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VOL. 118 - NO. 28 BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, JULY 11, 2014 $.35 A COPY USS Constitution Joseph E. Finn Appointed Goes Underway on July 4th for Boston Fire Commissioner/Chief of Department Last Turnaround Before Dry Dock Mayor Martin J. Walsh tions, fire ground operations, announced that he will hazardous materials, and by Matt Conti appoint Chief Joseph E. Finn technical rescue responses as the next Commissioner/ in Division One. Chief of the Boston Fire In his 30 years with the Department. Chief Finn will Boston Fire Department, assume the duties from cur- Deputy Chief Finn made rent Interim Commissioner/ significant contributions to Chief John Hasson. the department, including “Deputy Chief Finn pos- establishing an EMT train- sesses a broad and impres- ing program that increased sive understanding of the the number of EMTs on the Boston Fire Department, in- Boston Fire Department by cluding personnel, public 50 percent, and assisting safety, and administration,” in the development of state said Mayor Walsh. Chief regulations for the use Finn’s experience and lead- of semi-automatic external ership style, along with his this post based on the find- defibrillators, and of legisla- commitment to diversity and ings of the O’Toole Commis- tion that made the Fire ser- fairness, will help move our sion, and was charged with vice a major participant in Fire Department into an implementing the Commis- the delivery of Emergency even more successful era of sion’s recommendations re- Medical Services. service to the people of lated to disparity of treat- Deputy Chief Finn has Boston.” ment towards members. He served as a committee Joseph E. Finn has been a initiated and trained the member on the Mayor’s task member of the Boston Fire first team of investigators to force for the integration of Department since October of examine harassment and Boston Emergency Medical 1984 and has risen through discrimination allegations, Services into the Boston Fire the ranks of the department. and trained firefighters to Department, and a commit- (Photo by Matt Conti) In 2001, he was promoted become mediators to achieve tee member for the Massa- Deputy Chief of Personnel, conflict resolution among chusetts Human Resource At 216 years old, the USS Constitution was still as majestic responsible for recruitment, staff. Division in the development th as ever during her July 4 turnaround in Boston Harbor. selection and hiring, as well Since 2005, Deputy Chief and implementation for a This is the last time Old Ironsides will be underway until as contract enforcement, Finn has served as a Divi- new entry-level firefighters 2018 as she goes into dry-dock later this year for restora- employee assistance, and sion Commander, in charge tions. The drizzly weather from the approaching Tropical discipline. He was named to of all administrative func- (Continued on Page 4) Storm Arthur did not interfere with the annual cruise as the historic ship made its way to Castle Island for a 21-gun salute at Fort Independence. On its way back to Charlestown Navy Yard, another 17-gun salute was fired off the U.S. Coast Guard Base in the North End. The USS Constitution is Boston Harborfest 2014 most well-known for its role in the War of 1812 and its stand- ing as the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the U.S. Navy. News Briefs by Sal Giarratani How Low in the Polls Can He Go? According to most pollsters, President Obama is sinking quickly. One poll has his disapproval rate at 54 percent. Another poll shows that 50 percent of Americans think he is no longer capable of leading. Worse than that, one poll shows him to be the worse president since 1945. Meaning that if you are Republican, he is worse than Jimmy Carter and if you are a Democrat, worse than George W. Bush himself. Michigan Speech Says it All According to President Obama, the national economy is stronger today than it has been since 2008 when President Bush was still in office. Obama added that most Americans don’t even know this fact. I guess we are all too stupid for our own good, huh? (Photo by Rosario Scabin, Ross Photography) Harborfest is a favorite yearly destination a local event to a national celebration. (Continued on Page 8) for 4th of July festivities. The 33rd Anniver- In 1982 there were 35 activities over the sary celebrations ran from July 2–6, 2014 course of three days. Now in its 33rd year, and showcased the colonial and mari- Harborfest is considered to be the largest time heritage of the cradle of the American patriotic celebration in the nation where the THE POST-GAZETTE SATELLITE OFFICE Revolution: the historic City of Boston. visitors were able to enjoy more than 200 AT 35 BENNINGTON STREET, EAST BOSTON The award-winning festival honored and activities suiting different ages and tastes remembered the past, celebrated the (from chocolate making to Tea Party Debate WILL BE CLOSED FOR TWO WEEKS present, and educated the future with re- through historical reconstructions), in order BEGINNING TUESDAY, JUNE 24TH enactments, concerts & historical tours. to ensure entertainment for the whole Over the years, Harborfest has grown from family. Page 2 POST-GAZETTE, JULY 11, 2014 Res Publica by David Trumbull Persons, not People My Facebook friends on the political left are, once again, in the wake of the Hobby Lobby decision riled up over the LITERATI OF THE LATE EMPIRE Supreme Court and clamoring, again, for a constitutional amendment to say that, “Corporations are not People,” thus, Recently we started the book of law during those they believe, over-turning the 2010 Citizens United decision. series on Roman scholars, ancient times, and was used Well, of course corporations are not people! No one ever and as you may recall, as a foundation for some of said they were. Okay, I concede, Mitt Romney did say that divided all of Latin literati the Justinian Law. during the 2012 presidential campaign, but Romney never into four periods or Ages. 3. LUCIUS APULEIUS, did strike me as being very bright. People, from the Latin These were: 1. The Early more commonly known as populus, means human beings taken as a group, whether Age; 2. The Golden Age; 3. simply Apuleius, is the last construed as a singular or plural noun. Clearly, corporations The Silver Age, and 4. The of this week’s scholarly trio. are not people, as they are not human. Liberals demanding Late Empire. We have com- He was born in Africa, into a a “Corporations are Not People” amendment might just as pleted our brief description wealthy family, and this well call for a “The Moon is Not Made of Green Cheese” of many greats in the first permitted him to travel to amendment. Corporations are, however, persons, something three Ages. Now we enter Athens where he spent a that, for centuries until 2010 was never doubted. the Late Empire, and our cov- considerable amount of time A person (from the Latin persona) in the eyes of the law, is erage will include six of the studying the work of Plato. an entity with legal standing. A person can sue and be sued, greatest scholars that this He lived in Rome for many own property, enter contracts, and employ other persons. As Age produced. Three of them years following his classical far back as ancient Roman law and through the English will be honored this week, studies and became engaged Common Law that forms the basis for American law, corpo- and the last three will be as an advocate. rations have been recognized as artificial persons. If Hobby reserved for next week. Apuleius returned to Africa Lobby and Citizens United were not “persons” they would 1. ANNAES FLORUS, the fairly early in his career and have had no standing to sue, nor would the laws they were first member of this week’s married a wealthy older protesting have applied to them, as the law operates on trio was a Latin historian, woman. After he was charged Title page from John persons only. born either in Gaul or in with using magic to win the Price’s Latin edition of The doctrine of corporate personhood was explicitly Spain, and wrote during the rich widow’s hand, he replied Apuleius’ novel Metamor- enunciated by the Supreme Court nearly 200 years ago in reign of Trajan. He prepared with much wit in an oration phoses, or the Golden Ass the celebrated Dartmouth College. In the 1819 Dartmouth a history of Rome starting called “Apologia,” which has (Gouda, Netherlands, 1650) case the legislature of New Hampshire attempted a hostile with the origin of the city, since become quite famous. takeover of the school, a private corporation, in order to treat and continuing to a point Asian provinces and resided He subsequently traveled it as a public institution and run it as the state saw fit. midway in the reign of in Rome during the reigns throughout Africa, delivering The brilliant Daniel Webster argued for the corporation that Augustus. Experts tells us of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, lectures and orations. His “... its rights stand on the same ground as those of an that this work was not so and Marcus Aurelius. He pre- most famous work is prob- individual.” much a history as it was a pared numerous manuscripts ably “The Golden Ass,” a The Court agreed, and Associate Justice Joseph Story in eulogy of the Roman people, but the only one which is book which tells the story of his concurring opinion wrote (emphasis added): “An aggre- written in elegant fashion, still available to us today is a man named Lucius, who gate corporation, at common law, is a collection of individu- and in an oratorical style.

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