On the Rock's Politica

We laughed, we cried. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Sometimes you just have to sit down with a few friends and carry on a funny, stream of consciousness conversation for nearly two hours.  The holidays are all about reflecting, laughing and having meaningful conversations. Producer/music entrepreneur Jeffrey Prescott and Comedienne/ business owner Stephanie Elliott are joined by M the Media Project founder Scott M. Graves for an oft-non-sensical look at economics, politics, television and movie culture and more.  Listen in and enjoy!

It's exactly a week since Election Day 2022.   Just the right time to initiate a three-way podcast between three candidates in withdrawal! 2021 City Council candidate Scott M. Graves (I) is joined by Lisa Mair (I) candidate for the first Worcester Senate District and Bruce Chester (R), podcast co-host and candidate for the MA House 2nd Worcester District.  We've all felt the sting of loss but don't despair, we're talking what comes next and what solutions we can bring to our communities moving forward.  Bruce has not conceded, having a difference of 712 votes and one community not reporting their number of outstanding ballots.   Lisa discusses her thoughts on running as an independent. She brought to our attention a great resource platform known as Braver Angels.  Scott explains the intricacies of policy-driven campaigning.  We hope you enjoy!

In the 1972 Film 'The Candidate' Bill McKay (played by Robert Redford) makes it to the end of the film (and campaign) the winner of the California Senate election.   The film ends with McKay focused on a television with supporters.  He slowly comes to the realization of what just occurred and turns to his neighbors and pensively exclaims, 'What do we do now?' It is known that candidates for office spend so much time on getting elected that often they have spent little or no time focused on what happens next. We ask co-host and current candidate Bruce Chester his thoughts on transition and on legislation he would like to propose if elected. Our discussion wandered (as it nearly always does) into a greater talk about our concerns moving forward post 2022 and in anticipation of 2024 at the federal level.

This weeks episode focuses on the additional two questions being posited to Massachusetts voters on November 8, 2022. Question 2 focuses on a change to the state regulation of how dental insurance companies utilize premiums. Question 3 would change the number of liquor licenses one business entity could hold at once. This discussion made for a platform in which co-hosts Bruce Chester and Scott M. Graves could wield a larger discussion around laws favoring large vs. small business and fairness in regulation governing a corporations ability to pay executives, serve their clients, etc. Enjoy!

After interviewing Lisa Mair (I), candidate for MA Senate 1st Worcester District who joined us to speak on the merits of Question 1, known by some as the 'Fair Share' Tax,  Bruce and I settled in for a longer conversation regarding our thoughts on this proposed constitutional amendment to change the tax regime in Massachusetts.  The discussion quickly transitioned from one on the merits of specific tax strategies to the larger context of fairness in taxation.  We feel our listeners will appreciate what we had to offer.  We hope this stimulates a deeper conversation in your house and local gathering places where thoughtful conversations like this are needed.  Thanks for listening!

We're joined by our new friend and candidate for the Massachusetts Senate Lisa Mair(I) 1st Worcester Senate District for part of the podcast to discuss MA Question 1. What some are calling the ‘Millionaires' Tax' and others the ‘Fair Share Tax' will do no less than amend the state constitution in order to change the state's current tax regime.  In preparing for our discussion this writer found seeking vital analysis beyond the amendment language that wasn't propagandic to be a hard task.  Read Amendment Full Language We hope our discussion with Lisa and following her interview will help you, our listener and engaged Massachusetts voter, consider more than just the headlines in making your decision.   Whatever you do, we encourage you to make your vote count by going to the polls on November 8!

The Massachusetts republican party has decided to focus this election cycle on a referendum vote by the electorate over the MA House legislation passed in May of 2022 regarding the issue of drivers' licenses to illegal immigrants with provisions in place to restrict voting.  Read the Summary and other information from Secretary of the Commonwealth's Website The party was successful in obtaining the signatures needed to get this on the ballot as a referendum vote for election day, November 8, 2022.  It will now be up to the voters of Massachusetts to decide where we go from here when it comes to this piece of legislation.  Bruce and Scott share their views on the legislation plus define the law in summary, the yes and no response voters will be responsible for and they offer more definition to the elephant in the room: Why can't we fix the immigration department and offer immigrants a fair and consistent path to legal citizenship? We also touch upon the history of immigration in the United States and the social, moral and economic implications of living in a country with a broken immigration system.

We recorded this episode the day after the 2022 Massachusetts primaries. While our co-host Bruce Chester is running unopposed from other republicans in his bid for the MA House of Representatives, many others including the winner for governor Jeff Diehl (R) were running variously contested races. We offer listeners our thoughts regarding the results, the reaction of other politicians to the results and the local issues making Bruce's campaign fun and interesting.

We thank our listener and voter Theresa for bringing this topic to our discussion this week. Bruce and Scott weigh in on their thoughts regarding the convening of a Convention of States to revise or rescind the US Constitution. Both co-hosts have a deep and abiding loyalty to the rule of law and the US Constitution.  It is with no small trepidation and careful consideration that we provide you, our listener with some thoughts regarding the US Constitution, the process of constitutional amendment according to that document and then our personal reasons why we feel the way we do. We also spend some considerable time examining the impetus of different groups across the political spectrum that are advocating for changes to our US Constitution. We referenced multiple articles and sources of information including this September 2022 NY Times Article and this series of points from the Heritage Foundation. That's this week from ‘On The Rocks Politica'.

Bruce and Scott, co-hosts of On The Rocks Politica take a break from the campaign scene and digest for listeners the latest in local politics including: The Gardner City Council has two recent determinations of guilty, violating the Massachusetts Open Meeting Law.  Why you should care about these decisions.  Read our August 5, 2022 Article on the MA Attorney General's Decision A play by play of our August 4, 2022 interview with Alan Rousseau(Gardner Clean Air) and Ivan Ussach(Millers River Watershed Council) regarding the Gardner Sludge Landfill expansion.  What are the risks involved? What benefit does this project have for Gardner vs. its neighbors? What you need to know and what are the best alternatives to an expansion?  Listen to our earlier interview from Spring 2022 ‘Sludge in Your Backyard' Read about sludge Landfill Alternatives.  Bruce recounts his thoughts from the campaign trail as he is currently running for the 2nd Worcester District, MA House of Representatives. The whole story here.  Find out More on Bruce's Campaign We congratulate ‘Are We Here Yet?' podcast season four guest Monique Priestley, executive director of the Space on Main in Bradford, VT who won her primary for her own bid for the Vermont House of Representatives.  Find Monique's ‘Are We Here Yet?' podcast episode here Enjoy the latest from On the Rocks Politica!  

On August 4 we spoke with Alan Rousseau of Gardner Clean Air and Ivan Ussach of the Millers River Watershed Council regarding the latest progress made by the city of Gardner(MA) in its quest to expand an existing sludge landfill. We had an opportunity with the two gentlemen to expand upon information we have touched upon in previous interviews, this being a part of an on-going series to ensure transparency in this controversial project. Ivan explained the geologic issues at play underneath the existing landfill and Alan recounted the organizations specific issues regarding some design elements like outflows and collection ponds which may compromise the existing protected areas that abut the project. Find our last interview with Alan & Ivan  We received a lengthy quote in the Gardner News prior to the interview by Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson and examined why his quote was potentially inaccurate in characterizing where the project status stands in the eyes of the state of Massachusetts. Nicholson:  I think there's just some misinformation that's out there, not understanding the full project.  …Like the fact that we're even at this point means that everything's had to be vetted as thoroughly as possible by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, the EPA.  This is something that, we have to be remembering our fiduciary responsibility that we have for our rate payers.  This is not a taxpayer project because not everyone is on our sewer system, but it has to be something that we take care of in the way that's most effective, most environmentally friendly, and financially responsible for us.  In that, we've looked at other proposals.  We've looked at anaerobic digestion, we've looked at trucking the cost away, but it would result in a massive increase in our sewer rates, and we just can't pass that on to the rate payers. Especially with those on a fixed income, and stuff like that, a massive tripling of the sewer rates is not a financially responsible decision for us to be able to make like that.  So we're doing what we can, but we also will continue to look for ways that we can move forward in the future, to come up with a longer term solution, then just the 17 years that this expansion would give us.    Read M the Media Project article on Sludge Landfill alternatives.  Ivan also explained how the city has not performed a feasibility study of any alternatives, having only studied the plan currently being proposed by the city. Watch Now: My Life with a Sludge Landfill Listen Now to learn this and more including just how much this project has already cost rate payers and what it may cost for the next 17 years plus.

Co-host Bruce Chester represented his neighbors during the latest Conservation Commission hearing July 25 in Gardner, MA in which a continuance was granted yet again for the expansion of a sludge landfill. We discussed the potential impacts to drinking water, conservation land, protected waterways and people if this project moves forward and why he as a candidate for MA House thinks we need to do a better job understanding all perspectives.   We also touched upon the environmental concerns that are similar regarding our natural asset known as Dunn's Pond and what short-term thinking consequences could affect the property in a generation's time.  Scott then brought up the recent updates in Gardner to the residential and commercial blight ordinance.   By adding context to the conversation, we begin to come back to the night's unintentional theme: How each of these situations really boil down to short-term thinking vs. long-term stewardship of our communities. 

In a July 4, 2022 open letter in The Atlantic, Senator Mitt Romney (UT) asked us, 'What clears the scales from the eyes of a nation?' We are in denial on a multiple of existential issues according to the Senator not least of which he notes climate change. corruption at all levels of political leadership and fiscal management of the nation He notes crisis has awoken the sleeping giant in the past but warns, '... a crisis may come too late for a course correction that can prevent tragedy. The only cure for wishful thinking is leadership.' We analyze the open letter in this week's program and utilize it to enter into a discussion that centers on solutions, in detail, that you can effect at home and in your community tomorrow in order to course correct and show leadership in your own way.  The stakes are high.  Remember the words attributed to MP Edmund Burke. "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

DEI or Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is a top topic in boardrooms, businesses, schools and organizations of all types in the United States today.  The effort has been politicized, mis-characterized and emphasized and why not?  Doesn't the great American experiment require a seat at the table for truly ALL of our willing citizens?   On the heels of another DEI training, co-host Scott Graves asks the question, ‘what's fundamentally behind the emphasis on DEI in our current society' and what effects is DEI having on our political landscape even as it takes effect in our communities.   We ask that our listeners open up their hearts and minds, to truly listen to their neighbors.  This is perhaps the greatest gift we can give each other; the start of change.

Our latest episode looks at the consequences following the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in West Virginia vs. Environmental Protection Agency.   The precedent set by this ruling will most certainly have long-term ramifications on the regulation of corporate enterprise.  It also represents a significant sea-change in jurisprudence going back, ironically enough, to the founding period (the irony being a priority of the majority justices claim to espouse a Constitutional interpretation known as 'originalism'). This change in jurisprudence is anything but. For the first time we solicited feedback and questions from fans ahead of time and shared them and their answers on tonight's episode. What consequences to business regulation will likely be affected by this decision? Why would the court next decide the Moore vs. Harper case from North Carolina? Do the entire session's decisions represent the upholding of long-standing legal precedent and representational government?  Listen now and help us decide.

This podcast is about working through the strain of disparate political perspectives by two neighbors.  My co-host Bruce Chester and I had to dig deep this week, fast on the heels of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs vs. Jackson's Womens Health Organization rescinding the federal protection of a women's right to access to abortion.  Our conversation focused on something the two of us wholly believe in: the emphasis on individual rights of every American as it pertains to their ability to seek the best and most productive life possible in our country. Our agreement really ends there, as how that fundamental belief filters through our thoughts on womens' rights and abortion takes two very different roads.   How does someone who espouses a priority on individual rights square that with taking rights away from a third of the population?  Does the embryo deserve rights itself? Who gets to choose? We explored the greater concern of federal protections vs. states rights.  What is the origin of the states' rights issue and how has it been used over the history of our country to defend slavery, corporate hegemony and restrictions on civil rights.  What are the consequences of a renewed emphasis on states' rights (which seems the long game of the court) on what we've come to accept in the 20th century in a post New Deal country as federal protections for all? We touched upon next week's episode topic in which we'll examine the effects of the decision coming sometime this week in West Virginia vs. Environmental Protection Agency, which may take the precedent of the Dobbs case and apply it to any federal agencies ability to protect citizens such as the EPA, SEC, FDA, etc.  Has rescinding corporate restrictions on how they operate, sell to citizens, manage our food supply and process their wastes been the long game all along of Republicans and their supporters? Let's continue the dialogue as the stakes are too high not to face each other.  Do we want to live in a post New Deal world whose legal landscape mimics that of the U.S. circa 1920?

The recall election for San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin was an example of the downfall of an individual truly desirous of enacting broad change for their community but blinded by ideology.  In her June 8, 2022 Atlantic article, “ How San Francisco Became a Failed City', Nellie Bowles offers us a picture of how citizens in that California city, split between liberal democrats and ideologically narrow progressives, are enacting their own change through recalling Boudin and several school board members over the difference between what looks good on paper and what actually occurs on the street.  When does remaining loyal to a narrow ideology have disastrous consequences? When it blinds us to the realities of solutions-driven policy-making.  Speaking of being blind, we also discussed the results of the first two televised sessions of the January 6 committee whose content has focused entirely on recorded interviews under oath by Trump administration officials including former Attorney General William Barr, Vice President Mike Pence and Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley.  All under oath and sprinkle in a grouping of the members of the Proud Boys and other Nationalist or White Supremacy organizations whose members are now disillusioned since their fearless leader is nowhere to be found to defend them.  This is the price of extremism. Failed Policy.  Failing economy. Tribalism.  Racism.  Elitism.  Corruption.  Insurrection.   Wash, Rinse, Repeat.    And so Bruce and Scott ask, ‘Can Moderation in Politics return?'  ‘Can Moderation be a place for solutions-based conversation between folks of different stripes'.  Can Moderation be Sexy again? You decide after listening in.

This week, the On the Rocks crew talks local economics after reports of City Hall clashing with a business.

As part of M the Media Project's special feature this week, ‘Gun Violence in America' co-hosts Bruce Chester and Scott M. Graves discuss what they think is behind the violence in the United States, the mass shootings and other gun violence that is gripping our nation.  You'll find a wide spectrum of perspectives in this week's episode. Be sure to check out the articles, poetry and videos from contributors for this special feature of June 2, 2022. Mick Carlon's article 'The Murder of Children' Joshua Michael Stewart's poem 'Squeeze' Scott M. Graves Essay 'Isolation'

What does it mean to value life in the modern-day U.S.?  Isn't there a disconnect when an individual says we must make abortion illegal for the 'Sanctity of Life' while insisting that gun control, social programs and other community-driven initiatives that would support life are 'Un-American' or not within the intent of our Constitution? Filtered through the current news of an impending decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and the racially motivated mass shooting on May 14, 2022, Bruce and Scott seek to find the meaning and the perspective offered by the time in which we're living.

This week, the gang (Scott M. Graves, Bruce Chester, and Cameron McLeod) start a conversation that has been split into three smaller segments. We begin with re-development beginning in the Chair City of Gardner, MA. 

Maybe the three of us should have invited a woman or two to our episode this week for On The Rocks Politica.   Regardless, we forged ahead with a deeply impassioned conversation regarding the impending decision of the US Supreme Court to rescind Roe v. Wade and the implications of such a monumental reversal of federal protection.  Our conversation lead to a broader discussion of abortion, its history in the United States, the changing perspective on abortion by different groups of citizens and our personal perspectives on abortion, women's rights and our role as men in supporting women's issues. 

So many of our challenges  faced when building our communities are made complex by their multi-disciplinary nature.  This does not excuse the need for a rigorous approach to solutions that benefit the widest spectrum of people. Today's podcast deals with just such a challenge.  What's local is suddenly made very relevant to those of you throughout the globe, as we're talking about one community's on-going struggle over what to do with its human waste. This podcast is an audio companion to M the Media Project's first in a series of articles dealing with one city's sludge landfill expansion. Click here to read the article Host Scott M. Graves interviews Ivan Ussach, Executive Director of the Millers River Watershed Council and Alan Rousseau, a life-long citizen of the city of Gardner (MA) and founding member of the grassroots organization Gardner Clean Air. Click to learn more about landfill alternatives for your community. Click to read or view host Scott M. Graves Essay, 'My Life with a Sludge Landfill'

On Monday, May 2, 2022 Politico broke the story that a draft decision written by Chief Justice Samuel Alito (George W. Bush appointment to the court) intends to rescind the 1973 decision Roe vs. Wade which gave all women in the United the States the right to seek an abortion.   We discuss some of our concerns with such a decision including:  It is in and of itself, an unprecedented event that a decision is disclosed months prior to being published.    Conservative appointees by the Bush and Trump administrations promised in their hearings that they would work within a framework that Roe v Wade is the law as a fundamental basis. Clearly, they were lying to the congressional committees overseeing their appointment.  Can we have any truth in a country where Supreme Court appointees can lie to get their way? What happened to conservative disdain for ‘activist judges?   We're worried for the consequences this decision has as a start. We know that culturally conservative groups have been aligned by design with large business interests to form the contemporary Republican party.  Where does this go from here?  Are we headed for a world where culture wars are won by the right as first step of appeasement, then rollbacks continue as they have or accelerate from the last 40 years to create the ultimate corporate welfare state?    Co-host Scott M. Graves reminds us of the parallels to 1857's Dred Scott decision Let's offer an overview.   The Dred Scott decision, formally Dred Scott v. John F.A. Sandford ruled that a slave who had resided in a free state and territory (where slavery was prohibited) was not thereby entitled to his freedom; that African Americans were not and could never be citizens of the United States; and that the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which had declared free all territories west of Missouri and north of latitude 36°30′, was unconstitutional. The decision added fuel to the sectional controversy and pushed the country closer to civil war. In plain English, the decision's core argument was that a black person in the US could not be considered a fully human being and one with all rights of US citizenship because in the US, white people were not willing to see them as such.   This decision accelerated what was already by 1857 spiraling out of control following earlier compromises including the Compromise of 1850, the events of Bloody Kansas following the Kansas/Nebraska Act and the Fugitive Slave Law, among others all leading to the election of 1860 and the secession of South Carolina in 1861.  The Alito draft and the decision contained therein is similar in that it really appears to have the capacity to create a tipping point where citizens must earnestly fight to reverse the rollbacks of limiting specific groups of citizens of their rights.  We start with news breaking today that our local Heywood Hospital is in talks with UMASS Memorial Health System to merge, a story broke by Worcester Business Journal and we offer our media minute on the premiere of our series on Gardner's Sludge Landfill Expansion.

We're celebrating our 69th episode with a look at local politics.   First, a rundown of campaign information for co-host and candidate for MA House of Representatives Bruce Chester.  Find Bruce Chester's Campaign Website   Second, Bruce reads through a campaign letter received recently from former Mayor of Gardner and Westminster Town Administrator Mark Hawke, who it appears is running for a position in the MA state GOP.     Find out how he became the ‘Quit King' in 2019, after being elected by an electorate who had knowledge he had already taken another job in a neighboring community….. what does THAT say about ourselves.    We didn't let an episode go by without some talk of international politics, this go around reviewing the results and possible implications following the election of Emmanuel Macron to another term as President of the French Republic. 

In Part II of our episode of On The Rocks Politica co-host Scott M. Graves came prepared with a battery of initiatives he is supportive of that have recently been presented by the Biden administration this week to get co-host and candidate for State rep. Bruce Chester's take. In Part II we focus on exploring the corruption of Jared Kushner and former  members of the Trump administration. In Part I we began with the late Eric Boelhert(Rest In Peace to this fine journalist of our time) recently wrote that a paltry 28% of Americans know the country has been gaining jobs in the last year, 7 million jobs in fact, while an astounding 37% think the country has lost jobs. Are mainstream media outlets the 'leftist' bastion our conservative friends would have us believe?  We explore what's behind these statistics. The administration is making a major push to better serve our rural citizens with a number of economic and environmental initiatives focused on rural development We also discussed the latest candidate to take the helm of the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) while making the announcement that the administration has presented legislation to tackle the issue of 'ghost guns' making their way into the marketplace sans serial numbers or other identifying characteristics. We hope you enjoy the show. And if you do, please consider subscribing to M the Media Project.

In today's On The Rocks Politica co-host Scott M. Graves came prepared with a battery of initiatives he is supportive of that have recently been presented by the Biden administration this week to get co-host and candidate for State rep. Bruce Chester's take. The late Eric Boelhert(Rest In Peace to this fine journalist of our time) recently wrote that a paltry 28% of Americans know the country has been gaining jobs in the last year, 7 million jobs in fact, while an astounding 37% think the country has lost jobs. Are mainstream media outlets the 'leftist' bastion our conservative friends would have us believe?  We explore what's behind these statistics. The administration is making a major push to better serve our rural citizens with a number of economic and environmental initiatives focused on rural development We also discussed the latest candidate to take the helm of the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) while making the announcement that the administration has presented legislation to tackle the issue of 'ghost guns' making their way into the marketplace sans serial numbers or other identifying characteristics. In next weeks Part II we'll explore the corruption of Jared Kushner and former  members of the Trump administration. We hope you enjoy the show. And if you do, please consider subscribing to M the Media Project.

In today's On The Rocks Politica we explored the various ways in our current events cycle that simplifying arguments or grouping people with seemingly like-minded interests leads to less than effective outcomes.  The proverbial 'painting with a broad brush'. Are Russia's motives in their fight in Ukraine working towards the best interests of the Russian people?  Does that late European War spell ill for a fight between China and Taiwan?  Is the Biden administration positioning the US to do well by our European allies in NATO? And of course, everybody is waiting for it: was Will Smith just in dispensing justice to Chris Rock or was there a better way? Please remind us why we're talking about that, please? We hope you enjoy the show. And if you do, please consider subscribing to M the Media Project.

With Cam and Bruce away this week co-host Scott Graves asked comedienne Stephanie Elliott to the show. Did we talk of sober political philosophy or current events?  Hells Yeahh!!!!! President Joe Biden's recent discussion on authoritarianism vs. Democracy? Check.  Asking the question ‘Why do American Presidents Love them a good War?  Check. What is happening in the daily struggle for Ukraine's Autonomy? Check  The history behind New Hampshire's vote last week to secede from the Union? Check  Stowe, VT's bid to do the same in the 1980's and secede to New Hampshire? Check. We're not saving the world but we did get in a few punches for sure.  Check out Stephanie's North Shore Business Hound & Country Pet Care.  Celebrating their ten year anniversary.  And be on the lookout for Cereal for Serial Killers, our latest collaboration with Stephanie coming soon to M the Media Project.

This week's episode of On the Rocks Politica features a discussion on the ongoing Ukrainian-Russian War. From there, hosts Scott M. Graves and Bruce Chester, with input by Producer Cameron McLeod, discuss the Heather Cox Richardson interview with President Joe Biden.

We welcome back to the On The Rocks Politica Podcast Government Affairs Correspondent Scott J. Graves for whats turns out to be a bit of a congratulatory interview. Scott maintains our local government reporting for the series Gardner Government Watch as well as providing editorial commentary through our Gravitas series.  After a scathing report on the mishandling of the election of Gardner Monty Tech School Committee members involving Gardner City Councillor James Boone, we continued to provide background on the matter. The circumstances involve whether a person is considered an active elected official at the moment of being duly elected by a body of pre-determined humans (in this case city council members electing a school committee member) or if said individual additionally must be adminsitrered an oath of office. Mr. Boone was duly elected in 2020 but due to Covid 19 his swearing in was forgotten.  After filing a motion demanding an accounting of legal fees related to a case against the city (see report of council meeting 02.22.22), City Council President Elizabeth Kazinskas, backed by a legal commentary provided by Councillor Jim Walsh, decided that serving actively for two years was not enough to consider Mr. Boone officially a represnetative of Gardner on the committee. The attempt to punish councillor Boone did not go un-noticed by M the Media Project. After several days of analysis on the matter, Mr. Boone was quietly re-instated and delivered the oath of office at the City Clerk offices on Tuesday, March 1. Providing local reporting on matters at city hall.  Exposing mismanagement in favor of doing right by the voters and taxpayers of this vibrant but struggling community. Thanks to you, our loyal listeners and readers, Gardner government might just be turning a new leaf.

Cam brought to our attention this week the events unfolding as of 02.22.22 in the nation of Ukraine.   Russian threats of the past 12 months were realized if in fits and starts on Tuesday as Vladimyr Putin, President of the Russian Federation recognized the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) as independent states within the country of Ukraine.    Russian-backed rebels have been fighting the Ukraine government in those regions since 2014, when Russia invaded Ukraine. The self-styled leaders of those regions asked Russia for recognition, and Putin granted it.   This places NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) members in a position prepared for war with Russia, yet another proxy engagement between western and eastern interests.    Yet, is this just an extension of the cold war?  We think not and analyze the players, recent policy maneuvers and a bit of history to help understand what's at stake for Ukraine, Russia and the United States and her allies.    We touched upon local news regarding dispelling the rumors regarding the Gardner Police Dept and yes, it's true, Gardner Mayor Mike Nicholson has officially unenrolled from the Republican party as an unenrolled party member.    And if that wasn't enough……..   Bruce Chester, co-host announces his run for the Massachusetts House of Representatives.    Read Gravitas Series Editorial  Read Gardner Government Watch  Read Politics, Done Local Series Read Essays From An Artist

Bruce and Scott offer a review of the local news landscape……slim picking as of late since the team is receiving very little information from official government sources regarding the recent release of Gardner Police Chief Bracks.  The OTRP co-hosts offer insight as information requests made in our new tip and question line, which you can access by linking to all GGW and Gravitas articles. Bruce shared with us the latest from his upcoming campaign.  It's decision time in the MA State Republican party and that means our very own Bruce Chester must decide to run for state House of Representatives (thereby recycling his old signs and door hangers) or run for State Senate (and really place pressure on Scott as his volunteer to cross out and re-title 7000+ signs and door hangers).  Such is life.  Our new series ‘Extraordinary Names in Politics' offered the lighter side of local politics.  How can we forget the auspicious campaigns of such greats as Kinky Freidman, Harry Baals and Dick Swett to name a few.  Read Gravitas Series Editorial  Read Gardner Government Watch  Read Politics, Done Local Series Read Essays From An Artist  

This week the On The Rocks Politica cast of characters had a visitor.  Government Affairs Correspondent Scott J. Graves contributed his findings in the latest Open Meeting Law Violation to hit the city of Gardner. M the Media Project and Gardner Government Watch uncovered a memorandum this weekend detailing the decision of the city council regarding the prior outstanding open meeting law violations submitted to the Massachusetts Attorney Generals Office.  (Yes, this is an on-going and recognized problem at city hall) The problem?   This document was intended for public consumption AFTER the city council meeting of February 7, 2022.  It was distributed to the council members days PRIOR via the city solicitor and council president to the actual meeting…..where it would be discussed for a final vote. Either our City Council President is violating state law or....... she has a real life flux capacitor! GREAT SCOTT!  Or should we say our great Scott. This podcast is a companion to the this article on Gardner Government Watch. We'll continue to report on this issue. Scott also clued us in to other submissions We're working on at M the Media Project including news on the continuing issues surrounding our municipal sludge landfill Find Scott M. Graves essay 'My Life with a Sludge Landfill' Find information regarding Sludge Landfill Alternatives Scott also recently spoke with a Lowell-based developer who is currently working hard to ease our residential rental market pressures.  

On January 11, 2022 United States President Joe Biden offered a speech in Atlanta, Georgia which has received much attention in the weeks since.   In addition to referring to the recent movement within conservative states to restrict voting rights as ‘Jim Crow 2.0' the most controversial quote from his speech made additional and very direct reference to our recent Civil Rights and Voting Rights history.  He asked US elected officials, How do want to be remembered? ‘At consequential moments in history, they present a choice: Do you want be on the side of Dr, King or George Wallace?  Do you want to be on the side of John Lewis or Bull Connor? Do you want to be on the side of Abraham Lincoln or Jefferson Davis?'  Read the complete speech by President Joe Biden The reaction from conservative leadership was immediate.  The next day, Senator Mitch McConnell said during his reaction, ‘I did not recognize the man at the podium yesterday. ... The president's rant, rant, yesterday was incoherent, incorrect and beneath his office," So stated McConnell from the Senate floor. See Senator McConnell's reaction on the Senate Floor We're asking what we think are several key questions this hour.  Those who've seen video of both President Biden's speech and Senator McConnell's reaction understand that the President's remarks weren't literally a ‘rant'.  Is McConnell counting on Americans not to access the literal speech? What's the history in this country of reactionary rhetoric to manipulate voters?  Turns out there is a rich history of such misleading, going back to the decades before the Civil War.  We ask whether it's appropriate for the President to reference civil rights history in his speech?  Scott says yes and it is an excellent use of historical reference at a time when many Americans are attempting to turn bak the clock on minorities and working class people. Bruce feels that voting rights are not under threat in this country and that to say so is to mislead our neighbors to unnecessary conclusions.  We discussed with each other where our perspectives have been cultivated and where we think this country is headed into the 2022 mid-terms.  We also celebrate two new article series with M the Media Project, the movie premiere of our good friend Dennis Wirth and we discuss Bruce's possible run for the State Senate.   All in this hour of On The Rocks Politica.

Remember the scene from the movie 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' with Nick Damone?  He explains to his friend rat, 'Wherever you are, that's the place to be' or some such statement and proceeds to show him, no matter what the circumstances you just act like right now, right here is the 'best'.  I mean, everything is cool, it's all going to be great. Right? Well, what happens to society when we keep saying to ourselves it's all going to work out in the end.  Key facets of our daily lives appear to be shrinking, instability reigns and we keep shrugging our shoulders and moving on. After all, this is the U.S., right? WE'RE EXCEPTIONAL'.  We delude ourselves into thinking the worse will not happen. 'IT CAN NEVER HAPPEN HERE'. In today's episode we explore examples of toxic positivity.  What does toxic positivity look like? What are the consequences to our society when we keep adjusting to a new normal that looks an awful lot like a nation built on weak economic policy and even weaker social cohesion.  When is it ok to call out the worst of our behaviors to each other. And can't we address real social issues, call out real political enemies of our democracy while still remaining mature and hopeful? Seems reasonable to us.  Just remember, EVERYTHING IS AWESOME!

In our season III opener we're looking at January 6, 2021 from a year later. Scott and Bruce have questions and speculate on the causes of January 6 and what lasting repercussions are already beginning to emerge. Each of us remain steadfast to our political foundations, Bruce a conservative in the traditional sense and Scott a liberal progressive and we believe in making room for each other to express thoughts that result from such foundations.  We examine how a people can go from meaningful civil discourse and the expression of their citizenship to blind violence. We also examine how a people can come to the conclusion that violence is the next step in the first place.  What resources or important social factors might be missing or exist in the environments that many of our neighbors inhabit day to day. We, like you, are searching for answers one year later on this, our latest On the Rocks Politica.

My hope for all of you in this season of great struggle for voting rights, for equality, for the climate and our survival itself; I hope for you to find meaning in your struggle.  We are not living through times where I could say, I hope you find peace.  Peace will be for another generation.  We're called on to do what's right.  What's best for all.  And to find the meaning.  The meaning that feeds why we must strive for a country that draws out the best in us all. Together.  Love Learning.  Love Life.  And best wishes for your 2022.

Hey, It's the holidays and we here at M the Media Project are uber busy creating new content for 2022 even whilst making it a special Christmas for all of our family and friends. So it's only fitting this week's episode is shared with our sister podcast, too. Not only was this the most spirited On The Rocks Politica ever, but we featured our guest Commedienne Stephanie Elliot who announced the start of our latest podcast hosted by her, Cereal for Serial Killers!  

On this week's episode entitled, ‘Bang-Bang' Scott and Bruce get down to the topic of what happens when people's political narrative forces them to loose their humanity one bit at a time.  Starting off with the example of how pop culture is treating the tragedy of Alec Baldwin's on-set mishap with a firearm and seeking examples from the current events unfolding in Crimea, the two look at how political thought should be conceived in the greater context of other important human phenomenon.   ‘Politics ceases to be useful to us when we politicize events to the point of loosing our humanity.'   -Scott M. Graves

This week we take a close look at Opportunity Zones. Four years after their launch into the economic development ecosystem, the capital gains tax program signed into law by former President Donald Trump has generated $18.9 billion in investment.  This is a far cry from the initial estimates made in 2017. Co-hosts Scott M. Graves and Bruce Chester ask questions like where did investment money land?  Did the most economically challenged neighborhoods get the investment they needed? Is the Opportunity Zone program as designed and implemented acting like a bottom-up approach, effecting the people who live and work in economically challenged neighborhoods? See the reports we cite in this episode From PBS News Hour From the Tax Foundation David Wessel, author of Only the Rich Can Play: How Washington Works in the New Gilded Age” (2021) We start our episode with a report from our newest regional reporter, former OTRP co-host Scott J. Graves.  Scott will be reporting from all Gardner, MA government meetings including ZBA, Conservation, Economic Development and Planning and City Council. Scott has been a City Councilor for 16 years, having lost his first election this past November. He is a graduate of Suffolk Law School, where he edited the school law review, his first experience as a journalist. Scott's latest series for M the Media Project is entitled 'SG, esq.-At Large'. We discussed the visit on November 29, 2021 by Lt. Governor Karen Polito to announce a total of $4.1MM in state investment in two developments in the city of Gardner. Find out who wins and who looses in this latest chapter of Gardner's anemic push out of post-industrialization.

Scott and Bruce grew up rolling their eyes at the 'older folks' around them complaining about this, that or the other thing.   'We're not going to do that when we're their age.' So here we are, co-hosts of the 'On The Rocks Politica Podcast with an episode entitled '...and Another Thing!'   What is up with people wanting our music and our there talents for free?  Why does the media manipulate people's emotions? Why do some members of the Republican party want a one religion state?  You get the picture.  A couple of middle-aged dudes on a quest tossed truth while complaining.   Welcome to episode 51.  Not unlike the Area.

In our episode 'On Apples & Infrastructure', co-host Bruce Chester brings to the OTRP table the story of our local hero, John Chapman, better known to all as Johnny Appleseed. A quintessential American story from the antebellum period. The boys then picked apart the bi-partisan infrastructure bill, passed into law on Monday, November 15 and signed same day by President Joe Biden. Scott & Bruce discussed what they like, what they don't like and how we might benefit or not depending on how the bill is utilized in the decade ahead.

What early experience influenced the political philosophy of co-hosts Bruce Chester and Scott M. Graves? Did these two do anything more in college than smoke weed and read Beat poetry?  Interestingly enough, both men attended state institutions and both matriculated in performing arts programs. Each came out with some beliefs strengthened and many more reverberating through the many years post-graduation, coalescing into the ideas they now share with you, the listeners of On the Rocks POlitica each and every week.  Listen now to find out more about their college daze.  Plus we congratulate the winners of our local election last week and Scott decompresses from his victorious loss having come in 10th place for city council.

Well folks we all made it to Election Eve. We decided to call it 'Election-itis 2021' and we bring to you tales from the campaign trial, special 'interviews' from Gardner City Council President Lizzie Kazinskas and the Mega-Mayor himself Mike Nicholson.  Of course, there's so much more. You'll find serious analysis of local and regional politics sandwiched in between our best effort at local political satire. We even managed an interview with local social media and civic phenom Paul Demeo and squeezed in the results of the election before signing off for the evening. And what of the election results?  Not since the presentation of Al Capone's Vaults has anti-climactic endings been so phenomenal.  Our own co-host Scott M. Graves received 776 votes...... and came in last place! Hanging chads?  Not with this crack team of political hacks.  We hope you enjoy.

In tonight's episode 'The Citizenry' we roasted a threatening letter delivered anonymously to co-host Scott M. Graves during his on-going bid for city councilor at-large in the city of Gardner, MA.   http://www.smg4gardner.com Learn more regarding Scott M. Graves Seriously y'all, if you're going to send threatening anonymous letters to a candidate you definitely get your point across when you type it up in 16 point ‘Angry Ol' White Guy on Facebook, All-Caps' font and pepper the tome in misspellings. We had some great fun at the expense of, ‘The Citizen-ry' and thank this selfless defender of democracy for pointing out our co-host, as a former jazz musician has a history of short-lived ‘jobes' in various industries. Who knew.  Sandwiched in between the tales from a local election we interviewed local candidate for school committee Tim Markey.  Tim is a life-long resident of our city and a long-time educator vying for his first crack at elected office.  https://www.timmarkey.com. View Tim's campaign website We all spoke on the importance of door to door canvassing to our democracy, what it means to be a servant of your neighbors and what our education system is getting right and what could be improved.   We hope you enjoy the laughs and we hope you find take-aways to take to your community's local elections. Democracy lives or dies in your backyard. 

Where have all the labor bosses gone?  For at least 30 years many Americans have viewed the 'death' of labor unions as progress. Seen as a vestige of a time gone past, many felt there is no need any longer to organize in order to protect the rights of wage earners in the United States. But if you're the age of our producer Cameron McLeod, you might think otherwise. The promise of 'your college education will make you more employable and offer more in wages' has come and gone for many as has the days of 40 hour work weeks and benefits. Is the Gig economy all its cracked up to be? In this episode we explore a number of questions such as.... How did the Labor movement evolve? How do millennials perceive labor and the job market today? How does a more unstable labor market effect other parts of our economy? What would more widespread employee ownership in our economy do to effect labor? Why did the labor movement and unions in particular oppose employee ownership? All that and more this episode On the Rocks Politica.

Why does Bruce and Scott want to bring back the cola wars? Because those wars were far more entertaining than the culture wars. Americans are tearing themselves apart over Colin Keapernick, abortion, the Flag.... while strife causes negative social side-effects and our financial class rakes in record profits from our dismay; the collectives' focus on divisive phenomenon instead of the task at hand. Bruce and Scott show how the culture wars, running parallel to the 'nation' of local politics is effecting even their own little city's municipal election as experienced by Scott why is running for city council. In other news, did we mention the Gardner city council now requires a police presence at all meetings? In a vain attempt to thwart citizens desire for transparency and an increased opportunity for public discourse, City council president Lizzy Kazinskas has issued a mandate for police presence at every council meeting. Faschism at its best that these co-hosts can agree on from their respective political spectrum perches. Up now from On the Rocks Politica…

Why is the debt ceiling so important, what is it and why is the Republican party making a purely political move in opposing it? Sen. Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans voted on Monday, September 27 to filibuster a bill proposed in congress to raise the debt ceiling.  In this episode Scott and Cam offer a definition of the debt ceiling and why it's important to maintain the governments ability to pay debts it voted in incur in the past.  As done many times on the On the Rocks Politica Podcast, our analysis is infused with a healthy dose of history, culture and good old fashioned humor.

For this week of the On the Rocks Politica, co-host Scott M. Graves presents an Essay from his Politics, Done Local series. The consequences of a community's political leadership on community development. 

This week, the "On the Rocks Polictica" crew (which comprise of Hosts Bruce Chester and Scott M. Graves, as well as Producer Cameron McLeod) focused local news to give a fascinating update on the Gardner (MA) lawsuit filed on behalf of the citizens by City Councilman Scott Joseph Graves.   This suit was filed following an unconstitutional gag order filed against the city council by city Solicitor on behalf of Gardner's current Mayor.  The podcast explains why this is unconstitutional, this lawsuit may have bearing on future generations of citizens and also, just what IS wrong with Gardner's drinking water?