Tag Archives: Gillette Stadium

Don’t Mess With New England Sports Fans

Posted on by

I lived in New England for 45 years, 35 of them in Massachusetts. I was there for the glory days of the Bruins and the Red Sox and the Tom Brady years. I can honestly say that New England sports fans are a breed of their own. Massachusetts is also a Democrat stronghold. George W. Bush didn’t even establish a campaign headquarters in my area when he ran for President! Well, sports fans and politics are about to have a major clash.

On Thursday, Todd Starnes reported the following:

Hundreds of Army and Navy football fans were booted from their hotels to make room for illegal aliens. And a good many veterans and service academy graduates were among those displaced.

It’s the big story Massachusetts where the government ordered hotels to cancel reservations for the upcoming football game at Gillette stadium.

Massachusetts has a “right to shelter law.” That means homeless people and illegals must have a place to stay.

Some 70,000 fans are expected and hotel rooms are a hot commodity.

One state lawmaker noted the irony that the home of the New England Patriots can’t find rooms for people that fought for the country because the state had to make room to take care of people who invaded our nation.

“We have veterans and military families being moved out of their reservations because illegal immigrants are living in the motel,” State Rep. Steven Xiarhos told me.

“They’re estimating about $45 million a month have is being spent,” he said. “Now, I’m on the Ways and Means Committee and I’m proud to be on that committee as well as Veterans Affairs Committee and Public Safety. Those are some of the committees I’m on. And, you know, this was never really planned on or budgeted.”

The article ends with a quote from State Rep. Steven Xiarhos:

“So they’re getting incredible benefits based on the Right to Shelter law,” he said. “Meanwhile, I have veterans in my district that are homeless.”

This is a classic example of the difference between America First and America Last. To borrow a phrase from Tom Bodett — When it comes to veterans and service academy graduates – America First will leave the light on for you.

This isn’t the first time the Democrats have taken hotel reservations away from the people who made them. In 2004, all of the law students who had made hotel reservations (up to a year in advance) to take the bar exam in Boston were kicked out of their hotel rooms to make room for the Democrat Party Convention. The students were then housed in the various colleges around the city which was okay, but they had made the hotel reservations first!

Sometimes I Just Miss New England

Posted on by

ESPN is reporting that the Eagle Brook Saloon in Norfolk, Massachusetts, (a great place to eat or drink) now features the Free Brady Blonde IPA on its menu.

The story reports:

As a die-hard New England Patriots fan and season-ticket holder, Chuck Horne needed to do something to support his favorite quarterback, Tom Brady.

So the man who owns a bar less than three miles from Gillette Stadium, where the Patriots play, called up the microbrewery that makes some of his bar’s beers and asked them if they could supply him with a blonde IPA.

…Despite the $6.75 price point — most of its microbrews cost $5.25 — many patrons haven’t flinched. In six days, Horne said, the bar has sold more than 500 glasses of the beer.

“We just feel like the NFL is taking a shot at the big guy on the block to make a statement,” Horne said. “It’s ridiculous.”

Sometimes I just miss New England.

A Waste Of A Talented Athlete

Posted on by

WCVB.com (Boston) is reporting today that former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez has been found guilty of first-degree murder in the death of Odin Lloyd. Hernandez will spend the rest of his life in prison without the chance of parole. He will serve his time in MCI Cedar Junction in Walpole, less than two miles from Gillette Stadium.

The article reports:

He was also found guilty of charges of illegal possession of firearm and illegal possession of ammunition.

In Massachusetts, a first-degree murder conviction carries an automatic sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. He will serve his time at MCI Cedar Junction in Walpole.

“Odin was the backbone of the family. Odin was the man of the house.  Odin was his sisters’ keepers,” his mother, Ursula Ward, said in a victim impact statement.

Through tears, Ward said she has forgiven those involved in her son’s death.

“I forgive the hands of the people who had a hand in my son’s murder — both before and after. And I hope and pray that someday everyone out there will forgive them also,” she said.

Hernandez had a bright future in the National Football League. It is a shame that his lack of moral fiber will mean that he spends the rest of his life behind bars.

Should Foxboro Massachusetts Have A Casino ?

Posted on by

A website entitled nofoxborocasino.com posted the following:

We recently posted a report written by the Mayor of Ledyard, CT (home to Foxwoods Casino) in 2001 entitled: “Report, Fiscal Impacts of Foxwoods Casino on the Town of Ledyard, Connecticut. Mayor Wesley J. Johnson, Sr.; Town of Ledyard; December 2001.”This was written 9 years after Foxwoods opened.

We believe Foxwoods is a good case study of what happens to a small town when a casino is built. Note Ledyard’s population was 15,000, similar to 17,000 in the Town of Foxboro today.

Some Important Statistics Cited in the Report (read the full report here):

  1. The crime rate in Ledyard went up by 300%.
  2. There was a 200% increase in traffic volumes.
  3. Ledyard went to having the highest DWI / DUI rate in the state.
  4. Foxwoods averages 55,000 visitors a day (that is almost equivalent to a Patriots home game–365 days a year!)
  5. Jobs were created, but they were low paying jobs making under $25,000 per year.
  6. And the report concludes with “…. the social cost of problem gambling, inability to regulate land use and uncertainty about where and how future development will occur, will continue to effect the financial stability, rural character and quality of life in our town.”

I understand that a casino brings in revenue, but the experience of Ledyard seems to indicate that it also adversely impacts life in the town. Hopefully Foxboro residents will have access to information on both sides of the issue before they vote.

Enhanced by Zemanta