Memorial Day Reflections...

Today, we present the fifth installment of our weeklong tribute to the men and women who proudly serve this country. This Memorial Day reflection comes to us from Representative Richard Bastien:

One of the earliest memories I recall is observing a Memorial Day Parade with my family and hundreds of others when I was about four years old. Even though I did not then realize all of its significance, I knew that it was a special day, a day for us to take a moment from the rush of our ordinary lives and remember those who served our country.

Memorial Day is a time of reflection, a day when we pause to reflect on those no longer with us, whose valor enables us to enjoy the freedoms we cherish today. We honor their sacrifice in defending our values and take this opportunity to thank them for what they died to defend.
That four year old grew up to be a sailor in the United States Navy as well. I was proud to serve our nation then, and now as a member of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs. I have the opportunity to help our returning veterans and their families receive the support they need in order to readjust and integrate back into civilian life. Our nations veterans ask for so little, this weekend let us honor them and their service.

This Memorial Day, in between our cookouts and gatherings, I hope we all take a moment to pause in appreciation that everything we hold dear is because someone stood up to defend it. We sleep safe in our beds because someone else was willing to stand in the cold night in a foreign land on watch. We may never repay those that have sacrificed so much, but let us endeavor to do our best, for it is by the courage that they displayed, that we are able to enjoy our freedoms this weekend.

Memorial Day Reflections...

Today, we present the fourth installment of our weeklong tribute to the men and women who proudly serve this country. This Memorial Day reflection comes to us from Representative George Peterson:

At an early age, my father instilled in me the notion to honor our veterans by saying thanks for their service and sacrifices. When thinking of Memorial Day, I am reminded of the selfless decisions made by our veterans, who courageously defended our country.

Memorial Day is a day when we take a moment to reflect on the individuals who chose to leave their families to fight for the freedom of this great country. It is a great tradition of remembering and honoring those who have lost their lives so that we may live in safety here at home. As a veteran and elected official, I truly understand the cost of freedom that is paid on a daily basis. It is imperative that we remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

As we go about this day at our picnics, our cookouts, or any other celebration, it is important to take a moment and pray for all of those men and women who have volunteered to defend our freedom. These individuals are truly heroes; and it is these individuals, both past and present, whom we remember and think about today. From the original Minutemen, to the Armed Forces of today, I appreciate every sacrifice that they have made.

House Minority Leader’s Statement on the Swearing In of Representative Peter Durant

BOSTON—House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. issued the following statement today following the swearing in of Representative Peter Durant:

I am pleased to formally welcome Representative Peter Durant to the Massachusetts House of Representatives. I, along with my Republican colleagues, look forward to working with him not only on the issues that face the 6th Worcester district, but on those that face the Commonwealth as a whole.

Additionally, I would like to congratulate Representative John Lawn on his swearing in to the House of Representatives today. I look forward to working with Representative Lawn in the Legislature.

Memorial Day Reflections...

Today, we present the third installment of our weeklong tribute to the men and women that proudly serve this country. This Memorial Day reflection comes to us from Representative Sheila Harrington:

Memorial Day is a special time for our entire nation. It is a time where communities gather together to formally recognize those brave men and women who have fought to ensure the safety of all American citizens.

More often than not, we tend to take our freedom for granted. But on Memorial Day of all days we should take a moment to step back and remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice; those who fought to give us a land where we can voice our opinions freely, a land where we can work to achieve any and all of our dreams. With Fort Devens being a part of the district that I represent, I urge individuals to visit the Fort Devens Museum to better understand the day to day lives of soldiers and their families as they train for war, but more importantly, to better understand the sacrifice made by so many to preserve our freedom.

John F. Kennedy once said, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

This Memorial Day, I believe we as a Commonwealth and a nation should take these words to heart. Although this patriotic holiday has also become a day of family gatherings and backyard barbeques, we each need to make sure that we take the time to remember and appreciate the brave men and women who have served their country and lost their lives in the line of duty. As we formally acknowledge our fallen soldiers today, we should also remember that it is not just enough to recognize their efforts once a year. Let us be thankful and honor their memory and their courage every day of the year by never treating their sacrifices “casually”. Always will their memory be alive in our thoughts and prayers; and let us never forget those who have paid the ultimate price for our freedom.

Memorial Day Reflections…

Today, we present the second part of our weeklong tribute to the men and women that proudly serve this country. This Memorial Day reflection comes to us from Representative David Vieira:

I first learned about Memorial Day as a cub scout in East Falmouth by participating in the annual ceremony on the library lawn. Falmouth’s Veterans Memorial Lane and WWII Memorial are proudly placed between the library and Main Street as a constant reminder of the great sacrifices our veterans have made in the pursuit and defense of liberty.

Rain or shine, hot or cold, we gather around Veterans Memorial Lane each Memorial Day to step back from the hustle and bustle of life in our historic resort community to pay homage to those that made the ultimate sacrifice. The morning is a display of those traditions that have made our country great: service, sacrifice, reverence, and patriotism. Active military honor guards, honor guards of veteran’s organizations and public safety departments, Boy & Girl Scouts in uniform, and school bands gather to ensure we shall never forget those who have marched before us. Family members of fallen veterans are reminded the respect and honor due their loved ones from our citizens.

This Memorial Day I will be humbled to hear of the sacrifices of our veterans and their families; sacrifices that make our democracy possible and our nation a beacon of hope throughout the world. As a newly elected state representative I will not forget that the honor of my office would not be possible without the volunteerism and service of our citizen soldiers, the men and women of our Armed Forces.

So as we remember those who have gone before us, let us also pray that those currently serving will return to a grateful nation in short order.

Pro Deo et Patria.

Memorial Day Reflections…

Today, we begin our weeklong tribute to the men and women that proudly serve this country. This first Memorial Day reflection comes to us from Representative George Ross:

All across the Commonwealth we will gather on Memorial Day to celebrate and remember. In the often fast and furious world that we live in, we tend to forget those valiant men and women who serve or have served to preserve and protect our freedoms.

Our brave citizen soldiers have defended our great nation and given us all the ability to live free and prosper in order to become the greatest nation on earth. We must, on this day, reaffirm our commitment to their sacrifices and the values for which they have died. The City of Attleboro, which I have the honor of representing, has a long history of honoring its veterans. We have a number of organizations like the American Legion, VFW and disabled American veterans which are always there to ensure that the memory of our fallen heroes will always be kept alive.

While Memorial Day to some may be about picnics and good times, we must all pause and reflect on those who did not get the chance to return to their loved ones. They made the ultimate sacrifice. None of them ever asked for accolades and/or big parades.

As a Vietnam era veteran, I proudly served for five years in the US Army, and I am proud to help with organized efforts to honor our local returning service men and women. My own family is rich with military service. My son-in-law Cpt. Joshua Johnson will deploy in June to Afghanistan and my nephew, Cpt. Jason Castro, will deploy in September. As a member of our Veterans Committee, I have the opportunity to help our Massachusetts veterans and their families by supporting programs which will help them in their daily lives. We owe a great debt to our heroes and their families for their sacrifices, and I hope that I can make a difference and honor them in some way.

Today we remember our fallen brothers and sisters, and it is my sincere hope that we keep their memory alive within our hearts. We must always keep the ones that they left behind in our daily thoughts and prayers.

Memorial Day Tribute

Here at the Capitol View Live we are always looking for new ways to offer the thoughts, ideas and perspectives of the members of the House Republican Caucus. Starting on Monday and continuing right up until Memorial Day, a different member will offer his/her views and perspective of Memorial Day. They will talk about any personal experiences they may have had, or what the holiday means to the district that they represent. It is our hope to not only introduce you to members of the Republican Caucus, but to remember the sacrifice that the men and women of our armed services have made for us so that we may live in a free democracy.

A Seat At The Table…

In case you missed it, the Boston Herald reported that the White House Press office denied the newspaper full access to President Obama’s Boston fund-raiser today.

In an email sent to the Boston Herald by the White House spokesman Matt Lehrich, Boston Herald officials were told that “I tend to consider the degree to which papers have demonstrated to covering the White House regularly and fairly in determining local pool reporters.”

The “snub” is in response to the White House’s objection to the Boston Herald placing an op-ed by Mitt Romney regarding jobs on the front page of the newspaper. The e-mail from the White House goes on to say, “my point about the op-ed was not that you (Boston Herald) ran it, but that it was the full front page which excluded any coverage of the visit of a sitting US President to Boston.”

This latest display of favoritism only reiterates the Republicans stance on the lack of transparency in government at both the state and federal level. The Obama administrations disapproval of a particular news story should not lead to the lack of a seat at the proverbial table.

Click here to read the Boston Herald story in its entirety.

Brown Delivers Poignant Message at Commencement

In case you missed it, Senator Scott Brown, while delivering the commencement speech at Lasell College, called for the end of one-party dominance in Bay State politics.

Senator Brown, citing the ongoing federal corruption trial of former House Speaker Sal DiMasi, told graduates “I don’t care if you’re Democrat or a Republican – just as one political party can’t be right 100 percent of the time, it shouldn’t have 100 percent of the power. Unchallenged power grows arrogant over time. It is what has given us one case of graft after another.”

Republican officials in Massachusetts have long said that corruption and a sense of entitlement are often the bi-product of one-party dominance. Reliance on a one-party driven government severely limits the checks and balances that would otherwise be in place. We are thankful for Senator Brown keeping this issue at the forefront, especially when addressing graduates who very well may be the future of politics in the Commonwealth.

Click here to read the Boston Globe article in its entirety.

Representative Jones Writes Op-ed for the Boston Herald

In case you missed it, House Minority Leader Bradley Jones wrote an op-ed for the Boston Herald regarding Mitt Romney’s vision for healthcare in the United States. As you may have heard, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney delivered a presentation on Thursday outlining the differences of his vision for healthcare, and those of President Obama’s. Representative Jones’ op-ed provides insight from his experience as House Minority Leader during the implementation of mandatory health care in Massachusetts. Additionally, Representative Jones offers his reaction to the comparisons between Mitt Romney’s healthcare plan for America and Obamacare.

Click here to see what Representative Jones had to say.