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Sunday, June 26, 2022
Governor Baker Signs Executive Order to Protect Access to Reproductive Health Care Services
"GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Friday signed an executive order protecting Massachusetts abortion providers from prosecution by other states that have made providing an abortion a criminal act.
The order prohibits executive agencies from assisting another state’s investigation into anyone receiving or providing an abortion. It also bars abortion providers from losing their license or being disciplined based on an out-of-state charge. And it bars the state from cooperating with extradition requests from states pursuing criminal charges against people involved with providing reproductive health services that are legal in Massachusetts."
Direct link to Executive Order -> https://www.mass.gov/news/governor-baker-signs-executive-order-to-protect-access-to-reproductive-health-care-services
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| Governor Baker Signs Executive Order |
034 - Frank Presents - Kathy McAdams (audio)
In this episode, Frank Falvey is joined by Rev. Kathy McAdams of Saint John's Episcopal Church to talk about her background, the work she does with the church, and the programs going on at the church.
Audio file -> https://frank-falvey.captivate.fm/episode/034-frank-presents-kathy-mcadams
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| 034 - Frank Presents - Kathy McAdams (audio) |
Saturday, June 25, 2022
Attention: Road repaving work starting July 5 - sections of King St, Beaver St, Union St, & East Central
On my transits this week, I noticed covers being put on the storm drains along King St. Something was coming. With the DPW confirmation yesterday, the repaving work is going to being after the 4th of July.
Work areas
- King St from Union to East Central
- East Central from Ruggles to Lewis St
- Union St from Beaver to School
- Beaver St from the railroad tracks to i495
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| Road repaving work starting July 5 |
Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) - Hydrogen Pipe Dreams
Executive Summary
Fossil fuel companies are advocating blending hydrogen with “natural” gas (methane) for cooking and space and water heating. They claim this will generate heat while lowering the carbon footprint of the methane gas system. In fact, it will not. Most hydrogen gas is derived from methane or coal, both of which are major sources of greenhouse gasses, so utilizing hydrogen will actually increase greenhouse gas emissions. And using hydrogen to blend with methane increases the demand for and prolongs our dependence on methane, an extremely potent greenhouse gas. Meanwhile, it distracts from the uptake of renewable energy sources and cost-effective, efficient electric technologies proven to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. With the window closing to address the climate crisis, we cannot afford this false solution.
Working for over 50 years to create a healthy, just, and peaceful world for both present and future generations, Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) uses medical and public health expertise to educate and advocate on urgent issues that threaten human health and survival. Our goals are to slow and eventually reverse climate change and to abolish nuclear weapons.
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| Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) - Hydrogen Pipe Dreams |
Town Council Quarterbacking - with Tom Mercer; the insights and brief recap of the Town Council meeting June 22 (audio)
FM #821 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 821 in the series.
This session of the radio show shares the Town Council Quarterbacking session with Council Chair Tom Mercer on Thursday morning, June 23, 2022. The Town Council meeting was held on Wednesday, June 22.
· ok, what just happened?
· What does it mean for Franklin residents and taxpayers?
4. PROCLAMATIONS / RECOGNITIONS
a. Proclamation and Performance: Electric Youth
b. Proclamation: LGBTQIA+ Pride Month Recognition
5. APPOINTMENTS
a. Richard Salve - New Hire, Firefighter/Paramedic - Fire Department
b. Timothy Sweeney - New Hire, Firefighter/Paramedic - Fire Department
c. Annual Reappointments of Boards and Committees
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/5c_appointments.pdf
d. Tri-County School Committee Appointment – Jennifer D’Angelo
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/5d.pdf
9. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION
a. Resolution 22-36: FY23 CPA Budget & Reservations (Motion to Approve Resolution 22-36 - Majority Vote) https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/9a.pdf
b. Resolution 22-37: FY23 CPC Appropriation of Capital Funds (Motion to Approve Resolution 22-37 - Majority Vote) https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/9b.pdf
c. Resolution 22-38: CPC Appropriation of Funds - Debt Service Maple Hill Land (Motion to Approve Resolution 22-38 - Majority Vote) https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/9c.pdf
d. Resolution 22-40: Appropriation Transfers FY22 (Motion to Approve Resolution 22-40 - Majority Vote) https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/9d.pdf
e. Resolution 22-41: Authority for Town Administrator to File Clean Water State Revolving Fund
Application (Motion to Approve Resolution 22-41 - Majority Vote) https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/9e.pdf
f. Resolution 22-42: Gift Acceptance - Veterans’ Services Dept. ($1,960) (Motion to Approve Resolution 22-42 - Majority Vote) https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/uploads/9f.pdf
The conversation runs about 30 minutes. Let’s listen to my conversation with Tom.
Audio file -> https://franklin-ma-matters.captivate.fm/episode/fm-821-town-council-quarterbacking-06-23-22--------------
Meeting agenda =>
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6896/f/agendas/town_council_agenda_june_22_2022.pdf
My notes taken via Twitter are captured in this PDF
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hfMfgMowj-Vh04MroSUgrEwK1qzVTLWm/view?usp=sharing
My photos taken during the meeting are in one album https://photos.app.goo.gl/h52SdtFSfb6gxofZA
YouTube video of meeting -> https://youtu.be/J0rn18f6aiM
Keep up with events in Franklin vai the Community Calendar
https://www.franklinmatters.org/p/blog-page.html
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We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm) or 102.9 on the Franklin area radio dial.
This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.
How can you help?
If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors
If you don't like something here, please let me know
Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/ or www.franklin.news/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com
The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.
I hope you enjoy!
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You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"
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| cupola at the Franklin Historical Museum, an approved project for CPA funds |
Senate President Spilka & Senator Rausch Respond Roe vs. Wade decision
Please find a statement from Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland):
"Today is an extremely dark day for America, as we face what can only be called a ‘nightmare scenario’ for women and those who can get pregnant across this nation. It is important to stress that abortion remains and will remain legal in Massachusetts. This fundamental right to health care is here to stay in the Commonwealth, and I will fight every day to strengthen and protect it.
In its Fiscal Year 2023 budget, the Senate included language protecting access to reproductive health care, and today, Governor Baker issued an Executive Order which aligns very closely with this language. There is increased urgency to codify these provisions so that we can ensure the safety and continued protections of our residents. I remain grateful that the Commonwealth stands united to safeguard these protections."
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"The Dobbs v. Jackson decision is a disaster of epic proportions that deeply stains our nation's history and jurisprudence. It erases decades of progress on reproductive justice and paves a clear path for dismantling droves of basic civil rights interpreted into the Constitution, including contraception, marriage equality, consensual private sex, forced sterilization, and more, and destroying access to massive swaths of reproductive health care, including not only abortion but also birth control, assisted reproductive technology, and miscarriage treatment. State legislatures, including Massachusetts, must act immediately to enact laws that preserve these rights. Absent robust state action, families will be torn apart, and pregnant and birthing people will die in numbers not seen in half a century.
Abortion is still legal in Massachusetts because of actions my colleagues and I took, together with organizational and grassroots advocates, in anticipation of this solemn day. But the work is far from over. We must ensure abortions are accessible to all who seek them in Massachusetts by vesting reproductive rights in people whose bodies and lives are on the line, ensuring reproductive care is provided regardless of who might be on call in an emergency room, and clearing away restrictions and roadblocks with no basis in medicine like excessive costs and provider deserts. Further, we must do everything we can within the confines of the Constitution, even as the Court tosses its language and precedent aside, to protect people from other states' egregious anti-abortion laws, both civil and criminal.
The Court today engages in drastic, unprecedented judicial activism that moves this country decades back in time. State governments are our last line of defense, and I will forever and always be a champion in this critical fight for our fundamental rights."
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| MA Legislators statements |
Dan Rather: Echo Chamber of Extremism
Thank you for joining the Steady community. A gentle reminder that paid subscribers help fund our effort, allowing us to produce more content freely available to all.
A day at the Supreme Court that shakes America to its core. What to say that hasn't been said but needs to be said again, and again, and again: This is not a court of humble jurists who are bound in any way by fidelity to precedent, the law, or common sense. There is nothing "conservative" about these damaging decisions, or the men and woman who have imposed their extreme views upon the American populace. Right-wing politicians decry "elitism," but what is more elitist than unelected and unaccountable activists using the language of legal argumentation as a fig leaf for their naked exercise of power? There is no way that these decisions would pass a vote of the American public. Indeed, a majority of the justices were installed by presidents who lost the popular vote. And the polling on the issues these rulings tear asunder suggests that what these justices are doing is unpopular — in many cases, very unpopular. But they sneer from their echo chamber of extremism. They are emboldened by a system that has been fixed, with the complicity of Mitch McConnell and others, to advantage minority viewpoints by leveraging a branch of government not designed to be a political actors' stage in order to circumvent the legislative and executive branches. Where to begin, and where will it end? The Supreme Court has further cemented its role as a reactionary force in American life. Today it was abortion, on top of recent decisions on gun regulations, public funding for religious schools, and Miranda rights. Soon they will likely gut environmental regulations, and we can guess at what comes next — gay marriage? Contraception? We can't let this moment pass without recognizing what a horrific decision today's is, and how it will relegate women to second-class status in decision-making over their own bodies. This will lead to a host of suffering and likely death. It will imprison women where control will be imposed by the state. It is the opposite of freedom. It is a right that existed — and still should. The Supreme Court depends on its legitimacy, and today that is as tattered as the constitutional rights on which it has trampled. The Roberts court will be marked as a cabal of intemperance that made America far less safe and far less free. It will be noted for its zealotry and its cynical embrace of the ends justifying the means. But as with all chapters of history, how our present is ultimately viewed depends on what comes next. Will these rulings lead to outrage-fueled activism that upends the political system, or apathy and defeatism? Will the majority mobilize? Will there be reforms? Will there be a recalibration of the current balance of power? One of the few things I have learned with any certainty over the course of my life is not to attempt to predict the future. I have seen unimaginable change come about. I have seen long odds overcome. I leave you today with the words of Sherrilyn Ifill, civil rights lawyer and president and director-counsel emeritus of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. She has experienced the fight from the trenches of justice, and her perspective mirrors my own. I could not have expressed it better.  Sherrilyn Ifill @Sifill_LDFJune 24th 2022 5,132 Retweets20,393 Likes
You're on the free list for Steady. For those who are able, please consider becoming a paying subscriber to support our efforts. © 2022 Dan Rather |
More Perfect Union: 053 - Responsible Gun Ownership and Legislation - Part 1 (audio)
In this episode, the group sit down with firearms trainers and educators Michael Cox, and Robert and Stavroula MacQuarrie, to discuss responsible firearm ownership, the future of firearm legislation in Congress, the importance of education and proper firearm safety.
Michael Cox is a firearm safety and training coordinator at Safe Insight. You can learn more about Michael and the work Safe Insight does at their website: https://www.safeinsight.net/home
Stavroula hosts an informational YouTube channel discussing concealed carry, firearm instruction and personal safety called "She Equips Herself".
You can learn more here: www.youtube.com/c/SheEquipsHerself
Episode audio -> https://player.captivate.fm/episode/f8351b7c-9b20-42c6-8ea7-03d25dd05bde
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| Franklin.TV: A More Perfect Union (audio) |