Sen. Stanley Rosenberg to speak in South Hadley about redistricting

Wednesday, July 27, 2011
By Patricia Cahill, The Republican

SOUTH HADLEY - State Senator Stanley Rosenberg, D-Amherst, will discuss the redistricting of Massachusetts, on July 28 at 7:30 p.m. at South Hadley Town Hall, 116 Main St.

The number of congressmen who represent any state depends on the population of that state. There are 10 congressional districts now in Massachusetts. Two of them are in Western Massachusetts.

But, according to the last U.S. Census, the population of Massachusetts isn't that strong.

"It grew," said Rosenberg, "but not as much as the rest of the country."

That means fewer congressmen to look out for the interests of the commonwealth.

And, since Western Massachusetts was more sluggish in population growth than the rest of the state - it actually lost residents in the Berkshires and in Franklin County - that spells trouble.

Rosenberg, who co-chaired the Joint Committee on Redistricting, is among those who have been fighting for Western Massachusetts to keep its two congressional districts.

U.S. Rep. John Olver, D-Amherst, and U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, have long represented the two districts of Western Massachusetts. Now it's looking like one of them will go.

There are many reasons why that will hurt Western Massachusetts, said Sarah Etelman, chairwoman of the Democratic Town Committee in South Hadley.

"Geographically, we're half the state," said Etelman of Western Massachusetts. "To have one person covering half the state would be a huge detriment to our part of the state.

"Congressmen need to travel when they talk to their constituents. It's a ridiculous amount of territory for one person," she said.

"There are a lot of implications," said Rosenberg. "Other communities might trump their requests."

It would also present the surviving congressman with a vast variety of people to represent. Usually districts are formed on the basis of what the people in them have in common.

It's not a good balance when small communities are lumped in with larger communities, said Rosenberg.

Since both Olver and Neal are senior members of the House, the loss is even greater, said Etelman. "Their seniority also impacts our voice and our strength," she said.

Even though it's late in the process, the talk by Rosenberg will help answer questions about what's ahead, said Etelman.

"It's an important issue," she said, "and it's important for people in Western Massachusetts to understand what it means."

The event is sponsored by the South Hadley Democratic Town Committee.

Senator Kerry visits South Hadley Democratic Caucus

The South Hadley Democrats elected 10 delegates today to send to the Massachusetts State Convention in June. Before the election, we were visited by Senator Kerry, who had a great dialogue with the Democrats present!

South Hadley Democrats Welcome All Residents to Help Elect Democrats on November 2

South Hadley Democratic Town Committee
P.O. Box 308
South Hadley MA 01075

Date: October 12, 2010 for Immediate Release
Contacts: Sarah Etelman at setelman@gmail.com or Ann Eaton at (413) 533-0346

South Hadley Democrats Welcome All Residents
to Help Elect Democrats on November 2

South Hadley, MA – The South Hadley Democratic Town Committee announced today that all residents of South Hadley are welcome to help elect Governor Deval Patrick, Lt. Gov. Tim Murray, and other Democrats who will be on the ballot on Tuesday, November 2.

Sarah Etelman, Chairwoman of the Committee, said, “Gov. Patrick and Lt. Gov. Murray are working hard to create jobs, improve education, extend health insurance, and invest in clean energy and the life sciences. They deserve to be reelected.”
In October, Committee members are supporting Patrick’s reelection by holding signs, making phone calls, and sending postcards. They welcome all S. Hadley residents to become involved in the campaign.

According to Ann Eaton, the Committee’s Vice-Chair, “Massachusetts is coming out of this recession faster and stronger than other states, because of Gov. Patrick’s leadership.”

Etelman said that the South Hadley Committee is one of the strongest in western Massachusetts and that many of its members are also supporting Steve Grossman for State Treasurer, Suzanne Bump for State Auditor, and Congressman Richard Neal, among other candidates. Many Committee members also oppose one or more of the three ballot questions that will be on the ballot.

According to Eaton, “The Town Committee meets regularly during the year and we welcome any resident to attend a meeting to find out more about the Committee, with no obligation.”

Besides its campaign work, Committee members are involved in community service work in South Hadley and serve on many town boards and commissions. More information is available at http://southhadleydemocrats.blogspot.com.

Any resident who wants to get involved in the campaign should send an email to Sarah Etelman at setelman@gmail.com or phone Ann Eaton at 413-533-0346.

The South Hadley Democratic Town Committee is officially recognized by the Massachusetts Democratic Party, which in turn is recognized by the Democratic National Committee.

Afternoon with Progressive Champions

Our Easthampton Democratic Town Committee colleague Joe McCoy is hosting a fundraiser for Mass Alliance on Saturday, July 31st, from 3-5 p.m. For additional information about this event, please go to the events page at Mass Alliance.

"Restorative Justice" in South Hadley - May 5 at 7 pm

Absolutely! The more the merrier! See you then, Bob. Emily

From: BobJudge@comcast.net">BobJudge@comcast.net
Date: Mon, 3 May 2010 14:12:15 -0400
Subject: Re: Task Force invite
To: empritch@hotmail.com

Emily:

I will attend on May 5. May I invite someone who I think would be interested?

- Bob Judge
----------------------------------------------------------------------
On Mon, May 3, 2010 at 2:02 PM, Emily Pritchard wrote:

...You are all invited (Tanya can elaborate more...) to join an action group that is newly born! We are called "Count Me In" as of now and we are committed to on-going action that will develop events through out the year for South Hadley community members to work with in a "Restorative Justice" healing model.

The goal is to create a forum for people to be seen and heard - much like our group now, and active and engaging events to work on healing and growth organized with the value framework outlined in Restorative Justice (forgiveness, accountability, respect...) We need people who want to continue this work and put it into action in the community. This will look like whatever YOU can design and inspire us with! Please come and bring a friend...The next meeting is this Wednesday, May 5th at 7pm at the All Saints' Church in the commons. Excited to work with you all and really inspired by your dedication to being positive transformation! Look at us making a difference! Thanks for reading,call or email with any questions.

Emily Pritchard (SHHS Special Ed. teacher)538 5063 ext 4602
Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2010 16:18:16 -0400Subject: Minutes of 4/12 Meeting
From: amdfoley@gmail.com" amdfoley@gmail.com

Hello!

Hello Everyone!

I am looking forward to re-joining you all!! See you on May 6th at the next meeting!

Sincerely,
Jessica Levy

From Carol Constant - Click HERE for more information

Become a fan of the Women's Fund!

Dear Friend,

Are you someone who is passionate about improving your community? Do you like to get involved in making positive change? You don’t have to think of yourself as a future politician, just as someone who wants to make a difference. If this describes you or any other woman you know in western Massachusetts , I personally invite you to come to our kick-off celebration for the Women’s Fund Leadership Institute for Political Impact on March 27. You’ll hear an amazing keynote speaker, learn from veteran and new female elected officials, network with other like-minded women, and find out more about the Leadership Institute for Political Impact.

Who else might be interested? Think about the women you know. Perhaps there is a young woman who is a terrific community organizer, or another who excels at her work and is committed to making her neighborhood better. Maybe it’s that woman who is always signing up for committees. Please help us spread the word and pass this on!

Share the Facebook link with your friends! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Womens-Fund-of-Western-Massachusetts/301861295572#!/pages/Womens-Fund-of-Western-Massachusetts/301861295572?v=app_2344061033

Register for the free kick-off celebration by contacting julieh@womensfund.net or calling 529-0087 x 10. Find out more about the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts.

Thank you.

Carla Oleska

CEO, Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts

OFA 2010 Strategy Session at the Dam Cafe in Holyoke

Want to make sure we don't have a repeat of the January special election?

Join Organizing for America for our 2010 Strategy Session in your area. The Strategy Sessions are a chance to talk with OFA staff and other volunteers in your area about our legislative and electoral plan for 2010.

As an organization, we have come a long way in the past year. We have lessons to learn from the budget pledge drive, health insurance reform and the Massachusetts Senate Race.

Now is the time to bring those lessons together and look forward to 2010. There are countless opportunities to create change in the coming year and we have an important role to play in making that happen. As a team, we will talk about how to be involved in creating change in our country, both legislatively and electorally. We will talk through national strategy and discuss together what that means for our local community.

Time: Saturday, March 13 from 3:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Host: John Spears
Contact Phone: 617.806.6137
Location:
The Dam Cafe (Holyoke, MA)
2014 Northampton Street
Holyoke, MA 01040

A Message from Corinne Wingard

Hi Everyone!

Lt Governor Tim Murray will be in town this Saturday, March 6th, at 1:00 p.m. to hold a Patrick-Murray Campaign Organizing Meeting for Greater Springfield!

We will meet at DeNardo’s Restaurant, 39 Maple St., in East Longmeadow

In the next 5 weeks we’ll be getting signatures for the Nomination Papers for Governor Deval Patrick and Lt Governor Tim Murray. We’ll be canvassing some neighborhoods and targeting high traffic areas in others. We’ll also begin to ID our voters.

Come and get “fired up” with Tim!!!

Refreshments will be served and everyone who attends will be entered in a raffle to win a great prize, to be announced!

Hope to see you there!

Thanks!

Corinne Wingard

Be nice, Ms. Palin

Be nice, Ms. Palin

Friday, February 26, 2010

Friday, February 26, 2010

HAYDENVILLE - It is so vital that the issue of bullying is finally coming into the spotlight. It's sad it took a teen's death in South Hadley - and no doubt the deaths of many others unknown to us.

But we all should have seen the bullying epidemic coming and we need to recognize that it is everywhere.

On TV, shows like "Survivor" exalt a cunning, conniving Social Darwinism that has been the dark side of humanity since the beginning, something society has struggled to subdue. "Real life" TV shows send a schizophrenic message because they're not about real life. They exist to sell products, and social consequences of the programming are of no concern.

The programmers think that if it draws eyeballs and advertisers, it must be good. And viewers think if it's on TV and people watch and talk about it, it must be good.

Now, modern communications technology has given everyone a voice and the ability to speak to - or sometimes bully - large audiences without consequence.

Apparently 25 percent or so of our nation, people with "family values," embrace Sarah Palin. Yet it seems to me that she is a bully. She seems to attack for the sake of putting people down and offers little beyond name-calling and playing to the crowd. Nothing constructive. Nothing that informs. Just attack. Isn't that bullying? Or worse, isn't she inciting bullies?

Would one of the definitions of bullying be aggressively slighting someone with misleading or incorrect assertions? Ms. Palin says Obama is "pallin' around with terrorists" # "might be a Muslim" # is "creating death panels"# or "wants to kill your grandmother." Isn't creating fear a part of bullying?

Another definition of bullying might be to attack someone no matter what they actually say. Ms. Palin says Obama is "that charismatic guy with a Teleprompter," yet as Palin said this, she had three talking points written on her hand.

Recently the use of an unsavory word, in private and among friends, led Ms. Palin to call for the resignation of the President's closest advisor. She's trying to bully him into resigning. Yet Rush Limbaugh can say the same word, repeatedly, and he is left untouched by Palin.

Palin recently said she wasn't quite up on world affairs when she ran for the vice presidency. She said on a recent Sunday that "I sure as heck better be more astute on these current events, national issues than I was two years ago."

The nerve of this woman! To run for the nation's second-highest office. The former candidate says that as for her political future, she'll do what's best for the nation "and for the Palin family."

Oh, thank goodness. And for her to be so condescending as to mock American dreams and desires by calling them "that #hopey, changey' thing" at the Tea Party convention shows not just her juvenile approach to serious matters, but her apparent contempt for the voters' electoral choices.

It's no surprise she is adored by the Tea Party people. We are all concerned and disappointed with what has come out of Washington. We are alarmed about what happened on Wall Street after the GOP deregulated the financial world.

But some of us are also alarmed about this Tea Party movement. I am worried about its rising power and wonder what it is doing to our democracy. Tea Party people, in my view, reveled in having their bullying live on TV for all the world to see.

The incivility I see on display does not represent the best of America.

And now, just about everyone carries on personal conversations using devices that can easily be monitored. We carry electronic tools that can track our whereabouts, minute to minute.

Who is listening - and who is watching? Who really knows who? In the hands of bullies, what might this mean?

In these difficult and pivotal times, it is ever so important to have a fresh look at bullying. It's always been there, rearing its ugly head. But now I fear it's out of the bottle and in treacherous bloom.

It's no longer something in the school yard, to be outgrown as we enter the civil, adult world, but rather something to be admired.

It's here within us - and increasingly, it appears to be socially acceptable.

If we don't speak out, we are the bullies.

David Maxwell is a photographer and resident of Haydenville.