By: Bharani Padmanabhan – Sept. 2019
This past week, supporters of the rule of law encountered the shameful spectacle of a full page announcement in the Boston Globe, from 70 progressive outfits, condemning the jury verdict in the case of naked extortion by Marty Walsh’s agents. You remember Marty? Former union leader who became mayor with the help of one million anonymous dollars overnight from an out-of-state teachers’ union?
Marty’s two employees shook down a small private company with the threat that if they did not hire union labor that they didn’t need, they would not get a permit from the City of Boston.
Everyone opposed to corruption, rent-seeking and extortion, instantly recognized this as a crime.
In Progressive newspeak however, extortion is “advocacy” that is absolutely essential to “good government” and “democracy,” and if you object, you are against inclusive social justice.
According to this state’s Progressives, the arc of history bends towards rent-seeking. Instead of a boot stamping on a face forever, as Orwell described the progressive future, the Massachusetts version is rent-seeking forever.
rogressives publicly support renting the government’s powers to coerce people into giving them money and have taken out a full page to say so.
All good people must here appreciate Pulitzer-winner Joan Vennochi opposing progressive extortion, in the pages of the Globe no less. A brave individual for sure.
The clear message of the Progressives’ full-page notice was that this is their town and must run per their diktat. Maura Healey has already written that US Attorney Andrew Lelling does not belong in Massachusetts.
It is to Lelling’s credit that he hung tough, despite the swamp within his own office, and fought Judge Sorokin as well as the Progressives, to bring the extortionists to justice.
If Judge Sorokin again supports progressive rent-seeking and throws out a proper jury verdict, justice will be delayed again and the swamp will have won again.
If Judge Sorokin supports progressive rent-seeking that brazenly, he will then become the go-to judge for the swamp, who nervously count the days towards Judge Nathaniel Gorton’s eventual retirement.
Judge Gorton for now remains legendary for the way he has swooped in and saved swamp reptiles repeatedly, with nary a concern for his professional reputation or legacy.
The case of Judge Gorton acting as the personal defense attorney for one such corrupt denizen shall forever be lit up in lights. I sued William Kassler for racketeering and obstructing an Inspector General investigation into fraud and patient neglect at a progressive hospital. Kassler twice ignored the court summons and filed nothing. I filed for entry of default. Judge Gorton barged into the case, presented affirmative defenses on Kassler’s behalf and dismissed the case against him.
The Kassler case illustrates the difficulty Lelling has with the swamp inside his own office. One such, Susan Poswistilo, supported Kassler in the 1st Circuit Appeals Court and they happily let Kassler walk between the raindrops.
If only Kassler had worked for Marty, the 70-strong Progressive United Front would have taken out a full page ad in his support as well.
In the interest of the rule of law, and to prevent extortion and rent-seeking from becoming official Massachusetts practice, we all must pray that US Attorney Lelling can successfully drain the swamp from his own office, bring in trustworthy fighters from other states, and stay true to the oath he took.
The soul of Massachusetts is in Lelling’s hands. ◊