Newton Fire Department’s Annual Firefighter Sunday. Along with honoring their members who passed away over the past year; they honored members who passed away prior to retirement. My grandfather was one of 42 Newton Firefighters since WW2 who passed away far too young.
General Omar Bradley called it the most dangerous mission of D-Day. He was not wrong.
At 6:30am on June 6, 1944, 225 Army Rangers approached a 100-foot sheer cliff face on the Normandy coast called Pointe du Hoc.
Their mission: climb it.
The cliff was vertical. The Germans were at the top with full visibility of everyone below. As the Rangers fired grappling hooks upward, the Germans cut the ropes. Shot the men hanging on them. Dropped grenades over the edge onto the climbers beneath.
The Rangers kept climbing.
It took roughly 40 minutes. Men fell. Men were shot off the ropes. The ones behind them grabbed the ropes and kept going.
They reached the top.
Then came the gut punch: the massive 155mm artillery guns they had been sent to destroy were gone. The Germans had moved them inland before the invasion. The entire mission had been sent to destroy guns that weren't there.
Most commanders would have regrouped and called it done.
The Rangers fanned out. Two miles inland, they found the guns, hidden in an orchard, already aimed at Utah Beach and loaded to fire. They destroyed every one with thermite grenades.
Then they dug in. Cut off, with almost no ammunition, no reinforcements, and no resupply, 225 men held Pointe du Hoc against relentless German counterattacks for two full days.
When relief finally arrived, only 90 Rangers could still stand and fight.
Their names are carved on a memorial in Normandy. Most Americans today cannot name a single one.
No bill would be needed in Massachusetts if there was nothing to hide.
The Massachusetts House passed controversial bill H 5469, gutting the voter approved 2024 legislative audit and rewriting public records rules, with zero public hearing and barely 24 hours for anyone to even read it.
The final vote was 125-28.
Vast majority of Democrats voted yes.
Only three Democrats voted NO: Reps. Michael Connolly, Steve Hawkins, and Alan Silvia.
As Rep. Connolly said: “I mean, the headline almost writes itself, right? ‘Legislature passes transparency bill out of the cover of darkness.’”
The Governor’s office, Legislature, AND Judiciary are all exempt from public records laws. This bill gives the Governor’s office some access… while the Legislature keeps protecting itself from real oversight.
Look, the only way we’re ever going to get the full audit we voted for is to start replacing every single one of them who voted for this garbage.
As I stated yesterday, this vote went almost entirely along party lines. I would have been another vote against this bill.
The annual Pentecost tradition (today!) at Rome's Pantheon is a moment of extraordinary beauty.
It occurs every year on the seventh Sunday after Easter. At noon, after the Holy Mass, thousands of rose petals are dropped through the oculus of the mighty dome.
As the petals fall, a choir sings "Veni Sancte Spiritus," known as the Golden Sequence, a masterpiece of sacred Latin poetry.
This is to celebrate the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Virgin Mary and the Apostles.
The rose petal ritual likely dates back to 607 AD when the pagan temple became a Christian church.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Robert T. Kilduff who tragically killed in the line of duty tonight at a 3 alarm fire on Treadway Road. May he rest in peace and always be remembered.
Iwo Jima veterans Billy Byrd (100) and Don Graves (101) flew to Washington, D.C., where they will serve as Honorary Grand Marshals for the National Memorial Day Parade. 🇺🇸
The first thing they did when they saw each other? Started talking trash.
Some things never change. 🤣
The Barnstable County Assembly of Delegates met yesterday to discuss an ordinance aimed at further restricting ICE operations on Cape Cod.
This man said what millions of Americans are thinking but are too afraid to say out loud:
“I am not an uncompassionate individual. But my generosity has been abused, and I am sick of it! I am sick of being treated as an indentured servant to foreign nationals in my country and in my community. And I don't give a damn whose feelings that hurts.”
There was a whole lot of pear-clutching afterward.
@HAD_ENOUGH_22@mrp035@Dan142160151137@TownofDennis@Yarmouth_MA@CapeCodGov@BarnstableMA@EROBoston@DHSgov@RealTomHoman
In Massachusetts, $10 worth of gas usage can cost you $101. In this example, the public benefit tax is 50% higher than the usage and the cost to delver the gas was 7x the supply that was delivered.
"How is this legal?!" Photo by Kerri Poppins.
Smokey and the Bandit turns 49 today. If it weren’t for a space saga from a galaxy far, far away, it would’ve been '77’s biggest hit. Burt Reynolds starred, but Jackie Gleason flat-out steals the movie. Now, gimme a diablo sandwich and a Dr Pepper, ’cause I’m in a goddamn hurry.
Try going on Disney owned ABC and saying that Michelle Obama deserves to be a widow.
Or Jill Biden. Or Hillary Clinton.
You’d not only have your show canceled, you’d be banned from network media for life.
And I’d agree with that. Because wishing death on a woman’s husband is an evil thing to do.
No matter the politics. So why is it ok for @Disney owned @ABC to allow Jimmy Kimmel to wish death on Trump and his supporters time and time again?
It’s not. It’s indefensible. Fire Jimmy Kimmel. Enough.
Bill Maher asks how the government is “failing the poor so badly” when he pays “60 PERCENT” of his earnings in taxes.
“Last week was tax day… I paid the government probably almost 60% of what I earn. That’s a lot.”
“And I… wouldn’t mind if Bernie Sanders would stop saying the rich don’t pay taxes.”
“The top 10% pay 72% of all federal income taxes. And the bottom half, 3%.”
“The Democratic Socialists talk about socialism like we don’t already have a lot: Social Security, unemployment, Medicare, nutritional assistance, Medicaid, Obamacare, disability, housing subsidies.”
“How can you be soaking the rich and failing the poor so badly? How can it be that the federal government alone took in over 5 trillion in taxes last year, and we still need that?”
“Are we really this incompetent and corrupt?”
Great time yesterday at Regis College for the Regis Spring Classic. It was also Senior Day and our guy PR’d in all 3 of his events.
Couldn’t be more proud Ed, hard work pays off!
#RoarPride@Regis_XCTF@RegisCollege_MA