Archive for the ‘Tea Party’ Category

When Judge Jackson Ruled Against the IRS – The Wall Street Journal

Its safe to assume that Judge Ketanji Brown Jacksonwho was appointed to the federal bench by President Obama and has been lauded by progressiveswasnt personally a fan of the tea-party movement. But while on the bench, she defended a pro-Israel group that was seeking tax exemption against the sort of extra scrutiny the Internal Revenue Service brought to bear on many organizations associated with the tea party during the Obama administration.

The case involved Z Street, which provides information to the public on issues related to Zionism, Israel and the Middle East. At the end of 2009, it applied for tax exemption as a public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the tax code. Six months later, an IRS representative allegedly told Z Street a decision would be delayed because the agency had a special unit to examine requests from groups dealing with Israel to determine whether their views contradicted the Obama administrations policies.

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When Judge Jackson Ruled Against the IRS - The Wall Street Journal

Trump’s short-term victories here may have long-term costs to GOP – City Pulse

Kyle Melinn

U.S. Rep. Fred Upton, southwest Michigan's member of Congress since Platoon was a box office smash in early 1987, became the latest political casualty of former President Donald Trump when he faced reality this week. He said this term, his 18th, would be his last.

At age 68, Upton wasn't ready to step away from Congress. One of the founding members of the Problem Solvers Caucus was ready to run in a revamped Kalamazoo-based district again this year.

Had he done so, he would have been beaten, probably badly, in the Republican primary and he knew it.

Upton showed political courage in not only refusing to kiss Trump's ring, but in defiantly voting with nine other congressional Republicans for Trump's impeachment after the then-president arguably incited the Jan. 6 riots that killed five people and caused $1.5 million in damage to the U.S. Capitol.

That defiance came with a political price. Trump made it known he wanted Upton, fellow U.S. Rep. Fred Meijer, R-Grand Rapids, and the eight others taken out in the next GOP primary.

If Upton's 6th Congressional District had stayed the same this year, he might have survived. But with Michigan losing a congressional seat this year, the Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission created a southern Michigan border district that left Upton without 35% of his population.

Instead, Upton's new 2nd Congressional District picked up Battle Creek and part of Holland.

The $1.5 million Upton banked following his 2021 fundraising efforts might been enough to fend off some newbie, particularly in a crowded Republican field.

The Trump-backed candidate back in December state Rep. Steve Carra was an unknown. He didn't even live in this new district.

Once it became clear U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga was running in the same district as Upton and he had Trump's endorsement, the writing was on the wall.

Internal polling showed Huizenga beating Upton soundly. Carra bowed out. He said he was running for reelection to the state House as opposed to sticking around in a three-horse race. At that point, Upton's political goose was cooked.

"UPTON QUITS! 4 down and 6 to go. Others losing badly, who's next?" Trump crowed to his email group.

What's next?

The 3rd Congressional District, where Meijer faces a competitive primary against former Trump administration official John Gibbs, who showed up with Trump at the Macomb County rally last Saturday. Macomb County is nowhere near the Grand Rapids-based MI-3. Trump didn't care.

"He's a brilliant guy," Trump said of Gibbs.

Like every other Republican who isn't lockstep with Trump these days, Meijer is being called a Republican In Name Only, or RINO. The former Tea Party acronym that once referred to moderate Republicans long since hijacked by Trump to mean anyone he doesn't like.

Trump and redistricting effectively cleared the field for Gibbs in Grand Rapids, and the two have their work cut out for them.

Trump might not know how to pronounce "Meijer," but everyone in Michigan does. Anyone who lives in Grand Rapids anyway.

John Gibbs is a different story. Gibbs grew up in the Lansing area. He went to school at Harvard and Stanford. He never lived in 3rd Congressional District up until a few months ago.

He believes widespread systematic fraud cost Trump reelection in 2020. He doesn't have any proof. He just doesn't understand how Trump lost an election in which he received more votes than he did in 2016. It never happened before in American history. How could it happen now?

Democrats are salivating over the prospects of running their candidate, Hillary Scholten, against Gibbs in this new politically competitive, 50/50 district in Grand Rapids. In the short-term, Trump victories in Grand Rapids and in the attorney general and secretary of state contests at the state convention later this month would move Trump's stranglehold on the Michigan Republican Party in Michigan beyond question. Polling to be released later this week will show, however, a Trump-backed party is more likely to be a minority party. This, too, is beyond question.

(Email Kyle Melinn of the Capitol news service MIRS at melinnky@gmail.com.)

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Trump's short-term victories here may have long-term costs to GOP - City Pulse

The photographer with 60000 undeveloped images of rock history ‘waiting to come back to life” – The Guardian

In Charles Daniels modest home in Somerville, Massachusetts, on the outskirts of Boston, lie tens of thousands of undeveloped photos, sitting in moldering canisters scrawled with cryptic markings and decaying instructions.

Most have been sitting there for over five decades, and while Daniels cant be sure of everything thats hidden in his trove, he knows for sure that much of it chronicles a pivotal moment in pop culture when rock acts as impactful as the Who, the Faces and Jimi Hendrix made their first mark in America.

As a young man in the 1960s, Daniels took pictures obsessively, shooting whatever caught his eye, wherever it wandered. By 1967, he had an enviable vantage point for that obsession, courtesy of the great amount of time he spent hanging out, and working as emcee, at the Boston Tea Party, a key venue in the psychedelic rock revolution.

Despite his proximity to history, however, Daniels never took his bounty seriously. Most of what I shot, I just forgot about, he said during a Zoom interview from his home. We took a lot of things for granted at that time.

In fact, it wasnt until the isolation caused by the Covid lockdown that Daniels longtime companion, Susan Berstler, finally prodded him to begin the daunting task of having his work developed. The relatively small number of shots that have been developed so far demonstrate Daniels rare perspective on the stars of the day. We all hung out together, he said. So I had an intimacy with the bands no one else had.

It shows in the rough-hewn character of the photographs. Unlike the carefully lit, finely composed work of rock photographers such as Annie Leibovitz, Henry Diltz or Jim Marshall, Daniels shots are more like the fly-on-the-wall snaps youd get from a friend. As a result, they capture something more casual, close and real. Whats unique about Charlies photos is that they show you what life was really like for a band on the road at that time, said Steve Nelson, who booked and managed the Boston Tea Party during its peak. Because he was a part of the crew, his pictures present the bands in a new light.

The Tea Party was the perfect place to catch it. According to Peter Wolf, vocalist of the Boston-based J Geils Band, the British groups would come to the Boston Tea Party to get their stuff together before they went down to Hartford, then to New Haven and then to New York, where the media was waiting for them. It was a testing ground.

Its a shame the Tea Party never gets mentioned in the same breath as the Fillmores in San Francisco and New York because it was just as important, said Ryan H Walsh, whose book Astral Weeks: The Secret History of 1968 centers on the Boston music scene of the time. It was essential.

How Daniels himself became an essential part of the scene reflects the attitudes of the era. The club never officially hired him as its emcee. He just naturally evolved into the role. I was someone who was there every weekend on the scene, Daniels said. I knew the music. So when they felt they needed a little intro for the bands, as opposed to them just starting to play, it became easy enough for me to become the announcer.

He first did so for Wolfs pre-J Geils band, the Hallucinations, in 1968. I met Charlie hanging out in Harvard Square, which was a cultural mecca, said Wolf. We would see each other at various shows and we became really tight.

So much so that Wolf started to use Daniels as his foil on a radio show he hosted on Bostons prime underground rock station, WBCN. Wolf let Daniels host on nights when he couldnt make it back from a gig on time, and he gave him his nickname: the Master Blaster. Still, Daniels style as emcee and DJ eschewed the hyped-up tone that moniker implies. Charlies style was very mellow and easy, Wolf said. He was welcoming to people, and thats why I think he developed such a friendly relationship with the bands he photographed.

For Berstler, Daniels immersion in Black music may also have played a part. One of the reasons Charles made such an instantaneous connection with a lot of the British rockers was their love of Black music, said Berstler. For those guys, this music was something new. For Charles, it was something he grew up around.

She thinks the fact that he wasnt looking to publish his photos boosted his rapport with the musicians. As Daniels said: This was just something I was doing for myself.

Small wonder Berstler considers these pictures to be Charles visual diary. One roll of film we got back made me laugh, she said. It was a few shots of whoever was his girlfriend at the time, some pictures of people on the subway and some people walking down Newbury Street and then towards the end of the roll are backstage shots of Pete Townshend and Keith Moon. So, this was less Charles shot the Who than this is Charles day.

His approach was so casual, said Wolf, that some people began to joke that there was no film in his camera. He was taking so many shots that no one saw! he said.

Daniels connection to photography began just as purely. Though he was born in segregated Alabama, Daniels grew up in the Boston neighborhood of Roxbury, where he began taking photos at age 12 or 13 after discovering a camera in his parents closet. I just shot what was going on in the neighborhood, he said.

He considered himself a street photographer, much in the manner of Bill Cunningham, who later became well known for shooting whatever fashion caught his eye on the streets of Manhattan. By the late 60s, when the counter-culture became generationally defining, Daniels found both his mtier and his milieu. Things were changing fast, he said. When the music started to change, it elevated everything.

He became so interested in the exotic new English musicians who started coming to town, he began to dress like them. I became as visually interesting as they were, he said.

He formed a special bond with the foppish and hard-partying Ron Wood and Rod Stewart, whom he first met when they were in the Jeff Beck Group. Jeff was keeping most of the money and not giving Rod and Woody much of a salary so they quit and formed the Faces, Daniels said.

To bolster their effervescent new image, the Faces had a bartender serve them drinks onstage during their shows and they asked Daniels to dance and play tambourine with them. I became an onstage character, he said.

They even invited him to travel in a Lear jet with them to gigs in other cities. The rest of their entourage was sent on another plane, said Berstler. But Charlie was always on the jet.

During one tour, she said, Charles got chastised [by the tour manager] because he was spending more money on the road than Rod Stewart!

To be honest, Daniels chuckled, that never slowed me down.

Clearly, Wood didnt mind because, when he joined the Rolling Stones in 1975, he invited Daniels along simply to keep him company and covered all his expenses. The roadies had to sleep four to five in a room, he said. But I always had my own room.

One person who wasnt thrilled about Daniels presence on the Stones tour was Annie Leibovitz, the tours official photographer. She would go out of her way to make sure that I was not getting good photographs, he said. She would stand in front of me. But I was always going to get something.

Much as he loved the Stones, his idol was Hendrix, so it was a dream when he was asked to introduce and shoot his show at Boston Garden. They wanted to know how much to pay me, Daniels recalled. I said I would do it for free. But they paid more than anyone else had at the time: $200. Id love to lay my hands on the film I took from that show.

In the years following classic rocks peak, Daniels remained a fixture at local shows. He was also hired by a blues and jazz club in Cambridge called Night Stage so that the largely Black artists who played there, including Etta James and Howlin Wolf, would feel comfortable in what was an overwhelmingly white environment. Later, Daniels made a humble living shooting dance and fitness videos. Several of his vintage photos were later published in a lavish coffee table book about the Faces and, in the last 20 years, he has twice exhibited his work at local galleries.

Over the last two years, Berstler has begun the development process with a local lab, which the couple paid with money from a local arts grant. Realizing the scope of the project, however, a friend set up a GoFundMe campaign with a goal of $40,000. It has raisedmore than $56,000, allowing Daniels to hire Film Rescue International, which specializes in such projects. Even for them, this remains an overwhelming task. With over 3,200 rolls of film each containing either 12 or 36 shots, at 120mm or 35mm, respectively that adds up to more than 60,000 photos.

The project has buoyed Daniels spirits during a challenging time. At 79, he is undergoing chemotherapy for a blood disorder. His greatest hope is that the restoration project results in a book, something that never would have occurred to him back in the 60s when he was just living, and shooting, in the moment. Now I take it a lot more seriously, he said. Its incredible to think that all these things were just sitting there all this time, waiting to come back to life.

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The photographer with 60000 undeveloped images of rock history 'waiting to come back to life'' - The Guardian

5 Things To Do This Weekend | News | newburyportnews.com – The Daily News of Newburyport

Musical diplomacy

Listen to the band Scott Brown & The Diplomats on Friday, April 8, at 8 p.m. at Blue Ocean Music Hall, 4 Oceanfront North, Salisbury. Tickets range from $15 to $105.

The Salisbury Parks and Recreation Commissions egg hunt will take place at Salisbury Elementary School, 100 Lafayette Road, beginning at 9:45 a.m. on Saturday, April 9. Children ages 2 through 5 will begin their egg hunt at 9:45 a.m., while kids ages 6 through 8 will begin hunting at 10:15 a.m. Admission is free. Bring your own basket.

Saturday, April 9, is Kite Day at Essexs Cogswell Grant. If youve ever wanted to do this and havent yet, members of Kites Over New England will inspire you. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., bring a kite to fly or learn how to make one. Free for kite flyers and spectators. $10 for kite-making workshop. Cogswells Grant is at 60 Spring St., Essex. Call 978-768-3632 with questions.

A walking tour of Plum Island Point, organized by Plum Island Outdoors and led by Bill Sargent, takes place Sunday, April 10, at 10 a.m. The 60-minute tours are from Newburyports Plum Island Beach to the south jetty and back, rain or shine. Parking available in the lot. Cost is $10 payable at the walk. More details: https://plumislandoutdoors.org/event/walking-tour-of-plum-island-point-plum-island-beach-13/.

On Sunday, April 10, there will be a princess tea party from 10 a.m. to noon in the cafeteria of Amesbury High School. Admission is $5 for adults, $10 for children.

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5 Things To Do This Weekend | News | newburyportnews.com - The Daily News of Newburyport

Planning Your Chol Hamoed Trip to Boston – Between Carpools

Boston is a great city to explore with the family!

Boston is a fantastic all-around trip destination. It is a city that is rich in American History, nature and additional attractions. Boston has kosher food and minyan.We visited for a two-day trip one fall and managed to do a lot in Boston. It is a great overnight Chol Hamoed destination and not extremely far from many of the Jewish communities in the Tri-state area.If you prefer not to drive over there is always the option of taking an Amtrak Train.

Approximate Distance fromBrooklyn Bridge: 3 hours, 20 minutesApproximate Distance from Lakewood: 4 hours, 20 minutesApproximate Distance from Monsey: 3 hours, 10 minutes

Riding a bus into the water (you heard me correctly. The bus is driven into the water) is an experience hard to forget.The idea of Duck boats was actually conceived during WWII. They were used by the military as a convenient mode of transport with no need to dock. Now the Ducks are used as a fun way to explore and get to know the city of Boston.

The tours leave from three popular tourist sites; the Science Museum, The Prudential Center and the New England Aquarium. There are also discounts available for those attractions bought in conjunction with the Duck Tour tickets. Parking is also at a reduced rate for Duck Tour Visitors.

The conDucktors narrate the 80 minute tour, 60 minutes on land and 20 minutes of riding the beautiful Charles River. During the ride the conDucktor explains about the three fs you will encounter. The city represents Freedom, it is the city of Firsts, and of course a Fun place to be. Some of the famous landmarks seen on the tour are thegolden-domed State House, Bunker Hill Monument, Boston Common, Copley Square, the Big Dig, Boston Public Library, The Prudential Tower and of course the magnificent Boston and Cambridge Skyline seen from the Charles River.

When we were on the tour our funny and engaging tour guide taught us about the Boston history, the wicked way of talking in Boston, and even allowed us to take turns steering the Duck on the River.The Duck Tour is the absolute best way to see Boston and get a real feeling for the history while having fun at the same time.

Address:Either outside the:Prudential Center,Science Museum orNew England AquariumPhone Number:(617) 267-3825Tour Length:80 minutesPrice: Check online for the current pricing and hoursWebsite:bostonducktours.com

The Skywalk Observatory in Boston is located on the 50thfloor of the Prudential Shopping Center in Boston.

I hadnt expected the Observatory to be all that interesting, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Since Boston is a beautiful city with the Charles River running alongside it and mountains completing the pretty picture from afar, the Skywalk Observatory, with its 360 degree views of Boston, was actually very enjoyable.

In addition to Audio guides available for visitors to listen to in a variety of languages with explanations of the view, history and culture of Boston, there are interactive displays and informative displays with information relating to the fascinating history and culture in Boston.

Address:800 Boylston St,Boston, MA 02199Phone Number: (617) 859-0648Hours:Mon Sat 11am 7pm andSun 12pm 6pmPrice:Adult Admission: $21.00Student (with ID) $17.00Children(Ages 3 thru 12):$15.00Children (Ages 3 and under): FreeSenior Admission (62 and above): $17.00Website:prudentialcenter.com

The 50-acre Boston Common is the oldest park in America, dating back to 1634. Thepentagon-shaped parkborders onTremont, Park, Beacon, Charles, and Boylston Streets. The Common has witnessed many events of history and protests throughout the years. The historic 2.5-mile Freedom Trail with many historic sites along the way starts from the Common.

In addition to the large grassy fields found on the Common there are tennis courts, an exciting Tadpole Playground, a carousel, and the Frog Pond in which children can splash in the spray pool. In the winter the Frog Pond becomes a skating rink. Originally, there were three ponds in the common. The Frog Pond is the only one left.

The Common is located just across the street from the more formal Boston Public Gardens and can be enjoyed at the same time.

Address:139 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02108Hours:6:30am 11:00pmPrice:FreeWebsite:friendsofthepublicgarden.org

The Boston Public Garden is a formal garden located across the street from the Boston Common. The garden is beautifully kept by caring citizens through the Friends of the Public Garden Association.The garden is the first public botanical garden in America dating back to 1838. The garden is masterfully designed with trees planted from countries all around the world. The trees have name tags and relevant information hanging from them.

There is a majestic statue of George Washington on a horse at the Arlington Street entrance. TheDuckling Sculptureat the corner of Beacon and Charles is extremely popular.

The statue is based on Robert McCloskeys 1941 bestsellerMake Way for Ducklings, the bronze figures represent Mrs. Mallard and her eight ducklings.

From early April to late September the original Swan boats are open for visitors to enjoy. The Swan boats were first designed in 1877 and have been gliding along the lagoon ever since.

The boat moves along at two miles an hour, circles the island and goes under the bridge. A trip on the Swan Boat adds excitement to a visit to the beautiful garden.

Address:4 Charles Street,Boston, MA 02116Garden Hours:6:30am 11:00pmPrice:Garden: FreeSwan Boats:Check online for hours and pricesWebsite:friendsofthepublicgarden.org

Before we entered the Tea Party Ship and Museum I told my husband, I really dont want to spend much time here. Max a half hour. Lets look around quickly and then continue on. Dont read everything

I was really taken by surprise when we began the tour. The guides were all dressed in clothing from the period prior to the Revolution and reenacted the meetings and the actual throwing of the tea into the sea.

Everything was presented so interestingly; you wouldnt know you were learning history.Each visitor on the tour was given an identity of one of the men who took part in the Boston Tea Party with some personal details about him.

After meeting to discuss the major tax issues, we headed out to the ship

to dump the tea from the authentically restored ship into the sea.

The tour then continued on to the museum (no photos allowed in the museum) where you can view the only surviving tea chest from the Boston Tea Party, a 3D holographic exhibit and an award winning multi-sensory film that takes you through time until we became our own independent country.

Address:306 Congress St,Boston, MA 02210Phone Number:(866) 955-0667Hours:Thursday MondayTours start 10am 5pm (closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays)Price at the Door:Adult: $31.95Children (Ages 5 thru 12):$23.95Website:bostonteapartyship.com

The Harbor Walk starts at the Atlantic Wharf across the street from the Tea Party Ship and Museum and continues alongside the beautiful harbor. The walkway passes through the Rowes Wharf, the New England Aquarium, Christopher Columbus Park, Sergeants Wharf and ends all the way by Battery Wharf.

When we visited Boston, we stayed right by the Harbor. We walked along the Harbor Walk at night enjoying the fresh air and the sights of the docked boats and the twinkling lights of the building.During the day there are a lot of activities in the area. There is the Tea Party Ship and Museum, there are inexpensive Hubway bike rentals, where bikes can be picked up and dropped off in various stations all over the city. There are also ferries and water taxis, parks as well as the New England Aquarium along the Harbor walk. It is definitely a busy and beautiful area to visit.

Address:280 Congress St, Boston, MA 02210Price:FreeWebsite:summeronthewaterfront.org

After strolling along the Harborwalk at night, we crossed over the Christopher Columbus Park to the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, a series of parks which led back down to our destination on Atlantic Avenue. We entered the Greenway right near the Greenway Carousel.

We continued to the beautiful Ring Fountain and then through Mothers Walk.

Harbor Fog Fountain area with its foggy fountain caught us by surprise as we were sprayed with mist as we passed. We exited the Greenway by the Fort Point Channel Park although the Greenway continues to the Dewey Square Park and then to the China Town Park.

I was amazed at how each section of the park has its own original character and is extremely well maintained. I kept thinking that the parks would end, but it continued to lead to more and more areas.

Address:Mostly on Atlantic Avenue parallel with the HarborwalkHours:The park is open from7am 11pm every dayPrice:FreeWebsite:rosekennedygreenway.org

Compiled and Photographed by: Sarah Einhorn

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Planning Your Chol Hamoed Trip to Boston - Between Carpools