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Next Saturday, March 6th, a group of Lowell middle and high school students will participate in MIT Science Extravaganza 2010, an event sponsored by the Society of Mexican American Engineers and Scientists (MAES). The daylong event will feature hands-on activities for the students and tours of MIT’s labs.

Some of the activities which will be supervised by Latino engineers of various backgrounds include launching bottle rockets, creating LED circuits, making liquid nitrogen ice cream and constructing bridges out of Popsicle sticks. Luncheon speakers include Governor Deval Patrick and Michael Acosta, the National President of MAES.

The Society of Mexican American Engineers and Scientists is a national organization with a mission “to promote, cultivate and honor excellence in education and leadership among Latino engineers and scientists.” Other sponsors include the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers and the Latino STEM (Science, Technology Engineering and Math) Alliance.

We wish the participating students well next Saturday and hope to give you a follow-up report after the event.

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Yesterday’s program in Lawrence, “Uncivil Action? A Consideration of the Legitimacy of Violence” asked a timely question: When is it permissible to use violence to enact political change? In 1859, John Brown felt the slavery was such a terrible evil that he seized the Federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry and the thousands of guns stored there in the hopes of fomenting and arming a rebellion that would end slavery forever. Brown was captured and hanged; a hero to some, a terrorist to others.

Consider more recent examples of violence used in connection with domestic politics:

• On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh killed 168 by blowing up the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City to protest what he saw as the tyrannical federal government.
• On July 27, 1996, Eric Rudolph killed two by exploding a pipe bomb in Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta in an attempt to cancel the Olympics which he was as a symbol of global socialism.
• In September of 2001, Bruce Ivins (the FBI believes) killed 5 people by sending anthrax through the mail. His motives are unclear.
• On May 31, 2009, Scott Roeder shot and killed Dr George Tiller to keep him from performing abortions.
• On February 18, 2010, Joseph Stack crashed an airplane into the IRS headquarters in Austin, Texas in response to his long-running feud with the IRS over unpaid taxes.

Then there was Lowell’s own terrorist bombing. Back in 1976, a night watchman at the Superior Court in Lowell (they had night watchmen back then) received an anonymous call that said a bomb was set to go off at the Middlesex Superior Courthouse in Lawrence. Being in Lowell, the watchman assumed the call was a prank and did nothing. When the morning custodian arrived for work before dawn, he spotted a brown paper bag leaning against the front door of the courthouse. Thinking it was trash, he bent down to pick it up. It exploded, severely injuring the janitor. The Weathermen terrorist group claimed responsibility.

My point? Acts of violence to promote political aims aren’t all that rare in contemporary America which is why I find much of the current rhetoric of political protest so disturbing. Talk of “hanging” a Congressman or refreshing “the Tree of Liberty” with “the blood of patriots and tyrants” might be intended by the speakers as mere symbolism, but how many in the audience see it that way?

Passionate populist protest in touch economic times is nothing new, so much of today’s protest was inevitable and, if history is any guide, either the Democrats or the Republicans will co-opt the issues of the protesters and gain their allegiance. In the meantime, folks should cool it when it comes to exhorting violence because some in your audience really do believe what you’re saying.

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When the starting goaltender for the Canadian Olympic team was announced, I thought the name was familiar, so I checked. Yes, that’s the guy who played for the Lowell Lock Monsters in the old days. Here is a profile of Roberto Luongo from Associated Content. He is captain of the Vancouver Canucks of the NHL.

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Check these lists from www.nhl.com staff writer Mike G. Morreale. Here are his picks for ten best US-born National Hockey League players active today.  And next is his list of the ten best Canadian natives in the NHL. Here’s the Canadian-born list.

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The NYTimes’ Frank Rich paints a troubling picture of what may be in store for the US if the Tea Party mindset catches on. Time to get that “Coffee Party” movement going. Read Frank Rich here and subscribe to the Times if you appreciate it.

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Earlier today I joined sixty other people at the Lawrence Heritage State Park visitors center for an excellent program called “An (Un)Civil Action? Violent Conflict during the Bread and Roses Strike” which was sponsored by the state park, MassHumanities (the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Lawrence Public Library, and the Lawrence History Center. The program consisted of a short walking tour led by Jim Beauchesne of the Heritage State Park and Dexter Arnold of the University of Illinois, viewing portions of the PBS special “John Brown’s Holy War,” and then a discussion moderated by UML Professor Bob Forrant on civic violence in American politics.

Here’s what I learned about the strike: It was a spontaneous reaction by workers to a reduction in their pay after a new state law that reduced the maximum hours that women and children could work from 56 to 54. On Friday, January 12, 1912 – payday – workers at the Washington Mills discovered that their pay envelopes were short and walked out, chanting “short pay, all out.”

Monday, January 14, 1912 was a critical day. Since most of the mills were on an island formed by a canal on the city side and the Merrimack River to the rear, the striking workers blocked the few bridges that led onto the island to prevent other workers from getting to the mills. The night watchmen inside the Pacific Mills used a fire hose to spray the strikers with water in the January chill and a company of state militiamen forced the strikers away from the bridge at bayonet point.

After several months, public opinion turned sharply against the authorities and the mill owners when a group of women who were bringing their children to the train station to be transported to stay with union families in other cities were assaulted by a line of club wielding policemen. The strike lasted for several months and, despite the presence of hundreds of armed militiamen and ample opportunity for violent conflict, only two people died during the strike. After Congressional hearings were held in March 1912, the mill owners relented and gave in to the workers’ demands.

The discussion that followed the tour and the John Brown video was very interesting. Reflexively we say that we abhor violence but on further consideration it’s sometimes a good thing as when it’s used to stand up to oppression. The question is, who decides what’s oppression? Do we believe that there is a right to resolve some civil disputes with the use of violence? Given the turbulent political times and the heated rhetoric of today, consideration of questions like this is especially timely.

As for the city of Lawrence, I was pleased with what I saw. Everything was clean, the buildings were well kept, and vacancies were almost non-existent. The appearance almost defied the almost daily descriptions we get in the mainstream media of chronic fiscal chaos. Perhaps the city’s finances are in tough shape, but there’s nothing chaotic about the city’s downtown. And the Lawrence Heritage State Park is a site worth visiting. Given their long list of upcoming programs, I’m sure I’ll be back soon.

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It’s difficult to keep up with everything that is going on in Lowell and the Merrimack Valley. Following is the link for all the Kerouac-related literary, musical, art, and film programs planned for March 11-13. The festivities include the annual reading of the state proclamation recognizing March 12, the author’s birthday, as Jack Kerouac Day in Massachusetts. (There’s a Robert Frost Day, too, later in the year). Kerouac Day is a Friday this year, and it’s only a symbolic holiday, so the schools and banks are open.   See the schedule posted by Lowell Celebrates Kerouac! Inc. here. Most events are free.

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City Manager Bernie Lynch and the Ancient Order of Hibernians have the invitations on the street for this special event, which is in the category of “an institution” after so many years. The 23rd Annual City Manager’s St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast is a great way to say so long to winter, enjoy local humor, support good causes, and be part of a big community meal. This will be the first offering of the event under the University’s hospitality banner at the UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center, 50 Warren Street, downtown.

The celebration starts at 7 am on Wednesday, March 17. Tickets are $25 each or $250 for a table and must be reserved by Friday, March 5. They are available from Chris Samaras in the City’s Office of Cultural Affairs & Special Events. Call Chris at 978-446-7162 or write to csamaras@lowellma.gov. You can also order from AOH Division #19, Treasurer, 45 Cosgrove Street, Lowell, MA 01852. Make checks payable to AOH Div. #19, Mrgs. Breakfast.

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The St. Patrick Cultural Committee and Ancient Order of Hibernians/Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians are sponsoring and promoting the following events in March:

Thursday, March 4, 6.30 pm—Film night at the Old Court pub (corner of Middle and Central streets) with “Into the West” and “Waking Ned Devine” (Free)

Sunday, March 7, 10 am—Opening Mass at St. Patrick Church, 282 Suffolk Street, followed by a parade to Lowell City Hall for the raising of the Irish flag and laying of a commemorative wreath, and then brunch and Irish music back at the Church Hall ($5 adults/$3 children for the brunch)

Monday, March 8, 7 pm—Irish genealogist Tom Toohey will explain how to trace your family roots at Middlesex Community College’s Morse Federal Building, East Merrimack Street (Free)

Wednesday, March 10, 7 pm—Irish dinner and beer tastings at The Beerworks, 201 Cabot Street (Tickets are $30 and MUST be purchased IN ADVANCE by calling Deborah Myrick at 978-726-1766

Thursday, March 11—”The Chieftains” at Lowell Memorial Auditorium, East Merrimack Street (The AOH Div. 19 has a special offer for members only that includes a social hour, but anyone can buy regular tickets from the Auditorium box office to hear the six-time Grammy Award-winners)

The Chieftains

Saturday, March 13, 3.30 pm (concert), 4 pm (Mass)—an Irish concert and a memorial concelebrated Mass at St. Patrick Church featuring the St. Patrick Choir led by Ginny Corcoran

Saturday, March 13, 6.30 pm (cocktails), 7 pm (dinner)—Dinner Dance jointly sponsored by AOH, LAOH, and SPCC at the Lowell Lodge of Elks, Old Ferry Road. Family-style roast beef & turkey dinner followed by dancing to the music of the Silver Spears. There will be a drawing of the Mercy Drive Raffle and “The Lucky Leprechaun” along with other raffles and surprises. (Tickets are $35 per person, and are available from Kathy Gauthier at 978-251-8923. NO tickets will be sold at the door)

Sunday, March 14, afternoon—The annual “ceili” sponsored by the LAOH offers a chance to dance the traditional dances of Ireland. The Silver Spears will entertain at this popular family event that appeals to kids and adults at the Lowell Lodge of Elks, Old Ferry Road (Free)

Wednesday, March 17, 7 am—23rd Annual City Manager’s Charity Breakfast, UMass Lowell Inn & Conference Center, 50 Warren Street (see separate post above for details on this event and how to get tickets)

For more information about the LOAH, write to PO Box 8575, Lowell, MA 01853.

St. Patrick Church in the Acre neighborhood

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The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard is hiring 250 workers. Read the article here from www.seacoastonline.com

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