Massachusetts Senate Unanimously Passes Bill to Repeal Sodomy Ban & Anti-trans Laws

LGBTQ NATION: While other states are attacking LGBTQ+ rights, Massachusetts is supporting equality.

While many state legislatures across the country are scrambling to pass anti-LGBTQ+ legislation this year, Massachusetts is going in the other direction.

The state’s senate passed a bill yesterday — unanimously, as in, even the chamber’s Republicans voted for it — that repeals the state’s ban on gay sex as well as a law known as the “walking while trans” law. » | Alex Bollinger | Friday, January 19, 2024

The USA is rapidly falling into darkness. Fortunately, there are a few spots where enlightened ideas flood out the darkness. Massachusetts is one of those places. That is where my late partner and I had a home. Boston, for example, is a wonderful city; and its inhabitants reflect its liberal and enlightened status as a world class city. I have many happy memories of that great city; and fond memories of the friendly and enlightened people of Massachusetts I met. It is a great pity that more American cities and states don't follow Boston and Massachusetts' example of progress and emnlightenment. – © Mark Alexander

Winter Storm Sweeping Northeast Is a ‘Bomb Cyclone,’ Weather Service Says

THE NEW YORK TIMES: The storm began to draw comparisons to the blizzard of 1978 in Boston as the city and coastal New England braced for hurricane-force winds and record snow.

A powerful winter storm that the National Weather Service classified as a “bomb cyclone” began pummeling eastern Massachusetts on Saturday after bringing snow and brisk winds to the New York City metropolitan area.

Blizzard warnings were in effect for a wide swath of the East Coast. And people across the region were bracing for a day of freezing temperatures, heavy snowfall, treacherous travel conditions and the potential for widespread power failures. More than 115,000 households were without power in Massachusetts, with wider outages expected as the storm rolled in. » | Alexandra E. Petri, Troy Closson, Mike Ives | Saturday, January 29, 2022

Nor’easter lashes eastern US with snow and wind gusts near hurricane force »

A Country Club Wedding in Hudson, Massachusetts

”On a drizzly, yet dreamy day, Christopher and Steven married at the Charter Oak Country Club in Hudson, MA …”
With thanks to Daylynn Designs on Pinterest for this lovely photo. Their website can be found here.

Hurricane Henri: Long Island and Southern New England Brace for Impact

THE GUARDIAN: Forecasters predict landfall in New York or Connecticut / New England has not been hit by hurricane since 1991

A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite handout image shows Hurricane Henri. Photograph: NOAA/GOES/AFP/Getty Images
Preparations for a monster storm forecast to hit parts of the US north-east were stepped up on Saturday, after Henri was promoted to a hurricane as it moved closer to land.

Forecasters said Henri would be at or near category one hurricane strength when it made landfall mid-afternoon Sunday over Long Island in New York and southern Connecticut. New England has not taken a direct hit from a hurricane since Bob, a category two storm, hit in 1991.

Forecasters also said a dangerous storm surge could also occur as early as late Saturday in portions of Rhode Island and south-eastern Massachusetts and high water could also be seen in coastal New England as Henri moves inland. Heavy rain and wind may also produce flooding, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. » | Lauren Aratani in New York and agencies | Saturday, August 21, 2021

US: Anti-Muslim Attacks on the Rise

The Council of American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) says the number of anti-Muslim attacks have risen sharply across the country.

Boston Man Slain by Police Was Planning Terrorist Attack, FBI Says

LOS ANGELES TIMES: A Boston man who was shot and killed by members of a counter-terrorism task force had been planning an attack in the United States by beheading someone, possibly randomly chosen police officers, according to a federal criminal complaint filed Wednesday.

Usaamah Rahim, 26, a private security officer who lived in Boston, had been planning the attack since at least May 26 and had bought knives online from Amazon, according to court documents. Rahim, who was under law enforcement surveillance, was fatally shot Tuesday by members of a Joint Terrorism Task Force in the Boston neighborhood of Roslindale after he reportedly approached the officers with a large knife. (+ video) » | Matt Pearce | Wednesday, June 03, 2015

Brandeis Withdraws Honorary Degree for Islam Critic Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

THE GUARDIAN: Liberal arts college in Massachusetts says 'we cannot overlook certain statements that are inconsistent with our core values'

A university has reversed a decision to grant an honorary degree to an advocate for Muslim women who has made comments critical of Islam.

Brandeis University said in a statement that Somali-born Ayaan Hirsi Ali would no longer receive the honorary degree, which it had planned to award her at the May 18 commencement.

Ali, a member of the Dutch parliament from 2003 to 2006, has been quoted as making comments critical of Islam. That includes a 2007 interview with Reason Magazine [sic] in which she said of the religion: "Once it's defeated, it can mutate into something peaceful. It's very difficult to even talk about peace now. They're not interested in peace. I think that we are at war with Islam. And there's no middle ground in wars."

Brandeis, outside Boston in Waltham, Massachusetts, said it was not aware of Ali's statements earlier.

"She is a compelling public figure and advocate for women's rights, and we respect and appreciate her work to protect and defend the rights of women and girls throughout the world," said the university's statement. "That said, we cannot overlook certain of her past statements that are inconsistent with Brandeis University's core values." Read on and comment » | Associated Press | Wednesday, April 09, 2014

REASON.COM: Did Ayaan Hirsi Ali's Reason Interview Sink Her at Brandeis? » | Nick Gillespie | Wednesday, April 09, 2014

Boston Bombing Suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev Buried in Undisclosed Location
THE GUARDIAN: Police: 'courageous and compassionate individual came forward to provide assistance to properly bury the deceased'

The Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev has been buried in an undisclosed location outside the city of Worcester, police said on Thursday, after a week-long search for a community willing to take the body. Sergeant Kerry Hazelhurst said the body was no longer in Worcester, east of Boston, and was now entombed. Police did not specify where the body was taken.

"As a result of our public appeal for help, a courageous and compassionate individual came forward to provide the assistance needed to properly bury the deceased," Worcester police said in a statement.

Tsarnaev's body had been at the Graham Putnam & Mahoney Funeral Parlors. Its director, Peter Stefan, had said that he could not find a community willing to take the body, including Cambridge, where the family had lived for a decade. Tsarnaev's uncle, Ruslan Tsarni, had custody of the body.

Katherine Russell, Tamerlan Tsarnaev's wife, had wanted his body turned over to his side of the family, which claimed it. Nineteen days after his death, cemeteries were still refusing to take his remains and government officials deflected questions about where he could be buried. On Wednesday, police in Worcester pleaded for a resolution, saying they were spending tens of thousands of dollars to protect the funeral home where the body was being kept, amid protests.

An expert in US burial law said the resistance to Tsarnaev's burial was unprecedented in a country that has always found a way to put to rest its notorious killers, from Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated president John F Kennedy in 1963, to Adam Lanza, who shot dead 20 children and six adults at a Newtown, Connecticut, elementary school last year. In Russia, officials would not comment after Tsarnaev's mother said authorities would not allow her son's body into the country, so she could bury him in her native Dagestan. » | Associated Press in Boston | Thursday, May 09, 2013

Kein Friedhof in Boston will Tsarnaevs Leiche

KRONE.AT: Nachdem die Leiche des 26-jährigen Attentäters von Boston, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, am Donnerstag freigegeben worden ist, sucht nun der von der Familie beauftragte Bestatter nach einem geeigneten Platz auf einem der Friedhöfe in Boston und Umgebung. Doch die Suche gestaltet sich steinig, bisher weigern sich sämtliche Ruhestätten, die sterblichen Überreste Tsarnaevs beizusetzen.

Nachdem die Eltern der beiden Attentäter - der jüngere Bruder, Dzhokhar (19), befindet sich seit seiner Verhaftung in schwer verletztem Zustand weiterhin im Spital unter strengster Bewachung der Polizei - entschieden hatten, dass der Leichnam ihres älteren Sohnes nicht in die Heimat geflogen, sondern in Boston bestattet werden soll, nahm sich ein Onkel Tamerlans der Sache an und beauftragte ein Bestattungsunternehmen im Bostoner Vorort Worcester mit den notwendigen Aufgaben. » | red/AG | Samstag, 04. Mai 2013

Bombenanschläge in Boston
Zwei Bombenanschläge im US-Bundesstaat Massachusetts haben 3 Tote und über 100 Verletzte gefordert. Die erste Explosion ereignete sich während des Boston Marathons wenige Meter vor der Ziellinie. 10 Sekunden später explodierte ein Sprengkörper nur einen Häuserblock entfernt. Es sind die ersten tödlichen Bombenanschläge in den USA seit dem 11. September 2001.

Robert Spencer on Michael Coren's Show: Worcester and the Leftist/Islamic War on Free Speech

Jihad Watch »

Catholic Event Cancels Talk By Islam Critic

THE BOSTON GLOBE: The Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester rescinded an invitation Wednesday to Robert Spencer, a Catholic whose work depicts Islam as an inherently violent religion, to speak at its annual Catholic Men’s Conference in March.

The invitation was withdrawn after Muslims in Massachusetts expressed concerns to the diocese about the appearance of Spencer, scheduled to be a featured speaker at the DCU Center on March 16.

Spencer is director of the blog Jihad Watch and a leader of the American Freedom Defense Initiative and Stop Islamization of America, both of which are seen as anti-Muslim groups by some organizations that monitor extremism.

His books include “Stealth Jihad: How Radical Islam is Subverting America without Guns or Bombs,” “The Truth About Muhammad: Founder of the World’s Most Intolerant Religion,” and “Inside Islam: A Guide for Catholics.” On his blog, he has argued that jihad is a central tenet of the faith.

After the Globe sought comment on his scheduled appearance from the diocese and from Muslim organizations Wednesday, the Islamic Council of New England sent an e-mail urging Catholic leaders to cancel Spencer’s appearance. The diocese agreed to do so shortly after receiving the e-mail. » | Lisa Wangsness | Blobe Staff | Thursday, January 31, 2013

Mass. Student Defends Norwegian Massacre Suspect
WORCESTER TELEGRAM & GAZETTE: BOSTON — A senior at a Roman Catholic college in Massachusetts who has written letters of support to a Norwegian mass murder suspect will not be on campus "for the foreseeable future," according to school officials.

Officials at Assumption College in Worcester wouldn't say Friday whether student Kevin Forts would graduate in May. Renee Buisson, the school's public affairs director, released a statement saying that Forts has a right to express personal opinions as a U.S. citizen, but that his conduct was "under administrative review."

The review includes the English major's comments to a Norwegian news outlet in support of Anders Breivik, as well as an arrest for an alleged assault on campus this year.

Breivik is standing trial in Norway in a shooting and bombing massacre in July that killed 77 people, including children. He confessed but rejects guilt by claiming he was trying to protect Norway and Europe by targeting political forces he says opened the country to immigration. He has said an anti-Muslim network he is part of will lead a revolt with the aim of deporting Muslims.

An English-language video interview on the website of VG Nett shows Forts defending Breivik's actions. Forts called the deaths of the children "a necessary political sacrifice that is not necessary again." Forts said people need to look at Breivik's political platform, "rather than his atrocious actions."

The student also called Breivik a patriot whose act "demonstrates a sense of nationalism and a moral conscience." » | The Associated Press | Friday, April 20, 2012

Related »

Meet Anders Breivik’s American Pen Pal
TIME: “I dream of meeting Breivik,” 23-year-old Kevin Forts told a Norwegian tabloid.


With each passing day, Norwegian mass killer Anders Breivik appears increasingly remorseless and smug during his ongoing trial for the murders of 77 people, and with each passing day the crimes he’s accused of look even more reprehensible. It is most people’s idea of a nightmare even to be in the same room as the murderous extremist.

But not all people.

Meet 23-year-old Kevin Forts of Worcester, Mass., who says it is his “dream” to meet the fanatical right-wing killer and that he agrees with his “cause” of fighting “cultural Marxism and the Islamization of Norway.”

In this videotaped interview with a reporter from Norwegian tabloid VG, Forts calls Breivik’s bombing of government offices in Oslo and the systematic executions of 69 people at a youth camp on the nearby island of Utoya a “necessary political sacrifice.” The deliberate killing of small children, he says, was “atrocious but necessary” in that it raised awareness for his cause. » | Anoosh Chakelian | Friday, April 20, 2012

SKY NEWS (AUSTRALIA): US student writes to defend Breivik: A senior at a Roman Catholic college in Massachusetts who has written letters of support to a Norwegian mass murder suspect will not be on campus 'for the foreseeable future,' according to school officials. ¶ Officials at Assumption College in Worcester wouldn't say on Friday whether student Kevin Forts would graduate in May. » | Saturday, April 21, 2012

Related »

Senator Accused of Sexism Over 'Thank God' Remark about Female Opponent

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: A US senator, who once posed nude for a magazine photo shoot, has been accused of sexism after declaring "thank God" when his female opponent said she had never done the same.

Scott Brown, a Massachusetts Republican who helped pay for university by appearing in Cosmopolitan, was alleged to have descended into "the gutter" with his comment on Elizabeth Warren.

Asked how she funded her own education, Prof Warren, a 62-year-old Democratic ally of Barack Obama who teaches at Harvard, said she had "borrowed money", adding: "I kept my clothes on." During a radio interview, Mr Brown, 52, responded: "Thank God." He later added: "I went to the school of hard knocks. And I did whatever I had to do to pay for school." Clare Kelly, the Massachusetts Democrats' executive director, said the remarks were more suited to the "frat house, not a race for US Senate". » | Jon Swaine, New York | Friday, October 07, 2011

Related content here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

American Newspaper Refused to Publish Gay Wedding Announcements
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: A newspaper in New Hampshire has come under fire for refusing to print wedding announce-ments for homosexual couples, despite same-sex marriage being legal in the US state.

The [sic] Union Leader, New Hampshire's largest newspaper, declined to publish a notice of the marriage of two men in Portsmouth on Saturday.

New Hampshire is one of five US states to have legalised homosexual marriage.

It became legal on January 1, two years after civil partnerships were allowed.

Joseph McQuaid, the publisher of the Manchester-based newspaper, said that it was not "anti-gay", but its stance was that marriage should only be between a man and a woman.

"While the law sanctions gay marriage, it neither demands that churches perform them or that our First Amendment right to choose what we print be suspended," Mr McQuaid said in a statement. >>> Jon Swaine, New York | Sunday, October 24, 2010

["This newspaper has never published wedding or engagement announcements from homosexual couples. It would be hypocritical of us to do so, given our belief that marriage is and needs to remain a social and civil structure between men and women, and our opposition to the recent state law legalizing gay marriage.

That law was not subject to public referendum and the governor (John Lynch) who signed it was elected after telling voters that he was opposed to gay marriage. Indeed, in no state where the public has been allowed a direct vote on the subject has gay marriage prevailed.

We are not "anti-gay." We are for marriage remaining the important man-woman institution it has always been.

While the law sanctions gay marriage, it neither demands that churches perform them or that our First Amendment right to choose what we print be suspended. In accordance with that right, we continue our longstanding policy of printing letters to the editor from New Hampshire citizens, whether or not they agree with us."

-Joseph W. McQuaid Publisher – Source]

U.S. Senator Scott Brown (R-Mass.) walks towards the Senate Chamber in Washington. Photograph: The Globe and Mail
Naked Ambition: Ex-Cosmopolitan Centrefold Is Now a Congressional Powerhouse
THE GLOBE AND MAIL: Republican Scott Brown’s legislative vote is a key to deal makers on both sides of the aisle

As captain of his Senate office softball team, Scott Brown wears the number “41” on his uniform. But the figure applies only episodically to the Massachusetts Republican’s batting record in Congress.

Instead of hewing faithfully to the Tea Party forces that fuelled his January election as the 41st GOP senator needed to block Barack Obama’s ambitious legislative program, Mr. Brown can regularly be found lining up with Democrats – or at least talking to them – to become the critical 60th Senate “yea” in favour of the President’s agenda.

In today’s Washington, where rabid partisanship rules, that makes him highly unorthodox. It also makes him indispensable to deal makers on both sides of the congressional aisle, not to mention the head honcho in the White House.

“He is definitely one of the most powerful people in government right now,” Gabriel Lenz, a political science professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, said in interview. “If you put senators on a spectrum from the most liberal to the most conservative, the 60th most liberal member just has so much power. And he’s that person.” >>> Konrad Yakabuski | Tuesday, July 2010

Related articles and video here, here, here, here, here, and here

Pink-shorts Senator Has Presidential Bulge
TIMES ONLINE: HE was supposed to be the he-man of the US Senate, a truck-driving triathlon-completing [sic] former male model who sends female colleagues into a swoon. But America’s newest senator showed a more feminine side this weekend with the revelation that he wore pink leather shorts on his first date with his future wife.

Scott Brown is the most prominent senator in America, his victory last month in the seat long held by the Kennedys having given Republicans a crucial vote to block President Barack Obama’s agenda.

With attention already turning to the 2012 presidential race, Brown is the surprise name on the list of Republican contenders. In the most recent poll he ranked fourth above party stalwarts such as Newt Gingrich and Mike Huckabee.

There was fury among supporters last week after he was one of five Republicans unexpectedly to vote in support of Obama’s jobs bill. “You let me down like Tiger Woods,” was typical of the messages posted on his Facebook page, where he was castigated as a Rino (Republican in name only).

The revelation about the pink leather shorts came from his daughter Arianna, 19, who may have been getting her own back for his embarrassing remark about her and her sister on election night when he announced that they were “available”.

According to a profile in today’s New York Times magazine, Brown went pale when asked about the shorts. He said they had been given to him in part payment for a modelling assignment and he wore them because they looked good with his tanned legs. “If I wore these now,” he said, “I’d get shot. But it was the 1980s. Pastels were in. It was all pastely.” >>> Christina Lamb in Washington | Sunday, February 28, 2010

Maverick Hero Scott Brown Branded Turncoat for Backing Obama Jobs Bill
TIMES ONLINE: After months of political paralysis, Washington’s showdown between Democrats and Republicans has given way to an unexpected truce called by the very senator who was hailed by radical conservatives as their new hero barely a month ago.

In a dramatic demonstration of independence, Scott Brown, the new Republican senator for Massachusetts, defied party whips to support President Obama’s latest job creation initiative — and was swiftly condemned by activists of the libertarian Tea Party movement as a traitor, a sell-out and a coward.

Mr Brown wasted little time endearing himself to readers of glossy magazines at the start of his career, posing naked in Cosmopolitan as the “Sexiest Man in America” when he was 22. He has been as quick to set pulses racing since his arrival in Washington, promising to bury health reform as the Republicans’ 41st senator, then stunning his supporters with a “yes” vote on Monday night when Democrats expected solid Republican opposition. >>> Giles Whittell, Washington | Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Scott Brown’s Big Gaff

Massachusetts: Asylum Request Redux
THE NEW YORK TIMES: President Barack Obama’s aunt Zeituni Onyango will make a second bid for political asylum as she goes before an immigration judge in Boston on Thursday. Ms. Onyango moved to the United States in 2000. Her first asylum request was rejected, and she was ordered deported in 2004, but she continued to live in public housing in Boston. A judge later agreed to reopen her asylum case. [Source: The New York Times] The Associated Press | Wednesday, February 03, 2010

THE TELEGRAPH: Obama's aunt fights deportation: The Kenyan aunt of President Barack Obama, Zeituni Onyango, is to appear before an immigration judge to fight deportation. >>> | Thursday, February 04, 2010