This is an all-time rating of mine that I’ve put together, and it focuses on all the movies that I’ve actually seen and so feel qualified to at least have a fan’s opinion on. Because there are so many cool – and awful – movies to choose from, I’ve opted to go with more than one selection in the various categories. My choice

Remember, this is not about Gone with the Wind (never seen), Citizen Kane (never seen), nor any other film so many other folks might find worthy of rising to Hollywood immortality or sinking into the bowels of entertainment infamy. It’s all about my experience.

Let’s begin!

BEST MOVIE:
Forrest Gump
This movie has it all – comedy, tears, drama, adventure, quotable lines – and all wrapped up in a storyline that weaves through the simple yet extraordinary life of a somewhat less-than ordinary guy.

What makes this movie so different from others produced by Hollywood’s cadre of partisan, progressive producers and directors is that in this one, despite having partially taken place in one of the most controversial periods in American history (the Vietnam War), we are spared any moral or political lectures from the main characters. Forrest could care less about either side in the many political debates over Vietnam, religion, government or any other hot-button topic that might get the rest of us all hot and bothered. He just wants Jenny. And as for Jenny herself, though she appears to be more mentally balanced and set in her ways (even if those ways are self-destructive, having come from an abusive father), she doesn’t really seem to care too much about the political causes of those she hangs out with, either. She’s just hanging with her boyfriends and peeps.

Star Wars
When this movie first came out (1977), many sci-fi aficionados declared that it wasn’t so much a science fiction movie as it was an adventure movie set in space. In perhaps the purest sense of the genre, they might have been right. But who cares? (Personally, I thought they were just being snobs – upset because of their devotion to one of the most boring films I’ve ever had to suffer through in all my life. More on that later.)

Star Wars was a fantastic film. I was a mere young teenager when time it first came out, and I dutifully bought all the collectable cards (which I didn’t keep – damn!) action figures (which I didn’t keep – damn!) and other memorabilia (which I didn’t keep – damn!). And, of course, I had a crush on Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia. (I also had an earlier crush on Space 1999’s Maya, played by Catherine Schell. There was something about those sci-fi chicks…)

Unfortunately, besides The Empire Strikes Back, the Star Wars franchise devolved into a kiddie-fest soon thereafter, eventually leading to creator/director George Lucas’s adolescent prequel trilogy (XXXXXX) some decades later.
Which leads us to…

BEST MOVIE TRILOGY:
The Lord of the Rings
Confession: I did not see any of these movies in the movie theaters. As a Lord of the Rings devotee who had read the fantasy trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien at least four times, I was fearful that the movie versions of the trilogy would be a big letdown. And had the producers of the film version kept to their original budget, I probably would have been greatly disappointed, indeed. The trilogy was first conceived as a two movie endeavor, then reduced down to one, with very many important scenes and characters being cut out (including, in one version, Rohan’s Eowyn, whose role would have been merged with a more warrior-like Arwen). Fortunately for us devout LoTR fans, production switched from cheap-o Marimax studios to New Line Cinema, where it was again pitched as a two-movie deal. NLC’s head honcho, Robert Shaye, then immediately asked why there were only two films when the book was published in three volumes.

Yeah Shaye!

As it was, due to the time constraints given with even three very long movies, some memorable parts of the book trilogy had to be left out in the film versions. (These included the hobbits’ visit with Tom Bombadil and his wife Goldberry, and how the three companions got their first weapons from the spooky barrow wrights.)

Still, after I saw the three movies, I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed them immensely. The producers and directors, I felt, did a fine job of staying true to the storyline as best they could. (And I was actually happy to see that, in one scene where hobbit Merry takes up a horse with a disguised Eowyn to go into battle, he recognizes her right away. In the book, she was pretending to be a man-warrior and Merry doesn’t recognize her at all. Not very likely! The producers didn’t think so either, so they changed it.)

The Bourne Identity Trilogy
I liked all three movies in this trilogy, though I favored the original and the third movie. I was not happy about Bourne’s girlfriend getting killed in the second movie.

MOVIE TRILOGY LET-DOWNS:
The Matrix Trilogy
The original movie was fantastic. Second and third movies? Ho-hum.

Star Wars Prequels
The Phantom Menace, the Attack of the Clones, and the Revenge of the Sith all pretty much sucked in comparison to what I was anticipating. In fact, if you Google “Star Wars Prequels,” what you’ll get is a long list of links to sites that explain why they all sucked. So apparently I wasn’t alone in my disdain for them.

Star Wars Original Trilogy
The last film in this trilogy, Return of the Jedi, was a kiddie-flick that featured those annoying, muppet-like characters, the Endorians. I actually felt bad for the Empire at the end of this movie and was hoping they’d come out and do the whoop-ass again.

MOST OVER-RATED MOVIES:
2001: A Space Odyssey
When this movie first came out in 1968, it was largely panned by critics despite making big bucks at the box office. I’m going with the critics on this one. For some reason, a lot of people found this film to be “intellectually stimulating,” or some other such nonsense. (Why is it that some of the most amazingly boring movies are always considered to be intellectual classics by the snobbish liberal arts community?) When the most exciting scene in a movie is when a guy is in a space pod trying to get back into his mothership, to coin an over-used phrase, “Houston, we have a problem.” And staring at a black cube while a bunch of opera chicks hum in the background doesn’t do it for me, either.

Jurassic Park
The goofiest scene in this over-rated pop tart was when the dino-geeks were all standing around an incubator watching a hand puppet come out of a plastic egg. The actors really earned their pay in that one.

The child actors in this flick were also not very believable (I kept waiting for their real parents to run onto the set to wipe their noses) and were nowhere near the caliber of talent we saw in Macaulay Culkin (Home Alone) or Peter Billingsley (A Christmas Story). Casting should have been more patient and thorough.

WORST MOVIE (recent):
Contagion (2011)
Let’s see…. No action? Check. No drama? Check. Everyone who gets sick dies? Check. No heroes? Check.

This movie SUCKED? Check.

WORST MOVIES (all-time):
Journey to the Center of the Earth (2008 Remake)
Perhaps I was unduly influenced by the fact that the original movie starring James Mason was so good, but really I don’t think so. This movie, which I made the horrendous error of seeing in the theater, sucked really, really, really bad.

The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008 Remake)
Another stinker remake of a classic movie. Keanu Reeves is an alien visitor who tries to save the earth… from us. I wish I could have been saved from watching this film.

Twins (1988)
Including this movie in my “worst” listing is pretty notable since I actually like every other Arnold Schwarzenegger movie I’ve ever seen. (Sorry, I missed out on Pumping Iron.) I’m not really sure why Arnie made this tragedy of a film, except for maybe he wanted to do something with Danny DeVito.

The Sequels of Caddyshack and The Sting
I’ve opted to lump these movies together since they were both so bad I figured why waste time writing two separate listings? Both were awful and painful to watch.

Beyond the Poseidon Adventure
Who in their right mind would go down into a large, capsized ship that only had its ass-end bobbing above the water? Even if I was truly interested in “salvage rights” to the wreck, I would wait for it to sink first and then go down with scuba gear!

DUMBEST TELEVISION SHOWS
I’d thought I’d wrap up this post with a couple of dishonorable mentions over in TV land. So-called reality television has largely taken over the prime-time arena, with only a smattering of quality dramas still airing. But for some of these not-so-real stinkers, I cannot fathom how people actually watch them and think to themselves, “This is just fascinating stuff.”

Two of my least favorite programs are listed below.

Ghost Hunters
Why do people watch this show?

“Ooo! Did you hear that?!”
No, we didn’t.
(In a basement) “I just felt cold air brush over my shoulder!”
It’s called “a draft.” Someone opened the basement door upstairs, dude.

And why the heck are they always walking around a house or business at night with all the lights off? Can’t ghosts haunt with the lights on?

This series has been on the air for several years, now, and the so-called hunters have not found a single ghost in all that time. But they’ve suspected they might have. So I guess that’s good enough for true wanna-believers.

Finding Bigfoot
This show is in its second season. Guess what they never find?

Folks, in order for any animal to survive in nature, there has to be a viable gene pool in order to propagate the species. You can’t just have a bigfoot here, a bigfoot there, one in Alaska and a couple in New Hampshire. There has to be a group of them, and that group needs to be successful in its environment. Yet with “bigfoots” we have found no verifiable living areas, no poop, and no bodies – living or dead. True believers have always argued that we never knew gorillas existed before we found them in central Africa. Yes, that’s true, but at the time we also didn’t know central Africa existed. Once we went there, we found plenty of gorillas.

Both Ghost Hunters and Finding Bigfoot feed off of the superstitions of the masses, and thus neither show will ever be required to actually discover what they are searching for. That’s the only “reality” of these two bone-headed television shows.

And that wraps up my first – and probably only – all-time movie review. Have any favorites or stinkers you’d like to share?

It will definately be expensive, but as for competitive, I doubt it.

In my humble opinion, the Democratic candidate, which will certainly be Elizabeth Warren, is VERY likely to win the election by a comfortable margin. I can’t think of anyone, other than political scientists, with an incentive to highlight the many indicators that this election won’t be close on Election Day. I predicted a solid win for Warren on a local TV talk show only to have the host remind the viewers that I am a liberal Democrat. Ostensibly, he was trying to help viewers judge my objectivity, but no Warren supporter or Democratic operative with a clue about politics would be predicting easy victory for Warren at this point because doing so could be very damaging to the campaign’s message, morale, and momentum. If the race isn’t going to be close, no journalist, pundit, or partisan operative can say so without reducing their own relevance.

Nonetheless, the factors understood by political scientists to be determinative in elections almost all line up in favor of a Warren victory over Scott Brown in the 2012 Massachusetts U.S. Senate race. In 2008, the American political science “establishment” (if there is such a thing) had predicted an easy victory for the Democratic nominee for president by the early spring of that year. The only suspense revolved around the question of which Democrat would be the next president. If you followed the 2008 contest in the media, however, you would have had little chance to evaluate what was essentially “conventional wisdom” among academics. Much the same phenomenon may be occurring this year with the Brown re-election contest, which I believe will be anti-climactic on Election Day.

Why is Scott Brown very likely to lose his re-election bid this fall?

1) Senator Brown’s election happened under “special” circumstances and virtually none of these circumstances will exist this time around.

The size and makeup of the Massachusetts electorate in December, 2010 will be quite different in 2012. Brown’s exploitation of both Tea Party AND progressive anger at President Obama cannot be repeated this year. The TEA Party activists whose energy and GOTV efforts were key to Brown’s victory have long since abandoned him and Bay State progressives will not be willing to express their dissatisfaction with Washington Democrats in 2012 the way they did in 2010, by staying home on Election Day. There is simply too much at stake. If anything, Warren will be the candidate benefitting from “movement” politics due to her links with the “occupy” movement, which despite vigorous TEA Party and Republican Party efforts and resources remains popular with Massachusetts voters.

The national anti-Obama/ anti-Democratic Party mood of early 2010 will be much less potent in 2012, especially in Massachusetts. If Brown’s argument to the voters is that he’s not a social or economic conservative, but rather a moderate so-called “Massachusetts Republican,” then why would a statewide Massachusetts electorate that hasn’t elected a moderate Republican in decades be compelled to do so now? If the “Obama/Warren as left wing extremist” argument doesn’t fly in the Bay State, then the answer is that they would not be so compelled.

Brown has to create an extremist opponent to be marketable as a moderate Republican. There is no credible evidence that he can do so with his Democratic challenger or the White House at this point. His recent efforts to distance himself from Senate Republicans and ingratiate himself to anti-Wall Street voters does seem to illustrate Brown’s understanding that he needs to move left quickly and clearly to be competitive in the fall. Senator Brown is missing no opportunity to separate himself from his party nationally. His recent support for President Obama’s recess appointment to the consumer protection agency Elizabeth Warren designed, as well as his manufactured dust up with Newt Gingrich over the former Speaker’s views on the judiciary; illustrate Brown’s understanding of his ver precarious position.

2) Senator Brown, having only been in office for 22 months prior to his re-election bid, will not enjoy much in the way of incumbency advantage. While he is raising money hand over fist, the national significance of this race and the national stature of his Democratic challenger, as well as her centrality to the narrative that will animate the president’s own re-election campaign, will make her very competitive in fund raising. Also, Warren’s access to the statewide political resources and organization of Governor Patrick, Barrack Obama, John Kerry, and even Hilary Clinton, will undoubtedly be more useful and cost effective than anything Senator Brown can muster. He cannot tout his influence in the Senate either without linking himself with Senate Republicans whose popularity in Massachusetts rivals that of famous serial killers. He can tout his power to check Democratic excess as a way to lure Bay State independents and conservative Democrats, but for every such voter he attracts with this approach, he’s likely to attract as much or more opposition from an electorate that has not complained about liberal excess in Obama’s Washington. Brown can’t realistically hope to ride a protest vote to re-election.

3) Despite what pundits have gushingly called his very impressive retail political skills, this election simply will not be determined by “local” politics or issues. Also, Elizabeth Warren has already proven that she’s no Martha Coakley. Warren’s own political skills appear quite formidable. There is little doubt that Brown and any Republicans hoping he can hold onto his seat are really regretting their opposition to Warren’s appointment to the new consumer protection agency at this point. When Charlie Baker put on his jeans and work boots and drove around the state in a pickup truck, independent voters did not follow because he had nothing tangible to offer them. In 2012, Brown may have the charm and the truck, but he doesn’t have the goods. In an off year contest he may have been able to leverage his usefulness to the state’s business interests into votes, but the size and diversity of the electorate in a presidential year greatly dilutes Brown’s prospects in this regard.

4) What about Brown’s access to Romney organizational resources as well as possible coat tails? The election of a Romney/Brown ally to the Massachusetts state GOP chairmanship may have looked to some like good news for Senator Brown. For this to be true, however, Romney’s organizational resources and his coat tails must be electorally valuable commodities. In Massachusetts, Romney is not likely to be a value added factor for Brown, whose willingness to associate with the former governor and likely Republican nominee thus far may reflect his political inexperience or naiveté. The recent election of a Romney/Brown man to state GOP chairman has only served to harden the resolve of Massachusetts movement conservatives to purge the party of moderates. This is hardly the kind of grass roots passion Brown wants while running for re-election. Furthermore, the tone and trajectory of the ongoing fight for the Republican presidential nomination must be giving Brown’s campaign fits. The attacks on Mitt Romney’s business experience play right into both Warren’s and President Obama’s preferred narratives.

I am not predicting a Warren victory in hopes of becoming the next Nate Silver or a “player” in politics. What I am doing is highlighting the difference between sober systematic political analysis and that of the pundits, politicians, and journalists whose relevance seems to require something a bit different.

Springfield City Councilor Jimmy Ferrera (photo: Michael Beswick)

With years of past precedence to look back upon for guidance as he mulled his selections for various sub-committee postings and chairmanships, Ferrera instead chose the revenge route by stiffing two of the most intelligent and productive members of the council, whose primary disqualification for committee appointments appears to be that they dared hesitate to support him from the get-go.

“I had to accommodate the individuals who supported me early on first,” Ferrera said in a recent Republican story by Peter Goonan. “Some councilors were last to commit to voting for me for president and they received whatever was left over.”

Then, in one of the more bizarre examples of political double-speak (that in all likelihood went right over even Ferrera’s doughy head) the new president added this gem of a statement: “It was not a political process.”

So… it wasn’t about politics, Jimmy, it was just about who supported you politically?

“I characterize the appointment he gave me as immature,” responded snubbed City Councilor Michael Fenton in the same article.

Both he and City Councilor Timothy Allen incurred the wrath of Ferrera for daring think that Allen might be the wiser choice for president of the City Council.

For his failure at total allegiance to Ferrera, Fenton received a single posting – to the one-person, largely obscure Animal Control Advisory special committee, which Fenton will not actually be able to take due to a job conflict. (Fenton said Ferrera knew of the job conflict when he appointed him to the committee.)

Likewise, Allen received a single appointment himself, to the Human Services committee.

Contrast that with what Ferrera’s loyalists received, with City Councilor Zaida Luna being awarded five total committee appointments and first-term City Councilor Kenneth Shea – who just got elected this past November – getting four committee appointments from the grateful Ferrera. City Councilor Timothy Rooke snared three appointments, all chairmanships, including chairmanship of the Finance Committee (actually a good place for him).

Political payback, of course, isn’t all that unusual, and the president of the City Council does have the right to make appointments at his pleasure. What most makes these appointments so damning in their makeup, though, is that Ferrera was, first, so blatantly obvious about it, and then second, proceeded to arrogantly deny any political play-making.

“That’s the way business is conducted and that’s the way politics is conducted,” said Rooke in Goonan’s story. “To the victor go the spoils.”

Indeed. If only Jimmy Ferrera could be so up-front about it.

But then again, there’s a good chance Ferrera wasn’t alone in his decision-making process.

Ferrera’s always been a guided missile in Springfield politics. From the day he first arrived on the Council, he’s been mentored by his “good friend” (and former City Councilor) Brian Santaniello. And since Santaniello was a close pal of former Springfield Mayor Mike Albano – who these days poses as a “consultant” – it wouldn’t be that big of a reach to assume Ferrera’s been influenced by him, as well.

Ferrera’s “smack down” politics, which his handlers apparently believe will make him look more manly, instead tends to make him look more like a stooge. One of his hallmark moments came back in 2010 when he sponsored a home rule bill that would have given a one-year mandatory jail sentence to both prostitutes and their johns. At the time, Ferrera said anyone who voted against his bill would be accommodating crime. His bill lost by a vote of 1-11.

Fast forward to this year, and Ferrera finally had his life-long chance to be The Man. He could have shown everyone that leadership is all about making the tough decisions and putting the best people for the job in the places they need to be.

Instead, though, he chose to chant “Nya, nya, nya-nya, nya!” to Fenton and Allen.

President of the City Council, indeed.

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Jeffrey P. Donnelly

Donnelly is convinced the powers-that-be at Westfield State University (WSU) and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, in collusion with both local and state law enforcement, have been waging a campaign of harassment against him in order to both stop the renegade candidate from running for Olver’s then-seat (which is set to be eliminated due to re-districting) and to keep his more recent corruption charges from getting out into the public.

As of last November, Donnelly has filed five lawsuits with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, with defendants ranging from WSU and UMass to the City of Springfield and the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance.

Included in the WSU and UMass lawsuits, Donnelly has also named his former girlfriend as a defendant, who he says has filed false allegations against him with both the Westfield State University campus police and authorities at UMass. These allegations, says Donnelly, resulted in his being barred from both campuses and also led to his recent arrest (this past fall) on a restraining order violation and several related court appearances.

Donnelly denies harassing his former girlfriend and says that the charges were being used by WSU as a tool to penalize him for his political run against Olver and to stifle his accusations of corruption.

The whole sordid truth about this crusade against him, Donnelly told the Intruder, will all come to light with the release of a manuscript he recently wrote which details all of his allegations against both his personal antagonist (his ex-girlfriend) and the WSU-law enforcement conspiracy. The contents of the manuscript, Donnelly says, will expose the now years-long alleged conspiracy to the public once and for all.

And how important is this manuscript?

According to a written account by Donnelly that he posted on Facebook, police arrived at his Springfield residence last fall to arrest him for violating a harassment protection order that had been issued as a result of what he claimed were false statements made by his ex-girlfriend. But Donnelly suspected his arrest wasn’t the only reason they were there.

Donnelly's manuscript, 'Raw Emotion & Political Repression - The True tale of a Massachusetts Bohemian'

“When police entered Mr. Donnelly’s living area at around 5 or 6AM,” his account continued, “Mr. Donnelly was writing legal motions and had pulled an all nighter.”

Donnelly, a licensed firearms owner, said police proceeded to confiscate his firearms – two of which, a shotgun and a pistol, were laying in plain sight at the time of his arrest. Donnelly wrote that he was then placed in a police cruiser while officers continued to search his residence “for an extended amount of time.”

Speaking to the Intruder afterward at a downtown restaurant, Donnelly provided more details on what transpired that morning.

Donnelly said he was in a downstairs area of an apartment he shared with a roommate when plain-clothes police officers arrived at the home. It was his roommate who let the officers into the home, and they then proceeded downstairs to apprehend Donnelly. As the officers descended the stairs, Donnelly – with his firearms nearby – said he was confused as to who the men actually were, and that only his “previous training in law enforcement” prevented the situation from spiraling into a violent confrontation. (Donnelly formerly worked as a security guard for Securitas Security Services.)

As for what they were searching for after they had placed him in a cruiser, Donnelly had a good idea.

At the restaurant, Donnelly pulled out a manuscript from a bag and set it on the table. “I think they were looking for this,” he said.

The manuscript, entitled Raw Emotion & Political Repression – the True Tale of a Massachusetts Bohemian, appeared to be about a hundred pages or so long and had a colored cover.

Donnelly is convinced that his party affiliation (registered Republican) and his desire to run for office have resulted in a vast conspiracy involving academics, law enforcement, and even the state’s Department of Unemployment Assistance, all working to thwart his candidacy and ruin is reputation. And his manuscript, he says, will lay it all bare.

SEEDS OF A CONSPIRACY
It all began back in 2009, when Donnelly met a girl over the Internet and the two had what Donnelly describes as a “summertime fling.”

Donnelly, not then a Springfield resident, was preparing a political campaign to run against 1st District U.S. Congressman John Olver in the 2010 elections. He was also angling to get back into school at Westfield State University (then still known as Westfield State College).

According to one of the five lawsuits he’s drawn up against his antagonists, Donnelly had a meeting with the Chair of the Art Department there to go over the qualifications of his portfolio. While at the meeting, he mentioned his intention to run against Olver in the 2010 election. A couple days after the meeting, then, Donnelly received a notice denying him re-enrollment at WSU.

The reason given for the denial was that his portfolio was not up standard for incoming students. But Donnelly suspected otherwise. He asserts in the lawsuit that he had maintained a “a solid B average” while previously attending the school, and that none other than the Chair herself had given him an “A” in the only class he had with her. Donnelly was convinced it was his Republican candidacy for Congress that torpedoed his re-admission to WSU.

And why would he think such a thing?

Donnelly insists that despite being a registered Republican in an extremely liberal region of the state, he was seen as a real threat to Olver’s 2010 re-election bid. Although this may seem hard for most to believe, given Olver’s large, loyal voting base and his far-left progressive credentials, Donnelly told the Intruder that his views are in fact popular enough to give him a legitimate shot at an election upset – whether it be Olver in 2010 or, these days, Richie Neal in 2012. (Hard to believe, too, given that Donnelly’s campaign website states he supports personal gun ownership, opposes mandatory health insurance, and supports barring the hiring of illegal immigrants. Those three stances alone would put him in last place out of a multi-candidate field in any Congressional race west of the Quabbin – of which, soon, there will only be one.)

Whether university professors and administrators would share in Donnelly’s optimistic view of his chances at the polls (or whether they simply disliked his politics) to the point of conspiring to deny him entry into college remains a questionable scenario. But there it is.

Enter his former girlfriend into the story. Donnelly said he ended his relationship with her via “an Internet message.” According to Donnelly’s lawsuit against both WSU and his ex, she then commenced upon a campaign of false allegations against him in retaliation, and, said Donnelly, it soon became a back-and-forth ordeal that administrators at WSU knowingly took advantage of in their pursuit to eject him from the campus. He said he repeatedly provided evidence showing her statements to be false, but that the university’s campus police and administrators refused to drop her charges.

Donnelly went on to list a host of other grievances against WSU in his lawsuit, including their arrest of him while he was video taping on a sidewalk outside of WSU’s Deptartment of Public Saftey. (Donnelly also noted in the lawsuit that all of WSU’s charges against him were eventually dropped by the Westfield District Attorney’s Office.)

Donnelly’s woes continued in August of 2010, after this blog discovered an anonymous comment in a story about Donnelly in which the commenter requested someone kill him.

“If there are is anyone that HATES Rapers I do,” wrote the commenter. “But if there is anyone that can take out Jeffery P. Donnelly at x x x x x, Springfield, MA. I would greatly be happy Whom ever Takes him out.”

The Intruder first contacted the Springfield Police Department and then, a day later, notified Donnelly, who in turn also went to the police.

Donnelly believed the commenter was his ex-girlfriend (it would take some time for the SPD to perform an IP trace and identify the commenter), and he subsequently filed a restraining order against her. Donnelly said he also requested a permit to carry from the police at this time, which the SPD denied.

(Donnelly’s lawsuit against the City of Springfield is in regards to this incident, citing the “prolonged and unnecessary amount of time” it took the Springfield Police Department to identify the anonymous commenter, as well as their refusal to “remove restrictions” on his firearms license by, presumably, not allowing him a permit to carry, which he felt he needed to protect himself.)

While all of this was ongoing, Donnelly by this time was trying to get into a graduate program at UMass-Amherst.

According to Donnelly’s lawsuit against UMass, by the end of August he and his ex had appeared in court as a result of her allegedly violating the restraining order he had filed against her. While in court, Donnelly alleges that his ex repeatedly lied to the judge, making up stories about her having to file charges against him at various police departments in the region. (Donnelly wrote in the lawsuit that he contacted those departments and they had no record of any complaints being filed against him.)

Enter the twist in this tale: Since 2009, Donnelly’s ex also happened to be a police cadet with the UMass campus police. And so, since he was trying to enroll there, Donnelly also filed a citizen’s complaint against her there in early September.

It was soon thereafter, then, when Donnelly was notified that he was barred from entering the UMass campus, in what he believes was retaliation for filing his complaint.

Donnelly said he has repeatedly requested that his case be reviewed by UMass administrators, but has yet to receive a reply from anyone at the school.

WHERE POLITICAL MOTIVATIONS ABOUND
A fourth and fifth lawsuit were also filed by Donnelly against his former employer and the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA), respectively, for grievances going back to 2009.

While employed at the Center for Human Development in Springfield in August of 2009, Donnelly was moved from second shift to third shift due to an ongoing “medical condition,” according to his suit against them. However, he was soon moved back down to second shift for what Donnelly claimed appeared to be “political purposes,” charging in a followup lawsuit against the Mass. Dept. of Unemployment Assistance that “upon finding out that Plaintiff was attempting to run for a high profile political office, as a Republican Candidate [for Olver's seat]” the move back to second shift was decided.

Donnelly claimed the move, which apparently did not happen and instead resulted in his unemployment, “Severely hindered and/or ruined Plaintiff’s Congressional Campaign, and personal life.”

And that was not the end of it.

After applying for unemployment benefits at the beginning of September, then, his former employer contested his claim. This resulted in months of wrangling until finally Donnelly ended up in a meeting in February, 2010 with a review examiner for the Massachusetts DUA in order to go over his case. Following that meeting, the DUA formally denied Donnelly a hearing against the Center for Human Development.

Once again, Donnelly claimed the decision was based on political bias against him: “[The] Review Examiner and her husband own a bed and breakfast in Northampton,” wrote Donnelly in his lawsuit against the Massachusetts DUA. “Her husband is also actively involved with the Democratic Party. Plaintiff lacks first hand knowledge as to the extent of [the review examiner's] involvement with the Democratic Party, but believes that it mirrors that of her husband.”

Donnelly added in his lawsuit that in September of 2010, some months following his initial denial of a hearing, the DUA’s assistant chief council contacted him and informed him “that they had made a mistake by refusing the Plaintiff a hearing against Plaintiff’s former employer.”

One year later, Donnelly remains steadfast in his determination to seek justice against anyone he deems to have trespassed against him, even as his legal troubles with his former girlfriend continue to roil in the courts.

Donnelly’s most recent court appearance occurred at the end of December, 2011, in Westfield District Court. According to Donnelly’s Facebook page, the court ruled at that time that he be barred from entering the City of Westfield. (That brings his total to three barrings: WSU, UMass, and now Westfield itself.)

Donnelly had argued in court that his (apparently perpetual) political candidacy required that he both visit Westfield and use it as a transit point, as it is part of the District he is currently running for. That argument was apparently unconvincing despite Donnelly’s assertion that he possessed campaign materials consistent with a political run for office (campaign signs, stickers, business cards, etc.). A search by the Intruder for Donnelly’s name with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign & Political Finance, however, came up empty.

Donnelly’s various lawsuits are pending.

Sarno has proposed a residential rate of $19.99 (per $1,000) and a commercial rate of $39.53. Those numbers are up slightly from last year’s $18.97 and $38.97 for residential and commercial, respectively.

What made the Mayor’s proposal amusing to me was the following statement: “Preliminary data indicates that approximately forty percent (40%) of single-family homeowners would have a lower bill compared to last year. The average single-family tax bill would rise by $37 to $2675 based on a value of $133,800. This bill is still lower than the average bill of two years ago, which was $2685.”

That’s great spin! “Yes, we’re raising your taxes, but, you know, they’ll still be lower….. compared to when your property was actually worth a lot more.”

What continues to kill me is how obscenely high the city’s commercial rates are – about double the residential rate. If this city was serious about job creation, it would make it more affordable for the city’s businesses to hire employees instead of penalizing them for doing business here.

SARNO REQUESTS “GOODWILL” GESTURE FROM WMECO
SPRINGFIELD – Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno issued a letter to WMECO president Peter Clarke requesting that the utility company provide customers affected by the October snowstorm with a credit on their bill to help offset the expenses incurred by families having to throw out spoiled food and, additionally, make other arraignments in order to recover from the storm.

“I have remained cognizant of the fact that a large number of financially struggling Springfield families were left with no alternative but to throw perishable food away following the power outage,” Sarno’s letter read. “For many families, this has been extremely burdensome especially when compounded by the need for many of these families to seek and spend money on alternative housing and meals. Additionally, local businesses were also compelled to dispose of food that would have resulted in health related illnesses had it been consumed.”

Sarno pointed out in the letter that WMEOC’s sister company, Connecticut Light & Power (both are subsidiaries of Northeast Utilities) has already made such a move, calling it a “gesture of goodwill” to the community.
The CL&P credit was for between $100 and $200, and Sarno requested a similar amount be offered to Springfield residents affected by the storm.

WELLSPRING INITIATIVE COMING TO SPRINGFIELD’S INNER-CITY ‘HOODS
SPRINGFIELD – A $200,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation will help fund a partnership between UMass’s Center for Public Policy and Administration (CPPA) and Partners for a Healthier Community as they implement an economic aid program called the Wellspring Initiative. According to a WMass news release, the program’s goal is to identify the viability for, and to help create, “about three potential businesses” that would help bring entry-level jobs to Springfield’s beleaguered inner-city neighborhoods.

“Wellspring is coordinating with the region’s largest employers to identify key areas where the purchase of goods and services could be shifted to new worker-owned businesses in Springfield neighborhoods,” read the release on WMass’s website.

The partners also appeared at a press conference on the steps of City Hall in Springfield to announce the initiative. Various political non-players, including Elizabeth Cardon, with Governor Deval Patrick’s Western Mass. office, and Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, were on-hand for the free photo-op.

WINTER FELINE FESTIVAL
The Thomas J. O’Connor Animal Control Adoption Center has way too many cats to care for, so they’ve announced they’re halving their adoption fees for people willing to give their kitties a new home. The offer is good until the end of the year.

“The Adoption Center is currently filled to capacity with cats of all personalities, ages and colors,” read a recent press release. “The reduction in adoption fees will help to place cats into adoptive homes more quickly and allow the adoption center to serve more cats needing shelter.”

The half-price fee of $45 is available for any cats over 4 months of age and includes vaccinations, microchips, spay or neutering, and feline leukemia testing. Check out their website for more info. here.

TEA PARTY RESPONDS TO OCCUPY WALL STREET PROTEST
Finally, a nifty letter to the editor appeared in The Reminder recently that really puts the Occupy Wall Street movement in perspective and calls it out for what it is: An excuse to protest and break the law.

The letter, written by a supporter of the Tea Party movement, contrasts the two groups’ styles and purpose, and derides the mainstream media for vilifying the Tea Party – which has yet to turn violent or advocate breaking the law – while celebrating the OWS movement which routinely tramples over the property rights of others and considers getting arrested a privilege.

Speaking of the locally-organized Occupy Springfield protest that recently invaded the downtown branch of Bank of America, letter writer Richard Howell said: “The Occupy crowd showed no respect for either the people working downtown, pedestrians or the proprietors. They certainly had no respect for the police as they attempted to seize the Bank of America branch office. Sending down three wagons of full of violates is hardly routine, the chief must feel the pressure to be diplomatic. In larger cities the Occupy invasions have been much more violent.”

One small correction in Howell’s assumption: In the letter, he said he doubted that editor Mike Dobbs knew anything about how the “common man” lives. Knowing Mike as I do, I can assure everyone that he not only knows how the common man lives, he is in fact one of us.

To read Howell’s entire letter, click here.

To read Mike Dobb’s original commentary, click here.

Earlier this month we learned of the tragic killing of a beloved Muscovy duck in Westfield’s Stanley Park. The duck had been affectionately named “Ozzie” by park officials, although park visitors knew him under various different names.

According to this Republican story, Ozzie had been a resident of Stanley Park for three years. He was killed on this past Veterans Day by a kid who stomped on him. At the time, it wasn’t known whether the duck was already injured when the stomping occurred (or if he was even alive), and many people at first assumed that all four kids at the scene had participated in the stomping. (It was later clarified that only one of the kids committed the act.)

Now, it really doesn’t matter if the duck was previously injured, or if only one kid stomped him while the others watched as opposed to all four stomping him. What happened was terrible. I just wanted to make the point that nobody knew jack about the details of this unfolding story, yet even so, calls for the heads of all the kids involved were a-plenty – and they were unmerciful in their demand that these kids receive the harshest of punishments, and in some cases, going far beyond any legal means of justice.

Personally, I thought it was a shame the kid decided to kill the duck. He sure has a mean streak in him, that’s for sure. But you know what? So do a lot of other kids who never make the headlines because the animal they killed didn’t have a nick-name.

How many people would have been howling in anger if a kid had been seen stomping one of the hundreds of Canadian geese loitering and crapping all over the place inside Heritage Park in East Longmeadow, for example? I’m sure PETA would have had a nutty, and the MSPCA would have had a bone to pick, too (no pun intended). But does anyone really think the level of rage that’s attached itself to Ozzy’s death would have gone on in the latter case?

I posted a comment earlier in the month on Masslive (which was quickly removed) saying that when I was a kid growing up in Somers, CT, we used to catch pumpkinseeds (sunfish) and sucker fish while fishing for brown trout and bass. We’d bash the unwanted fish up against the rocks to kill them, then use their guts as bait for what we really wanted to catch. (Only later on would I discover that sucker fish are actually quite tasty themselves – although, like catfish, they are bottom-feeders that need to be carefully cleaned.)

Then there was the one time, still when I was a kid in Somers, when a friend and I were in his yard shooting song birds out of trees with our rifles (a 22-cal and a pellet gun) for target practice. We got caught by a cop who happened to be driving by – actually, he was the only cop in Somers at the time (what luck!).

He pulled over to the side of the road and called us over to his cruiser. He said to us, “It’s against the law to shoot song birds, guys.”

And then you know what happened?

We said “okay” (and I have to say, at about 12-years-old, I had no idea shooting one bird over any another was illegal – and if we had been out shooting grouse it would have been legal at the time), and then the cop drove off.

No ticket. No handcuffs. No media coverage.

And no, we did not go back to shooting at the birds. Amazingly, too, we did not grow up to be serial killers, either.

So what’s my point – other than convincing a lot of liberal folks I should have received counseling as a child?

My point is that I believe there has been a horrendous overreaction to this sad episode on the part of people who have so righteously raised themselves up to be the judges – and in some cases the tormentors – of the kids involved. I could not believe some of the heinous remarks coming from the many anonymous commenters over at Masslive. People who so harshly criticized those kids for their bad behavior did themselves have no problem whatsoever in professing to want to torture, maim, abduct and imprison the suspects themselves.

You want to know where those kids get their mischievous ideas from? Take a look in the mirror.

Many of the commenters admitted to wanting to commit acts far more horrific than what the one kid was said to have done. And yet not only did Masslive keep the comments up there for all to read, but other people replied to the commenters supporting their opinion.

Below are some of the many comments that I came across on Masslive that I found particularly notable. The articles I culled them from are here, here and here.

Note that I’ve highlighted in bold any text where I thought the commenter professed a desire to do something every bit as awful – and illegal – to the suspects themselves (such as assault & battery, stalking, abduction & torture, etc.), or advocated that someone else commit such an illegal act on the suspects. And they serve as yet another example of why I think anonymous posting should be banned.

I’m assuming the comment below is just a kid who’s watched way too many Lion King movies. But this is where it starts!

Edgeof7teen November 13, 2011 at 10:05AM
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Punishment should fit the crime…..age or not. If a 12 year old had the ability to do what he did…he is a very, very sick kid. No excuses, IMO. Personally I hope their names are leaked so they can feel the wrath of what they did.

The below comment was so vile it reads like something out of one of those “slash” horror movies.

wmassvoice November 13, 2011 at 2:01PM
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The punks and their parents should be very aware of the future.
Here’s what will happen: the word will get out who these sick punks are. Then each will be alone someday and forgetful of what they did. Then, someone who has the courage to exact retribution will batter the brains out of each little punk — one by one.
Believe me, there are people out there who will cross these punks paths one day, and bad things will eventually happen.

I hope that I am fortunate enough to come across the beating as it transpires — and courageous enough to yell at the perpetrator “give him another one so that he sits in a wheelchair for the rest of his putrid life.”

And, of course, I will tell the truth: “Officer, I didn’t see a thing.”

What made the above comment even worse was that others heartily agreed with him, as in these two replies:

neverbeenrong November 13, 2011 at 6:53PM
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I’m with you, and i have never seen so much rage over a single incident. You know just when i was thinking how sick society has become, and how i don’t like living in a world like that, i see people out raged over something like this, and it is so right. If these kids read this forum, or their parents, they had better have a plan on sending junior to grandmas for a few months or years, until things blow over. But one thing for sure, they are just targets as long as they stay around this area where they are known. They won’t be safe crossing the street, walking anywhere, or leaving their houses, and every time they go out, they better check for someone parked down the street waiting, or a kid in school, to give him a good kick in the back of the head, and he’d never know what hit him. I know one WPD officer who is an extreme animal lover, and i hope he gets to investigate this one. He won’t go easy in this case.

gu3sswho413 November 14, 2011 at 12:40PM
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wmassvoice – couldnt have said it better!

This entire post is disgusting…

TechTiger86 November 13, 2011 at 7:02PM
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I pray the scumbag kids are caught, strung up by their privates and hung in Stanley Park over the pond where poor Ozzie swam, making sure the kids heads are touching the water, cover their faces with some kind of food that ducks love and let the ducks go at it till they peck their flesh and eyes out….just a suggestion!!

And just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, there was this particularly sickening statement:

ChicRes November 17, 2011 at 10:33AM
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Anyone know if a hearing date been set yet? I think in addition to any sentence, this sewer kid should be publicly humiliated in front of everyone in the court room. And with any luck, jail time served will mean that he too is beaten to the point of death every day he is there. I have no compassion for human trash – at any age. These kids serve as a valid argument in favor of abortion. The world would be better off without them. At least if they were used for embryonic stem cell research something good might have come of them. (And the parents should be equally punished, first for the crime, and then also for breeding!)

Diunion November 13, 2011 at 10:35PM
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I may be mistaken; but I do believe that cruelty to animals is now a FELONY in Massachusetts. If these tweenybopers were thinking that stomping this duck to death would result in a mere “slap on the hand”, they are sadly mistaken. A FELONY is far more serious than any misdemeanor charge.
Does the word MURDER come to mind? That’s what these idiots did to the duck– is a toddler next so these dorks can have their thrill of the day?

Uhhhh… MURDER? I believe we reserve that charge for a more select group of species. You know, like dolphins, chimps and other people.

Another gem:

crzythng November 14, 2011 at 4:23AM
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Today a bird,tommorow a poor defenseless person. We will hear that whomever did it was influenced by violent video games or some such reason. Anyone who targets and kills a defenseless animal is a person to watch out for in the future. Future serial killer? a distinct possibility.

simplyamazing November 15, 2011 at 5:47AM
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it won’t be eggplant, its called tofurkey!!!!!! as far as the duck? i wish and hope they do publish these idiots names, first its small animals then its larger ones then its humans. these kids are in the beginning stages of being killers of people.

Thank you, Dr. Sigmund Freud.

christid01 November 14, 2011 at 8:54AM
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Not only should these boys be charged to the highest extent of the law, their parents should be ordered to explain to the rest of us how they managed to raise their children with the idea this would be alright.

Really? You mean, like, in a press conference? Or should we have them stand on a stage in the center of town and surround them, chanting “shame, shame!”?

MrAtos November 16, 2011 at 9:14AM
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I would like to be able to think that this wretch will feel the full weight of the law on a felony conviction here but I don’t think it will happen. Being a convicted felon at 15 years of age will impact things like education and employment for a long time.

Yes! Never let him overcome a childhood wrongdoing. No college for him! He killed a duck – damn him! And now he must pay for the rest of his life! Hhhaaa!! Ha!! Hha!! …..

I just included the below comment because I thought the commenter’s username was ironic. How many “cold blooded” killings of animals has he participated in?

BayHarborButcher November 15, 2011 at 3:00PM
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[Responding to someone who complained about commenters not having such outrage over human killings.] The killing of an animal is different. It always will be in people’s minds because animals represent what is good and they harbor no ill will to people. Let me ask you how you would feel if this was a dog? No one is saying that the real murders in SPRINGFIELD don’t need to be worked on…and as far as we know they are how can you know they aren’t being worked on? Just because every one of them doesn’t have an end result? Life is life and the cold blooded taking of an animals shows a definite progression to eventually humans. Its chilling. Many of the previous posters have stated the same thing.

Here’s a post from an anonymous nutcase who’s saying the kids involved should not have even been born. That’s nice, moron.

HeWhoWatches November 12, 2011 at 2:28AM
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Sad thing is these little contraception busters (yes, there should be billy club wielding anti sperm organisms in a woman’s uterus for the purpose of denying these twisted sociopaths life, shame that they were conceived), these losers are reading these posts and enjoying every minute of it. Hey boys……boys meaning the perpetrators of this pathetic act…..boys….listen to Uncle HeWhoWatches……I want you boys to do some in depth study on the subject of karma. Might just leave ya wondering what’s in store for you someday.

Next to last, here’s one from a guy who says he’s the witness’s father:

sing2me November 12, 2011 at 8:00AM
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My daughter was jogging around the park and came across this teenage boy stomping the duck. She beat the crap out of him, but he scurried away like the coward he was. She the asked the other teenagers why they didn’t help the duck. They claimed he had a knife, but she never saw one. She then reported the incident to the park officials. She will give a full description later today. I only hope that she broke his nose!

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe that’s assault and battery on a minor, isn’t it? Perhaps he was “scurrying away” because your daughter was beating the crap out of him, as most victims of assault tend to want to do.

Ahh, but petty legalities be damned. Justice has no vices, as shown in the responses below.

Walker45 November 12, 2011 at 1:40PM
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Your daughter is awesome!!

snookered1 November 12, 2011 at 5:07PM
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Good for her! You raised her right. Congrats.

Yes. She only assaults kids who assault animals. That’s what separates us, you know.

I’ll finish off this listing of fowl villainy with an obligatory peaceful comment from the vegan crowd. (I can’t help but raise my voice to a soft and gentle tone whenever reading such comments.)

mttom555 November 14, 2011 at 5:44AM
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Hearing this saddened me as this was a cruel crime against a defenseless and innocent animal. This story also reminded me that if we choose to consume animal products, we are essentially committing similar crimes against the animals that wind up on our plates. When we purchase animal products for consumption, we are paying someone else to house and ultimately slaughter animals for us. If you do not like what happened to this poor duck, perhaps exploring compassionate eating would be a worthwhile endeavor. Becoming vegan can save up to 95 farm animals per year.

Okay, I think the kids involved in this ugly incident have probably had quite enough from the peanut gallery, and they’ll probably be getting plenty more from their classmates for the rest of the school year. Plus, I’m sure there will be a fine involved for the kid who stomped on the duck.

As for the peanut gallery itself, I think the people who posted most of the above comments are in need of the same counseling they say the suspects are in need of, if not much more so. Some of the commenters should probably have charges brought against them – posting death threats and advocating violence against targeted minors is no less illegal simply because you’re posting “anonymously” in an online forum. (Hint to those commenters: you’re only anonymous to other readers.)

That being said, I hope everyone had a joyous Thanksgiving holiday – over 45 million un-named turkeys were slaughtered to ensure everyone had plenty of leftovers. I know I did. Check out the below video for a nice How-To on cooking a fine duck stew.