What do the people of Melrose think of the Mayor's Blog last week which included two blogs on religious activities in Melrose? One describing the religious education classes being held at the Highlands Church and the other detailing how Temple Beth Shalom is preparing for the Jewish New Year.

I thought the Blog was for City information such as the Blog sent today which included an override calculator.

Sorry, I just don't think that the Mayor or the City needs to be sending out Religious information.

Comments?

These lugnuts just can't understand the meaning of Appropriate, let alone separation of Church and State or Separation of Powers, of Checks and Balances, or anything. If they can screw it up, they will. And then they'll bully anyone who criticizes them!

Believe me, this is the least of our worries. This was just an obvious attempt to look warm and fuzzy after being exposed as the bully he is at the recent school committee meeting. Perhaps he can wear a purple Barney suit to work but I think it is way too late for damage control and to try to portray himself now as the warm and fuzzy mayor.

Though last Tuesday's ugly display by RD, CT and the SC towards CKK was epic in convincing even diehard former supporters that these bullies do not have the best interests of anyone but themselves at heart, this has long been known by many. This was spoken of by many throughout the Fair Sunday. Last Tuesday was an outrageously brazen display of the hateful intent that has been mounting in intensity in response to the extremely damaging news reports about OCR, decisions of the Secretary of State's office, etc. Those genies aren't going back into the bottle, and that news is only going to increase since there is obviously a great deal more that has been kept from the public. RD and the SC/CT are impotent in the face of the damaging news, and their ugly conduct only proves that they are running scared and have a lot to hide. With their "press releases" they are only compounding the problem and demonstrating their total lack of humility or concern for the many who have been victimized by their actions (and lack thereof).

"We are Melrose" means that "We" are implicated. The only chance for the community to heal and correct some of the egregious wrongs is for the community to take ownership and demand justice. Otherwise this will just be another case like the Y rapist where the "society folk" circled around and protected those who protected the rapist, and the poor victims stayed hidden in the shadows, where to this day most of them remain (only 2 were revealed but there was a whole room full of videos of other children, who are now young adults, many of whom probably never got any help). We are implicated by our lack of caring or community action.

Well said, and exactly on point. The only way to cure this cancer is to face it head on, and all we continue to see from the powers that be is more obfuscation and bloviation. I truly hope the people of Melrose can rise to the occasion - finally - and get to work repairing the damage that's already been done. It is not too late to do so, and "Let them eat cake." is not going to cut it any more.

And yet the last two writers hide behind their screens. Nice writing though.

Trust in elected/established politicians is at an all time low. Support for Trump and Carson shows the preference for outsiders and that people are increasingly anti-government. Support for Bernie and Biden shows that voters are tired of scripted and careful games and want things shaken up demanding more authenticity and transparency. Throw the bums out is the attitude of the majority and that doesn't bode well for the SC and BOA Incumbants. The "Vote Yes" Override campaign is in deep trouble, too.

" The "Vote Yes" Override campaign is in deep trouble, too."

as well it ought to be, being a complete boondoggle with zero credibility created by individuals with even less credibility

This statement by "We are Melrose" is exactly the point.

Melrose Student Lives have to matter. The conscience of our community is what has failed to date and what needs to be fixed.

Well at least he's not pushing islam upon us like the muslim democrat in the white house.

Are you really that ignorant Mary?

I bet Mary likes Trump too.

Come on, people, let's stay on topic!

Poor Mary. Run off by a bunch of cyber bully's

How about we ask Dolan why he hasn't addressed the two civil rights violation on his blog? And why Margaret Driscoll said she was "unaware" of any other civil rights complaint when clearly that was a lie. Apparently all of us on this board are cyber bullies because we write about the truth. Boooo Hooooo. Whaaa Whaaaaa

This is sickening! Dolan, do us all a favor. Resign.

An eye for and eye leaves everyone blind....what will hurt the most is voting all the Incumbants out of office and voting NO on the Override !

I beg your pardon? I'm having a very hard time comprehending that convoluted logic.

I guess that means I'll have to hold my nose and vote for Ed O'Connell for School committee.[:-?]

GIC taking Marybeth McAteer Margolis has to go.

Mayor Dolan you are a complete disgrace! As the head of this City you should be publically decrying the now two civil rights violations and calling for Cyndy Taymore's resignation! You have proven yourself in the last public meeting of the school committee to be a bully and a coward. Not to mention a fool that doesn't know the difference between libel and slander. It is a sad and shameful time in our city's history that we have you at the helm.

And where are our Aldermen? Silent as usual.

-

The above was stated in this very string. I think it is a little hypocritical to be expressing such outrage at the injustices that took place at the middle school yet host a message board that allows statements like this, and so many other racist posts, go unchecked.

Unfortunately people have a right to be racists. Freedom of expression is first amendment right. If folks in Melrose want to engage in bigotry and racism the shame is on them not me.

Yes, but to provide a forum to support such racist ideas and to have them go undchecked does not lend itself to your credibility as a human rights activist. Hey, the Ashley Madison website is legal too but I wouldn't want its founder to be my marriage counselor.

Are you suggesting that, because Ms. Wright is good enough to provide a forum for us to get the news we deserve, she should now have to become the moral compass for everyone posting as well? Is she supposed to consider everyone's fragile egos and feelings, and pick through each comment to determine how it might be "offensive" to someone? Absurd. It is not like Mary got support for her view. People can post any idea they have- usually, if they are racists, they will be called out on it, unlike the truly racist teachers who are the cause of the sorry state of affairs in town. I think your post is simply an attempt to divert attention from the real problem at hand, the problem that is only seriously discussed on this board. Ms Wright, keep up the good work. I am very grateful that you took on this job.

A forum for racist ideas? That's completely absurd. Would you say the same thing if it was posted in the Christian Science Monitor?

Whether it's an attempt to divert, I don't know, and I don't care. The diversion ship has sailed already - as soon as our beloved Free Press decided it was time (past time) to print it, any kind of simple-minded attempt at diversion became moot.

They're screwed. They know it. End of story, except for the frenzy of under-the-bus throwing we're about to see our very own "education expert" enagage in.

Why don't you go ahead and read the "Michele Obama is Ugly" thread and tell me that this website isn't a forum for racist ideas. My point is that by hosting a forum that allows that type of discussion go unchecked, it destroys her credibility. You can't have it both ways.

What utter nonsense. I chose not to read that string, because on the face of it, it was ugly and tasteless, and one of the rights afforded us thanks to freedom of speech is the freedom not to read the stuff we consider offensive. For you to state this site condones or is a forum for racist ranting, just because two or three nitwits choose to exercise their freedom of speech in such a disgusting manner, is ridiculous. The pitfall in censoring that kind of garbage is that it's then a short stone's throw from censoring other things. It's actually productive to have people make these kinds of insane comments, because then we can identify who they are and what they really stand for, which is apparently the same thing Naomi Baline stands for by saying a student of color should have stayed on the plantation, or whatever the full statement was.

Now go tell Rob this didn't work either. He's still screwed.

What a crock of crap Hypocritical! I hate that string too but reading it occasionally is a constant reminder of the racism that exists in this community. Just attack the only woman who was willing to stick her neck out for Melrose by keeping this site going. You're a real peach! An you know full well that Patty doesn't condone racism or that this site is a forum devoted to fostering it.

I'm sure she has a much longer track record of community activism in Melrose than you do! Why don't you ask Liz Deselm of the Melrose Human Rights Commission why we haven't heard a peep from them. Get off this board with your faux indignation!

Hi Author,

I'm sorry, to what are you referring to? Are you looking for the MHRC's responses to the OCR? Or are you asking what I have done personally?

I can tell you, and it's in our minutes, that when the incident first happened the MHRC discussed it. Our chair at the time conferenced with CT and others and attempted to get into the schools from the top down. As you know, we were unsuccessful.

This Summer I went to each school, talked to every principal and many administrators including CT. I asked each principal then for 5 minutes of their time at a PD before the teachers to talk about the MHRC and our mission to raise cultural awareness. Every teacher I have spoken to, I mentioned this a well. The responses have ranged from the receptive to the less interested.

Just as we, the MHRC, held a partnership with the MFP to discuss gender identity, we are planning a similar effort with the MFP to raise cultural awareness.

To put it succinctly, we tried a top down approach and we unsuccessful. So now we are trying a bottom up approach.

-L

Liz - if you should win a seat on the school committee, we would all expect much from you given your what you have learned from your experience on the WHRC. We need someone who will initiate corrective and preventive actions of these types of violations and the current seniors leadership of our schools MUST go!

That's fair, Myron. I have high expectations as well.

Thanks Liz for making that effort. As you may know, civil rights laws generally cover discrimination against persons with disabilities as well. As you may be aware, there is and has been rampant retaliation by the school administration against parents with SPED children who file complaints with their principal and/or with the superintendent's office. While we all should be concerned about occasional misconduct by teachers and principals, we should all be deeply concerned when the school administration ignores parent's complaints about this type of activity, and be outright fuming when top administrators and even the city solicitor's office retaliate against parents and children who are brave enough to have filed complaints. The OCR is hopefully investigating this much more serious crime.

With all due respect to the previous poster, all of these offenses are very serious, none more serious than the rest. With the district administration having now been found guilty (and admitting it in their peculiar "press release") of violating the civil rights of students, explicitly around racist conduct in the first case (and presumably in the other 2 as well), this has become a matter for the entire community. The parent referring to the SPED issues certainly sounds like he/she has a compelling and grievously serious situation, so one hopes there will be justice eventually for this person, also. The federal Office of Civil Rights may or may not be investigating these SPED issues, but so far there is no indication that this is the case. Hopefully the parent writing here on Melrose Messages has taken the actions necessary if an investigation by that body (or whichever one most appropriately addresses the concern) is to be opened.

To "have to differ":

"I would suggest that it is far more serious infraction when the administration, who has a legal obligation investigate and uphold civil rights of all students, retaliates against them when they make a civil rights complaint." It seems there is a misunderstanding here. Of course you are correct that the administration has the legal obligation to behave appropriately, and obviously in Melrose it has not. You do not have all the facts if you think that there was no retaliation in relation to the racism issues. It's all part of the same sickness, and it's all grievously wrong. Saying that the treatment re: the SPED issues is more serious than that of the racism issues only pits one group of victims against the other, which is a perfect foil from the administrative point of view, the old "divide and conquer" (and deflect) thing. All of it is wrong and correcting one part of it means addressing all of it. You sound like perhaps one of the parents who's maybe had to shell out many thousands of dollars to lawyers defending your family, which means that you are naturally very distraught about your family's particular issues. There are people hurt in similar devastating ways (including enormous financial cost) all over Melrose (and quite a few who've had to go to the extent of leaving Melrose, leaving faculty positions (giving up pensions, taking any kind of position to get out, etc.), hiring advocates & attorneys, selling their homes to move to districts that manage SPED better or in which their children won't face institutionalized bullying and unprofessionalism, paying for expensive therapy to help repair damage done by staff here, and many other kinds of costs that are less visible).

The fact is that institutionalized bullying and unprofessionalism are now "embedded" (to use one of their favorite buzz words) at the highest levels. The conduct emanating out of City Hall, the school administration, the BOA, the Melrose Ed Foundation, the HRC, the Chamber, the clubs, and certainly most of the candidates for public office, too often mirrors and propagates this bullying and unprofessionalism, covered over with a neatly applied gloss of self-righteous fake patriotism about the "True Melrosian."

Facts are only to be avoided, with the aid of the 5-ton intimidating propaganda, and Don't you Forget it! "Yes" for Melrose with a great big sledgehammer and/or the threat of full-on Shaming and Shunning (and oh sure, throw in a topping of a few ignorantly implied threats of "libel" while they're at it, or perhaps even an Order of Protection based on nothing, thrown out in court but ultimately very costly to the falsely accused, which was the real purpose all along).

Don't think for a minute that you/your family are alone if you've faced this ugliness. THEY just want you to think that. But these institutionalized bullies have threatened and harmed many and on all kinds of grounds, not just the OCR narrowly defined civil rights basis. It's all very serious and it all has to be fixed.

I was confused by the last post. "Have to differ", nor the original poster were comparing or pitting SPED students against minority students. She was comparing the original aggressor of a civil rights infraction against administrators, principals, and city solicitor's office who she believes commit a far more grievous crime when they retaliate and intimidate victims and their families for reporting these civil rights infractions. And I agree with her, as most Melrosians would. It's like kicking the victim and stealing their wallet as the victim lays there bloodied on the ground, dazed from the first attack. I think we can all agree that although these are all serious crimes, to victimize the victim again is a more serious crime and the OCR's language appears to support this.

Also, there has been to date no mention of the victim/family of OCR's first investigation being retaliated against (other than RVC's comments in the newspaper supporting the racist teacher and questioning the student), but at the same time I think it is easy to extrapolate and assume that this victim and his family were most likely retaliated against by the school administration and city solicitor's office. Like another poster said: "it's what they do". Its institutionalized bullying and its against the law.

Lastly, I'd like to say that we all seem to be on the same page about this. A crime against any of the protected groups is a crime against us all.

Speaking of insane comments, have you noticed that that whackbrain cackling Vuvu/ClownPatrol has been mum? Maybe just a few too many front-page stories about federal investigators going after the egregious illegal conduct of her beloved administration, ya think?

It truly is a House of Cards, and one of these foul winds blowing (from the 2nd floor of that parallel reality zone at City Hall) will bring it all down. Hoist with their own petard, as it's said. They think their precious forums and blogs will save them. Nice to have illusions. They think that they can blow smoke at the seniors and get them to believe that the boondoogle known as the override will mean more services for them (how dumb does RD think those seniors at the Milano Ctr that he was courting recently really are???). Sure, there are gullible young parents and a bunch of douchey political moms who are up RD's and CT's butt. Those flamingos all over town are just another waste of good plastic because no quantity of silly pink birds can erase or wash away the stench and stupidity of what these vile officials are really all about. Anyone buying into that nonsense should be really embarrassed.

No, it is called don't feed the trolls. Or even respond to cyberbullying like your statement above. You can't be outraged by rude behavior and then act the same way. So it isn't even worth responding to you.

Definition of cyberbullying:

noun

1.

the act of harassing someone online by sending or posting mean messages, usually anonymously.

"mean"?

Oh, duh poor baby.... Probably doesn't think it's at all mean to tell a METCO student to "go back to the plantation," but is faux outraged when one anonymous poster tells "ClownPatrol" and the douchey people supporting such types to go to their rooms. Or maybe this is all about defending the honor of the plastic flamingos! The hypocrites here are amazing.

Hopefully to assuage some fears, it is my feeling/opinion that "we seniors" are not as gullible as some might think. A NO vote is a given!

Good for you! No of course you are not gullible! But it's okay if THEY delude themselves into thinking so. Could be entertaining watching them self-destruct when it all falls apart. More fools they! But Good on all of you Who Know (like The Shadow....)!

I was always pretty sure Clown Patrol was a mentally handicapped person.

Hey Geezer, just to re-confirm.... were we planning to vote Left or Right this year?

I just read that for only the 3rd time in 40 years, there will be no increase in Social Security, or disabled Veterans`, benefits next year. I suspect not too many of those included will be voting yes!

You are correct. It's based on the Consumer Price Index which was a big fat zero.

Gee - then it must be time to give the teachers another 25% pay increase and our own Mayor another 25% pay raise! Makes sense - doesn't it?

What do you think this override is for? After the first year that 2.5 million per year forever is unencumbered.

What exactly is a "pot of money" and what is it used for? Who decided what positions needed to be filled? I am voting NO because I feel the bulk of these positions are not dire.

Let me make it easy for you to understand - Resident. Mayor Dolan decided all this! He used his pawns - Superintendent Taymore, school committee, Board of Aldermen and Police Chief Lyle to vouch for the increase!

With a school surplus this year of $600K, with more newly constructed, tax-based housing going on the market soon, and with state and federal finding expected to increase in the years ahead - everyone should be voting no on the override.

Wow - Dolan must really want another $25K pay increase badly and of course we all know that Taymore recently go another big jump in her pay - thanks to our incompetent school committee who think that establishing advisory groups, committees, and planning groups are the way to better education!

The Aldermen and the Mayor need to get off their fat as ses and find a way to allow established and future businesses to add Keno to the licenses of those businesses that have a Lottery sales license. This is an inexpensive way for the City to raise money that already is being spent and sent across the City line to adjoining communities that allow Keno.

I'm voting NO for the override.[8-)]

You do know that most places that sell scratch tickets and numbers can also sell you a Keno ticket- they do not have the TV with the live feed, but you can get Keno tickets.

But the city doesn't allow the live feed and the TV screen, the things that Keno players want to see.So they go to other communities and spend their lottery money there and that is where the lottery benefit money goes.[Irked]