Gary McGath

Don’t let a bot do your writing A couple of days ago I was in a conversation where one of the people talked about letting an AI bot rewrite her business correspondence. She thought that her own style might seem abrupt and an appr…

People want to know what you have to say, not what a piece of software "thinks" you should say. Don't let AI do your writing.
garymcgath.com/dont-let-bot...
#AI #writing

Bill to bar student ID cards to prove voter identity heads to Ayotte’s desk • New Hampshire Bulletin New Hampshire Senate Republicans passed a bill Thursday to bar high school and college students from using their institution’s identification cards to vote, sending the measure to Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s ...

NH Republicans in the legislature consider it vital to protect us from a 1 in a million chance of an invalid vote being cast. If qualified voters are kept from voting, well, that's just the price of a "fair" election.
newhampshirebulletin.com/2026/03/05/b...
#NewHampshire

We practice one evening a week and briefly before the service. For a piece this complicated, we really need more time.

Cubastroika: Inside Trump plan to save Cuba's economy and win control Rather than force regime change, President Trump and Marco Rubio aim to win control of the island by deepening its economic dependence on the US.

This is so un-Trump it's hard to believe. Ending the decades-long embargo of Cuba is the best way to support the liberal elements in the country and eventually end the socialist dictatorship. www.usatoday.com/story/news/w... #Cuba

DHS murders people and lies to cover it up.
www.usnews.com/news/us/arti...
#DHS #ICE

Trump's War If Trump campaigned as a President of peace, he has governed as the opposite

When Trump was asked about retaliatory attacks at home, he said, "But yeah, you know, we expect some things. Like I said, some people will die."
time.com/7382697/trum...

The return of the military draft would require only an act of Congress and Trump's signature. If Trump says he needs a slave army to carry out his non-war, the Republicans might give it to him.

Andris Nelsons out as music director of Boston Symphony at end of 2026-27 season Andris Nelsons is leaving as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra after the board decides not to renew him.

Andris Nelsons' contract as musical director of the Boston Symphony is not being renewed.
apnews.com/article/andr...
#Boston #Massachusetts #classicalMusic

No matter how pro-market or pro-democracy you are, you'll sometimes wish the Really Smart People could make the decisions for everybody. And hopefully you'll realize a minute later why it wouldn't work it nearly as well as you'd like.

It’s not justice. In Pennsylvania, Michael Baltimore faced death but pleaded to third-degree murder. The threat of execution and death-qualified juries pressure defendants to make deals, undermining fair trials—survival, not truth, drives the outcome, says Cato’s Mike Fox.

buff.ly/eo4bYu7

Went to the Nevins Library in Methuen today to find out how they're responding to the city's call to restrict kids' access to social media. It was closed for a special event. I'll try again tomorrow. #Massachusetts #libraries

Census scam from Judicial Watch This week I went to my mailbox and got an alarming item. The return address said: 2025 NATIONAL CENSUS U.S. Citizen Census Record Transmission Form 1983 (2025) 72 hour return enclosed OFFICIAL USE …

Yet another phony mailing from Judicial Watch, trying to look like a US Census demand, was in my mail today. They must keep trying with everyone who ignores them. My discussion of the scam is one of my most popular blog posts.
garymcgath.com/census-scam-...
#JudicialWatch #scams

At the start of 2026 I joined a UU church choir. It's been a wild ride! I've already been substitute director for a rehearsal, directed a pre-service practice when the director was late, and will accompany an upcoming piece on the piano.

A murder cult In November, I wrote about people who advocate assaulting people they call Nazis. Bad as they are, they aren’t in the same league as people whose political views include endorsement of murder…

American politics includes a fringe of Mangione and Robespierre fans who think death is the answer to people they don't like. It's important to repudiate them.
garymcgath.com/murder-cult/

Methuen Leads the Way on Youth Social Media Safety City Council Unanimously Backs Mayor’s Initiative to Protect Children Under 16

Here's the city resolution: news.jgpr.net/2026/03/04/m...

Methuen, Mass., is limiting access to social media on city-owned devices, presumably including the library's. For The Children! I'm going to try to find more about this.
whav.net/2026/03/05/m...
#Massachusetts #libraries

"Limiting social media access to city-owned devices and networks in buildings and city-run youth programs whenever feasible" sounds ominous. Will librarians look over kids' shoulders when they use library computers?

U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin calls Baltimore ICE facility "staggeringly overcrowded" Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin visited people being held in ICE custody at the George H. Fallon Federal Building in downtown Baltimore on Thursday, calling the conditions "staggeringly overcrowded....

"the detainees were sleeping on the floors, didn't have access to showers, and there was only one toilet in the rooms."
www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/ne...

The Pentagon is reportedly planning to send more than 23,000 troops to all 50 states. But senior Pentagon officials won't answer basic questions about these plans. Outrageous. I will not rest until we get answers and accountability.

Congress won't do anything. I'd say "Get the Sanctuary Cities law repealed," but probably the legislature won't do anything either, and Ayotte would veto a repeal bill.

At least eight people have died in ICE's custody this year.

ICE has a history of abusive conditions and medical neglect in immigration detention, and the Trump administration's rush to expand detention capacity has only made matters worse.

PBS made it really difficult to activate my Passport access, and support hasn't answered my email. I finally managed to activate it, but it must be frustrating a lot of donors.
#PBS

Border agents detain 2 Chinese men in Maine while responding to attempted suicide A federal judge ordered both men released.

A federal judge ordered both men released. (via Maine Public) www.bangordailynews.com/2026/03/05/c...

Unfortunately, the Senate decided neither to authorize the war nor to rein in Trump, but instead to abdicate its responsibility.

I do not want the government to "protect" the news, except by keeping its hands off.

Dataliths.

This glass wafer could back up your phone—and last 10,000 years

Writers for the Superman, Star Trek, and Mission Impossible franchises all dreamed up the idea of storing libraries of data in glass.

Now, Microsoft researchers say they are bringing this vision closer to reality. Learn more: https://scim.ag/4cZ9aJd

Yes, states may prosecute ICE agents for misconduct Plus: An unsettling comparison between the Iran War and “Lyndon Johnson going into Vietnam.”

DHS claims its thugs can commit any crimes they like, and states can't do anything about it. The claim is dubious.
reason.com/2026/03/05/y...
#ICE #DHS

Looking for info on ICE spotting, these patterns are often mentioned:
• Unmarked SUVs with tinted windows or blacked-out side windows
• Unmarked minivans
• No license plate, or no front license plate
• Parked with multiple occupants for a long period in front of a business or apartment building

'Can Someone Help Me' Or, It’s Time to Learn How to React Effectively to the Shit Show

Rapid-Response Training is what you need to act effectively against I.C.E.
rwwgreene.substack.com/p/can-someon...
#Immigration #ICE #CivilRights #MutualAid #NewHampshire #TrumpAdministration.