Happy Presidents
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VOL. 117 - NO. 7 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, FEBRUARY 15, 2013 $.30 A COPY IT’S WINTER, Happy It Can Snow and Sometimes too Much Presidents Day by Sal Giarratani FEBRUARY 18, 2013 News Briefs by Sal Giarratani The Paul Revere Mall (a/k/a The Prado) on Hanover Street in Boston’s North End was a winter wonderland. (Photo by Rosario Scabin, Ross Photography) What Happened to the Days of As someone who is a sur- old storm when I lived in on the street, you become so Cronkite, Huntley & Brinkley and vivor of the Blizzard of ’78, I Charlestown, I can say that very grateful as I when you Howard K. Smith? wasn’t that excited over the this storm was really bad and have off-street parking. I hype leading up to this lat- in the top five storms in his- couldn’t live in crowded Once long before the major networks had stiff est Blizzard of ’13. I stopped tory but nothing will ever be neighborhoods without it. competition from 24/7 cable news outlets, the watching all the weather worse than the impact that My street, like many big three networks gave us the news and let us reports because they be- the 1978 storm had on the across the city’s neighbor- digest it for ourselves. Real newsmen like Walter came so silly. I wasn’t going entire seacoast of Massa- hoods, is barely wide enough Cronkite, Chet Huntley, David Brinkley and to go into a panic over snow chusetts. Everything was for cars to use. Many are not Howard K. Smith. Nowadays, we have talking in Boston in the winter. It shut down for almost a week. wide enough for either heads who read pieces of paper handed them off happens and is a part of life Right now, East Boston side- school buses or fire appara- camera. They all look good, dress well and sound for Bostonians who choose to streets are a complete mess tus. Two streets away from educated with my emphasis on sound. stay here in the winter as are Charlestown streets, Sadly, today the major networks and places like me Ben-nington Street has rather than going to Florida Dorchester streets and all a parking ban but where in CNN and the god-awful MSNBC look often like or some other warmer site. across the region. When you the world do those street agents of misinformation who want to entertain Many compared this storm live in a congested area more than inform us. Recently, an old ’80s TV residents park? All the other to 1978 but as someone who where over 90 percent of show called AmeriKa was brought to mind. It was remembered that 35-year- residents are forced to park (Continued on Page 10) a 14-hour mini-series about life in America un- der Soviet control. As Investors Business Daily recently opined, “Would Communist Russia’s TASS news agency or Pravda newspaper have Pope Benedict XVI Resigns February 28, 2013 been more subservient to the party in power, the chief executive who leads it or the ideology at Benedict XVI’s Resignation: Coherence and Comprehension their foundation than America’s major media outlets are being to Barack Obama, the Demo- Pope Benedict XVI an- cratic Party and their socialist-style liberalism?” nounced his resignation this How else do you explain the media blackout on week. It will officially take the messy story about U.S. Senator Bob effect at at 8:00 pm on Feb- th Menendez, D-NJ? This should be a big story but ruary 28 . The statement of apparently since it involves a Democrat, it isn’t. his resignation, read by Or how about President Obama supporting drone the Pope in Latin, states attacks that kill Americans suspected of terror- clearly that his “advanced ism overseas? The White House apparently be- age” and his declining physi- lieves the deadly drone attacks are necessary to cal strength “are no longer protect the country. Isn’t that what President suited to an adequate exer- Nixon used to say about lots of his actions too? cise of the Petrine ministry”. How about that great Nixon quote torn to shreds Father Federico Lombardi, by the liberal news media 40 years ago that went, the head of the Vatican press “If the president does it, that means it’s not ille- office, explained that the decision is not due to any (Continued on Page 14) external pressures but sim- (Continued on Page 16) THE POST-GAZETTE SATELLITE OFFICE IS NOW OPEN AT 35 BENNINGTON STREET, EAST BOSTON This office is open on Tuesdays from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM and Thursdays from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PMPM, for the convenience of our East Boston and North Shore clients and contributors Call 617-227-8929 for more information Page 2 POST-GAZETTE, FEBRUARY 15, 2013 Res Publica by David Trumbull The Legacy of President Washington “[I] am persuaded, whatever partiality may be retained for my services, that, in the present circumstances of our country, you will not disapprove my determination to retire.” — George Washington, in 1796, THE ARCHIVES OF THE WORLD announcing his intention to retire after two terms as President. Clay is said to be virtu- the disintegrating forces of distortion and removal of Monday is WASHINGTON’S BIRTHDAY, a federal and state ally indestructible. Consid- nature. the contents is impossible holiday to honor the hero of the Revolutionary War, the Fa- ering the time frame re- The rivers of ancient times without breaking the jar. ther of His Country and the first President of the United ferred to herein, indestruc- contained no pollution as Fortunately, the distorted States. Much has been said and written about Washington’s tible is an appropriate refer- we know it. Much of the tablets can be re-dried, character and his influence, for the good, on the founding, ence. The age of most clay river clay was of a very good brushed clean and can once and maintaining in its first years, of our Republic. In par- can be counted in millions quality because it was again be made readable. The ticular, it has been noted that Washington’s decision to step of years, whereas the baked washed clean by nature. contents of the jars are down voluntarily, rather than serve as President for Life, and sun dried artifacts Poor quality clay could be much more valuable than revealed not merely his personal humility, but his deep trust discovered in the mounds used for fine pottery or clay the jars themselves. Fortu- in our Republican form of government. Washington was per- of Mesopotamia are at best tablets only after being nately also, is the fact that suaded that our Constitution, which he called “sacredly obli- five thousand years old; a given additional washing by a carefully split jar can be gatory upon all” would always guarantee that we’d be a free mere blip in the passage of placing it in water and stir- re-glued with not too much people. And so shall we be, so long as the people hold our time. ring. Small particles of wood, loss in value. officials bound to their oaths to uphold the Constitution. When properly baked, straw and leaves floated to The history of the United Of the 43 men to serve as Chief Executive of the Union, bricks or pottery can with- the top and could be easily States is recorded and only Washington is so singled out for honor with a federal stand the forces of the ele- scooped off. Pebbles and sand safely stored in the National holiday. That many persons now call the third Monday in ments without any damage sank to the bottom and were Archives in Washington, February “Presidents Day” is an indicator of our lack of dis- whatsoever. Jars that were later discarded. D.C.; any desired informa- crimination and devaluing of true accomplishment and fame. made from different clay A fundamental character- tion can be obtained by go- To put it in perspective, Catholics believe that each of the mixtures and varying de- istic of clay or unbaked clay ing to the proper vault, the 265 popes was the Vicar of Christ on Earth, infallible in mat- grees of heat are found in products is that they shrink proper shelf and the proper ters of faith and morals and yet fewer than 80 have been the ruins of most ancient when they are dry and volume. It is my conten- added to the calendar of saints. No less erudite writer than Dante Alighieri placed some of the popes in Hell. “He who cities. Oh how fortunate they expand when they are tion that the history of the made the great refusal” in Canto 3 of Dante’s Inferno is gen- are those persons who can moist. Libraries as we know civilized world is recorded eral considered to be Pope Celestine V. Celestine’s abdica- read the ancient jars as them are rows of books on and safely stored in the tion of the Throne of Peter in 1294 was, in the view of Dante, we can read a newspaper; shelves. Libraries of ancient mounds of Mesopotamia. an abdication of his responsibility to the Church and shirk- the texture of the clay that Mesopotamia were many Any desired information ing of his duty to God. It lead to the election of Pope Boniface was used, the glaze, the sun dried clay tablets placed can be obtained by going VIII, in Dante’s opinion, a very bad Pope.