Sometimes, my mind runs wild, going in many directions, from world and local news to human behavior. Then, a look at cute kittens on Facebook makes me smile.
Sometimes, my little Sweetie wants me to hold her and give her some love, and I forget what I’m supposed to write about.
So, I learned to make notes to keep me on track and not forget ANYTHING!
The most pressing issue at this time was finding out about firing the personnel director for the City of Lawrence. I found it strange because when Michael Owens was hired, he was lauded as the most professional and experienced person ever to hold that office.
During a few days, there were rumors that the mayor had changed his mind and the director was back, so I intended to clarify what was happening.
Mayor Brian DePeña prides himself on having fired only one employee, so when I heard that he had done that, it was a surprise. I called him to see why, and he told me to speak to department heads about Mr. Owens.
My search had unexpected results because of many complaints about his performance. The most common issue was that he was not doing his work. People waited for months for things to get done.
The Department of Public Works (DPW) was seriously affected by Mr. Owens’ practices. Director Jorge Jaime was quite angry when I asked for his opinion. “We have job openings that we can’t fill because we have to wait four to six months for him to do his job and post them. I send him emails without a response, and he doesn’t return telephone calls.”
Mr. Jaime was speaking fast, and his anger was showing. He continued, “We have disciplinary problems to take care of, and nothing gets done. A worker used to miss work one or two days every week. Instead of firing him, he sent him home on paid leave for months. I spoke to the Mayor several times, and Brian was right to fire him because too many people complained.”
Those are the same issues I heard from people who didn’t want to be mentioned here. Then, upon leaving the Merrimack Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Public Safety Breakfast, Mayor DePeña and I were walking to our cars when Sharon Birchall, a member of the Airport Board of Directors, approached us and asked him, “Mayor, what’s happening that the term of some of us expired months ago and we have not received applications or any notices?”
Mayor DePeña just looked at me and said, “That’s another example.”
Another thing that was heard often was that Mr. Owens befriended some police officers and could be seen frequently walking the streets accompanied by some of them, which was unusual.
I will continue looking into this because there might be new developments. Of course, if my cats let me.
Don’t believe everything you hear
I’m not talking about rumors or online gossip. To be informed, you must listen to different radio and television stations and newspapers. Be open-minded and compare what you learned to decide what to believe. Just because it was on a national means of communication doesn’t mean it is true.
Here are two examples. Remember that this is not a political commentary on my part, but it is to show you how the big media lies.
Last week, CBS presented on 60 Minutes an interview with Vice President Kamala Harris and the station is now accused of significant and intentional news distortion by the Federal Communications Commission.
TheDailyWire.com published this article:
FBI ‘Stealth Edits’ Crime Stats, Obliterates Democrat And Media Talking Point
“Guess what? Crime isn’t down 2.1%, according to the FBI.”
The FBI has quietly edited the crime statistics for 2022 after initially stating in September of 2023 that crime — particularly violent crime — was down 2.1% overall.
In the months since that number was first released, Democrats and media talking heads have wielded it like a sledgehammer to crush Republican claims that crime is on the rise — but the “stealth edit,” which was somehow not mentioned in a September 2024 press release from the Bureau, undercuts their argument.
Real Clear Politics co-founder and President Tom Bevan shared an analysis of the revision, saying in an X post, “Guess what? Crime isn’t down 2.1%, according to the FBI. They just released a ‘stealth-edit’ update: violent crime is actually up 4.5%.”
You can read the rest of the article on their website.
Another article from The National News Desk:
Legal group files FCC complaint demanding release of Harris’s full ’60 Minutes’ interview
by JACKSON WALKER | The National News Desk
WASHINGTON (TNND) — Legal group Center for American Rights on Wednesday launched a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) demanding the release of Vice President Kamala Harris’s full unedited interview on CBS News’s “60 Minutes.”
Harris sat down with CBS News’s Bill Whitaker for the interview earlier this month. Former President Donald Trump’s campaign last week accused the news program of editing Harris’s responses to make her appear more well-spoken.
One such edit appeared to make one of the vice president’s answers sound more succinct, according to the campaign.
“Just imagine, 60 Minutes actually took Lyin’ Kamala’s answers, and CHANGED THEM,” Trump fumed via Truth Social. “It’s unthinkable. They are in big trouble!”
Attorney Daniel Suhr’s complaint to the FCC now alleges CBS News engaged in “significant and substantial news alteration” when airing the interview. He also accused CBS News of denying repeated requests to release the full interview.
“CBS crosses a line when its production reaches the point of so transforming an interviewee’s answer that it is a fundamentally different answer,” the complaint reads. “Here, CBS engaged in news distortion by editing its news program to such a great extent that the general public cannot know what answer the Vice President actually gave to a question of great importance on a matter of national security policy.”
As you can see, you can’t believe what you hear because the media is lying to us.
Citizenship required to run for office
The city of Worcester is going through a big fight over the requirement of United States citizenship. The immigrant population is growing, and they are registering to vote; now, two members of the city council are foreigners, and it has come to light.
We know that people cannot register to vote until they become citizens. They can remain incognito on the voting rolls. Still, the problem in Worcester is that they are running for office, and the population is angry, complaining that they cannot allow foreigners to make laws and develop programs affecting the rest of the population.
Upon checking with City Clerk Eileen Bernal about the law in Lawrence, she said, “We don’t have a citizenship requirement, but it is clear that in order to vote, one must be a U.S. citizen.”
My workload has just increased because I have some people in mind who may be in violation of federal law in a big way!
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