Monday, December 23, 2002
Unless something really big jumps out at me, Hub Blog is going to try to keep blogging light this holiday week (now watch the opposite occur, of course). Here’s some quickie items:
‘Greenway progress’: The Globe’s editorial board should win some sort of award. Seriously. They’ve struggled hard to keep the Big Dig ‘greenway’ question -- i.e, What’s going to replace the Central Artery after it’s torn down? -- alive and in the spotlight. Based on this editorial, the Globe seems to be somewhat confident the city and state are on the right track. That’s good. But then I read this article and had a hard time following who was doing what and why and under whose authority and deadline. Bottom line (I think): there are still too many entities pulling in different directions at different times.
‘The permanent bureaucracy’: How screwed up is Boston’s civil service code? We now have the job of the city’s patronage chief, Richard Driscoll, protected for life by the city’s civil service laws. And a bunch of other top-level, political appointees are also protected for life. The rationale? Well, they’ve been in office so long, they might as well have permanent protection.
Amazing. ...
... same day, same subject, different paper, different era, different leaders.
Is the Lake Street Gang’s headquarters on the list?: Bishop Lennon is sending signals the church is preparing to sell off property in order to settle all the sex-abuse cases. Here’s hoping that the church’s gaudy, Imperial Rome mansion on Lake Street, where the gang plotted and covered up the criminal activities, is put on the real estate hit list. ... This article is fascinating for another reason: It shows the intricate legal maneuverings the church must take in order for insurance companies to cough up the dough. Question: Is it smart for the bishop to even acknowledge this 1st Amendment strategy in public? ... Eileen McNamara is on to something in this column. Noticed the rift last night at a family holiday gathering, when an elder family member started bashing the Globe and said the paper wasn't going to stop until the church was destroyed. Younger family members collectively moaned with amusement and responded the story won't end as long as lists after lists of abuse cases keep coming out of Lake Street. I.e., There’s a clear generation rift, too.
Reader John responds: "That was a great piece by McNamara. Definitely worth revisiting as this develops. As you know, there's a whole school out there of Catholics who have that chip on their shoulder. The Buchanan/Sobran types -- they read The Wanderer every week and love boosting the Latin Mass. (Of course, I like going to Latin mass once in a while, too --but it's not an ideology for me.) They also like griping about the National Catholic Reporter, the Jesuits and (in private) about the Jews and Hollywood." ... Hub Blog's response: I like going to Latin masses now and then, too, but not that much. Boy, forgot all about Sobran. Talk about a name from the past.
‘Can’t hide a pretender’: Bob Ryan on the Pats. My sentiments exactly.
‘Greenway progress’: The Globe’s editorial board should win some sort of award. Seriously. They’ve struggled hard to keep the Big Dig ‘greenway’ question -- i.e, What’s going to replace the Central Artery after it’s torn down? -- alive and in the spotlight. Based on this editorial, the Globe seems to be somewhat confident the city and state are on the right track. That’s good. But then I read this article and had a hard time following who was doing what and why and under whose authority and deadline. Bottom line (I think): there are still too many entities pulling in different directions at different times.
‘The permanent bureaucracy’: How screwed up is Boston’s civil service code? We now have the job of the city’s patronage chief, Richard Driscoll, protected for life by the city’s civil service laws. And a bunch of other top-level, political appointees are also protected for life. The rationale? Well, they’ve been in office so long, they might as well have permanent protection.
Amazing. ...
... same day, same subject, different paper, different era, different leaders.
Is the Lake Street Gang’s headquarters on the list?: Bishop Lennon is sending signals the church is preparing to sell off property in order to settle all the sex-abuse cases. Here’s hoping that the church’s gaudy, Imperial Rome mansion on Lake Street, where the gang plotted and covered up the criminal activities, is put on the real estate hit list. ... This article is fascinating for another reason: It shows the intricate legal maneuverings the church must take in order for insurance companies to cough up the dough. Question: Is it smart for the bishop to even acknowledge this 1st Amendment strategy in public? ... Eileen McNamara is on to something in this column. Noticed the rift last night at a family holiday gathering, when an elder family member started bashing the Globe and said the paper wasn't going to stop until the church was destroyed. Younger family members collectively moaned with amusement and responded the story won't end as long as lists after lists of abuse cases keep coming out of Lake Street. I.e., There’s a clear generation rift, too.
Reader John responds: "That was a great piece by McNamara. Definitely worth revisiting as this develops. As you know, there's a whole school out there of Catholics who have that chip on their shoulder. The Buchanan/Sobran types -- they read The Wanderer every week and love boosting the Latin Mass. (Of course, I like going to Latin mass once in a while, too --but it's not an ideology for me.) They also like griping about the National Catholic Reporter, the Jesuits and (in private) about the Jews and Hollywood." ... Hub Blog's response: I like going to Latin masses now and then, too, but not that much. Boy, forgot all about Sobran. Talk about a name from the past.
‘Can’t hide a pretender’: Bob Ryan on the Pats. My sentiments exactly.
