that has twice earned him honors from the Mass Office for Victim Assistance, among other awards.

STANDING UP FOR EQUALITY

Bill has been a strong supporter for equality for gays and lesbians. He was recognized as a leader in protecting those who faced housing, credit, and job discrimination. Bill voted to make it illegal to discriminate based on sexual orientation in the 1980s -- when it was not a politically easy thing to do - and supported marriage equality here in Massachusetts. In Congress he will fight to end Don't Ask Don't Tell and allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military. And he will support nationwide anti-discrimination laws and champion marriage equality.

CHOICE

Bill is pro-choice. In Congress, he will fight to protect a woman's right to choose and work to ensure the settled law of Roe v. Wade is not undermined.

See what voters from Cape Cod and south shore towns are saying about Bill Keating:

http://www.billkeating2010.com/

http://www.billkeating2010.com/issues

Make your vote count today---

VOTE FOR BILL KEATING!

A Letter to Lisa--Straight from the Heart

Dear Lisa,

I want you to know that whatever the outcome of this election--your statement to the Boston Globe and your story will serve the greater good--and for the many other victims and their families.

Only those who have had to deal with the pain and repercussions of having been victimized by a sexual predator know the lifelong effects the experience has done to them. Devastating events such as yours can reshape a life so fragile--only you would know.

What happened to you when you were a 14 year old girl could have been prevented. We can only imagine how horrible it must have been for you and your family. But not one of us can truly know the depth of your pain and struggles for living with it. Your story truly brought tears to my eyes. I am writing to let you know that you have thousands who support you. It's important for you to know it and believe it in your heart. There are many of us who really do care.

For the thousands of us who have raised children, we  imagine our 14 year olds as still very innocent in a world that sometimes isn't. We work hard to protect our young children, at times more so for our daughters since we know how especially dangerous it can be for them.

When I think of how young you were, as a 14 year old girl, I think back to when I was only 14,  as well as my own daughter. Our days were spent in junior high and after-school with friends doing class projects, auditioning for plays, or just hanging around at the local pizza place. We shared our homes, our favorite music, and sometimes our own wardrobes. If we weren't going to the movies to see the most recent heart throb, we were cheering in the stands at local baseball and football games. We were at the verge of becoming women, but that was still years away.  At 14, we were still children, looking forward to more years of just being teenage girls.

Some of that was taken from you, Lisa, when you were just a girl and should never have been forgotten or forgiven. People who will vote on November 2,  who read your article had to face that fact.

I want you to know that the 14 year old girl inside of you is so brave to have shared her story with us.  The adult woman you have become today deserves much credit for speaking out for that little girl who tried to call for help when she needed it the most.

There are thousands of young men and women, mothers, fathers, and extended family who have a 14 year old girl in their lives who can understand what you must have endured. Be proud of the woman you are today and continue to embrace that 14 year old girl. Her voice has been heard and we embrace her and you.

DEMAND TO SEE THE NOTE BEFORE YOU WALK AWAY--

Wall Street Reform - Main Street Recovery: How do we get there?

Below, is an email and an article from a former employee of Wall Street who blew the whistle on corruption of home mortgages. I contacted her after I read her article since I had been one of the homeowners caught up in the ugly ponzie scheme engineered by Wall Street and the deceptive lending practices which caused the financial disaster we see before us today.

Last year, I attended a hearing at the statehouse which many lawyers, state representatives and other interested parties attended. There were also many homeowners present, anxious to provide their accounts to the committee, but not all were able to -- there just wasn't enough time.

I was especially interested in this story below. After I attended the hearing at the statehouse, I read Pam's article and was convinced there were many judges around the country trying to blow the whistle on the deceptive practices, but somehow their voices never reached the level needed to bring an abrupt halt to what Wall Street and the bankers were doing with the way they were recording mortgages.  Three lawyers who were representing homeowners faced with foreclosure were desperately trying to read a letter written and signed by three Massachusetts judges who wanted to share what they had learned. Unfortunately, the chairwoman from the panel became outraged when one of the lawyers attempted to read the letter. She told him to submit it to the committee for review, but would not allow its content to be shared with those present at the hearing.

Cape's own Rep. Cleon Turner was present and a homeowner from Dennis who provided her testimony. No sign of Senator Rob O'Leary, Congressman Bill Delahunt or even the Republican hailed, Representative Jeff Perry. 

State representatives from around the state had attended the meeting urging the committee to assist them with the epidemic of foreclosures within their communities and explained the urgency since it had created a number of issues. "Our people need help", one representative explained to the panel, "homes are emptying out at a record pace, there is a growing concern within our communities, we need your support to restabilize these neighborhoods and help these young families to remain in their homes, it's beginning to effect businesses and our tax base, and we don't know what to do".

Some of us in the audience suspected representatives from the lending community were also in attendance. You can always pick them out--slick suits and that cold stone look on their face. What did they care about a bunch of working class homeowners--they were getting ready to put plan B into action. Plan A was to find a way to steal their homes--Plan B was to find investors willing to buy them outright so they wouldn't continue to lose billions of interest and fees, since many homeowners got wise and just walked away. I mean, what the hell were they thinking? And you have to wonder who they must have owed money to--who was most likely screaming from the other end of the phone--oh, yeah, those overseas investors who were victim base #2, after their own American citizens were first taken to the financial slaughter house, they tried selling them off as viable investments.

So, I hope Pam's article will bring some light to what has been going on behind closed doors all these years with the way Wall Street and their pals in the lending industry have managed to get away with for so long.

The fact is--over 10 million or more families have lost homes across this nation, alone, millions more in other countries have been reported. And those who have swindled the American homeowners have managed to also try to cause a civil war among those who have been taken and those who were not. But, Bernie Madoff stole from many educated professionals who also "should have known better".  An investment, is an investment. As my attorney always repeats to me, "these were supposed to be professionals. They should have been licensed brokers who knew their own consequences for documenting false information on these homeowners. They are the ones who should be held accountable. They knew what they were doing and it was FRAUD."  She also added, that it's impossible to locate the lender since they transferred so many of these loans and bundled them up so fast, selling them to overseas investors--who knows where the documents ended up and if they are even around anymore.

If you know anyone who is still facing foreclosure, encourage them to get in contact with their representatives. There are also a number of state agencies and free legal services who also can help. Some in our region of Boston are staging local protests.

I view what some members of Wall Street and the bad practices of the  lending community have done-- is as an act of treason, an assault against working class Americans. I hope it's not too late to heal our badly bruised country.  Congress must push back and insist on reforming the banks and Wall Street. Nothing else matters until they correct this grave injustice.

Below is the email sent to me by Pam, and her article:

"I worked on Wall Street from 1985 to 2006.  I spent the last decade of my career fighting to reform Wall Street and expose the corruption.  Shortly after retiring, I began to write for CounterPunch to help the American people understand just how entrenched the corruption is.

You can read all of my work by going to www.CounterPunch.org and putting the following in their search box:  "pam martens"

God speed to you.

Pam Martens"

***************************

The Next Financial Crisis Hits Wall Street, as Judges Start Nixing Foreclosures

October 23, 2009 · Leave a Comment

October 21, 2009

Seems like I have to post this as so many people sent it to me today. It's a lot of hard work but the fight is getting going in small strides. read on, I will post my notes later.

New Shockwaves From Courts and Accounting Board

The Next Financial Crisis Hits Wall Street, as Judges Start Nixing Foreclosures

By PAM MARTENS

The financial tsunami unleashed by Wall Street's esurient alchemy of spinning toxic home mortgages into triple-A bonds, a process known as securitization, has set off its second round of financial tremors.

After leaving mortgage investors, bank shareholders, and pension fiduciaries awash in losses and a large chunk of Wall Street feeding at the public trough, the full threat of this vast securitization machine and its unseen masters who push the levers behind a tightly drawn curtain is playing out in courtrooms across America.

Three plain talking judges, in state courts in Massachusetts and Kansas, and a Federal Court in Ohio, have drilled down to the "straw man" aspect of securitization. The judges' decisions have raised serious questions as to the legality of hundreds of thousands of foreclosures that have transpired as well as the legal standing of the subsequent purchasers of those homes, who are more and more frequently the Wall Street banks themselves.

Adding to the chaos, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has made rule changes that will force hundreds of billions of dollars of these securitizations back onto the Wall Street banks balance sheets, necessitating the need to raise capital just as the unseemly courtroom dramas are playing out.

The problems grew out of the steps required to structure a mortgage securitization. In order to meet the test of an arm's length transaction, pass muster with regulators, conform to accounting rules and to qualify as an actual sale of the securities in order to be removed from the bank's balance sheet, the mortgages get transferred a number of times before being sold to investors. Typically, the original lender (or a sponsor who has purchased the mortgages in the secondary market) will transfer the mortgages to a limited purpose entity called a depositor. The depositor will then transfer the mortgages to a trust which sells certificates to investors based on the various risk-rated tranches of the mortgage pool. (Theoretically, the lower rated tranches were to absorb the losses of defaults first with the top triple-A tiers being safe. In reality, many of the triple-A tiers have received ratings downgrades along with all the other tranches.)

Because of the expense, time and paperwork it would take to record each of the assignments of the thousands of mortgages in each securitization, Wall Street firms decided to just issue blank mortgage assignments all along the channel of transfers, skipping the actual physical recording of the mortgage at the county registry of deeds.

Astonishingly, representatives for the trusts have been foreclosing on homes across the country, evicting the families, then auctioning the homes, without a proper paper trail on the mortgage assignments or proof that they had legal standing. In some cases, the courts have allowed the representatives to foreclose and evict despite their admission that the original mortgage note is lost. (This raises the question as to whether these mortgage notes are really lost or might have been fraudulently used in multiple securitizations, a concern raised by some Wall Street veterans.)

But, at last, some astute judges have done more than take a cursory look and render a shrug. In a decision handed down on October 14, 2009, Judge Keith Long of the Massachusetts Land Court wrote:

"The blank mortgage assignments they possessed transferred nothing...in Massachusetts, a mortgage is a conveyance of land. Nothing is conveyed unless and until it is validly conveyed. The various agreements between the securitization entities stating that each had a right to an assignment of the mortgage are not themselves an assignment and they are certainly not in recordable form...The issues in this case are not merely problems with paperwork or a matter of dotting i's and crossing t's. Instead, they lie at the heart of the protections given to homeowners and borrowers by the Massachusetts legislature. To accept the plaintiffs' arguments is to allow them to take someone's home without any demonstrable right to do so, based upon the assumption that they ultimately will be able to show that they have that right and the further assumption that potential bidders will be undeterred by the lack of a demonstrable legal foundation for the sale and will nonetheless bid full value in the expectation that that foundation will ultimately be produced, even if it takes a year or more. The law recognizes the troubling nature of these assumptions, the harm caused if those assumptions prove erroneous, and commands otherwise." [Italic emphasis in original.] (U.S. Bank National Association v. Ibanez/Wells Fargo v. Larace)

A month and a half before, on August 28, 2009, Judge Eric S. Rosen of the Kansas Supreme Court took an intensive look at a "straw man" some Wall Street firms had set up to handle the dirty work of foreclosure and serve as the "nominee" as the mortgages flipped between the various entities. Called MERS (Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc.) it's a bankruptcy-remote subsidiary of MERSCORP, which in turn is owned by units of Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, the Mortgage Bankers Association and assorted mortgage and title companies. According to the MERSCORP web site, these "shareholders played a critical role in the development of MERS. Through their capital support, MERS was able to fund expenses related to development and initial start-up."

In recent years, MERS has become less of an electronic registration system and more of a serial defendant in courts across the land. In a May 2009 document titled "The Building Blocks of MERS," the company concedes that "Recently there has been a wave of lawsuits filed by homeowners facing foreclosure which challenge MERS standing..." and then proceeds over the next 30 pages to describe the lawsuits state by state, putting a decidedly optimistic spin on the situation.

MERS doesn't have a big roster of employees or lawyers running around the country foreclosing and defending itself in lawsuits. It simply deputizes employees of the banks and mortgage companies that use it as a nominee. It calls these deputies a "certifying officer." Here's how they explain this on their web site: "A certifying officer is an officer of the Member [mortgage company or bank] who is appointed a MERS officer by the Corporate Secretary of MERS by the issuance of a MERS Corporate Resolution. The Resolution authorizes the certifying officer to execute documents as a MERS officer."

Kansas Supreme Court Judge Rosen wasn't buying MERS' story. In fact, Wall Street was probably not too happy to land before Judge Rosen. In January 2002, Judge Rosen had received the Martin Luther King "Living the Dream" Humanitarian Award; he previously served as Associate General Counsel for the Kansas Securities Commissioner, and as Assistant District Attorney in Shawnee County, Kansas. Judge Rosen wrote:

"The relationship that MERS has to Sovereign [Bank] is more akin to that of a straw man than to a party possessing all the rights given a buyer... What meaning is this court to attach to MERS's designation as nominee for Millennia [Mortgage Corp.]? The parties appear to have defined the word in much the same way that the blind men of Indian legend described an elephant - their description depended on which part they were touching at any given time. Counsel for Sovereign stated to the trial court that MERS holds the mortgage ‘in street name, if you will, and our client the bank and other banks transfer these mortgages and rely on MERS to provide them with notice of foreclosures and what not.' " (Landmark National Bank v. Boyd A. Kesler)

Lawyers for homeowners see a darker agenda to MERS. Timothy McCandless, a California lawyer, wrote on his blog as follows:

"...all across the country, MERS now brings foreclosure proceedings in its own name - even though it is not the financial party in interest. This is problematic because MERS is not prepared for or equipped to provide responses to consumers' discovery requests with respect to predatory lending claims and defenses. In effect, the securitization conduit attempts to use a faceless and seemingly innocent proxy with no knowledge of predatory origination or servicing behavior to do the dirty work of seizing the consumer's home. While up against the wall of foreclosure, consumers that try to assert predatory lending defenses are often forced to join the party - usually an investment trust - that actually will benefit from the foreclosure. As a simple matter of logistics this can be difficult, since the investment trust is even more faceless and seemingly innocent than MERS itself. The investment trust has no customer service personnel and has probably not even retained counsel. Inquiries to the trustee - if it can be identified - are typically referred to the servicer, who will then direct counsel back to MERS. This pattern of non-response gives the securitization conduit significant leverage in forcing consumers out of their homes. The prospect of waging a protracted discovery battle with all of these well funded parties in hopes of uncovering evidence of predatory lending can be too daunting even for those victims who know such evidence exists. So imposing is this opaque corporate wall, that in a ‘vast' number of foreclosures, MERS actually succeeds in foreclosing without producing the original note - the legal sine qua non of foreclosure - much less documentation that could support predatory lending defenses."

One of the first judges to hand Wall Street a serious slap down was Christopher A. Boyko of U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Ohio. In an opinion dated October 31, 2007, Judge Boyko dismissed 14 foreclosures that had been brought on behalf of investors in securitizations. Judge Boyko delivered the following harsh rebuke in a footnote:

"Plaintiff's ‘Judge, you just don't understand how things work,' argument reveals a condescending mindset and quasi-monopolistic system where financial institutions have traditionally controlled, and still control, the foreclosure process...There is no doubt every decision made by a financial institution in the foreclosure is driven by money. And the legal work which flows from winning the financial institution's favor is highly lucrative. There is nothing improper or wrong with financial institutions or law firms making a profit - to the contrary, they should be rewarded for sound business and legal practices. However, unchallenged by underfinanced opponents, the institutions worry less about jurisdictional requirements and more about maximizing returns. Unlike the focus of financial institutions, the federal courts must act as gatekeepers..." (In Re Foreclosure Cases)

While the illegal foreclosure filings, investor lawsuits over securitization improprieties, and predatory lending challenges play out in courts across the country, a few sentences buried deep in Citigroup's 10Q filing for the quarter ended June 30, 2009 signals that we've seen merely a few warts on the head of the securitization monster thus far and the massive torso remains well hidden in murky water.

Citigroup tells us that the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) has issued a new rule, SFAS No. 166, and this is going to have a significant impact on Citigroup's Consolidated Financial Statements "as the Company will lose sales treatment for certain assets previously sold to QSPEs [Qualifying Special Purpose Entities], as well as for certain future sales, and for certain transfers of portions of assets that do not meet the definition of participating interests. Just when might we expect this new land mine to go off? "SFAS 166 is effective for fiscal years that begin after November 15, 2009." There's more bad news. The FASB has also issued SFAS 167 and, long story short, more of those off balance sheet assets are going to move back onto Citi's books.

Bottom line says Citi:

"... the cumulative effect of adopting these new accounting standards as of January 1, 2010, based on financial information as of June 30, 2009, would result in an estimated aggregate after-tax charge to Retained earnings of approximately $8.3 billion, reflecting the net effect of an overall pretax charge to Retained earnings (primarily relating to the establishment of loan loss reserves and the reversal of residual interests held) of approximately $13.3 billion and the recognition of related deferred tax assets amounting to approximately $5.0 billion...." [Emphasis in original.]

I'm trying to imagine how the American taxpayer is going to be asked to put more money into Citigroup as it continues to bleed into infinity.

Citigroup is far from alone in financial hits that will be coming from the Qualifying Special Purpose Entities. Regulators are receiving letters from Citigroup and other Wall Street firms pressing hard to rethink when this change will take effect.

Putting aside for the moment the massive predatory lending frauds bundled into mortgage securitizations, inadequate debate has occurred on whether securitization of home mortgages (other than those of government sponsored enterprises) should be resuscitated or allowed to die a welcome death. If we understand the true function of Wall Street, to efficiently allocate capital, the answer must be a resounding no to this racket.

Trillions of dollars of bundled home mortgage loans and derivative side bets tied to those loans were being manufactured by Wall Street without any one asking the basic question: why is all this capital being invested in a dormant structure? Houses don't think and innovate. Houses don't spawn new technologies, patents, new industries. Houses don't create the jobs of tomorrow.

Also, by acting as wholesale lenders to the unscrupulous mortgage firms (some in house at Wall Street firms), Wall Street was not responding to legitimate consumer demand, it was creating an artificial demand simply to create mortgage product to feed its securitization machine and generate big fees for itself. Now we see the aftermath of that inefficient allocation of capital: a massive glut of condos and homes pulling down asset prices in neighborhoods as well as in those ill-conceived securitizations whose triple-A ratings have been downgraded to junk.

There's no doubt that one of the contributing factors to the depression of the 30s and the intractable unemployment today stem from a massive misallocation of capital to both bad ideas and fraud. Today's Wall Street, it turns out, is just another straw man for a rigged wealth transfer system.

Pam Martens worked on Wall Street for 21 years; she has no security position, long or short, in any company mentioned in this article other than that which the U.S. Treasury has thrust upon her and fellow Americans involuntarily through TARP. She writes on public interest issues from New Hampshire.

Why I support Bill Keating--"Integrity, Independence, Vision"

It's true, I no longer live in the 10th district, therefore I cannot vote for Bill Keating on November 2nd. But I have pledged my support  and I'll tell you why:

About four years ago, I lost a friend to a drowning accident off the coast of Nantucket. His name was Mark Fitzsimmons.  Mark grew up in Quincy, and I grew up in Somerville. It was no surprise, we became friends, instantly.  Over the years, many view our towns as distant cousins--sharing the same demographics, comprised of mostly Democratic, working class neighborhoods of Irish and Italian residents. 

Mark had a warm and colorful personality and one you would never forget. He would always greet you with a smile and treat you like family.  I was not surprised to learn that he was a long-time friend and colleague of Bill Keating.

Upon hearing of Mark's death, I read a few articles about his career and the people he was close to who shared stories. I took notice of an article from The Patriot Ledger, which mentioned the relationship between Mark and Bill:

     "Before attending Suffolk, Fitzsimmons received a bachelor's degree in political science and American studies from Yale University, where he was a goaltender on the hockey team.  He was a graduate of Archbishop Williams High School in Braintree. Norfolk County District Attorney William Keating, who also was elected to the House in 1976, remembers Fitzsimmons fondly.

     Fitzsimmons, Keating and Morrissey were all part of an especially young class of freshman legislators.  "There was a lot of camaraderie.  Mark was someone clearly that stood out, physically and personality-wise, a little-larger-than-life kind of guy," Keating said".

Fitzsimmons "had just gotten elected, had to turn around and go against one of the most respected members of the House," Morrissey said.   "He didn't back down...That said a lot about his character.  Mark didn't really back down from anybody." (Patriot Ledger, Local Noted Lawyer Drowns on Nantucket, July 19, 2006)

As I re-read this quote describing Mark, I couldn't help but notice that Bill Keating shares the same determination and strength. That's why he needs to be the next Congressman for the 10th District. We need a fighter, one who will stand by the working families of Massachusetts. Remember, it's not just the individual we are voting for, not just one seat, but one member of a united majority of Congressmen who will keep fighting for what families need; jobs, homes, and affordable health care.

So, when I heard Bill was running for Congress, I couldn't help but want to pledge my support. I know if Mark was still here, he would be doing the same.

I believe he is the best candidate to represent the 10th District in Congress, because--

Bill promises to work with other members of Congress to bring needed reform to Wall Street.

He's committed to supporting the rights of women on Pro-choice, equal pay and protecting them against domestic violence.

Bill will work hard to create jobs and help small businesses access loans many banks have refused to lend.

He has also pledged to protect our elderly by keeping the retirement age in place and not extending it as his opponet has said he would do if elected. He will safeguard Social Security and our retirement savings from risky privatization schemes.

These are some of the issues facing our nation today which Bill has promised to support. 

We are struggling through tough times and need a Congressman who will represent the working families of our region. It effects all of us and I hope to see him elected because I know that he and Michael Capuano, my Congressman of the 8th District, will work very hard to help us get through these difficult economic times. I hope you will consider voting for Bill Keating on election day. He really is the best candidate for Congress.

Read more about what Bill will do for working families on his website and on bluemassgroup.com

"With your help, we'll clean up the mess in Washington and get our country back on track." --Bill Keating

www.BillKeating.org

http://bluemassgroup.com/diary/21063/why-we-should-vote-for-candidates-who-have-daughter

(Photo: Mark Fitzsimmons, Cranberry Festival, Harwich 2004)

Retrial of Worthington Case--Just an island pie in the sky

Wellfleet--Where it all began

You move to Cape Cod-Life couldn't be better. You find a job working for a builder in Wellfleet. After a week into the job, you realize something isn't quite right. It's just too quiet in the office and there is a dark heavy mood that doesn't seem to go away. The receptionist, who you were hired to replace is moving west of the state. She is really upset at your new boss and you're not quite sure why. You figure it has to be a personality conflict. Later you discover a bookkeeper drove this girl out the door along with a boss who only added to her misery.

That's about the time all the fun began at Cape Cod drama central. This was around August 2002, eight months after fashion writer Christa Worthington was found murdered in her Truro home. The papers were running the story almost every day and the locals were sick of it---"It was bad for business", they said.

I had heard of the murder while still in Boston, but didn't pay that much attention to it. Nevertheless, I felt sorry for her and the young daughter she left behind.

Many were led to believe it was a local crime and by a former boyfriend, just one guy, hell bent on rage, so why should the public have to worry? He'll soon be caught by the authorities and everyone can just go on with life as though nothing had happened.

Oh, but what surprises lied ahead.

A few weeks go by, and the story continues to run on the front page. You learn of a local writer who is going to do a book on Christa Worthington. Turns out, she's also a client of your boss, the builder, who's been hired to build an addition to her Truro home. You learn much later, that her husband is a distinguished tenured professor at Emerson College who had been there for over 40 years.

While it was known other fine writers wanted to write the book on Christa and the case-for some reason, it was awarded to the tenured professor's wife instead. More importantly, a woman who has just hired your boss to build an addition to her home and bragged about the $350k advance she got from Doubleday Publishers.

Days go by; you notice that she's calling more often and for petty reasons. The architect is annoyed with her, but hey, money is money and you've got to put up with some annoying clients once and a while. The relationship between her and builder seemed to be a little too personal. She would always show up drowning in some tacky perfume and make up. Suddenly, it hit me-the builder's comments. Did she share some things with the boss about the murder?

I look outside at her car-6 bumper stickers, supporting Michael O'Keefe, the DA. The book detailing their relationship was to come much later, but these events haunted me because I believe there were people in the story that knew exactly what happened to Christa Worthington and intentionally kept it from the authorities.

The public at large was encouraged to contact an anonymous tip line to the local police and a $25k reward was offered by her family-yet nothing would break the silence which continued for months more, into years.

A newly hired carpenter from a mid-cape town entered the office just before closing time, with a newspaper in his hand-Cape Cod Times. He says, "The Cape Cod Times must be making a mint off this story, it's running almost every day. What happened to this lady? Does anybody know anything yet? Such a weird story, how could this happen?"

I respond, "I know, pretty sick isn't it, how she died. What kind of a monster could kill a woman like that with her young child in the house"?

The boss interrupts, "The BITCH DESERVED what she got, because she was nothin' but trouble and......... the kid was asleep".

What???

You know when someone says something that's a bit off-and you just freeze up for a moment and don't know what to say? That was my moment, sitting here looking at the boss telling me that this woman who died in one of the worst ways-deserved it. I knew at that moment I was done with that job and looking for a new one ASAP.

The carpenter and I just starred at each other for a few minutes and then focused on the boss. I had to pursue, "What did you say?". He just ignored me and smiled with his face buried in paperwork. I repeated the question, and he finally answered, "Oh, yeeaaaah.....there are plenty of dead bodies up there in them dunes and nobody is ever goin' to find them", then added, "It's none of your business, so why don't you just forget it".

The carpenter turned and headed for the door. A few minutes later, I did the same. The following day, there were a few more people around talking about the newspaper articles again. The older book keeper who I was hired to replace, interrupted them and asked them to get to the job site right away and stop wasting time-time was money.

After they left, I turned to her and before I could get a word out she shouted, "It's a Massachusetts State Police investigation now, and no longer in the hands of our local police and has nothing to do with locals"!!!!

I was suddendly reduced to that five year old, being told there was not going to be any ice cream and cake after dinner because I was a bad girl. Girls who ask too many questions get punished you see-I was being met by someone as evil as my kindergarten teacher who would carry a wooden yard stick around with her every day. She was just as mean and ugly with bulging eyes that would reduce you to the size of a soldier ant feverishly scrambling for that safe sandy ant hill which was now too hard to climb.

I can laugh about it now, but our daily battles at the office could reduce even the toughest of "hot headed" Italian women, to tears. She was a beast.

You see, I was the young chick on the block and it didn't please her much since she was a member of the female entourage who was also infatuated with the boss. But all I wanted was a job and some peace at the desk-forget it.

But that's not why I'm writing this story again. I'm writing it because there is a bigger story more horrific than the one heard before. A story just waiting to be told about what really happened to Christa Worthington and you can't ever read about it because there are vested interests out there who just won't allow it. Who they are? We are still waiting to be told.

But I am here to tell you that there are many people who know more about what led up to the murder of Christa Worthington and now her story has effected many of us who refused to walk away.

There have been other writers-some very good journalists who have been driven away from the story as well. If they have the right man behind bars, why are people still living in fear? It doesn't make sense. This story must go back to the drawing board and steps retraced in order to find out the truth. It's the only way we can all live in peace once again.

We are the unknown faces who cannot move on with our lives because the parties of interest won't let us. My next blog will be about that so if you are interested, stay tuned.

I will not be releasing any names of who we are, but we are among the many of people who were chosen to be ignored, who had information authorities would not listen to and many have chosen to just move away, than to deal with the continual harassment.

I believe Officer Busby's story parallel's Christa's in some ways and also the murders of Linda Silva and Shirley Reine.

Please watch the video of Office Busby's story and what he and his family have endured. Think about the elements I am trying to convey. It's for real and we need everyone's help to get this case solved once and for all. We all want our lives back and this won't ever go away until justice is finally served.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/07/16/48hours/main6685341.shtml

Jeff Perry -- a case of the dirty underwear

There's a knock at the door, it's 11:30 p.m., a time when most of us have gone to bed.  As you open the door, you are met by a supervising officer who is telling you, " you're teenage daughter voluntarily dropped her panties for us".  You rub your eyes and hope you're still dreaming, but suddenly you realize, this is no dream. 

This is every parent's worst nightmare, but it's not the people next door, standing in the cold doorway--it's you and this has quickly become your worst nightmare.  The officer goes on to say that your daughter will not be able to get her driver's license and could face up to 5 years in jail for having what he described as, "an oregano like substance found in her bra".

You realize if they know this--she has been searched. And because you know your daughter so well, you know she would never do the things this officer is telling you---"dropping her panties" ? NEVER.  Suddenly, you are hit with a terrible feeling--you know at this moment, your daughter has encountered one of the most humilitating and worst experiences of her young life-- She's just been violated by an officer of the law and his boss is the guy standing in your doorway on a cold January night. 

What should you do about it? You know how much power the police have and you live in a small town--a small community where no one ever questions methods of the police. They are suppose to be the good guys, those who protect us if we are met with potential harm by a criminal.  But what happens when your guts tell you that the police acted inappropriately in this matter.  Afterall, your daughter is only 16--so young, so impressionable and vulnerable, so afraid that an officer of the law would search her in this manner.  You can envison her crying when this happened only hours ealier that evening, but there was no one there to help her--and this was no criminal walking the streets late at night who just violated your innocent daughter--this was a guy wearing a badge.  So, you ask yourself:  Why is his supervisor telling you lies to cover up a crime for his fellow officer? Is he afraid of disciplinary action by his department head? Is that what prompted this late night visit? What if word gets out that he's harboring a peophile in his department--not just any department--the police department.

So, people of the 10th district, I say to you:

If you want a Congressman who has a proven history of  violating  laws,  laws he's been sworn to protect,  has harbored a peophile officer and not stood by the rights of our minor children--vote for Jeff Perry

If you don't care about two young girls who were sexually violated by a sexual predator, an officer of the law,  who was found guilty and served 4 years in jail--vote for Jeff Perry

If you want women to go back to the stone age, lose their right to choose, lose their rights to freedoms they've worked hard to achieve, such as those which govern the work place and many other important issues-vote for Jeff Perry

If you don't care about the thousands of soldiers who return from Iraq severly injured and unable to provide for their families, unable to find adequate jobs because they are debilitated by effects of PTSD and missing limbs--vote for Jeff Perry

If you have such little concern of the millions of lives effected in the middle east because of a military super-power hell bent on controlling other parts of the world they have no business being involved--vote for Jeff Perry

If you believe that George W. Bush and Dick Cheney have served the American people well and have not mastermined a Corporate/Elite Banking takeover of our government--vote for Jeff Perry

If you believe we all deserve to be living in poverty, stripped of our viable jobs, savings, retirement, health care and mental well being--vote for Jeff Perry

If you have any conscience, any hope for a strong middle class that is standing by waiting for a fully competent, experienced, successful politician who has already worked on many of the issues our country has faced today--

Vote for Bill Keating....he's our only hope of taking back what we once had--a vital working class America that has been suppressed by a Republican Party with no vision for freedom of  our citizens. All they want is a corporate takeover and slave labor. Is that what you want America? I don't think so. 

Do the right thing--vote for Bill. We need our lives back and the American citizen hostage takers need to lose this one.

Tribute to the Rascal King

Six degrees of separation. We sometimes hear those words in an attempt to explain the unexplainable. How strange and quick events occur, without notice--like a flash of light and how they transform us into the people we become.  Sometimes we go on a gut instinct about things we pursue, like stories that have nothing at all to do with us, but serve as a reminder of days gone by.  The days which lay like broken glass from a cherished figurine, never to be put back together in the same way, so we toss it in the barrel and say forget it, what does it matter. If we dare to pick it up and mend it,  could it somehow be preserved or will those sharp edges cut us deeply, never to be healed again.  Sharp fragments which later serve as a burning torch inside a maze, providing a lumious, long journey with some rough terrain--and like written parchment from an old quill, sent by secret courier--there lied a detailed map of riches.

I'm still haunted by the days of standing inside a red line train, reading that red and black hard covered book,  by a local journalist, not so long ago, trying to find the answers about dad and his days during prohibition.  It's the best kept secret around, but if you're lucky enough to find a few of dad's old friends who remember those days, they might just toss you a few quick stories.  Stories to help shape the missing parts of who the man my dad was, who just one family member simply described when pressed, "well, he was sort of unethical".   My response may have come as quite a shock. I just laughed out loud.  By this time, I had already learned some stories but always wanting to know more about the man I felt I never knew enough about.

Many of us are taught that good and bad are separate traits--you are either good or bad, never both.  A devout Christian who always walks a straight line of virtue or a condemned Devil, one who is dripping of poison, lethal enough for everyone to fear and avoid at all cost.  St. Augustine said,  "We walk among angels and demons and both live inside of man".  I think St. Augustine may have been onto something.  Maybe he knew something the rest of us didn't know.

While sitting in dad's 1950's model chunky style, silver matte Buick, those words keep coming back, "See that house over there with the shamrocks, that is the home of my good friend, Mayor Curley".  What did an 8 year old know about some guy who lived in what appeared to be a dulled stucco white-gray house with shamrocks cut out from the matching pale wooden shutters? I wondered why dad use to take me to the St. Michael's Cemetary in Forest Hills every Sunday.  I think he enjoyed those rides since they helped to reminise of the good ole days.  Driving by James Michael Curley's home seemed to be a declaration of paying tribute for all that he did for dad and he wanted me to know how much he loved his friend.  But why was he so insistent on pointing to his house every Sunday?  Even an 8 year old girl thought this was a bit weird. Afterall, it wasn't as though I had met Mayor Curley, nor did I meet the other guy who use to send us Christmas cards every year.  The card was simply signed, Senator McKenna.  Mom would always yell when I insisted on knowing who Curley and McKenna were--and she would tell me to stop asking those questions and seal my incessant pleas with, "They were very good friends of your father when he lived on Hanover Street, nothing more".

The only stories I heard around the Sunday dinner table about dad,  were about how he provided wine on Hanover Street in a tavern that also doubled as his home. Daily patrons included local cops, senators and judges.  I use to think that was a strange set of customers, but that was when I was naive and never told about family business.  He raised six children on Hanover Street, but I arrived much later, in the 60's.  Although, he was  older than my mother, by 40 years, he remained a virile man which defied the ordinary male stamina.  Dad was born in the mountain range of Northern Italy in a place called Vezzolacca di Vernasca.  He visited a few times, in the early 1920's through Ellis Island, as documented on a manifesto I found through a website.  He fled Nazi Germany and tried to make a better life for himself and his family in America as many did and he enjoyed a full life surrounded by loyal friends and family.

I suppose I've realized that throughout all my days of research and blogging, the most important quest of all, was the search of who my dad was, because somehow it all links back to Cape Cod.  You see, he really wasn't a wine maker, but instead,  what his dear friend "chipper" described as,  "The only one who made the very best cherry rum around".  I recently discovered there are  photos, somewhere of dad and James Michael Curley and other well known politicians of that era. I hope to discover those photos and more about dad.  But, during this time of finding out who he was, I realized one important thing--who he was to me.  He was just dad.

So, thanks Mike, King of the Rascals,  for all you did for dad. Whatever it was, that bonded you,  those long ago memories sure brought many smiles to his face while circling the Jamaica Way, and even a few glimmering wells from those sad eyes.

Rocky's tarp nesting

Well, someone's got to get busy since Bullwinkle can't get his act together.....we urban dwelling critters must get creative you know....