Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Still Standing

One year ago today, after recovering sufficiently from the build-up and day of the infamous town meeting from hell (and an evening of much needed camaraderie at Mark Belanger's house in it's aftermath) I picked myself up, dusted myself off and pushed the 'publish' button on a blog post called Gladys Rising.

In that post, I brought up Article 3 - that fact that the town voted that it didn't want a casino, despite approving an agreement, and pondered:

So, will Glenn Marshall go against the wishes of the host community? Could it be possible that in his long life he somehow missed the lesson that ‘No means No?’ Or does he actually plan on date-raping the town of Middleboro?
Less than a month later, it was revealed that Glenn Marshall was a convicted date rapist .

Hey, can I pick 'em out of a crowd or what?

Well, the sun has come up on another July 30th, and Gladys is still here, still rising, and still fighting. And she wants to know what keeps you here. What keeps you fighting?

Another year of challenges waits for us. How should we use it?

11 comments:

Mark Belanger said...

I don't think it was date rape, I think he was driving her home from a party. Then again, maybe he thought the offer of a ride was technically a date and that she owed him something for gas.

Also his service fighting all those battles in 'Nam and weight of carrying all those medals for heroism were a big factor.

It's not like his history of lying and convictions would make him ineligible to run a casino ...... oh wait a minute ..... yes it would.

Anonymous said...

Educate more people on the myths of indian casinos. As far as blogging I think the formula is just fine, although it would be nice if these blogs could reach the masses. Think about it.

Carl said...

I continually remain in the fight for the quality of life for my children. My family has lived here longer than the Mashpee were a real "tribe". A polyglot of "praying indians" gathered in one place does not automatically make any one group a "tribe". I'm not in it for power, popularity or political agenda. I'm in it because it is the right thing to do, win or lose.

Anonymous said...

Gladys you've done so much and added to the discussion with your humor and creativity more than you'll ever know.
Friends and acquaintances who don't attend meetings tell me about your new blogs.
They have a far greater understanding of the BIA/DOI/LIT process because of you and they are paying attention. On Monday nights in Mboro, Nielson would register HOT because of viewers of the BOS meetings.
You have succeeded in raising awareness which is generally an insurmountable goal.
How should you use it? Keep on Keeping on is my vote. Keep blogging. You and CFO have set the tone for civilized dialogue.

carverchick said...

What keeps me fighting is the wrongness of this entire situation. The more I learn, the more I want to fight. I got into this because I am worried about the future of our community and the irrepairable damage to our quality of life a casino would bring.

I do it for my family...
I do it for my friends...
I do it for my neighbors....
I do it for my community....

and I do it for me because I know in my heart, not fighting, not standing up for my own rights, for all of our rights, and not demanding a fair and honest process is even more wrong than the casino itself.

NO CASINO!

Anonymous said...

What keeps me fighting? I believe good will overcome evil, but "the good" have to group together & fight long & hard. All of you anti-casino people,cfo.org,all you bloggers, are the good & you all have been fighting this evil, long & hard, so I thank all of you & may the god of your choice BLESS YOU for all you've done in the past yr. WE WILL WIN, THERE WILL BE NO CASINO IN MIDDLEBORO!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I fight the casino knowing that it is the symptom of a bigger problem, and that communities all over the country are faced with the very same "done deal" scenario, complete with local elected leaders who have failed to successfully manage a budget and need an easy answer to thier fiscal problems.
I fight the casino because the M'boro BOS didn't.
I fight the casino because through research I have learned that an apathetic public has saddled me with an inept government, and maybe our battle will help change some of that.
I fight this casino because I was one of those people who wasn't paying attention, and I was forced to fight if I wanted to have a say in what I wanted for my community.
And I continue to fight because I am paying attention now, and after the casino issue is done, my job as a citizen isn't.
As a greatful citizen, I would like to tip my hat to everyone in this fight:
-CFO (past and present officers/members); good people who dedicated themselves wholeheartedly to what they believed in.
-Bloggers like Bellicose Bumpkin, Gladys Kravits and Carver Chick. Keeping the public informed would have been impossible without you.
-And last but not least, I wish to thank everyone who said we had no choice. It forced me to do my own research, and through it, I learned how to effectively oppose you.

Keep well & keep fighting, Gladys!

Anonymous said...

Thank you Gladys and other citizen soldiers who take time from their families and businesses to research, write, and inform.

It seems to me, that those who thought the "casino was in the bag" underestimated the good citizens of Middleboro and their ability to fight.

Same subject different vein:
Middleboro needs to hang a new sign at the border.
"Carpetbaggers Not Welcome"
Or at least tighten up the laws. For instance.
New citizens to the area should have to establish residency of at least 3 years before they run for public office.

Raymond Tolosko said...

Why do I keep fighting?

Because it's wrong.

It's wrong to be blindsided by a land sale whether or not you've been involved in the politics of the town or not. Our elected officials should have had the forethought to warn us all, knowing the potential impact a sale like this could have to a town and community(...and I'm not talking about some small advertisement in the Middleboro gazette)

I fight because will live in a country where things like this should not happen. The process is done so coyly that unless you've lived through it, noone would believe you.

I fight because it's important to have a voice and speak out....this is America after all, although that past year has made me wonder how this could happen here.

Anonymous said...

I fight to educate and share the research with those who; don't have the motivation, the need, the compassion for their neighbors, feel that geography will keep them safe, are hoodwinked by their leaders, mis-informed by the media and feel-good politics. Expanded gambling is not the answer. We should look to build our future on our strengths, and not our weaknesses.

Anonymous said...

I was lied to.

My property was vandalized.

My town and my way of life is threatened.

I will never forget.

We cannot let this happen.


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