CapeCodToday Blog Chowder

Never supported a republican in my life, but I'm tempted to send Carl Yingling a donation to help him knock off that sock puppet Demetrius Atsalis.

What a great day for the County Commission! Sheila and Mary Pat have proven themselves to be strong and intelligent problem solvers. Congrats to Barnstable County for having finally shut the door on the meanness, cynicism, pettiness, backstabbing, and self promotion of the Lambros/Bernardo years. Now, maybe something can get done in the public interest, and in full public view. OK, Barnstable Bill. Get ready to work a little harder. These ladies are going to get the County Commission motor running again. In a good way, of course.

Very sad. Provincetown has had a locally owned, local newspaper since the Advocate was founded in 1869. I think losing your local newspaper is right up there with losing your local market, or hardware store or local school. Provincetown's on its way to becoming just another Anytown, USA, and that's a real shame. Maybe the storied starving artists and other last remnants of "funk" can be relocated to a strip mall on Shank Painter Road.

Just went over and read Doug and Aaron's ravings. Look's like they're organizing that circular firing squad of republicans. Not that I mind, being a pretty liberal democrat.

But, to that point: as an early, liberal blogger, member of the State Democratic Committee, and "point/counterpoint" radio commentator with Cynthia, I always found her energetic in her opinion; but always (whether as Cynthia or PP) respectful and almost delighted by the intellectual aspects of our arguments.

But, hey, Aaron and Doug, go right ahead and attack whomever you want. Me? I've just relocated to a County in Colorado larger geographically than Rhode Island where we can count the number of democrats on one hand. Funny how the world works, huh?

I gotta think it's a joke, too, although probably for different reasons than Peter's thinking of. Way different reasons. But, a big joke nonetheless.

Wait. Stop. All the comments above are on the subject of Wendy Williams herself. Where's the shock and incredulity at the fact that the basis for Beacon Hill prediction was just a survey of potential project opponents? Even in social services, where I work, we do better science and research than that!

All interesting points, although I disagree with many.

For instance, I admire Lou Gonzaga's persistence on local issues that concern him. However, his track record is that he is not able to convince any but a small minority to join him in his views or public campaigns. I am certain (as certain, of course, as any of us can be about the future) that his petition will end up failing, simply because I think he is not in agreement with the mainstream of public opinion or political will.

And, w/respect to Rob O'Leary's connection to Barnstable Town policy, he is a resident of the Town, and of course has the same rights as the rest of us to interact with the Town's political and policy-making system.

Well, here's the open question to me: if popular sentiment is to end the war and the sooner the better; and if the general public sees this an an "elective" war that we chose to initiate, then why would veteran status/war experience be a significant plus in the general? Don't we want a leader to extract us, rather than continue a battle that most of us think is unwinnable in either the short or long term?

Oh, and on Kurt Vonnegut: I know most of us will sadly respond "so it goes."

Me, I personally hope that this just means that Kurt is now in the chrono-synclastic infundibulum, where I know he would want to be.

Well, my initial reaction about cape dot com was just the opposite, as I have enjoyed working with them, and have always appreciated the rapid response to any issues with our website(s). But, maybe I only know what I know, and maybe there's better out there that we should consider. Truthseeker: do you have any advice on better hosting and content management systems on the local scene? Because I have come to believe that support and TA need to be local, so if you get a runaround on the phone, you can just show up on their doorstep.

But, as we are planning a new website, this would be the time to talk with alternative venders if Truthseeker or anyone else can suggest them. Thanks in advance.

Not sure it's the invasion of heterosexuals that is changing the Castro -- or Provincetown, for that matter -- so much as gentrification. In Provincetown, the change in socio-economic factors, not the change in sexual orientation, have driven most change. And, I think Pottery Barn is orientation-neutral although I remember in 2000 when Potery Barn caused significant interpersonal strife for Monica, Joey, Ross, Chandler, Phoebe, and Rachel (all heterosexual, more or less).

This is just a small example of Mr. Mitt's attempt to rewrite his own history. But, from all I read, it doesn't appear that many people believe anything he says.

VideoPaul:

"I hope they let the gorilla ad people have both barrels, using public property for their petty little TV show ad campaign."

You mean, like Doug Bennett???

Hey, do you have a link to the yesterday's Situation Room video or a time for CNN International today? I don't watch CNN (too much vapid chatting and repetition of conventional "wisdom." But, I'd sure like to see these two. And, I agree with you, Dick. I've always found Jim Gordon as respectful, thoughtful, and, I guess, not nearly so assertive as you and I.

Jack: you know absolutely nothing of this democratic partisan's desires, motivations or values, so don't try to get away with your sweeping statements ("Democratic partisans want to see Bush fail...").

Here's what I want: I wanted Bush not to lie about the rational; I wanted Bush not to order the invasion or occupation of Iraq; I now want Bush to get it that none of us support staying the course or escalating.

These are the things this partisan democrat wants to see.

Do I "want Bush to fail?" Failure is horse I suspect is out of the barn, but is really immaterial to what I want, and I believe others want.

In fact, declare success, I don't care. Declare "mission accomplished" again; and again; and again. I don't really care what you call it. There's a used banner printed with those words available for press events.

Just put an end to it all, and let's put the next $300 billion towards something that matters to us. Put an end to senseless death of American GI's. Put an end to colonialism is a post-colonial world.

That's what I "want."

BTW, so what Rumsfeld's gone.

Well, I might as well jump in here. Sarah: thanks for standing up for the thousands of us who can't get to WDC ask our federal government to listen to us. We spoke in November, and, silly us, we thought Bush might have heard our message.

The thousands there this weekend, of course, represent millions and millions of the rest of us, and we owe them a debt of gratitude. That's you, John and Diane. And Margo in Wellflet, and Brian, Barbara in Provincetown, and Judy in Eastham, and all the rest of you.

OK, are you saying everyone earning below what they need should head to Lowell?

If so, then the 30% of the lower Cape population over 65 is in deep trouble. Because, they're going to need a much higher level of services to remain in their homes than the general population. Elders, as a group, are very service dependent -- dependent on working people who don't earn very much. I know of many, many home health aides -- working solely with the elderly on the lower Cape, and upon whom these elders totally rely -- who have no health insurance and earn below the self sufficiency standard. Can't find or afford child care. Can't afford to buy or rent (renters pay way more for their housing than owners).

So, I'm not sure the one way ticket to Lowell is in any of our best interests. We REALLY need these folks who are struggling to stay housed, employed, and productive, and we should develop some good strategies for keeping them here.

Not for the social justice of it all; but for our own selfish best interests.

A little explanation of the FES standard at the above-noted website. These costs were collected in 2002 and published in 2003. So, they necessarily need to be updated to reflect some of today's costs.

Example: Using published CPI #s, it appears that single mom+preschooler+ school age on the Lower Cape would now need to earn $49,080/year or $23.25/hour just to get by (an increase from the $43,700 - $20.69/hour cited in the table).

Also, in talking to the surveyors who collected these figures in 2002, these numbers reflect basic needs; no frills, no movies, no eating out or delivered pizza on Friday nights.

And finally, when we released these figures in 2003, nearly everyone who saw them, including elected officials and community members, said the published costs were very very low compared to the reality they knew in their communities.

But, these figures are at least illustrative of the dynamic relationship between costs and income.

Which, of course, gets us back to the underlying story WCAI told in "the Two Cape Cods."

A spectacular series and well deserved award.

Re: other comments here, it's not so much about "the newspaper is full of jobs, so get one," or "less complaining and more hard work."

The "Two Cape Cods" focused on a lot of folks that we all know in our communities -- not deadbeats -- who are slipping further and further behind, often while working as hard as they can, and for whom leaving the Cape may be the only alternative. If they can afford to leave, because even relocating a family has darn big costs.

It's bigger than getting a job. Economic self sufficiency means an income that meets or exceeds costs of living here. And, that requires a paycheck higher than most jobs pay on Cape. See Family Economic Self Sufficiency figures from 2003 (last year the on-the-ground cost of living survey was performed) at:

http://bchumanservices.net/page.php?91

So, again, the WCAI series was long and deep enough to really tease out the issues and subtleties that maybe a quarter of our population finds really daunting and very hard to live with.

Let's not make this a partisan issue. I was angry at the Bulger funny math; and I'm unhappy with the Tom George funny math. And, in the latter case, it's not about counting perks as income that bothers me so much, as it is counting his one-day-a-year town moderator job towards his longevity. But, abuses are abuses, regardless of party. Let's all be loud and be heard on reform, not just be angry at reports of the rip-offs.

Mon -- don't want to get so far into this that I forget to compliment you on your clever post above. Very funny. Honest.

I think "judicial activism" is an over used campaign slogan or bumper sticker. I came to live with the Supreme Court's award of the 2000 election to Bush. Did I like it? No. Did I think it the right decision? No. But, after the Supremes, you gotta let it go.

Back to the legislature. If you don't like what your legislator does, on a single issue or on balance, get a new one. In the 4th, an anti-marriage equality Rep was replaced by a pro-marriage equality Rep. I chalk that up to another vote for my position. Good for me; I campaigned and worked for it. If my side had lost the Rep election, I would have said we didn't work hard enough, and would redouble my efforts.

I was very unhappy with what the legislature did on Clean Elections. So I supported (time and $) candidates would would act differently.

That's where this really lives, and I fervently thank the 109 for taking the steps they did. I think they're legal, and we'll find out what the courts think. If I'm wrong, then I'll work to elect yet more pro-marriage equality legislators. Everyone else has the same opportunity.

Got no use for Tom Reilly. Never did. Before this issue even came up.

W/respect to "they can always vote no," I suspect that a popular referendum might, in fact, defeat this.

What worries me, however (and Jarrett Barrios pointed this out) is the nasty, villifying, finger-pointing, debasing, hate filled advertising campaign that would result from the influx of national right-wing money during the run-up to the vote.

More than worrries me, in fact. I don't want to go through it, and don't feel like I should have to.

We've all seen the Victory Chapel nutbags, and that disgusting Phelps "minister" from Kansas. Stephan and I own a home in Colorado, so are regularly subjected to the hate that comes from Colorado Springs'James Dobson (Focus on the Family) and fills the airwaves.

No thanks. And, I'm willing to advocate any legal steps to avoid that. Including the very legal steps 109 legislators took and, hopefully, will take.

I'm not buyin' it, legally. The MA constitution says about initiative petitions: "Section 2. Excluded Matters. - No measure that relates to ... the reversal of a judicial decision ... shall be proposed by an initiative petition."

With respect to voting, all the Constitution requires at the Constitutional Convention is that "Final legislative action in the joint session upon any amendment shall be taken only by call of the yeas and nays ... ." In other words, no voice votes.

I'm not buyin' it historically. I seem to remember plenty of proposed constitutional amendments, including reproductive rights, that have expired as a result of adjournment (go to http://www.examiner.com/a-431380~
Lawmakers_adept_at_frustrating_efforts_to_change_constitution.html).

And, I'm not buying the ruse of "let the people vote." As a proud organizer of last week's Marriage Equality rally, I was shocked to hear a red-faced cleric on the other side of the issue bellow threateningly at me that "god's blessings are conditional!" Let not pretend this is about voting. It's about me, my life, and my family.

Hey, Mary. Enjoyed seeing you, and participating in both events you mentioned above. The post-event Wampanoag drumming at the International Human Rights day event was one of the most truly amazing things I've experienced recently.

To the Equal Rights Rally, sometimes I wonder about the values of our local newspaper. Rally coverage in the daily was eight, not very insightful paragraphs. Just the standard "he said she said."

Today, however -- Breaking News!!! -- the same daily devotes sixteen paragraphs to an article about whether to kiss or shake hands at holiday gatherings.

Go figure.

Chill out everyone. Let's not complain about Gov. Patrick (or cheer him) until he actually proposes or does something. Then, sure, it's fair game. But predicting how badly he'll behave? Silly, and a waste of time.

Let's see, which am I more interested in?

A. Bashing Chavez for saying the same thing about Bush that some of the rest of us have said for some time?

OR

B. Get some help with fuel bills in a region of the country that desperately depends on this pricey resource?

I think I'll go with B. Gladly. Thanks, Rep. Bill, for helping us all out.

I have less worry about a fair trial on the basis of race than I do about juror's ability to be impartial given the intense amount of publicity on the case for nearly two years. And, my second worry is the so-called "false confession" phenomenon that could be at play here. An intense, six-hour interogation, with no lawyer present, relentlessly grilling a suspect of remarkably low IQ? I don't like the feel of that, considering others who were interrogated for far less time indicated how psychologically punishing the ordeal was.

I knew we'd find common ground. I think Pombo's a sleaze. Apparently, so do his constituents.

Actually, what I need to do is take a step back here and reflect on what is really bugging me. I don't think it's so much what the two Alliance mouthpieces make, as it is I wish the fat cat contributors would take a look at their communities and make some big donations to the groups and organizations that are working daily to make communities healthier and residents more (food/income/healthcare, etc.) secure.

I guess that's my real frustration.

I'll come back to "value." If this is really a tax exempt, charitable npo, I would say that stretches my definition of charity -- especially in the context of other organizations that add considerably more value to our community fabric. Working in a dark, locked room with Rep. Don Young and Sen. Ted Stevens doesn't quite measure up.

Yeah; fine. Depends on how you determine financial "worth." Vinick was paid $117k, Nickerson, $97K.

On my planet, we value people who direct organizations that feed hungry people; provide health care to the uninsured; teach little children. But, these people make a fraction of what ASS pays its mouthpieces.

What a world we live in.

What I found stupifying -- in addition to his political analysis -- was the salaries this little "charitable nonprofit" pays Vinick and Susan Nickerson. I work all day every day with a broad array of bona fide nonprofits, and the ASS salaries are enough to make them choke.

I don't hear a lot of people saying the guilty verdict is a sure bet, based on what they've heard and read of the trial. I hear folks expressing a fair amount of reasonable doubt, or at least confusion over what the prosecution did and didn't prove. And, nobody I know thinks the case for rape has been made. But, then again, maybe we don't all travel in the same circles. Or read the same blogs.

You should try it as a LEGAL immigrant who is entitled by state law to get a license. Many are refused out of hand with no explanation as to why; appeal of this rejection must be in writing; must be accompanied by a certified check or money order for $50; and requires a trip to Taunton for a hearing. At some point in the future.

What kind of legal immigrants do we have here who need to drive, you might wonder? Well, for one thing, the LEGAL immigrants who are hired to drive the CCRTA buses on the Lower/Outer Cape. And, I guess, anyone else here legally who needs to be licensed to drive to work, to grocery store, to take kids to school, etc.

Actually, the school thing is more complex than "close it" or "keep it open." It's at the intersection point of radically changing Outer Cape demographics; and the fact that Provincetown's per pupil expenditure is just about the highest in the state, leading the town from an history position of budget surplus to the brink of 2-and-a-half.

Actually, closing the high school would probably win in a town-wide vote. Courage is keeping it open while sorting through all the possible fixes with all community stakeholders.

The BIGGEST piece of the high school puzzle actually relates to Provincetown's all-volunteer Fire Department. Many of those volunteer firefighters are the parents and grandparents of the PHS school kids. And, in a time of radically increasing costs to live in Provincetown, the high school may be one of the things keeping the firefighters living in town. Eliminate PHS, and I predict that the town would have to go to a paid FD, a huge new cost which might cost just as much as a High School.

Just a tiny little correction as we go into the last week of the campaign. Somehow, the myth that Maloy is a "healthcare administrator" has gotten some credence.

He is not.

He is an outreach worker who signs people up for Medicaid. An honorable and valuable job which requires a certain level of knowledge and skills, don't get me wrong. But he is simply not a healthcare administrator.

Well, and I ask this respectfully, don't we have several multi-billion-dollar agencies (public and secret) devoted to anti-terrorism? Why do we need that competency in our Congressman? As a member of congress, what would he do that isn't already being done many times over? There are many professions and skills I admire, but don't necessarily think that would recommend anyone with those skills for congress. Like, I always wondered with Sen. Frist, why do we need a heart surgeon in the Senate? Answer: we don't. It's just an interesting coincidence that he could crack open any of his colleagues' chests if need be.

Hope Aaron didn't pay anyone for his campaign slogan (above):

"I'm Not Sarah"

It ain't too catchy. And, isn't too positive a message.

Yeah; it's that "enhancement of the political future" clause that makes me really want campaign finance reform. Speaker Finneran, who often ran un-opposed, used to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars anyway, and then used the money on top of his legislator's salary to live high and large between elections. Global travel; lavish parties; etc., etc. All to "enhance" his "plitical future."

I didn't have the patience to listen to the podcast, but did enjoy reading all the listener comments. Wanda Wisdom! what a great drag name!

Funny, though. The listerner comments were all dated August 21-30. Bet you (and some others I can think of) wish this had been discovered before September 19th.

Ouch!

I can't speak to the drug ring, but I can back KM up on the witches. I know several of them in Provincetown; they once told me they're spooked by Truro, and tend to drive on past without pausing.

I'm interested in where Peter Manso's going with all this. Like him or not, he's a student of the cultural evolution on the Outer Cape -- a perspective as important to the residents as objective fact. Every objective fact (and event, like a crime) on the Outer Cape has to be viewed in the context of the history and culture of the place that produced the event. And, how the story strands came together to produce that event is often as important to us locals.

This is Manso's specialty, although he often causes parts of the community to protest. He tells stories of the Outer Cape by including contextual elements that everyone knows, but no one EVER talks about or acknowledges. There are plenty, plenty, plenty of things in THAT category. And, Peter delights in writing about them.

Don't forget Barbara Rushmore's caution that this locale "is the one place in the world you can't be blackmailed...because EVERYBODY knows EVERYTHING about EVERYBODY."

Just a few points to Andy's report of the radio show (which I think he captured very well):

1. Survey research shows that 53% of insured Cape Codders are already in a government run, single payer system: Medicare or Medicaid. Hasn't killed 'em, has it? In fact, most patients in the two systems say these two programs are great. And, most docs would rather get paid the Medicare rate than the rate some private insurance companies pay. So, this particular set of government-run, single payer systems seems to please patients and doctors alike. Win-win.

2. You can't prove that Aaron has spent time in Provincetown just because he works for Outer Cape Health Services. His division -- Healthy Connections -- is in Orleans, and the Administrative Offices and Executive Director (where I guess he gets supervision) are in Eastham.

Otherwise, Andy, thanks for continuing to tell the campaign story (even with a different perspective, perhaps, than my own). Heaven help us if we had to rely on the print media to let us know what's going on.

Gotta love those elderly voters. And, their record turnout numbers.

Oooohweee. Nothin' like sticking your finger into an electical outlet, Don! Why don't you tell us how you REALLY feel.

Seriously, I agree with you. Bill not only "shows up," but he engages respectfully and thoughtfully with constituents and community groups once he shows up. And, integrates what he learns from them into his own thinking. All in all, a pretty darn good trait for an elected official.

I really look forward to Eric unleashed; or unhinged; or unfettered; or just plain unorthodox.

PS: As most of you know, I'm a liberal democrat, so finding myself on the same wavelength with Peter Porcupine is something of a rare, and maybe unnerving, experience. However, as my buddy Deval says, this isn't about left and right. It's about right and wrong.

I was doubly shocked at the CCTimes endorsement: by whom they endorsed; and then by their reasoning.

I can only speak for health and human services issues, but from my vantage point, Doherty has been a leader in taking crony-ism, politics, emotional appeals, and inside dealing OUT of the County's health care and human services programs. Instead, he has supported accountability, openness, fairness, and the reliance on objective data in making program decisions.

Funny how the CCTimes wouldn't have known that.

In a similar vein, with respect to Commissioner Bill's serious engagment with the community and its issues, I just today got an email at my personal address from the case manager at the homeless program called "overnights of hospitality." The email states, in part:

"I can say that I do know Bill Doherty well, and I will say that I plan to vote for Bill. In my opinion, Bill is a very honorable man who is very involved with a number of community issues. I can tell you that I am very proud of him, that his leadership is something that we should all be very proud of."

OK, I want to be the first person to identify that my comment above was bull-sh*t. I mean, I'd like to have been right that good overcomes evil when it comes to negative advertising, but I just today (Wednesday) read the news that the Healey negative ads have cut the Patrick lead in half. So, in the face of irrefutable evidence that negative ads work, I'll have to take off my rose colored glasses. But, I still hope Patrick refrains from getting down in the gutter with her and her buddy Gray.

I suspect that consultants get paid, whether their candidate wins on the basis of their advice or not. I'd like to blame Gray, but negative campaigns are just the commodity he sells. The fault, or blame, I would suggest, goes to the purchaser of this commodity. The candidate who hires him and takes his advice.

One of the reasons the Healy negative campaign isn't getting the traction they had hoped, I think, is that the Patrick campaign isn't responding in kind. When all candidates go negative, then it's matter of who is nastier and spends more money. When only one does, it makes that one candidate look pretty darn bad. I remember Tolman's decision to go negative during the primary, and I thought at the time that it wasn't a good strategy, in that other candidates didn't get down to that level (disclosure: I was a big Tolman supporter; but I think he ran a not so good primary campaign).

The old Portuguese women in Provincetown (my former neighbor Mary P. just turned 100 this year) call you "nice boy" long beyond your boyhood years. At 55, I love being called "nice boy" by them.

Might be cool if it was a real train. Just like it'd be cool if we had a real transportation system on Cape.

Hey, I think I did hear Aaron crib from Ray Gottwald's statement at the Snow Library debate on the FAIR program. It sounded VERY familiar. And, I didn't think it any more convincing last night when Aaron pushed it than I did when I heard it from Ray.

I agree with you Spyro; PAVE PAWS has gone from being considered a sinister health concern to a regional treasure in the context of stopping Cape Wind. I don't get it either.

Hold on here. Did I just read an assertion that I, as a liberal, must be assumed to be guided by, inspired by, or under the sway of Karl Marx as my guiding political economist?

That's silly. Its not knowable, supportable or provable. Which makes it just as difficult for me to disprove it, I guess.

Me, personally? As a liberal, and very proud to say it, I have many guiding political economists, including former USDHHS Regional Director Judith Kurland (early advocate of "Healthy Communities" movement) and Jody Kretzmann/John McNight at Norwestern Unversity's "Asset Based Community Development" Institute. Or the founders of the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative.

But, Marx? I don't know that I see the connection. I think paternity would be hard to prove; I'm not sure we share much DNA.

Andy, your points are well taken.

First, agree with you about the hedgemony of the two parties and how our state funded primary system doesn't really represent the full range of the electorate.

Second, my comments about money applied most to the primary. I don't dispute that money in the bank is a great general election asset.

But, in the primary, I continue to believe that money is less important than personal contact with the so-called "super voters," identifying new voters who don't ordinarily vote in primaries, and finally, and most importantly, getting your voters to the polls. No amount of money (or waving at rotaries, in Doug's case) trumps personal contact in the primary.

Oh, forgot to say that Andy made several really good points, but the one that most resonates with me is that we stupidly hold our primaries so late, that the opportunity to asssure fair and transparent results is overcome by the pressure of the six week dash to the general. That's why party folks pressure candidates not to ask for recounts. Not enough time to recount AND run an effective campaign in the general.

I'd like to see us hold the primary a bunch earlier, to give the community and voters a really good chance to see, compare, judge, and pick a candidate in the general.

I'd like to challenge Cape Cod Moderate's assertion that Sarah Peake "bought" the election.

Sarah only spent a little more than Don Howell did. She far outpaced her competition; Don, for nearly the same amount of money, did not.

So, it's not all about money in this district. In fact, how much can you spend in a district with no daily media to speak of (no TV, thin if any coverage by CCTimes, and a community nonprofit radio station)?

In reality, the name of the game in our district primary is personal contact and GOTV. Sarah got hers out; so did Aaron. The other candidates, apparently, not so much. And, GOTV is largely an issue of organization, discipline, diligence, and execution, not money. Oh, yeah. And "time," which Ron didn't allow enough of.

Nice team spirit, Ray.

I'm with Ron Bergstrom -- now that the primary's over, I enthusiastically support Sarah Peake. She will make a spectacular State Representative.

Another thing I think argues in Andrea Silbert's favor, in addition to having ideas on growing the economy and increasing the state's employment, and that is that she'd probably "grow" the office of Lt. Governor as well.

Can anyone see her playing ribbon cutter like Kerry Healey? Not me. I like her drive, her forcefulness, and her leadership on issues.

Likely, she'll press any governor she serves with to accord her personally more authority to work on subjects she's expert on, and will be open to her proposals.

Quite frankly, I see Lt. Governor as a badly underutilized position, and I don't think it would remain so with Andrea in it.

Well, to my mind, there are a couple of different ways to read these campaign finance reports. There's the point that Ray made about who's raised more.

I like to look at what portion of each candidate's fundraising comes from within the district as opposed to outside the district.

Ron is the democrat who is most funded from within the district in terms of percentages. Nearly all his contributions are from Barnstable 4th residents.

Ray and Sarah, not so much. They both have a considerable number of hefty contributions from outside the 7 towns of the district.

Then, I like to look at how each candidate is spending the money he/she raises.

Ron -- mostly signs, advertising in local papers, and printing.

Sarah -- mostly advertising, "promotions," "dues, subscriptions, and memberships (funny, she seems to have joined the Cape Cod Hook Fisherman's Association for $200), and some pretty big reimbursements to herself and her partner Lynn.

Ray -- databases ($1,500) and campaign consultants ($4,000) comprise over half his spending this period.

No judgments; just observations.

I agree with Chuck above. We act as if private use of public property never happens anywhere else. But, it does, in our national parks, forests, and BLM landholdings all over the West.

Frankly, I wish we encouraged more public power generation, but that doesn't seem to be the way of the way we do things around here. TVA raised and maintains the standard of living for millions of Americans. Rural electric companies are owned by user Co-ops, and that's a great model, too. But, we here in the East don't seem to have taken to the Co-op idea like those "socialist" Scandinavian-Americans in the Mid-west and plains states. Here, private companies are who produces the power we need to exist.

I don't remember the day my mom told me there's no Santa Claus. But, I sure do remember to this day the day she told me that Superman died. I was 8-years-old, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where we only had one television channel. It really shook my world. So, I guess I need to see this movie.

Don't know if Doug's got it right, or not. But, thank goodness someone running for office is talking about solving this. When we moved to from Provincetown to Harwich, not one single private company would insure our new house, not even the insurance company with whom we had a great 10-year relationship. That forced us into the FAIR plan, which is a monopoly taking advantage of a captive market. Thanks, Doug, for taking a look at this.

Here's what I've learned about surveys on Cape Cod generally.

1. Mail out surveys, even using scrupulously random sampling, are uneven in their returns. People with regular, long-term addresses, with the time and inclination to respond to a poll, return their "ballots". Those in seasonal housing, or without telephones (which is where the random sample often comes from), or without the time or inclination to fill out a survey, don't return them.

So, while a truly random sample going out may reflect the demographics of the Cape, the returns coming back do not.

Same with phone surveys.

On the Cape, this means an oversample of white retirees with sufficient family income -- an important group, but not statistically representative of our whole population.

You have to go after the other demographics with intent in order to statistically fill out your survey in order to be accurate.

Certainly, surveys where anyone is invited to chime in: webpolls, call-in polls, write in polls, etc., are really more of a focus group.

Jack: I think that most dems (nationally & those in CT) have gotten way past the original vote to authorize war in Iraq. We realize that the Congress was spoon-fed a constant diet of lies and fear, as were the rest of us.

What we find hard to forgive in Holy Joe, however, is his self-righteous public attacks on members of his own party once they cleared their systems of the administration cool-aid. Many of us voters evolved. Joe did not, and to make matters worse, he was constantly insisting that we all ingnore the mounting evidence of malfeasance.

It's Joe's performance after the Congressional authorization that most CT dems object to. Heck, I'll even admit here that, on the basis of the Bush Admin's "evidence," I was pretty sure originally that we had no option but invade to take out those WMD's that were going to be launched at us within weeks.

But, facts have shown otherwise. Most of us dems would like our elected officials to acknowledge the present reality. Joe wouldn't.

Sure; ride up and down Route 39 between Hariwh Center and East Harwich. Apparent examples abound.

I think Croaker's got the point, and its not politically left, right, or centrist. It is that there are those among our elected officials who come to think of themselves as our ruling class; entitled through some sort of native superiority to continue in office.

Often, through our own inability to focus on governance and community vision for long, we let them get away with it.

Every once in a while, however, their behavior gets to be so smug and self-righteous that we collectively reach out and give 'em a smack at the ballot box and withdraw their contract to act on our behalf. This is what happened to Holy Joe.

A few other corrections to original post: Ned Lamont, from all I've been able to read, has made, through hard work, his own fortune. He's not one of those "born on third and thinks he hit a home run" like our Prez.

And, I'd add at the ending that overtime and extra innings are usually only available after a tie; not a loss, which is usually considered just that: a loss.

Hmmm, I'd like to return just for a moment to the first comment that touched all this off...

... and say, Viv, that I really enjoyed your post and your writing style. Very well said and well crafted. Jerzy Koszinski? Wow, there's a name that take me back.

Well, I'd like to shift gears to a policy level on the subject of yard signs.

Who owns the land at street corners and around street signs? I'm guessing that's a public right of way, and that seems to be where a lot of Ray and Don's signs are in Harwich.

I'd like to thank Sarah and Ron for not engaging in this type of visual pollution and encroachment, and for putting their signs on private property where, I have to suppose, the property owner has been consulted.

Actually, while the Globe article portrays this as a challenge to the next governor, I think it's a challenge to us, the voters. The challenge we face is to try and elect as governor someone who can be a leader in solving the energy-viewshed-environment stalemate in a way that lets our state go forward to the mutual benefit to all of us.

And, it's not an impossible charge; we find ourselves stalled on these issues because we've had a decade of no leadership at the state level: Governor, House Speaker, Senate President alike.

So, folks, let's take a good hard look when we vote this November for Governor. Let us not vote for more of the same old same old. We can't afford it.

Sorry SM, I'm not buyin' it. Our house in Harwich (1880) hasn't appreciated much at all in the last three years, thanks to the market bottoming out. The so-called "FAIR" program has steadily risen over the same period. And, we're supposed to feel lucky that we've got any insurance at all. No choice but to grin and take it, thanks to whatever passes in Massachusetts for insurance regulation and oversight.

Only place anyone's property has doubled in the last three years is, maybe Provincetown, but even there I doubt it. I think the peak there came in 2003 or 2004.

Coupled with the highest electricty rates in the nation, and probably the highest car insurance, this is getting tough. Can't any of our elected officials, or candidates, figure out a way to help get us to get out of this squeeze? This is a darn sight more important than same sex marriage, for cryin' out loud.

Sure did.

Barney Frank is guest host of a fundraiser for Sarah Peake (one of Gottwald's opponents) on August 14th in Orleans.

And, then, he's guest host of a fundraiser for candidate Gottwald on August 26th in Provincetown.

Maybe Barney thought we wouldn't notice.

Is there any mileage to be had from a fundraiser thrown by a prominent elected official if that same official throws a fundraiser for your opponent 10 days earlier?

Does this kind of devalue Barney's impact or support?

And, where's our Congressman in all this? Maybe he's over in Barney's district hosting fundraisers or something.

Although, with August in New Bedford, I'd have to say Barney's got the better part of the swap.

Barbara makes an interesting point about contracts (read, payments) to monitor performance making friends of potential adversaries.

Not that I agree with it in this instance.

But, I'd point out that opponents of the outfall pipe felt the same way about the contract awarded to the Center for Coastal Studies for monitoring, way back when the go/no go decision was a controversy.

So, I've got nowhere else to hang this question, so even though its not on point, I'll try to hang it here:

Is there any mileage to be had from a fundraiser thrown by a prominent elected official if that same official throws a fundraiser for your opponent 10 days later?

Barney Frank is guest host of a fundraiser for Sarah Peake (democratic candidate for Fourth Barnstable Rep. seat) on August 14th in Orleans.

And, then, he's guest host of a fundraiser for one of Sarah's opponent's -- Ray Gottwald -- on August 26th in Provincetown.

Does this kind of devalue his impact? And, where's our Congressman in all this? Maybe he's over in Barney's district hosting fundraisers or something. Although, with August in New Bedford, I'd have to say Barney's got the better part of the swap.

Who cares why he's running? We all benefit from the clean-up at the various Christy's markets that took place right before he announced. In Harwich Center, for example, I noticed the repair of the frozen foods freezer I had been complaining about for over a year just as he announced his candidacy. Coincidence? I think not!

Agreed; I'm just sorry his celebrity status brings all his wingnutery to our attention. He's really not worth all the attention he's getting. We've all got more important things to think about. And, I'm sorry he has the dough to put his crackpot views and mediocre acting on the screen regularly.

Well, it's no secret that I am not nearly so alarmed by Cape Care. In fact, I think it can be turned to a social and political success story.

In fact, the article as passed by the 9 town meetings doesn't say anything about a tax. It simply asks the County to convene a panel to try and devise a Countywide system to cover all and provide adequate services -- using whatever tools the County can bring to bear.

Other counties have taken this on.

I think, and would advocate if given half a chance, that Barnstable County take the town meetings at their word, and convene a blue-ribbon panel of community members, selectmen, business owners, physicians, etc., etc. to take a close look at what CAN be done (as opposed to what CAN'T BE DONE) to cover more Cape Codders and reduce barriers to care. Because, the three biggest issues driving young families off Cape or into poverty are: 1) cost of housing; 2) relatively low paying jobs; and 3) lack of health care coverage (and huge out of pocket costs for adverse health events).

This is about the stupidest idea I've seen yet. Hey, if you want to put them in detention, why pick Otis. Let's go all the way to Guantanamo.

Housing Katrina evacuees at Otis was a huge blunder, and giant headache for all (social service providers and evacuees alike). Only real beneficiary was presidential candidate Romney, who made claims that weren't true, and took credit that was undeserved.

When given a chance to come to Otis, most evacuees refused. Only way we finally got them here was to put them on airplanes without telling them where they were headed until the plane was airborn.

Otis is practically a wilderness area. Food? Community? Other basic household needs? Recreation? Education for kids (yes, there are homeless families with kids)? Rehabilitation? Medical treatment/dental/mental health/substance abuse treatment? Socialization? Training in life skills?

None of this stuff exsits at Otis. It's just big, empty brick dormitories, miles and miles from the nearest civilization.

By the way, I don't think Cleon's views on this issue have ever been secret. He has a voting record, and a public statement record. So, I don't guess his vote should surprise anyone, supporter or critic. Me, I just admire him that much more for his strong and unwavering support for civil marriage equality. Wish the rest of the delegation would follow his lead.

Monponsett: your comment above is breath-takingly homophobic, obscenely violent, and unnecessary in this debate. This is one of those issues that brings out people's true character. Now I see yours.

I'm shocked at the ignorance of the "guest editorial" writer. Guess we had to look as far as Peabody to find someone this ill informed.

Legal needle sales, needle exchange programs, etc. have nothing to do with orgies. Or with sex, gay or straight. Monponsett has it right: the last thing you'd want to do if you're contemplating an orgie is shoot up. Remember Joe Dallesandro in "Trash" (1970)?

The author's attempt to link the two hints at his prejudice and probable homophobia.

In fact, this is about the fact that injection drug users re-use and share needles when clean ones are not available. Increasing the spread of HIV, a blood-borne disease. Regardless of the sexual or affectional orientation of the injection drug user.

My experience is that needle exchange programs are probably the most effective, if they are available. Which, of course, they aren't, existing only in Provincetown, Cambridge and Northampton. But, if they were, they'd collect dirty needles, connect users to treatment and counseling and help for co-occuring issues and offer regular opportunities to get clean.

...so, to finish my thought: like we say in our 12-Step meetings, "progress, not perfection."

The FLEX route is an amazing piece of progress, when you consider how many players were around the table for 3-years designing, advocating, getting town meeting votes to pass the local share, etc. This includes the CCNS, the towns, the Chambers of Commerce, social services agencies, handicap advocates, youth, etc.

And, Commissioner Bill was a big part of moving all this forward, both inside the RTA, and outside as a community collaborator. Another of his personality quirks is that the sorry, flabby, unaccountable, status quo is never acceptable to him, and he has been part of forcing the RTA's slow, but gradual improvement. He's a change agent, even if he is a little scary sometimes.

Well, this puts me in the very uncomfortable position of taking up for Commissioner (and RTA member) Bill. It may be that he over-reached when he said you could get there from here (we all have personality quirks; his is often hyperbole).

What he should have said is that "we're getting closer to the point where you can start getting there from here."

Little history: RTA for years ignored the Lower/Outer Cape. Wasn't their problem. The lumbering, ill-timed P&B was good enough.

Four years ago, the Transit Task Force was established, and one of its goals was to light a fire under the RTA and start to make the "system" (which, of course, is just a little grab bag of poorly connected loops, routes, and rolling stock with cutsey names) start to behave as a real system.

First step, in that was to establish real public transit for the Lower/Outer Cape. Second, third, and subsequent steps, I hope, will be to force the RTA to integrate the whole thing so that it really works as a system for those who would use it.

So, I say, stay tuned and keep demanding excellence. It'll come.

PS. Aaron isn't the only candidate about whom I could make this prediction.

It's early yet, and we our media (such as it is) doesn't pay much attention to politics except to run the bio profiles of candidates. But, over time and in public gatherings, I think there are some inconsistencies in Aaron's campaign and pitch that will start to catch up with him. Just a prediction.

PS: neither the oil spray or the BT will hurt any of the other critters in your yard.

I haven't had such good luck with tree companies and winter moths. So, this year, I did much of it myself (oil spray in March, several BT applications in early to mid May) and got ahead of the little chomping monsters for the first time in three years. My trees look better this year than they have since I moved here to Harwich. Next March, ask the helpful folks at Agway on Route 134 in Dennis if you have a mind to take it yourself.

I think the real issue to me is that people get all worked up over the DaVinci Code, which is a work of fiction, instead of the things that are really worth getting upset at: the war in Iraq; the trillion dollar deficit; etc. Have we confused art with reality? Where were all the protests when Tom Robbins wrote "Another Roadside Attraction" in 1971, which Wikipedia describes:

"The novel follows the adventures of John Paul Ziller and his wife Amanda, who open a combination hot dog stand and zoo along a highway in Skagit county, Washington. Other characters in this rather oddball novel include Mon Cul the baboon; Marx Marvelous, an educated man from the east coast; and L. Westminster "Plucky" Purcell, a former college football star and sometime dope dealer who accidentally infiltrates a group of Catholic monks working as assassins for the Vatican. In so doing Plucky discovers a secret of monumental proportions dating to the very beginning of Christianity."

Actually, the Robbins book is better written.

I've been following the COPE issue on Talking Points Memo, and agree with you that it's really insidious. To quote Craig Newmark's (aka Craigs List) OpEd on the CNN site:

"William L. Smith, the chief technology officer for Atlanta-based BellSouth Corp., recently told the Washington Post that BellSouth should, for example, be able to charge Yahoo Inc. for the opportunity to have its search site load faster than that of Google Inc. or vice versa. "If I go to the airport, I can buy a coach standby ticket or a first-class ticket," Smith said. "In the shipping business, I can get two-day air or six-day ground."

In my view, executives like Smith forget that they get the use of public resources, like the airwaves and public rights of way, on which they have built their businesses and made a lot of money. As such, they shouldn't be able to squeeze out some Web sites in favor of others. This would be a betrayal of the public trust."

We need to get Sens. Kerry and Kennedy to resist passage in the Senate.

Hey! Congratulations. Any idea what other candiates may have made the filing deadline? Or are you running unopposed?

Wow; many thanks for your pix. I've had some huge beds of weird plants in Harwich that I couldn't identify...in Provincetown, the old Portuguese ladies called it "widows tears." But, I could never find any information on this particular plant, as the Provincetown nickname didn't seem to be used anywhere else. Now, thanks to you, I know it as Spiderwort.

I agree with you, Jack. I suspected something fishy when Kennedy's position changed. But, maybe an additional 18 months of review and grinding, inch by inch, progress is a better outcome than the swift death of a gubernatorial veto. After all, an immense amount of scrutiny hasn't turned up any reason to stop the project yet. Why would more review turn up something that hasn't been mentioned by this point? I mean, what else could there be?

Jack: the TV ad featured that great doctored photo with the looming windmills that appeared (at least on my TV) to practically obliterate the whole seascape.

Thanks for truth-squading Reilly's comments. I too thought them way over the top, but, as usual, didn't have the facts to rebut.

Hey, what'd you think about the Alliance sponsoring the debate and following Reilly's comments with a very alarming commercial? Got to give them credit for thinking of that.

Two things generally about Doug:

1. We need our elected officials to do their homework, not just think/act off the top of their heads. I don't know that Doug has the discipline to do that.

2. Standing and waving at a rotary is more useful in a general election campaign, not a primary. In a primary -- especially where the number of voters who will actually turn out is very, very small -- you should be working off super voter lists, not waving at the general public PLUS the thousands of tourists who roll through the Airport Rotary every hour.

Walter, you and CCT never cease to amaze me. What a great step forward. A muckraker in the Capital of Muck. And, one with environmental qualifications. Welcome, Dick Farley.

PS. By the way, how many lawyer candidates were there last night? By my count, only one of the three should be making that claim. Was someone else inflating his resume?

Well, I don't know 'bout any George Wallace comparison, that's for sure. But, Shirley did vote to enshrine discrmination in the state's constitution. Luckily, she voted in the minority, so her position did not prevail. But, the recorded roll call votes are there for all to see. And, she did.