Bryan Strawser

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Patriots Day 2005

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Massachusetts, among other odd provisions, celebrates April 19th each year as Patriot’s Day.

Many recognize this as the day that the Boston Marathon is run from Hopkinton down to downtown Boston – others recognize it as the day that the Red Sox play a morning game at storied Fenway Park… but the reality is far different.

April 19th, 1775 is the day that the British marched on Concord and Lexington, two small towns west of Boston, in an effort to seize the powder and ammunition stored there.

They failed, of course, because the minutemen stood their ground. And from there on, the War was on. The War that made us free.

A bit belated, but Happy Patriot’s Day!

Patriots Day



“Contemplate the mangled bodies of your countrymen, and then say,

‘What should be the reward of such sacrifices?’ Bid us and our

posterity bow the knee, supplicate the friendship, and plough,

and sow, and reap, to glut the avarice of the men who have let

loose on us the dogs of war to riot in our blood and hunt us from

the face of the earth? If ye love wealth better than liberty, the

tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom,

go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch

down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit

lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our

countrymen!”

– Samuel Adams

Grow Up Pedro

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It’s good to see that Pedro Martinez hasn’t matured during his time so far in New York:

“I did my job. I think I did that all seven years I was there. Everyone seems to have forgotten about that. A lot of the fans probably remember, but they’re selling me as a negative. I’m not saying all the fans. But some have forgotten.”

Martinez also told the Herald he doesn’t care if he gets his World Series ring from last year’s championship team.

“If they want to keep the ring, that’s fine,” he said. “I just know I contributed to that team to win, and I’m proud of it. They can never erase what I did in Boston. Most important, I had a job in Boston for seven years, and I appreciate that. And that’s the most important thing. I had a job, and I did what I had to do in my job. Every time I could pitch, I did. Hurting, or not hurting.”

Today’s Forecast

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Just another beautiful day in Southeastern Massachusetts:

Blizzard conditions with heavy snow and very gusty winds. There could even be a rumble of thunder. Low 18F. Winds NE at 35 to 50 mph. A foot or more of snow expected. Winds could occasionally gust over 50 mph.

I just returned from the grocery store, where there were 40 people in line at the deli, the meat counter was 60% empty, and the lines were 8 people deep.

It’s just snow folks – you’ll scoop it out and goto work the next day… geesh!

Boston’s War on Terror Continues

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As I thought might happen some time ago, the War on Terrorism has returned to Boston, captured here in this article from the Boston Globe:

The FBI launched a massive manhunt across the region yesterday for six people, four Chinese scientists and two Iraqis, said to be planning to detonate a “dirty bomb” in Boston, local public safety officials briefed on the threat said.

An anonymous tipster told authorities that the six sneaked into the United States from Mexico and were headed to New York and then to Boston, where they intended to launch an attack that could involve a lethal radioactive material, several officials briefed on the threat said.

The threat was reported to a California police department by someone in Mexico who said he had smuggled the suspects across the border, the officials said. The FBI had not corroborated the information as of last night, and officials expressed skepticism about the credibility of the tip, saying the names of the suspects had been run through all available databases of criminals and nothing had come up.

“What we’re trying to do is reassure the public that there’s no reason to panic, because the information has come from an unknown source, and none of the information has been corroborated,” US Attorney Michael J. Sullivan said in an interview yesterday. “At the same time, we have to do our diligence.”

Sullivan said officials had decided to release the names and photos of the four Chinese nationals — Zengrong Lin, Wen Quin Zheng, Xiujin Chen, and Guozhi Lin — because they believe the public could help investigators find the two men and two women.

“There’s an interest on the part of law enforcement to at least locate and speak with these individuals,” Sullivan said.

The information about the four was all that the tipster provided, public safety officials said. The tipster gave no identifying information about the Iraqis, they said.

Federal, state, and city officials were taking the threat seriously yesterday. The threat was discussed in President Bush’s morning security briefing. Representatives from several state agencies, including the Department of Public Health and the National Guard, were gathered at an emergency bunker in Framingham, as Boston police were readying themselves to respond to an attack.

How do you write an obituary for this man?

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Brud20041209David Brudnoy, long time host of the David Brudnoy Show on WBZ News Radio 1030 in Boston died a few hours ago at age 64.

When I moved to Boston in January 1999, I knew very little of the culture and politics of the city. It didn’t take me long though to discover WBZ News Radio 1030.. and then only a few days to discover the David Brudnoy Show.

David had almost a calming show sense about him – and it was that voice of his that first drew me to the show. But after listening, only for a few minutes, I realized that he was indeed something special – and it was his intellect that drew me in.

David Brudnoy could interview like no one I had ever heard before. Whether he was interviewing one of the three governors that have served during my time here in the Commonwealth – or an eleven year old child who had called into his show, David made the show interesting.

Much can be said about a person simply by watching, from afar, at how they lead their lives. More can be said about a man with how they face their own death. And David faced his with dignity and a deep understanding of the short time that he had before him…

Deep Peace, David…