I was a delegate from Ward One at the Massachusetts Democratic Convention on Saturday June 7, 2008. As a first timer I wasn’t sure what I was in for. I got what I expected. That is a lot of officials tooting their own horns. There was only one piece of actual business to conduct. Ed O’Reilly is challenging John Kerry for the party’s nomination to run for the U.S. Senate. In Massachusetts, this is probably the real race.

Each candidate was allotted twelve minutes to speak to the crowd. Mr. O’Reilly gave a great twelve minute speech listing Votes that Mr. Kerry made that he would have voted differently on. Among these were the Iraq war authorization, single payer healthcare and the so called “Patriot Act”. Kerry : Yes, No, Yes.

Mr. Kerry took the podium and stumped for more than twenty minutes without apology for running on and violating the convention rules.

Mr. O’Reilly needed to get 15% of the vote to get on the Primary ballot. He got 22%. Will there be some debate between these two? I certainly hope so. John Kerry has been a hero of mine since the early 1970’s when he was part of the Winter Soldier investigations, but when he trusted G. W. Bush and voted for the war authorization a big red flag popped up. He’s a smart guy. He knew about the PNAC people and their plans...I’d say he's got some splainin to do.

There is a Republican in the race. Jeff Beaty of Cape Cod, President of Total Security U.S., Inc. Wants to put his security oriented anti- terrorism experience ot work for you as a lawmaker in Washington.

Will there be any debate? Who knows. Wait and see.