Massachusetts' Massive Mess

[No Elephants]

It's almost impossible to assess just how huge a anafu this is. Well, not the Farak story, which, so far, appears minor, but the Dookhan story.

And like almost everything else today, it will have political ramifications.

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. January 20, 2013 (AP)

A chemist at a state crime lab tampered with drug evidence, authorities said Sunday in Massachusetts, where another chemist at a different lab was accused last year of faking test results in a scandal that threw thousands of criminal cases into question.

Sonja Farak of Northampton, who works at a lab in Amherst in western Massachusetts, removed a substance from a case file that tested positive for cocaine and replaced it with one that did not test positive, state Attorney General Martha Coakley said.

Farak, 35, was arrested Saturday. She is also charged with possession of heroin and cocaine.

<snip>

Last month, the other chemist, Annie Dookhan, was indicted on 27 charges in a case that threatens to unravel thousands of drug convictions. Dookhan, also 35, of Franklin, resigned in March during an internal investigation by the state Department of Public Health. State police closed the Boston lab where she worked in August after taking over its operation and discovering the extent of Dookhan's alleged misconduct.

Unlike the allegations against Dookhan, the accusations against Farak do not involve falsification of tests or dry labbing, which is visually identifying samples instead of performing a required chemical test, the attorney general said.

Dookhan has pleaded not guilty to various charges.

Thousands of convictions may be overturned, set loose on streets only God knows that. Why Dookhan allegedly falsified so many tests is not clear. (She pled not guilty, so I have to say allegedly.

Republicans (and our local Fox station) are calling for an investigation by some one out of state. Patrick says several have been conducted and all showed the same thing; Dookhan has been arrested and her two supervisors have been fired. Sure, we can keep having investigations, but they will also show the same thing.

Patrick also said his predecessor (Mitt) hired her, but Fox says this is Patrick's second term and he owns her at this point. (I very much doubt that either Mitt or Patrick was directly involved with this woman until the scandal broke.)

This is so huge that it makes Willie Horton seem puny in comparison. Therefore, I think that it whichever Democrat runs in the 2014 gubernatorial, which may feature the Scott Brown, who has name recognition, likeability (or so everyone says, including Barney Frank), and a reputation for bipartisanship, albeit undeserved.

Geez, I hope the brand of the Republicans is so tarnished that it encompasses Scott Brown, too, 'cause y'all know how much I hated having the deceiver for my Senator.

[Enthusiast]

1. Holy crap!

As long as Scott Brown remains a pretty boy he will be in the running. People are soooo stupid for pretty.

[No Elephants]

4. Not only that, but the local media is his propaganda arm. His wife, Gail Huff, was one of them.

She also got a job with a station while she was in D.C.

Every time I think of NBC firing Maria Shriver when Arnold was elected Governor, and look around at what goes on with Republican women, like Huff and Mrs. Greenspan.....

Anyway, the anchors tend to lean Republican anyway and it is a small community, so they treat Brown like a family member.

Example: During the most recent Senate campaign, an anchor from the station for which Huff used to work was interviewing a local Democratic spokesperson. The spokesperson mentioned that Brown had never held a town meeting. The anchor replied, "I'm not taking sides, but he has always made himself very available."

Yes, available to people like you, who fawn on him, pat him on the back and give him a platform whenever he wants it, without ever putting him on the spot. That's is very different from a town meeting, where he makes himself available to voters.


Also, every time something happens, they get a statement from Brown. Not Kerry, not any of the Reps, all of whom are Democratic (tho' some Blue Dog), but from Brown. It's as though he is Massachusetts' only legislator in D.C.

Baker challenged Patrick last time and did not do too badly. So, either Brown or Baker will be a strong candidate, while the Democrat will have to run away from this mess.

Massachusetts has had more Republican Governors than our reputation might suggest. The Legislature is so Democratic that it can override any veto. For eample, tho' Romney bragged about his bipartisan accomplishments in a blue state, the reality was that he averaged 300 vetoes a year, all of which were overridden. His one achievement was Romneycare, which he had to run away from when he ran for president.

And, Kennedy was smart enough to get the legislature to enact special elections to fill vacancies, taking it away from the state house, except for interim appointments for a brief period, maybe 2 months. So, I guess, in the end, if we are going to have a Republican anywhere, maybe I mind the State House the least.

But, then, they get to use it as a springboard to run for President, as did Romney, or U.S. Senator, as Weld supposedly might. So, I'm sticking with No Elephants (Republicans).

[formercia]

2. What a mess

This is going to cost the State big-time. Those who aren't set free or have their cases dismissed will be appealing. It will take years, meanwhile a lot of bad actors are back on the street.

[No Elephants]

3. Exactly. Maybe lawsuits, too. And the numbers are in the thousands.