Jonathan Melle

Jonathan Melle
I turned 39 (2014)

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

NH's mental health system violates the Americans with Disabilities Act & NH's Medicaid Raid

"Federal Report Blasts NH's Mental Health System"
WMUR.com - April 12, 2011

CONCORD, N.H -- A new report from the federal government confirms what New Hampshire officials have acknowledged for years: The state's mental health system is broken, failing and in crisis.

The U.S. Department of Justice's civil rights division recently investigated the state for possible violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. It concluded that the state is violating the federal law by failing to provide adequate community-based services to people with mental illness, leading to needless and prolonged stays at New Hampshire Hospital, the state mental hospital, and Glencliff Home, its nursing home for those with serious mental illness or developmental disabilities.

"Reliance on unnecessary and expensive institutional care both violates the civil rights of people with disabilities and incurs unnecessary expense," Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez wrote in a report sent to the state last week. "Community integration with appropriate services and supports will permit the state to support people with disabilities, including mental illness, in settings appropriate to their needs in a more cost effective manner."

As the report noted, the state has long acknowledged most of the failings and offered detailed plans to fix them in a 10-year plan it developed in 2008. But progress has been slow, and lawmakers also are considering cuts to the community mental health system that could make enacting the plan more difficult.

Under the budget recently passed by the House, the state would save $6.7 million a year by reducing the number of adults eligible for mental health services and $5.8 million a year by changing eligibility rules for children. The state's 10 community mental health centers say that will eliminate treatment for 3,500 children and more than 4,000 adults.

The federal report concluded that the community mental health centers should be seeing more patients, not fewer. It said the average cost of institutionalizing someone at the state mental hospital is $287,000 per year, while serving someone in the community costs $44,000. Too many people end up at the hospital because community resources are lacking, the report said, and they stay longer than necessary because there aren't appropriate settings in which to continue their care after they leave.

The report was particularly critical of the Glencliff Home, which it said puts virtually no focus on discharge planning. In recent years, far more residents of Glencliff have died each year than have been returned to their communities.

"Other than age in some cases, it does not appear that the individuals at Glencliff present any novel or different set of disabilities than their peers at (New Hampshire Hospital) - all of whom are at least nominally in the active, state-endorsed pipeline toward placement in a more integrated community setting," the report said. "Given this, it is unclear then why similar placement efforts are not, and have not been, underway for the individuals at Glencliff."

Perez also wrote that he is concerned that the state relies too much on group housing once people leave the hospital. About 10 percent of those discharged last year were sent to homeless shelters, jail or other institutional settings, he said.

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"Mental health system is failing"
The Nashua Telegraph, Editorial, April 17, 2011

The U.S. Department of Justice didn’t mince words in its recent report on the state of mental health care in New Hampshire. “The state acknowledges, and we agree, that its mental health system is broken, failing, and that it is in crisis,” wrote U.S. Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez.

A yearlong investigation by the federal government confirmed what mental health advocates in the state have long maintained: New Hampshire does not have adequate community support systems for people with mental illness.

As a result, individuals are institutionalized in more expensive and more restrictive settings, primarily the New Hampshire Hospital in Concord and Glencliff Home, a nursing home for people with mental illness in Benton.

“In spite of a challenging fiscal environment, the state has continued to fund costly institutional care, even though less expensive and more therapeutic alternatives could be developed in community settings,” the study found.

The situation is particularly frustrating because the state could actually be spending less money to get better results for people struggling with mental illness. As the report points out, reliance on institutional care is not only less effective and more expensive, it violates the civil rights of people with disabilities.

While some may see this as another example of federal overreach, the fact is that Congress did pass the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Department of Justice has to enforce it. If New Hampshire does not take appropriate action, it could face a costly federal lawsuit.

None of this comes as a surprise to lawmakers and state officials. New Hampshire already has a blueprint for improving mental health services – a 10-year plan released in 2008.

The plan called for creating “supporting housing,” where individuals get housing subsidies and community treatment, expanding residential treatment programs, providing additional mental health beds in community hospitals, and developing “Assertive Community Treatment teams,” which provide services like nursing and case management in the community.

But as is often the case, the plan has never been funded. There has been no money for adding community mental health beds; additional treatment teams were never created; no additional community hospital beds have been provided.

The roadmap is there, and it must be implemented.

“Many of the things the Department of Justice cites as ways that the state is falling short of its obligations would be remedied by simple adherence to the 10-year plan as it was outlined,” Jeff Fetter, president-elect of the New Hampshire Psychiatric Society, told the Concord Monitor.

Instead, the state is moving in the opposite direction. The recently passed House budget recommended major cuts to community mental health centers, removing eligibility for about 7,000 community mental health patients. Many of them would end up in institutions, costing the state more money and impeding their chances for recovery.

The budget is now pending in the state Senate, which must restore the mental health center funding, especially in light of the federal report.

Gov. John Lynch has proposed closing a New Hampshire Hospital unit and using the money to create two community treatment teams. This is exactly the approach the state needs to take on this critical issue, not just to avoid costly federal sanctions, but because it’s the right thing to do.

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"Elliot Hospital’s parent lays off 182, in Medicaid fight"
By JOSEPH G. COTE, Staff Writer, The Nashua Telegraph, July 27, 2011

MANCHESTER – It what is likely to be the first of several announcements of health care layoffs, one of the hospitals suing the state over Medicaid funding announced today that it has laid off almost 200 employees.

Elliot Health Systems, which includes Elliot Hospital in Manchester, released a statement Tuesday that it has cut a program, cut expenses and benefits, and laid off 182 employees.

The cuts, it said, were due to the $17 million deficit the hospital is facing as the result of a Legislative plan to cut Medicaid reimbursements to hospitals by $250 million over the next two years.

“The action we have been forced to take today is as a direct result of the state’s cuts and we are outraged and sad. We hold the state and every legislator accountable for what is taking place today. Good people are forever harmed,” Doug Dean, the hospital’s president and CEO, said in a statement.

Dean said the cuts came in nearly every department of the company and at all levels of seniority. The only groups not cut were doctors and nurses, he said.

The 182 employees represents about 4 percent of Elliot’s workforce.

The hospital’s Elliot On-Call, a 24-hour scheduling and advice hotline, was cancelled, the hospital’s contributions to employee retirement saving accounts have been frozen and its policies regarding vacation time have been altered, Dean said.

All of the employees received out-placement counseling and will continue to receive pay and benefits for periods determined by the length of their employment, Dean said.

On Monday, Elliot Health System, Southern New Hampshire Medical Center and St. Joseph Hospital and seven other hospitals filed suit against Nicholas Toumpas, commissioner of the state Department of Health and Human Services, over a plan that uses more than $200 million in Medicaid funds to balance the two-year state budget.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Concord, alleges that the plan violates federal law and threatens “immediate and irreparable injury to the public.” It asks that the plan be immediately halted.

The suit is over whether lawmakers can keep the $115 million annually in so-called bed tax payments that hospitals make so the federal government will make a matching payment.

Since 1991, hospitals have been reimbursed once the state got the federal payment. This year, the Legislature decided to not only keep the federal money, and also the initial $115 million it collected from hospitals.

“The consequences of the state’s failure to pay us for taking care of the poor are truly devastating, particularly as the state changes its course from the past twenty years and walks away from needed matching federal dollars,” Dean said in the statement.

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"Hospitals sue NH on Medicaid"
By JOSEPH G. COTE, Staff Writer, The Nashua Telegraph, July 26, 2011

CONCORD – Nashua’s two hospitals joined eight others in New Hampshire on Monday to sue the state over a plan that uses more than $100 million in Medicaid money to balance the budget.

Lawmakers’ decisions to raid Medicaid coffers to balance the budget amounts to a violation of federal law and endangers equal access to health care for low-income patients, according to the lawsuit.

Southern New Hampshire Medical Center and St. Joseph Hospital, two of the city’s largest employers, and the eight other hospitals are suing Nicholas Toumpas, commissioner of the state Department of Health and Human Services, over a plan that uses more than $200 million in Medicaid funds to balance the two-year state budget.

“This action by the governor and the Legislature is the most significant threat to our community’s health that I have seen in my 23 years at SNHHS,” Tom Wilhelmsen, president and CEO of Southern New Hampshire Health Services, said.

SNHMC stands to lose about $10 million annually, Wilhelmsen said, which will force the hospital to lay off employees.

The suit alleges that the plan violates federal law and threatens “immediate and irreparable injury to the public.” It asks that the plan be immediately halted.

Senate President Peter Bragdon, R-Milford, and House Speaker William O’Brien, R-Mont Vermon, declined to comment on the lawsuit before their lawyers could review it.

“Neither the House nor Senate have received a copy of what the hospitals filed today. We will have to hold off on commenting until the speaker/senate president have been briefed,’’ said Carole Alfano, Senate communications director.

The suit is over whether lawmakers can keep the $115 million annually in so-called bed tax payments that hospitals make so the federal government will make a matching payment. Since 1991, hospitals have been reimbursed once the state got the federal payment.

This year, the Legislature decided to not only keep the federal money, but also the initial $115 million it collected from hospitals.

“The state has broken a long-held promise to New Hampshire hospitals by this action,” Wilhelmsen said.

That makes payments a new tax, according to health care leaders, and combined with what were already some of the lowest Medicaid reimbursement rates in the country, it means hospitals will pay the state more than they get from the state for treating Medicaid patients, Wilhelmsen said.

“Therefore the state is no longer funding hospitals as they are obligated to under federal regulations. That’s the essence of the suit,” he said. “I think the point is that all of a sudden, the state has turned this into a tax.”

SNHMC and its network of primary care physicians, Foundation Medical Partners, treated more than 12,000 Medicaid patients in 2010, spending $21.8 million and was reimbursed $9.3 million by the state. If those numbers hold steady and the hospital’s $10.4 million bed-tax payment isn’t reimbursed, the hospital would lose more than $22 million, according a supplemental court filing written by Michael Rose, SNHMC’s chief financial officer. Other state Medicaid reductions since 2008 have cost the hospital more than $7.7 million already, according to Rose.

Because of the cuts, the hospital is exploring cutting its pediatric beds in half, from eight to four, and eliminating its 30-bed behavioral health unit, as well as rationing its treatment of Medicaid patients, according to the Rose.

St. Joseph Hospital spent $8.3 million on Medicaid patients last year and was reimbursed $2.9 million. That loss, plus its $3.1 million bed-tax payment, would cost the hospital about $8.5 million, according to chief financial officer Richard Plamondon.

Dr. William Stephan, St. Joseph’s vice president of medical affairs, said without changes, the hospital will have to lay off a “significant piece” of its support staff and shutter a number of optional programs, such as daycare, home care programs and ambulance service, that lose money but are valuable to patients.

The longer term effect will be that hospitals will have to arrest any development, ending investment in new programs and technologies, Stephan said.

“It’s going to freeze our growth, and we’ll lose those services that don’t make money but are valuable,” he said.

The suit asks the court to bar Toumpas from implementing the reimbursement reductions and to set new rates that recognize the “efficiency, economy, and quality of care, and equal access” to health care. If the suit fails, hospitals will be forced to cut services and limit access to programs and facilities for Medicaid patients, according to the suit. SNHMC is examining changes to its behavioral health and pediatrics units, according to spokesperson Judith Bennett. It may also have to delay access to non-emergency services, she said.

“This is not a single moment in time that we have to weather; this will require a permanent change in the way that we do business,” Wilhelmsen said.

Wilhelmsen said no patients needing urgent care would ever be turned away, but elective procedures and waits to get appointments with primary care physicians could get longer and longer.

Other hospitals are considering closing their associated doctors offices to new Medicaid patients or terminating those Medicaid contracts with the state altogether, according to the suit.

Dartmouth-Hitchcock’s Children’s Hospital is considering closing or suspending its neonatal intensive care unit. DHMC might need to ground the DHART rescue helicopter, according to the suit.

Since the budget plan was proposed, health care leaders have said it would eviscerate hospitals’ services, forcing them to cut services, employees and programs, as well as increasing patient costs.

A spokesperson for Gov. John Lynch stressed that the four-term Democratic chief executive did not favor such a deep cut to the hospitals.

“This doesn’t come as a surprise. The budget proposed by the governor was very different from the one passed by the legislature. The governor took a more balanced approach and did not propose such a drastic cut to hospitals,’’ Lynch press secretary Colin Manning said.

The proposed budget Lynch offered in February would have cut $20 million in payments to the hospitals and used the savings to support health care spending elsewhere in the Department of Health and Human Services’ budget.

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"Hospital op-ed didn’t get facts straight"
The Nashua Telegraph, Letters, August 22, 2011

Sens. Gary Lambert, R-Nashua, and Jim Luther, R-Hollis, argue New Hampshire’s hospitals can afford a new $115 million tax because they have profits of $200 million (Aug. 7: “Hospitals shouldn’t be immune to state budget cuts”).

Those numbers don’t tell the whole story, however, because health care has developed beyond the old inpatient model. Hospitals have become part of integrated health systems, and our health systems are not anywhere near as profitable as the senators claim.

New Hampshire’s health system profit margins for 2010 slid from 2.9 percent to 1.8 percent. For 2010, the statewide profit margin projection was approximately $88 million – way below the $115 million tax increase hospitals will have to pay under the Republicans’ budget. It is clear they will lose money this year and must reduce expenses significantly.

The senators criticize the hospitals for turning first to layoffs and service cuts to reduce expenses. However, they fail to mention our hospitals have actually been making administrative cuts for the past three years in response to the recession.

Both Lambert and Luther campaigned on their experience as business owners. They must know that when they ask Nashua’s two hospitals to pay $36 million more in taxes, narrow profit margins mean layoffs and service cuts must be part of the solution. If they believe businesses should be market-driven and free from state overregulation, they shouldn’t criticize how these private businesses are run.

The Republicans pledged to boost the economy and create jobs. But so far, their budget has cost more than 1,100 health system employees their jobs.

Rep. Cindy Rosenwald
D-Nashua

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"NH Responds To Report That Blasted Mental Health System"
WMUR.com - December 6, 2011

CONCORD, N.H. -- The attorney general and Department of Health and Human Services commissioner are disputing the United States Department of Justice’s claim that the state’s mental health system is failing and violates federal law.

In April, the Department of Justice concluded that the state was failing to provide adequate community-based services to those with mental illness, leading to prolonged stays at New Hampshire Hospital, the state mental hospital and Glencliff Home.

The report said Glencliff Home, the state’s home for those with serious mental illness or developmental disabilities, put little focus on discharge planning.

The report acknowledged the state’s 10-year plan to fix the system which was developed in 2008 but said progress had been slow.

Attorney General Michael Delaney and health commissioner Nicholas Toumpas released a response Tuesday after six months of discussions with the Department of Justice.

The response claims the Department of Justice only spent two days in New Hampshire assessing the state’s mental health system, including a one-day visit to the Glencliff Home and a partial day visit to New Hampshire Hospital.

Delaney and Toumpas said Tuesday that significant progress had been made in the 10-year plan.

Toumpas also argued that New Hampshire Hospital has a significantly lower-than-average stay compared to the rest of the nation. They are asking the department of justice withdraw its findings.

“The threatened litigation by the federal government and federally funded advocates will waste precious state and federal taxpayer dollars that could be better spent on providing services,” the letter says.

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"N.H. sued over its lack of mental health services"
By Lynne Tuohy, Associated Press, February 10, 2012

Advocates for the mentally ill filed a lawsuit against New Hampshire yesterday, saying the state needlessly confines the disabled in mental wards because it lacks services to treat them in the community. The plaintiffs and their lawyer, led by the Disabilities Rights Center, want a federal judge to order the state to expand community services and crisis intervention programs. “People who are institutionalized are isolated from loved ones,’’ said Attorney Amy Messer, legal director of the Disabilities Rights Center.

(Note: This news article came from a pay-site. Only the first paragraph is printed.)

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"Advocates For Mentally Ill Sue State: Lawsuit Claims State Doesn't Provide Enough Community Services"
WMUR.com - February 9, 2012

CONCORD, N.H. -- A lawsuit has been filed against the state by people with severe mental illness who said New Hampshire is falling short in providing services and assistance.

Those who filed the class-action lawsuit said they hope the state will expand community mental health services.

The lawsuit makes claims that are similar to those in a federal study from almost a year ago that said the state has failed to provide adequate mental health services.

"Mental illness can be helped," said plaintiff Mandy Dube. "It is a disease, but it can be helped."

Dube she and other could be helped if the state provided adequate services.

"I've been in and out of institutions since I was 11," she said. "I've never gotten the right services, and I feel that if me and my friends and everybody got the right services, we could do well in society."

The plaintiffs said that one of the major problems with current care is that the state relies on facilities such as the state hospital and sends people there rather than taking care of them using specialized in-home and outpatient health care services.

"The state fails to provide sufficient mental health services in the community to allow people to remain fully integrated with their families, friends and peers," said Amy Messer of the Disabilities Rights Center.

The governor's office released a statement saying that changes are being made.

"The state itself undertook a process to improve the system," the governor said in the statement. "The recession has meant that change has not gone as quickly as the state would have liked, but progress has still been made, including new community-based teams and the closing of units at the New Hampshire Hospital so that we can further invest in community-based housing."

Dube's mother, Louise Dube, said she hopes the lawsuit allows her family to live more normal lives while coping with her daughter's illness.

"It's time for me to be her mom and not her therapist, and so far, I've missed that," she said.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs said the lawsuit aims to raise awareness of what they claim is a lack of resources and obtain more funding to add resources for the state's mentally ill.

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"Mentally ill residents sue state over lack of care"
By GARRY RAYNO, New Hampshire Union Leader, February 9, 2012

CONCORD — Six individuals with serious mental illness believe they are needlessly being forced into New Hampshire Hospital and the Glencliff Home, when they should be receiving services in their communities.

The individuals, through the Disabilities Rights Center and other advocacy organizations, filed a class- action lawsuit Thursday in U.S. District Court in Concord Thursday claiming the state is violating the federal American with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act and the Nursing Home Reform Act by failing to provide community-based care.

The suit seeks to force the state to expand community-based services plaintiffs need to avoid future institutionalization.

Amy Messer, legal director for the Disabilities Rights Center said the individuals' lives have been interrupted, disrupted and even destroyed by their prolonged and needless stays at state institutions. “They share a common goal to be integrated into community life and not segregated from their peers,” she said at a press conference Thursday announcing the suit.

The suit comes less than a year after the U.S. Department of Justice found the state mental health system did not meet the needs of those it was intended to serve and violated their civil rights.

The state maintains it is in the early stages of a 10-year plan to address the issues raised by the federal investigation and the suit filed Thursday.

But one of the plaintiffs, Mandy D., a 22-year-old woman from Newport, said she has been “in and out of hospitals more times than I can count.

“I'd really like to stay out of hospitals, but sometimes I get so overwhelmed, the only place to go is a hospital because there are no community services,” she said.

She said with the proper community-based support, she could be a productive citizen. “Just because we have mental illness, doesn't mean we are any different,” Mandy said.

Messer said the state has known for some time its mental health system has been a failure.

She said reports by the Department of Health and Human Services in 2008 and 2009 acknowledge the system's failings and the impact that has had on individuals, families and communities.

She noted that in the 1980s, New Hampshire was at the forefront of delivering community-based services to people with disabilities, but has since reneged on its commitment and rates of institutionalization have risen.

Messer said from 1989 to 2010, the rate of institutionalization has risen 150 percent, going from 900 admissions to NHH, to 2,300.

She noted more die at the Glencliff Home than leave it.

“New Hampshire knows how to fix the problems,” Messer said, through community-based services including supportive housing, mobile crisis intervention, assertive community treatment and supported employment.

Instead, she said, the state has chosen to use much more expensive institutionalization instead of the less expensive, but more effective, community-based programs Attorneys for the plaintiffs said the state could be receiving a 50-percent federal match for community-based services, but the match is not available for institutionalized care.

The suit names Gov. John Lynch, Health and Human Services Commissioner Nicholas Toumpas and other administrators at the Department of Health and Human Services.

“The state itself undertook a process to improve the system. The recession has meant that change has not gone as quickly as the state would have liked, but progress has still been made — including new community-based teams and the closing of units at New Hampshire Hospital so that we can further invest in community-based housing,” said Lynch press secretary Colin Manning. “We will defer to the Attorney General's Office on the actual lawsuit, but the state remains committed to continuing to make progress for people with mental illnesses.”

Associate Attorney General Anne Edwards said her office is in the process of reviewing and analyzing the suit. “We will be defending the state,” she said.

Steve Schwartz of the Center for Public Representation said negotiations between the state Department of Health and Human Services, and advocacy groups broke down and as result the lawsuit was filed.

He said similar negotiations with Delaware and Georgia resulted in agreements, but New Hampshire chose to spend the next few years in federal court with no control over the outcome.

Messer said recent budget cuts have contributed to the cuts to community mental health centers. “The budget is not (the only) problem, it is how the state spends the money it has,” Messer said.

Roland Lamy, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Community Behavioral Health Association, which represents the 10 mental health centers, said the state's 10-year plan was issued three-and-a-half years ago, saying the system was in crisis.

“While some small progress may have been made since then, millions of state and federal dollars have been cut from the system, enrollment has increased, access to community and inpatient beds has decreased, and the day-to-day state of the system remains in crisis,” Lamy said.

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"Mental health providers: No progress in NH"
By Holly Ramer, Associated Press, March 5, 2012

CONCORD, N.H.—Assessing New Hampshire's progress in improving mental health services, Louis Josephson offered a vivid example Monday of how things have gotten worse instead of better.

The CEO of Riverbend Community Mental Health described what happened at Concord Hospital a few weeks ago when a young child, a suicidal 17-year-old girl and a psychotic man all spent several days in the emergency room waiting for spots to open up at the state mental hospital.

"You put an 8-year-old in a safe, secure windowless room for a couple of days, bad things happen," Josephson said, describing the child's head banging and biting. "We had to restrain the child. Well, that upset the gentleman next door who was already agitated. He started kicking holes in the walls. And of course, the girl on the other side of the wall was very upset because she was feeling scared and threatened."

Joined by hospital, law enforcement and corrections officials, Josephson and other community mental health leaders gathered in Concord to give a status report on the state's 10-year improvement plan. The plan released in September 2008 outlined goals for the next decade ranging from expanding inpatient psychiatric care in hospitals to increasing the number of group home beds to support people in their communities.

But a third of the way in, those who provide services say the state not only has failed to make progress, but has in some cases gone backward. For example, the 10-year plan recommended adding four 12-to-16 bed inpatient treatment facilities at hospitals around the state, but since the plan's release, the state hospital has closed a 15-bed unit, another hospital has decreased its behavioral beds from 30 to 10 and no additional facilities have been added elsewhere.

"There's not a single (goal) where I can confidently say we have made significant progress," said Jay Couture, director of Seacoast Mental Health and president of the New Hampshire Community Behavioral Health Association, which worked with the state Department of Health and Human Services to develop the plan.

Nancy Rollins, associate commissioner of the state Division of Community Based Services, attended Monday's meeting but declined to comment, citing pending litigation. Last month, advocates for the mentally ill filed a lawsuit against the state, saying it needlessly confines people in mental wards because it lacks services to treat them in the community.

Those allegations echo federal investigators, who last year accused the state of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act. The state was criticized for failing to provide adequate community-based services to people with mental illness, leading to needless and prolonged stays at the state mental hospital. In its response, the state noted the median length of stay at the state mental hospital is seven days, compared to a national average of 47 days.

But once those patients are discharged, they often have no place to go, providers said Monday. Dr. Mary Valvano, an emergency room physician in Concord, said her department sees 4-to-6 mental health patients in significant crisis each day. If a restaurant sent five people a day to the ER with life-threatening food poisoning, that would be big news, she said. But the mental health patients she sees are in just as much danger.

"They're fragile. They can't advocate for themselves. They're trying to exist in the system, and the system is not serving them," she said.

Several of those who attended Monday's meeting said those patients lamented that mental illness is not taken as seriously as any other medical condition.

"Can you imagine a hospital saying, we know you have diabetes but we don't have the services to provide you? Maybe if you lived in another part of the state, you could get something different?" said Brian Collins, director of Community Partners in Dover. "We tell those individuals, we tell their families, we tell the other services they find themselves in -- police, prisons, hospitals -- `It's up to you to take care of them.' We know how to do it. We don't have the resources to do it."

Getting more resources from the state is unlikely, if legislative interest in Monday's meeting is any indication. Just two lawmakers attended the session, though all 424 were invited.

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"Mental health advocates: NH facing access crisis"
By HOLLY RAMER, Associated Press, January 7, 2013

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire residents seeking help with personal mental health emergencies have become engulfed in the much larger crisis of access to critical treatment, advocates and medical providers said Monday.

Emergency rooms are filling up with patients waiting for beds to open up at the state psychiatric hospital, and many patients wait for days or even a week. On Monday morning alone, there were 31 adults and five children in emergency departments around the state waiting for admission, said Kenneth Norton, executive director of New Hampshire chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Two adults at Concord Hospital had been waiting for four days, and a teenager had been waiting for two.

‘‘We do not categorically delay essential treatment for cancer, heart disease, stroke or any other life threatening medical illness,’’ he said. ‘‘And while it is morally wrong to do this to any person, it is unconscionable to do this to our children.’’

Norton was joined by representatives from more than a dozen other groups, including the New Hampshire Hospital Association, New Hampshire Medical Society, community mental health centers and law enforcement. Participants said the growing problem not only endangers those with mental illness but hospital staff and other emergency room patients.

On Wednesday, for example, nearly half of the 27 beds at Elliot Hospital in Manchester were taken by psychiatric patients, leaving patients with chest pain, head injuries and broken bones stranded in the waiting room, said Dr. John Seidner, president of the New Hampshire chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians.

Dr. Jeffrey Fetter, president of the New Hampshire Psychiatric Society, said days spent idle in an emergency room represent wasted opportunities to prevent suicide, assault and suffering. Someone in the midst of a psychiatric crisis needs to be surrounded by safety, not chaos, he said. ‘‘We've all been there — flashing lights, alarms, staff rushing urgently to stabilize a crash victim. These rooms were designed for patients suffering from heart attacks, not hallucinations,’’ he said.

Monday’s news conference followed last month’s announcement by the state Department of Health and Human Services of a new plan to reduce the wait time for inpatient psychiatric care. That plan includes reopening 12 of the 60 beds that have been closed at the state hospital due to budget cuts in recent years, improved tracking of individuals waiting for beds, using state hospital staff as consultants in emergency rooms and providing better follow-up after patients are discharged from the state hospital to reduce readmissions.

The department also plans to seek additional funding for community-based services, which participants at the news conference said would do more to solve the problem than adding state hospital beds.

‘‘We need more support, and we need more resources to get the job done in the community,’’ said Louis Josephson, CEO of Riverbend Community Mental Health Center.

The state is about halfway into a 10-year plan to improve mental health services, but Josephson and other advocates argue little has been accomplished so far. And the state still faces a lawsuit filed on behalf of individuals with mental illness accusing it of needlessly confining disabled residents in mental wards because it lacks services to treat them in the community.

Gov. Maggie Hassan met with Norton on Friday, a day after she took office. He said he was encouraged by the meeting but it remains unclear whether she and the Legislature will boost funding for mental health.

Hassan said Monday that she considers the mental health system a pressing challenge.

‘‘We must take steps to improve access to mental health services and help those desperately in need of care,’’ she said. ‘‘Over the coming weeks, I will be bringing people together to make the difficult, fiscally responsible decisions needed to balance our budget while protecting New Hampshire’s priorities, including providing high quality health services.’’

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"Make mental health a budget priority in NH"
The Nashua Telegraph, Editorial, January 18, 2013

If ever there were a time for mental health organizations to pitch the need for more funding to state lawmakers, now would appear to be it.

So it made perfect sense that a Concord-based organization representing 10 community-based mental health centers chose Monday – the one-month anniversary of the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in Connecticut – to issue a position paper detailing its budget priorities for the next two years.

That it also came a month before Gov. Maggie Hassan is expected to present her two-year budget for fiscal years 2014-15 didn’t hurt, either.

But whether the nation’s renewed focus on mental health issues in the wake of Sandy Hook will translate into a renewed commitment by cash-strapped state lawmakers to expand mental health services remains an open question.

“The last month has seen a horrific escalation of crises in mental health and the failings of our community-based system,” said Jay Couture, president of the New Hampshire Community Behavioral Health Association, in a prepared statement. “A month ago today, the shootings in Newtown, Conn., shocked our community and also raised the public’s concerns about mental health issues.”

In order to offset the damage done by the state’s inability to invest in mental health services in recent years, Couture put forward an ambitious plan that calls for spending $37.6 million over the next two years to fund 132 new treatment beds, Section 8 rental subsidies and more outpatient caregiver teams, among many other provisions.

Specifically, the plan calls for spending roughly:

* $10 million for 38-48 new beds spread among four regions of the state.

* $1.5 million for 20 new beds to treat individuals facing mental health and substance abuse problems.

* $900,000 for 12 new beds to care for those most in need of treatment and otherwise destined for hospital emergency rooms.

* $11.6 million to double to 12 the number of teams that provide outpatient services with the goal of keeping patients out of hospital emergency rooms and jails or prison.

* $1.8 million to offer a rental subsidy to those individuals on a waiting list for a Section 8 federal housing voucher.

Sadly, even lawmakers sympathetic to the problem may be powerless to do much over the next two years, given the state of the budget.

Speaking at the Greater Nashua Chamber of Commerce’s annual Economic Outlook Luncheon on Thursday, Charles Arlinghaus, president of the Josiah Bartlett Center for Public Policy, told Nashua business leaders that the state could be looking at a $25 million deficit in the two-year budget cycle that ends June 30.

If that weren’t bad enough, he projected it will cost more than $200 million over the next two years just to maintain the current level of services, while state revenues only will increase by about $10 million.

If true, lawmakers will have to be extremely diligent in setting budget priorities for 2014-15. When they do, some additional resources for mental health treatment should be near the top of the list.

----------

"Hassan proposes $28 million for mental health"
AP / February 14, 2013

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Gov. Maggie Hassan says New Hampshire is long overdue for residents in desperate need of mental health care, and she wants to invest $28 million over the next two years to change that.

The state is nearly halfway into a 10-year mental health plan. But those who provide mental health services say the state not only has failed to make progress but has in some cases gone backward, with people waiting days in emergency rooms for psychiatric treatment.

The budget Hassan outlined Thursday includes a new designated receiving facility to take the pressure off local emergency rooms, 75 new community residence beds, more housing and support services and new community treatment teams to help adults and children in crisis.

----------

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About Me

My photo
Amherst, NH, United States
I am a citizen defending the people against corrupt Pols who only serve their Corporate Elite masters, not the people! / My 2 political enemies are Andrea F. Nuciforo, Jr., nicknamed "Luciforo" and former Berkshire County Sheriff Carmen C. Massimiano, Jr. / I have also pasted many of my political essays on "The Berkshire Blog": berkshireeagle.blogspot.com / I AM THE ANTI-FRANK GUINTA! / Please contact me at jonathan_a_melle@yahoo.com

50th Anniversary - 2009

50th Anniversary - 2009
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Columbus Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Pittsfield Politics: Capitanio, Mazzeo agree on budget cuts, public safety

Pittsfield Politics: Capitanio, Mazzeo agree on budget cuts, public safety
Paul Capitanio, left, speaks during Monday night's Ward 3 City Council debate with fellow candidate Melissa Mazzeo at Pittsfield Community Television's studio. The special election (3/31/2009) will be held a week from today (3/24/2009). The local issues ranged from economic development and cleaning up blighted areas in Ward 3 to public education and the continued remediation of PCB's.

Red Sox v Yankees

Red Sox v Yankees
Go Red Sox!

Outrage swells in Congress!

Outrage swells in Congress!
Senate Banking Committee Chairman Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., left, and the committee's ranking Republican Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., listen during a hearing on modernizing insurance regulations, Tuesday, March 17, 2009, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh). - http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090318/pl_politico/30833

Beacon Hill's $pecial Interest Tax Raisers & $PENDERS!

Beacon Hill's $pecial Interest Tax Raisers & $PENDERS!
Photo Gallery: www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/03/15/St_Patricks_Day_Boston/

The path away from Wall Street ...

The path away from Wall Street ...
...Employers in the finance sector - traditionally a prime landing spot for college seniors, particularly in the Northeast - expect to have 71 percent fewer jobs to offer this year's (2009) graduates.

Economic collapse puts graduates on unforeseen paths: Enrollment in public service jobs rising...

Economic collapse puts graduates on unforeseen paths: Enrollment in public service jobs rising...
www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/03/14/economic_collapse_puts_graduates_on_unforeseen_paths/

Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis

Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis
Should he be fired? As Bank of America's Stock Plummets, CEO Resists Some Calls That He Step Down.

Hookers for Jesus

Hookers for Jesus
Annie Lobert is the founder of "Hookers for Jesus" - www.hookersforjesus.net/home.cfm - Saving Sin City: Las Vegas, Nevada?

Forever personalized stamped envelope

Forever personalized stamped envelope
The Forever stamp will continue to cover the price of a first-class letter. The USPS will also introduce Forever personalized, stamped envelopes. The envelopes will be preprinted with a Forever stamp, the sender's name and return address, and an optional personal message.

Purple Heart

Purple Heart
First issued in 2003, the Purple heart stamp will continue to honor the men and women wounded while serving in the US military. The Purple Heart stamp covers the cost of 44 cents for first-class, one-ounce mail.

Dolphin

Dolphin
The bottlenose is just one of the new animals set to appear on the price-change stamps. It will serve as a 64-cent stamp for odd shaped envelopes.

2009 price-change stamps

2009 price-change stamps
www.boston.com/business/gallery/2009pircechangestamps/ -&- www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2009/02/27/new_stamps_set_for_rate_increase_in_may/

Red Sox v Yankees

Red Sox v Yankees
Go Red Sox!

President Barack Obama

President Barack Obama
AP photo v Shepard Fairey

Rush Limbaugh lackeys

Rush Limbaugh lackeys
Posted by Dan Wasserman of the Boston Globe on March 3, 2009.

Honest Abe

Honest Abe
A 2007 US Penny

Dog race

Dog race
Sledding for dogs

The Capital of the Constitution State

The Capital of the Constitution State
Hartford, once the wealthiest city in the United States but now the poorest in Connecticut, is facing an uphill battle.

Brady, Bundchen married

Brady, Bundchen married
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and model Gisele Bundchen wed Feb. 26, 2009 in a Catholic ceremony in Los Angeles. www.boston.com/ae/celebrity/gallery/tom_gisele/

Mayor Jimmy Ruberto

Mayor Jimmy Ruberto
Tanked Pittsfield's local economy while helping his fellow insider political hacks and business campaign contributors!

Journalist Andrew Manuse

Journalist Andrew Manuse
www.manuse.com

New Hampshire Supreme Court Building

New Hampshire Supreme Court Building
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Hampshire_Supreme_Court

Economic State of the Union

Economic State of the Union
A look at some of the economic conditions the Obama administration faces and what resources have already been pledged to help. 2/24/2009

President Barack Obama

President Barack Obama
The president addresses the nation's governors during a dinner in the State Dinning Room, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2009, at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari).

The Oscars - 2/22/2009.

The Oscars - 2/22/2009.
Hugh Jackman and Beyoncé Knowles teamed up for a musical medley during the show.

The 81st Academy Awards - Oscars - 2009

The 81st Academy Awards - Oscars - 2009
Hugh Jackman pulled actress Anne Hathaway on stage to accompany him during his opening musical number.

Rachel Maddow

Rachel Maddow
A Progressive News Commentator

$500,000 per year

$500,000 per year
That is chump change for the corporate elite!

THE CORPORATE ELITE...

THE CORPORATE ELITE...
Jeffrey R. Immelt, chairman and chief executive of General Electric

The Presidents' Club

The Presidents' Club
Bush, Obama, Bush Jr, Clinton & Carter.

5 Presidents: Bush, Obama, Bush Jr, Clinton, & Carter!

5 Presidents: Bush, Obama, Bush Jr, Clinton, & Carter!
White House Event: January 7, 2009.

Bank Bailout!

Bank Bailout!
v taxpayer

Actress Elizabeth Banks

Actress Elizabeth Banks
She will present an award to her hometown (Pittsfield) at the Massachusetts State House next month (1/2009). She recently starred in "W" and "Zack and Miri Make a Porno," and just signed a $1 million annual contract to be a spokesmodel for Paris.

Joanna Lipper

Joanna Lipper
Her award-winning 1999 documentary, "Growing Up Fast," about teenaged mothers in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

Happy Holidays...

Happy Holidays...
...from "Star Wars"

Massachusetts "poor" economy

Massachusetts "poor" economy
Massachusetts is one of the wealthiest states, but it is also very inequitable. For example, it boasts the nation's most lucrative lottery, which is just a system of regressive taxation so that the corporate elite get to pay less in taxes!

Reese Witherspoon

Reese Witherspoon
Hollywood Actress

Peter G. Arlos.

Peter G. Arlos.
Arlos is shown in his Pittsfield office in early 2000.

Turnpike OK's hefty toll hikes

Turnpike OK's hefty toll hikes
Big Dig - East-west commuters take hit; Fees at tunnels would double. 11/15/2008.

The Pink Panther 2

The Pink Panther 2
Starring Steve Martin

Police ABUSE

Police ABUSE
I was a victim of Manchester Police Officer John Cunningham's ILLEGAL USES of FORCE! John Cunningham was reprimanded by the Chief of Police for disrespecting me. John Cunningham yelled at a witness: "I don't care if he (Jonathan Melle) is disabled!"

Barack Obama

Barack Obama
The 44th US President!

Vote

Vote
Elections

The Bailout & the economic stimulus check

The Bailout & the economic stimulus check
A political cartoon by Dan Wasserman

A rainbow over Boston

A rainbow over Boston
"Rainbows galore" 10/2/2008

Our nation's leaders!

Our nation's leaders!
President Bush with both John McCain & Barack Obama - 9/25/2008.

Massachusetts & Big Dig: Big hike in tolls for Pike looming (9/26/2008).

Massachusetts & Big Dig: Big hike in tolls for Pike looming (9/26/2008).
$5 rise at tunnels is one possibility $1 jump posed for elsewhere.

Mary E Carey

Mary E Carey
My FAVORITE Journalist EVER!

9/11/2008 - A Show of Unity!

9/11/2008 - A Show of Unity!
John McCain and Barack Obama appeared together at ground zero in New York City - September 11, 2008.

John McCain...

John McCain...
...has all but abandoned the positions on taxes, torture and immigration. (A cartoon by Dan Wasserman. September 2008).

Dan Wasserman

Dan Wasserman
The deregulated chickens come home to roost... in all our pocketbooks. September 2008.

Sarah Palin's phobia

Sarah Palin's phobia
A scripted candidate! (A cartoon by Dan Wasserman).

Dan Wasserman

Dan Wasserman
Family FInances - September, 2008.

Mark E. Roy

Mark E. Roy
Ward 1 Alderman for Manchester, NH (2008).

Theodore “Ted” L. Gatsas

Theodore “Ted” L. Gatsas
Ward 2 Alderman (& NH State Senator) for Manchester, NH (2008).

Peter M. Sullivan

Peter M. Sullivan
Ward 3 (downtown) Alderman for Manchester, NH (2008).

Jim Roy

Jim Roy
Ward 4 Alderman for Manchester, NH (2008).

Ed Osborne

Ed Osborne
Ward 5 Alderman for Manchester, NH (2008).

Real R. Pinard

Real R. Pinard
Ward 6 Alderman for Manchester, NH (2008).

William P. Shea

William P. Shea
Ward 7 Alderman for Manchester, NH (2008).

Betsi DeVries

Betsi DeVries
Ward 8 Alder-woman (& NH State Senator) for Manchester, NH (2008).

Michael Garrity

Michael Garrity
Ward 9 Alderman for Manchester, NH (2008).

George Smith

George Smith
Ward 10 Alderman for Manchester, NH (2008).

Russ Ouellette

Russ Ouellette
Ward 11 Alderman for Manchester, NH (2008).

Kelleigh (Domaingue) Murphy

Kelleigh (Domaingue) Murphy
Ward 12 Alder-woman for Manchester, NH (2008).

“Mike” Lopez

“Mike” Lopez
At-Large Alderman for Manchester, NH. (2008).

Daniel P. O’Neil

Daniel P. O’Neil
At-Large Alderman for Manchester, NH (2008).

Sarah Palin for Vice President.

Sarah Palin for Vice President.
Republican John McCain made the surprise pick of Alaska's governor Sarah Palin as his running mate today, August 29, 2008.

U.S. Representative John Olver, D-Amherst, Massachusetts.

U.S. Representative John Olver, D-Amherst, Massachusetts.
Congressman Olver said the country has spent well over a half-trillion dollars on the war in Iraq while the situation in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate. 8/25/08.

Ed O'Reilly for US Senate in Massachusetts!

Ed O'Reilly for US Senate in Massachusetts!
John Kerry's 9/2008 challenger in the Democratic Primary.

Shays' Rebellion

Shays' Rebellion
In a tax revolt, Massachusetts farmers fought back during Shays' Rebellion in the mid-1780s after The American Revolutionary War.

Julianne Moore

Julianne Moore
Actress. "The Big Lebowski" is one of my favorite movies. I also like "The Fugitive", too.

Rinaldo Del Gallo III & "Superman"

Rinaldo Del Gallo III & "Superman"
Go to: http://www.berkshirefatherhood.com/index.php?mact=News,cntnt01,detail,0&cntnt01articleid=699&cntnt01returnid=69

"Income chasm widening in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts"

"Income chasm widening in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts"
The gap between rich and poor has widened substantially in Massachusetts over the past two decades. (8/15/2008).

Dan "Bureaucrat" Bosley

Dan "Bureaucrat" Bosley
"The Bosley Amendment": To create tax loopholes for the wealthiest corporate interests in Massachusetts!

John Edwards and...

John Edwards and...
...Rielle Hunter. WHO CARES?!

Rep. Edward J. Markey

Rep. Edward J. Markey
He wants online-privacy legislation. Some Web Firms Say They Track Behavior Without Explicit Consent.

Cindy Sheehan

Cindy Sheehan
She gained fame with her antiwar vigil outside the Bush ranch.

Olympics kick off in Beijing

Olympics kick off in Beijing
Go USA!

Exxon Mobil 2Q profit sets US record, shares fall

Exxon Mobil 2Q profit sets US record, shares fall
In this May 1, 2008, file photo, a customer pumps gas at an Exxon station in Middleton, Mass. Exxon Mobil Corp. reported second-quarter earnings of $11.68 billion Thursday, July 31, the biggest quarterly profit ever by any U.S. corporation, but the results were well short of Wall Street expectations and its shares fell as markets opened. (AP Photo/Lisa Poole, File) 7/31/2008.

Onota Lake 'Sea Serpent'

Onota Lake 'Sea Serpent'
Some kind of monster on Onota Lake. Five-year-old Tyler Smith rides a 'sea serpent' on Onota Lake in Pittsfield, Mass. The 'monster,' fashioned by Smith's grandfather, first appeared over July 4 weekend. (Photo courtesy of Ron Smith). 7/30/2008.

Al Gore, Jr.

Al Gore, Jr.
Al Gore issues challenge on energy

The Norman Rockwell Museum

The Norman Rockwell Museum
Stockbridge, Massachusetts

"Big Dig"

"Big Dig"
Boston's financially wasteful pork barrel project!

"Big Dig"

"Big Dig"
Boston's pork barrel public works project cost 50 times more than the original price!

Mary E Carey

Mary E Carey
My favorite journalist EVER!

U.S. Rep. John Olver, state Sen. Stan Rosenberg and Selectwomen Stephanie O'Keeffe and Alisa Brewer

U.S. Rep. John Olver, state Sen. Stan Rosenberg and Selectwomen Stephanie O'Keeffe and Alisa Brewer
Note: Photo from Mary E Carey's Blog.

Tanglewood

Tanglewood
Boston Symphony Orchestra music director James Levine.

Google

Google
Chagall

Jimmy Ruberto

Jimmy Ruberto
Faces multiple persecutions under the Massachusetts "Ethics" conflict of interest laws.

Barack Obama

Barack Obama
Obama vows $500m in faith-based aid.

John McCain

John McCain
He is with his wife, Cindy, who were both met by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe (right) upon arriving in Cartagena.

Daniel Duquette

Daniel Duquette
Sold Mayor James M. Ruberto of Pittsfield two tickets to the 2004 World Series at face value.

Hillary & Barack in Unity, NH - 6/27/2008

Hillary & Barack in Unity, NH - 6/27/2008
Clinton tells Obama, crowd in Unity, N.H.: 'We are one party'

John Forbes Kerry

John Forbes Kerry
Wanna-be Prez?

WALL-E

WALL-E
"out of this World"

Crisis in the Congo - Ben Affleck

Crisis in the Congo - Ben Affleck
http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/popup?id=5057139&contentIndex=1&page=1&start=false - http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=5234555&page=1

Jeanne Shaheen

Jeanne Shaheen
NH's Democratic returning candidate for U.S. Senate

"Wall-E"

"Wall-E"
a cool robot

Ed O'Reilly

Ed O'Reilly
www.edoreilly.com

Go Celtics!

Go Celtics!
World Champions - 2008

Go Red Sox!

Go Red Sox!
J.D. Drew gets the same welcome whenever he visits the City of Brotherly Love: "Booooooo!"; Drew has been vilified in Philadelphia since refusing to sign with the Phillies after they drafted him in 1997...

Joe Kelly Levasseur & Joe Briggs

Joe Kelly Levasseur & Joe Briggs
www.2joes.org

NH Union Leader

NH Union Leader
Editorial Cartoon

Celtics - World Champions!

Celtics - World Champions!
www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/gallery/06_18_08_front_pages/ - www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/gallery/06_17_08_finals_game_6/ - www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/gallery/06_17_08_celebration/ - www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/gallery/06_15_08_celtics_championships/

"The Nation"

"The Nation"
A "Liberal" weekly political news magazine. Katrina vanden Heuvel.

TV - PBS: NOW

TV - PBS: NOW
http://www.pbs.org/now

The Twilight Zone

The Twilight Zone
List of Twilight Zone episodes - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Twilight_Zone_episodes

Equality for ALL Marriages

Equality for ALL Marriages
I, Jonathan Melle, am a supporter of same sex marriages.

Kobe Bryant leads his time to a Game 5 victory.

Kobe Bryant leads his time to a Game 5 victory.
L.A. Lakers holds on for the win to force Game 6 at Boston

Mohawk Trail

Mohawk Trail
The 'Hail to the Sunrise' statue in Charlemont is a well-known and easily recognized landmark on the Mohawk Trail. The trail once boasted several souvenir shops, some with motels and restaurants. Now only four remain. (Caroline Bonnivier / Berkshire Eagle Staff).

NASA - June 14, 2008

NASA - June 14, 2008
Space Shuttle Discovery returns to Earth.

Go Celtics! Game # 4 of the 2008 NBA Finals.

Go Celtics! Game # 4 of the 2008 NBA Finals.
Boston took a 20-second timeout, and the Celtics ran off four more points (including this incredible Erving-esque layup from Ray Allen) to build the lead to five points with just 2:10 remaining. Reeling, the Lakers took a full timeout to try to regain their momentum.

Sal DiMasi

Sal DiMasi
Speaker of the Massachusetts State House of Representatives

Kelly Ayotte - Attorney General of New Hampshire

Kelly Ayotte - Attorney General of New Hampshire
http://doj.nh.gov/

John Kerry

John Kerry
He does not like grassroots democracy & being challenged in the 2008 Massachusetts Democratic Party Primary for re-election.

Tim Murray

Tim Murray
Corrupt Lt. Gov. of Massachusetts, 2007 - 2013.

North Adams, Massachusetts

North Adams, Massachusetts
downtown

Howie Carr

Howie Carr
Political Satirist on Massachusetts Corruption/Politics

Polar Bear

Polar Bear
Global Warming

Elizabeth Warren - Web-Site Links

Elizabeth Warren - Web-Site Links
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Warren & http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/WarrenAuthor.html

Elizabeth Warren

Elizabeth Warren
Consumer Crusader

Leon Powe

Leon Powe
Celtics forward Leon Powe finished a fast break with a dunk.

Kevin Garnett

Kevin Garnett
Kevin Garnett reacted during the game.

Rajon Rondo

Rajon Rondo
Rajon Rondo finished a first half fast break with a dunk.

Teamwork

Teamwork
Los Angeles Lakers teammates help Pau Gasol (16) from the floor in the second quarter.

Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant took a shot in the first half of Game 2.

Kendrick Perkins

Kendrick Perkins
Kendrick Perkins (right) backed down Lamar Odom (left) during first half action.

Go Celtics!

Go Celtics!
The Boston Symphony Orchestra performed the national anthem prior to Game 2.

K.G.!

K.G.!
Garnett reacted to a hard dunk in the first quarter.

Paul Pierce

Paul Pierce
Paul Pierce reacted after hitting a three upon his return to the game since leaving with an injury.

Go Celtics!

Go Celtics!
Kobe Bryant (left) and Paul Pierce (right) squared off in the second half of the game.

James Taylor

James Taylor
Sings National Anthem at Celtics Game.

John Forbes Kerry & Deval Patrick

John Forbes Kerry & Deval Patrick
Attended Celtics Game.

Greats of the NBA: Dr. J, Bill Russell, & Kareem!

Greats of the NBA: Dr. J, Bill Russell, & Kareem!
Attend Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals.

Bruce Willis

Bruce Willis
The actor (left) and his date were in the crowd before the Celtics game.

John Kerry

John Kerry
Golddigger attends Celtics game

Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton
Ends her 2008 bid for Democratic Party nomination

Nonnie Burnes

Nonnie Burnes
Massachusetts Insurance Commish & former Judge

Jones Library

Jones Library
Amherst, Massachusetts

Barack Obama & Hillary Clinton

Barack Obama & Hillary Clinton
2008 Democratic Primary

"US vs Exxon and Halliburton"

"US vs Exxon and Halliburton"
U.S. Senator John Sununu took more than $220,000 from big oil.

Jeanne Shaheen

Jeanne Shaheen
4- U.S. Senate - 2008

William Pignatelli

William Pignatelli
Hack Rep. "Smitty" with Lynne Blake

Ben Bernanke

Ben Bernanke
Federal Reserve Chairman

Gazettenet.com

Gazettenet.com
www.gazettenet.com/beta/

Boys' & Girls' Club

Boys' & Girls' Club
Melville Street, Pittsfield, Massachusetts

Denis Guyer

Denis Guyer
Dalton State Representative

The Berkshire Eagle

The Berkshire Eagle
Pittsfield, Massachusetts

Carmen Massimiano

Carmen Massimiano
Williams College - May 2008

Larry Bird & Magic Johnson

Larry Bird & Magic Johnson
www.boston.com/lifestyle/gallery/when_the_celtics_were_cool/

Regressive Taxation! via State Lotteries

Regressive Taxation! via State Lotteries
New Massachusetts state lottery game hits $600 million in sales!

Andrea Nuciforo

Andrea Nuciforo
"Luciforo"

John Barrett III

John Barrett III
Long-time Mayor of North Adams Massachusetts

Shine On

Shine On

Elmo

Elmo
cool!

Paul Pierce

Paul Pierce
Paul Pierce kissed the Eastern Conference trophy. 5/30/2008. AP Photo.

Kevin Garnett & Richard Hamilton

Kevin Garnett & Richard Hamilton
Kevin Garnett (left) talked to Pistons guard Richard Hamilton (right) after the Celtics' victory in Game 6. 5/30/2008. Reuters Photo.

Paul Pierce

Paul Pierce
Paul Pierce showed his team colors as the Celtics closed out the Pistons in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. 5/30/2008. Globe Staff Photo / Jim Davis.

Joseph Kelly Levasseur

Joseph Kelly Levasseur
One of my favorite politicians!

Mary E Carey

Mary E Carey
In the Big Apple: NYC! She is the coolest!

Guyer & Kerry

Guyer & Kerry
My 2nd least favorite picture EVER!

Mary Carey

Mary Carey
My favorite journalist EVER!

Nuciforo & Ruberto

Nuciforo & Ruberto
My least favorite picture EVER!

Jeanne Shaheen

Jeanne Shaheen
U.S. Senate - 2008

NH Fisher Cats

NH Fisher Cats
AA Baseball - Toronto Blue Jays affiliate

Manchester, NH

Manchester, NH
Police Patch

Michael Briggs

Michael Briggs
#83 - We will never forget

Michael "Stix" Addison

Michael "Stix" Addison
http://unionleader.com/channel.aspx/News?channel=2af17ff4-f73b-4c44-9f51-092e828e1131

Charlie Gibson

Charlie Gibson
ABC News anchor

Scott McClellan

Scott McClellan
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/m/scott_mcclellan/index.html?inline=nyt-per

Boise, Idaho

Boise, Idaho
Downtown Boise Idaho

John Forbes Kerry

John Forbes Kerry
Legislative Hearing in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, BCC, on Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson
My favorite classical U.S. President!

NH Governor John Lynch

NH Governor John Lynch
Higher Taxes, Higher Tolls

Paul Hodes

Paul Hodes
My favorite Congressman!

Portland Sea Dogs

Portland Sea Dogs
AA Red Sox

New York

New York
Magnet

Massachusetts

Massachusetts
Magnet

New Hampshire

New Hampshire
Magnet

New Hampshire

New Hampshire
Button

Carmen Massimiano

Carmen Massimiano
"Luciforo" tried to send me to Carmen's Jail during the Spring & Summer of 1998.

Kay Khan - Massachusetts State Representative

Kay Khan - Massachusetts State Representative
www.openmass.org/members/show/174

Luciforo

Luciforo
Andrea F Nuciforo II

B-Eagle

B-Eagle
Pittsfield's monopoly/only daily newspaper

Jon Lester - Go Red Sox!

Jon Lester - Go Red Sox!
A Red Sox No Hitter on 5/19/2008!

Go Red Sox!

Go Red Sox!
Dustin Pedroia & Manny Ramirez

U.S. Flag

U.S. Flag
God Bless America!

Jonathan Melle's Blog

Jonathan Melle's Blog
Hello, Everyone!

Molly Bish

Molly Bish
We will never forget!

Go Celtics!

Go Celtics!
Celtics guard Rajon Rondo listens to some advice from Celtics head coach Doc Rivers in the first half.

Go Celtics!

Go Celtics!
Celtics forward Kevin Garnett and Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace embrace at the end of the game.

Go Red Sox!

Go Red Sox!
Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon calls for the ball as he charges toward first base. Papelbon made the out en route to picking up his 14th save of the season.

Go Red Sox!

Go Red Sox!
Red Sox starting pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka throws to Royals David DeJesus during the first inning.

Go Red Sox!

Go Red Sox!
Red Sox pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka delivers a pitch to Royals second baseman Mark Grudzielanek during the second inning.

Go Red Sox!

Go Red Sox!
Red Sox right fielder J.D. Drew is welcomed to home plate by teammates Mike Lowell (left), Kevin Youkilis (2nd left) and Manny Ramirez after he hit a grand slam in the second inning.

Go Red Sox!

Go Red Sox!
Red Sox third baseman Mike Lowell crosses the plate after hitting a grand slam during the sixth inning. Teammates Manny Ramirez and Jacoby Ellsbury scored on the play. The Red Sox went on to win 11-8 to complete a four-game sweep and perfect homestand.

JD Drew - Go Red Sox

JD Drew - Go Red Sox
www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/gallery/05_22_08_sox_royals/

Thank you for serving; God Bless America!

Thank you for serving; God Bless America!
Master Sgt. Kara B. Stackpole, of Westfield, holds her daughter, Samantha, upon her return today to Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee. She is one of the 38 members of the 439th Aeromedical Staging Squadron who returned after a 4-month deployment in Iraq. Photo by Dave Roback / The Republican.

Kathi-Anne Reinstein

Kathi-Anne Reinstein
www.openmass.org/members/show/175

Ted Kennedy

Ted Kennedy
Tragic diagnosis: Get well Senator!

Google doodle - Jonathan Melle Internet search

Google doodle - Jonathan Melle Internet search
http://blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en&q=jonathan+melle+blogurl:http://jonathanmelleonpolitics.blogspot.com/&ie=UTF-8

John Forbes Kerry

John Forbes Kerry
Billionaire U.S. Senator gives address to MCLA graduates in North Adams, Massachusetts in mid-May 2008

Andrea Nuciforo

Andrea Nuciforo
"Luciforo"

A Red Sox Fan in Paris, France

A Red Sox Fan in Paris, France
Go Red Sox!

Rinaldo Del Gallo III

Rinaldo Del Gallo III
Interviewed on local TV

Andrea Nuciforo

Andrea Nuciforo
Luciforo!

John Adams

John Adams
#2 U.S. President

Jonathan Melle

Jonathan Melle
I stood under a tree on the afternoon of May 9, 2008, on the foregrounds of the NH State House - www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/post/nhinsider/vpost?id=2967773

Jonathan Melle

Jonathan Melle
Inside the front lobby of the NH State House

Jonathan Melle

Jonathan Melle
Bill Clinton campaign memorabilia

Jonathan Melle

Jonathan Melle
Liberty Bell & NH State House

Jon Keller

Jon Keller
Boston based political analyst

Jon Keller

Jon Keller
Boston based political analyst

Jonathan Melle

Jonathan Melle
Franklin Pierce Statue #14 U.S. President

Jonathan Melle

Jonathan Melle
NH State House

Jonathan Melle

Jonathan Melle
Stop the War NOW!

Jonathan Melle

Jonathan Melle
"Mr. Melle, tear down this Blog!"

Jonathan Melle

Jonathan Melle
I stood next to a JFK photo

Jonathan Levine, Publisher

Jonathan Levine, Publisher
The Pittsfield Gazette Online

Jonathan Melle

Jonathan Melle
I made rabbit ears with John & George

Jonathan Melle

Jonathan Melle
I made antenna ears with John & George

Jonathan Melle

Jonathan Melle
I impersonated Howard Dean

Jonathan Melle

Jonathan Melle
mock-voting

Jonathan Melle

Jonathan Melle
pretty ladies -/- Go to: http://www.wgir.com/cc-common/cc_photopop20.html?eventID=28541&pagecontent=&pagenum=4 - Go to: http://current.com/items/88807921_veterans_should_come_first_not_last# - http://www.mcam23.com/cgi-bin/cutter.cgi?c_function=STREAM?c_feature=EDIT?dir_catagory=10MorningRadio?dir_folder=2JoesClips?dir_file=JonathanMelle-090308? -

Jonathan Melle

Jonathan Melle
Go Red Sox! Me at Fenway Park

Mary E. Carey

Mary E. Carey
My favorite journalist! Her voice sings for the Voiceless. -/- Go to: http://aboutamherst.blogspot.com/search?q=melle -/- Go to: http://ongeicocaveman.blogspot.com/search?q=melle

Velvet Jesus

Velvet Jesus
Mary Carey blogs about my political writings. This is a picture of Jesus from her childhood home in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. -//- "How Can I Keep From Singing" : My life goes on in endless song / Above Earth's lamentations, / I hear the real, though far-off hymn / That hails a new creation. / / Through all the tumult and the strife / I hear its music ringing, / It sounds an echo in my soul. / How can I keep from singing? / / Whey tyrants tremble in their fear / And hear their death knell ringing, / When friends rejoice both far and near / How can I keep from singing? / / In prison cell and dungeon vile / Our thoughts to them are winging / When friends by shame are undefiled / How can I keep from singing?

www.truthdig.com

www.truthdig.com
www.truthdig.com

Jonathan Melle

Jonathan Melle
Concord NH

The Huffington Post

The Huffington Post
http://fundrace.huffingtonpost.com/neighbors.php?type=loc&newest=1&addr=&zip=01201&search=Search

Barack Obama

Barack Obama
smiles & beer

Jonathan Lothrop

Jonathan Lothrop
A Pittsfield City Councilor

Michael L. Ward

Michael L. Ward
A Pittsfield City Councilor

Peter Marchetti - Pittsfield's City Councilor at Large

Peter Marchetti - Pittsfield's City Councilor at Large
Pete always sides with the wealthy's political interests.

Gerald Lee - Pittsfield's City Council Prez

Gerald Lee - Pittsfield's City Council Prez
Gerald Lee told me that I am a Social Problem; Lee executes a top-down system of governance. R.I.P. Gerry Lee.

Matt Kerwood - Pittsfield's Councilor at Large

Matt Kerwood - Pittsfield's Councilor at Large
Kerwood poured coffee drinks for Jane Swift

Louis Costi

Louis Costi
Pittsfield City Councilor

Lewis Markham

Lewis Markham
Pittsfield City Councilor

Kevin Sherman - Pittsfield City Councilor

Kevin Sherman - Pittsfield City Councilor
Sherman ran for Southern Berkshire State Rep against Smitty Pignatelli; Sherman is a good guy.

Anthony Maffuccio

Anthony Maffuccio
Pittsfield City Councilor

Linda Tyer

Linda Tyer
Pittsfield City Councilor

Daniel Bianchi

Daniel Bianchi
A Pittsfield City Councilor

The Democratic Donkey

The Democratic Donkey
Democratic Party Symbol

Paramount

Paramount
What is Paramount to you?

NH's Congresswoman

NH's Congresswoman
Carol Shea-Porter, Democrat

Sam Adams Beer

Sam Adams Beer
Boston Lager

Ratatouille

Ratatouille
Disney Animation

Ruberto Details Plans for Success - January 07, 2008

Ruberto Details Plans for Success - January 07, 2008
"Luciforo" swears in Mayor Ruberto. Pittsfield Politics at its very worst: 2 INSIDER POWERBROKERS! Where is Carmen Massimiano? He must be off to the side.

Abe

Abe
Lincoln

Optimus Prime

Optimus Prime
Leader of the Autobots

Optimus Prime

Optimus Prime
1984 Autobot Transformer Leader

Cleanup Agreements - GE & Pittsfield's PCBs toxic waste sites

Cleanup Agreements - GE & Pittsfield's PCBs toxic waste sites
www.epa.gov/region1/ge/cleanupagreement.html

GE/Housatonic River Site: Introduction

GE/Housatonic River Site: Introduction
www.epa.gov/region1/ge/

GE/Housatonic River Site - Reports

GE/Housatonic River Site - Reports
www.epa.gov/region1/ge/thesite/opca-reports.html

US EPA - Contact - Pittsfield's PCBs toxic waste sites

US EPA - Contact -  Pittsfield's PCBs toxic waste sites
www.epa.gov/region1/ge/contactinfo.html

GE Corporate Logo - Pittsfield's PCBs toxic waste sites

GE Corporate Logo - Pittsfield's PCBs toxic waste sites
www.epa.gov/region1/ge/index.html

Commonwealth Connector

Commonwealth Connector
Commonwealth Care

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Healthcare Reform

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Healthcare Reform

Network Health Forward - A Commonwealth Care Plan

Network Health Forward - A Commonwealth Care Plan
Massachusetts Health Reform

Network Health Together: A MassHealth Plan - Commonwealth Care

Network Health Together: A MassHealth Plan - Commonwealth Care
Massachusetts Health Reform

www.network-health.org

www.network-health.org
Massachusetts Health Reform

Neighborhood Health Plan - Commonwealth Care

Neighborhood Health Plan - Commonwealth Care
Massachusetts Health Reform

Fallon Community Health Plan - Commonwealth Care

Fallon Community Health Plan - Commonwealth Care
Massachusetts Health Reform

BMC HealthNet Plan

BMC HealthNet Plan
Massachusetts Health Reform

Massachusetts Health Reform

Massachusetts Health Reform
Eligibility Chart: 2007

Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare

Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare
Massachusetts Health Reform

Business Peaks

Business Peaks
Voodoo Economics

Laffer Curve - Corporate Elite

Laffer Curve - Corporate Elite
Reagonomics: Supply Side

Corporate Elite Propaganda

Corporate Elite Propaganda
Mock Liberal Democratic Socialism Thinking

Real Estate Blues

Real Estate Blues
www.boston.com/bostonglobe/magazine/2008/0316/

PEACE

PEACE
End ALL Wars!

Freedom of Speech

Freedom of Speech
Norman Rockwell's World War II artwork depicting America's values

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln
A young Abe Lincoln

RACHEL KAPRIELIAN

RACHEL KAPRIELIAN
www.openmass.org/members/show/218 - www.rachelkaprielian.com

Jennifer M. Callahan - Massachusetts State Representative

Jennifer M. Callahan - Massachusetts State Representative
www.openmass.org/members/show/164 - www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/05/04/legislator_describes_threat_as_unnerving/

Human Rights for ALL Peoples!

Human Rights for ALL Peoples!
My #1 Political Belief!

Anne Frank

Anne Frank
Amsterdam, Netherlands, Europe

A young woman Hillary supporter

A young woman Hillary supporter
This excellent picture captures a youth's excitement

Hillary Clinton with Natalie Portman

Hillary Clinton with Natalie Portman
My favorite Actress!

Alan Chartock

Alan Chartock
WAMC public radio in Albany, NY; Political columnist who writes about Berkshire County area politics; Strong supporter for Human Rights for ALL Peoples

OpenCongress.Org

OpenCongress.Org
This web-site uses some of my Blog postings

OpenMass.org

OpenMass.org
This web-site uses some of my blog postings!

Shannon O'Brien

Shannon O'Brien
One of my favorite politicians! She stands for the People first!

The Massachusetts State House

The Massachusetts State House
"The Almighty Golden Dome" - www.masslegislature.tv -

Sara Hathaway

Sara Hathaway
Former Mayor of Pittsfield, Massachusetts

Andrea F. Nuciforo, Jr.

Andrea F. Nuciforo, Jr.
A corrupt Pol who tried to put me in Jail

Andrea F. Nuciforo, Jr.

Andrea F. Nuciforo, Jr.
Another view of Pittsfield's inbred, multigenerational political prince. Luciforo!

Luciforo

Luciforo
Nuciforo's nickname

"Andy" Nuciforo

"Andy" Nuciforo
Luciforo!

Carmen C. Massimiano, Jr., Berkshire County Sheriff (Jailer)

Carmen C. Massimiano, Jr., Berkshire County Sheriff (Jailer)
Nuciforo's henchman! Nuciforo tried to send me to Carmen's Jail

Andrea Nuciforo Jr

Andrea Nuciforo Jr
Shhh! Luciforo's other job is working as a private attorney defending wealthy Boston-area corporate insurance companies

Berkshire County Sheriff (Jailer) Carmen C. Massimiano, Jr.

Berkshire County Sheriff (Jailer) Carmen C. Massimiano, Jr.
Nuciforo tried to send me to Carmen's Jail! Carmen sits with the Congressman, John Olver

Congressman John Olver

Congressman John Olver
Nuciforo's envy

The Dome of the U.S. Capitol

The Dome of the U.S. Capitol
Our Beacon of American Democracy

Nuciforo's architect

Nuciforo's architect
Mary O'Brien in red with scarf

Sara Hathaway (www.brynmawr.edu)

Sara Hathaway (www.brynmawr.edu)
Former-Mayor of Pittsfield, Massachusetts; Nuciforo intimidated her, along with another woman, from running in a democratic state election in the Spring of 2006!

Andrea F. Nuciforo II

Andrea F. Nuciforo II
Pittsfield Politics Pot $

Berkshire County Republican Association

Berkshire County Republican Association
Go to: www.fcgop.blogspot.com

Denis Guyer

Denis Guyer
Dalton State Representative

John Forbes Kerry & Denis Guyer

John Forbes Kerry & Denis Guyer
U.S. Senator & State Representative

John Kerry

John Kerry
Endorses Barack Obama for Prez then visits Berkshire County

Dan Bosley

Dan Bosley
A Bureaucrat impostoring as a Legislator!

Ben Downing

Ben Downing
Berkshire State Senator

Christopher N Speranzo

Christopher N Speranzo
Pittsfield's ANOINTED State Representative

Peter J. Larkin

Peter J. Larkin
Corrupt Lobbyist

GE - Peter Larkin's best friend!

GE - Peter Larkin's best friend!
GE's FRAUDULENT Consent Decree with Pittsfield, Massachusetts, will end up KILLING many innocent school children & other local residents!

GE's CEO Jack Welch

GE's CEO Jack Welch
The Corporate System's Corporate Elite's King

Economics: Where Supply meets Demand

Economics: Where Supply meets Demand
Equilibrium

GE & Pittsfield, Massachusetts

GE & Pittsfield, Massachusetts
In 2007, GE sold its Plastics Division to a Saudi company. Now all that is left over by GE are its toxic PCB pollutants that cause cancer in many Pittsfield residents.

Mayor James M Ruberto

Mayor James M Ruberto
A small-time pol chooses to serve the corporate elite & other elites over the people.

Governor Deval Patrick

Governor Deval Patrick
Deval shakes hands with Mayors in Berkshire County

Deval Patrick

Deval Patrick
Governor of Massachusetts

Pittsfield High School

Pittsfield High School
Pittsfield, Massachusetts

Sara Hathaway

Sara Hathaway
Pittsfield's former Mayor

Rinaldo Del Gallo III

Rinaldo Del Gallo III
Pittsfield Attorney focusing on Father's Rights Probate Court Legal Issues, & Local Politician and Political Observer

Rinaldo Del Gallo III

Rinaldo Del Gallo III
Very Intelligent Political Activists in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Rinaldo Del Gallo, III, Esq. is the spokesperson of the Berkshire Fatherhood Coalition. He has been practicing family law and has been a member of the Massachusetts bar since 1996.

Mayor Ed Reilly

Mayor Ed Reilly
He supports Mayor Ruberto & works as a municipal Attorney. As Mayor, he backed Bill Weld for Governor in 1994, despite being a Democrat. He was joined by Carmen Massimiano & John Barrett III, the long-standing Mayor of North Adams.

Manchester, NH Mayor Frank Guinta

Manchester, NH Mayor Frank Guinta
Cuts Dental Care for Public School Children-in-Need

Manchester, NH City Hall

Manchester, NH City Hall
My new hometown - view from Hanover St. intersection with Elm St.

Manchester NH City Democrats

Manchester NH City Democrats
Go Dems!

2008 Democratic Candidates for U.S. Prez

2008 Democratic Candidates for U.S. Prez
Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Mike Gravel, Dennis Kucinich, John Edwards

NH State House Dome

NH State House Dome
Concord, NH

Donna Walto

Donna Walto
Pittsfield Politician -- She strongly opposes Mayor Jim Ruberto's elitist tenure.

Elmo

Elmo
Who doesn't LOVE Elmo?

Hillary Clinton for U.S. President!

Hillary Clinton for U.S. President!
Hillary is for Children. She is my choice in 2008.

The White House in 1800

The White House in 1800
Home of our Presidents of the United States

John Adams

John Adams
2nd President of the USA

Hillary Clinton stands with John Edwards and Joe Biden

Hillary Clinton stands with John Edwards and Joe Biden
Hillary is my choice for U.S. President!

Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton
Former President Bill Clinton speaks at the Radisson in Manchester NH 11/16/2007

Barack Obama

Barack Obama
U.S. Senator & Candidate for President

Pittsfield's 3 Women City Councillors - 2004

Pittsfield's 3 Women City Councillors - 2004
Linda Tyer, Pam Malumphy, Tricia Farley-Bouvier

Wahconah Park in Pittsfield, Massachusetts

Wahconah Park in Pittsfield, Massachusetts
My friend Brian Merzbach reviews baseball parks around the nation.

The Corporate Elite: Rational Incentives for only the wealthy

The Corporate Elite: Rational Incentives for only the wealthy
The Elites double their $ every 6 to 8 years, while the "have-nots" double their $ every generation (or 24 years). Good bye Middle Class!

George Will

George Will
The human satellite voice for the Corporate Elite

Elizabeth Warren

Elizabeth Warren
The Anti-George Will; Harvard Law School Professor; The Corporate Elite's Worst Nightmare

The Flag of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

The Flag of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
I was born and raised in Pittsfield, Massachusetts

State Senator Stan Rosenberg

State Senator Stan Rosenberg
Democratic State Senator from Amherst, Massachusetts -/- Anti-Stan Rosenberg Blog: rosenbergwatch.blogspot.com

Ellen Story

Ellen Story
Amherst Massachusetts' State Representative

Teen Pregnancy in Pittsfield, Mass.

Teen Pregnancy in Pittsfield, Mass.
Books are being written on Pittsfield's high teen pregancy rates! What some intellectuals do NOT understand about the issue is that TEEN PREGNANCIES in Pittsfield double the statewide average by design - Perverse Incentives!

NH Governor John Lynch

NH Governor John Lynch
Supports $30 Scratch Tickets and other forms of regressive taxation. Another Pol that only serves his Corporate Elite Masters instead of the People!

U.S. Congresswoman Carol Shea Porter

U.S. Congresswoman Carol Shea Porter
The first woman whom the People of New Hampshire have voted in to serve in U.S. Congress

U.S. Congressman Paul Hodes

U.S. Congressman Paul Hodes
A good man who wants to bring progressive changes to Capitol Hill!

Paul Hodes for U.S. Congress

Paul Hodes for U.S. Congress
New Hampshire's finest!

Darth Vader

Darth Vader
Star Wars

Dick Cheney & George W. Bush

Dick Cheney & George W. Bush
The Gruesome Two-some! Stop the Neo-Cons' fascism! End the Iraq War NOW!

WAROPOLY

WAROPOLY
The Inequity of Globalism

Bushopoly!

Bushopoly!
The Corporate Elite have redesigned "The System" to enrich themselves at the expense of the people, masses, have-nots, poor & middle-class families

George W. Bush with Karl Rove

George W. Bush with Karl Rove
Rove was a political strategist with extraordinary influence within the Bush II White House

2008's Republican Prez-field

2008's Republican Prez-field
John McCain, Alan Keyes, Rudy Guiliani, Duncan Hunter, Mike Huckabee, WILLARD Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, Ron Paul

Fall in New England

Fall in New England
Autumn is my favorite season

Picturing America

Picturing America
picturingamerica.neh.gov

Winter Weather Map

Winter Weather Map
3:45PM EST 3-Dec-07

Norman Rockwell Painting

Norman Rockwell Painting
Thanksgiving

Norman Rockwell Painting

Norman Rockwell Painting
Depiction of American Values in mid-20th Century America

Larry Bird #33

Larry Bird #33
My favorite basketball player of my childhood

Boston Celtics Basketball - 2007-2008

Boston Celtics Basketball - 2007-2008
Kevin Garnett hugs James Posey

Paul Pierce

Paul Pierce
All heart! Awesome basketball star for The Boston Celtics.

Tom Brady

Tom Brady
Go Patriots!

Rupert Murdoch

Rupert Murdoch
Owner of Fox News - CORPORATE ELITE!

George Stephanopolous

George Stephanopolous
A Corporate Elite Political News Analyst

Robert Redford

Robert Redford
Starred in the movie "Lions for Lambs"

Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep
Plays a jaded journalist with integrity in the movie "Lions for Lambs"

Tom Cruise

Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise plays the Neo-Con D.C. Pol purely indoctrinated by the Corporate Elite's political agenda in the Middle East

CHARLIZE THERON

CHARLIZE THERON
"I want to say I've never been surrounded by so many fake breasts, but I went to the Academy Awards."

Amherst Town Library

Amherst Town Library
Amherst, NH - www.amherstlibrary.org

Manchester NH Library

Manchester NH Library
I use the library's automated timed 1-hour-per-day Internet computers to post on my Blog - www.manchester.lib.nh.us

Manchester NH's Palace Theater

Manchester NH's Palace Theater
Manchester NH decided to restore its Palace Theater

Pittsfield's Palace Theater

Pittsfield's Palace Theater
Pittsfield tore down this landmark on North Street in favor of a parking lot

Pleasant Street Theater

Pleasant Street Theater
Amherst, Massachusetts

William "Shitty" Pignatelli

William "Shitty" Pignatelli
A top down & banal State House Pol from Lenox Massachusetts -- A GOOD MAN!

The CIA & Mind Control

The CIA & Mind Control
Did the CIA murder people by proxy assassins?

Skull & Bones

Skull & Bones
Yale's Elite

ImpeachBush.org

ImpeachBush.org
I believe President Bush should be IMPEACHED because he is waging an illegal and immoral war against Iraq!

Bob Feuer drumming for U.S. Congress v John Olver in 2008

Bob Feuer drumming for U.S. Congress v John Olver in 2008
www.blog.bobfeuer.us

Abe Lincoln

Abe Lincoln
The 16th President of the USA

Power

Power
Peace

Global Warming Mock Giant Thermometer

Global Warming Mock Giant Thermometer
A member of Green Peace activist sets up a giant thermometer as a symbol of global warming during their campaign in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, Sunday, Dec. 2, 2007. World leaders launch marathon negotiations Monday on how to fight global warming, which left unchecked could cause devastating sea level rises, send millions further into poverty and lead to the mass extinction of plants and animals.

combat global warming...

combat global warming...
...or risk economic and environmental disaster caused by rising temperatures

www.climatecrisiscoalition.org

www.climatecrisiscoalition.org
P.O. Box 125, South Lee, MA 01260, (413) 243-5665, tstokes@kyotoandbeyond.org, www.kyotoandbeyond.org

3 Democratic presidentional candidates

3 Democratic presidentional candidates
Democratic presidential candidates former senator John Edwards (from right) and Senators Joe Biden and Chris Dodd before the National Public Radio debate yesterday (12/4/2007).

The UN Seal

The UN Seal
An archaic & bureaucratic post WW2 top-down, non-democratic institution that also stands for some good governance values

Superman

Superman
One of my favorite childhood heroes and movies

Web-Site on toxic toys

Web-Site on toxic toys
www.healthytoys.org

Batman

Batman
One of my favorite super-heroes

Deval Patrick & Denis Guyer

Deval Patrick & Denis Guyer
Massachusetts' Governor stands with Dalton's State Rep. Denis E. Guyer.

Bill Cosby & Denis Guyer

Bill Cosby & Denis Guyer
TV Star Bill Cosby stands with Denis E. Guyer

Denis Guyer with his supporters

Denis Guyer with his supporters
Dalton State Representative

Denis Guyer goes to college

Denis Guyer goes to college
Dalton State Representative

Peter Marchetti

Peter Marchetti
He is my second cousin. Pete Marchetti favors MONEY, not fairness!

Matt Barron & Denis Guyer with couple

Matt Barron & Denis Guyer with couple
Matt Barron plays DIRTY politics against his opponents!

Nat Karns

Nat Karns
Top-Down Executive Director of the ELITIST Berkshire Regional Planning Commission

Human Rights for All Peoples & people

Human Rights for All Peoples & people
Stop Anti-Semitism

Massachusetts State Treasurer Tim Cahill

Massachusetts State Treasurer Tim Cahill
State House, Room 227, Boston, MA 02133, 617-367-6900, www.mass.gov/treasury/

Massachusetts State Attorney General Martha Coakley

Massachusetts State Attorney General Martha Coakley
1350 Main Street, Springfield, MA 01103, 413-784-1240 / McCormick Building, One Asburton Place, Boston, MA 02108, 617-727-4765 / marthacoakley.com / www.ago.state.ma.us

Bush v. Gore: December 12, 2007, was the seventh anniversary, the 5-4 Supreme Court decision...

Bush v. Gore: December 12, 2007, was the seventh anniversary, the 5-4 Supreme Court decision...
www.takebackthecourt.org - A political billboard near my downtown apartment in Manchester, NH

Marc Murgo

Marc Murgo
An old friend of mine from Pittsfield

Downtown Manchester, NH

Downtown Manchester, NH
www.newhampshire.com/nh-towns/manchester.aspx

Marisa Tomei

Marisa Tomei
Movie Actress

Massachusetts Coalition for Healthy Communities (MCHC)

Massachusetts Coalition for Healthy Communities (MCHC)
www.masschc.org/issue.php

Mike Firestone & Anna Weisfeiler

Mike Firestone & Anna Weisfeiler
Mike Firestone works in Manchester NH for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign

James Pindell

James Pindell
Covers NH Primary Politcs for The Boston Globe

U.S. History - Declaration

U.S. History - Declaration
A 19th century engraving shows Benjamin Franklin, left, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Philip Livingston and Roger Sherman at work on the Declaration of Independence.

Boston Globe Photos of the Week - www.boston.com/bostonglobe/gallery/

Boston Globe Photos of the Week - www.boston.com/bostonglobe/gallery/
Sybregje Palenstijn (left), who plays Sarah Godbertson at Plimouth Plantation, taught visitors how to roast a turkey on a spit. The plantation often sees a large influx of visitors during the holiday season.

Chris Hodgkins

Chris Hodgkins
Another special interest Berkshire Pol who could not hold his "WATER" on Beacon Hill's State House!

The Big Dig - 15 tons of concrete fell from a tunnel ceiling onto Milena Del Valle's car.

The Big Dig - 15 tons of concrete fell from a tunnel ceiling onto Milena Del Valle's car.
Most of Boston's Big Dig highway remains closed, after a woman was crushed when 15 tons of concrete fell from a tunnel ceiling onto her car. (ABC News)

Jane Swift

Jane Swift
Former Acting Governor of Massachusetts & Berkshire State Senator

Paul Cellucci

Paul Cellucci
Former Massachusetts Governor

William Floyd Weld

William Floyd Weld
$80 Million Trust Fund Former Governor of Massachusetts

Mike Dukakis

Mike Dukakis
Former Governor of Massachusetts

Mary E. Carey

Mary E. Carey
Amherst, Massachusetts, Journalist and Blogger

Caveman

Caveman
www.ongeicocaveman.blogspot.com

Peter G. Arlos

Peter G. Arlos
"The biggest challenge Pittsfield faces is putting its fiscal house in order. The problem is that doing so requires structural changes in local government, many of which I have advocated for years, but which officials do not have the will to implement. Fiscal responsibility requires more than shifting funds from one department to another. Raising taxes and fees and cutting services are not the answer. Structural changes in the way services are delivered and greater productivity are the answer, and without these changes the city's fiscal crisis will not be solved."

James M. Ruberto

James M. Ruberto
"Pittsfield's biggest challenge is to find common ground for a better future. The city is at a crossroads. On one hand, our quality of life is challenged. On the other hand, some important building blocks are in place that could be a strong foundation for our community. Pittsfield needs to unite for the good of its future. The city needs an experienced businessman and a consensus builder who will invite the people to hold him accountable."

Matt Kerwood

Matt Kerwood
Pittsfield's Councilor-At-Large. Go to: extras.berkshireeagle.com/NeBe/profiles/12.htm

Gerald M. Lee

Gerald M. Lee
Pittsfield's City Council Prez. Top-down governance of the first order!

Mary Carey

Mary Carey
Mary with student

Boston Red Sox

Boston Red Sox
Jonathan Papelbon celebrates with Jason Varitek

Free Bernard Baran!

Free Bernard Baran!
www.freebaran.org

Political Intelligence

Political Intelligence
Capitol Hill

Sherwood Guernsey II

Sherwood Guernsey II
Wealthy Williamstown Political Activist & Pittsfield Attorney

Mary Carey 2

Mary Carey 2
California Pol & porn star

Pittsfield's Good Old Boy Network - Political Machine!

Pittsfield's Good Old Boy Network - Political Machine!
Andy "Luciforo" swears in Jimmy Ruberto for the returning Mayor's 3rd term

Berkshire Grown

Berkshire Grown
www.berkshiregrown.org

Rambo

Rambo

The Mount was built in 1902 & was home to Edith Wharton (1862-1937) from 1903 to 1908.

The Mount was built in 1902 & was home to Edith Wharton (1862-1937) from 1903 to 1908.
The Mount, the historic home in Lenox of famed American novelist Edith Wharton, is facing foreclosure.

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