Maybe This Will Help You Understand Massachusetts

This is Massachusetts General Law Section 32L:

Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, possession of one ounce or less of marihuana shall only be a civil offense, subjecting an offender who is eighteen years of age or older to a civil penalty of one hundred dollars and forfeiture of the marihuana, but not to any other form of criminal or civil punishment or disqualification. An offender under the age of eighteen shall be subject to the same forfeiture and civil penalty provisions, provided he or she completes a drug awareness program which meets the criteria set forth in Section 32M of this Chapter. The parents or legal guardian of any offender under the age of eighteen shall be notified in accordance with Section 32N of this Chapter of the offense and the availability of a drug awareness program and community service option. If an offender under the age of eighteen fails within one year of the offense to complete both a drug awareness program and the required community service, the civil penalty may be increased pursuant to Section 32N of this Chapter to one thousand dollars and the offender and his or her parents shall be jointly and severally liable to pay that amount. 

That basically means you can walk around with an ounce of weed:

in your possession and an officer of the law will simply write you a ticket for a civil infraction.  Basically,  a parking ticket that has zero effect on your life.

Recently, I was pulled over by an officer of the law for "failure to yield".  When he looked at my license he told me it had expired.  "Damn," I thought, "You're right.  My birthday was 4 days ago and I just had a newborn.  It must have slipped my mind".  I told him I will renew it online as soon as I get to work.

Expecting him to tell me to "get it done".  He, instead, told me to get out of the car.  I was 0.5 miles from my job, it was 4:50am (I wake up at 4am to drive an hour to work every day), I wasn't speeding and I have a perfect driving record. 

Wondering what I did, I saw another cruiser arrive.  From what I've seen on COPS, that usually means trouble.  He told me he couldn't let me drive the vehicle away...because I "technically don't have a license".  He asked, "What happens if I let you drive away and you get into an accident?".  I guess if that big bag of dope was in my passenger seat he would have felt more comfortable letting me drive away.  I was very friendly and respectful but asked him if he was serious...and what was I to do with the car.  Apparently, officers of the law are always serious every moment of their waking lives because that seemed to have angered him - severely.

He told me a tow truck was on its way and I can pick it up, unless I can get someone to come drive it, he suggested my wife. I reminded him my wife just had a baby...and is (50 minutes away) at home sleeping with said 2 week old.  He said that wasn't his problem either, and was there someone at work I could call.  I told him there wasn't, I basically open the doors to the place, it's a big engineering company and I'm one of the first of 400 people to arrive.  He told me, again, that it wasn't his problem and I had "5 minutes to find someone or the car's gone".

Out of desperation, I called the front desk, because we have a security guard.  I introduced myself  and asked him if he would come get me 0.5 miles down the road.  He did and he was able to drive the car to my job, where I renewed my license online.

I was given a ticket to appear in court for "Driving without a license".  I was placed on one year's probation.

Is it my fault? Yes.

Is this backwards? Absofuckinglutely.

Another Reason I Hate Living In Massachusetts

A little old lady who lives in Lynn Lynn the City Of Sin, MA likes to sit at a pond and feed ducks.  She moved there when her mother committed suicide in 1966.

She's 80 now.  Lonely and the town is up against her, it seems.  This is, Massachusetts, after all...there can be no fun had. (See previous post)

Says Claire Butcher, set to face a judge on January 13 who will decide if she'll be jailed for violating a "No Feeding The Wildlife" city ordinance.

"When I first moved here in 1966,” she recalled, “no one would complain. Now we have these new people moving onto the pond who don’t like it. They want to control the pond. I can’t understand it.”

“I turned to the animals to console me,” she says. “And they do.”

“They are the reason I get up in the morning,” she continued as the ducks surround her. “ They get me out of bed. I know they are waiting for me.”

But here in The Commonwealth, that can't be.  What if a child were to walk by and had wanted to feed a particular duck, but that duck chose Claire's bread crumb instead?  That could lead to hurt feelings, discrimination lawsuits etc.

However, according to lawyer Vincent Phelan:

“She’s making a mess out there, the neighbors have been complaining for years.”

Phelan says duck poop is “making it impossible for people to enjoy” the park.

Counters Butcher:

“Their love is unconditional,” she says. “They fill that emptiness in life.”

“Maybe,” she says, “if we had more love in the world, it would be a better world to live in.”

“Of course I am afraid,” she says. "I don’t think I would do too well in jail.”

Still, she says she's more afraid of life without her birds.

Attorney Phelan who works for the Lynn City Council can be reached here and here.

Why I Hate Living In Massachusetts

Or, as I call it, Kookachoosetts.

In Newton, by far the dumbest town in The Commonwealth we have this little nugget, reminding us how we ended up with a Generation of Gimmie Gimmies standing on the streets of America demanding someone pay their bills for them.

This is why this generation fails in the real world. When Mom and Dad no longer pay and they have to make it on their own, look back at things like this and you'll remember why:

From MyFoxBoston.com:

Newton schools are asking parents to have their kids leave so-called "celebratory" clothing at home.

They’re talking about accessories or clothes given out at a birthday parties or other celebrations that kids then wear to class on Monday.

School officials say this is becoming a trend at Oak Hill and other Newton middle schools.

They say it leads to other kids feeling excluded and reminded they were not included in the festivities. The school is urging to have their kids avoid wearing such items and even have a conversation with their kids about how wearing this kind of thing makes kids feel left out. Here is a copy of the letter:

Here is a copy of the letter:

Student Attire - Weekend Celebrations

Dear Oak Hill Families,

At Oak Hill and other Newton Middle Schools, we are experiencing a trend that has resulted in some students sharing with me that they feel excluded. I am writing to you to share an experience that some students have shared with me.

On many Monday mornings, students stream into the building, and other students begin to notice that they are not among a particular group. There is a group (or groups) of students who are wearing the same colorful article of clothing - a t-shirt, sweatshirt, sweatpants or leggings. Upon closer inspection, you can see the name of a student clearly labeled on the clothing honoring a celebration that took place over the weekend. While the students wearing the labeled clothing are all chatting excitedly about their weekend experiences, the students who aren't wearing the clothing tend to walk by, trying not to take notice while being reminded that they were not included in the festivities.

As educators we are concerned about the unintentional messages that are conveyed when groups of students wear the same celebratory clothing from weekend events. In order to reinforce practices that promote inclusion and community, we respectfully ask that:

* Your children refrain from wearing clothing to school that identifies a weekend celebration marked with a student name.

* We encourage you to have a conversation with your child about this trend and how it may make others feel who may have been excluded from participating in the event. Explore the idea of being inclusive and how one can resist the urge to wear the clothing right after the celebration as it make students who aren't included feel left out.

This will assist us in fostering a whole community spirit focused on education at Oak Hill. We appreciate your understanding and sensitivity to this issue. If you have questions or comments, please address these to the School Council...

Thank you,

Oak Hill School Council Members

So Newton MA is trying to put a ban on kids feeling bad.  As yourself this: What would your father have done or said to you had you come home from school one day and said, "Dad, some of the other kids went to a birthday party this weekend. They all made shirts and I don't have one because I wasn't invited. When I walked past them in the hall I felt sorry for myself and was sad".

What's particularly frightening is that most of the Newton parents see nothing wrong with this in any way.  After all, these are the idiots that built a $200 million high school.