RichardHowe.com – Voices from Lowell & Beyond

Seen & Heard: Vol. 17

Book Review – Kent State: An American Tragedy, by Brian VanDemark (2024). On May 4, 1970, members of the Ohio National Guard fired upon students at Kent State University in Ohio who had gathered for a protest against the Vietnam War. Four students were killed and nine others wounded, including two who were paralyzed. This book provides a minute-by-minute account of what happened in the larger context of American politics at that time, and also offers some timeless lessons. Discontent with the Vietnam War was rising in America. In his successful campaign for the presidency in 1968, Richard Nixon had promised to end the war, but his actions upon taking office seemed to do the opposite. That was especially true at the end of April 1970 when news broke that U.S. ground forces had invaded Cambodia thereby expanding the geographic scope of the war. This triggered widespread protests across the United States, especially on college campuses. On Friday evening, May 1, 1970, in conservative Kent, Ohio, students from the adjoining university held a protest in the town that escalated to significant property destruction. The following night, other students set fire to  the school’s ROTC building which burned to the ground. That all prompted the state’s governor, who was running for the U.S. Senate on a “law and order” platform, to call out the National Guard and to decree that any gathering of students, either in the town or on the campus, was henceforth illegal. On Monday, May 4, 1970, students organized a large protest on campus. A National Guard general at the campus with approximately 100 troops tried to force the students to disperse. This inflamed the students who moved closer to  the guardsman with some students throwing rocks. The Guard used tear gas but a breeze made it ineffective. The general, whose judgment was later deemed both incompetent and reckless, maneuvered the soldiers into a vulnerable position which heightened their fear. Armed with bayonet tipped M1 rifles with live ammunition and no less-than-lethal tools for crowd control, one of the guardsmen fired which led many others to do the same. Some purportedly fired over the heads of the students but others purposely fired into the students. A few of the rock throwers were hit, but those who were killed were far away, felled by the high velocity bullets fired from the Guard weapons. Most in the country, including President Nixon, were shocked by the violence. But many weren’t, including plenty of people from Ohio whose main criticism was that the Guard didn’t kill enough of the “Communist” protesters. The surviving victims and the families of the deceased received hundreds of pieces of hate mail with similar sentiments, reminding us that horrible people are not a recent phenomenon in America. Another broader takeaway from this book is the need for specialized training and equipment for law enforcement organizations that confront civil protests. Many large city police forces seem to have learned that lesson and try to do it correctly. But as we saw this past year in Minnesota, putting heavily armed, poorly trained, and incompetently (or evilly) led paramilitary forces up against peaceful protesters is a recipe for disaster. 

Magazine Article – “How to Lose a War” by Louis Menand, New Yorker, April 20, 2026. With online newsletter, websites, print journals, newspapers and books, I have access to far more prose than I have time to read. My first layer of triage is to identify the author since, for some favored writers, I will read anything they publish. That’s the case with Louis Menand, a Harvard literature professor and New Yorker staff writer who won the Pulitzer Prize for history in 2002 for The Metaphysical Club and his 2021 book, The Free World was an outstanding cultural history of the U.S. post World War II. This month, Menand compares the quagmire of Vietnam to the current war against Iran. He contends that the decisive event in Vietnam came on March 8, 1965, when the first U.S. ground troops arrived in the country. It’s easy to stop bombing, he observes, but once troops on the ground start getting killed, it’s much tougher to walk away from a war that is likely impossible to win. The paramount U.S. objective in Vietnam quickly became saving face, an effort that dragged on for seven years and cost more than 50,000 American lives. Menand ends his story by drawing a comparison to our current conflict, writing, “Much like Vietnam, only a lot faster, the American war in Iran has reduced itself to saving face. Within two weeks, the United States was trying to figure out how to end the war without losing it.”

Newspaper Op-Ed – “My dog doesn’t read your lawn signs” by Stephen O’Connor, Boston Globe, April 26, 2026. Lowell writer and dog owner Steve O’Connor hits a home run with this essay in last Sunday’s Globe in which he laments the increasing number of lawn signs ordering passersby to “keep your dog off the grass.” Steve, always a close observer of what’s going on around him and a long-time dog owner, gets into the mindset of the dog who is intent on sniffing interesting scents the way we consume interesting content online. Although Steve doesn’t use the term, I’ve heard this described as “pee-mail” and see it in operation each time I walk my dog. Before leaving the house, I shoo her into our back yard to “do her business” which she does so we set out, each with relatively empty bladders. Along the way, my dog will vigorously sniff until she suddenly pauses in one spot, sniffs even more intently, then squats and, as Steve puts it, “squeezes out a drop.” I’m not sure what message she is sending, but I am fully convinced she is communicating with another dog. In the age of email, many of us have acquaintances that we know only through our online communications. We may have never met in person, but the information we share is interesting and fulfilling. My dog’s actions are the canine equivalent of that. To be fair, as a homeowner with a lawn bordering the street, I am always supremely annoyed to find unidentified dog poop in my yard so I sympathize with the sentiment, but every dog owner I know scrupulously cleans up after their dog when walking the neighborhood. Anyway, congratulations to Steve on another terrific article.

Party & Pay

Party & Pay – (PIP #104)

By Louise Peloquin

From January 20 to March 3, seven peeks into the past presented L’Etoile’s coverage of Lowell’s centennial celebrations. See the links below. (1)

Here is a financial follow-up.

L’Etoile – April 3, 1926

CENTENNIAL BILLS SUSPENDED

__________

The mayor provisionally suspends payment of the nine centennial bills he finds excessive.

__________

NO COMMENT

__________

     Among a batch of centennial celebration invoices presented to him yesterday at City Hall, mayor John J. Donovan suspended payment of nine for a total of approximately $2,500.

     His Honor sent a letter to the Budget Commission to explain that he had retained these invoices for further examination.

     Here is the complete list of unapproved invoices:

• Whitehead-Hoag Co. of Newark, N.J., badges and buttons: $742.81
• William Trottier, professional services: $562.50
• B. Thomas, centennial cake: $32.50
• Sullivan Brothers Printers: $405.25
• Page Catering Co., banquet for guests: $174
• Samuel G. Lyness, centennial punch: $187.50
• Ladydon Catering Co., orchestra: $37.50
• Lillian Abbott, professional services: $154.45
• Kershaw Music Store, professional music: $136.45

     Last Wednesday, centennial invoices totalling $7,700 were presented to the Budget Commission which examined and validated them before sending to mayor Donovan for approval. The mayor questioned nine. When asked about it yesterday, he did not comment but simply said that he wished to study them further before issuing the payment order. These bills will probably not be paid before the beginning of next week. (2)

1) PIP #93 – https://richardhowe.com/2026/01/20/it-was-a-very-good-year/

PIP #94 – https://richardhowe.com/2026/01/27/planning-lowells-centennial/

PIP #95 – https://richardhowe.com/2026/02/03/centennial-spending-objections/

 PIP #96 – https://richardhowe.com/2026/02/10/having-a-ball/

PIP #97 – https://richardhowe.com/2026/02/17/that-is-what-matters-most/

PIP #98 – https://richardhowe.com/2026/02/24/happy-100th-to-the-town-become-a-city/

PIP #99 – https://richardhowe.com/2026/03/03/speeches-songs-poems-prayers-and-much-more/

2) Translation by Louise Peloquin.

Lowell Politics: April 26, 2026

Perhaps the most important thing to arise at last Tuesday’s Lowell City Council meeting was an announcement that City Manager Tom Golden, on behalf of the city, has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Solar International Core Canada Ltd (SICC) of Toronto, Canada, in which SICC will serve as the “Master Investor and Capital Partner” for development projects within the Hamilton Canal Innovation District (HCID) and will provide a pool of investment money worth up to $2 billion.

Because this was just a “for your information” item, councilors were not required to take any action, but most of them spoke about it. Their responses brought to mind a community theater production of Goldilocks and the Three Bears with some councilors acting like the MOU was “too hot” (as in, this is the greatest thing that has ever happened in Lowell) and others deeming it “too cold” (as in, I can’t be overtly against it but I’m skeptical of the whole thing). To be fair, a couple of councilors thought it was “just right” (as in, this is a tremendous opportunity but let’s not plan the ribbon cutting just yet) which was the most reasonable approach.

I’ve read the agreement several times and still find it difficult to comprehend, although I suspect anyone who is not an investment banker would feel similar. Here is how I understand it to work:

Last year, Lowell was designated the first Frontrunner City in the United States. The Frontrunner City program is a strategic international partnership led by the Urban Economy Forum (UEF) and the United Nations to foster sustainable urban economies and advance UN Sustainable Development Goal 11, which aims to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.

One of the benefits to Lowell of this designation is to unlock significant international funding for urban development projects in the city, which is where SICC comes in. My initial guess was that SICC was not a bank or private equity company sitting on billions of dollars to invest. Instead, it seemed like a pass through for foreign investors seeking stable opportunities in which to invest (and earn interest from) their wealth.

Poking around online, there seems to be a connection between SICC and Oman, an Arab nation much in the news recently because it’s across the Strait of Hormuz from Iran.  Although Oman’s incredible wealth comes from oil and gas, the country’s leaders, like every other nation in the world other than the United States under the current regime, understand that the age of oil is dying and that their country must diversify into green energy technologies to strengthen it for the future. In the meantime, Oman still derives enormous wealth from petroleum sales, so the country desires stable investment opportunities that will help preserve and grow that wealth.

With the basis of the Frontrunner Program being the advancement of the UN’s sustainable development goals and, with the United States (despite the trepidation most of us feel when we awake each morning about what craziness has come out of Washington overnight) still seen as a stable and profitable venue for investment, the underlying framework of this agreement makes sense to me.

As for what’s in it for Lowell, I see two things: This deal potentially provides funding to a real estate developer who wants to construct something at an interest rate lower than what might be obtained from more traditional US lenders; and the partnership arrangement between the city and SICC, particularly the Advisory Joint Task Force committee, could accelerate the concept-to-completion timeline by providing the big-project equivalent of a pre-approved mortgage right from the start. Together, these two things would increase the odds of HCID projects happening.

I envision representatives of the Department of Planning and Development going to developers and saying, “We understand you plan to construct a building in community X, but if you come to Lowell and build it here, we have a lender offering favorable terms already lined up and ready to proceed.” Between a slightly lower interest rate than could be obtained elsewhere and the speed and ease of approval, it could be an attractive enough proposition for the developer to shift their project to Lowell.

That’s viewing this MOU in the most favorable light. Still, it’s understandable (and prudent) to have some concerns. The MOU provides some level of exclusivity to SICC so there’s a risk that projects with funding from other sources might be blocked and go elsewhere.

For example, what if an irrational war with no strategic goals was to break out in the Persian Gulf and paralyze that region’s economy? That might cause investors in that region to keep their funds closer to home rather than invest them in a distant country. With the intended money pipeline shut off by extenuating circumstances, the city might be locked into a funder – SICC – that doesn’t have any funds to lend. I believe the MOU doesn’t grant totally exclusive rights to SICC, but it’s probably enough of an obligation to make using another funder a messy undertaking.

Still, notwithstanding the thrilling announcement of the Draper project on the old National Park surface parking lot in the HCID to create a LINC Annex just a few weeks ago, in the context of a quarter of a century’s worth of effort to maximize the HCID’s potential, not much has happened, certainly nothing that meets the aspirations of the community back in 2001 when this project was conceived.

In the absence of anything better, why not give SICC a try?

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The council also received an interesting presentation from Bridget Cooley, the director of the Pollard Memorial Library. She highlighted the library’s role as a vital community hub that provides essential services to Lowell residents. She also presented data about circulation, program attendance, and the library’s digital and physical collections. Although most library patrons in Lowell prefer tangible mediums such as printed books, the library continues to grow its digital holdings with e-books, databases and online resources. A bright spot has been the success of the relatively new bookmobile which has brought the library’s resources to neighborhoods and community events.

As a longtime user of Lowell’s library – I’m approaching the 60th anniversary of obtaining my library card – I’m thrilled to hear of the institution’s success. While I don’t use it weekly, I’m probably a monthly user. More importantly, whenever I need it, the library has always been there for me. From the comments of city councilors on Tuesday night, many of them see the value in the library and support its mission. Hopefully that will carry forward through coming budget deliberations.

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Last week in “Seen & Heard” I wrote about my recent visit to the Massachusetts Historical Society and its “1776: Declaring Independence” exhibition now on display; I reviewed the book, Battle Green Vietnam: The 1971 March on Concord, Lexington, and Boston, by Elise Lemire (whose family roots are in Lowell), which is the story of an anti-war protest by local chapters of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War that gained national attention; I noted the obituary of Norman Bussel, a World War II POW who in later years wrote about PTSD and whose B-17 crewmate, Vasilios Mpourles of Lowell, died when their plane was shot down; and finally, an article on former NBA coach Dick Motta not being selected for the Basketball Hall of Fame led me to recall my enthusiasm for the Boston Celtics of the early 1970s.

Also, on richardhowe.com, on Marathon Monday, I reposted my April 22, 2013, article about the days-earlier Boston Marathon Bombing; and on Friday, I posted a new poem by the stellar poet and Lowell-native Michael Casey about the Olympia Restaurant.

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One week to go until this spring’s Lowell Cemetery tours. They are on Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3, both starting at 10am from the Knapp Avenue entrance of the cemetery. It’s free and there is no need to sign up in advance. Just show up. It’s the same tour both days.

‘Olympia restaurant’: New poem by Michael Casey

Olympia restaurant

by Michael Casey

here with a high school

friend Panos

and the restaurant is

in the Greek

neighborhood

in Lowell and in a far

corner are two elderly ladies

Panos excuses himself

and goes to say hello

to these homegirls

and the ladies

eventually recognize

him

as Soc’s son   Peter

and these ladies are

positively

effusively gaga over

meeting Peter

after so many  years

he returns to the table

and I say   trying to be

facetious

it’s clear it’s not

every day those ladies

meet a son of Socrates

and Peter’s blasé about

it

not one that buys them

lunch anyway

© 2026 by Michael Casey

Michael Casey, right, being interviewed by Doug Holder, Somerville Cable TV, 2018

The author of several collections of poetry including There It Is: New & Selected Poems, Mill Rat, and the award-winning Obscenities (drawn from his military service in the Vietnam War era), Michael Casey grew up in Lowell and is a distinguished alumnus of the public high school. A graduate of Lowell Technological Institute in physics, he earned a master’s degree in creative writing at SUNY Buffalo, now the State University of Buffalo in NY. He lives in Andover, Mass.