Of
course the highlight is the four bands that will play from 3 to 9 p.m.
this Sunday (the rain date is September 20). The event will take place
in the large parking lot behind the Precinct bar and restaurant, and a
portion of the proceeds from the $15 entry fee will go toward Community
Action Outreach Somerville (CAAS) and Respond.

"It's going to
be a total community and family event," said Robert Elliott, who
organized the event along with Precinct manager Ronan Geary. "I like
the idea of giving back to the community that supports us."

It
was a natural fit to donate funds to Respond and CAAS, since the
non-profits are housed above the Precinct in Union Square plaza.
Respond is New England's first domestic violence agency and the second
in the nation to provide safe haven for women dealing with abuse.

Music
Festival 09 is sponsored by Pabst Blue Ribbon, which will flowing
during the fest. The first 30 dogs to join the festivities-before the
bands go on at about 2 p.m.-will receive a Pabst Blue Ribbon dog collar.

Elliott
wanted to include the canines because he loves animals. He thought it
would be more fun for the family to bring the dog along. There will be
a certified vet and dog masseuse on site, and a masseuse for humans, as
well.

The kid activities will also take place before the live music, and will include a dunk tank, bouncy castle, and face painting.

Barrence
Whitfield (http://www.barrencewhitfield.com/) will be the headliner.
His newest CD is entitled, "Raw, Raw Rough." The other musicians are:

o
Jess Tardy-This blues musician has been performing locally since 2001.
She is a familiar face at Sally O'Briens in the square.
http://jesstardy.com

o Andrea Gillis-Gillis, with her true
Motown spirit, was named in 2004 one of the ten local performers to
look out for. Since then, she has been nominated for two Boston Music
Awards and a Maxie Award. http://www.andreagillis.com

o Jenny
Dee and The Deelinquents-This band's "coquettish" presence and all-soul
repertoire evoke the all-girls bands of the 1960s.

The Sea
Monsters will round out the acts and play downstairs in the Precinct at
10 p.m. The Independent and Cantina Mexicana will also offer a variety
of food and drink.

Andy was a former
State Representative for the town of Holbrook and a former candidate
for Massachusetts Governor in 1982,when he failed to secure the
republican nomination for that office. He also made a strong promise
that if it comes time for a more formal announcement of his intention
of running, that " you will be the first to know!"

***************

Alderwoman
Rebekah Gewirtz will be having her fundraiser next Wednesday from
5:30pm to 7pm at Redbones BBQ, she's up for re-election this year and
has an opponent – local TV personality Jim Campano. RSVP Rebekah's time
to Alex Pearson at 210-643-5915. Rebekah has a new web site and we give
it high ratings – very nicely thought out – www.rebekahgewirtz.org

***************

School
Committeeman Jamie Norton will also be having a fundraiser at the "On
the Hill Tavern" on Broadway, Monday September 28, from 6pm to whenever
– RSVP Jamie's email at jamesnorton@yahoo.com or visit his web site – www.ward4somerville.com

***************

Our
own Bob Publicover is starting his chemo treatment this week, he's in
good spirits and he's very confident that things will turn out good –
we and his many friends here wish him the best.

***************

Condolences
go out to the family of John Clancy and his longtime companion Sandra
Mattson – he passed away early Monday morning. John was a custodian at
the Brown School and a friend to many people in this city – he will be
sorely missed.

***************

Somerville Rotary –
another great club here in Somerville – will be having its Annual
Charity event on October 29th at 7pm at Giggles Comedy Club in Saugus.
Contact Gilda Nogueira at 617-551-2302 or Gene Brune at 617-679-6310 if
you would like to buy an ad and/or attend the event. Rotary is another
great business club that donates a lot of money here in Somerville – as
well as scholarships. For information on joining, call the President
this year – Tony Pierantozzi (Superintendent of Schools) or any of the
above names with numbers – they're always looking for new members –
they meet Tuesdays at Noon at the Mt. Vernon Restaurant.

***************

The
last of the Hart children was married over the weekend, Richard &
Mary's last of 10 kids (and the one of the twins) Maureen was married
over the weekend, we wish her and her new husband the best.

***************

The
late Paul Corbin will have a square in Somerville named and dedicated
to him this coming Saturday, September 12th. The square located at the
corner of Bartlett and Vernon Streets will be dedicated in his memory.
Paul was a great guy and truly another Somerville legend to all his
neighbors and family.

***************

Just a reminder of
the 2nd Anniversary get together over at the Ball Square Café Рboth
Mike and Omar will be on hand with #1 waitress Patty (recently
celebrated her birthday last week – we won't tell you, ask her how
old). So don't forget the 17th from 6:30 a.m. to 3p.m. Come in and
toast a cheer to them and wish them the best.

***************

Somerville
High School's Class of 1959 is celebrating their 50th Reunion on
November 7th and the Holiday Inn. For more information, Mary
(Capobianco) Oliveira at 617-623-8881 or 781-475-0938.

***************

Most
liquor stores in the city have what you call an ID Register – connected
directly to their cash register that will stop an underage sale before
it happens. This device enables the store clerk to be informed that
their customer that they are serving is underage by scanning their
driver's license or identification card and then causes the cash
register to not allow the sale to be rung in. Unfortunately, we heard
that many clerks in the city are too lazy to use the device in order to
make a quick sale quickly.

***************

The crowd by all
accounts was very respectful, much more so then the other town hall
meetings within the Commonwealth and in other states over the past few
months. The vast majority of the crowd seemed to be in support of the
health care reform laid out by Senator Kerry his staff.

The
most boisterous of the crowd proved to be the quarrelling Service
Employees International Union (SEIU) and the followers of Lyndon
LaRouche. The two opposing groups set up shop right in front of the
doors to the High School, at the front of the line to enter. A shouting
match ensued, the SEIU chanting lines like "50 million uninsured – got
to get this system cured" and "we want you – to have health care too."
The LaRouche group countered with familiar melodies; a cappella and
opera styled renditions of famous songs from composers like Wolfgang
Mozart and Bernhard Heiden with original lyrics like "Doctor easy kill
a man from hell."

This proved to be a good form of
entertainment for the crowd waiting on the other side of the gate to
get into the meeting. Still, they were like sitting ducks to the
emphatic groups of outspoken picketers, with a nearly full moon to boot.

Among
them was Catherine Farrell a 64-year-old out of Newton, Massachusetts.
She stated that she "supports single payer health care" and that
"Massachusetts is not a state in doubt, most of the state is in
agreement on the idea of health care reform, but we need to get the 46
million uninsured insured now." Bobby O'Neill, 23 of Somerville and a
fellow supporter of health care reform came to "see how it goes…T.V.
shows the dramatic battles, we want to see the actual substance."

Eric
Anthony, 60, from Brighton MA was among the opposition in the crowd.
Mr. Anthony was deeply concerned with the bill; "When I took the Marine
Oath I swore to defend the country from all threats, foreign and
domestic," he said, "this bill is one of the biggest domestic enemies
of our time." Although Mr. Anthony is against this particular bill, he
made it clear that he was for health care reform, just not this way,
and that this means is a "direct attack on freedom."

After
overhearing Mr. Anthony's statement, Lynn William, 67, of Cambridge MA,
who was standing right behind him in line, countered by saying
"Medicare is amazing, it covers the cost off almost everything." Fern
Gibbons, 27 of Somerville and a little further down the line said that,
"people in support need to show up, their voices get phased out by the
fringe." On the other side of the gate, however, Dave Funnell, 62 of
Medford, MA stood with his wife Chris with signs against the reform.
Mr. Funnell believes that "so few are representing the private sector,
and if the bill gets passed our country is in worse trouble…it can't
spend trillions more, tax revenue will be diminished from the roll-out
over the future." He also added that "this is all a collusion between
the upper and lower classes, and the middle class will get squeezed
out."

Kaspar Kasparian, 61 of Arlington, seemed to be very
passionate about this reform solidifying. "Two years ago I lost a
friend," he said, "he had fallen ill, was jobless and disabled and ran
out of money. He took his own life because of all of this…the health
care industry is full of vampires, looking for profits rather than
helping."

At around 8:00 p.m. the crowds outside had diminished
to just sixty-five, the rest being within the building that was then at
capacity. The authorities admitted the last 65 into the gymnasium,
where the over 1,500 who hadn't gotten into the Auditorium were sitting
on bleachers and watching a s large screen with video of the hearing.
Many tried to still get into the auditorium, mostly in hopes of getting
their voices heard.

Two physicians from the Lemuel-Shattuck
Hospital were among this group of anxious wanderers, one a psychiatrist
and the other a neurologist. They explained, "90% of all physicians
want single payer health care, yet no one asks us, no one wants to hear
from the physicians." The two doctors went on to describe how the
insurance companies suck money away from the funding mechanism, and
that they look for the most simple and equitable means of going about
their business. "Medicare attempts to ration health care to cut costs,
while the private companies do anything to maximize profits."

Of
vast importance to these physicians was the fact that the primary care
physicians are forced to run a large variety of tests to insure that
they are catching whatever problems a patient is having, rather then
recommending them to a specialist. This is caused by differing coverage
from health insurance companies, and ends up costing the patient not
only more money, but also serious risks of complications and
mistreatment. "The major function of primary care physicians is to
recognize if or there is or is not a problem," one of the physicians
stated, "as well as knowing what they do know personally and what they
don't. The restraints from health care providers impede on their
readiness to take advantage of specialists' specific expertise."

This
health care reform, according to what they say are the opinions of the
vast majority of physicians, will foster relationships between the
primary care physicians and that of the specialists, which is a much
more efficient and effective way of tackling both minor and major
health issues. Also, that it would enable primary care physicians to
act as the front-line, with access to the specific fields that may be
necessary to solve problems.

At around 9 p.m., those in the
gymnasium began to file out, and a short while after the Town Hall
meeting came to an end. Those who didn't get to ask questions or voice
their opinions were handed slips that they could write their contact
information and their questions. The questions were then to be handed
into Senator Kerry's staff, which will be answering all of them in as
timely a fashion as possible.

So Joe will continue his work with Citizen's Energy and
enjoy life in obscurity – something Kennedy's really aren't all that
used to. He won't have to jump back into the political bumping and
grinding and overall frenzy the race to fill Ted's seat will bring.
It's a shame, because he would have been a great Senator – but now that
he is out, the floodgates are opening – and we will still win in
Somerville, because Congressman (and Former Mayor) Mike Capuano will
now make his move up.

Senator Mike Capuano has a good ring to
it. This will be his opportunity to take that explosively passionate
personality and stand out – it really is difficult to be a Congressman
– there are 434 other people to contend with every day and an election
to run every two years. In the Senate, he will only have to deal with
99 other people and an election every six years. Much better work
environment, for sure.

So what happens next? Well, here's a
scenario for you, that isn't too far fetched…just keep in mind what
happened when State Senator Charlie Shannon passed away a few years
back, and that will hopefully keep your attention.

The special
election gets underway and all Hell breaks loose. Everyone and his
grandmother gets the call to help Mike Capuano and people scatter to
the four ends of the Commonwealth. Capuano gets elected and takes the
Senate seat, leaving now a hole in the House of Representatives, which
will cause another special election for that seat.

Echoes of the year of the never-ending elections already, don't you think?

So
then a special is called for the open seat in the 8th District. Then
the fur really starts to fly. Mayors, State Senators and anyone with
more than 15 seconds of fame and a couple of million burning a hole in
their pockets will jump into the fray, including our own Mayor Joe
Curtatone.

So then Mayor Joe gets elected and takes over the
Congressional seat, of course it's a double win-win with Capuano in the
Senate. Now, you guessed it, there has to be a special election for
Mayor of Somerville. We don't even want to begin to speculate about the
horror show that would ensue, but the thought sure makes us chuckle.

At 265 Medford Street in Somerville, this is a common
goal that is infused into everyday work and compassion for the
Somerville foster care community. Dare Family Services is an
organization that represents family, community, and a second chance for
children in need of a loving and safe home environment.

To date,
the Somerville Dare office has 48 foster parents and 54 foster children
in placement. This number reflects the significant amount of peoples'
lives that Dare is positively affecting everyday. Having been around
for 45 years, Dare is one of the oldest child placement agencies in New
England. Dare's office in Somerville offers many helpful services to
the Somerville community and beyond, reaching 70 towns in Massachusetts.

The
most common identifiers for children needing foster care is a presence
of substance abuse, domestic violence, and/or mental illness in the
household. Dare makes it a point to state that foster children are not
to be blamed for the situation that they may be in, as there are always
multiple contributing factors involved.

Dare's services range
from Adult Mental Retardation Services to Pregnant and Parenting Teen
Programs. The most prominent programs in the Somerville office are the
Intensive Foster Care program and the Counseling program. Intensive
Foster care is different from the Department of Children and Families'
foster care program, as it is for children who may need more attention
and care than a foster child in a DCF placement. Dare works very
closely with the Department of Children and Families to make sure that
foster children receive the necessary attention they deserve when
placing them with a foster family. When a child is in need of an
appropriate foster care family setting, Dare steps in to make that
possible. They match the child with the family that best fits both the
child's and the family's needs. The main goal at this level is to find
a stable environment in which the child is going to flourish and grow.
Dare then continues with weekly visits to ensure stability and to show
that both the child and the family are not alone in this process. Dare
also offers monthly support and training sessions available for foster
parents.

Having worked with so many inspiring people, Dare
stressed that these foster parents are heroes. "This is a way of life
for them. This is who they are, not just what they do," said Janelle
Moore, the marketing coordinator for Dare Family Services. Foster
parents were sometimes foster children themselves, which brings them a
great deal of satisfaction in being able to give back while knowing
they're changing a child's life.

David Tack is living proof. The
Program Director of the Somerville office,Tack, is an adoptee himself.
He has been involved in social services for most of his career. He has
been the director of Dare for over one year now, and prior was wit h
the Department of Child and Family Services for 20 years. His
commitment to the foster care system is demonstrated through his
passion for the work. "I really enjoy working with Dare. Everyday is a
learning experience. We have a great staff who support the social
workers and in return we receive great support from the larger social
service organizations," said Tack. The people who become foster parents
continue to impress Tack everyday. "There are a lot of courageous
people out there."

Foster care is not always the answer. Dare
supports families going through difficult times with their children by
providing intensive counseling before they are removed from the home.
The goal here is to mediate and intervene in order to keep the child in
their home environment.