A devastating earthquake and tsunami destroyed at least two cities in northern Japan. The casualty toll is expected to be over 10,000 people. Also of major concern is the possible melt-down of at least one nuclear plant. (more....)

Wisconsin Governor, Scott Walker (R-WI) declared war against public employees by signing into law legislation that limits public employee unions of the right to collectively bargain on any issues, besides pay. Protesters from all over Wisconsin and the country gathered in front of the state Capital. (more....)

In a surprise move, the Arab League asked the U.N. Security Council to establish a no-fly zone over Lybia. It is very rare when this group of Arab states allows any kind of interference on Arab soil by the West, especially the U.S. This move emphasizes the serious conditions developing in Lybia. (more....)

As a result, the Security Council did vote to authorize military action in Lybia. Not only did it endorse the establishment of a no-fly zone, but it also approved the use of force (airstrikes) against the forces that are still supporting Gaddafi. (more....)

President Obama addressed the Nation regarding our country's military involvement in Lybia. To watch the video of his speech and to read its transcript, please see National Address on Lybia.

Government shutdown was averted with the Democrats and Republicans agreeing to budget cuts of about $38.5 billion for the balance of the current fiscal year. At this point, the cuts do not reflect the social agenda of the Tea Party Republicans. (more....)

Paul Ryan's (R-WI) plan gets rid of the Health Care Bill we worked so hard to get passed last year, and proposes a cut in taxes for the rich, cut back in spending, and overhaul of Medicare and Medicaid that would impact the elderly and the poor. Under Ryan's plans, health care for seniors would be provided for by a voucher system that would gradually shift the burden of payment for insurance premiums from the government to individuals, with a notably much lesser spending on each recipient. (more....)

Saying that "We do not have time for this kind of silliness," President Obama released his so-called "long form" birth certificate, adding, "We have better stuff to do. I have better stuff to do. We have problems we have to solve but we're going to have to focus on them, not on this." Hopefully, this will end talk of Obama's inelligibility for the presidency. To see a copy of the certificate, please click here. To watch the press briefing, please see President Obama Releases Long Form Birth Certificate.

Severe storms ripped through the Southwest United States during the week, killing at least 45 people. States affected were Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Virginia, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, South Carolina, and Texas. It is estimated that there were 230 tornadoes altogether in the affected areas. President Obama visited the tornado-stricken Tuscaloosa, Alabama to express his and the Federal Government's support for all those affected. Saying, "We can't bring those who have been lost back, they are alongside God at this point," he pledged "to make a commitment to the communities here that we are going to do everything we can to help these communities rebuild." (see the Herald Sun)

Citizens of Haverhill turned out for our annual City Clean-up event celebrating Earth Day. To see our pictures please go to our Clean-up page. For pictures of the beautiful landscaping behind the Tap, please go to our Bloomfest, 2010 Revisited page.

President Obama appeared before the press corps at 11:35 P.M. (EST) to announce that Osama bin Laden was dead. For more, please see our bin Laden page. Also, see Mr. Obama's interview on CBS News: 60 Minutes.

GHO in conjunction with the HDCC (Haverhill Democratic City Committee) held the first official meeting of the campaign season at Demet's and Bill's house. We had representatives from various campaigns present. Please go to our Meetings page for more detail.

A massive tornado struck in Missouri, killing over 100 people and the number of injured is in the hundreds. Hardest hit was Joplin where many homes and public buildings were levelled. (more....)

Massachusetts Democrats, including members of GHO, attended the Democratic State Convention held at the Tsongas Arena in Lowell.

According to Congresswoman Nikki Tsongas, who addressed the Special Joint Committee on Redistricting, "The combined impact of the four cities of the Merrimack Valley is and will be more meaningful when their shared interests and challenges can be a source of inspiration and advocacy." The evening began with a rally outside Lawrence High School in support of preserving the Fifth Congressional District and in support of Congresswoman Tsongas. (more....)

Representative Anthony D. Weiner (D-NY) resigned his seat in the House, thereby ending the three-week scandal that resulted from his lewd online behavior. His resignation is a real blow to all those he worked for tirelessly -- the poor and the middle class. (more....)

A class-action suit was brought against Wal-Mart by 1.5 million woment. The suit that reached the Supreme Court claimed that Wal-Mart discriminated against women when it came to promotions and pay. The Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 (along political lines) that there were no "questions of law or fact common to the class" of the female employees. This ruling is seen as making it more difficult in future cases for large groups of people to bring a class-action suit against a company. (more....)

Former Governor Rod R. Blagojevich (D-IL), had his day in court. He was found guilty of seventeen counts of wire fraud, attempted extortion, soliciting bribes, conspiracy to commit extortion and conspiracy to solicit and accept bribes. The most famous of these, of course, was his attempt to sell President Obama's Senate seat to the highest bidder. (more....)

People from all walks of life and political persuasions gathered in Chelmsford, MA to celebrate the 4th of July.

A number of supporters of Congresswoman Niki Tsongas and the effort to keep the 5th District intact, including some members of GHO, marched with the Congresswoman. (Pictures)

July 21 -- President nominates Richard Cordray as head of new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) became a reality as President Obama announced the nomination of former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray as its head. This comes as a disappointment for supporters of Elizabeth Warren, who was instrumental in making this agency a reality. (more....)

The House passed the compromise bill to increase the debt ceiling through 2013 by a vote of 269-161. The bill cuts spending by $2.1 trillion but does not include "revenue-increasing measures," such as closing tax loopholes and increasing taxes on those earning more than $250,000 a year. It does establish a super-committee of six Democrats and six Republicans (see Stephen Colbert's take on this) whose task will be to come up with a plan by the end of November to balance the budget. (see President Obama's statement to supporters). Republican supporters of the compromise claim that this will guarantee that there will be no tax increases for the wealthy, but Democrats believe that increase in revenue is not off the table. (more....)

The recall elections in Wisconsin have left two Republican senators without jobs. Unfortunately, this did not give the Democrats the three positions they needed for a majority in the Wisconsin legislature. (more....)

Progressive Democrats, including members of GHO, gathered in the home of MJ Powell of Andover to meet and hear from Elizabeth Warren. Ms. Warren has been conducting a listening tour around the Commonwealth before deciding whether or not she will run for the Senate. (more....)

Hurricane Irene slammed into the Eastern coast of the United States, leaving almost a million people without power, according to the Huffington Post. Haverhill and other cities and towns in the Merrimack Valley prepared for the storm. Everyone hoped that the storm will do little to no damage, but citizens were urged to get ready for the worst. (more....)

GHO's National Day of Service and Remembrance Clothes Drive was held at Ruth's House in an effort to help those who are less fortunate and to commemorate 9/11/2001. (more....)

As in other parts of the State and Country, citizens of Haverhill paused to pay tribute to those who perished during the attacks of 9/11 and to their families. (See the pictures here.) In Lawrence, thousands came out to support the victims of violence and to demonstrate for peace. (For pictures, please click here.)

Protesting the influence of Wall Street and the top 1%, people gathered at New York City's Zuccotti Park to show their discontent with the growing inequity between the very rich (the 1%) and the rest of us. Eventually, the movement gained momentum and was replicated throughout the country and the world. (see OccupyWallStreet for more.)

September 17 -- HDCC Annual Breakfast honors Brian Dempsey, Cathy Bevelaqua, and Susan Goecke

HDCC (Haverhill Democratic City Committee) held its annual breakfast. State Representative Brian Dempsey was celebrated along with Cathy Bevelaqua and Susan Goecke.

Attendees also had the opportunity to hear from most of the Democratic Senatorial Candidates. For report, please click here.

The "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy of the American military has finally come to an end. "This is a historic day for the Pentagon and the nation," said Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. "As secretary of defense, I’m committed to removing all barriers that would prevent Americans from serving their country and from rising to the highest level of responsibility that their talents and capabilities warrant." Sadly, it came too late for many. (more....)

Haverhill Mayor James Fiorentini held his first fundraiser at the Roma Restaurant.

A federal judge upheld most of Alabama's new tough immigration law, thus almost certainly ensuring that the immigration laws passed by a number of states that challenge the federal immigration laws will end up at the Supreme Court. (more....)

Co-founder and CEO of Apple Corp., Steve Jobs, died of a rare form of pancreatic cancer. He was only 56 years old.

Finally, after delays due to hurricane and earthquake, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial was dedicated. To watch and hear President Obama's remarks, please go to the White House's YouTube page.

The man who ruled Lybia with an iron fist and who refused give up his powers despite the rebellion's success, Muammar Gaddafi, was killed in his hometown of Sirte by rebel forces. "In a cellphone video that went viral on the Internet," according to the NY Times, "the deposed Libyan leader is seen splayed on the hood of a truck and then stumbling amid a frenzied crowd, seemingly begging for mercy. He is next seen on the ground, with fighters grabbing his hair. Blood pours down his head, drenching his golden brown khakis, as the crowd shouts, ‘God is great!’" See President Obama's reaction to the news here.

The GOTV (Get Out The Vote) Weekend in support of the re-election bid of Haverhill's four-term mayor, Jim Fiorentini began with supporters and the Mayor making phone calls and walking door-to-door. (more....)

On this Election Day in Massachusetts the turnout throughout was rather low. In Haverhill, we voted for Mayor, City Councilors, and School Committee Members. Please see our Elections page for results.

The Congressional Super Committee's deliberations are over with no resolution of the deficit problem. To many, it was doomed to fail from the start. (more....)

Six-term U.S. House member, Barney Frank of Massachusetts, announced that he would not be running for re-election in 2012. For more, please go to the Congressman's Website.

The 69 year-old man who has ruled North Korea with an iron fist for the last seventeen years, Kim Jong-il, died reportedly from a heart attack. His son, Kim Jong-un, a young man in his 20's became his successor. The populace was ordered to mourn him until December 29th. (more....)

House Republicans capitulated to the President and the Senate and voted to approve the two-month extension on tax cuts for middle class families. (more....)

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