For lovers of non-fiction, two deep dives into the fragility of democracy, here and in the land in the land of its birth. These Truths: A History of the United States by Jill Lepore is a mammoth tome, published in 2018. I started reading it when it was launched; I finished reading it ten days …
Continue reading Books for the holidays, pt. 3 – non-fiction
I have always followed my instincts in choosing books to recommend, so this posting is a little different. The five books explored here were selected by David Moskowitz, a thoughtful and dedicated course leader at Brandeis Lifelong Learning. Their theme is war and its impact on those directly and indirectly involved. The reader is reminded …
Continue reading Books for the holidays, pt. 2 – more fiction
This is Happiness by Niall Williams is not a book to be read in a hurry. Set in the remote village of Faha in County Clare, Ireland, the story is set in the 1950’s before electricity came to dirt-poor Faha. The characters painstakingly described with love and humor, the all-important pubs and church, the social …
MA. Representative Ayanna Pressley is filing a resolution to strip Cong. Lauren Boebert of Colorado of her committee assignments as punishment for Boebert's anti-Muslim slurs against Cong. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. With time ticking down on more serious matters, debating this issue now is not only a waste of time and a fundraising trap, but, …
Continue reading Cong. Lauren Boebert – censure, don’t strip
GOP Governor Charlie Baker's decision to opt out of a third-term election he'd probably have won is part of his appeal to the Massachusetts electorate. His disdain for the all-too-familiar despicable aspects of today's political discourse has been reason enough to embrace him at home and place him consistently among the most favorably viewed of …
Continue reading Charlie Baker and the end of bipartisanship in Mass.
Elections matter, and nowhere has this been clearer than in Wednesday's Supreme Court hearing on abortion. Donald Trump (you remember the erstwhile lothario who was loudly pro-choice when he was openly sleeping around) pledged to name Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision recognizing a woman's fundamental right to control …
Continue reading Supreme Court abortion hearing portends dire future
People are on the move this weekend, eager to celebrate what the pandemic prevented last year. Friends and families gather, grateful that they have survived, much as popular history recounts how the Pilgrims survived their first winter (though that story usually leaves out the decimation of the Native American population.) But we do use the …
Boston's mayors have influenced my life since I was four years old. A May baby, I had missed eligibility for kindergarten by a few days. Early on the first day of school, my mother learned that Mayor Maurice Tobin (1938-1945) had somehow gotten the eligibility date changed to accommodate his young son, with whom I …
For many Massachusetts voters, any race for state auditor (one of just six officials elected statewide) can be a snoozer. But not in 2022. This down-ballot post is fundamentally about making sure that our tax dollars are spent well, that government is serving the public interest. Retiring Auditor Suzanne Bump has been there 11 years. …
Continue reading Chris Dempsey: the Real Deal for State Auditor
Friday’s job numbers and dip in unemployment to 4.6 percent might have made it easier for Democrats running in Tuesday’s elections in Virginia and New Jersey. So, too, might earlier passage of the infrastructure bill and tentative agreement on a framework for the reconciliation package. Even with belated progress, no one should conclude there are …
Continue reading What are the lessons from Tuesday’s results? pt. 2
Marjorie Arons-Barron 