Inaugural

I have to begin by thanking the folks at Left in Lowell. Although my blog finger had flexed in other venues, and I had become a fixture, as a commenter, in the Lowell blogscape; it was Lynne & Mimi that gave me the wherewithal to evolve into a commentator. I'll leave it to others to say how well I have fleshed out this role. Suffice to say, if my 'freemarketeer' pals have any clue, whatever attention I've attracted, I've managed to hold. Certainly, no one can argue my fee for services. As for why I have broken off on my own? It's mostly because of the whole 'guilt by association' game we play in Lowell. I know it well, as I beat this device, like the proverbial dead horse. But, turn about is fair play, and I got a belly full of "the Left in Lowell crowd" over the last year. Enough for me to self examine what the hell that meant and, if I was part of it. From my perspective, there are Shady types and Reformers. To some degree, those that use "the Left in Lowell crowd," as a pejorative, see reformers. But, more starkly, the slur is meant to denote Progressives and Liberals.


Blogfather observed something along these lines. He jotted it down in his LOWELL POLITICAL YEAR IN REVIEW: 2013.

Counter Revolution in Lowell: I’m convinced that much of the political conflict in Lowell flows from deeply held philosophical differences between those who embrace change and those who embrace the past – progressives and conservatives to use the common labels. In that the city is just a microcosm of the entire country. It’s been this way for a long time and will continue to be so well into the future with momentum constantly shifting from one side to the other.

Who doesn't like to 'embrace change?' It happens!

Okay. Color me a change embracer. I am certainly much more that, than I am a liberal. Radical, maybe. Militant, yes. But, only 'liberal' in a few regards. (Note: I think it's only fair to draw partisan lines where they were, say, between Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. Let's please reject the rabid rants of wannabe FoxNews pundits that say John McCain & Mitt Romney are the demarcation of Right/Left.)

To this end, here I am. Alone, for now. In the convoluted political terrain that is Lowell. Gotta love it, yo!

### By a show of hands, "Who has a Facebook account?"

As a reaction to a growing ulcer from dealing with anonymous, chickenshit commenters, I opted to create a group on Facebook called, "Lowell Live Feed Forum." Why? Because of this:

h/t Norman Rockwell

For every well informed insider that wishes to keep a low profile, there are five anonymous caterwaulers, gushing out hackneyed parrot points, as tendered by the Blog of Record or some 'little big shot' fluffing his pals on an AM Infomercial. So, every diary that is written here WILL be posted on the Lowell Live Feed Forum Facebook page. There, if you like, with your identity known, you are free to weigh in, as you see fit.

Or, you can comment here, on this blog. I'm going to dabble with the Comment authorities, to see if I can find a way to allow registered users to chime in, without being moderated. In my experience, a blog prospers when participants can engage in real time. Hence, Live Feed ...

This is a no brainer in Facebook, but I need to feel my way through the process on Teh Google (aka Blogger). Please bear with me. I am counting on you to potentially help work through this. I believe that as someone becomes comfortable commenting on blogs, they are likely to strike up their own 'New Media' platform.

With the insidious state of Lowell's 'corporate media,' we can certainly benefit by more writers & photographers sharing their Lowell with us.

And, by "insidious," I mean shit like this:
As you go to either shine or slump, as the case may be, in City Hall today, let me leave you with this: To use a turn of phrase from The Column, "observers, close to these events have confided," that at some point during the flogging of Bernie Lynch, by Councilor Elliott, Councilor Elliott sent a text message to Bernie Lynch, which seemed to be intended for Lyle Moran.

The confirmed story goes like this: During a council meeting, Elliott sent a text message that said something along the lines of 'wait on the LHA story until Kennedy speaks.' The message was received by Lynch. It's not hard to imagine that Elliott typed "Ly," meaning to text "Lyle," but instead messaged Lynch. Lynch is said to have responded with, 'I don't think this was intended for me.' Lynch then forwarded the errant text to all the councilors. Lynch also, it is said, advised Campi and Chris Scott about this 'event.' If my sources are true, and they certainly are in this loop, then I suggest you ask any of those noted to either confirm or deny. Who knows, maybe there is even a printed, email version of all of this?

Think I'm blowing smoke? Consider this: