The Freedom Bulletin

I saw this article in the Boston Globe magazine today about Boston’s modern architecture – such as City Hall, the JFK Federal Building, and the sprawling State Service Center. I love these buildings and have never understood why so many people, including Mayor Thomas Menino, think they are ugly. It seems many people agree with me. I like brutalist buildings because they stand out and give visual interest to the city – it would be boring for Boston to be filled with just old-fashioned brick buildings. City Hall Plaza is one of my favorite places in the world. It is dramatic and breathtaking in a way that no park or traditional brick building can match.

Here are some of my favorite pictures that I have taken of Boston’s modern buildings:

JFK Fedreal Building

Boston City Hall

Christian Science Plaza tower

State Service Center

Today (Sunday, January 17) I attended a demonstration by Scott Brown supporters at President Obama’s speech endorsing Martha Coakley at Northeastern University in Boston. It was totally awesome. There were about 100 (or maybe more) Scott Brown supporters holding sings and chanting “Make Obama frown, vote Scott Brown” and “Don’t do coke” (as in Coakley ). We definitely outnumbered the Coakley supporters. We spread out all along Huntington Ave and then marched across the street to the massive line of (mostly pro-Coakley) people waiting to get in to see Obama’s speech. At least 3 cars covered in Scott Brown signs passed by, and we got lots of honks and thumbs up from passing cars, including a fire truck. We even got free hot chocolate from people who I think worked in the Northeastern cafeteria. Many of the Boston cops who were keeping order at the protest indicated that they supported Scott, too!

When we crossed to the side where the Coakley supporters were, one guy kept going on and on about how Scott Brown supporters are defending sex offenders and want them walking around on the streets. Apparently he was referring to the case of Gerald Amirault, who was falsely convicted of child molestation but was kept in prison due to Coakley’s lobbying, even though there was no evidence supporting the charges. A couple of Scott supporters and I pointed out that actually, opposing the jailing of innocent people is not the same as wanting sex offenders out on the streets, and that putting innocent people behind bars is not so great. He replied, “She was a prosecutor; that’s her job.” Oh, yeah. Putting innocent people in jail, that’s a prosecutor’s job, all right!

Here are some photos I took at the rally. Enjoy!

I also made some videos of the Scott Brown rally, which I have uploaded to Youtube and which you can see here.

For some mainstream media coverage of Obama’s appearance and the protests, check out:

• Boston Globe
• Boston Herald

There were several different websites and organizations that sponsored, had tables at, or were somehow associated with the Tea Party, and they’re all really cool so I’m plugging their sites here. Check them out:

• ConservativeSolutions.org
• SovereigntyAlliance.org
• AynRand.org
• CloseTheTolls.org
• ForgottenHeroesTheMovie.com
• KillingOurJobs.org
• StopUniversalHealthCare.org
• TheWebstersDictionary.com
• YoungGunConservative.com
• BlogPatriot.com
• TheMadPatriot.us
• RedMassGroup.com
• RepYourParty.com
• TheNewBostonTeaParty.com
• FreedomWorks.com
• RestoreTheRepublic.com
• BennettForBoston.com
• RyanForBoston.com
• GOAL.org

I took lots of pictures, a sampling of which you can see below. I’ll post the rest at my photo site shortly.

Crowd gathered around the podium

"False idols make poor presidents"

This guy had two cool signs.

Look at these cool outfits.

Lady with cool signs

Carla Howell

Everyone posing at the bandstand

Marching from Boston Common through City Hall Plaza to Christopher Columbus Park

Woman and man sitting in the park before the speeches begin

Some guys hanging out in Christopher Columbus Park

People sitting on a bench with "Don't tread on me" flag

Restore the Republic sign

Carla Howell singing!

"Trickle-up poverty"

Ayn Rand signs

"Real men love Sarah"

And now for something a little different: the Enchanted Village, one of Boston’s oldest Christmas attractions, has a new home. The colonial Christmas scene, which has been displayed in Jordan Marsh at Downtown Crossing from the 1940s until 2006, was bought at an auction by another Jordan: Jordan’s Furniture. It consists of 75 animated child figures and 75 bears, plus some adults, other animals, buildings, and props. It will be displayed in Jordan’s Avon store around Christmas time.

I remember going to the Enchanted Village when I was a little kid, and I’m happy that it has a new home and will be on display to the public again :)

Read more: Boston Globe & Boston Business Journal

This morning I went to a very brief hearing for Philip Markoff, the accused Craigslist killer. Markoff was not present in Boston Municipal Court for the hearing, but there were dozens of reporters and photographers and several news trucks outside the courthouse.

The hearing began at  approximately 9:25 a.m. in Courtroom 10. The benches were almost completely filled with people, including members of the media and defendants in other cases. Markoff’s mother, Susan Haynes, was present, sitting in the second row in the far left corner. Defense attorney John Salsberg made a motion to waive his client’s right to appear in court, which the judge allowed after no one objected. The Assistant District Attorney at today’s hearing was Edmond Zabin. He was substituting for Jennifer Hickman, who was the prosecutor at Markoff’s arraignment last month.

The prosecution and defense agreed on July 1 as the date for a probable cause hearing, but if Markoff is indicted by a grand jury before then, which is likely to happen, the hearing will be canceled and the case will be moved to Suffolk Superior Court.

This morning’s hearing lasted for only about two minutes. Afterward, the press chased after Salsberg as he left the courtroom, and he explained that Markoff did not attend because nothing important was discussed, so there woulbe no point in him being there.

Stay tuned for updates in this case!

The Harvard Crimson wrote a really condescending, insulting editorial the other day, claiming that the Tax Day Tea Parties were “puerile,” hurt conservatism, and had no purpose. I completely disagree with everything that was said in this editorial and feel the need to respond to it. 

I attended part of the Tea Party in Boston, and it was one of the most inspiring things I have ever witnessed. I don’t think I could come up with one negative thing to say about the Tea Party; it really was that awesome. The Crimson, however, managed to come up with quite a few… 

First, the Tea Party was by no means “puerile” and by no means a “tantrum,” as they claim. Crowds of libertarians, social conservatives, and moderate Republicans converged peacefully on the Boston Common, waving flags and holding signs, and then marched to Christopher Columbus Park, where they dumped tea into the harbor and cheered. Somehow I doubt the Crimson would have described a similarly peaceful rally for gay marriage, gun control, or increased taxation as a “tantrum.”

Second, the Tea Parties did not marginalize conservatism but instead united conservatives and provided them with a worthwhile cause to rally around. While many in attendance were Republican and Libertarian activists, there were also numerous people who had simply stopped by during their lunch breaks or had seen the demonstrators and decided to join in. If Boston’s Tea Party was any example, the protests united conservatives of all types and brought normally apathetic people into the movement. 

Third, although the Crimson claims that “it is not entirely clear what the protesters were protesting,” to me it was obvious. We were protesting taxes, and we were protesting spending. We were protesting big government in all its forms, or more accurately, celebrating individual liberty. Why does the Crimson staff find liberty so hard to understand?