Sightings

Letters

Publisher's Notebook Who Is J. Edward Pawlick?

Massachusetts Conservatives Speak Out on Romney Some Have High Hopes But Many Are Dubious This month our February print edition sampled the opinions of many conservatives from around the state. We present the story here in three installments.

Biography of John Adams Is Reminder of Proud Heritage
Massachusetts has always been a political and cultural leader-for better in the era of the
American Revolution, for worse today.David McCullough's biography of John Adams reminds
us of the proud heritage of Massachusetts in the American founding.

Alan Keyes Addresses Pro- Life Gathering at Faneuil Hall In the tradition of statesmen before him who have spoken out on the great issues of America's history, Alan Keyes delivered a thundering speech at Boston's historic Faneuil Hall last month, condemning our nation's tolerance of abortion. Don Feder Electrifies Crowd
Pro-Lifers Commemorate 30 Years of Roe vs. Wade		Ambassador Keyes delivered a thundering speech condemning our nations tolerance of abortion.

		Holyoke Police Chief Looking for Signatures to Make Judges Accountable Holyoke Police Chief Anthony R. Scott tells MassNews he has collected about 8,000 signatures so far to support a proposed Constitutional Amendment to make judges accountable to the people. He would like more citizens to visit his website at http://www.massjudges accountability.us/ to download and sign petitions and mail them back to his office.
Chief Scott needs help in seeing that sitting judges are approved by the citizens every six years.

Is $1.30 Prescription Charge A Democratic Tax? Is the new $1.30 prescription charge a Democratic tax as Republicans are claiming?

Minority Leader Wants Pharmacy Assessment Repealed Reps Who Voted Last Summer to Remove the Prescription Tax

House Minority Leader Faces 'Fiscal Crisis' Brad Jones (R-North Reading) is now the Minority Leader in the House after the retirement of Fran Marini. A member since 1984, Jones has been part of the Republican leadership since becoming Assistant Minority Leader in 2001. As head of the 23-member minority in a chamber of 160 members, Jones has his work cut out for him. MassNews sat down with him last month after he had been on the job for two weeks.

972nd Military Police Company is a World Away		From Dorchester Mailman to Desert Soldier
Message to those back home: "WAR ON TERRORISM IS FAR FROM OVER" What is it like not only to be away from your family during the holidays, but to be in a place most people could not even point to on a map?		What's a mailman from Dorchester doing in a remote outpost like Uzbekistan — particularly when this is the first time he has been "any farther north than the Fleetcenter?"
Members of the 972nd Military Police Company (Melrose, Mass.) are greeted by General Franks, the combatant commander for Central Command. From left to right - Sgt. Vincent Marchese, Sgt. 1st Class Steven Buccheri, Gen. Tommy Franks, Air Force Staff Sgt. Ryan Novack (in back), Sgt. 1st Class Jack Owens, Sgt. David Manning, and Sgt. Justin Ellenton. The 972nd Military Police Company is currently serving overseas in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.		Phil Byrne: Surviving on army chow. Related Stories: USS George Washington USS Constellation

MCAS Debated At Mock Hearing A panel of education experts held a mock legislative hearing in Boston last month to examine arguments, pro and con, that may be used in pending court challenges of the MCAS test graduation requirement. Click here to read excerpts of comments from the 'legislative panel.'

Two Episcopal Bishops of Mass. Violate Vows on
Front Page of Boston Globe as They Rebuke
Catholic Church and Glorify Homosexuality
When a Vatican spokesman suggested recently that the Roman Catholic Church has been too
easygoing about ordaining homosexuals, the two chief bishops in the Episcopal Diocese of
Massachusetts expressed their personal opinions on the front page of The Boston Globe that
this "could lead to hate crimes in the United States."

Sidebar: Cowley Brothers Respond with Clarification
Opinion: Episcopal Bishops Show Absurdity of Saying that
Catholic Priests Were Not 'Homosexuals'

MCM Wins on Marriage Amendment		MCM Moves to 'Watching' Mode
Mass. Citizens For Marriage scored an immense victory in the battle to keep married families as the basic building block of our society when the SJC made it clear on Dec. 20 that the Boston Globe, the feminists and the homosexual activists had resorted to cheating in their attempts to defeat the Marriage Amendment at any cost.		Massachusetts Citizens for Marriage has moved to a watching mode before deciding what they will do next. "Regardless of what happens, we are not going away," says President Sarah McVay Pawlick.
Legislature Violated Constitution, Says SJC Legislators Who Voted to Adjourn on July 17 Are Liable for Damages		New Lawsuit Asks SJC to Send Marriage Amendment Forward
The Legislature violated the state Constitution when it adjourned on July 17 without taking a vote on the Marriage Amendment, the SJC ruled in an opinion released at 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 20.		Sidebar: Text of Complaint Sidebar: Letter Sent by Atty. Pawlick to Governor Swift's Lawyer Sidebar: Record of Events of New Lawsuit

$1.7 Million in Damages If MCM Must Start Anew

Gov. Swift, Sen. Birmingham and 143 Legislators Would be Liable; Could Judge Triple the Amount?

Sidebar: Bay Windows Would Be Funny If This Weren't So Serious

Why Mass. Politicians, Such as Sen. Birmingham,
Yield To Homosexual Money and Power
There are few groups in the U.S. with the money and power of homosexual activists.
In 2002, just one organization, the Human Rights Campaign, gave over $22 million
to homosexual causes.

Should MCM Have Tried a 'Softer' Amendment Without
'Domestic Partnerships' Being Mentioned?
"Should Mass. Citizens for Marriage be pushing a 'soft' Amendment which would not mention
domestic partnerships?" asks Sarah McVay Pawlick, President of MCM.

Why is Dr. Dobson Splitting Conservatives on Federal
Marriage Amendment?
Statements by 'Focus on the Family' Are Divisive

James Dobson and 'Focus on the Family' Continue to Divide
Family Movement
In a continuing effort to promote the Federal Marriage Amendment despite the opposition
of the other three, national, family organizations, James Dobson and "Focus on the Family"
made more divisive comments about the other groups last month.

Opinion
No Organization Can Fight This Huge Political Battle If It's Doing
So 'Part Time'
It's becoming obvious that the family movement in the U.S. is suffering from the same basic
problem as the Republican Party. The country must be won on a ward-by-ward, precinct-by-precinct basis across the entire nation.
It cannot be done from Washington by Ronald Reagan or by George Bush. It must be done locally.

Harvard Law Professor Distorted and Mocked the Truth About Census
in Boston Globe Article; Attempted to Damage Marriage Amendment
The truth about the census was told in our December 2001 issue after Martha Minow,
Harvard Law School professor, and others brought an unsuccessful lawsuit, asking the SJC
to block the Protection of Marriage Amendment. She wrote an article for the Globe as to why
she and other feminist lawyers were more qualified to make the decisions about marriage
than mothers, engineers, accountants, construction workers, farmers or any other group.

Related Story: Globe Continues Attacks on Marriage Amendment without Admitting Their Scheme

All Homosexuals Are Attracted to Opposite Sex, Says Bay Windows
All homosexuals are sexually attracted to both sexes, according to Bay Windows. They say it's "fiction" that gay men are attracted only to other males or that lesbians are attracted only to women.

'Gay Advocates Go On Offensive in Legislature'
"Gay Advocates Go on Offensive in Legislature," appeared as a headline in a December issue of Bay Windows.