Good news about our State

U.S. News and World Report awarded Massachusetts its top honor, citing the Commonwealth’s continuing academic achievement, innovative health care system, and strong economy in its ‘Best States’ ranking. The report evaluates each of the fifty states across seven categories: health care, education, opportunity, economy, infrastructure, crime and corrections, and government. Massachusetts ranked No. 1 in education and No. 2 in healthcare, and placed within the top ten for economy and crime and corrections.

“Massachusetts is a great place to live, work and raise a family because of the strength and character of all those who call the Commonwealth home,” Governor Charlie Baker said in a release. “Everyone should be proud that Massachusetts continues to lead the nation in health care access and public education for all citizens, and our administration will continue to build on these accomplishments to bring more economic success to every corner of Massachusetts.”



https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2017/02/28/massachusetts-was-ranked-as-the-no-1-state-in-the-country

Delinquent tax payers

I just received a RFQ for bids from companies that will collect back taxes. I'm very surprised at the amount of delinquent tax payers. I do not know how much money we are talking about, but surmise it could be a million or two. The Town has approximately 3,200 bills outstanding, dating back to 1995. My question is how did it come to this? Who is in charge of collecting the taxes now, that can't seem to get what the Town is owed. I would assume, that any company hired would take a percentage off the top, leaving Framingham with less.

City or Town.. makes no difference in collecting taxes owed in my opinion.

Trump and the potential MJ crackdown

The news that most of you predicted is coming true. AG Sessions has made a comment about enforcing federal drug laws regarding recreational MJ. Trump seems to be OK with medical though (patients can rest easy for now) but that one comment could cause a billion dollar industry from taking hold here in Mass. Especially since Baker has come out against and Senator Lewis and others with 80 bills submitted to stop the implementation completely.  There won't be millions of protesters in the streets of our large cities over this, but it will take just a few dedicated agitators to stop Trump and his band of prohibitionists. We've come to far as a country to turn back the clocks now on harm reduction drug policy. Hang on to your plants, darker days may be coming soon.

http://mjbizdaily.com/white-house-press-secretary-predicts-greater-enforcement-on-rec-mj/

Framingham fires an officer

I have blogged about this case in the past month or so. After an 8 hour discipline hearing, the Town took action. What is important I think at this point is the fact that a federal jury will hear about the going's on at FPD. This may be the watershed moment for FPD, as it appears the code of silence will be broken open by the courts. Clearly there's way more going on behind the scenes that we know nothing about. I can only guess what will come out and who among the officers left will be involved.

http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/20170223/framingham-fires-vincent-stuart-from-police-department

Gate House News bought by the Japanese

So instead of having the revenue stay in this country, we will now be sending it to Japan. It's all about revenue not journalism. They assure the President that they will grow jobs. Hard to imagine since most papers have forced to reduce staff from declining revenue and competition from the web and social media. No wonder Rick Holmes, the opinion editor left the MWDN. 

 
http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2017/02/16/did-trump-prompt-softbank-to-buy-gatehouse-medias.html

DEA removes factually inaccurate information from web site

From MJbusiness.com

Americans for Safe Access claimed partial victory over the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration when it announced the federal agency had removed “factually inaccurate information” and “damaging misinformation” regarding cannabis from its website.

 The DEA removed information from its site that included “claims that cannabis was a gateway drug, caused irreversible cognitive decline in adults, and contributed to psychosis and lung cancer,” according to a news release Monday by ASA, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting medical cannabis.

The DEA made the change after ASA filed a legal challenge over the agency’s website last year under the Information Quality Act.

 Spring 2017 MJBizCon“The DEA’s removal of these popular myths about cannabis from their website could mean the end of the Washington gridlock” regarding scientific information about marijuana, Steph Sherer, ASA’s executive director, said in the release.

However, Americans for Safe Access claims the DEA is continuing to spread misinformation about marijuana, though the group did not offer specifics.

Correcting misinformation is paramount, the ASA argued, especially given that newly confirmed Attorney General Jeff Sessions has said he believes cannabis is a gateway drug and can cause long-term psychological damage to consumers.

“These beliefs are verifiably false,” ASA wrote in a letter delivered to the DEA on Monday. “Allowing Mr. Sessions to make law enforcement decisions based on biased, out-of-date information does a tremendous disservice to ASA’s members and the American people at large.”

Perhaps the removal of propaganda from the DEA web site will help persuade the new administration to let States who have already passed MJ laws not enforce federal MJ prohibition.

Modern Day Slavery.. "I am Jane Doe" the film

 While we pay tribute to Black History Month and the struggles to end slavery of Blacks in this country. An equally hideous and open slavery still exists in America.. the buying and selling of young women into the sex trade. We were fortunate to see a documentary about this subject on Friday night. The producer shows the legal struggles to shut down a web site called back page.com. They interview the parents of children and the children themselves who have been forced into prostitution and who have been returned home. These traumatized children, some as young as 12, who have been raped thousands of times at the hands of their pimps. Much of this illegal behavior is perpetrated by the greed of business through the internet. The film highlights the legal battles being waged in our highest courts, to no avail. The owners of back page, who started out as a voice of investigative freedom have been praised for their work in the past. But as time went on, they grew to depend on the hundreds of millions of dollars of ad revenue, much of which is the selling of sex with minors. It's one thing to run an ad for an escort service for adults but a entirely different story when minors are being bought and sold to multiple pimps.

This film should be shared with parents and school age children alike as the film shows, seemingly normal good kids from good families have been affected by the legal slave trading.


Have a look at the trailer

http://www.iamjanedoefilm.com/

Super Bowl Ads

Is it me.. or did most of the ads, at 5 Million for 30 seconds, make you wonder what the product or service was? Some, like the Busch ad made a statement about immigration, sounded appropriate, given the new administration. I get that. But unlike the years where people spoke about the ads for weeks after, most of the ads were not very funny and I have no idea what some of the companies do, like 84 lumber. Although according to the WSJ, social media was flooded with comments, I still didn't get many of the ads. I wonder how much we would all pay for products and service if the companies didn't spend 5 million per 30 seconds. And if nothing else, the game itself overshadowed any of the commercials, undoubtedly, the best game I've ever witnessed.

KKK in Framingham

Residents in Framingham have reported seeing KKK fliers. The cops in Framingham say nothing was illegally done. The Chair of the BOS has called it "reprehensible and said we can't do anything about it". One suggestion for the Chair would be to write a letter to the editor signed by all BOS condemning hate groups here in Town. Who do we know that has embraced and furthered the cause of the KKK here in Framingham? Who has highlighted the hateful speech of the past grand pupa of the KKK? Who has stood against certain populations of people in Town? Who has been identified as a hate group by the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center? If the cops need a hint, try reviewing the hateful comments made by the three residents in Town who have shown the most hatred towards others. Two are very short and one is mentally challenged. 

 http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/20170201/lawyers-want-probe-into-kkk-material

Cleaning House at FPD

 Even I am surprised at the amount of bad news coming from FPD. In the latest, a veteran police Lieutenant is asked to resign over statements Lt Stuart made of another officer. The action is being taken, according to the MWDN, accusing the officer of lying in a misconduct report he filed against another Lieutenant. The article goes on in length about the 8 hour meeting with the Town's legal representative and the opposing legal reps. There is also allegations of overtime abuse.. a familiar line heard from others at FPD and myself at TM. The Town also accuses the officer of incompetence and conduct unbecoming of an officer, as well as violating several department rules of lying and filing false reports.

Side bar note: Why wasn't anyone involved with the Stamps killing ever disciplined, because as we see now, many things happening at FPD are under scrutiny. Chief Ferguson will hopefully have a better department when he gets back. And how many more cops are under investigation that we don't know about. Will the trial of another officer (listed below) un-earth more illegal activities at FPD?


 http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/news/20170131/framingham-lt-unfit-for-duty-lawyer-says